Inside the Academy Headmaster's office, an old man with a wrinkled face but piercing eyes sat on a luxurious mahogany chair. Standing in front of him was Mo Bai's class teacher, who didn't dare to sit in the presence of the man, whose aura was colder than ice.
"Speak. What is it?" the Headmaster said slowly, his voice icy and sharp, his gaze slicing through the teacher standing stiffly before him.
"There's an urgent matter, sir," the teacher said in a single breath, anxiety clearly threading his voice. "I received word that Mo Fan, Mo Bai, Mo Zun, Mo Liu, and Mo Ning fought against all the students except the top ten and took one Nia Stone from each of them. The guards didn't intervene since combat isn't forbidden within the Academy as long as abilities aren't used. As soon as they told me, I came straight to you."
"Oh?" The Headmaster's brow rose slightly, his usually indifferent face showing rare surprise, deepening the wrinkles across his forehead. "They fought and robbed every student except the top ten?"
Silence fell, heavy and suffocating.
The Headmaster sank into deep thought, and the teacher didn't dare make a sound, not even shifting his weight.
'Five kids robbing over two hundred others... Unprecedented in Academy history. And they're all from the Mo Faction. That complicates things.'
'There are pros and cons to this. On one hand, oppressed students will be provoked into training harder, pushing themselves to fight back and grow stronger—producing a tougher generation. On the other hand, this could stunt the growth of many. But... a single Nia Stone isn't a major loss for truly gifted students with two seals. Only about 20% of those with just one seal will be seriously affected—those with slave parents or orphans. Overall, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.'
'I'll leave them be. Let's see the results in a month. But I'll still send a letter to the Mo Faction leader. This might affect their faction's reputation. If he chooses not to act, I'll continue with the original plan—observe and assess in one month.'
After nearly two minutes of quiet, the Headmaster finally looked up, his expression once again unreadable.
"Leave them be. Don't take any action. I'll contact the Mo Faction and see what they decide."
"Yes, sir. I'll continue as usual, then," the teacher replied, bowing with both fists clenched before adding, "With your permission, I'll take my leave."
The Headmaster gave a slight nod. The teacher left immediately, thoughts racing the moment the office door shut behind him.
'Huff… The pressure is always immense around the Headmaster. Just being in his presence feels like carrying a mountain on my shoulders—even after all these years.'
'Still, I expected him to at least make them return the stones. Won't this slow the students down if their resources keep getting taken? But... not my business. I'll just follow orders.' The teacher continued to think with obvious wandering, before removing all these thoughts from his head in a moment.
Meanwhile, Mo Bai had already stepped through the grand doors of the Black Blade Workshop—the only high-tier engraving workshop within the clan. Two imposing guards flanked the entrance. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he found himself in a spacious reception hall. It was simple, but elegant: dragon-carved pillars, spotless marble flooring, and an air of pristine precision. Not a single visible flaw marred the area.
"Hello. I'd like to inquire about the prices of the engravings," Mo Bai said calmly to the elegant receptionist who rose the moment he entered.
"Welcome, young sir," she said with a polished smile. "We offer engravings from Tier One to Tier Three. Tier One costs fifty Nia Stones, Tier Two is five hundred, and Tier Three is five thousand. We have two types: one boosts physical strength, the other enhances Nia absorption speed. Which would you like?"
'So expensive... No wonder Elder Su is ranked the fourth wealthiest in the clan, just behind the three major factions. This place is lucrative,' Mo Bai thought, then answered after a brief pause.
"I'll take two Tier One engravings. One for physical strength, and one for Nia absorption. The benefits are as advertised, I presume?"
"Yes. The Tier One physical enhancement boosts your body's strength by fifty percent permanently. The absorption one increases Nia intake speed by twenty percent, also permanently," she confirmed, still smiling with that professional warmth.
"The total is one hundred Nia Stones."
"Alright." Mo Bai handed her a pouch containing the stones, thinking to himself:
'This may be costly, but it's worth it. Strengthening my body will help me continue this strategy of taking from others more effectively and benefit me in the long term. The absorption boost will help me catch up to Mo Fan and the rest faster—even if it doesn't improve elemental awareness or control unfortunately.'
"Here is your room number, young sir. We hope you'll be satisfied with the results," the receptionist said, handing him a small golden badge marked with the number 4.
"Thanks," Mo Bai replied curtly and made his way toward the staircase on the left.
Soon, he stood before a door marked with a golden number 4. A stoic guard stood beside it, spear in hand, face unreadable.
Mo Bai retrieved the token from his pocket and presented it silently.
The guard gave the badge a quick glance, turned, and opened the door without a word.
Mo Bai stepped in. The room contained little—just a strange circular mat and a slightly oversized wooden chair. A large, bald man with bronzed skin sat upon it, his presence imposing.
"Welcome. You the new client? Hand me your badge," the man said immediately, rising to his feet and stretching out a hand.
'Why does he need to check it too? Well, no matter,' Mo Bai thought, handing over the token.
The man flipped the badge, examining the carved symbols. "Tier One body enhancement and Tier One absorption boost. Alright. Let's get started." He pointed at the mat. "Sit here, kid."
Mo Bai crossed the room and sat down with legs folded, back to the man.
"Hey, take off your shirt. You want me to engrave your shirt instead of your skin?" the man said, half-joking.
Mo Bai turned his head slightly, giving the man a cold, indifferent glance before silently removing his shirt. He had no intention of exchanging jokes.
'Wow, Cold little bastard,' the engraver thought with a chuckle, reaching over to the side table and picking up a syringe.
"This will numb your body temporarily. You'll be awake but won't feel pain," he said, injecting it into Mo Bai's left arm.
"Now I wait five minutes for it to kick in. Then we begin."
Mo Bai didn't respond, already lost in thought. He could feel his sensations fading—heat from the mat, chill on his back, numbness creeping through his limbs.
"Alright, I'm starting," the engraver finally said, sitting behind him. A silver glow shone from his hand as his seal activated, forming a scalpel-like shape out of energy.
The moment the blade touched Mo Bai's skin, it cut cleanly and effortlessly, etching lines of power.
'After this, I'll be much stronger. Most of the early stages of my plan will go even better than expected. I'm looking forward to the important part. Not long now.'
'Father, you'll see the chains of fate you always warned me about shatter before your eyes. I will not allow myself to fail.'