Wood Style And Sharingan

Over the next month, Smith participated in two high-level missions. Though the number of missions was small, they were both lengthy and dangerous, taking nearly the entire month to complete.

Both assignments involved joining forces with teams from other cities to hunt and suppress rebel groups. While these rebels were not as powerful as monsters in terms of raw strength, the threat they posed to city safety was arguably even greater.

These rogue elements, whether expelled from the academy or defectors who voluntarily abandoned their posts, were intimately familiar with the layout of the city, the academy's security protocols, and weak points in the defense network. If they chose to cooperate with monsters—selling strategic information in exchange for power or survival—it could lead to disaster.

History held grim reminders: an infamous case years ago involved a rebel selling detailed maps and security info to monsters. The result? A city overrun and reduced to rubble overnight during a coordinated monster assault.

That's why all major academies imposed harsh penalties on rebels—especially those with insider knowledge. The danger of them aligning with monsters was too high. There could be no leniency.

---

In the past month, Smith participated in several joint operations alongside colleges from neighboring regions. They managed to eliminate over a dozen rebels.

During these operations, Smith kept his true strength hidden. Instead of showcasing his formidable powers, he used copied abilities to mislead others.

The Burning Fire Clan still hadn't resurfaced, and Smith knew better than to drop his guard. There were too many unknowns about them. By concealing his full power, he protected himself from drawing further attention.

This strategy, however, led to the birth of a new nickname among the city networks:

> The Master of Copying

The name spread like wildfire. Many academies began to take notice of a new member of Huaihai College's Executive Department. His code name was Blood Moon, and he was now known as someone who could copy supernatural powers and wield them masterfully.

---

As a result of his efforts, Smith earned six mid-grade spirit stones and twenty third-level primary demon cores.

The spirit stones he stored for future use.

The demon cores, however, were exchanged for 6,000 energy points. When added to the 1,030 points he already had, Smith now had a total of 7,030 energy points.

Initially, he considered using some of his spirit stones to push his total above 8,000, so he could afford elite techniques like Kamui or Kotoamatsukami.

But just in time, he noticed that the current mystery shop was about to refresh in half a month. That changed everything.

He waited and then spent 500 energy points to unlock the new shop selection.

Result: 10% discount available!

His excitement immediately died down.

> "Only 10% off? That's nothing!"

Every single item in the shop cost over 10,000 points. Even with the discount, it was far out of reach.

He did the math. Even if he squeezed every drop out of his energy pool or burned through his spirit stones, it wouldn't be worth it.

> "I'm not falling for that. If it's not at least 30% to 70% off, I'm not spending a single point."

Sometimes the best move is to wait and endure. Smith knew patience now would lead to greater rewards later.

---

One afternoon, the team was lounging in the rest area of the Executive Department when Mingyun clapped his hands, jolting everyone awake.

"New mission!" he announced. "Let's move!"

Hong Feng was the first to react. "Captain, what's the mission this time?"

"Another joint operation?" Huang Lang asked as he stretched.

Mingyun shook his head. "No. This time, we're not supporting outside academies. This mission concerns our own people."

He unfurled a large map and pinned it on the wall.

"Roughly 25 miles east of the city, in the region known as Rubble Ruins, two Huaihai College teams are currently on assignment. They've detected traces of the Burning Fire Clan."

As soon as those words were spoken, Smith—who had been dozing off—snapped to attention.

> "The Burning Fire Clan?"

He hadn't heard anything about them since the incident in the City of Sin. He hadn't expected them to resurface so soon.

Hong Feng and the others turned to look at him. After all, if any team in the academy had the most experience dealing with the Burning Fire Clan, it was Smith's.

"Are they building another base out there?" Black Snake wondered aloud. "I thought after we trashed their base in the City of Sin, their leader would have gone into hiding."

"Less talk, more movement. You've got one minute to prep and meet me downstairs!" Mingyun barked.

"Yes, sir!"

---

Everyone gathered downstairs in just under a minute, climbing into their team's wooden transport cart—their standard vehicle for long-distance missions.

As Mingyun drove, he continued briefing the team.

"Intel suggests that the Burning Fire presence this time is stronger than what we encountered before. Stay sharp."

He glanced at Smith. "Blood Moon, if it turns out they're specifically targeting you again, don't hesitate to fall back and regroup."

Based on previous intelligence, it was highly likely that both Smith and Yan Yue were high-value targets for the Burning Fire Clan.

Smith looked out the window, the wind rustling his hair. "Captain, if they've come for me, I won't let them leave alive. It's time I dealt with them personally."

The Burning Fire Clan had tried to kill him twice. They were now his primary target.

He needed answers. Why did they want him dead so badly? Who was behind it all?

He was no longer the person who had to run. He had the power to stand his ground—and he planned to use it.

---

Rubble Ruins. The name came from what used to be Shattered Stone City.

Once a major industrial hub during the Holy Empire's reign, the city had monopolized iron ore production for over a dozen neighboring cities.

After the Empire fell, Shattered Stone City collapsed—its walls, its forges, its people—all turned to dust. But the iron-rich mountains that surrounded the region remained. Even now, this ruin was a prime source of metal ore for nearby settlements.

To that end, Huaihai College had dispatched two teams to mine ore from the area.

The first team, which included Wei Lin and Zhao Mei, was composed of four freshmen and four Executive Department members.

The second team—led by Yan Yue—had the same formation: four students, four officials.

---

"I still can't believe Smith joined the Executive Department," Zhao Mei said as she shoveled chunks of iron ore into her spatial ring. "That just leaves you, Yueyue."

Yan Yue smiled. "I'll join once I qualify. It's only a matter of time."

"You're so focused... unlike me and Wei Lin, who are just trying to get by."

Wei Lin chuckled in agreement.

The group worked steadily, mining ore and stashing it away.

Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet trembled violently.

CRACK!

The stone mountain split open with deafening noise. Fractures spread like spider webs across the entire range.

BOOM!

A massive beast burst from the cliffside—a silver-scaled, armored pangolin, its body glimmering like molten steel.

A fourth-level, primary-class monster: Violent Pangolin!

Øóffer going on for diamond tier

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