After receiving Bu Yanhuan's reply, Zhao Mu merely shrugged and smiled.
The way they communicated had always been like this. Neither of them liked wasting words, and after spending so much time together, they could often understand each other's intentions with only a few sentences.
Inside the monitoring room, the three instructors were equally pleased.
Satisfied smiles appeared on their faces as they watched the final moments of the battle replay across the large holographic screens.
This was the result they had hoped to see.
Perfect teamwork.
Perfect execution.
And most importantly, a group of recruits who had proven they possessed the ability to overcome a life-and-death crisis on their own.
This was precisely why the instructors had not intervened directly.
Although they had been monitoring the situation from the beginning, their intention had never been to rescue the recruits at the first sign of danger. The purpose of Boot Camp was to temper future soldiers through real combat.
Growth required pressure.
Strength required sacrifice.
In their original calculations, casualties had been unavoidable.
A few recruits would likely have died.
Perhaps several more would have suffered serious injuries.
That was simply the reality of war.
On the battlefield, it was common to exchange lives for victory. Sacrificing ordinary soldiers to eliminate powerful enemies was often considered an acceptable trade.
However, today's battle had exceeded all expectations.
None of the instructors had anticipated the appearance of a recruit like Zhao Mu.
Not only had he demonstrated extraordinary combat awareness, but he had also displayed the ability to construct and utilize Spirit Pattern formations during actual combat.
Such talent was exceptionally rare.
Even among veteran soldiers, very few could achieve what he had just accomplished.
Instructor Xie Yingxue pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses and proudly lifted her chin.
Her beautiful face carried an expression that practically screamed, "I told you so."
"I said he deserved B-Rank Special Recruit treatment," she declared confidently.
"Was I wrong?"
Zhang Biao chuckled and spread his hands helplessly.
"I admit it."
"That kid has surprised me more times than I can count."
His gaze remained fixed on the screen displaying Zhao Mu's information.
The young man seemed to break expectations every time he stepped onto the battlefield.
First, it had been his extraordinary combat talent.
Then his mastery of Spirit Patterns.
Now, he had become the key factor in killing a mutated Combat Level 30 Beast King.
At this point, even Zhang Biao found it difficult to predict where Zhao Mu's limits truly lay.
Meanwhile, nobody paid attention to Shao Han.
The young man sat in the corner like a discarded sack of trash.
The success of others only highlighted his own failure.
Unfortunately for him, the person exposing his shortcomings every single time happened to be Zhao Mu.
The contrast was almost cruel.
Shao Han clenched his fists.
Regret filled his heart.
If he had been willing to put aside his personal grudges...
If he had cooperated with Zhao Mu, Mo Guanguan, and the others...
Then perhaps he wouldn't have fled in panic.
Perhaps he could have participated in the hunt.
Perhaps he would have earned enough merit to proudly report back to his father.
His father was the deputy commander of the garrison and had always maintained impossibly high expectations.
This operation could have been the perfect opportunity to prove himself.
Instead, he had thrown everything away.
Because of pride.
Because of arrogance.
Because he had refused to admit that someone else might be better than him.
Buzz.
The electronic wristband on his wrist vibrated.
The final rankings had been released.
Shao Han glanced at the leaderboard.
His expression immediately darkened.
Not only had he failed to enter the top three...
He hadn't even made the top ten.
At the very top remained the same name that had haunted him throughout the entire Boot Camp.
First Place: Zhao Mu.
Second Place: Mo Guanguan.
The third-place position surprised many people.
Meng Qiuqiu.
The previously low-profile recruit had quietly climbed into third place.
However, upon closer examination, the ranking made perfect sense.
After all, Meng Qiuqiu possessed two pieces of Second-Grade Ember Remains equipment.
The Psionic Bullets he had fired during the battle alone were worth over one million Xuanfeng Coins.
That amount of money could purchase the complete corpse of a Combat Level 30 exotic beast on the open market.
His contribution had been substantial.
Looking at the rankings, Shao Han finally understood one thing.
He had lost completely.
Not narrowly.
Not unfairly.
Completely.
Without another word, he stood up and left the monitoring room.
Outside, several of his followers had already gathered.
The moment they saw the rankings, complicated expressions appeared on their faces.
Resentment.
Unwillingness.
Frustration.
Song Siqi and Chen Tang had survived the trial and returned safely.
Upon seeing Shao Han, Song Siqi immediately spoke.
"Young Master Shao!"
His voice was filled with anger.
"We can't keep letting Zhao Mu and his people step all over us!"
His fists clenched tightly.
"At worst, we'll challenge them directly!"
"I want to see whose firepower is stronger!"
Song Siqi had every reason to be bitter.
Not long ago, Zhao Mu had beaten him so badly that he spent an entire week recovering in the infirmary.
That injury had caused him to fall far behind in points.
He had hoped to recover during the final trial.
Instead, because he abandoned the battlefield early, seventy percent of his accumulated points were deducted.
His ranking had plummeted to near the bottom of the entire camp.
