Chapter 224: Expanded Group Meeting!

After the class selection competition for the first-year students, in one of the buildings of the Outer Academy, the seven members of Jing Shaoyu's group were holding an expanded personnel meeting.

It was an extremely large room, its size comparable to their first-year classroom. The room was divided into five areas: the design area, the manufacturing area, the repair area, the forging area, and the comprehensive area. The four professional areas occupied the four corners of the room, while the comprehensive area was the remaining space in the center, directly facing the entrance, making it very convenient to enter and exit.

Without a doubt, this was Jing Shaoyu's group's studio, meticulously chosen by Xu Xiaoyan. It was spacious, well-located, close to both the teaching building and the dormitory, and most importantly, it had excellent transportation access. Of course, it was also very expensive, but money was the least of their concerns, so Xu Xiaoyan had no hesitation in securing it. After some renovations, it had taken on its current layout.

At this moment, the seven members of Jing Shaoyu's group were in the comprehensive area. There was a long table in the center, with Jing Shaoyu sitting at the head, and the others seated on either side of him. On his left were Na'er, Wu Siduo, and Mo Hentian, while on his right were Gu Yue, Xu Xiaoyan, and Ye Xinglan. This seating arrangement naturally followed a certain special pattern.

"Today is the first time Na'er and Xinglan are attending our group meeting. Do either of you have any questions?" Jing Shaoyu looked at Na'er and then at Ye Xinglan as he spoke.

"Not for now," Na'er replied with a smile, shaking her head.

"I'd like to ask, is this where you all work on making your Battle Armor?" Ye Xinglan asked curiously. "Can I join you and work on Battle Armor together?"

"Of course," Jing Shaoyu responded with a smile. "That's actually the main purpose of today's meeting. Although you and Na'er joined our class midway, the graduation assessment standards are the same for everyone. I've already submitted the application to Teacher Shen, and it's been approved. From today onwards, both of you are officially members of our group."

"Yay!" Xu Xiaoyan cheered, clearly overjoyed.

"Our group is the class committee group. Is it really appropriate to let her join?" Gu Yue voiced her objection in a calm tone, her words clearly directed at Na'er.

Na'er chose to ignore her, her gaze fixed intently on Jing Shaoyu.

"Ahem," Jing Shaoyu looked slightly troubled. "This is what I was about to say. Teacher Shen suggested that Na'er and Xinglan challenge Gu Yue and Xiaoyan for their positions since both of you hold dual roles. However, considering that this could lead to unnecessary conflict, I rejected Teacher Shen's proposal.

My idea is this: Gu Yue, Xiaoyan, why don't you hand over your positions as design committee member and manufacturing committee member to Na'er and Xinglan, while retaining your positions as vice-class presidents? What do you think?"

"I have no problem with that," Xu Xiaoyan immediately agreed, which made Jing Shaoyu breathe a sigh of relief and send her a look of approval. Xu Xiaoyan felt happy inside. This arrangement was undoubtedly beneficial for her because if they had to decide the positions through combat, she would undoubtedly be no match for Na'er or Ye Xinglan. This wasn't her being modest—it was simply the unavoidable disparity brought about by their Martial Souls.

"..." Gu Yue initially didn't want to agree, but when Jing Shaoyu looked at her with pleading eyes, her heart softened instantly. She sighed and said, "Fine, I'll hand over my position as design committee member to her."

"Who needs you to give it to me!" Na'er immediately bristled at this.

"Na'er!" Jing Shaoyu called out, looking at her.

Na'er wanted to continue voicing her opinion, but Jing Shaoyu's gaze made her suppress her emotions and sit back down obediently, looking like a well-behaved child.

"Phew!" Jing Shaoyu exhaled, feeling relieved. "Then it's settled. After the grade competition, I'll inform Teacher Shen of this decision."

Wu Siduo's gaze was wandering, and Mo Hentian seemed dazed, neither of them offering any opinions on the matter.

"Additionally, regarding the design and manufacturing representatives for the grade exchange event," Jing Shaoyu continued, "since there's been a change in the class committee positions, the representatives will also need to change. Gu Yue, Xiaoyan, do you want to represent the group yourselves, or would you prefer to let Na'er and Xinglan take the spots?"

"Brother Shaoyu, I'd like to represent the group myself this time," Xu Xiaoyan said, no longer willing to step aside. She had made sacrifices for the greater good before, but this time it didn't affect the overall situation—it was purely about her own interests, so she naturally wasn't going to back down. Xu Xiaoyan wasn't a pushover.

