A long silence passed before a voice message finally came through.
"Zhao Mu..."
"How long has it been since you've seen real bloodshed?"
The question struck Zhao Mu like a heavy hammer.
Boom!
His mind went blank.
The last real battle he had fought was against Shao Han.
Strictly speaking, that had been the only genuine life-and-death fight he had experienced since graduating from Boot Camp over a month ago.
The Seven Kills Battle Technique...
It wasn't a Battle Technique that could be perfected through routine practice.
Its essence lay in endless slaughter on the battlefield.
Only by constantly fighting and killing could a warrior engrave every method of killing into their very bones until it became instinct.
"Heaven creates all things for mankind, yet mankind has nothing to repay Heaven but..."
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
How could someone truly master the Seven Kills Battle Technique by sparring endlessly with training puppets?
Zhao Mu fell silent.
For more than a month...
He hadn't stepped outside Qingfeng Camp even once.
He had a strong feeling that the moment he walked through the camp gates...
Someone would try to kill him.
Qingfeng Camp was notoriously demanding.
Whether it was Battle Techniques...
Ember Remains...
Advanced alloy weapons and armor...
Or even admission into the next stage of military training...
Everything required a huge amount of academic credits.
Relying solely on mandatory and elective courses would never be enough.
Because of that, Qingfeng Camp maintained an extensive mission system.
Cadets could accept missions throughout Lujiang City to earn additional credits.
Many trainees from Zhao Mu's cohort had already begun taking on assignments outside the camp.
"There is an old saying..."
"You can guard against a thief for one day..."
"But you can't guard against one forever."
"I can't hide inside Qingfeng Camp for the rest of my life."
"But..."
"What should I do?"
Zhao Mu frowned deeply.
Just as he was lost in thought...
His electronic wristband vibrated.
He glanced down.
It was a message from Meng Qiuqiu.
«Brother Xiao Mu, we've received the final payment for this batch of goods!
We made 50 million Xuanfeng Coins this time!
How should we use the money?»
Fifty million Xuanfeng Coins.
That was roughly the cost of commissioning a single High-Grade Ember Remain, such as a silver longsword.
Alternatively...
It could purchase around twenty pieces of high-quality Spirit Source.
Naturally, Zhao Mu had no intention of spending everything.
Most of the money needed to be reserved for upgrading the materials used in crafting Ember Remains.
After all...
Becoming stronger wasn't just about talent.
Without sufficient financial resources...
Even the most gifted Spirit Power User would struggle to rise.
Cultivation consumed an enormous amount of wealth.
---
"Wait for me."
"I'll be there soon."
Leaving the training hall, Zhao Mu headed directly toward Tiangong Hall and summoned the others.
The moment Meng Qiuqiu saw him, he hurried over excitedly.
His eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Brother Xiao Mu!"
"The officer from the Military Commerce Department was extremely satisfied with the Ember Remains we delivered!"
"He even wanted to personally meet our Chief Forging Master."
"I knew you wouldn't want to reveal yourself, so I politely declined."
Tiangong Hall was still just a small workshop.
Thanks to the Meng Family's reputation, Meng Qiuqiu had successfully established connections with the Military Commerce Department.
Initially...
The military had merely treated Tiangong Hall as another minor supplier.
They had only agreed to cooperate out of respect for the Meng Group.
Unexpectedly...
Tiangong Hall consistently supplied more than a dozen Ember Remains every month.
Even more impressive...
The quality of the second batch had already reached the Medium Grade level.
Equipping the Wubei Army with such weapons would significantly improve their combat effectiveness.
That level of productivity was impossible for an ordinary First-Grade Forging Master.
There were only two possibilities.
Either Tiangong Hall employed seven or eight First-Grade Forging Masters...
Or...
There was a Second-Grade—or even higher—Forging Master leading the workshop.
Regardless of which was true...
Tiangong Hall had already become impossible to ignore.
Naturally...