Naturally, he couldn't accept it.
However, instead of agreeing, Shao Han turned and glared at him coldly.
"Fight?"
His voice was icy.
"Fight with what?"
He pointed directly at Song Siqi and the others.
"When the Beast King appeared, weren't all of you terrified?"
"They stayed behind and fought."
"They risked their lives."
"And what did you do?"
The group fell silent.
Several people looked unhappy.
After all, Shao Han's performance hadn't exactly been heroic either.
He had fled alongside everyone else.
What right did he have to criticize them?
Noticing the dissatisfaction in their eyes, Shao Han lowered his head.
A small insect crawled across the ground.
Without hesitation, he crushed it beneath his boot.
His voice became colder.
"Zhao Mu has become far too arrogant."
"I'll deal with him sooner or later."
His eyes narrowed.
"I'll make sure he pays for this."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.
The others exchanged glances.
No one spoke.
The atmosphere became increasingly awkward.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the training grounds, Zhao Mu received his own notification.
As the first-place graduate of Boot Camp, he had been awarded fifty academic credits.
The message also contained another important announcement.
Starting today, all recruits had officially become cadet soldiers of Qingfeng Camp.
The real training was about to begin.
The previous month had merely been preparation.
Everyone around him received their rewards as well.
Smiles quickly spread across numerous faces.
The difficult month had finally ended.
Standing before the massive corpse of the Beast King, Zhao Mu carefully examined it one final time.
After a moment, he turned toward the group.
"I only need the spine."
Everyone looked surprised.
"The spine?"
Zhao Mu nodded.
"I plan to use it as material for practicing Jinhai Manufacturing."
"You can divide everything else."
The group exchanged glances.
Most people would have chosen the Spirit Source hidden within the Beast King's heart.
That was usually the most valuable part.
The remains and body materials were useful, but they could only be sold unless someone possessed specialized manufacturing skills.
Furthermore, the Remnant Beast belonged to a relatively low-tier exotic beast species.
Its body materials weren't particularly valuable.
As a result, no one objected.
Zhu Meng immediately nodded.
"The successful hunt was mainly because of you."
"I have no objections."
The others quickly agreed.
"Same here."
"The spine is more useful to you anyway."
"Brother Zhao, work hard."
"When you become a true Jinhai Master, don't forget about us."
Laughter erupted throughout the group.
The atmosphere was warm and friendly.
Everyone knew that Zhao Mu's future was extraordinarily bright.
Maintaining a good relationship with him now would only benefit them later.
Nearby, Shen Moran watched silently.
Her emotions were complicated.
The gap between herself and Zhao Mu felt increasingly large.
He could already use Spirit Patterns during combat.
Meanwhile, she still struggled to perfectly complete many Spirit Rune pathways.
The difference in talent was becoming painfully obvious.
She took a deep breath.
"My path isn't manufacturing."
A determined look appeared in her eyes.
"I'll focus entirely on becoming a Spirit Power User."
"One day, I'll surpass him."
Although the thought sounded somewhat hollow, it helped restore her confidence.
Soon afterward, the group finished dividing the Beast King's remains.
The Spirit Source was purchased by Zhu Meng.
As a B-Rank Special Recruit, he was already approaching Battle Rank 10.
Before attempting his breakthrough into the Private Rank, he wanted to strengthen his foundation as much as possible.
Additional Spirit Sources would significantly increase his chances of success.
The transactions proceeded smoothly.
Everyone received a fair share.
Nobody left dissatisfied.
Afterward, the group departed from the trial zone.
Specialized cleanup teams would handle the battlefield.
As they exited, they encountered recruits who had been eliminated earlier.
The moment those recruits learned that Zhao Mu's group had actually killed a mutated Combat Level 30 Beast King, their reactions were immediate.
Shock.
Envy.
Disbelief.
And jealousy.
Many people had considered surviving the encounter a miracle.
Yet Zhao Mu's team had done far more than survive.
They had won.
News of the achievement spread rapidly.
However, before anyone could celebrate, another notification arrived.
There was no graduation ceremony.
No speeches.
No grand celebration.
Only a simple message displayed on every recruit's wristband.
Boot Camp had officially ended.
Tomorrow would be a day of rest.
After that, everyone would return to Qingfeng Camp and begin formal studies.
The real journey was finally about to begin.
Upon seeing the announcement, the recruits released long sighs of relief.
A month of brutal training had left everyone physically and mentally exhausted.
That evening, Zhao Mu and the others headed directly to the cafeteria.
The enormous dining hall was packed with recruits.
Laughter echoed throughout the room.
People who had survived life-and-death situations finally allowed themselves to relax.
Large amounts of food quickly disappeared from the tables.
Everyone ate enthusiastically.
For the first time in weeks, they could enjoy a meal without worrying about surprise attacks, dangerous missions, or exhausting training exercises.
As Zhao Mu sat among his companions, enjoying the atmosphere, he couldn't help but smile.
Boot Camp was over.
But his true path of evolution had only just begun.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)