After everyone had a few drinks, Zhao Mu placed his glass on the table and spoke seriously.
"We've been at Qingfeng Camp for four months now, and our foundation is quite solid. Except for Qiuqiu, everyone has already broken through to the Private Rank.
"There's no point in spending all our time at Qingfeng Camp taking elective courses just to grind for academic credits.
"So, I plan to form a team and take on more difficult missions. That way, we can earn more academic credits while gaining practical experience and becoming stronger.
"At the very least, we should take Level 2 missions."
Zhao Mu could help Qingfeng Camp refine ember remains, so academic credits were not a major concern for him.
The others, however, did not have that advantage.
Therefore, Mo Guanguan was the first to support his proposal.
"I have no objections! I've actually been looking for a few reliable teammates."
Zhuo Yun's eyes burned with excitement.
"My dragon gall is itching to be stained with blood! My grandfather always said that an excellent warrior must be tempered through blood and fire!
"Zhao Mu, just say the word when you want to take a mission!"
Lu Yan lowered his head and took a small sip of beer before nodding.
"Me too."
Zhao Mu had mentioned this plan several times before, so everyone was already mentally prepared.
Meng Qiuqiu, however, spoke weakly.
"I'm a pacifist. I don't like fighting or killing. You guys will have to protect me when the time comes."
Zhao Mu rolled his eyes.
"You have more ember remains than I do. If a real fight breaks out, you could simply crush your opponents with money.
"Stop pretending to be a victim!"
Meng Qiuqiu looked aggrieved.
He shook his head and sighed dramatically.
"Xiao Mu, before Young Miss Mo came along, you never treated me like this.
"It hasn't even been that long, and you're already putting romance before friendship."
He crossed his arms and spoke in an exaggerated tone.
"Hmph! Men!"
Rarely for Zhao Mu, his face actually flushed slightly.
Mo Guanguan, who was sitting beside him, even dropped her chopsticks onto the table.
"Fatty Meng, don't spread rumors about me! Can't eating keep your mouth occupied?"
Zhao Mu then hurriedly explained to Mo Guanguan.
"He's had too much to drink. Don't take anything he says seriously."
Mo Guanguan lowered her head and smiled without saying anything.
However, Zhao Mu noticed that her ears had already turned completely red.
In the end, everyone agreed to visit the Mission Hall the following day and find a suitable mission.
Their ACE Dorm Alliance was finally going to experience its first real battle!
…
After dinner, Mo Guanguan made an excuse that she had something to do and quickly left.
The moment she was gone, Zhao Mu slammed his hand on the table.
"Fatty Meng!"
He grabbed Meng Qiuqiu and tucked his head under his arm.
"I'll kill you! Are you trying to get yourself killed?
"You almost got me killed just now! You've completely ruined my reputation!"
Meng Qiuqiu struggled helplessly.
"Xiao Mu, you're like a brother to me. Whatever you want to do, I'll support you.
"Just remember to exercise some restraint."
Zhuo Yun also looked at Zhao Mu with a teasing smile.
"Zhao Mu, you and Mo Guanguan go running together every day, and you're always sitting together in class.
"Isn't your relationship already practically set in stone?
"What's there to be embarrassed about?"
Zhao Mu's face flushed again.
"We're just confidants!
"Don't spread nonsense. If rumors start flying around, I won't let any of you off!"
The group burst into laughter and continued teasing Zhao Mu.
Zhao Mu could only sigh helplessly.
He really didn't know what to say.
On the way back, Meng Qiuqiu nudged Zhao Mu with his elbow and spoke excitedly.
"Xiao Mu, Young Miss Mo Guanguan is definitely a great girl! You have to seize the opportunity!"
Zhao Mu gently shook his head.
"Things aren't as simple as you think."
Meng Qiuqiu looked confused.
"Could it be that you don't want to live off a woman?
"But in this era, living off a woman is practically the most promising career path for young people!"
Although Mo Guanguan's family background was extremely mysterious, everyone could tell that her origins were definitely extraordinary.
Those paired Tier 3 Jinhai alone were high-level items that even Meng Qiuqiu couldn't produce.
"Let's not talk about this anymore."
Zhao Mu changed the subject.
