Ten days passed faster than any of them had expected.
Sheng Min's morning runs had increased to ten kilometers. Qin Ye now launched twenty balls of light at a time, and Sheng Min could confidently dodge about half of them. She took the rest with a short hiss, and after training, she would collapse completely exhausted.
Hui Mi lashed out at Xiao Yu about twenty times during those days. Every outburst ended the same way: a short strike from Hu Cheng, followed by half an hour of ringing in his ears. Hui Mi still hadn't managed to catch Xiao Yu, but at least he had stopped striking back at every one of his jokes.
Zhou Shengyang had thoroughly mastered the footwork method. The three-meter circle had become as familiar to him as his own breathing. Things went worse with the stones: he still couldn't catch more than ten in a row, and he had gotten stuck at that point.
By the sixth day, Jin Luo had finally compressed all of his Spiritual Power into a dense mass. He even remarked that it was "the most boring achievement of his life," and on the seventh day, he fell asleep right in the middle of cultivation with a clear conscience. He woke up somewhere in the mountains, where Hu Cheng had taken him, and spent the entire day there alone. Only the next morning did Hu Cheng bring the exhausted Jin Luo back.
Hao Ming continued to leave for the forest at dawn and return for lunch and dinner. He remained silent and explained nothing, so gradually, everyone stopped asking. Only Xiao Yu continued talking to him about all sorts of things, even though he received only two or three indifferent words in response.
This morning, during breakfast, Hu Cheng clapped his hands. By now, everyone had gotten used to this gesture.
"All right, there will be no training today. Everyone, follow me."
Xiao Yu jumped up from his chair.
"Where are we going?"
"To Xie Ruyang," Hu Cheng said, already turning toward the door. "Training is good, but practice is necessary too."
"What kind of practice?" Hui Mi stood up from the table.
"You'll find out when we get there," Hu Cheng replied without turning around.
Almost no one spoke as they walked across the academy grounds. Jin Luo yawned so often that the walk to the director's office seemed like a separate endurance test for him.
"Could you carry me?" he muttered to no one in particular.
No one answered him.
As always, Xie Ruyang's office offered a view of the entire student campus. The director himself was not sitting behind his desk today, but standing beside a large holographic screen unfolded directly in the air. Hu Cheng silently walked along the wall and leaned against it with his shoulder, crossing his arms.
"You're here," Xie Ruyang said, looking over all seven of them.
"Hello," they all said together, but not quite in unison.
Xie Ruyang touched the screen, and a long list unfolded before them.
"Starting from the fourth year, students of the academy are required to carry out missions for the Federation. You are no exception; you'll simply be starting earlier than the others. Your training programs are too different, so I selected the mission personally."
He pointed at the screen.
"The system is called the Battle Network of the Heavens. Missions are available in special Mission Halls. They exist not only in the academy, but also in the Spirit Pagoda, the Tang Sect, the Temple of the War God, and the military itself, and all of them are connected to one network. Completing missions earns points, which can be exchanged for almost anything in any of the factions. Military merits are also accumulated separately. They will remain with you even after graduation, even if you don't join the military."
"There are seven levels of difficulty," he continued. "The higher the level, the fewer missions are available and the more dangerous they are. For starters, you need a relatively easy level, but with some real work involved, not a mission like 'collect ten little stones.'"
Qin Ye listened calmly, almost absentmindedly. It was obvious from her expression that none of this was new to her.
"Qin Ye has already completed missions like these, so she will be the leader. Zhou Shengyang, Jin Luo, both of you grew up in military families, so you are familiar with the general principles. If your teammates need help, that will be your responsibility."
Zhou Shengyang gave an almost imperceptible nod. Jin Luo sighed, and his expression became noticeably more sorrowful.
"For the rest of you, this will be new," Xie Ruyang said, looking over Xiao Yu, Hui Mi, Sheng Min, and Hao Ming. "So listen carefully."
The director waved his hand, and the general network disappeared. In its place appeared a single planet completely covered in green: enormous trees and dense, almost impassable vegetation.
"Paradise Planet, also known as the Elven Planet."
At these words, Xiao Yu tensed slightly.
"A group of Dark Spirit Masters was discovered there," Xie Ruyang said, pointing at a marked location on the map. "Nine people. Their leader is presumed to be Rank 69, and his name is Mo Tong. His Martial Soul is unknown. Despite his level, he has repeatedly defeated opponents far stronger than himself, so don't underestimate him. The other eight range from Rank 59 to Rank 68. There is almost no information about them."
The room became noticeably quieter.
"The task is simple in wording and difficult in execution. Track down and capture all of them. If there is a threat to your lives, you are permitted to kill."
