After class, Zhao Mu closed his notebook and prepared to head to the Training Hall for another practice session.
Just as he stepped out of the classroom, a familiar voice called from behind.
"Student Zhao Mu!"
The overly friendly tone could only belong to one person—Jin Xiangcheng.
Zhao Mu glanced over his shoulder and saw Jin Xiangcheng hurrying toward him with a nervous smile, rubbing his hands together.
"Do you have a few minutes?" he asked. "I'd like to speak with you in private."
Zhao Mu asked Meng Qiuqiu and the others to wait for him before following Jin Xiangcheng to a quiet corner of the teaching building.
"So," Zhao Mu said bluntly, "are you here to pay the remaining balance?"
Jin Xiangcheng nodded.
"I am... but I'm still short three million Xuanfeng Coins."
Zhao Mu smiled faintly.
"Then why are you looking for me? Three million is still three million. I'm not running a charity."
Jin Xiangcheng glanced around to make sure no one was listening before lowering his voice.
"I know you're going to duel Shao Han in a few days. I have some important information about him—something that could help you win. In exchange, I want those remaining three million coins forgiven."
Zhao Mu narrowed his eyes.
A secret?
Shao Han had been keeping a low profile recently, so it was possible he was preparing something.
Still, Zhao Mu wasn't so easily fooled.
Whatever information Jin Xiangcheng possessed would lose its value after the duel. It certainly wasn't worth three million Xuanfeng Coins.
"I'll give you ten thousand at most," Zhao Mu replied calmly. "Consider it payment for your effort."
Jin Xiangcheng nearly choked.
"Ten thousand? That's far too low!"
"No," Zhao Mu answered with a smile. "Your asking price is far too high."
Seeing Jin Xiangcheng hesitate, Zhao Mu made another offer.
"How about this? I'll return your Ember Remains now, and I'll give you another two months to repay the remaining three million. Deal?"
He turned as though ready to leave.
"If not, I'm busy."
Jin Xiangcheng panicked.
"Wait! Fine, I agree!"
The two quickly completed the transaction. Once Jin Xiangcheng recovered his Ember Remains, he finally relaxed.
Then he leaned closer.
"A few days ago, I heard that Shao Han bought a second-grade Ember Remains Construct from the Quenching Fire Weapon Shop."
"He must be preparing it specifically for your duel."
The Quenching Fire Weapon Shop was one of Lujiang City's most famous weapon stores, known for selling everything from alloy equipment to high-grade Ember Remains.
"A second-grade construct?"
Zhao Mu wasn't particularly surprised.
He looked at Jin Xiangcheng with slight disappointment.
"Is that really the big secret you wanted to charge me three million for?"
Even if Shao Han had obtained a second-grade construct, mastering it within only a few days would be extremely difficult.
Advanced Ember Remains were useless unless their owner could synchronize their spirit and strength with the Exotic Beast Remains sealed inside them.
Without sufficient synchronization, even alloy weapons could outperform them.
Jin Xiangcheng smiled mysteriously.
"What if I told you..."
"...it's a Guardian Construct?"
Zhao Mu's expression finally changed.
Among all Ember Remains, Guardian Constructs were the rarest and most expensive.
They required enormous resources and incredible craftsmanship to forge.
Their greatest strength was their ability to summon a Guardian that fought alongside its master.
Even the combat puppets inside the Training Hall were advanced Guardian Constructs.
A second-grade Guardian Construct could easily be worth hundreds of millions of Xuanfeng Coins.
Even for the Shao Family, such a purchase was a tremendous expense.
"Is Shao Han really that wealthy?"
Jin Xiangcheng chuckled.
"The Shao Family alone isn't."
"But his maternal grandfather's family is one of the richest families in Lujiang City."
Shao Han's father, Shao Tianyi, served as Deputy Commander of the Lujiang City Military Preparatory Force, while his mother's family possessed immense wealth.
Zhao Mu sighed helplessly.
"I really hate rich people..."
"...unless they're spending money on me."
Although he joked, he immediately realized the seriousness of the situation.
A Guardian Construct was extremely powerful.
Without proper preparation, he would almost certainly suffer during the duel.
He nodded.
"Very well."
"Thank you for the information."
"You can repay the remaining money later."
Jin Xiangcheng's face lit up with joy as he thanked Zhao Mu repeatedly before leaving.
Instead of going to the Training Hall, Zhao Mu found Meng Qiuqiu.
"Qiuqiu, has your father's investment arrived?"
Meng Qiuqiu nodded.
"It has. Why?"
"I need to withdraw part of it."
"I need to buy some materials."
Originally, Zhao Mu intended to explain that he wanted to forge stronger Ember Remains to counter Shao Han's Guardian Construct.
He also planned to repay every coin by earning profits through future forging work.
Before he could explain, Meng Qiuqiu smiled.
"No problem."
"Tell me what you need."
"If the Military Commerce Department doesn't have it, I'll use the Meng Family's connections."
Zhao Mu blinked.
"You're not even going to ask why?"
Meng Qiuqiu laughed.
"Whatever you're planning, I support it."
"Brother Zhao Mu, you've earned my trust."
Over the past month, Zhao Mu had proven himself through both his actions and his character.
He always protected his companions.
Even during boot camp, he had looked after the weaker recruits instead of abandoning them.
Someone like that would never cheat his friends.
Zhao Mu smiled warmly and patted Meng Qiuqiu on the shoulder.
"Good brother."
"Don't worry."
"This investment will earn back a hundred times... no, a thousand times its value."
His plan was simple.
First, he would upgrade the Heavenly Halberd: Extinguish Ember and improve its overall quality.
Then he would forge several additional Ember Remains specifically designed to counter Shao Han's Guardian Construct.
Although Zhao Mu couldn't forge a true second-grade construct yet, he was confident that if he could push the synchronization rate of a first-grade construct beyond ninety percent, he would still have every chance of defeating Shao Han.
Since the materials were urgently needed, Meng Qiuqiu immediately contacted the Meng Family's butler through a video call.
That very afternoon, an armed airship landed at Qingfeng Camp, delivering every material Zhao Mu had requested.
Back inside his workshop, Zhao Mu locked the door.
Only Meng Qiuqiu, Zhuo Yun, and Lu Yan remained inside.
There was no reason to hide his plans from his closest friends.
Opening the secure storage cabinet, Zhao Mu smiled with satisfaction.
Inside lay several precious materials.
A Gold-Devouring Beast Tooth, taken from a Level 92 Exotic Beast, shimmered with a dark golden glow.
Beside it rested the throat bone of a Vitality Energy Beast, the stomach of a Void Beast, and the shell of a Crocodile Armor Turtle.
Because each specimen had been perfectly sealed, traces of their original vitality still remained.
Meng Qiuqiu proudly introduced each item.
"Gold-Devouring Beast Tooth."
"Vitality Energy Beast Throat."
"Void Beast Stomach."
"Crocodile Armor Turtle Shell."
"These are all top-grade forging materials."
"To improve your chances of success, I bought two sets of each."
What Zhao Mu didn't know was that the newly invested one hundred million Xuanfeng Coins hadn't been enough to purchase everything.
The Gold-Devouring Beast Tooth alone cost fifteen million.
It was one of the finest materials available for forging a first-grade weapon Ember Remains.
To make up the difference, Meng Qiuqiu had quietly used nearly all of his personal savings.
He never mentioned it.
To him, helping Zhao Mu was worth far more than money.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)