High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Luo Cheng walked up to them, his gaze sweeping across the five faces.

”Xu Wuyi, introductions.” He pointed to the bald, muscular man. ”Shi Gang, from the Bedrock Martial Arts Hall. He specializes in defense and frontal assaults.”

Shi Gang grinned, revealing his white teeth. ”Kid, I heard you beat Milo’s Illusion? How about we spar a bit later?”

Xu Wuyi said calmly, ”The mission comes first.”

Shi Gang raised an eyebrow and said nothing more.

Luo Cheng pointed to the young man wearing glasses. ”Lin Zhaowen, a specially-appointed Martial Artist from the Federation Science Academy. His specialty is Spiritual Power, and he’s responsible for intelligence analysis and battlefield support.”

Lin Zhaowen pushed up his glasses, nodded at Xu Wuyi, and didn’t speak.

”This is Liu Yue from the Shadow Blade Sect.” Luo Cheng pointed to the Female Martial Artist. ”She excels at stealth and assassination.”

Liu Yue glanced at Xu Wuyi, her gaze lingering for a moment on the long spear in his hand, and gave a slight nod.

”And lastly,” Luo Cheng pointed to the man wearing tactical goggles, ”Zhou Ming, codename ’Hawkeye,’ from the Military Region’s direct-command special operations brigade. He’s a long-range sniping specialist, responsible for fire support and battlefield control.”

Zhou Ming raised his eyes to glance at Xu Wuyi, his gaze sharp as a blade, and gave a slight nod.

Xu Wuyi couldn’t help but give him a second look. It was his first time seeing a true military Martial Artist.

This type of Martial Artist didn’t focus so much on achieving breakthroughs in the path of Martial Arts, but rather on integrating martial techniques with firearms.

While this made it difficult for them to advance to the next stage, it drastically increased their current combat power.

For example, some incredibly high-powered sniper rifles can only be wielded by Martial Artists at the Martial Master Level.

Without the requisite power level, the recoil from a single shot would send them flying. They’d likely die, never knowing if they even hit their target.

Luo Cheng paused, his voice growing heavy. ”You five are the strongest combat force the Federation can muster at the Level 35 tier.”

”You should have all guessed the target of this mission. But before I lay out the mission parameters, there’s a video you must see.”

The staff officer behind him stepped forward and connected a data slate to the hall’s main screen.

The screen lit up and began to play a video.

The footage was blurry and the camera shook violently, obviously recorded during intense combat.

The background was a dense, dark-red forest, where five Human Race Martial Artists were besieging a dark golden figure.

It was Milo.

Even through the screen, Xu Wuyi could feel the ferocious aura.

Milo moved with ease under the five-man assault, his dark golden fur a blur of afterimages on the screen.

His attacks were simple and direct, but every claw swipe came with a shriek that tore through the air.

Thirty seconds later, a shield-wielding Martial Artist was sent flying by one of Milo’s swipes. His shield shattered, and three gashes deep enough to show bone were left on his chest.

A minute later, a blade-wielding Martial Artist attempted a flanking attack, only for Milo to catch his wrist and brutally snap it.

At two minutes and seventeen seconds, the remaining three Martial Artists were covered in wounds, while Milo had only sustained a few shallow cuts.

Then, Milo stopped.

He threw his head back and let out a long howl.

The Celestial Wolf Illusion materialized behind him.

What followed could only be described as a massacre.

Empowered by the Celestial Wolf Illusion, Milo’s speed and strength skyrocketed. He moved between the three like a phantom, every strike tearing away large chunks of flesh and blood.

Ten seconds.

In just ten seconds, all three Martial Artists were down.

Milo stood amidst the pile of corpses, his dark golden fur drenched in blood, his crimson pupils sweeping past the camera.

The camera shook violently at this moment; the person filming was apparently moving quickly.

Then the lens turned, focusing on a face covered in blood and grime, with a deep scar running from the corner of his eye to his jaw.

Old Cat.

Xu Wuyi’s pupils contracted.

He never thought he would see Old Cat again like this.

Old Cat’s breathing was heavy and ragged, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

He faced the camera, his voice hoarse and rushed, ”Milo... Celestial Wolf Illusion... power skyrockets... need at least... five or more to surround and kill... be careful...”

Before he could finish, a wolf’s howl came from off-screen.

Old Cat whipped his head around, and the camera turned with him. Milo’s figure appeared in the distance, charging toward them.

Old Cat said one last thing to the camera: ”Location... east side of the canyon... transmitting data...”

Then the feed cut out.

The screen went dark.

The hall was silent.

The smile on Shi Gang’s face vanished. Liu Yue tightened her grip on the hilt of the blade at her waist. Lin Zhaowen’s fingers paused on his data slate. Zhou Ming’s gaze grew even colder.

Xu Wuyi stared at the dark screen, Old Cat’s scarred face appearing in his mind.

That middle-aged Martial Artist from Outpost Seven, the one who had leaned against the wall smoking a pipe with a calm gaze. That Hunter who, during the rescue mission, had pierced the Wolfman Leader’s forehead with a single arrow.

Dead.

Killed at Milo’s hands.

”This recording was the last signal we received from Outpost Seven.” Luo Cheng’s voice broke the silence. ”Sender: Chen Feng, codename ’Old Cat.’ Seventeen seconds after the transmission was complete, his life signs vanished.”

Luo Cheng paused, then continued, ”A twelve-man scout team encountered Milo’s five-man squad. It was Old Cat’s team. Eleven of his squadmates fought to the death to hold Milo back, buying Old Cat time to record and transmit the data. In the end, all twelve were killed.”

It was a simple statement, delivered without any superfluous emotion.

But Xu Wuyi could hear the weight beneath that calm tone.

”You’ve seen the video,” Luo Cheng continued. ”Milo’s combat power while using the Celestial Wolf Illusion far exceeds that of a normal Level 35.”

He looked at the five of them. ”Your mission is to kill him.”

The staff officer brought up a new image, displaying a map of the Celestial Spirit Star Realm marked with several red dots.

”Three days ago, another squad entered the Celestial Spirit Star Realm. Their mission is to attack Werewolf Race strongholds, create chaos, and draw Milo out.”

On the map, a blue arrow started from Outpost Seven and extended deep into the Dark Blood Mountain Range.

”This ’decoy squad’ consists of six Level 34 Martial Artists; they are a formidable unit. They will raise as much of a ruckus as possible but will not engage Milo directly. The moment he appears, they are to retreat immediately and lure him to the designated area.”

Luo Cheng pointed to a location on the map marked ”Canyon 7-B.”

”This is near the area where Old Cat’s last signal was transmitted. The decoy squad will lure Milo here, and your mission is to kill him in the shortest time possible.”

He looked at Xu Wuyi. ”Xu Wuyi, you’re responsible for the final blow. Shi Gang, Liu Yue, Lin Zhaowen, the three of you are tasked with forcing Milo to use his Celestial Wolf Illusion. Zhou Ming, you’re in charge of long-range fire suppression and battlefield control.”

Zhou Ming nodded, his fingers lightly brushing the body of his sniper rifle.

”Remember,” Luo Cheng’s tone became stern, ”you have only one objective. After killing Milo, retreat immediately. Do not get drawn into a prolonged fight, and do not get greedy for more kills. The Werewolf Race’s forces in the Star Realm far outnumber ours. If you get surrounded, no one can save you.”