Another Settlement

As Li Minglei's body and Divine Soul dissolved into the most basic particles in the crimson-gold flames, Chen Fan's figure disappeared from the reconnaissance ship that began to shake violently.

No sooner had he left than the ship's systems, freed from the suppression of the laws, finally awoke from their paralysis.

"Warning! Reactor core overload!"

"Warning! Life support system has crashed!"

The piercing alarm and the flashing blood-red characters together heralded the final swan song for this stealth warship and its master.

A-3 Gate battlefield.

Chen Fan's figure appeared out of thin air, as if he had never left for even a second.

Lei Kun and his two companions had just recovered from the shock when they looked at the unharmed young man before them, whose breathing was as steady as if he had just gone for a walk. Their faces were filled with bewilderment, as well as a hint of fanaticism that they themselves did not realize.

Chen Fan did not explain.

He simply glanced calmly at the distant Insect Tide, which had completely collapsed and were now only offering sporadic resistance, and nodded to the three of them.

"The biggest problem is solved, let's wrap this up."

His calm tone made it seem as if he had just wiped out not a near -Seventh Grade insect king and a Sixth-Grade Peak officer, but merely two buzzing, somewhat troublesome flying insects.

This effortless demeanor acted like a powerful stimulant, instantly shattering the last vestige of unreality in the hearts of Lei Kun and his companions.

They finally understood.

They were following someone whose stature they could never have imagined in their entire lives.

Doubt?

It no longer exists.

Fear?

It had already been crushed.

The three of them uttered no further words; the awe in their eyes was completely transformed into a fanatical fighting spirit bordering on faith.

They nodded heavily, without the slightest hesitation, turned around and transformed into three streaks of Stream of Light, rushing towards the remaining swarm of insects on the battlefield with an unprecedentedly resolute attitude.

With Chen Fan in charge, the Pioneer Team Seven was in high spirits.

Lei Kun's greatsword strikes are wide and powerful, each blow imbued with the ferocity of someone who has escaped death.

Leng Yan's Sniper Rifle was no longer just for single kills; the energy beams spewing from the muzzle formed a continuous barrage, sweeping away every enemy in her field of vision.

The Monkey pushed the Formation Disk to its limit, creating a network of crisscrossing Rune Chains that imprisoned and strangled swarms of Insect Race.

Three battle-hardened veterans unleashed unprecedented combat power, like a war machine infused with divine blood, efficiently and ruthlessly clearing the battlefield.

The battle ended quickly.

Meanwhile, at the War Zone 450 Command Center.

An encrypted message popped up on Commander Huo Yan's personal Optical Brain.

[The reconnaissance ship belonging to the Frenzied Flame Squad has lost contact. The last known signal was detected at coordinates outside the War Zone A-3 Asteroid Belt, leading to the conclusion that it "accidentally perished during the mission."]

Huo Yan's gaze lingered on the words "accidental death" for half a second, a meaningful smile curving his lips.

He waved his hand and gave an order to his Adjutant Zhou Yan.

"Archive this matter, and immediately elevate all video footage related to the War Zone A-3 to the highest level of security. I do not want any unnecessary information to leak out."

"Yes, Commander."

Zhou Yan respectfully accepted the order, understanding its meaning.

This is both cleaning up Chen Feng's mess and protecting him.

When the Pioneer Team Seven dragged their exhausted but excited bodies back to the Mission Hall, they were met with deathly silence.

All eyes were focused on the small team that had just survived a near-death S-class mission, their gazes filled with complex emotions of inquiry and disbelief.

Ignoring all the gazes, Chen Fan calmly walked to the mission Light Screen and chose to submit the mission.

Buzz!

On the Light Screen, battle merits began to be calculated at an unprecedented speed.

The system's cold, emotionless electronic voice, however, resounded like thunder throughout the entire Mission Hall at that moment.

"Mission to clear A-3 area completed..."

"Thirty-three Hive Executioners killed... Merit Points being tallied..."

"One Void Ripper killed... Merit Points being tallied..."

"Overall mission rating... SSS+!"

With a series of dazzlingly astronomical amounts of Merit Points being added, a sudden change occurred on the War Zone squad leaderboard!

The Frenzied Flame Squad, which was originally ranked third, suddenly dimmed, turned gray, and then slowly disappeared.

Then, a name that was originally ranked seventh—"Pioneer Team Seven"—began to jump up in an unreasonable way!

Sixth!

Fifth!

Amidst gasps of astonishment, its name was finally and firmly set in stone...

Fourth place!

The entire Mission Hall so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

In the months that followed, the Pioneer Team Seven became a legend in War Zone 450.

They no longer accept routine missions assigned by the War Zone, but instead, like the most greedy hunters, only take on S-rank missions, or even the occasional SS-rank missions, which are considered taboo by all squads.

Each time, they returned safely, bringing with them massive amounts of loot and enough Merit Points to make any team envious, despite everyone deeming it impossible.

Lei Kun, Leng Yan, Monkey's names went from being forgotten cannon fodder to becoming sought-after figures in the War Zone.

With Chen Fan's almost cheating guidance and the accumulation of massive resources, their strength improved by leaps and bounds, completely escaping their fate as cannon fodder, and even showing faint signs of breaking through to the Sixth-Grade Peak.

Meanwhile, the legendary core figure, the young man named Chen Feng, became increasingly reclusive, and almost no one could see him except when he was on a mission.

Time slipped away quietly amidst the daily battles and training.

In the Quiet Chamber assigned to the Pioneer Team Seven at the War Zone base, Chen Fan celebrated his fourteenth year in this world.

He sat cross-legged, his Life-and-Death Dao Blood within him resembling a miniature galaxy, brilliant and profound, each rotation radiating a boundless power that made the space itself tremble.

He slowly opened his eyes.

A familiar Light Screen silently appeared in his field of vision.

Chen Fan's gaze remained calm as he watched the characters begin to flicker on the Light Screen, his heart undisturbed.

A new round of transformation is about to begin.

[Bite!]

[Annual talent assessment begins...]

[Host age detected: 14 years old]

[Martial Dao Talent assessment in progress...]

A series of familiar characters flashed by, and finally, a line of dazzling golden characters, like a newly born Star, suddenly filled the entire Light Screen.

[Martial Dao Talent +81920]

Boom!

An indescribable surge of Origin Source energy, like a galaxy pouring down from the heavens, instantly washed over Chen Fan's limbs and bones, flowing into the depths of his Divine Soul.

The data on the Light Screen was then frantically reorganized.

[Name: Chen Fan]

[Age: 14]

[Martial Dao Talent: 163830 (Unparalleled in history)]