Two hours later.

In an abandoned Lingwu Group warehouse.

Ling Qianxue waited alone in the corner, looking at her watch.

Rumble!

With a sudden crash, the warehouse floor broke open. A super-storage container made of S-Rank alloy gleamed with a bright light as it rose from the ground and landed right in front of her.

"Whoa." Ling Qianxue stared, dumbfounded. "I've followed my father and saw many black market transactions, but this is the very first time I've seen goods transported this way."

She walked around the container, eyes wide. "A Mentalist? To move such a massive object freely underground. simply amazing."

Clang!

Qin Mu pushed the alloy door open from the inside and stepped out into the darkened light.

"Count the goods," he said serenely.

This kind of transaction was off the books, and Ling Qianxue naturally could not notify anyone else about it; thus, she needed to handle the inventory herself. Fortunately, these goods were very high-value, and the profit margin was huge; she did not need to be so pedantic. A rough estimate was enough to make her grin from ear to ear.

Hehe! This girl is a little money-making expert, she thought, suppressing a giggle. I, Ling Qianxue, am the Investment Goddess of Jiangcheng—no, of the entire Dragon Star!

Scanning the batch, she found nothing difficult to liquidate. The alloy was melted down for direct shipping, and the Beast Cores were unbranded, meaning they could be crafted into anything. As for the potions, they were liquid gold in this market.

If there were legendary "Divine Artifacts" in the pile, she wouldn't have dared touch them; those were hot potatoes that attracted too much attention. But these goods? She could release them slowly without raising flags.

"Here. 150 billion!" Ling Qianxue waved her hand magnanimously, transferring the credits.

"Pleasure doing business. I'll find you next time."

Qin Mu received the transfer notice and, turning, leaped back into the tunnel he had dug. A wave of his hand casually smoothed gravel and earth back into their original positions and blocked the exit.

Bang!

Waiting till Qin Mu was long gone, Ling Qianxue blinked in confusion. "Wait. what did he mean by 'I'll find you'?"

It was the break of dawn.

Back in the Cultivation Room.

The items in the warehouse had been settled, and the credits safely lay within an anonymous account Ling Qianxue had helped to set up. The only things Qin Mu had kept for himself were several vials of golden liquid.

True Dragon Potion

"I can't find any data on it," Qin Mu muttered. He had never seen it in the mall, Ling Qianxue didn't know it, and checking the internet was risky. If the Jiangcheng Martial Arts Hall didn't have the information, the public web certainly wouldn't.

"System!"

If in doubt, ask a higher power.

"Analyze. What is True Dragon Potion?

[Ding! Please provide a physical sample, Host.]

Well, it actually works.

Qin Mu took out a vial of True Dragon Potion.

[Ding! Rare Martial Artist Potion detected.]

Effect Martial Artist: 100% promotion to Martial General 9th Rank.

Effect (Martial General): 100% breakthrough to Grandmaster.

Grandmaster Effect: 100% increase of 1 Rank.

Effect: Great Grandmaster - Ineffective

"Tyrannical." Qin Mu huffed.

That fellow Lu Tian actually had such a heaven-defying object in his possession? People said he once dug up an ancient ruin by himself-alone. That must be true. Even the Martial Arts Hall probably didn't have something this strong.

It was absurdly powerful. Allow a lowly Martial Artist to rocket directly to the peak of the Martial General realm? And more importantly—it allowed a General to instantly become a Grandmaster, a figure revered by thousands!

"System, what about me? Are there side effects?"

"It only contains minor side effects of a single dose and will not affect the upgrade functions of the System."

"Warning: Continuous abuse may lead to decreased body control, shortened lifespan, and permanently reduced martial talent."

Drug abuse? Why would I?

Qin Mu's martial arts cultivation progress was still painfully slow, still stuck at Apprentice 9th Level. He had no time to grind slowly. Anything that didn't hinder the System in its work could be considered inconsequential.

Raising the starting point just meant reaching the finish line faster!

Pfft!

Qin Mu didn't hesitate; he found a syringe and injected the serum right into his arm.

"Hiss—!!!"

The moment the potion entered his bloodstream, Qin Mu felt like there was liquid fire being poured into his veins. His blood ignited!

Muscles twitched wildly. Bones hummed and cracked as they re-knit.

Thump! Thump!

His heartbeat roared in his ears like muffled thunder.

"System! Did you forget to mention what happens if an Apprentice takes this?!"

[Ding! The difference between Apprentice 9th Level and Martial Artist is minor; it is just a dividing line made by the low human Physique. The Host will feel some discomfort. Please ignore it.]

