"What? The Ninety-seventh Group is getting support from Modu City Star Martial Academy this time?" No sooner had Wang Lan finished speaking than an exclamation of surprise erupted from the crowd of Pioneers.

"Damn, I thought some Crown Princes were coming, but it turns out we got a big shot."

"Wait a minute, Modu City Star Martial Academy, the direct descendant of the Yu Family, Yu Ruoyun? Could this be the current Princess Yu Ruoyun? No way, someone support me, my blood pressure is soaring."

"Old Xu, are you serious? What Princess are you even talking about? Could you clarify that?"

"Do I really need to spell it out for you? Am I not being clear enough, or is your brain a complete mush? Is there another Princess in question? Don't you know who the royal family of Jade Country is? Even if you haven't seen the Princess of Jade Country, you must have heard of her, right? Just a couple of days ago, everyone was raving about this peerless prodigy, and now she's standing right before us."

"Shit... Princess Yu actually came to us? And she was sent by the top brass for support. Damn, from now on when I go out, I can brag that Princess Yu and I were comrades, that we've crouched in the same trench."

As exclamations of "Damn" rose one after another from behind, Captain Feather, who had previously been lukewarm, suddenly gripped Wu Shaohua's hand excitedly. "Are you really from Modu City Star Martial Academy? Is this really Princess Yu Ruoyun of Jade Country?"

"Mr. Feather, Jade Country has no royal family or princess. I'm a citizen, just like you," Yu Ruoyun replied calmly.

"Yes, yes! You're absolutely right, Princess Yu. Please, come this way."

With a complete 180-degree shift in attitude, Wang Lan and the others were warmly welcomed into the camp by the Ninety-seventh Group. Each was assigned a dormitory of nearly two hundred square meters, complete with all living facilities. It was so well-equipped that Wang Lan thought they weren't on the front line but on vacation.

Thanks to Xing Feng acting as a bridge, Wang Lan quickly hit it off with the members of the Ninety-seventh Group. The group's captain, Captain Feather, was at the peak of the Star Cloud Stage. He had eight smaller squads under his command, each headed by a squad leader at the early Star Cloud Stage, with all squad members at the Star Shine Stage.

This strength configuration was similar to most Pioneer Teams in the Pioneer Space and was considered standard. The Ninety-seventh Group had a total of ninety-seven members, responsible for monitoring and defending against Exotic Beasts from across Lethe Canyon.

But... with the strength of Wang Lan, Yu Ruoyun, and Wu Shaohua, was it really necessary for them to support this group? Forget all three of them; even half of Wang Lan's strength would be more than enough for this group.

There were hundreds, even thousands, of such Star Martial Groups in the entire East Sea Pioneer Space, and this time there were only seventeen support squads. Normally, one support squad could provide more than enough firepower for a dozen Pioneer Teams simultaneously.

Having analyzed this point, Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun would have to be complete fools not to realize the academy had set them up. They had said encouragingly, "Combined, your strength far exceeds that of a regular Star Sea Stage squad. With such formidable power, we must entrust you with significant responsibilities.

"Your squad will go to the very front line, to the most dangerous place, to provide aid. The Ninety-seventh Group is stationed at the southwesternmost point of the Pioneer Space, with their backs to Lethe Canyon, where Exotic Beasts gather on the other side. The Ninety-seventh Group is isolated on the periphery of our defense lines, with the nearest friendly line over thirty kilometers away.

"If anything unexpected happens, they have no backup and can only fight to the death. Your mission is to assist the Ninety-seventh Group in holding our southeastern defense line."

Damn it, making it sound so grave and serious, as if they're really putting a massive burden on our small squad's shoulders.

"Xing Feng," Wang Lan began, "I remember when I first arrived the day before yesterday, Captain Feather didn't seem very welcoming. You guys were pretty resistant to us too. What was that all about? Were you all just getting ahead of yourselves?"

"Not at all!" Xing Feng exclaimed. "Our strongest, Captain Feather, is only at the peak of the Star Cloud Stage; we have no grounds to be arrogant. But last month, another support squad came, supposedly from Jin City Star Warrior Academy—a Galaxy Stage teacher with three Star Cloud Stage students.

"What the hell was that about, coming here to act like lords? Not only did they order us around, but they also expected us to wait on them hand and foot like servants.

"Their strength wasn't much, but their airs were certainly grand. They didn't offer much support, yet they took more than half of the Soul Beads we'd fought for. That really ticked us off, so we requested their removal from higher up.

"Sure, they're from a prestigious academy, and we're just a bunch of second-rate soldiers; there's no shame in admitting that. But does being from a prestigious academy give them the right to look down on people? To act like lords?

"But... you guys are different. You're from Modu City Star Martial Academy, one of the four power-house academies! And your strength is incredible. I bet any one of you three, with a wave of your hand, could wipe out that trash squad."

"Is that how little you think of us?" Wang Lan retorted. "Among the three of us, besides Old Wu, either of the other two of us could make them vanish into dust with a mere flick of a finger."

"Isn't Old Wu at the Star Sea Stage?"

"Are you still hung up on Star Martial levels?" Wang Lan asked.

"Ah, look at my foolish brain," Xing Feng sighed. "I should have given up on Star Martial levels the moment I met you. Back when you were in the early Star Shine Stage, you effortlessly crushed a group of us at the peak of Star Shine Stage, and we couldn't even complain. Indeed, Star Martial levels are meaningless for people like you."

