Chapter 8: Painful Debuff Is the Catalyst

Feng Mu woke from bed and switched off the alarm clock.

The time was eight o'clock in the morning; he had slept only four hours.

His whole body ached from excessive exercise, and naturally the results exceeded expectations.

"Edibility 2.4%, higher than my expected 2%."

Feng Mu pained yet happy,

"An extra 0.4% every day seems little, but if it keeps accumulating, reaching one hundred percent progress would shave ten days off the expectation, that is, forty days."

Feng Mu was still not quite satisfied; he hoped to shorten this time to within one month.

Dressing, Feng Mu pulled a handful of iron beads from his pocket; this was his breakfast.

Four hours of sleep, the bit of space just freed in his stomach was instantly stuffed full again, and his eating degree rose another 0.1, reaching 2.5%.

The price was an empty pocket, left with only a thin layer of bottom.

Feng Mu weighed it in his hand, roughly estimating about 0.5% worth, then counted the banknotes in his pocket, his face darkening.

"Damn, I got carried away yesterday, almost forgetting that besides bone quality talent, what restricts my progress is also poverty."

"Edibility can be digested over time, but the premise is having enough money to buy iron to eat."

Feng Mu, face dark, rummaged around, finally prying out several overlooked banknotes from between book pages and old clothes pockets.

He counted them over and over twice, totaling 177.5, enough to buy six jin of iron beads, just barely enough to last one week without running out of food.

As for the mobile phone wallet, it was clean as a whistle; Feng Mu had never even activated this function.

Suddenly, Feng Mu pulled out another powered-off phone; unlike his own cheap phone, this was the latest model, worth over 8000, said to be exchangeable for a good kidney on the black market.

"Rich people should activate mobile banking; maybe there's still a lot of money inside."

Greed flickered in Feng Mu's mind, but he suppressed it within moments.

"This phone can't be turned on lightly, and the money inside must not be touched at all, to avoid positioning tracking; although the Patrol Bureau's criminal investigation technology is rather backward, but, small careful boat."

Lower City's technology overall lagged behind his previous life, at least on the surface, but the haze above covered the sky, so one had to be careful.

"Dad, didn't come back last night either?"

Feng Mu casually grabbed a steamed bun from the dinner table, and before leaving asked his mother.

Wang Xiuli: "Mm, said there's a major case at the Patrol Bureau, won't be coming home to stay for this period."

Bang.

Feng Mu casually closed the door, head down going down the stairs, eyes flickering slightly.

He didn't eat the steamed bun, casually stuffing it into the other pocket.

He first rode his bicycle to the hardware store; along the way, turning into a secluded dead end alley, when he came out again, the old bag hanging on the bicycle handle was gone.

Entering the hardware store, he replenished three jin of iron beads.

The shop owner couldn't help but be curious, asking: "What do you make with these iron beads every day?"

"Nothing, for martial arts practice." Feng Mu casually perfunctoried, but in his heart thought, "Can't come to this shop anymore."

School was nothing.

Setting aside that warehouse episode, today was just a copy-paste of yesterday.

Distracted cultural class, sweating profusely in martial arts class, the playground was calm and peaceful, not a ghost of the Patrol Bureau came.

Feng Mu thought: "Family members haven't filed a case report, or the missing person case isn't being taken seriously, or the Patrol Bureau is tied up by a major case and can't spare manpower?"

Whichever it was, the golden 48 hours for solving the case were being wasted; for Feng Mu, that counted as a good thing.

After school, leaving school, going home.

He got home relatively early today; no one was home.

Mother had taken dinner and a change of clothes to Feng Ju, leaving simple dishes on the table.

Feng Mu wouldn't eat rice; the steamed bun in his pocket was still uneaten, but to prevent his mother from suspicion, he found a lunch box in the kitchen, casually dished out some food, and put this morning's steamed bun in as well.