Disregard it?!

Easy for you to say!

From head to toe, not a single millimeter wasn't screaming in agony. The System was normally so convenient: painless upgrades in a flash. But this? This was torture!

Qin Mu struggled for a whole thirty minutes.

[Ding! Potion absorption complete. Host's Rank has increased.]

[Current Rank: Martial General 2nd Rank]

"Damn it! Didn't it say Martial General Ninth Rank?"

Qin Mu stood up and rubbed his aching muscles.

"The potion's raw effectiveness cannot compare to System upgrades. It needs to be actively Cultivated with a technique in order to fully metabolize the medicinal energy."

[Suggestion: If the 'Eighteen Styles of Bloody Battle' are practiced now, the process will take thirty days. Expected outcome: Martial General 8th Rank, with a low probability of reaching 9th Rank.]

"Fine."

Qin Mu didn't rely on physical martial arts to survive anyway. His achievement of Martial General 2nd Rank was mainly in enhancing his durability so he would be harder to kill.

"Anyway, this pain is not letting me sleep. Let's practice."

Qin Mu drew his battle saber. He began to move, executing the saber techniques move by move.

Sure enough, as he flowed through the forms, the soreness of his body began to recede, replaced by a surging vitality. The more he did, the more exhilarating it was.

"Hoo."

After Qin Mu finished his routine, he washed up and opened the interface.

[System Panel]

Name: Qin Mu

Upgrade Points: 0

Martial Cultivation: Martial General 2nd Rank

Mental Cultivation: 9th Rank Dominator

Martial Technique: Eighteen Styles of Bloody Battle

Mental Technique: Basic Mental Power (Lv 6), Sole Focus (Excellent - Lv 8)

"Ha." Qin Mu chuckled. "I've been grinding as a Mentalist all this time, but now my Martial Rank is actually higher."

Equipment and potions had a much more dramatic effect on early cultivation than he had thought, one bottle and he leaped past what apprentices dreamed of achieving in a lifetime.

"Why dwell on the past?" he shook his head. "If my Mentalist cultivation hadn't been strong enough to kill Lu Tian, I wouldn't have this potion in the first place."

Still, the source of his true strength lay with Mental Power.

Three days later,

Qin Mu promoted Sole Focus to Level 9: Perfection!

Mental Power +1 Dao

At the same time, his Mental Power broke through to Dominator Envoy 2nd Rank, bringing it to the same level as his Martial Artist rank.

Mental Power increased by another 2 Dao.

Total: 17 Dao of Mental Power.

Coupled with the amplification of Dominator Envoy rank, his basic attack power reached 200,000. After all the technique multipliers were applied, his total attack output actually broke through the 30-million mark!

Knock, knock!

Guo Youwei opened the door, his face grave.

"Qin Mu, the Martial Arts Tournament is about to start. You have been in seclusion for several days and have not even stepped into the Martial God Hall. Are you truly forcing yourself to take part?"

"Of course," Qin Mu said coolly, smoothing his cuffs. "But the Tournament can wait a moment. I have a question. What Realm exactly is a Great Grandmaster?"

He hesitated for a moment and explained, "Specifically. how much Attack Power does a Great Grandmaster have?

"Ah?"

Guo Youwei was staring at him, dumbfounded. "You haven't even touched the hem of a Grandmaster's robe yet, and you're already asking about Great Grandmasters?"

"Tsk!" Guo Youwei sighed. "I know you are a genius, but even geniuses should not become so excessively ambitious!

Still, Guo Youwei led Qin Mu toward the arena and spoke patiently with him as they walked.

"Mentalists are indeed special. You don't need to refine the physical body like us. As long as you have enough flying blades and mental control, you can rival Grandmasters."

"Take Bai Qingyan, for example. She is only a Dominator Envoy 9th Order, yet she ranks among the top 100 Grandmasters! She relies on her massive array of flying blades and that terrifying Azure Flame Sword." Guo Youwei stopped and looked Qin Mu in the eye.

"I know your talent is frighteningly fast. Soon, you might reach the Grandmaster level in terms of raw damage."

"But a Great Grandmaster? Don't even dream of it yet." His expression turned solemn.

"You might not know this, but in regard to the levels of Cultivation Realms. even the Sect Leader of White Sword Sect has not yet broken through to Great Grandmaster."

"Throughout the entire history of Dragon Star, there hasn't been a single Mentalist who has ever had any success in breaking through to the Great Grandmaster Realm!

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