Zhao Mu glanced at the mess along the riverbank, rubbed his nose, and quickly slipped away.
However, he was still one step too late.
A military truck blocked his path.
Two soldiers wearing military combat uniforms stepped out. Their hands rested on their weapons as they stared coldly at Zhao Mu.
"Who are you? Do you know what caused the commotion here just now?"
Zhao Mu hurriedly raised his electronic wristband and displayed his identity.
The soldiers' expressions softened slightly.
Trainees from the Qingfeng Camp officially became non-commissioned officers after entering the military, and they might even become comrades in the future. Naturally, the soldiers weren't inclined to make things difficult for him.
As for what had happened along the riverbank, Zhao Mu gave them a vague explanation.
The soldiers didn't press him further and soon left.
Only after they had gone did Zhao Mu remember that he needed to return to the Qingfeng Camp.
In a prosperous district like Jinhe, taxis were naturally everywhere, but their fares were extremely expensive.
Zhao Mu still had quite a distance to walk before reaching the bustling commercial area.
He wasn't in a hurry.
Instead, he followed the river until he found a quiet place, stopped, and began circulating his Spiritual Energy Rotation to meditate.
During his battle with Tian Hu, he had consumed a considerable amount of spiritual energy. He needed to replenish it as soon as possible to avoid any problems later.
Although the Jinhe District remained brightly illuminated at night, the crime rate in this era was still high.
Everyone knew that humanity faced threats from exotic beasts and dark races outside the cities. As a result, concentrating resources on the military had become one of the country's fundamental policies.
However, the pressure of survival on the lower classes was enormous.
Retired soldiers with powerful combat abilities were particularly troublesome, as they were more likely to become unstable elements within society.
Nowadays, Zhao Mu needed only one minute to complete a meditation session.
But that wasn't the most frightening part.
The truly frightening thing was that he could meditate anytime and anywhere.
With the Turtle Breathing Technique, whose proficiency had already reached 688, he could eliminate all distracting thoughts.
Even in an extremely noisy environment, nothing could disturb his state of mind.
After completing five consecutive meditation sessions, Zhao Mu finally recovered all the spiritual energy in his body.
Only then did he stand up and head toward the distant commercial district of Jinhe.
It was already late at night.
There were very few cars on the road, while most people had already entered various entertainment venues to indulge themselves.
It seemed that Zhao Mu would have to spend some time walking.
Following the riverbank, he eventually reached the commercial district.
Zhao Mu entered an alley between two large buildings.
Suddenly, a harsh sound came from his electronic wristband.
He looked down.
The electronic wristband had lost its signal.
Zhao Mu's gaze immediately sharpened.
Without the slightest hesitation, he reached behind himself and pulled out the Extinguish Ember.
The signal in the downtown area was extremely strong. There was no reason for his electronic wristband to suddenly lose its connection.
Therefore, Zhao Mu immediately realized that something was wrong.
Danger had arrived.
"Yo, you're quite vigilant!"
A slightly sharp voice came from ahead.
A figure stepped out from behind a dumpster.
The man was tall, with a sharp, thin face resembling an awl. Under the moonlight, Zhao Mu could vaguely make out his features.
"Ge Tianxing!"
The person blocking Zhao Mu's path was none other than Ge Tianxing, who had left not long ago.
"What do you want?"
Zhao Mu narrowed his eyes and asked calmly.
Ge Tianxing stared at him with the expression of a cat playing with a mouse.
His gaze shifted toward the Extinguish Ember in Zhao Mu's hand before moving to his fingers.
With just a brief glance, Ge Tianxing realized that Zhao Mu was carrying a large number of Ember Remains.
Their total value was probably more than one hundred million Xuanfeng Coins.
However, his estimate was actually far too low.
The worst Ember Remains Zhao Mu possessed were Medium-Grade Ember Remains, and he even had two Ultimate-Grade, non-attribute Ember Remains.
At market value, everything he carried was worth at least three hundred million Xuanfeng Coins.
