Golden sunlight spilled across the sea, and in the distance, the silhouette of Broken Star Castle was faintly visible through the morning mist, like a dormant behemoth.
"All of you, go back and prepare," Han Mo said finally. "Assemble at the landing pad at three in the afternoon. We depart at three-thirty and will arrive in the combat zone at four."
Everyone stood and left.
Xu Wuyi, walking last, was stopped at the door by Han Mo.
"Teacher." He stopped.
Han Mo walked to his side and gazed out the window at the sea. He was silent for a moment before speaking. "This mission is extremely risky. The Feathered People aren’t fools. They’ve certainly prepared a ’gift’ of sufficient weight."
"I know," Xu Wuyi said.
He understood.
From the moment he awakened the Martial Arts Diligence Record, from his very first Enlightenment, he knew his path was different from others’.
He needed combat, he needed pressure, and he needed to hone his mind and skills on the edge of life and death.
A towering tree cannot be grown in a greenhouse, nor can peerless Martial Arts be forged in comfort.
"I’ll be careful," Xu Wuyi said.
"More than just careful." Han Mo clapped him on the shoulder. "You need to come back alive. You’re only twenty-one. You have a long road ahead of you. The Federation needs you. Humanity needs you."
Xu Wuyi was taken aback.
He had never considered a burden like ’humanity needs you,’ but Han Mo’s tone was serious, his eyes devoid of any humor.
"I’ll do my best."
In the end, that was all he could say.
Han Mo smiled. "Go on. Get yourself in top condition. I’ll see you this afternoon."
Xu Wuyi bowed and left.
In the hallway, Zhao Qingwei and Chu Shanhe were waiting for him.
"Finished talking?" Chu Shanhe asked.
"Yeah." Xu Wuyi nodded. "What about you two? How are your preparations?"
"I’m in top form," Zhao Qingwei said. "My Shadow Sword Technique had a breakthrough recently. It’s the perfect time to test it in real combat."
Chu Shanhe, on the other hand, just smiled. "Mid-stage of the third layer of the Blood Nerve. My Qi and Blood are like mercury, my killing intent contained within. The blood of the Feathered People should be quite nourishing."
His tone was nonchalant, yet it carried a chilling killing intent.
’Everyone has their own path,’ Xu Wuyi glanced at him but didn’t press further. ’Since Chu Shanhe chose the Blood Nerve, he has to bear everything that comes with it.’
The three of them walked out of the command tower side by side.
The morning light glinted off the alloy deck, casting a harsh glare. In the distance, soldiers of the assault squadron had already begun their warm-ups on the Training Ground, their shouts faintly audible on the sea breeze.
Everything was in preparation for the afternoon’s battle.
Xu Wuyi returned to his room but didn’t immediately begin to regulate his breathing.
He stood before the window, watching the calm sea outside, his mind replaying every detail of the battle plan.
’The bright team, the dark team, the feint, the ambush, the retreat...’
Then, he recalled Han Mo’s words.
The Feathered People had prepared a "gift."
’What could it be?’
’A new type of defensive formation? A Priest’s curse specifically targeting the fire of my Heart Image? Or... more sub-King Level experts?’
He didn’t know.
But one thing was certain: no matter what the Feathered People had prepared, he would carve a path through it in his own way.
In the corner, the Liaoyuan Long Spear trembled slightly, as if sensing its master’s will to fight.
Xu Wuyi walked over and grasped the spear’s shaft.
The dark gold patterns grew faintly warm in his palm as a scorching aura flowed through his meridians and into his body, resonating with the Golden Crow Illusion in his sea of consciousness.
"This afternoon, it’s all up to you," he murmured.
The spear’s shaft trembled more intensely, as if in response.
Xu Wuyi sat cross-legged and began his final meditation to regulate his breathing.
The Dark Gold Mountain Body stood majestically in his sea of consciousness. Atop its peak, the Golden Crow spread its wings, and one by one, the flame runes on its feathers lit up, brilliantly illuminating the entire space.
