As Zhao Qingwei’s words faded, the surrounding scenery shifted in an instant.

The metal hall vanished, replaced by a barren wasteland covered in dark-red gravel.

The sky was an oppressive, dim yellow. A faint smell of sulfur and an unsettling energy fluctuation filled the air.

In the distance, a sinister, blue energy rift hung beneath the sky like a hideous scar. Vague, twisted figures could be seen squirming within it.

This was a Star Realm Rift, a planar fissure created when the Federation overlapped with other Star Realms during natural planar migration.

These rifts allowed creatures to cross, but the passage was mostly one-way. For the Federation, a Star Realm Rift was a gateway for creatures from other Star Realms to enter their world.

At the same time, Star Realm Rifts were also classified into different Levels based on the maximum Energy Level of the Star Beasts that could pass through them.

These rifts were numerous. Fortunately, the vast majority were Low-Tier Rifts, through which only low-level Star Beasts could be deployed.

A rare few, however, could even allow Emperor Level Star Beasts to pass through. These had to be guarded by a Grandmaster until the Federation could eliminate the fissure.

The Federation Military handled most of the Low-Tier Rifts, but a few were assigned to teams of Federation Martial Artists. This conserved military resources and gave Martial Artists a place to sharpen their skills.

Xu Wuyi and his group were doing just that, except they were first running a simulation on the Battle Network.

"Maintain formation and advance." As the one who had initiated the session, Zhao Qingwei naturally took on the role of temporary commander.

"Luo Liang, you’re in front. Tana, you’ll support Luo Liang and cover the left flank. Li Hao, patrol the right flank; scout and harass the enemy. Ding Haichuan, support from the middle; you have free fire. Xu Wuyi, you’ll stay with me in the center for now, ready to provide support at any moment."

The orders were clear and precise, and everyone moved accordingly.

With a low grunt, Luo Liang’s body began to glow with the faint golden light of his Golden Jade Skills as he took point.

Tana shouldered her Heavy Hammer and followed just behind and to his side, her face alight with excitement.

Li Hao’s figure blurred, and he vanished like a phantom into the shadows of the strange rock formations to their right. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Ding Haichuan drew his bow and nocked an arrow, a stream of faint-green qi coalescing around the arrowhead.

Xu Wuyi and Zhao Qingwei positioned themselves in the middle of the formation.

Their advance was smooth at first. They encountered a few lizard-like creatures covered in Bone Armor, known as Scale Armor Beasts.

This type of Star Beast had decent defenses, but its methods of attack were simplistic.

WHOOSH!

Ding Haichuan attacked first. His arrow flew as if it had eyes, precisely targeting the Scale Armor Beast’s relatively vulnerable eye.

His arrows were incredibly fast and imbued with a highly penetrating Qi Force, causing the Scale Armor Beast no small amount of trouble.

Luo Liang absorbed the frontal impact, giving Tana the opening to charge forward, her Heavy Hammer whistling through the air as she brought it crashing down.

BOOM! A Scale Armor Beast’s Bone Armor shattered under the blow, and it collapsed to the ground.

Li Hao’s figure would periodically flash out from the flanks, his dual blades targeting the Star Beasts’ joints and vital points. He struck and retreated in a single motion, never overstaying his welcome.

However, as they encountered more Star Beasts of greater variety, the problems with their unpracticed teamwork immediately became apparent.

On one occasion, three incredibly fast Shadow Wolves launched a surprise attack from the side.

"On your left!" Li Hao yelled, his figure already in full retreat.

Seeing this, Tana roared and charged forward without a second thought, sweeping her Heavy Hammer in an attempt to intercept all three Shadow Wolves at once.

But her charge was too aggressive, taking her almost completely outside of Luo Liang’s defensive range.

Luo Liang instinctively moved to follow Tana and protect her flank, but this created a momentary gap in their front line.

Another lurking Scale Armor Beast seized the opportunity and charged forward.

"Watch the front!"