"Let's go back and prepare properly today. Tomorrow, we'll head to the Mission Hall together and see if there are any suitable missions."
The truth was that saying Zhao Mu wasn't attracted to Mo Guanguan would be a lie.
She was beautiful and had a bright, cheerful personality.
Whenever she smiled, she resembled a little red chili pepper—lively, energetic, and impossible to ignore.
Even Zhao Mu felt more energetic whenever he was around her.
However, Mo Guanguan seemed to have complicated connections with the Beitang Royal Clan.
Because of that, Zhao Mu didn't want to drag her into the conflict between himself and the Beitang Family.
After breaking up with Shen Moran, he had come to understand one important truth.
Love could be simple, but it was also fragile.
To protect everything and everyone one truly cared about, one first needed enough power.
The group eventually stopped teasing Zhao Mu.
However, deep down, all of them thought that Zhao Mu and Mo Guanguan were a perfect match.
They secretly discussed finding opportunities to bring the two of them together in the future.
…
The next day, the five of them arrived at the Mission Hall.
After not seeing Liu Xu for some time, Zhao Mu was surprised to find her still working at the front desk.
The moment Liu Xu noticed that Zhao Mu had already broken through to the Private Rank, she immediately congratulated him.
"Congratulations, Student Zhao Mu! Breaking through in just two months is truly impressive!"
Zhao Mu shrugged.
In reality, he didn't think his progress was particularly fast.
Zhuo Yun, who had roughly the same Combat Level as him, had already broken through about a week earlier.
However, Zhao Mu's situation was different.
Because of his unique cultivation method, increasing his Combat Level was several times more difficult than it was for an ordinary person.
"Miss Liu Xu, we would like to accept a Level 2 mission."
Zhao Mu walked to the front desk and spoke with determination.
The five-person team had already decided that Zhao Mu would be their captain.
In terms of strength, Mo Guanguan was also qualified to compete for the position.
However, she had openly stated that since most of the team members came from Zhao Mu's dormitory, it would be easier for everyone to coordinate if he became the captain.
They had also agreed that once a mission was completed, the rewards would be distributed according to each person's contribution.
Liu Xu carefully examined Zhao Mu's team.
Four members were Early-Stage Private Rank trainees.
The fifth was a little fatty with a Combat Level of only 8.
In her opinion, they could barely qualify for a Level 2 mission.
"For a team like yours, a Level 2 mission might be extremely difficult," Liu Xu kindly warned.
"I suggest taking a Level 1 mission worth 50 academic credits. That would be the safest choice."
Zhao Mu smiled.
"Dividing 50 academic credits among five people isn't even worth the effort."
Liu Xu smiled helplessly and continued trying to persuade him.
"The advantage is that it's safe.
"If you insist on taking a Level 2 mission, given your current lineup, the possibility of casualties is very high."
Zhao Mu nodded.
"Thank you for your advice.
"I'd still like to look at the mission list before making a decision."
Liu Xu had no choice but to open the mission list.
At present, there were only five Level 2 missions available.
Even the mission with the lowest reward offered more than 200 academic credits.
Naturally, the number of academic credits was directly proportional to the difficulty of the mission.
Liu Xu pointed toward the final mission on the list.
"If you insist on choosing a Level 2 mission, I recommend starting with this one.
"It would be a suitable choice for your first mission."
Zhao Mu looked at the details.
Mission: Qingshan Village Corpse Ghost Incident.
Required participants: 10 or more.
Zhao Mu frowned.
"Ten people or more?"
Liu Xu nodded.
"This is a large-scale team mission.
"Three months ago, the corpses in Qingshan Village began mutating into Corpse Ghosts.
"So far, more than thirty villagers have been killed.
"The village's own defense force was unable to resolve the problem, so they reported the incident to the military.
"The mission has now been assigned to the academy, but we still haven't managed to gather enough people to take it."
Zhao Mu stared at the mission details.
A Level 2 mission.
More than two hundred academic credits.
And an unknown number of Corpse Ghosts that had already killed more than thirty villagers.
This was clearly going to be far more dangerous than an ordinary mission.
But for Zhao Mu and the others, that was precisely what made it worth considering.
________________________________________
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