"Well, let me tell you something," Wang Lan said. "You've met me, and you might think there aren't many people like me in the entire world. But in Modu City Star Martial Academy, damn near everyone is like this. Take Princess Yu, who came with me, for example. She's hailed as the foremost genius in a thousand years. You can probably guess what level of freak she is."

Xing Feng seemed to recall the fear that had gripped him when facing Wang Lan's demonic prowess during the Star Martial Championship. He swallowed hard. "Understood, got it! It mustn't be easy for you at Modu City Star Martial Academy either, right? Surrounded by all those monsters."

"Isn't that the truth?" Wang Lan said. "Xing Feng, I heard the Ninety-seventh Group is responsible for the security of the southeastern defensive line and is one of the most important teams in the East Sea Pioneer Space?"

"Really?" Xing Feng asked excitedly. "Who said that?"

"Mr. Mo mentioned it during dinner."

"Ah? You've even met Mr. Mo?" Xing Feng was clearly ecstatic. "Little Wolf, I can't compare to you. You have a future that's boundlessly bright and dazzling. And now you can even dine with a lofty figure like Mr. Mo?"

"Uh… aren't you missing the point?" Wang Lan said. "I'm just asking if it's true. What's with that expression like you've just received an unexpected favor?"

"It is!" Xing Feng tilted his head back proudly. "Look, in the East Sea Pioneer Space, there are hundreds of groups, large and small—garrison groups, pioneer teams. But which of these hundreds of groups is isolated like ours, with the nearest group dozens of kilometers away?

"But don't worry about us. We have Lethe Canyon to rely on. The rock in Lethe Canyon is special; it blocks the transmission of all Earth Attribute Star Martial Skills. Exotic Beasts can't sneak through Lethe Canyon to ambush us. We have solid fortifications there, where one man can hold off ten thousand.

"Since we were stationed here a year ago, we've easily repelled every invasion by the Exotic Beasts. Everyone has made a hefty profit over the year. HA HA HA..."

Listening to Xing Feng's hearty, genuine laughter, Wang Lan's mouth twitched as he silently confirmed his suspicions. So it really was because the Ninety-seventh Group was a relatively safe, greenhouse-like environment that they arranged for me and Yu Ruoyun to come here.

"Mr. Mo!" A communications officer with yellow hair arrived at the front-line command post and saluted Mo Tai.

"Have the academy's seventeen squads been deployed?" Mo Tai asked.

"Yes, sir. Particularly Squad Twelve. Right when they arrived at their defense zone, they encountered an Exotic Beast siege. Six Pioneer Teams fought desperately to block the breach. Just as it seemed about to give, Squad Twelve arrived in time. The Galaxy Stage squad members charged forward and resealed the breach. Otherwise, we probably would have faced a large-scale melee."

"Sigh. The Pioneer Space is expanding, and the Exotic Beasts are growing stronger. This indicates that in recent years, more Different Dimensional Spaces have been drawn to our Pioneer Space, and the beasts' strength is increasing. If this continues, it will be very difficult for us to hold the Pioneer Space.

I can't even imagine what kind of disaster it would be for Jade Country if we can't hold the Pioneer Space. By the way, is there any news from Squad Six?"

"Squad Six? They've successfully reached the Ninety-seventh Group and have integrated with them."

"That's good…" Mo Tai looked up and suddenly noticed the communications officer's hesitant expression. He paused. "What is it? Is there something you want to say?"

The communications officer struggled for a moment. It's just… I don't quite understand. Then he said with a serious face, "Squad Six is the strongest of the seventeen squads sent by Modu City Star Martial Academy this time. Although they're short one person, the three of them can be considered a pure Star Sea Stage squad. Why were they assigned to the Ninety-seventh Group?"

"The Ninety-seventh Group is isolated. Beyond Lethe Canyon, the southeastern defense line only has Hulao Canyon, thirty kilometers away, as a natural defensive point. One group is responsible for thirty kilometers of our defense line; it's very important."

"Mr. Mo, why are you still giving me such superficial reasons?"

"Those two are national treasures," Mo Tai said gravely. "I don't dare take risks, at least not until this matter has been thoroughly investigated. Mysterious and unknown events can too easily lead to unimaginable accidents. If anything happens to them, I'd be a sinner for eternity. For safety's sake, it's better to place them in the rear for now. When needed, they can still act as a surprise force."

"Are you sure you'll use them as a surprise force?" the communications officer asked, his face a mask of scornful disbelief.

"Wang Lan, come on! Want to go to Grass Beating Valley?"

On the fourth day after their arrival, the battle against the Exotic Beasts on the front lines was raging fiercely, but things were peaceful on Wang Lan's side.

He would go with the Ninety-seventh Group to the Lethe Canyon defense line to monitor the number of Exotic Beasts and record any changes in their routines. It felt like he wasn't here to support a combat team, but rather an observation group studying the habits of Exotic Beasts outside Lethe Canyon.

Were there any signs of agitation? Any large-scale brawls? Had their numbers increased? Had any other Exotic Beast tribes migrated here? After tagging along for three days, Wang Lan completely lost interest.

Yu Ruoyun was similarly unenthused, but at least she had something to do: she could develop her unique ultimate skills. Wang Lan, however, couldn't. His Star Martial Skills were all gained by allocating points. Although he could develop them himself, Wang Lan relied on his innate ability to allocate points, so why should he bother developing them himself?

So, he was really bored. But he couldn't just be like Wu Shaohua, feigning to fish in a pond he knew was empty, could he? As he lay on the grass basking in the sun, Xing Feng's voice roused Wang Lan from his daze.

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