D-Rank Rift? Are You Sure You're Not Tricking Me?

Lin Feng stared at those four words, his mind spinning rapidly.

A D-Rank Rift.

What did that mean?

The beasts inside started at the Martial Master level.

Martial Master—that was a major realm above Martial Artist.

He was only at Martial Artist, Second Stage right now.

Even with the Mountain Splitter in hand and the system backing him, charging into a D-Rank Rift—the outcome was hard to call.

Deputy Battalion Commander Zhao seemed to catch Lin Feng's doubt and spoke up to explain.

"This rift was still E-Rank three days ago. Two days ago, it suddenly doubled in size, and the detection level jumped to D-Rank. But based on internal fluctuation frequency analysis, the beast community inside hasn't changed in essence."

He drew a circle on the detection map with his finger.

"Simply put, the shell got bigger, but what's inside is still the same. The main body of beasts is still E-Rank, with a small number possibly nearing the Martial Master threshold, but not many."

"So the actual difficulty of this mission is roughly between E-Rank and D-Rank."

Lin Feng leaned back in his chair, mulling it over for two seconds.

He'd already killed an E-Rank beast.

The Red Flame Earth Lizard—Martial Artist level—he'd hacked it to death during its weak phase.

If most of the rift's beasts were E-Rank, then the risk of this mission dropped significantly.

But only significantly—not to zero.

A swarm of E-Rank beasts charging together was a completely different story from dealing with one alone.

"Why me?"

Deputy Battalion Commander Zhao flipped to the last page of the folder.

On it was a brief report written by Chen Lie, the content clear.

Lin Feng had solo-killed a Red Flame Earth Lizard in the rift.

"Chen Lie reported your achievement." Deputy Battalion Commander Zhao closed the file. "Martial Artist, Second Stage, solo-killing an E-Rank beast—that record ranks high across the entire Northern Territory."

"Besides, your improvement speed is too fast. Less than a week since you moved in, from Martial Disciple, Fifth Stage to Martial Artist, Second Stage—I haven't seen that kind of pace in over a decade in the Northern Territory."

He paused for a beat.

"So I need you to go on this rift mission. Partly for the mission's needs, and partly..."

"To see where my limit is." Lin Feng finished the sentence for him.

Deputy Battalion Commander Zhao didn't deny it.

"You could put it that way. If you perform well in the rift, I'll submit a special recommendation to higher-ups when you get back. It'll do a lot for your military career."

"When do we leave?"

"The day after tomorrow, early morning. Report to Assembly Point No. 3 tomorrow afternoon and meet your new team."

Deputy Battalion Commander Zhao stood up and handed the folder to Lin Feng.

"The personnel list is inside. Look it over yourself. If you have any questions, find Chen Lie."

Lin Feng took the folder and turned to leave.

Just as he reached the door, Deputy Battalion Commander Zhao called him back.

"Lin Feng."

"Hm?"

"About Zhao Tianxiong—I have a handle on it. That ledger and evidence have already been sent to the provincial capital. They'll send someone down to investigate. Until then, keep a low profile."

Lin Feng glanced back at him, let out a wry smile, then pushed the door open and left.

With a system, keeping a low profile was easier said than done.

Back in the barracks, Wang Tie and Li Ming were both still awake, waiting for him.

Lin Feng tossed the folder onto the bed.

"D-Rank Rift mission, leaving the day after tomorrow."

Wang Tie leaned in and flipped through a couple of pages, his face cycling through several shades of shock.

"D-Rank? The hell, you going to get yourself killed?"

"Actually, it's a mutated E-Rank. Most of the beasts inside are still E-Rank level."

Wang Tie flipped a few more pages and spotted the personnel list, letting out a slight sigh of relief.

"Two Martial Artist Perfection-level leaders—that's passable. But a Martial Artist, Second Stage going into an E-Rank Rift is still a bit dicey."

Li Ming chimed in from the side: "Brother Lin, can Iron Bro and I go with you?"

Wang Tie slapped him on the back of the head.

"You're a Martial Disciple, rank three. Go in there, and you wouldn't even be a toothpick between an alien beast's teeth."

Li Ming winced from the slap but didn't argue.

He knew himself that this level of mission wasn't for him.

"You two don't need to follow this time." Lin Feng pulled Mountain Splitter out from under his pillow and inspected the blade.

"Old Wang, how long have you been stuck at Martial Disciple, rank nine?"

Wang Tie scratched his head. "Almost two years."

"Those Magic Cores and pills you got from the Black Market—use them to break through in the next couple of days."

Wang Tie froze.

Break through? Of course he wanted to break through, but that threshold from Martial Disciple to Martial Artist couldn't be crossed with brute force alone. It required pills to aid in tempering the body and a wealth of combat experience to grasp that critical point.

He'd struggled in the Northern Territory for over two years. He had enough combat experience; what he lacked were the pills.

Now he had the pills.

"Alright." Wang Tie gritted his teeth. "I've been training hard for over two years, and this is the last push I need. You go grind monsters in the rift, and I'll go into seclusion at camp. When you get back, we'll see who's made more progress."

Li Ming raised his hand. "What about me?"

"You?" Wang Tie rolled his eyes. "First, try to get a feel for Martial Disciple, rank five."

Li Ming pouted but still pulled out a low-grade Magic Core he'd been given earlier and clutched it in his palm.

"I'm going into seclusion too."

Lin Feng ignored their bickering and opened the folder to look over the personnel list.

The Special Squad had nine people in total.

Two leaders, both at Martial Artist, Perfection.