The Gravity Rules of the Profound Nether Celestial Spear constructed a model within his Heart Image, while the footwork patterns of the Quicksand Step were practiced repeatedly in his mind.
He had to adjust his condition to its absolute peak.
Because the battle this afternoon might be the most difficult one he had faced since stepping onto the path of Martial Arts.
But it was also... a battle he had to win.
Outside the window, the wind over the sea was gradually picking up.
Waves crashed against the base’s breakwater, letting out a dull roar.
A storm was brewing.
...
The sea’s surface glittered with fine golden scales under the morning light. Six assault shuttles streaked across the sky at low altitude in a wedge formation, their engine roars absorbed by special sound-dampening runes, leaving only a nearly inaudible low-frequency vibration.
Xu Wuyi sat in the lead shuttle, the Liaoyuan Long Spear laid across his lap, his eyes closed as he regulated his breathing.
They were still forty minutes away from Broken Star Castle.
According to the plan, they would deploy thirty kilometers from the target, splitting into a bright team and a dark team. The bright team, consisting of Han Mo, Tie Zhan, Lu Wenquan, and himself, would charge directly toward Broken Star Castle’s outer defensive perimeter.
The dark team—Su Wanqing, Chen Feng, and Yang Zhenyue—would lie in wait in the flanking waters. The moment the Feathered People’s ambush force appeared, they would immediately counter-encircle them.
"Final equipment check," Han Mo’s voice sounded over the communication channel.
Xu Wuyi opened his eyes and performed a check.
The runes on his combat suit were intact, the Liaoyuan Long Spear was fully charged with Energy, and three vials of Spiritual Stability Potion hung from his waist.
"All clear."
"All clear."
"All clear."
The voices of Tie Zhan and Lu Wenquan replied in succession.
Han Mo brought up the tactical light screen, which displayed real-time monitoring data around Broken Star Castle. "The number of Feathered People patrol squads has dropped by another twenty percent since yesterday. The shield fluctuations are still stable. The bait looks very convincing."
"The more convincing it looks, the more certain it is that something’s fishy." Tie Zhan grinned, his fingers caressing the handle of his warhammer. "I’d like to see just how big a net they’ve prepared."
Xu Wuyi didn’t join the conversation.
His focus was entirely within his sea of consciousness.
The Dark Gold Mountain Body stood majestically, the earthy-yellow patterns on its surface far clearer and deeper than a month ago—a change brought about by the completion of his Gravity Rules.
The Golden Crow Illusion spread its wings atop the mountain peak, the flame runes on its feathers glowing brilliantly. With every breath, it circulated the Power of Heart Image throughout his body.
’The Great Success Realm of Profound Nether Celestial Spear, the Minor Success Realm of Quicksand Step, plus the fire of Golden Crow Burning Heart.’
’These are my trump cards.’
The shuttle began to decrease its altitude. They were fifteen minutes from the target area.
Through the porthole, he could already see the silhouette of the grey-black fortress on the distant horizon.
Broken Star Castle was shaped like an inverted cone with a base diameter of over three kilometers, its surface covered in a dense array of turrets and energy emitters.
A pale blue shield flickered in and out of sight under the morning light, like a translucent giant bowl placed upside down over the sea.
"Prepare for landing," the pilot’s voice came through.
The shuttle hovered ten meters above the sea, and the cabin door slid open silently.
The sea breeze rushed in, carrying the scent of salt, dampness, and a faint smell of seaweed.
Xu Wuyi was the first to leap out. His Quicksand Step created ripples on the water’s surface as his figure moved as if on solid ground. Han Mo and the other two followed close behind. The four of them formed a diamond formation and sped toward Broken Star Castle.
For Innate Martial Artists, a distance of thirty kilometers was a mere ten-minute journey.
Across the sea, four figures shot forward like arrows, parting the waves.
Xu Wuyi was in the center, with Han Mo in front, Tie Zhan to the left, and Lu Wenquan to the right. The four had concealed their Qi and Blood to the absolute limit. Without deliberate perception, they were almost indistinguishable from the ordinary waves.
But inside Broken Star Castle, eyes were surely watching them.
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