Li Feng took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

He walked over to Xu Wuyi and looked at the burning remains of the giant tree.

"The core... has it been destroyed?"

"Yeah." Xu Wuyi flicked the residual sap from his spear tip. "The [Undying Flame] will burn continuously until the target has completely vanished. No further action is required."

Li Feng was silent for a few seconds, then gave a bitter smile.

"I think I get it now, why you dared to take this mission alone."

Xu Wuyi didn’t respond. He walked to the remains of the Rotting Wood Demon and, from a part of the trunk that hadn’t been completely incinerated, dug out a fist-sized, dark green, translucent Crystal Core.

This was the Rotting Wood Demon’s energy core, as well as the proof of mission completion.

It was cool to the touch, and he could feel the rich Life Energy contained within. However, it was also mixed with a damp, rotten aura and would need to be purified before it could be used.

He put the Crystal Core away and looked at Li Feng and Han Qingqing.

"Mission complete. We can head back now."

Han Qingqing finally came back to her senses. She looked at Xu Wuyi, her expression complex.

’Someone my age... no, someone even younger than me, has already reached a height I might not be able to touch in ten years, or even a lifetime.’

After reaching the Martial Master Realm, talent and resources were both indispensable for any further progress.

If you lacked both, your Life Energy Level might not improve at all for three to five years, and could even regress.

Li Feng nodded. "Let’s go back the way we came. With the Rotting Wood Demon dead, the ecosystem in this area will gradually return to normal. There will still be some residual poisonous miasma and mutated plants in the short term, but we can handle that."

The three of them followed the path they’d taken and exited the Rotting Swamp Forest.

As she left the damp, putrid air behind and once again breathed in the cold, fresh air, Han Qingqing couldn’t help but glance back.

Deep within the forest, the dark golden flame was still burning quietly.

It was as if it were silently declaring the absolute end of some existence.

The three of them were silent on the way back to the outpost.

Li Feng and Han Qingqing were still processing the shock of the battle. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Xu Wuyi, on the other hand, was reviewing the fight in his mind.

’The Rotting Wood Demon’s actual combat strength was a bit weaker than I expected.’

’It’s probably a characteristic of Plant-type Star Beasts. Despite its high Energy Level, its attack methods were simple, and its intelligence was limited.’

’The suppressing effect of the [Undying Flame] also exceeded my expectations, almost completely overwhelming its Regeneration Ability.’

’Still, I can’t get careless.’

’If I had faced a more agile and intelligent Star Beast, or one with long-range energy attacks, the fight wouldn’t have been this easy.’

’I need to keep getting stronger.’

By the time they returned to the outpost, the sky was already brightening in the east.

The snow had stopped. The morning light filtered through the gaps in the clouds, coating the snowy plains in a pale gold.

"I’ll upload the mission proof to the university. The points should be credited within 24 hours." Li Feng was operating the console when he suddenly remembered something and turned to Xu Wuyi.

"Mr. Xu, if there are similar missions in the future... and you need a hand, can we contact you?"

His words were subtle, but his meaning was clear.

The strength and potential Xu Wuyi had displayed were already worth proactively building a connection with him.

"Of course." Xu Wuyi smiled, not refusing.

This type of mission offered a great return for the effort, so of course he was happy to take it.

He didn’t stay at the outpost for long.

Half an hour later, the military hovercar took off again, carrying him back to Star Martial University.

In the car, Xu Wuyi pulled up his personal terminal.

[Mission FT-0093: Status Complete, Pending Confirmation]

[Reward Points: 1500 (Estimated Credit Time: Within 6 hours)]

He looked at the number, quite satisfied, but he didn’t let himself get complacent.

He had set aside two months for himself. Until April, he would be immersing himself in all sorts of missions, planning to earn at least ten thousand points. Twenty or thirty thousand wouldn’t be too many, either.

That was equivalent to a credit of one hundred million Federation coins. It seemed like a lot, but the scions of those major families probably spent that much before even becoming Martial Artists.

The advancement to the Martial Artist rank also consumed a massive amount of resources. Xu Wuyi was already considered one of the more frugal ones.

’Points. There are never enough.’

But this was the path of a Martial Artist.

Constantly fighting, constantly acquiring resources, constantly growing stronger.

The hovercar skimmed over the snowy plains, the scenery outside rushing backward.

Xu Wuyi closed his eyes and began to circulate the Heart Fire Refining Spirit technique, recovering the Spiritual Power he had expended in the battle.

...

When he returned to Villa Seven in the Hidden Dragon Garden, the sky was already bright.

Xu Wuyi didn’t rest immediately. Instead, he first took a hot shower, washing away the damp, musty stench of the Rotting Swamp Forest that clung to him.

After changing into clean clothes, he sat down at the console, pulled up the recording of the recent battle, and began his review.

On the screen, the Rotting Wood Demon’s massive body gradually disintegrated in the dark golden flames.

Xu Wuyi fast-forwarded the video, summarizing his thoughts. ’[The Undying Flame]’s suppressing effect on Plant-type Star Beasts is even stronger than I expected.’

’But this also means that if I encounter a Star Beast with high fire resistance, or an opponent that can quickly stop the flames from spreading, its effectiveness will be greatly reduced.’

’The explosive power of the [Mountain Peak Great Sun Realm] still consumes too much Spiritual Power. That last spear strike used up nearly thirty percent of my Spiritual Power reserves. I have to increase my Spiritual Strength as soon as possible.’

He closed the recording and pulled up his personal data panel.

[Life Energy Level: 34.8]

[Spiritual Strength: 36.9]

[Current Points: 2142]

The 1500 points from the Rotting Wood Demon mission had been credited. His account now held the equivalent of a huge sum: twenty million Federation coins.

In the outside world, this was a lifetime’s income for countless families, but for Xu Wuyi, it was only enough for one or two months of cultivation.

Xu Wuyi couldn’t help but recall that before he had even become a Martial Artist, the Qin Family had wanted to invest in him, offering the exact same terms: twenty million Federation coins per year.

’Looking back now, if I had accepted that investment, I’d probably be regretting it.’

’Because that money wasn’t free. If I manage to reach the Innate realm in the future, the Qin Family would get a cut of my earnings for ten years.’

Of course, back then, neither the Qin Family nor Xu Wuyi himself had expected he would come this far in just one short year.

After all, back then he was just a moderately famous genius at Star Martial University, one among countless others. Now, however, he was the undisputed number one of his class, his status approaching that of the previous year’s Hong Nianyi.

...

「One day later.」

Xu Wuyi was once again sitting in front of the console.

His mental state was fully recovered. In fact, thanks to the tempering from that battle, his Spiritual Power had even faintly increased by a sliver.

’Now, it’s time to find the next mission.’

"Anna, filter the mission list. Same conditions as before: restricted to Martial Artists below Level 35, high point rewards, short duration, and prioritize Yuntai City and its surroundings."

The light screen lit up, and the mission list refreshed.

Xu Wuyi quickly browsed through it.