Wang Zhan looked in the direction the voice came from, only to find it belonged to a young woman in military uniform.

The woman looked very youthful, appearing to be in her early twenties, with a comely appearance. Her straight military uniform gave her a sharp, composed aura.

Her black hair was tied into a ponytail, and her gaze remained fixed on the large light screen map in the center of the Command Center, without so much as a glance at the team of Wang Zhan and two others.

It was hard to imagine that such a young woman was the highest-ranking commander of a Base City's City Defense Army.

"A woman? And so young?" Wang Zhan blurted out.

This time, his words finally caught General Lin Yin's attention.

"What's so surprising?" Lin Yin's voice was slightly low, unlike the brighter voices of other women, but it was pleasant to listen to, as if faintly hoarse.

Wang Zhan knew he had misspoken.

Female powerhouses weren't rare; he was more surprised by her youth.

"I graduated from Yanjing Martial Arts Academy three years ago. I began gaining experience in the army during my sophomore year, and now I'm a level 6 Martial Master." Lin Yin spoke calmly, "For military leaders, strength is a factor, but not the only one."

As she spoke, Lin Yin approached the team of Wang Zhan and two others.

"General," Yang Hu saluted.

Lin Yin returned the salute, then looked at Wang Zhan and Song Dongming.

Wang Zhan felt a little embarrassed. "Sorry, I just now..."

"Don't worry about it. Actually, many people react the same way the first time they see me. I'm used to it." Lin Yin chuckled. "Besides, I'm incredibly grateful you're willing to help Chang'an City, so I couldn't possibly be upset over such a small thing."

"The Command Center isn't very large, so I won't ask you to sit. When Yang Hu reported on your situation this afternoon, it truly put my mind at ease."

Lin Yin continued, "I won't offer too many thanks; it would sound disingenuous."

"So, General Lin, you wanted to see us because..."

"I hope you can temporarily team up with Yang Hu to form a temporary reinforcement team," Lin Yin stated bluntly. "Yang Hu should have already informed you about the situation in Chang'an City. I'm sure you understand how crucial a highly mobile team is."

"To put it plainly, if it weren't for you two today, we would have lost at least twenty to thirty more of our brothers. Casualties like these are happening every day."

Wang Zhan and Song Dongming naturally wouldn't refuse. They had come to fight, and with Yang Hu's intelligence, their efforts would undoubtedly be more efficient than acting alone.

"No problem," Wang Zhan agreed.

"After this Beast Tide ends, in addition to your military merit, I will also send a letter of thanks from the military to Chu State Martial Arts Academy. This will be very beneficial for your future."

Just as she finished speaking, someone quickly approached Lin Yin to discuss the ongoing situation.

Yang Hu, showing his perceptiveness, led Wang Zhan and Song Dongming away from the Command Center. He then found personnel at the Military Supplies Center to arrange accommodations for them.

After these minor arrangements were handled, Yang Hu finally said, "I'll come find you two at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

At eight o'clock the next day, Yang Hu appeared punctually at Wang Zhan and Song Dongming's residence.

Both were already prepared and set off with Yang Hu, once again entering the wilderness zone.

The City Defense Army had clearly designated Yang Hu's temporary team as a crucial part of their combat power. Throughout the entire day, the team of Wang Zhan and two others almost never stopped.

Wang Zhan couldn't even recall how many beasts he had killed.

The whole day was spent with Yang Hu communicating with the Command Center and rushing to battle locations. Wang Zhan and Song Dongming would then take action, after which they would move to the next site.

This cycle repeated endlessly, leaving no time for rest.

It wasn't until dusk that the team finally returned within the city walls of Chang'an City.

"You've both worked hard." Yang Hu acknowledged them and left. Although he was a level 6 Martial Artist and didn't have to fight, the day of constant running had left him exhausted.

As for Wang Zhan and Song Dongming, they were now sprawled on the beds in their quarters.

"The intensity of the fighting is too high. I almost got injured by that level 6 beast just now," Song Dongming said with a sigh of resignation. "The Beast Tide is insane! Level 6 beasts and stronger are charging Chang'an City like madmen, as if it's all coordinated."

"Yeah. Without intelligence from the military, with such high-intensity attacks, we'd likely struggle to keep the beasts ten kilometers from the city wall," Wang Zhan said. "And these are just sporadic assaults, not the true Beast Tide—merely an appetizer before the beasts gather in massive numbers."

"It's hard to imagine what a real Beast Tide looks like. Thousands, or tens of thousands of beasts, all charging the city at once?"

"Perhaps," Wang Zhan sighed slightly.

Compared to the current situation in Chang'an City, the sweep of Chu State City some time ago seemed like a complete joke.

In just one day, Wang Zhan and Song Dongming alone had witnessed over a hundred deaths, and that was with them constantly rushing to provide support. If not for their highly mobile team, the casualties would have been even higher.

After resting for a while, Wang Zhan sat up from the bed. "I'm going to the Military Supplies Center to exchange for some Mixed Essence Pills. I should be able to break through to level 7 Martial Artist tonight."

After a day of intense combat, Wang Zhan's main attributes had already reached 1,150 points. It was time for a breakthrough.

