Seeing that it was Mother Shen who had arrived, Zhao Mu rubbed his nose, feeling a bit awkward, thinking she probably already knew about his breakup with Shen Moran.
However, he still politely walked over to open the door.
"Auntie Shen, why have you come?"
Mother Shen looked at Zhao Mu, a faint smile on her face. Because she had been in poor health for years, her voice was somewhat weak when she spoke.
"Xiao Mu, I know about Mo Mo breaking up with you. Over the years you two were together, you helped her a lot, and you also helped our family a great deal."
"I came here because I wanted to apologize to you."
As she spoke, she handed over the basket in her hand. Through the gaps in the patterned cloth, eggs could be seen inside.
Zhao Mu shook his head: "Auntie Shen, what happened between Mo Mo and me is in the past. Don't worry, I won't blame her. If anyone is to blame, it's just that our fate wasn't long enough."
Although he and Shen Moran had broken up, as neighbors, he didn't want to fall out completely with the Shen Family.
It was just that their relationship would definitely not be the same as before.
"This is just a small token of my appreciation. If you don't accept it, are you still holding a grudge against Mo Mo?"
Mother Shen suddenly forced the basket into Zhao Mu's hands, then stared at him. With a solemn look Zhao Mu had never seen before, she said, word for word:
"I know you harbor resentment. But I hope you can understand that Mo Mo is going to become a major figure from now on. She will go very far, and she won't be in the same world as you."
"So if you have any dissatisfaction, you can take it out on me. I can even give you my life."
"But I only hope that from now on, you will stop pestering my Mo Mo!"
A bolt of lightning seemed to strike Zhao Mu's mind.
Mother Shen's words made him feel exceptionally ridiculous.
He had thought she came to apologize, but this was the reality?
His expression also turned cold, the corners of his mouth curving slightly.
"Auntie Shen, rest assured. Your daughter and I will absolutely never cross paths again from now on!"
"After all, her future and mine won't be in the same world either!"
He shoved the basket of eggs back at her, retreated a few steps, and sneered continuously.
"Also, there is a saying I'd like to offer you and Shen Moran: When doing anything, remember not to Pop the champagne at halftime. Who can say what will happen in the future?"
Mother Shen's expression changed: "You, child..."
Zhao Mu didn't even look at her, turning his head and Walking away.
Mother Shen's face was dark and uncertain when she suddenly met Bu Yanhuan's mocking cold smile.
"All your scheming is written right on your face, how ugly! But I can tell you, the one who will regret it in the end will definitely be you and your short-sighted daughter!"
Bu Yanhuan always looked lazy, but this time, a wisp of Killing Intent actually emanated from her.
She had witnessed the relationship between Shen Moran and Zhao Mu, and as a woman, she knew Shen Moran was a smart and self-serving girl.
She just hadn't exposed her, believing Zhao Mu needed this experience on his path to adulthood, lest he be deceived by bad women later on.
But that didn't mean she wouldn't be angry about it.
Mother Shen's face turned pale. Although she didn't know Bu Yanhuan's identity, the small glimpses of strength Bu Yanhuan had revealed over the years were enough for people to guess she was far from ordinary.
She dared not talk back to Bu Yanhuan, so she could only sullenly carry the basket of eggs and walk home.
"Just an E-rank Awakener, how could he be worthy of my Genius daughter? That brat, he'll regret this and come begging my family for help later."
...Zhao Mu's heart completely turned cold with Mother Shen's visit.
"The Warmth and Coldness of Human Relationships, the fickleness of the world. When I was a Genius, everyone around me was exceptionally kind, all good people. But once they heard I had fallen, anyone could come over and mock me."
"Heh heh, this world is so real."
Amidst these huge ups and downs, Zhao Mu's Heart-Nature also matured.
Fortunately, he wasn't truly mediocre, otherwise this blow might have left him permanently depressed.
"Turning grief and indignation into Strength, from now on, I have only one goal, and that is to become a powerful Spirit Power User!"
Zhao Mu had no more distractions in his heart, focusing entirely on improving the proficiency of [Spiritual Energy Introduction] and [Seven Kills].
Even when Sleeping, he would summon the demon clown to practice Life Skill.
"Sleeping: Life Skill, Proficiency 45."
After Zhao Mu obtained the [demon clown], he began various experiments. He found that almost all actions could increase proficiency.
He even tested increasing the proficiency of going to the toilet, finding that the 'battle' ended much quicker than usual.
Just by Sleeping, he could increase proficiency, which could enhance his Sleep quality and allow his mental state to recover more fully.
Moreover, the higher the proficiency of [Sleeping], the less time he needed to Sleep.
According to his estimation, once the proficiency reached 100 and entered the second stage, he would only need three hours of Sleep per day to maintain a good mental state.
Was there any question about what to do with the extra time?
Roll (Grind)!
Race against time, grind until death!
In the following two days, Zhao Mu did not leave his house.
News about him had long spread among the neighbors; some felt pity, while others secretly mocked him.
However, most people were busy rushing to Shen Moran's house to curry favor, and no one genuinely cared about him anymore.
Time arrived three days later.
According to the school's requirements, Zhao Mu's graduating class had to go to Yuwu No. 2 Middle School to choose their future life paths.
He woke up at five in the morning. While it was still twilight, he put on a tracksuit and ran a lap around the small town.
After ten kilometers, the proficiency of his [Walking] skill had reached 139, and when he walked, he moved swiftly, light as a swallow.
Zhao Mu returned home and wiped off his sweat with a towel.
After three days of continuous practice, he didn't try to master too many things, focusing only on improving the proficiency of a few main skills.
Zhao Mu opened the demon clown interface and checked his skill proficiency list.
Life Skill Category:
[Walking - Light and Agile Steps]: Proficiency 139.
[Breathing - Turtle Breathing Technique]: Proficiency 152.
Meditation Technique:
[Spiritual Energy Introduction]: Proficiency 73.
Combat Technique:
[Seven Kills]: Proficiency 146.
Although his Combat Level was still Combat Level 1, according to Bu Yanhuan, the total amount of Spirit Power in his body had already reached Battle Rank 3 level.
Of course, what determines the Combat Level is not just the 'Quantity' of Spirit Power, but also its 'quality'.
In terms of the purity of his Spirit Power, he was still slightly inferior to a Battle Rank 3 Ability User.
However, achieving this level of improvement in just three days made Zhao Mu very satisfied.
This was because the proficiency of his various skills could be infinitely increased.
In other words, he was like a sports car that had just started up—slow progress at first, but as his proficiency increased, the speed of his strength improvement would only get faster and faster!