Chapter 268: Chapter 268: Red Star and "Sister Yi

Xu Wuyi retracted his spear and walked to the console.

The screen lit up, and lines of data scrolled by:

[Event: Red River—Silver Port Border Zone Secondary Rift Defense Battle]

[Participant: Xu Wuyi (Student, Martial Arts Academy of Star Martial University; Martial Artist)]

[Combat Results: Confirmed Kills: Red Armor Commander-level Star Beast x9, standard Blade-toothed Beast x37. Defended zone maintained, no breaches.]

[Merit Calculation: ...]

[Total: 700 Federal Merit Points]

Seven hundred points.

Xu Wuyi looked at the number, his heart calm.

He knew that based on his combat results, the merit points should have been higher if calculated purely by kill count.

But the Federation’s merit system wasn’t a simple piece-rate system. It also took into account multiple factors like the combat environment, the nature of the mission, and teamwork.

His solo kills of nine Commanders were certainly impressive, but back then, he had Li Shuang’s assistance in Zone B3, while other Martial Artists were tying down and wearing out enemies in Zone B1 and Zone C2.

More importantly, this defense battle was positioned as "voluntary assistance." The merit point rewards were intended as compensation and encouragement, not as payment for a purely contractual mission.

To receive seven hundred points was already more than what many veteran Martial Artists who participated in this battle had earned.

Xu Wuyi turned off the screen, not dwelling on it for too long.

Merit points were equivalent in value to academy credits. Or rather, credits were priced based on merit points, and the points themselves had broader applications as collateral than academy credits.

After all, they were a resource available to all Martial Artists. No matter how great Star Martial University was, it couldn’t compare to the entire Federation.

For the current Xu Wuyi, however, their value was about the same. The resources he needed weren’t yet at a level that even Star Martial University couldn’t provide.

He gripped his long spear again and resumed his unfinished training.

The spear’s tip cut through the air, Silk Binding Force flowing silently. The Perfection Realm of the "Wind-Settling Spear" grew increasingly fluid in his hands.

...

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

In mid-September, a hint of autumn settled over the Star Martial University campus.

Xu Wuyi’s training had settled into a relatively stable rhythm.

Every day, he woke up at five in the morning for two hours of "Heart Fire Refining Spirit" Visualization, followed by practicing the Body Forging Pile Skills of the "Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace."

In the afternoons, he focused on the "Shocking God Spear" and other Martial Arts to completely solidify his newly broken-through Realm.

At night, he would perform Qi and Blood Transport and Deep Meditation to digest the gains from his day of training.

Additionally, although his "Basic Body Refining Technique" was still at the Perfection Realm, he maintained the good habit of practicing it a hundred times a day, though not at a fixed time.

When he had previously attempted the thousand-repetition "Great Enlightenment," only this Basic Cultivation Technique had the five words "Thick Accumulation and Thin Emission" appear before it.

This made Xu Wuyi understand that diligent training would always bring rewards.

Occasionally, he would visit the library on the Battle Network to look up literature on Star Realm Rifts, Otherworldly creatures, and training for higher Realms.

The battle in Red River City had made him aware of the gaps in his knowledge.

His understanding of the types, characteristics, and weaknesses of Star Beasts was not deep enough, and he knew even less about the strategic landscape of higher-level battlefields.

He needed to catch up.

During this half-month, he didn’t accept any more off-campus missions.

The steady training brought stable progress.

「September 17th, early morning.」

[Life Energy Level: 32.5]

[Spiritual Strength: 33.9]

His Life Energy Level had increased by 0.6, from 31.9 to 32.5.

This pace wasn’t fast, but considering that every level-up in the Martial Master Stage required far more accumulation than for a Martial Artist, it was already quite steady.

The growth in his Spiritual Strength was even more pronounced. It had soared from 32.1 before the rift battle all the way to 33.9, a full increase of 1.8 levels, leaving his Life Energy Level further and further behind.

This was clearly the result of both the spiritual tempering from a life-and-death battle and the efficient Refinement of his Spiritual Power by "Heart Fire Refining Spirit" as his practice deepened.

Xu Wuyi was very satisfied with this progress.

Having one’s Spiritual Strength surpass their Life Energy Level was actually normal for the Martial Master Stage, as the main focus of training during this period was Refining the Spirit.

Almost any Martial Artist with the potential to reach the Innate Realm would experience this.

After finishing his self-check, Xu Wuyi got up to get some breakfast.

Just then, the communicator on his wrist began to vibrate—it wasn’t a regular message, but a dedicated access request from the Star Martial Battle Network.

Xu Wuyi frowned slightly.

’Who would be looking for me on the Battle Network at this hour?’

He lay down in the connection pod, and his consciousness sank.

...

「Star Martial Battle Network, Private Reception Room.」

Xu Wuyi’s consciousness had just coalesced when he saw two figures already standing in the center of the room.

On the left was a young man who looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four. He wore a black combat suit, had an upright posture, and while not classically handsome, his eyes were bright, exuding an air of competence and composure.

He wore a badge on his chest—the crest of Black Stone University, with the small words "Third Year" beneath it.

It was already September, making Xu Wuyi a second-year student himself, which meant this young man was only one year his senior.

On the right was a virtual avatar.

It was a young woman in a long red dress, her features so exquisite they seemed unreal. Streams of data occasionally flickered in her pupils.

Her form of existence was similar to Anna’s, but she gave off a much more... profound feeling.

"Student Xu Wuyi, hello." The young man in black spoke first, his voice gentle. "Pardon the intrusion. I am Fu Yun, a third-year student at Black Stone Academy." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

He pointed to the red virtual avatar beside him. "This is ’Hong,’ the advanced AI butler for ’Red Star.’"

"Hello." Xu Wuyi remained vigilant. "You need something?"

Fu Yun smiled and got straight to the point. "We, on behalf of ’Red Star,’ are extending you an invitation to take a test."

"Red Star?" Xu Wuyi repeated the name.

He had never heard of it.

"It’s a loosely-knit organization," Fu Yun explained. "It only recruits genius Martial Artists under the age of twenty-five whose talent, strength, and potential all meet a certain standard."

"Therefore, its members are almost all students from the Three Great Academies, young Martial Artists who recently graduated from other academies, or older members who joined in its early years."

"Red Star was established twelve years ago, but it only exists on the Battle Network and has no physical headquarters. Its main function is to facilitate members exchanging resources, sharing intelligence, and collaborating on high-difficulty missions."

Xu Wuyi understood.

’So it’s a club for geniuses.’

"Why are you looking for me?" he asked.

"’Red Star’ operates on a recommendation system. Three months ago, member ’Hong Nianyi’ recommended you." This time, it was "Hong" who spoke, her voice cool and carrying a distinct mechanical quality.

Xu Wuyi was slightly taken aback. Three months ago, not long after the youth tournament ended... ’To think that Senior Hong Nianyi would be the one to recommend me.’

At the side, Fu Yun chuckled. "Originally, we were planning to wait until January next year to invite you to join, but ’Sister Yi’ insisted that September would be more than enough time... The entrance test for Red Star is still quite difficult."

Xu Wuyi didn’t pay much mind to the "entrance test," but asked curiously, "Sister Yi?"

Fu Yun shrugged helplessly. "Hong Nianyi! In our generation, there are few who can even take a single slash from her. If she isn’t Sister Yi, who is?"