Qingfeng Camp was severely lacking in Jinhai Masters.
Even trainees in the Intermediate and Advanced Camps who had accumulated enough points still had to wait in line to receive a standard-issue Ember Remnant.
Now, however, the Engineering Department had officially opened an account on the Qingshui Forum.
It was like opening a brand-new food stall right beside an already overcrowded cafeteria.
The moment the account appeared, everyone swarmed over, flooding the post with greetings and messages.
Zhao Mu's electronic wristband wouldn't stop vibrating.
Notifications kept pouring in.
People were following him, sending friend requests, and flooding his private messages.
Zhao Mu returned to his dormitory to pack his belongings.
He was about to leave on a mission, and it could last ten days or even half a month, so he needed to bring enough daily necessities.
After returning to his room, he changed into slippers and sat down in his chair.
He casually opened the Qingshui Forum.
The moment he logged in, he was stunned.
He already had more than ninety-nine notifications.
But that wasn't the most shocking part.
His account had mysteriously received tips totaling more than 300,000 Xuanfeng Coins.
Zhao Mu had been drinking water.
He nearly spat it all over the room.
"Wait…"
"Did I accidentally become an online streamer?"
"Where did all these tips come from?"
He immediately opened the tipping page to investigate.
The person at the top of the leaderboard was an old acquaintance.
Shao Han.
This guy had tipped him 200,000 Xuanfeng Coins in one go.
He had also attached a paid message.
«"Teacher, my father is Shao Tianyi. Could we become friends?"»
Zhao Mu couldn't help raising an eyebrow.
He then opened his private messages and found another message from Shao Han.
«"I wonder if Teacher can repair a second-grade Guardian Jinhai? The price is negotiable."
"Hmm… I don't have enough academic credits. Would it be possible to pay with money instead?"
"We don't have to go through the Engineering Department's official channels."»
Zhao Mu immediately understood what was going on.
A smile appeared on his face.
Back then, Shao Han had exhausted his family's wealth and even taken out loans just to obtain a second-grade Guardian Jinhai.
He had intended to defeat Zhao Mu in their duel, turn his fortunes around, and use the opportunity to gain the favor of the Beitang Royal Clan before heading to Iron Ridge City.
Unfortunately, things had gone completely differently.
Zhao Mu had counterattacked while holding eight Ember Remnants and defeated him outright.
Shao Han had lost both his money and his pride.
Now, he had no choice but to find someone capable of repairing the Guardian Jinhai that Zhao Mu had damaged so badly.
With Zhao Mu's current abilities, repairing a second-grade Remnant Construct wasn't particularly difficult as long as the damage wasn't too severe.
The problem was that he still didn't know enough about Guardian-type Jinhais.
Still, Zhao Mu calmly replied in a completely professional tone:
«"Wait in line."»
He immediately covered his mouth to suppress his laughter.
He couldn't help imagining Shao Han sitting in the dormitory next door, anxiously scratching his ears and cheeks while waiting for a response from the mysterious Engineer.
Sure enough, in Dormitory 206 next door, Shao Han was sitting on his bed with his legs crossed.
He stared nervously at his electronic wristband.
He was waiting for a reply from the mysterious "Engineer."
To acquire that second-grade Guardian Jinhai, he had borrowed a large amount of money from his mother and uncle.
He had also emptied his own savings.
Yet the problem still hadn't been resolved.
His pockets were practically empty.
How could he not be anxious?
He had only hoped to establish a good relationship with this new Jinhai Master from the Engineering Department.
If possible, he wanted to obtain an internal discount.
But after waiting for so long, the only response he received was two cold words:
«"Wait in line."»
Shao Han collapsed backward onto his bed.
"As expected…"
"A mere 200,000 Xuanfeng Coins aren't even enough to catch a Jinhai Master's attention."
Shao Han wasn't angry.
Instead, he became even more nervous.
He immediately assumed that he hadn't done enough.
He hurriedly sent more than a dozen messages to Zhao Mu, making himself as humble as possible.
«"Teacher, I don't mean anything else. I sincerely want to become friends with you."
"Those 200,000 Xuanfeng Coins were only meant to express my admiration. I absolutely had no intention of making demands of you."
"I have an urgent mission coming up soon. Is there any way you could move me up in the queue?"»
