The further one progressed in the Martial Master Stage, the greater the consumption of resources.

This was especially true for him, as he walked the path of True Intent Fusion. The demands on his Spirit tempering and resource quality far exceeded those of an ordinary Martial Artist.

Over five thousand points seemed like a lot, but if he really splurged on top-tier Potions and Crystal Stones, it probably wouldn’t last long.

"Still not enough," Xu Wuyi muttered to himself.

He needed more.

But high-reward missions like this one were a rare find.

Besides, taking on high-risk missions back-to-back in a short period would be a huge strain on both his Spirit and body, which wasn’t conducive to long-term development.

’First, I’ll head back to the university and consolidate my gains.’ Xu Wuyi had a plan.

This mission was about more than just earning points.

Continuously fighting different Star Beasts and using his True Intention and Martial Techniques in extreme environments had improved his combat abilities in a way that secluded training never could.

He had grown especially proficient at coordinating the Undying Flame with his Mountain Peak Great Sun Realm in actual combat.

He needed time to digest these experiences and make them truly his own.

With this in mind, Xu Wuyi lay down on his cot, closed his eyes, and began to circulate the Heart Fire Refining Spirit technique.

Within his sea of consciousness, the vortex formed by the fusion of his "Mountain" and "Cremation" True Intentions spun slowly. It seemed a trace more solid than before.

...

「Nine o’clock the next morning.」

The transport plane took off on schedule, carrying all the Martial Artists who had completed the mission back to Yuntai City.

The atmosphere in the cabin was much more relaxed than on the way there. Some people chatted in low voices, while others rested with their eyes closed.

Lei Lie sat across the aisle from Xu Wuyi.

"Kid, heading back to Star Martial?" he initiated.

"Yeah." Xu Wuyi nodded.

"Good place." Lei Lie rubbed the stubble on his chin. "I almost got in back in the day, but my academic scores were crap, so I was cut."

There was no regret in his voice; it was more like he was telling an amusing story.

Xu Wuyi couldn’t help but glance at him. Very few Martial Artists were eliminated due to academics, but the Federation had always been insistent on this point.

The path of a Martial Artist, in the end, was about understanding the world and delving into oneself. You couldn’t do that without an education.

"Old Lei, are you from the wilds?" Xu Wuyi asked.

"You could say that." Lei Lie grinned. "My family ran a martial arts dojo, so I grew up fighting. Got bored of it, so I ran off to take missions and kill Star Beasts. Much more thrilling."

A very straightforward reason.

Xu Wuyi nodded and didn’t press further.

Everyone had their own path.

"You did a damn fine job on this mission." Lei Lie looked at Xu Wuyi, his gaze frank. "At first, I thought you were too green and might hold us back. Turns out, you were the one carrying all of us forward."

"I was lucky," Xu Wuyi said calmly.

"Lucky, my ass." Lei Lie scoffed. "Strength is strength. You don’t develop a Mental Realm like that through luck."

The two chatted idly for a few more moments before going back to resting.

Xu Wuyi gazed out the window.

Below the clouds, the vast earth stretched out.

...

The transport plane landed at the military spaceport in the eastern suburbs of Yuntai City.

Everyone disembarked in an orderly fashion, and after a few brief farewells, they all went their separate ways.

Xu Wuyi took the academy’s shuttle back to Star Martial University.

When the familiar outline of Villa 7 in the Hidden Dragon Garden came into view, he finally felt the reassuring sense of being "home."

As he stepped into the villa, Anna’s gentle voice sounded immediately.

"Welcome back, Student Xu Wuyi. I have detected slight fatigue and external injuries. A deep rest is recommended."

"Noted," Xu Wuyi replied, setting down his backpack. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

He first sent a message to his parents to let them know he was safe, then walked into the Cultivation Room.

He didn’t begin cultivating right away. Instead, he pulled up the detailed report from the mission and reviewed his combat logs once more.

He focused on the part at the end, near the edge of the fissure, where he had discovered man-made traces.

He magnified the few blurry image captures and examined them carefully.

The shape of the metal components, the texture of the fractures, the details of the surrounding environment...

Unfortunately, there was too little information to discern anything further.

Xu Wuyi archived the data and classified it as an encrypted file.

He knew that this matter could have deep-seated implications.

At his current level of strength and status, investigating rashly would not only be pointless but could also attract unnecessary trouble.

Improving himself was the only right path forward.

...

In the days after returning to the Hidden Dragon Garden, Xu Wuyi did not immediately take on any new missions.

He spent some time carefully reviewing the gains and losses from the battle in the Ashen Wasteland.

In the Cultivation Room, the combat recording played over and over.

Xu Wuyi stood before the holographic projection, his eyes fixed on the details of his every move.

The angle of his spear, the transitions in his Body Technique, the timing of his True Intention outbursts.

"I was 0.3 seconds too slow here." He pressed pause, tapping a finger on the image. "If I had anticipated that Lava Lizard’s sideways pounce, I could have avoided the next two changes in direction."

Muttering to himself, he pulled up the data analysis module.

The consumption curve of the Undying Flame, the burden of the Mountain Peak Great Sun Realm on his Spiritual Power, the adaptive decay in different environments... a series of parameters scrolled across the screen.

This was all valuable combat data that could never be obtained through secluded training.

It was also another way the Federation’s technological advancements aided Martial Arts cultivation.

A Martial Artist from ancient times could never have achieved this level of analysis, even with a dedicated team assisting them.

Xu Wuyi organized and archived this data, filing it under the "Combat Experience" category in his personal database.

This was his own combat system gradually taking shape.

With the Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace as his foundation, the Shocking God Spear as his offensive method, and supplemented by the special abilities of the Mountain Peak Great Sun Realm and the Undying Flame.

The more complete the system, the more options he had in battle and the higher his margin for error.

Over the past few days, he had also been keeping an eye on the points exchange list.

5,359 points was truly a huge sum.

There were a few items on the list that tempted him, each one very alluring.

But in the end, Xu Wuyi didn’t exchange for anything.

’Not yet,’ he told himself.

The Martial Master Realm was divided into an early and a late stage.

He was currently level 34.8, right at the transition point from the early to the late stage.

At this stage, the most important thing was to solidify his foundation and polish his existing abilities to their peak, not to blindly pursue new resources or Martial Techniques.

The Heart Fire Refining Spirit part of his Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace technique was not yet complete, and his Mountain Peak Great Sun Realm still had significant room for improvement. These were the fundamentals.

He had to save his points for the latter half of his Martial Master training. Resources had to be spent where they counted most.

This was a habit Xu Wuyi had developed after climbing his way up from the bottom.

「On the morning of the fourth day,」 Xu Wuyi had just finished his morning exercises and was regulating his breath in the Cultivation Room.

His personal communicator began to vibrate.

He opened his eyes and saw the name displayed on the screen—Tana.

The two of them hadn’t been in contact for a while since their last mission together.

Tana would occasionally seek him out for a spar on the Battle Network, but she seemed to have been busy for the last half a month, sending fewer messages than usual.