Zhao Mu quickly thanked Liang Gongchi.
Liang Gongchi glanced at him, tapped her electronic wristband against his, and a faint halo shimmered across the screen.
"Teacher, what's this?" Zhao Mu asked in confusion.
A satisfied smile spread across Liang Gongchi's face.
"Did you think you joined my Engineering Department for free?" she laughed. "From now on, you'll be taking on Ember Remains manufacturing tasks for me!"
Her laughter echoed through the room.
Curious, Zhao Mu opened his wristband and noticed a brand-new section on his personal interface.
[Jinhai Manufacturing Tasks]
Only then did he understand.
Because Jinhai Masters were incredibly rare, Qingfeng Camp's demand for Ember Remains had been handled entirely by Liang Gongchi and Senior Sister Gu Ningli.
But no matter how talented they were, there was a limit.
Gu Ningli, considered one of the fastest First-Grade Jinhai Masters, still needed nearly two months to complete a single first-grade Jinhai.
Liang Gongchi, meanwhile, specialized in forging only second-grade or higher Ember Remains.
Even together, they produced fewer than thirty Ember Remains each year.
Meanwhile, Qingfeng Camp's Spirit Power Users constantly required new Jinhai.
Now that Zhao Mu had officially become a certified First-Grade Jinhai Master, part of that workload naturally fell onto his shoulders.
Seeing Zhao Mu's expression, Liang Gongchi smiled.
"Relax. Qingfeng Camp will only assign you the simplest first-grade Jinhai requests."
"And the academic credit rewards are excellent. Completing one task earns as many credits as two major required courses."
"It's a pretty good deal."
A standard first-grade Low-Grade Jinhai awarded 100 academic credits.
High-Grade Jinhai earned around 500 credits, while top-quality creations could reward up to 1,000 credits.
That alone demonstrated how valuable Jinhai Masters were.
Zhao Mu curled his lips slightly.
So this is another way to farm academic credits...
"What about the materials?" he asked.
Liang Gongchi waved her hand dismissively.
"Don't worry about that. A Jinhai Master only provides the craftsmanship. Clients supply the materials themselves."
"There are countless people lining up with expensive materials, begging us to craft equipment for them."
Hearing this, Zhao Mu relaxed.
That meant he could earn academic credits without paying material costs.
And once his success rate improved, he could profit even more from Qingfeng Camp's commissions.
---
From then on, Zhao Mu's daily schedule became extremely fulfilling.
He attended classes during the day.
After class, he spent his evenings crafting Jinhai.
Any remaining time was devoted to meditation and practicing the Hegemon's Formation-Breaking Halberd.
Since he only required an hour and a half of sleep each day, he had far more time than ordinary students.
---
The first required course that morning was Introduction to Spiritual Ability Theory.
The instructor was a young woman named Gu Feifei, who wore black-rimmed glasses.
The lecture hall was packed.
Standing before the blackboard, she wrote with chalk while calmly explaining the fundamentals of Spiritual Abilities.
"There are two basic forms of Spiritual Ability."
"The first is the Primitive Form, which is the state every Ability User possesses immediately after Awakening. Primitive Spiritual Power radiates a blue aura and is very easy to identify."
"The second form is the Attribute Manifestation, which develops later according to each person's natural affinity."
She drew a diagram on the board.
At the center was [Primitive], surrounded by five branches:
- Nature System
- Beast Transformation System
- Auxiliary System
- Mental System
- Special Trait System
"As Spirit Power Users become stronger and gain control over their Spiritual Power, their individual attributes gradually manifest."
"These manifestations generally fall into five major categories."
"The Nature System includes elemental abilities such as wind, fire, water, lightning, wood, earth, and similar powers. This is the most common category."
"The Beast Transformation System allows users to transform into powerful beasts or inherit their physical characteristics. Most Beast Transformation users naturally possess an elemental affinity as well."
"The Mental System focuses on spiritual strength. At higher levels, users can manipulate objects through telekinesis or unleash powerful mental attacks."
"The Auxiliary System specializes in enhancement and healing. Although considered a support class, skilled users can still become formidable combatants."
Finally, Teacher Gu pointed toward the last category.
[Special Trait System]
"Since Spiritual Ability manifestations depend on individual affinity, some abilities mutate in completely unique ways."
"These are classified as the Special Trait System."
"Because every Special Trait ability is unique, it's often impossible to determine whether it's inherently powerful or weak."
Zhao Mu listened attentively while recording everything in his notebook.
In the front row, Shen Moran was doing exactly the same.
---
"Any questions?" Teacher Gu asked.
Shen Moran immediately raised her hand.
After receiving permission, she stood.
"Teacher Gu, can Ability Users only cultivate abilities that match their natural affinity?"
"For example, my ability is a Space Element ability within the Nature System."
"Can I also cultivate Mental System techniques?"
Teacher Gu nodded.
"Of course you can."
"However, I wouldn't recommend it."
"Your affinity represents your natural talent."
"When cultivating abilities within your own affinity, you'll achieve twice the results with half the effort."
"If you study abilities outside your affinity, you'll spend twice the effort for half the results."
She continued,
"Even within the Nature System, someone with a water affinity will find it extremely difficult to master fire-based techniques."
"The greater your talent, the stronger your natural affinity becomes—and the harder it is to cultivate opposing attributes."
Shen Moran nodded thoughtfully before sitting down.
---
Listening carefully, Zhao Mu suddenly thought of something.
He raised his hand.
"Teacher Gu."
"What if someone has no elemental affinity at all?"
"Would they be able to cultivate battle techniques from every attribute?"
The classroom instantly turned toward him.
When they realized it was Zhao Mu, no one found the question strange.
His Demon Clown belonged to the Special Trait System.
Even after reaching Battle Rank Six, he still hadn't displayed any elemental affinity.
Even Zhuo Yun had already begun developing a Wind affinity.
Teacher Gu adjusted her glasses.
"You must be a Special Trait System Ability User."
"Theoretically speaking, Special Trait users don't follow conventional rules."
"You may never develop a fixed elemental affinity like Nature System users."
She paused before continuing.
"But remember this—Primitive Spiritual Power is not weaker than manifested attributes."
"It's simply another way Spiritual Power expresses itself."
Zhao Mu immediately asked another question.
"So... does that mean I can cultivate any attribute without restriction?"
Teacher Gu nodded.
"Theoretically, yes."
"But you also won't receive any affinity bonuses."
She smiled and explained,
"If a fire-affinity Ability User spends one unit of effort learning a fire technique..."
"You would likely need three."
Zhao Mu smiled quietly.
As long as I can learn every type of ability, the slower beginning doesn't matter.
With his proficiency system, every hour of practice would permanently increase his mastery.
Sooner or later, he would surpass even the most talented elemental geniuses.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)