High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

An unprecedented sense of powerlessness, mixed with anxiety and anger, spread through Xu Wuyi.

’If... if only I had broken through to the Innate Level sooner. If I were stronger, couldn’t I at least do more?’

”Xu Wuyi,” Zhao Qingwei suddenly said his name, her voice serious. ”I know what you’re thinking. But don’t be impulsive. My father made a point of telling me before he left to pass this on to you: the front lines are in utter chaos, the situation is unclear, and acting rashly will only be throwing your life away.”

”You are the future of Star Martial, and one of the most promising members of the Federation’s younger generation to reach the Grandmaster realm. Your battlefield is not here. At least... not now.”

Xu Wuyi said nothing.

He knew Zhao Qingwei was right, and that Grandmaster Zhao Cizhou’s words were well-intentioned.

But knowing and accepting were two different things. He just couldn’t suppress the fire burning in his heart.

”I understand.” After a long moment, Xu Wuyi finally spoke, his voice a bit hoarse. ”Thank you.”

Zhao Qingwei looked at him, seeming to want to say something more, but in the end, she just let out a soft sigh.

”Take care. If I get any news about Teacher Han, I’ll tell you immediately.”

The communication ended.

The Cultivation Room fell back into silence, with only the Earth Fire Marrow Lamp steadily emitting light and heat.

Xu Wuyi stood rooted to the spot, not moving for a long time.

His gaze fell on the screen, where the headline of the emergency news bulletin was still a painful glare.

He opened it again, reading the short text over and over, trying to glean more information, but he came up with nothing.

The Federation had blockaded the news. ’That’s the right move.’

’The fall of three Grandmasters... If the details were made public, it would undoubtedly cause shockwaves, even panic, throughout society.’

But Xu Wuyi needed to know more.

He brought up the Star Martial University intranet and logged into the Battle Network forum.

As expected, the entire forum was in an uproar.

Despite the limited official information, all sorts of rumors, speculation, and gossip were flying around.

”My cousin in the military said that one of the Grandmasters who died was from our very own Star Martial...”

”For real? Don’t just spread rumors!”

”What the hell is going on at the front? Weren’t the Celestial Wolf and the Feathered People always keeping each other in check? Why would they suddenly team up?”

”Rumor is, a massive Star Energy vein was discovered in the Broken Star Belt. Both sides got greedy and probably cut a deal to team up and kick us out of the picture first...”

”Damn it! Those alien bastards!”

”So what now? Are we going to war?”

”Fight! We have to strike back! The Grandmasters can’t have died in vain!”

The posts flew by at an incredible speed, a whirlwind of anger, worry, fear, and grim resolve woven into every line.

Xu Wuyi watched in silence, not posting anything himself.

His gaze lingered for a moment on the posts that mentioned a ”Grandmaster from Star Martial” before moving on.

Grandmaster Yue Lianshan’s name hadn’t been officially released, but it was clear that many had already heard the rumors.

Leaving the forum, Xu Wuyi pulled up the mission interface.

He wanted to see if there was anything he could do.

All high-tier military missions had been updated to ”Restricted: Innate Level and above.” Even the requirements for ordinary garrison and patrol missions had been raised to a minimum of ”Martial Artist, Level 38.”

Xu Wuyi met the requirements, but when he tried to accept a mission, a system notification popped up:

[In accordance with the Federation’s Wartime Management Ordinances, non-military Martial Artists accepting Star Realm missions are subject to an additional review. Estimated review period: 3-5 business days.]

’A review?’

Xu Wuyi frowned.

’Normally, this would just be a formality. But in times like these, the review was likely a thinly-veiled restriction.’

Sure enough, as he continued browsing, he found that for almost every mission involving the Star Realm Battlefield, the number of accepted participants was ”0”.

’It wasn’t that no one wanted to take them. They just couldn’t.’

’The Federation was using this method to control the movement of non-military Martial Artists, especially promising talents like him.’

Xu Wuyi closed the mission interface and leaned against the edge of the console.

A wave of intense frustration washed over him.

’If I were Innate Level right now, or even a Grandmaster... I could rush to the battlefield immediately and actually do something.’

’Instead of being ”protected” in the rear like this, forced to just watch the news and worry helplessly.’

Just then, as if remembering something, Xu Wuyi exited the university forum and logged into the Red Star intranet.

Sure enough, on the Red Star intranet, a mission notice had quietly appeared at the top of the list.

This mission didn’t list a client, offered no point-based reward, and even the location was just a vague codename.

But the mission title made Xu Wuyi’s pupils contract.

[Revenge Operation: Celestial Wolf Four Star Realm.]

Xu Wuyi immediately clicked to see the details.

The mission description was very brief:

”Recruiting an elite squad for a sabotage mission in the Celestial Wolf Four Star Realm. Objective: Destroy at least one core mining facility or the resources themselves.”

”Squad size: Five. Currently confirmed members: Hong Nianyi (Initiator, Saber Technique specialist), Chen Yuan (Reconnaissance & Intelligence), Lin Jue (Demolitions Expert). Seeking two more members. Requirements: Martial Artist with a Heart Image Prototype or higher, or possessing special expertise (e.g., Spiritual Power specialization, Stealth, etc.).”

”Warning: This mission is not commissioned by the military. There are no official rewards or support. It is extremely dangerous, and the survival rate cannot be guaranteed. Applicants will be screened; those with insufficient strength need not apply.”

In the ”Mission Poster” field, one name was written in stark characters: Hong Nianyi.

’Hong Nianyi... She’s actually organizing a squad like this to go to one of the Celestial Wolf Civilization’s core resource Star Realms?’

Celestial Wolf Four Star Realm. Xu Wuyi had heard the name before.

It was one of the Celestial Wolf Civilization’s most important resource hubs, rich in various rare minerals and Star Energy crystals.

However, that realm was a minor Star Realm with a low Energy Level; only units with a Life Energy Level below 40 could enter.

For this reason, the defensive forces the Celestial Wolf Civilization deployed there consisted mainly of Martial Master Level combatants, with only a handful of Werewolf Priests capable of contending with Innate Level experts.

These Werewolf Priests were War Generals who had been promoted after entering the realm, the price for which was being permanently stationed there for the rest of their lives.

Hong Nianyi’s choice of target was clearly well-considered.

On the one hand, it was a vital artery of the Celestial Wolf Civilization, making it a high-value target for sabotage. On the other hand, the level restrictions prevented the Celestial Wolf forces from directly stationing experts above the Innate Level there, giving avengers at the Martial Master Level like them a sliver of a chance.

After all, there couldn’t be that many Werewolf Priests; they wouldn’t be able to guard every single area.

But... it really was just a sliver of a chance.

They would be deep behind enemy lines with no support, facing the full defensive might of a civilization in its own resource stronghold.

It was practically a one-way trip.

Not only were there countless unknowns, but there were also no prior preparations. Even the military would have a hard time providing support, as their main forces were surely tied up on the main front.