The number of skills remained the same, but the skills themselves had changed. The level of the equipment had also increased, going from green grade on the blueprint to gold grade in reality.
In terms of skills alone, it did indeed fall slightly short compared to other gold-grade equipment. However, this wasn’t necessarily a flaw. Equipment of the same grade naturally had its strengths and weaknesses. For example, the Bloodstepping Boots, one of Ye Zhongming’s earliest gold-grade pieces, didn’t have many skills but were highly practical.
Now, thanks to its space attributes, the Unhindered Dust Sand Pendant had fewer skills, but they were excellent. Ye Zhongming went out to test it and found its power to be quite impressive. It posed a threat even to eight-star evolved, and the latter two skills were particularly suited for group attacks.
Wearing this space equipment, Ye Zhongming knew that his crafting of space equipment would have to pause for now. Liu Zhenghong didn’t have much time to produce more “spatial eggs” for him—she had more important tasks to handle.
Ye Zhongming had to suppress his impatience, knowing that these things couldn’t be rushed. If Liu Zhenghong could make a breakthrough in her research on spatial genes, it might greatly aid and enhance his crafting.
The leaders of the various factions had already left Cloud Peak to prepare for battle. Whether they were planning to operate under Cloud Peak’s banner or retain their independence, they were excited about the prospect of controlling their territories, as it signified a fresh start.
Cloud Peak, too, was bustling with activity. Collaborations with Thousand Beast Villa, Water Deacon, and previously agreed-upon partnerships with the Five Ring Money and Cannibal Chains, among others, all required vast amounts of resources and products. Additionally, Ye Zhongming needed to prepare for the impending wave of trade. Once the major factions in Ying City secured control over their territories, they would undoubtedly enter the secret realm en masse. Combined with the smaller factions that would begin venturing into the secret realm starting tomorrow, Cloud Peak’s financial and material reserves would be put to the test.
Leaving other matters to Xia Lei, Ye Zhongming threw himself into a crafting frenzy.
Ye Zhongming moved directly into the material storage warehouse to facilitate material retrieval. His presence there set the entire Cloud Peak in motion.
Many surrounding factions were notified a day in advance that certain areas would become Cloud Peak’s hunting grounds the following day, and they were advised not to enter, lest they be treated as enemies.
These restricted periods typically lasted only a day, occasionally two or three. Afterward, when teams entered these areas, they would find only traces of blood but no other signs of what had been hunted. They had no idea what Cloud Peak had been targeting, as they had never noticed any particularly special mutant lifeforms in these regions before.
Occasionally, rumors spread that Cloud Peak was testing new weapons and genetic lifeforms, but no one had concrete evidence.
In addition to Ye Zhongming and the dispatched teams, others, like Xia Lei and Miya, who were responsible for logistics, were also incredibly busy. They had to handle many tasks daily, such as compiling data, categorizing items, organizing trade lists, coordinating team schedules, and managing resources from the secret realm.
The newly established factories, production lines, and the Battle Beast Unit added even more to their workload.
Eventually, Xia Lei had to call in Guang Yao and Mo Ye, having their deputies take over their command duties. One of them was tasked with overseeing military coordination, while the other temporarily took charge of Cloud Peak’s overall defense. Xia Lei herself was fully immersed in logistics work.
The constant equipment flow from Ye Zhongming’s hands was crucial to ensuring all trade deals proceeded smoothly. This represented an astronomical amount of wealth, and Xia Lei naturally took personal responsibility for it.
Seeing the flood of green-grade equipment, Xia Lei, who was accustomed to high-quality items, was both shocked and delighted.
She was pleased that Ye Zhongming, as a top-tier smith, had significantly improved in crafting speed, success rate, and diversity.
Now, Ye Zhongming could produce over twenty pieces of green-grade equipment and three hundred pieces of silver-grade equipment daily. He had completely abandoned gray-grade equipment. Occasionally, when inspiration struck or when he used high-quality materials, he could even produce blue-grade equipment.
It was worth noting that all the equipment Ye Zhongming was currently crafting was for “export.” He created these pieces based on his understanding of equipment, combining materials freely. While these items might not match the functionality of those crafted from blueprints, the fact that he could produce blue-grade equipment—which previously required specific blueprints—was a testament to his tremendous progress. On average, one or two blue-grade pieces were produced each day.
His success rate had also improved significantly. Of dozens or even hundreds of crafting attempts, there were only a few failures due to bad luck.
Moreover, the variety of equipment he produced was astonishing. There were items for wearing, carrying, and using—each crafted based on the characteristics and state of the materials, using the most suitable methods.
Under these conditions, the equipment’s quality was excellent. At least in the eyes of others, it was on par with blueprint-crafted gear.
Because Ye Zhongming worked so quickly, he had two crafting-class jobs and three female guards assisting him. The crafters helped by selecting, organizing, and preparing materials and occasionally handling simpler tasks. The three female guards were responsible for meticulously recording the skills of each piece of equipment Ye Zhongming crafted, then packing and delivering them to Xia Lei, who would select the best items for Cloud Peak’s own use.
Thanks to his powerful mental energy, Ye Zhongming needed only five hours of rest each day. Every minute and second, he was creating immense value.
Xia Lei was exasperated because Ye Zhongming’s crafting speed was so fast that the daily consumption of materials was staggering. Cloud Peak, having a master craftsman like Ye Zhongming, had always emphasized material collection greatly. Few factions in the entire region could rival Cloud Peak’s material reserves.
But once Ye Zhongming entered his frenzied crafting mode, these materials began to disappear alarmingly. The speed at which they were consumed made Xia Lei’s scalp tingle. Although new materials were constantly being delivered, they couldn’t keep up with the consumption rate.
The fact that a super faction’s full-scale material acquisition efforts couldn’t match the consumption rate of a single person’s crafting was a revelation that left Cloud Peak’s core members in awe.
Their admiration for Ye Zhongming was beyond words.
When Little Tiger found out, he blurted out after a long pause, “He’s a beast.”