The atmosphere inside the cabin wasn’t exactly lively, but the awkwardness from their first simulation was gone.

Everyone was either resting with their eyes closed or inspecting their gear, preparing for the upcoming live combat mission.

Less than half an hour later, the aircraft began to descend.

Through the viewport, a scene of devastation was visible below.

At the foot of a mountain, a highway had been mostly obliterated by some immense force, leaving exposed earth and rubble everywhere.

A rift, roughly three meters high, was embedded in the cliff face like a scar on space itself. Its edges warped continuously, emitting a faint, eerie blue glow.

The aircraft landed in a relatively flat clearing about a kilometer from the rift.

A cordon had already been set up. Several military armored vehicles were parked to the side, and a small squad of soldiers in standard-issue combat uniforms was bustling about.

Just as Xu Wuyi and the others disembarked, an officer with a calm expression and captain’s insignia on his shoulders approached them. His Life Energy Level was around Level 19, a standard Peak of Martial Disciple.

"Are you Zhao Qingwei from Star Martial University?" the officer asked, saluting as his eyes swept over the six of them.

When he felt the fluctuations of Qi and Blood from them, which were far stronger than that of an ordinary Martial Disciple, a flicker of barely perceptible astonishment crossed his eyes.

"I am. What’s the situation?" Zhao Qingwei replied with a brief acknowledgment.

"The rift has stabilized at the estimated Energy Level. The Star Beasts observed coming through are primarily Scale Armor Beasts and Stab Scorpions, with a small number of Shadow Wolves mixed in. Nothing beyond Level 26 has been detected."

The officer reported quickly.

"As per protocol, the extermination operation is your responsibility. Our squad will handle the follow-up work, including neutralizing the rift’s energy and spatial repairs."

He paused, then added, "Before your arrival, a squad of Social Martial Artists had already accepted an auxiliary mission and entered ahead of you."

"Their average Life Energy Level is around 21. They’re mainly responsible for clearing out scattered Star Beasts on the periphery and setting up Energy Beacons to help us pinpoint locations for our repair work. They will cooperate with you as much as possible, but the main extermination and the dangerous targets in the core area are your responsibility."

"Understood," Zhao Qingwei nodded.

"This is a real-time topographical map and a heat map of Star Beast activity. It’s already been synchronized with your squad’s tactical visors." The officer handed over a datapad. "Good luck with your mission."

With the briefing complete, Zhao Qingwei turned to her squad members, her gaze sharp. "The situation is clear. We’ll proceed according to our simulated tactics. Move out!"

Six figures shot like arrows toward the area tainted by the Star Realm’s energy.

The moment they stepped into the rift’s sphere of influence, the air grew thick. A mixture of sulfur and a faint, foul stench hung in the air, making them uncomfortable.

The ground beneath their feet was covered in a dark red, fungus-like carpet that felt soft and greasy to step on.

In the distance, the distinctive roars of Star Beasts and the sound of colliding energy could be heard.

The initial phase of the extermination went quite smoothly.

The distribution and strength of the Star Beasts largely matched the intelligence provided by the AI.

Everyone had been a little tense at first, but they gradually relaxed as the team advanced swiftly.

They discovered that this batch of Star Beasts wasn’t particularly strong, even weaker than the ones they’d faced in the Battle Network simulations.

This was typical for missions. With the AI gathering intelligence and confirming the Star Beasts’ level, the Federation tried to assign tasks that teams could handle with power to spare, rather than placing its Martial Artists in mortal danger.

The goal was to have each group of Martial Artists face enemies slightly weaker than themselves, creating a situation where the stronger party was always crushing the weaker on every local battlefield.

The alternative—letting every battlefield be fraught with peril—would likely result in catastrophic casualties among the Federation Martial Artists in a very short time.

Only on the Star Realm Battlefields, where enemy information couldn’t be confirmed and some intelligence was deliberately planted for ambushes, did heavy casualties occur.

Xu Wuyi weaved through the battle formation. His Instant Shadow Step, boosted by his Minor Success Realm proficiency, made him look like a ghostly, dark-red shadow.

One moment, he would appear on Luo Liang’s flank, his spear thrusting back a Shadow Wolf that was trying to pincer them. The next, he would flash past Tana, his Soul Suppressing Domain flaring briefly to make a ferocious Scale Armor Beast freeze for an instant, giving Tana the opening to kill it with a single hammer strike. Then he would be helping Li Hao clear out a small swarm of beasts surging from the right.

His presence acted as a lubricant for the team’s operations, seamlessly filling the small gaps that appeared due to their rapid advance.

However, the problem lay precisely in that speed of advance.

This team of top-tier geniuses was far stronger than an ordinary squad of Level 25 Martial Artists.

Their extermination efficiency was extremely high. They plunged deep into the rift’s core area like a hot knife through butter.

This led to an unforeseen situation—

The squad of Social Martial Artists responsible for support and clearing the periphery simply couldn’t keep up with their pace.

Some of the Star Beasts that had been routed, scattered, or were already lingering on the fringes by the main Star Martial Squad force were not completely eliminated.

They bypassed the "main force" of the Star Martial Squad and scattered into the outer areas.

After Xu Wuyi cleared out a few Stab Scorpions trying to circle around from the rear during a routine patrol sweep, his keen Spiritual Power picked something up.

About a hundred meters from the main front line, behind a pile of rubble, came the sounds of a fierce battle and shouting, intermingled with the roars of Star Beasts.

"We have a situation to our rear flank. The support squad might be under attack," Xu Wuyi immediately warned through the squad channel.

Zhao Qingwei’s cool voice came back instantly. "Xu Wuyi, Li Hao, you two are the fastest. Go check out the situation and provide support if necessary. Everyone else, maintain formation and continue suppressing the front. Ding Haichuan, be ready to provide fire support for their area."

"Let’s go!" Xu Wuyi barked at Li Hao, who was nearby. Both of them activated their Body Techniques at the same time.

Xu Wuyi’s Instant Shadow Step left a trail of afterimages, while Li Hao seemed to merge into the shadows, his speed not the least bit slower.

They covered the hundred-meter distance in an instant.

Behind the pile of rubble, the scene was a mess.

A five-person squad of Social Martial Artists was locked in a desperate battle.

They had been surrounded and split up by seven or eight Scale Armor Beasts and four or five swift Shadow Wolves. Their formation was broken.

One person was already down on the ground, their status unknown. Another had a grievous arm injury and was barely able to parry, blood streaming from the wound.

The remaining three stood back-to-back, struggling to hold on. But facing the ferocious attacks of the Star Beasts, it was clear they wouldn’t last much longer.

These Star Beasts weren’t high-level, generally between Level 20 and 22. But for Social Martial Artists whose average Energy Level was only 21 and whose equipment and Martial Arts were far inferior, being outnumbered like this was a fatal threat.

Xu Wuyi’s gaze swept over the scene. He was about to intervene when he saw a somewhat familiar face among the three struggling to survive.

It was Lin Yue!

The Social Martial Artist who had been his teammate during his first mission off-campus, the one to exterminate the Bone-Eating Rat Swarm.

She was still wearing the same practical gray combat suit, but it was now torn in several places. Her face was streaked with sweat and grime, and the short spike in her hand was moving erratically, a clear sign of extreme exhaustion.

She saw Xu Wuyi rushing toward them, and a glimmer of hope in the face of despair instantly lit up her eyes.

"Hold on!" Xu Wuyi yelled, his body not slowing in the slightest as he charged directly into the fray.