As Xu Wuyi shouted the warning, he activated Instant Shadow Step. His body moved like a flash of lightning, and he instantly shot forward from the center of the formation.

His dark-red spear struck out with precision, hitting the side of the Scale Armor Beast’s head and making it stagger. This bought Luo Liang just enough time to fall back into his defensive position.

On the other side, although Tana had sent one Shadow Wolf flying with her hammer, the other two nimbly dodged her attack and lunged straight for Ding Haichuan and Zhao Qingwei in the center of the group.

VMMM!

The moment Xu Wuyi forced back the Scale Armor Beast, his Soul Suppressing Domain unfurled. As the two Shadow Wolves charged into the area several meters around him, their speed dropped abruptly.

In that brief moment of hesitation, Zhao Qingwei made her move.

A flash of her sword, like cold lightning splitting the air, and bloody holes simultaneously appeared in the throats of both Shadow Wolves. They collapsed with a whimper.

"Watch your positioning! Tana, don’t stray so far from Luo Liang!" Zhao Qingwei said, withdrawing her sword. Her cool voice carried a hint of sternness.

Tana pouted but didn’t argue, dragging her hammer back to Luo Liang’s side.

Li Hao’s figure reappeared nearby. He watched the recent chaos with a slight frown, clearly unsettled by their lack of coordination.

Ding Haichuan wiped non-existent sweat from his brow and gave a wry smile. "Everyone, give me some time to react. I need to predict my shots."

As they continued to advance, the group was noticeably more cautious, but also more hesitant and constrained.

Each of them was used to fighting alone or with a style that revolved around themselves. Suddenly having to account for teammates felt awkward and unnatural.

Luo Liang wanted to maintain a stable defense, but Tana was always eager to charge ahead.

Li Hao habitually sought opportunities for a kill-shot, but his path sometimes conflicted with the trajectory of Ding Haichuan’s arrows.

Zhao Qingwei’s Fast Sword required space to be effective, and while Xu Wuyi’s Domain could create opportunities, their timing still needed work.

The chaos repeated itself when they were besieged by a group of five or six Stab Scorpions.

The Stab Scorpions could fire tail stingers that had a paralyzing effect, and their wide-area attacks left the team flustered.

Luo Liang swung his fists to parry the attacks, creating an incessant clang of metal on metal.

Tana roared as she smashed any Stab Scorpion that got close, but she was grazed by a few stingers, causing her movements to falter for a moment.

Li Hao weaved through the swarm of scorpions, his blades a constant flash as he cut down several of them. Even so, he was forced into several dangerous situations.

Ding Haichuan fired arrow after arrow, precisely picking off the Stab Scorpions attempting to attack from range. The pressure on him was immense.

Zhao Qingwei’s sword flashes formed a protective curtain around herself and Ding Haichuan.

Just then, two Stab Scorpions silently burst from the ground, lunging straight for Ding Haichuan’s back as he was drawing his bow.

"Watch out, below!"

Xu Wuyi’s Spiritual Power was spread across the area, so he was the first to notice.

He was too far to intervene directly, so he threw his long spear!

The spear shot forward like a bolt of dark-red lightning, piercing one Stab Scorpion and pinning it to the ground.

Simultaneously, he pushed his Instant Shadow Step to the limit, crossing several meters in a flash. He slammed a fist into the other Stab Scorpion’s carapace, and a burst of scorching Qi and Blood erupted, knocking it back by sheer force.

Ding Haichuan broke out in a cold sweat and shot a grateful look back at Xu Wuyi.

Zhao Qingwei seized the opportunity as well. The light from her sword flared, and she swept away the remaining Stab Scorpions.

When the battle was over, they were all panting slightly. They looked at one another in a heavy, somber atmosphere.

The repeated failures in teamwork made these proud and arrogant Geniuses realize the extent of the problem.

"Let’s rest for five minutes and debrief," Zhao Qingwei said, sheathing her longsword. Her tone remained calm.