Zhao Mu's private messages were already overflowing.
But reading Shao Han's messages alone was enough to make him smile.
A faint sense of anticipation rose in his heart.
What expression would Shao Han have if he eventually discovered that the Genius Jinhai Master he had been desperately trying to flatter was actually the very rival he had always despised?
The thought brought a mischievous smile to Zhao Mu's lips.
Just then, a large golden notification suddenly appeared on the interface.
Among his private messages, a user with a golden prefix had appeared.
The name was:
Bai Lian.
Zhao Mu felt that the name was familiar.
After thinking for a moment, he remembered.
Bai Lian was ranked third on the Qingfeng Leaderboard.
Zhao Mu immediately clicked on the golden prefix attached to the avatar.
Three large characters appeared:
Green Kill Squad.
The person who had contacted him was actually the famous Vice-Captain of the Green Kill Squad.
Zhao Mu couldn't help swallowing.
Bai Lian's message was simple.
«"Teacher, I have a second-grade Amplification Jinhai that developed a crack during combat. Can you repair it?"»
The Engineering Department had strict rules regarding Jinhai repair services.
There was a queue.
Of course, it wasn't simply first come, first served.
The order depended on the importance of the military unit involved.
And the Green Kill Squad was always given the highest priority.
Zhao Mu thought for a moment before replying.
«"Sorry, I need to leave for a while. You can send the Ember Remnant to the Engineering Department first. I'll repair it when I return."»
Bai Lian replied almost immediately.
«"Mm, okay. I'll wait for you to return, Tea—cher."»
---
At a training ground in Qingfeng Camp, Bai Lian and the other members of the Green Kill Squad had just left the Principal's office.
They were discussing where to go and rest.
Suddenly, Bai Lian glanced at the floating window of his electronic wristband.
A meaningful smile appeared on his face.
It looked as though he had discovered an interesting new toy.
Captain Cao Xingshi noticed his expression.
"Bai Lian, what are you so happy about?"
Everyone from the Green Kill Squad looked over.
Bai Lian smiled and shook his electronic wristband.
"I'm just teasing our new Genius Jinhai Master."
"Our Junior Brother."
In truth, Bai Lian was only joking with Zhao Mu.
Given his status, he could have directly asked Liang Gongchi to repair his Ember Remnant.
There was no need for him to personally contact Zhao Mu.
The reason he had approached Zhao Mu was simply because he found it interesting.
At the same time, he wanted to test just how capable this Genius Jinhai Master—whom the Principal praised so highly—really was.
"Genius Jinhai Master…"
Cao Xingshi pushed his glasses up.
His stern face revealed a calculating gaze.
"If he really possesses this level of talent, then we must provide him with as many resources as necessary and help raise his Combat Level."
"If Qingfeng Camp can produce another third-rank Jinhai Master, the overall strength of the camp will increase by at least thirty percent."
A third-rank Jinhai Master was already considered a true Grandmaster throughout the entire Xuanfeng Empire.
Even Liu Weiguo, the current Garrison Commander of Lujiang City and a Senior Colonel, could barely make use of a third-rank Jinhai.
As for the members of the Green Kill Squad, they possessed even fewer third-rank Jinhais.
Once Zhao Mu matured, if he could produce even one third-rank Jinhai every year, the strength of Cao Xingshi, Bai Lian, and the other members could increase by at least twenty percent.
That was an extremely terrifying prospect.
Bai Lian nodded.
"In the future, we really should build a good relationship with this Junior Brother."
Cao Xingshi pushed his glasses up again and looked at him without much enthusiasm.
"Bai Lian, if you want to become a true powerhouse, you can't rely solely on external objects."
"You must learn to rely on your own strength."
As he spoke, he casually followed Zhao Mu's account and sent him a private message.
His expression remained completely serious.
«"Junior Brother Zhao Mu, if you need any help in the future, come directly to your Senior Brother."»
________________________________________
⚡ Enjoying the story? Don't stop here!
The adventure continues on Patreon:
👉 patreon.com/Obito_uchiha
🔥 Read up to 50 chapters ahead
📚 Get access to 20+ fanfics with a single membership
Be among the first to experience new chapters weeks before they're released publicly.
Join today and start reading ahead!