One was named Han Qingshan, with a note reading "Deputy Captain of the Northern Territory Third Patrol Battalion."

The other was Shen Yunfei, noted as "Special Observer from the Provincial Martial Arts Association."

Both names had red lines drawn under them for emphasis.

The remaining seven ranged from Martial Artist, rank five to rank seven.

Lin Feng's name was at the bottom, Martial Artist, rank two, with a small line of text added: Special Approval.

He closed the folder, pulled out Mountain Splitter, and held it in his hands.

Spirit patterns flowed under the light, and the blade radiated a chill.

The System Panel flickered at the edge of his vision.

[Host: Lin Feng] [Realm: Martial Artist, rank two (0/200)] [Martial Skill: Mountain-Breaking Slash (1/1000)] [Talent: Steel of the Blade (86/500)] [Martial Path Points: 0]

His points were bottomed out.

Perfect timing—entering the rift this time would let him farm some points.

Having made up his mind, he set down his war blade and fell asleep.

The next afternoon.

Lin Feng carried Mountain Splitter on his back and walked alone toward Assembly Point No. 3.

Wang Tie and Li Ming stayed behind in the barracks for seclusion. Before he left, Wang Tie shoved two Energy Recovery Pills into his hand, saying they were for emergencies.

On the way, he ran into a few stray E-rank alien beasts.

Iron Spine Pythons and Armor-Splitting Bears—all types he'd seen before.

Lin Feng didn't hesitate. He drew his blade and attacked.

The power of an A-rank Mountain Splitter was fully displayed against F-rank beasts. The iron armor on those creatures now split open with a single slash.

[Killed F-rank alien beast: Iron Spine Python. Gained Martial Path Points ×1.] [Steel of the Blade: 87/500.] [Killed F-rank alien beast: Armor-Splitting Bear. Gained Martial Path Points ×1.] [Steel of the Blade: 88/500.]

He killed his way along the path, and by the time he reached the assembly point, his clothes were stained with several patches of blood.

At the entrance to the assembly point, two armed guards checked his credentials and let him through.

Inside the bunker, six people had already arrived.

Lin Feng swept his gaze across the room, roughly sensing everyone's aura.

In the farthest corner, two people stood against the wall.

One was in his early thirties, short hair, an old scar on his chin, lean and sharp, his aura deeply restrained—a Martial Artist at perfection.

The other looked younger, around twenty-five or twenty-six, wearing a white undershirt that didn't quite match the military uniform, hair combed immaculately, standing ramrod straight—clearly not a native of the Northern Territory, also a Martial Artist at perfection.

Han Qingshan and Shen Yunfei.

The two stood in the same corner, a full two meters apart, each minding their own business, not even a glance exchanged.

That awkward tension could be smelled from the doorway.

Lin Feng walked in and sat down at an empty table.

There was a kettle on the table; he poured a cup of water and took a sip.

Beside him sat a burly man with a thick beard, who glanced at Lin Feng.

"You that new recruit? Martial Artist, second stage?"

"Yeah."

The bearded man looked him up and down twice and let out a snort.

"A second-stage Martial Artist making it into the Special Squad? Deputy Battalion Commander Zhao must be scraping the bottom of the barrel."

Lin Feng set down his cup and didn't reply.

Another bald-headed man nearby chimed in: "I heard he killed a Red Flame Earth Lizard by himself, otherwise there's no way he'd get picked."

The bearded man curled his lip. "Red Flame Earth Lizard? Probably in its weak phase. That thing doesn't even count as a mid-tier monster in an E-Rank Rift."

He didn't say it quietly.

In the corner, Han Qingshan lifted his eyelids briefly, then dropped them again.

Shen Yunfei, on the other hand, gave Lin Feng an extra two-second look, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly—unreadable.

Lin Feng ignored them all, closing his eyes to rest.

The System Panel hung quietly in his mind.

[Current Martial Path Points: 2]

A bit low.

No matter—once inside the Rift, plenty of chances to farm.

About twenty more minutes passed, and the last two arrived.

All nine were present.

Han Qingshan stepped out from the wall and swept his eyes over the team.

"Everyone's here. I'll keep it brief."

His voice wasn't loud, but the bunker fell silent.

"This mission is Rift Exploration. The Rift mutated from E-Rank to D-Rank three days ago. The internal beast clusters are mostly E-Rank, with a few mutated individuals possibly nearing the Martial Master threshold."

"Once inside, we split into two groups. I'll lead one group through the main passage, Shen Yunfei leads the other through the side passage. Both groups rendezvous on the third floor and push the core zone together."

Before he finished, Shen Yunfei spoke up from the corner.

"I have a different opinion on the group division."

Han Qingshan paused for two seconds.

"Speak."

"Your group takes the main passage, which means you'll encounter more beasts. Logically, you should concentrate the stronger members on your side. But on your division chart, you put Old Zhao and Old Ma, both seventh-stage Martial Artists, in my group."

Shen Yunfei straightened up from the wall and walked to the table.

"Deputy Captain Han, isn't this division a bit... self-serving?"

The atmosphere tightened instantly.

Han Qingshan stared at Shen Yunfei, the air between them nearly solidifying.

"You're an observer from the provincial capital. What right do you have to meddle in the Northern Territory's tactical arrangements?"

Shen Yunfei smiled—a polite, cutting smile.

"I'm here to observe, but I don't plan on observing my way to an early grave."

Lin Feng leaned back in his chair, watching the two.

Well, well—before they even entered the Rift, the leaders were already at each other's throats.