Gu Ningyuan, Director of the Military Commerce Department, wanted to meet the workshop's technical leader.
---
Hearing Meng Qiuqiu's explanation...
A thought suddenly crossed Zhao Mu's mind.
What was the strongest force in Lujiang City?
Without question...
The Wubei Army.
Across the entire Xuanfeng Empire...
The military stood at the very top.
If Zhao Mu wanted protection from the Beitang Family...
There could be no better backing.
Of course...
If Lujiang City's military learned that the people targeting Zhao Mu belonged to the Beitang Royal Clan...
They might hesitate to interfere.
But the real question was...
Would Beitang Qiushui dare openly use the royal family's name while carrying out an assassination?
After thinking for a while, Zhao Mu asked,
"Qiuqiu..."
"How much authority does the Director of the Military Commerce Department actually have within the Wubei Army?"
Meng Qiuqiu smiled knowingly.
"He oversees the army's entire logistics and procurement division."
"Every piece of war loot collected after battles against Strange Beasts and the Dark Races passes through his department."
"All Ember Remains issued to soldiers are supplied through him."
"Do you think his authority is small?"
Zhao Mu's eyes immediately lit up.
Rubbing his hands together, he grinned.
"In that case..."
"I really should meet Director Gu Ningyuan."
---
Zhuo Yun frowned.
"Didn't you promise the principal that you wouldn't reveal your identity as a First-Grade Forging Master?"
Zhao Mu exchanged a glance with Meng Qiuqiu before smiling mischievously.
"Zhuo Yun..."
"You're good at everything."
"You're just a little too honest."
Everyone laughed.
This transaction had earned them fifty million Xuanfeng Coins.
But in the end...
Most of that money would still return to the Military Commerce Department.
After all...
Every crafting material...
Every Spirit Source...
Everything they needed had to be purchased through them.
Turning serious again, Zhao Mu instructed,
"Qiuqiu."
"This time we won't mass-produce ordinary Ember Remains."
"I want you to purchase the finest crafting materials available."
"This time..."
"I'm forging High-Grade Ember Remains."
Meng Qiuqiu's eyes widened with excitement.
"Understood!"
Zhao Mu continued,
"Also..."
"Set aside another ten million Xuanfeng Coins."
"Use it to buy Spirit Source."
He then looked toward Zhuo Yun and Lu Yan.
Since Tiangong Hall's establishment...
The two of them had worked tirelessly.
Yet they hadn't received any real rewards.
Zhao Mu naturally wouldn't neglect his own teammates.
"You two should begin using Spirit Source to raise your Combat Levels."
Zhuo Yun scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I only helped a little..."
"I don't think I deserve..."
Before he could finish...
Zhao Mu waved his hand.
"The stronger you become..."
"The more you'll be able to help Tiangong Hall in the future."
"Our workshop will eventually require far more advanced materials."
"And those..."
"Can't simply be bought with money."
First-Grade Ember Remains still used relatively common materials.
Second-Grade Ember Remains...
And anything above...
Required materials harvested from incredibly powerful Strange Beasts or members of the Dark Races.
Those materials weren't merely expensive.
They were practically priceless.
Large forging corporations invested enormous resources into training elite Spirit Power Users...
Or hired powerful mercenaries...
Simply to obtain those rare materials.
Tiangong Hall was still too small.
Eventually...
They would have to gather such resources themselves.
Zhuo Yun and Lu Yan nodded firmly.
Both silently vowed to become stronger.
They refused to become a burden on Zhao Mu and Meng Qiuqiu.
---
One week later...
Inside Tiangong Hall...
Zhao Mu carefully set down a black ring that shimmered with a faint metallic glow.
He picked it up between two fingers.
Holding it beneath the light...
He admired the mysterious black sheen covering its surface.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"High-Grade First-Grade Ember Remain..."
"Black Edge."
"It possesses the special ability..."
"Armor Piercing."
"It also increases Spiritual Power intensity by 15%."
"It's finally complete."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)