High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

This was equivalent to the combined merits of killing hundreds of War Generals—worth fifty million Federation credits in resources!

Xu Wuyi was stunned. He knew killing Milo was a huge achievement, but he hadn’t expected the Federation to be this generous.

Luo Cheng continued, ”Shi Gang, Liu Yue, Zhou Ming, and Lin Zhaowen are each awarded one Second-Class Merit. As for the decoy squad, all members will be awarded merits ranging from Second to Third-Class, depending on their individual contributions.”

The amount of merits they received varied, but everyone got between one and three thousand—a hefty sum for each of them.

He paused, his voice turning serious. ”However, there’s something I must stress.”

The four of them looked at him.

”All details of this mission—including Milo’s death, your individual assignments, and the merits you’ve received—are classified as top secret,” Luo Cheng said, enunciating every word.

”You are not to disclose this to anyone—not family, not friends, not even your fellow soldiers. The official story is that you carried out a routine reconnaissance mission, encountered a Werewolf Squad, and retreated after engaging them.”

Shi Gang frowned. ”Why? We killed Milo. It’s a huge accomplishment. Why are we keeping it under wraps?”

”To protect you,” Luo Cheng said gravely. ”Milo was a Divine Son of the Werewolf Race. His father, Bas, is a newly ascended Divine Being with a violent and vengeful temperament. He holds a grudge for the smallest slight. If Bas were to learn that a group from the Human Race ambushed and killed Milo, he would stop at nothing to retaliate.”

”You might think you’re safe within Federation territory. But I’m telling you, the Werewolf Race has moles and spies planted deep within the Federation. The moment your identities are exposed, you’ll likely face ambushes, assassinations, or worse.”

’What could possibly be worse than being assassinated?’

That would be when they can’t find their target, so they go after their family instead.

They were all seasoned enough to understand this, and their expressions instantly turned grim.

Liu Yue realized, ”So, concealing our achievement is really about minimizing our risk.”

”Exactly,” Luo Cheng nodded. ”It’s also how the Federation protects its geniuses. You are all far more valuable than any single public commendation.”

Xu Wuyi was silent for a moment, then asked, ”Can we still use these merits as usual?”

”Yes,” said Luo Cheng. ”It’s recorded internally in the military merit system. You can use your merits to redeem resources, Martial Arts, and equipment. All transactions will be encrypted to protect your identities. But on the outside, don’t go showing off your newfound ’wealth.’”

He looked at Xu Wuyi. ”Especially you. Five thousand merits is a fortune, enough to exchange for a lot of valuable resources. But remember to be discreet when you use them.”

”I understand,” Xu Wuyi nodded.

”Alright, that’s all the official business,” Luo Cheng said, his expression softening. ”You have three days of leave. You can rest up here at the base or apply to return to the Federation proper.”

He paused, then added, ”My personal advice is to head back behind the lines for now. This mission took a heavy toll, and you need time to process and internalize everything.”

He was speaking to the decoy squad. As for Xu Wuyi’s group, they had been temporarily drafted for this mission anyway, so they were heading back regardless.

Everyone agreed.

Leaving the command center, Shi Gang eagerly opened his personal terminal, checked his merit balance, and grinned from ear to ear.

Liu Yue, meanwhile, was already browsing the redemption catalog, looking for an advanced Cultivation Technique suited to her short-bladed Martial Technique.

Zhou Ming and Lin Zhaowen walked together, discussing something in low voices.

Xu Wuyi didn’t immediately check the redemption catalog. He walked to the base’s observation deck and looked out the window.

Beneath the dark purple sky of the Celestial Spirit Star Realm, the base’s fortifications crouched on the land like a great beast of steel.

In the distance, the silhouette of the Dark Blood Mountain Range loomed, barely visible in the pale daylight.

Just three days ago, they had been in those very mountains, where they had killed a Divine Son.

And now, it was as if nothing had ever happened.

...

「Celestial Wolf Star Realm. The Grand Hall of Divine Sacrifice.」

It was a magnificent structure built entirely from dark-gold bones and black rock, soaring over a hundred meters high. In the center of the grand hall, an ethereal blue flame burned, never to be extinguished.

A figure was prostrated on the ground before the flames.

He was a tall Wolfman Priest, his fur turned gray-white and his face lined with wrinkles. He wore intricate ceremonial robes adorned with bone, and cupped a shattered, dark-gold bone fragment in his hands.

A faint Spirit imprint still lingered on the bone fragment.

It was one of Milo’s bone fragments. Xu Wuyi had taken one piece, but others had been left scattered across the battlefield; he and his team hadn’t had time to collect them all.

A Werewolf Race search party had found it in the canyon and delivered it here immediately.

”Divine One...” the old Priest’s voice trembled. ”His Highness Milo’s life-imprint... has dissipated.”

The ethereal blue flame in the hall suddenly surged, its tongues licking the high dome as the temperature skyrocketed.

A massive, illusory figure slowly took shape within the flames.

It was a winged Celestial Wolf, pure silver-white, ten times larger than the illusion Milo had summoned. Its crimson pupils glowed like twin blood moons.

A mere glance was enough to make the old Priest, still prostrated on the floor, tremble uncontrollably.

Bas.

The newly ascended Divine Being of the Celestial Wolf Race, and Milo’s father.

”Who did this?” a low voice boomed from the flames, each word laced with terrifying Spirit pressure.

The old Priest lowered his head even further. ”Judging from the traces left at the scene... it was the Human Race. At least eight to ten of them were involved in the ambush, but the fatal blow came from a unique Flame Martial Technique.”

He held the bone fragment higher. ”The lingering aura of flame on this fragment is highly unusual. It is extremely adhesive and corrosive, and the flames seem to call to one another... It’s highly likely His Highness Milo was incinerated from the inside by this flame.”

The Celestial Wolf Illusion in the flames was silent for a moment.

”Human Race... Flame...” Bas’s voice was bone-chillingly cold. ”Someone at the War General Level who has mastered a Flame Realm of this caliber can’t be a nobody. Investigate. Find out everything.”

”Yes!” the old Priest hastily replied. ”We have already activated all our sleeper agents within the Human Race. They will focus on investigating young geniuses skilled in Flame Martial Techniques who have recently appeared on the Celestial Spirit Star Realm front.”

”But... the Human Race protects such information very carefully. It may take time.”

”Time?” Rage dripped from Bas’s voice. ”My first Divine Son is dead! The culmination of a hundred years of my painstaking effort! And you’re telling me you need *time*?”

A terrifying pressure, as tangible as a physical weight, bore down on him. The old Priest was crushed flat against the ground, barely able to breathe.

”One month.” Bas’s voice became slightly calmer, but his killing intent only intensified. ”I’m giving you one month to find the killer. I want his name, his background, his everything.”

”If I don’t get an answer after a month... you know the consequences.”

The old Priest shuddered. ”Yes! I will do everything in my power!”