"Reconnaissance hasn't discovered anything specific about their objectives," he added. "They hide well and act cautiously. The only thing we know for certain is that they were seen in the Starstream Forest."
Xie Ruyang waved his hand, and the holographic screen folded into a small glowing point that immediately transferred to each of the six wrist communicators.
"I've sent you the remaining details: Mo Tong's dossier, a map of the forest, and the coordinates of the landing point. Access to the Mission Hall has also been opened. From now on, you can view missions yourselves at any time. But in order to accept a mission officially, you'll still have to appear there in person."
Xiao Yu looked at the Battle Network of the Heavens with interest.
"So now we're officially real Spirit Masters?"
"Officially, you're students," Xie Ruyang corrected dryly. "Don't get carried away too soon."
"When do we leave?" Qin Ye asked briefly.
"Tomorrow morning. The ship will be waiting at the Space Center." Xie Ruyang looked over all seven of them. "This is your first real mission. Act carefully, cover each other, and don't play the hero."
He paused.
"Hao Ming, stay. The rest of you are dismissed."
The six nodded, turned around, and left the office, though to varying degrees, they all lingered their gazes on Hao Ming.
Hu Cheng remained by the wall. But he had a rather grim expression on his face.
Xie Ruyang waited until the footsteps in the corridor faded away, then spoke noticeably more gently.
"We've finally entered you into the Federation's registry. So this communicator is yours now."
He extended his hand, and a small device resembling a watch materialized from light in his palm. It was exactly the same as the ones the others had.
"It serves as both an identification device and a means of communication, along with a whole lot more. Even a child could figure it out, but still, be careful with it."
Hao Ming took the device and turned it over in his fingers, examining it from all sides.
"Thank you."
"Put it on immediately," Hu Cheng said. He had remained against the wall the entire time, his arms crossed. "The sooner you get used to it, the easier it will be."
Hao Ming fastened the communicator around his wrist. The strap automatically adjusted itself to fit his arm. He clenched and unclenched his hand a few times. The device was almost weightless and did not interfere with his movements.
Xie Ruyang watched him closely. Then he cleared his throat.
"Hao Ming... I'll be honest. Considering your circumstances, we're thinking about removing you from the Federation project. We still haven't found a way to remove the chains, and since you can't cultivate, it's dangerous not only for you, but also for the other children."
Hao Ming raised his eyes to him but remained silent.
"We'll make the final decision after the mission," Xie Ruyang continued. "We'll see how you perform in battle, how you behave in the group, and what happens with the chains. Maybe you'll be able to break another one. For now, it's only a discussion, not a verdict."
Hao Ming nodded and lowered his gaze to his wrist again. He rotated his hand, checking whether the strap would slip.
The thought that they might remove him from the project caused nothing in him except slight curiosity.
"And if they decide to remove me?" he asked.
Xie Ruyang did not answer immediately. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, glanced at Hu Cheng, then looked back at Hao Ming.
Hu Cheng broke the silence. He pushed himself away from the wall and walked closer. His face remained grim, but his voice sounded calm, almost casual.
"Don't worry. If they remove you, you'll live with me. No one from the Federation will lay a finger on you, and if they try, they'll have to answer to me."
"I'm not worried," Hao Ming honestly replied.
"I know." Hu Cheng sighed. "That's what worries me."
Xie Ruyang cleared his throat again, returning the conversation to the matter at hand.
"There's one more thing you should know. You're an anomaly, Hao Ming. A person without a Martial Soul or Spiritual Power, with a body at the level of a Title Douluo, even if the chains are restraining that strength. There are plenty of scientists in the Federation who are extremely interested in something like this. And not all of them are normal."
He paused.
"Some of them would go to great lengths just to understand the nature of your strength. And to find out whether it can be replicated."
"While you're in the project, the academy protects you," he added more quietly. "Outside the project, your protection falls to Hu Cheng. And although he is a Federation Hero and one of the strongest Spirit Masters, there are people who are no weaker and far more influential."
"I see," Hao Ming said.
His expression did not change. Only the fingers resting on the strap froze for a second.
A brief silence followed.
"Can I go?"
Xie Ruyang sighed and nodded.
Hao Ming turned around and walked out without looking back. The door softly closed behind him.
Hu Cheng and Xie Ruyang remained silent for some time.
"The boy seems as if he doesn't care at all," Xie Ruyang finally said. "No fear, no anxiety. I don't even know how to talk to him."
"Neither do I," Hu Cheng muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "Xiao Yu understood what was happening to him better than anyone else. And what he told me... I really don't like it."
He looked at the closed door.
"But this isn't a problem that someone else can solve. I think even time doesn't matter here."