Zhao Mu understood the value of the items Meng Qiuqiu had given him. Instead of expressing his gratitude with words, he silently committed the kindness to memory.
Raising the Gold-Devouring Beast Tooth in his hand, Zhao Mu smiled.
"Today, I'll show you how I create a Jinhai."
As he spoke, he placed the Gold-Devouring Beast Tooth on the workbench and took out a mithril ingot along with a fine diamond carving needle.
Demon Clown—Activated!
Improving his proficiency had become a habit, and Zhao Mu never neglected it.
Taking a deep breath, he focused completely on the task before him.
The core bone remains used in Extinguish Ember had originally been the spine of a Mutated Yu Beast King. To replace it with the Gold-Devouring Beast Tooth, he first had to unseal the Jinhai and dismantle it.
Fortunately, the mithril bracelet itself was already complete, greatly reducing the difficulty of the process.
He carefully placed the bracelet on the table and released the seal according to the proper method.
A flash of light appeared.
The sealed bone remains and the alloy Heavenly Halberd materialized on the workbench.
Since Zhao Mu had personally crafted the weapon, he was extremely familiar with its structure. Within five minutes, he had completely dismantled it.
Now came the most difficult step.
He had to seal the Combat Level 98 Gold-Devouring Beast Tooth into the mithril bracelet.
As its name suggested, the Gold-Devouring Beast fed on gold and metal. Although it was only considered a low-level exotic beast, its teeth were capable of biting through A-grade alloy weapons.
Because of this, its fangs were among the finest materials for crafting a first-grade Jinhai.
Holding both hands above the beast tooth, Zhao Mu slowly removed its outer seal.
The instant the seal disappeared, a terrifying aura burst into the room.
A savage pressure filled the workshop.
The air became heavy and suffocating, almost as though it were saturated with blood.
Even Zhao Mu felt every hair on his body stand on end.
Although the beast had long since died, the Combat Level 98 bone remains still carried an overwhelming sense of ferocity.
Meng Qiuqiu's face turned pale.
If Zhuo Yun hadn't quickly supported him, he would have collapsed onto the floor.
Ignoring the pressure, Zhao Mu took another deep breath and immediately began the Bone Remains Sealing Ritual.
The ritual itself wasn't particularly complicated.
The real challenge was suppressing the beast's lingering will while drawing out its power.
As the ritual continued, horrifying visions flashed before Zhao Mu's eyes.
He saw countless victims being torn apart by razor-sharp fangs.
Blood splashed everywhere.
The beast's murderous intent constantly tried to shake his resolve.
Fortunately, Zhao Mu's mental strength was exceptionally powerful.
He remained completely unaffected.
The spirit patterns engraved on the mithril bracelet gradually lit up one after another.
Blue spiritual energy flowed through every rune like flowing water.
With Zhao Mu's precise control, the Gold-Devouring Beast Tooth was finally sealed into the bracelet.
The process wasn't over.
He then spent another hour connecting every spiritual pathway and completely integrating the tooth with the bracelet.
By the time everything was finished, Zhao Mu was drenched in sweat as though he had just walked through a rainstorm.
The difference between sealing a Combat Level 30 Remnant Beast Spine and a Combat Level 98 Gold-Devouring Beast Tooth was enormous.
Only now did he truly understand why high-ranking Jinhai Masters required such extraordinary spiritual power and mental strength.
Without sufficient willpower, suppressing the violent nature of powerful bone remains would be impossible.
Satisfied, Zhao Mu picked up the upgraded Jinhai and fastened it around his wrist.
With a single thought, the bracelet transformed into a magnificent Heavenly Halberd.
He closed his eyes and poured spiritual energy into it.
Immediately, he felt an incredible surge of power.
Extinguish Ember had officially advanced from a Medium-Grade First-Grade Jinhai to a High-Grade First-Grade Jinhai.
Holding the halberd, Zhao Mu walked outside.
Meng Qiuqiu, Zhuo Yun, and Lu Yan eagerly followed behind, curious to witness the weapon's new strength.
Beside the workshop stood a small pond with a massive stone resting near the water's edge.
Zhao Mu gripped the halberd firmly.
Spiritual energy surged into the weapon.
"Hegemon's Formation-Breaking Halberd!"
A blood-red aura wrapped around the blade before crashing toward the enormous rock.
There was no deafening explosion.
Instead—
Crack!
The stone split cleanly in half as though it had been sliced through butter.
The remaining force blasted the pond water high into the air.
Even Zhao Mu was surprised.
"The sharpness is already comparable to the Silver Sword in Jin Xiang City."
As expected of the Gold-Devouring Beast Tooth.
The upgraded Jinhai had gained a special attribute:
Cleave.
It dramatically increased the cutting power of Extinguish Ember, making every strike even more devastating.
Looking at his improved weapon, Zhao Mu couldn't hide his satisfaction.
Meng Qiuqiu and Zhuo Yun immediately congratulated him.
"Congratulations! Your weapon has become much stronger!"
Watching from the side, Lu Yan couldn't hide the envy in his eyes.
Everyone else already possessed a Jinhai.
Only he had none.
It wasn't because he lacked talent.
His family simply couldn't afford one.
Even his everyday clothes were few in number, making it obvious how difficult life had been.
By comparison, Zhuo Yun at least possessed his family's inherited Dragon Gall Spear.
Noticing Lu Yan's expression, Zhao Mu smiled.
"Once I have time, I'll craft a Jinhai for each of you."
"But I have one condition."
"You'll have to gather the materials yourselves."
Lu Yan and Zhuo Yun immediately understood what he meant.
Both were proud individuals.
If Zhao Mu simply gave them such valuable equipment, they would never accept it.
True friendship should never become a burden of debt.
By asking them to gather the materials themselves, Zhao Mu protected both their pride and their friendship while encouraging them to grow stronger.
The two immediately nodded.
"It's a deal!"
Returning to the workshop, Zhao Mu looked at the remaining crafting materials.
Originally, they had prepared enough resources for two attempts.
Fortunately, he had succeeded on the first try.
The leftover materials were sufficient to create another High-Grade First-Grade Jinhai.
However, Zhao Mu wasn't thinking about crafting another weapon.
His thoughts were already on the duel two days away.
"In two days, I'll face Shao Han."
"By then, he'll most likely have reached the Private Rank and mastered Force Projection."
"He'll be able to attack me from a distance."
"I need a way to deal with that."
Meng Qiuqiu immediately patted his chest.
"That's easy!"
"I've got just the thing."
As he spoke, he removed a second-grade Remains Construct—his Bobo Spirit Energy Gun—from his finger before taking out several incredibly expensive spirit energy bullets.
"Take this."
"Use it against Shao Han."
"The Spirit Energy Gun is easy to master."
"As long as your aim is good, you'll have no problem defeating him."
The only disadvantage of the weapon was its cost.
Every shot consumed a fortune.
It was a luxury weapon reserved almost exclusively for nobles and the wealthy.
Zhao Mu smiled and shook his head.
"I accepted this duel because I want to defeat Shao Han fairly."
"If I rely on a Spirit Energy Gun, he won't truly accept his defeat."
Unlike most Jinhai weapons, which required skill and mastery, the Spirit Energy Gun relied almost entirely on money.
It wasn't just a weapon.
It was a machine that burned gold with every shot.
The conflict between Zhao Mu and Shao Han had lasted for far too long.
This duel...
Would be the final chapter of their grudge.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)