sovbooks Chapter 358: Red Star Mission
Chapter 358: Red Star Mission
Flame Venerable’s teaching method was unique.
He rarely explained specific cultivation techniques. More often, he would have Xu Wuyi practice the "Golden Crow Sky Splitting Slash" over and over, intervening at critical moments to guide and correct him with his own Mental Realm.
Sometimes, the two would spar in the training ground they had cleared out behind the East Garden’s mountain.
Flame Venerable would suppress his own power to Xu Wuyi’s level, using only the simplest punches and kicks to counter him.
But every strike landed precisely on the weakest point in the transition between Xu Wuyi’s techniques, forcing him to adjust the circulation of his Qi and Blood and the coordination of his Spirit.
"The Golden Crow is not some lifeless object. It has spirituality, a will of its own," Flame Venerable commented, retracting his hand after a sparring session.
"Your Spear Technique is skillful enough, but it lacks a certain ’aliveness.’ A soaring Golden Crow doesn’t fly along a fixed path. It rides the wind, borrows momentum, and adjusts its form to its surroundings."
Xu Wuyi was lost in thought.
In the days that followed, he no longer obsessed over performing the "Golden Crow Sky Splitting Slash" with perfect form. Instead, he tried to make the Golden Crow image within his spear techniques come "alive."
Sometimes it was like the midday sun—majestic and righteous, overwhelming the opponent with its sheer presence.
Sometimes it was like the first light of dawn—agile and nimble, slipping through every opening.
And sometimes it was like the setting sun, carrying a tragic grandeur that was fading yet still scorching hot.
Flame Venerable watched, occasionally nodding in approval, occasionally frowning and pointing out flaws.
Time slipped away amidst his arduous training.
The weather in the West Desert grew hotter, and in the blink of an eye, it was August.
Progress on Xu Wuyi’s "Golden Crow Carrying the Earth" Visualization Method had stalled after reaching 95%.
However, the Golden Crow image grew increasingly harmonious. The Golden Crow Illusion in his spear techniques could now clearly manifest three legs, and the beat of its wings stirred up scorching air currents.
Finally, after one of their sparring sessions, Flame Venerable revealed a satisfied expression.
"This will do."
He relaxed his stance and stood, looking at Xu Wuyi. "The Golden Crow image is now complete and harmonious. The rest is just a matter of patient effort; it will naturally grow stronger as your Realm improves."
Xu Wuyi retracted his spear and bowed in thanks.
These last three months of polishing had deepened his understanding of the Golden Crow several times over.
Now when he used the "Golden Crow Sky Splitting Slash," its power was at least thirty percent stronger than it had been during the youth tournament, yet it consumed less energy and flowed more freely.
"However," Flame Venerable’s tone shifted, "your Heart Image is, after all, only half complete. If you cannot complete the Earth portion, it will surely become imbalanced when you condense a true Heart Image in the future."
Xu Wuyi nodded. "I plan to return to the university and look for an opportunity through real combat."
Flame Venerable didn’t object, merely saying, "Working in a vacuum will indeed get you nowhere. Go on. If you have any questions in the future, you can come and ask me anytime."
"Yes, thank you, Sir."
...
On August 3rd, Xu Wuyi bid farewell to Flame Venerable and once again boarded a flight back to Star Martial University.
This time, his goal was clear: to find sufficiently intense real combat and grasp the True Intention of "Earth" in battle.
Returning to Villa Seven in Hidden Dragon Garden, Xu Wuyi didn’t alert too many people. He simply tidied up his residence before logging into the Star Martial Battle Network and accessing the university’s mission system.
A light screen unfolded, and the mission list began to scroll.
[Daily Patrol: Routine patrol of the campus periphery. Requirement: Fourth Rank Martial Artist or above. Reward: 5 points per day.]
[Resource Gathering: Assist the logistics department in collecting "Star-Patterned Iron Ore." Requirement: Strength-type Martial Artist. Reward: 20 points per ton.]
