"I understand." Xu Wuyi nodded. "Then when..."
"Wait." Feng Zhuohua said only one word. "Wait for the right moment. Wait for us to set our trap. Wait for the Feathered People to show a weakness. When the time comes, you’ll naturally be called upon to act."
The communication ended.
The light screen went dark.
Xu Wuyi sat on the sofa, silent for a long time.
’I didn’t expect my threat level to be this high.’
’But on second thought, it makes sense.’
Golden Crow Burning Heart·Raging Fire was indeed incredibly efficient at dealing with large numbers of low-level enemies. On the Star Realm Battlefield, an ability like this could often change the course of a local engagement.
When it came to the efficiency of clearing out War General Level Feathered People, probably not even most Quasi-Grandmasters could compare to him.
And the Feathered People Civilization, which excelled at swarm tactics, feared this type of "Humanoid Cannon" the most.
’So, all I can do now is wait.’ Xu Wuyi stood up and walked to the window.
He looked out at the city, forced to temporarily suppress the fighting spirit that had just begun to surge within him.
But waiting didn’t mean doing nothing.
’Since I can’t go to the front lines, then... I’ll find something to do within the Federation Territory.’
...
He sat down on the sofa and summoned his personal AI, Anna.
"Pull up the list of currently available public missions within the Federation, sorted by level."
"Searching..."
A light screen materialized in front of him, and lines of mission information scrolled by.
[Beishan Province C-level Rift Monitoring Mission: 3 Martial Masters required, 15-day time limit, Reward: 300 merit points]
[Nanhu Province Beast Tide Early Warning Patrol: 12 Advanced Martial Artists and 1 Martial Master required, 7-day time limit, Reward: 150 merit points]
[Xichuan Province Mountainous Region Abnormal Energy Investigation: 2 Martial Masters required, 10-day time limit, Reward: 400 merit points]
...
Xu Wuyi scanned through them quickly.
There were plenty of missions on the list, but the vast majority were at the Martial Master Level. The few that were marked with "Recommended for Innate Martial Artists" were, upon closer inspection, mainly focused on reconnaissance and monitoring. Very few actually required combat.
This was normal.
Large-scale Star Beast emergences rarely happened within Federation Territory.
When small Rifts occasionally appeared, the local Defense Corps could handle them.
If a threat truly arose that required an Innate Martial Artist to act, it meant the situation had already become serious. The military would issue a direct conscription order, not post it on the public mission list.
Such threats needed to be dealt with immediately; they couldn’t just wait for someone to accept a mission.
But Xu Wuyi didn’t want to wait.
He couldn’t go to the front lines, yet there were no suitable missions on home turf. This state of limbo left him with a pent-up frustration, like having power with nowhere to use it.
"Anna, send another application to the military," Xu Wuyi said. "I’m applying to participate in any and all operations within Federation Territory that require Innate Level combat power. I’m willing to accept any form of mission assignment."
"Understood." Anna’s voice was steady. "Application generated. Send to Dongjiang Province Wartime Command and the Military Dispatch Center?"
"Send it."
"Sent."
Xu Wuyi turned off the light screen and leaned back on the sofa.
He didn’t want to be a "strategic weapon" shelved in a safe zone. Even if this was for his own protection, ’Surely carrying out a few missions within the Federation Territory would be acceptable?’
Time trickled by.
The night outside grew deep, and the lights of Linjiang City flickered in the distance.
Xu Wuyi felt no desire to sleep, so he simply sat cross-legged and continued to regulate his breathing.
「Two hours later.」
His personal terminal vibrated.
It wasn’t a communication request, but a notification from the military’s encrypted system.
Xu Wuyi opened his eyes and tapped on the light screen.
[Reply Regarding Martial Artist Xu Wuyi’s Application for Domestic Operations]
Sender: Dongjiang Province Wartime Command, Military Dispatch Center (Joint Approval)
Approval Status: Approved
Mission Codename: Profound Abyssal Rift - Auxiliary Guard
Mission Location: Border of Red River City and Silver Harbor City, deep within the Black Wind Mountain Range, Profound Abyssal Rift front-line outpost
Mission Duration: Tentatively one month (adjustable based on the Rift’s stability)
Mission Level: A+
Specifics: See attached file, "Profound Abyssal Rift Guard Manual"
Addendum: Martial Artist Xu, we have received your application. The Profound Abyssal Rift is currently the only area within Dongjiang Province that requires a long-term deployment of Innate Level combat power. Grandmaster Ren Bai has been leading the guard there for over three years. Your participation will effectively alleviate pressure on the front line. Please act with caution and prioritize your safety.
Xu Wuyi read it carefully three times.
The approval came much faster than he’d expected, and it pointed him directly to the Profound Abyssal Rift—the source that had once caused the Secondary Rift Burst in Red River City, the major Rift where Grandmaster Ren Bai himself stood guard.
This, in turn, made Xu Wuyi even more certain that the military had already considered arrangements for him.
The Profound Abyssal Rift was dangerous, but compared to the Star Realm front lines, it was more controllable. It required Innate Level combat power, yet it wouldn’t expose him to the threat of a decapitation strike from the Feathered People Civilization.
Moreover, the chance to be in close proximity to a top-tier expert like Grandmaster Ren Bai was a rare opportunity in itself.
"Anna," Xu Wuyi said.
"I’m here."
"Retrieve all public data on the Profound Abyssal Rift, as well as a summary of the battle reports from Grandmaster Ren Bai’s time guarding it."
"Searching... Data compiled."
Dense text and images filled the light screen.
Profound Abyssal Rift: First appeared seven years ago with an initial width of twelve meters.
Expanded to thirty meters within three years, causing seventeen large-scale Star Beast emergences during that period.
Four years ago, Grandmaster Ren Bai personally went to the Black Wind Mountain Range and used his Power of Heart Image in conjunction with a great runic array to forcibly halt the Rift’s expansion.
For the next three years, the Rift’s width remained stable between twenty-eight and thirty-two meters, showing no further growth.
During the guard period, small-scale Star Beast emergences occurred an average of 4-6 times per month. Great Commander Level Star Beasts appeared at a frequency of about one every ten days, and a Beast King-level Star Beast appeared on average once every four months.
Total Martial Artists killed in action: 217, including 41 Martial Masters and 3 Innate Martial Artists.
Total Star Beasts killed: Over 120,000, including 147 Commander Level and 9 Beast King Level.
Xu Wuyi stared quietly at these numbers.
Behind every number was a clash of blood and fire.
Grandmaster Ren Bai had stood guard for three years and slain nine Beast Kings—this meant that, on average, he had to fight a terrifying existence of the same level to the death once every four months. Meanwhile, the smaller-scale battles were handled by the Martial Artists under his command.
’Those three fallen Innate Martial Artists must have been conscripted to serve as auxiliary guards, just like me.’
’Is it dangerous?’
’Of course it is.’
But compared to the Star Realm front lines, a battlefield where one could be ambushed and surrounded by powerful Alien Race experts at any moment, the Profound Abyssal Rift was at least a "known" danger.
No matter how strong the Star Beasts were, they didn’t employ civilization-level conspiracies and decapitation tactics.
Besides, Grandmaster Ren Bai was holding the line there.
"Reply to Command. Confirm mission acceptance," Xu Wuyi made his decision. "Inquire about the specific departure time and rendezvous procedure."
"Reply sent." Anna paused for a moment. "Reply from Command: A military vehicle will pick you up from Yunhai Prefecture tomorrow at 0800 hours. There is no need to bring excessive supplies; the outpost has basic provisions. Grandmaster Ren Bai has been notified of your arrival."
"Good."
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