Back in his room, he put the lunch box into a handle bag, hung his schoolbag on the chair, rested a bit, then began cultivation.

Cultivation was undoubtedly boring and painful; especially since yesterday's residual muscle soreness hadn't dissipated, today's cultivation felt even more strenuous, as if inheriting some debuff.

For a moment, Feng Mu wanted to rest.

Wait until tomorrow when muscles weren't so sore, then practice again wasn't impossible, but...

The chill on the chest spine sword tip grew increasingly stimulating; if yesterday it was fingernail size, today it was little finger size; yesterday minus one degree, now minus two degrees.

【Eating Degree Increase↑↑】

【Eating Degree Increase↑↑】

And, accompanied by the cool feeling of esophagus swallowing, the prompt box flashing on the retina, gave the most direct clear sign.

See the difference?

"↑↑" has one more "↑" than yesterday's "↑".

"Fatigue doubled, digestion also doubled, as if telling me, painful is the indispensable catalyst for growth!"

Feng Mu split his wet mouth corners, greedily taking big breaths, his chest heaving like bellows "huffing huffing" ventilating, until midnight.

【Iron Eater: First Rank】

【Edible Iron Type: 1】

【Metal Property Extraction: 1】

【Current Detected Edible Iron Type — Ordinary Pig Iron, Edibility 6.3%.】

【Extracted Property:??】

Four in the morning, pitch black outside the window, not a single top light lit on Upper City's backside.

Feng Mu lay on the bed like a mud puddle, his eyes like faint fireflies, glimmering with light.

"Today's growth 3.9%, 1.5% more than expected, hehehe, shortening the time to one month can be done, even, maybe tomorrow I can be faster!!!"

Of course, the burden was also excessive; today's iron consumption exceeded the estimate by 50%.

"Making money is urgent."

Feng Mu muttered to himself, turned his body, slid open his mobile phone screen, and a group chat window popped up.

You were pulled into the group chat by Luo Ji — 【Blankers·Class Reunion】.

Chat Messages 99+.

Feng Mu was slightly stunned, then clicked to enter.

Tao Fei: Staying in the big group is boring; I thought before quitting the group, I'd create a small group and pull everyone in. We all didn't take the College Entrance Exam, so we can keep in touch here from now on.

Wang Jian: Sounds good. I quit too. The big group is meaningless anyway; they look down on us, so no point trying to fit in.

Dong Ni: I didn't quit. I want to see how many they can pass in the end. When they fail, they'll be Blank Citizens just like us. Their expressions then will be hilarious.

Tao Fei: Haha, Laughing Face JPG.

Wang Jian: What is everyone doing now? I've already entered the Incineration Plant. Burned two E Corpses today.

Sun Yi: Are E Corpses scary? Only heard about them on the news. Supposedly burning E Corpses for real is dangerous. Is that true?

Wang Jian: It's fine. They're all processed. Just look a bit disgusting.

Luo Ji: I passed the Vanguard Team's test. Might go on my first mission next week. If you're free this weekend, let's all go out for a meal.

Feng Mu glanced over the string of messages in a flash.

The last message time was 01:23, mixed with two @ mentions of him.

Tao Fei @ Feng Mu: I heard you still haven't processed your dropout. You've been going to school for classes these two days?

Luo Ji @ Feng Mu: Weekend dinner, coming?

Feng Mu had no intention of explaining or replying; he casually prepared to turn off his phone and sleep.

Suddenly, his movement paused. His finger slid up the messages. His gaze fixed on one for a long time. Then he looked away, glanced at his schoolbag, pupils shrinking slightly.

Fingertips typed a reply on the screen:

Feng Mu @ Tao Fei: Sorry, just now didn't look at phone. Yeah, these two days I'll process the dropout.

Feng Mu @ Luo Ji: Weekend definitely arrive.

After replying one by one, he clicked an avatar, entered private chat, considered a moment, and sent a message...

(End of Chapter)