"You're not human." Song Dongming's voice was devoid of any fluctuation; he was clearly accustomed to it.

"It's not my fault I have good Talent," Wang Zhan replied with a laugh and left their quarters.

Arriving at the Military Supplies Center, Wang Zhan had initially planned to exchange the beast cores he had collected for military merit. However, he was informed that he and Song Dongming would each receive 10,000 military merit points daily.

"This was arranged by the General personally," the staff member at the Military Supplies Center explained.

"Is that so..." Wang Zhan was somewhat surprised.

The cost of supplies in military merit was considerably higher than in academic credits. A Grade-1 Mixed Essence Pill cost 2,000 points, and a Grade-2 Mixed Essence Pill cost 4,000 points.

This price was more than double that in academic credits, highlighting the significant discounts the Academy provided to its students.

After exchanging for two bottles of Grade-2 Mixed Essence Pills, Wang Zhan returned to their quarters.

After a brief word with Song Dongming, he directly consumed a Mixed Essence Pill, activated his Essence Concentrating Skill, and entered a state of cultivation.

About two hours later, Wang Zhan smoothly broke through to become a level 7 Martial Artist.

Wang Zhan opened his attribute panel:

Host: Wang Zhan

Strength: 1,151

Agility: 1,151

Physique: 1,151

Charm: 30

Wisdom: 21

Mental power: 15

"My current attribute cap should be 1,300 points. My Wisdom has increased by another point... Wait a minute, mental power?"

Wang Zhan was surprised to find that mental power had been added to his attribute panel.

This hadn't appeared when I awakened my mental energy, but it showed up after I broke through to level 7. The System's attribute panel truly is systematic; most Martial Artists only awaken their mental energy after reaching level 7.

After a moment of contemplation, Wang Zhan understood the reason.

It was just like when he was a level 3 Martial Artist and discovered that the attribute cap provided by the System was based on that of an average Martial Artist.

The appearance of the mental energy stat also seemed to follow the progression of a normal Martial Artist.

"Mental power 15... does that mean the range of Spiritual Energy I can control is fifteen meters?"

Wang Zhan experimented briefly. Indeed, his mental energy had strengthened considerably due to his breakthrough, its range expanding from 10 meters to 15 meters.

This meant he could manipulate Spiritual Energy over a larger area during combat, a far from insignificant boost to his capabilities.

Having understood the changes in his body, Wang Zhan exited his cultivation state.

Just as he returned to his senses, he found Song Dongming looking at him from the side.

"What are you looking at me for?" Wang Zhan asked, puzzled.

Song Dongming climbed out of bed. "Let's go. Don't you always look for someone to spar with after a breakthrough? I'll endure my fatigue and fight a round with you. How's that for considerate?"

Wang Zhan was stunned, momentarily unsure what to say.

Previously, he had dragged Song Dongming into sparring because fighting someone at the same level could increase his attribute points.

But now, Song Dongming was only level 6, while he had broken through to level 7. Sparring would no longer be beneficial.

However, seeing his friend being so thoughtful, Wang Zhan felt it would be too harsh to refuse outright.

While Wang Zhan hesitated, Song Dongming seemed to have noticed something.

"You! Are you looking down on me now? So what if you're level 7? Think you're all that?"

"No, not at all! Let's go, let's go out and fight right now!" Wang Zhan quickly stood up.

But Song Dongming sneered, "You think I can't tell? You were definitely hesitating just now, weren't you? Fight? Forget it, I'm sleeping!"

With that said, Song Dongming lay back down on his bed, not even glancing at Wang Zhan.

"Hey, I really wasn't looking down on you..."

"Get lost!"

Well, Wang Zhan didn't know how to console him, but Song Dongming wasn't the type to whine and complain.

Thinking this, Wang Zhan stopped dwelling on these trivial matters and once again entered a state of cultivation.

Attributes could be improved by fighting beasts, but cultivating mental energy required dedicated practice.

He couldn't afford to miss a single day of cultivating the Five Thunder Deity Refinement Method.

In the following days, Wang Zhan and Song Dongming were constantly on the move with Yang Hu.

Perhaps because their team was highly efficient, many people came to know that Yang Hu had two formidable fighters with him.

The names Wang Zhan and Song Dongming also began to spread among the soldiers.

This continued until their fifth day at the Military Camp.

That evening, just as the team of Wang Zhan and two others had returned to the Military Camp, they found a continuous stream of wounded soldiers being carried back into the camp.

Although similar situations had occurred over the past few days, it had never been this intense.

"Captain Yang, what happened?"

"A small-scale Beast Tide occurred on the western front today." Yang Hu's expression was grave. "This kind of thing usually happens before a large-scale Beast Tide arrives. I'm afraid the real hard battle is about to begin."

Hearing this, Wang Zhan and Song Dongming's expressions grew much more serious.

Just then, Song Dongming suddenly spotted a familiar figure among the wounded on a stretcher—it was Huang Pufeng.

"Huang Fu!"

Following Song Dongming's gaze, Wang Zhan saw Huang Pufeng, wrapped in bandages and looking like he was on his last breath.

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