Zhao Mu now understood what Meng Qiuqiu had experienced back then.
It felt as though he were carrying several houses from the core district of Lujiang City on his body.
Ge Tianxing didn't say anything else.
He simply rubbed the ring on his finger.
A slender steel, willow-leaf saber appeared in his hand.
He casually rested the saber on his shoulder.
"It's nothing, Junior Brother. I just noticed that you're carrying so many Ember Remains."
"I was worried that you might not be safe traveling alone this late at night, so I thought I'd help you keep them safe."
Zhao Mu's eyes narrowed.
A dangerous aura slowly spread through the alley.
"The Qingfeng Camp has military regulations."
"Soldiers are supposed to help one another and work together against their enemies."
"But anyone who attacks from the shadows and harms a fellow soldier will be executed without mercy."
"Do you want to test those military regulations?"
Ge Tianxing suddenly laughed.
His laughter was cold and sinister, like a night owl calling in the darkness.
"It's come to this, and you're still talking about military regulations?"
He carried the saber on his shoulder and slowly walked toward Zhao Mu.
"Do you know why I blocked the signal from your electronic wristband?"
Military regulations were dead, but people were alive.
The value of the Ember Remains Zhao Mu had revealed was simply too high.
Even an instructor would probably turn green with envy upon seeing them, let alone Ge Tianxing.
Originally, Ge Tianxing had only intended to teach Zhao Mu a lesson tonight and vent his anger.
But after seeing the Ember Remains, his thoughts had completely changed.
Every year, quite a few Qingfeng Camp Trainees died in battle.
It was impossible to investigate the exact cause of every death.
So what if one Zhao Mu died?
No matter how talented he was, he was still just a new Trainee.
If Ge Tianxing obtained Zhao Mu's Ember Remains and sold them on the black market, he could use the money to purchase even more Ember Remains and Spirit Source.
His strength would then increase tremendously.
"Hah!"
Ge Tianxing suddenly raised the saber in his hand.
In the next instant, a violent hurricane erupted throughout the alley.
The cyan spiritual energy surrounding his saber spread outward, taking the form of an enormous cyan snake.
Ge Tianxing's ability was Wind, and his Combat Level was 22.
He had cultivated the Intermediate Battle Tactic, Wind Snake Devour.
Wind-attribute Ability Users excelled in speed.
That was precisely why Ge Tianxing wasn't worried about Zhao Mu escaping.
He flicked his long saber.
The enormous cyan wind snake twisted through the alley several times before suddenly lunging toward Zhao Mu.
Zhao Mu raised the Extinguish Ember in his hand and slashed toward the head of the cyan snake.
However, just as the great halberd was about to make contact, the cyan snake suddenly twisted in midair.
Its body bent at an almost ninety-degree angle.
Then it completely bypassed Zhao Mu's blade and lunged directly toward his neck.
Zhao Mu's pupils contracted slightly.
How similar was this attack to his Tough Silk technique?
A whirlwind rose beneath Zhao Mu's feet.
He moved rapidly to the side while reaching behind himself and pulling out the Feng Hou Shield.
He raised the shield to block the attack.
"Boom!"
The cyan snake's enormous jaws slammed into the transparent shield wall of the Feng Hou Shield.
The terrifying impact forced Zhao Mu to retreat six steps.
However, the attack still failed to break through his defense.
A flash of surprise appeared in Ge Tianxing's eyes.
It was quickly replaced by even greater greed.
"Good stuff!"
"If all these treasures belonged to me, I'd have a chance of entering the Advanced Camp within two years."
"By the time I graduated, I'd even have the chance to become a Captain."
Ge Tianxing waved his long saber.
The cyan wind snake let out a furious howl as powerful winds swept through the alley.
The enormous serpent moved with incredible flexibility, continuously changing directions as it launched a series of fierce attacks at Zhao Mu.
"You've only just finished exchanging blows with Tian Hu, so you shouldn't have much spiritual energy left, right?"
"If that weren't the case, I really might not have dared to intercept you tonight!"
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