[Low-Level Rift Assistance: Rotational guard duty at the Level-3 Rift in Red River City. Requirement: Martial Artist. Reward: 50 merit points per day.]
[...]
Xu Wuyi scanned through them quickly, his brow gradually furrowing.
These missions might be fine for ordinary students, but for him, they were far too easy.
Patrols, resource gathering, low-level rift assistance... these missions offered almost no chance of a decent fight, let alone a life-or-death battle.
Even if there was combat, the opponents were mostly Low-tier Star Beasts or common thugs. They weren’t even qualified to make him get serious.
’This really isn’t suitable anymore.’
Xu Wuyi closed the university’s mission system, feeling a bit helpless.
With his current strength, the university’s regular missions could no longer provide enough pressure or experience.
To grasp the True Intention of the Earth through combat, he had to find a more challenging battlefield.
He pondered for a moment, and then a certain place came to mind.
Red Star.
That loose organization composed of the Federation’s top geniuses... Its internal mission system might just have what he was looking for.
With a thought, the dark red icon of the Red Star Network expanded in his mind.
[Red Star Network — Welcome back, Xu Wuyi]
He didn’t use his codename, opting for his real name instead.
He ignored the scrolling messages and announcements, heading straight for the [Mission Board] section.
The interface refreshed, and rows of mission titles appeared.
Completely different from the university’s mission system, the titles here were brief, yet they radiated an aura of danger and high value.
"Urgent Hunt: A Commander Level mutated Frost Wolf King has appeared in the Northern Domain’s "Frost Wolf Valley." Suspected to be approaching Overlord Level. Requires a joint extermination by at least three Level 38+ Martial Artists. Reward: 3,000 merit points, or resources of equivalent value."
"Mystic Realm Exploration: An entrance to ancient ruins has been discovered on the fourth floor of the "Dark Corridor." Requires experts in formations or spiritual probing for preliminary exploration. Reward negotiable, loot from ruins to be distributed based on contribution."
"Long-Term Employment: Rotational guard duty at the "Ironblood Line" on the Seventh Star Realm Battlefield. Requirement: Level 40+ Martial Artist, proficient in Group Attack or Defense Martial Arts. Service period of six months. Merit points calculated at double the wartime rate, with an additional quota of "Star Realm Marrow" provided."
"Private Commission: Escort a research team deep into the "Bone-Corroding Wastes" to collect special samples. 70% probability of encountering Commander Level Star Beasts. Requires at least one Level 35+ Martial Artist for the entire duration. Reward: 1,500 merit points + one custom B-level Rune Equipment."
...
Xu Wuyi’s gaze swept over the listings, his heart stirring slightly.
These missions, in terms of both difficulty and reward, far surpassed those in the university’s system.
Hunting mutated Star Beasts close to Overlord Level, exploring unknown mystic realms, guarding the Star Realm Battlefield, escorting high-risk research missions... every single one meant high-intensity combat and risk.
But at the same time, the rewards were also extremely generous.
Merit points, rare resources, custom equipment, and even the chance to share the spoils of ancient ruins based on contribution.
The Red Star mission list scrolled slowly before his eyes.
Xu Wuyi’s gaze finally settled on two mission titles.
"Long-Term Recruitment: "Combat Data Collector" for the Federation Star Realm Research Institute"
"Short-Term Rotational Guard Duty: "Ironblood Line" at the Seventh Defense Zone of the Star Realm Battlefield"
Xu Wuyi didn’t rush to accept one. Instead, he clicked on the two missions that interested him to view the detailed requirements.
The first mission’s issuer was clearly marked as the "Federation Star Realm Research Institute - Combat Testing Department."
The mission description was quite detailed: The institute required a group of combat-capable Martial Artists to enter its controlled simulated ecological environments or specific Rift zones to battle various new (or modified) types of Star Beasts.
The main tasks included collecting combat data, assessing threat levels, and testing the practical effectiveness of new weapons or tactics.