"Me," Gu Yue said succinctly.

"Alright, then we'll keep it as is," Jing Shaoyu nodded and moved on to the next topic. "It's been a month since the semester started, and we've mostly completed our preliminary work. Now it's time to officially begin working on our Battle Armor. Xiaoyan, Xinglan, Maomao, and Xiao Mo, you can start discussing your Battle Armor needs and ideas with Gu Yue and Na'er soon."

"No problem," Xu Xiaoyan replied.

"Alright," Ye Xinglan's eyes flickered with a hint of something.

"Stop calling me Maomao!" Wu Siduo complained irritably.

"Huh? Oh!" Mo Hentian seemed as if he had just woken up.

Jing Shaoyu smiled with satisfaction and said, "Does anyone else have anything to add? If not, we'll wrap up today's meeting. Everyone, focus on preparing for the grade competition."

"Wait a minute!" Mo Hentian spoke softly, his voice carrying a faint hint of drowsiness, which made Jing Shaoyu feel the urge to facepalm. Was this guy really asleep just now?

"Xiao Mo, do you have something to say?" Jing Shaoyu asked. Although he still hadn't let his guard down around Mo Hentian, he maintained a basic level of trust and friendliness.

"I've reached Level 5 in forging," Mo Hentian spoke slowly, more like reading out words than speaking, but his words elicited looks of surprise from everyone.

"That fast?" Jing Shaoyu was astonished, but then it seemed reasonable. After all, Mo Hentian's Martial Soul was the Clear Sky Hammer, a powerful Martial Soul specialized in forging for twenty thousand years. It was only natural that he would be exceptionally talented in forging.

"Mm," Mo Hentian nodded. "We can use spirit-forged metal to make our Battle Armor."

"Using spirit-forged metal for One-Word Battle Armor?" Wu Siduo asked, somewhat surprised. "Wouldn't that be too wasteful? Spirit-forged metal can already be used for Two-Word Battle Armor."

"Two-Word Battle Armor is best made with spirit-forged alloys," Na'er chimed in. "Single spirit-forged metal can't support the advancement from Two-Word to Three-Word Battle Armor."

"Xiao Mo, can you forge spirit-forged alloys?" Xu Xiaoyan asked.

"I can," Mo Hentian nodded first, then shook his head. "But the fusion rate isn't high enough, so it's not suitable for making Battle Armor."

"Then..." Ye Xinglan hesitated. "Wouldn't that be too extravagant? The resources required would increase exponentially."

"But it's worth it," Mo Hentian spoke a bit faster, sounding more like a normal person now. He explained, "Using spirit-forged metal for One-Word Battle Armor not only allows the Battle Armor to integrate with the body, but the Soul Master can also nourish the Battle Armor through their physical body, increasing its fusion rate. When upgrading to Two-Word Battle Armor, there's no need to start over—you just need to incorporate new spirit-forged metal to create a spirit-forged alloy.

From a long-term perspective, One-Word Battle Armor made from spirit-forged metal is far more cost-effective than One-Word Battle Armor made from thousand-refined metal!"

Seeing Mo Hentian so passionate, even Wu Siduo, who had doubts, couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

"The main concern is that the amount of spirit-forged metal needed for One-Word Battle Armor is too high," Jing Shaoyu interjected. "But think about it this way—Two-Word Battle Armor also requires spirit-forged metal, and the amount needed will be even greater. Are you going to worry about it then too?

Xiao Mo's proposal simply brings the cost considerations for Two-Word Battle Armor forward to the One-Word stage. In reality, there's no change—if anything, it's a reduction, because One-Word Battle Armor made from spirit-forged metal will undoubtedly be far stronger than One-Word Battle Armor made from thousand-refined metal.

So I think Xiao Mo's idea is feasible."

Mo Hentian gave Jing Shaoyu a grateful look, but Jing Shaoyu simply thought his idea was excellent. If Leng Yaozhu hadn't already helped him resolve the metal issue, he would have adopted Mo Hentian's proposal directly.

The girls were already somewhat convinced by Jing Shaoyu's words, particularly Xu Xiaoyan, Ye Xinglan, and Wu Siduo. They were still hesitating, but if Mo Hentian's proposal could proceed smoothly, it would undoubtedly be beneficial for them.

Seeing their lingering hesitation, Jing Shaoyu decided to voice their final concern for them. "Xiao M

o, what's your current success rate for spirit-forging?"

"Eighty percent," Mo Hentian replied.