Starforce Warriors

Masami Ishihara buried the corpse of Keiko Kitagawa in the Sword Mound cemetery, selecting an exceptionally auspicious location before erecting a gravestone. Then, under the watchful eyes of all the disciples of the Sword Sect, she turned and left together with Li Xiaofei.

At that very moment, the already frail and withered Kojirō, though still alive, seemed to have finally lost his last breath. He became a true walking corpse. Some radical disciples could not understand why this distinguished elder of the sect would show such leniency to a traitor. They thought it a disgrace to the honor of the Sword Sect.

In their agitation, a few hot-blooded disciples stepped forward and voiced their doubts. Kojirō remained silent. He merely raised a single finger.

Whoosh!

A streak of single-blade sword qi shot into the sky, splitting the clouds above Mount Hakutou. The white clouds resembled a giant cake sliced down the middle. At first glance, it seemed as if the sky itself had been cleaved open. The questioning disciples were stunned on the spot.

Kojirō let out a long sigh, clasped his hands behind his back, and turned to walk away. His stooped, frail figure radiated a deep and indescribable loneliness. That day, the Sword Sect publicly announced a complete closure of the mountain. Silent Lake was declared a forbidden area.

At the same time, the entire nation of Jiepeng began to scramble from the public massacre of the entire family of Yamamoto Jōichirō, the president of the Zoro Group. Various media outlets scrambled to uncover the truth behind the case and speculated on the motive of the killer.

In stark contrast, the brutal murder of the seven members of the Ishihara family, the unknown fishermen from Rebun Island, barely garnered any attention. The information about casualties among the local police and Jiepeng Special Forces was completely suppressed by the authorities. Not a single detail was leaked.

Masami Ishihara did not leave Jiepeng. She chose to settle permanently on Rebun Island. Every day, Li Xiaofei would set aside some time to guide her in martial cultivation and teach her various cultivation techniques.

He had to admit that this girl from Jiepeng possessed an astonishing talent for martial arts. There was an inexplicable spiritual energy within her, as if the Creator had shown her special favor. Whatever she learned, she mastered instantly.

Li Xiaofei had never encountered a genius with such extraordinary comprehension and talent. He truly came to cherish her potential. Although she was from Jiepeng, the country could no longer accommodate her.

Moreover, regardless of the circumstances, all of humanity shared their fate. In the near future, once Earth No. 1818 was fully activated by Chongque City, having one more powerful guardian might offer humanity a better chance at survival.

Of course, most of the time, Li Xiaofei still returned to his duties. He attended classes, worked for the Dragon Group, mentored Li Guorui in his cultivation and occasionally engaged in deep interactions with Miss Fan and other female celebrities.

Then came his own cultivation. The recovery of spiritual energy on Earth No. 1818 was not significant yet, and the development of superpowers was only progressing gradually. But for some reason, even relying solely on celestial jade for cultivation, Li Xiaofei's progress remained remarkably fast.

He used the Secret Time Pavilion as his cheat-like advantage and pushed his cultivation efficiency to the extreme. Li Xiaofei successfully stepped into the Star level of cosmic lifeforms in just three short months.

He began to understand the words of the girl Ah Qing. Cultivating on this relatively primitive version of Earth seemed to offer some kind of special buff.

Could it be the tempering of the heart through worldly experience?

Li Xiaofei reflected inwardly. He vaguely felt that his mindset had become much more peaceful during his time on Earth No. 1818. It was no longer like his original Earth, where he constantly faced pressure and bloodshed, nor like Liu Diqiu's Earth, where he dealt with ruin and looming destruction. Finally, it was certainly not like Chongque City, where he was constantly entangled in schemes and betrayals... Earth No. 1818 gave Li Xiaofei a sense of home.

Perhaps a calm heart makes cultivation more effective with less effort?

Li Xiaofei thought that it wouldn't be such a bad thing even if this mission could never be completed and he had to remain on this Earth indefinitely.

Time passed. In the blink of an eye, nearly half a year had gone by. Li Xiaofei's strength had advanced again, reaching the Neutron Star level of cosmic lifeforms.

According to the martial realm classifications from his original Earth, this was equivalent to finally stepping into the Transcendence Realm. His overall strength boosted by cheat-like enhancements had already approached the Pulsar level.

This was an unexpected joy for Li Xiaofei. Had he stayed in Chongque City, he might never have been so efficient. However, due to his prolonged inability to locate Eden or trace the whereabouts of Angrus, Li Xiaofei was repeatedly reprimanded by officials from Chongque City.

It was said that the higher-ups were already considering replacing him. Rumors also circulated that the City Lord's Office and the Council of Chongque City were in the final stages of discussion and might activate Earth No. 1818 ahead of schedule, ushering in the era of the Super Soldier Explosion. This made Li Xiaofei feel somewhat irritated.

One day, he suddenly sensed a message transmitted through his spiritual imprint. Li Xiaofei appeared at the edge of the fishing village on Rebun Island with a thought. He saw Masami Ishihara sitting on a cliff by the sea, gazing into the distance. Beside her sat an unfamiliar man, chatting and laughing with her. They appeared quite close.

The moment Li Xiaofei arrived, the man instantly sensed his presence and turned to look in his direction. Their eyes met and sparks seemed to crackle in the air between them. Li Xiaofei slowly walked over.

"Master?" Masami Ishihara finally reacted, immediately standing up and bowing to Li Xiaofei with a gesture that was both respectful and affectionate.

"And this is?" Li Xiaofei asked casually.

"He's a new friend I met recently," Masami Ishihara replied quickly. "Mr. Nagashima is a tourist visiting Rebun Island. A few days ago, he accidentally fell off a cliff and found himself in a dangerous situation. I was the one who saved him."

"Is that so?" Li Xiaofei's lips curved into a slight smile as he looked at the young man in front of him, who had the typical features of a Jiepeng citizen.

The latter responded with a faint smile, "Thanks to Miss Masami's care, my leg injury is on its way to healing."

Li Xiaofei nodded and turned to Masami Ishihara. "Go practice your swordsmanship."

"Understood." Masami Ishihara bowed respectfully.

Then she turned and walked away. However, a trace of confusion lingered on her face.

Why did Master seem as though he didn't quite approve of Mr. Nagashima? If Master doesn't like him, then perhaps... it would be best not to interact with Mr. Nagashima anymore.

She made a quiet note of it in her heart. Right now, the person Masami Ishihara respected and admired the most in the world was none other than her master, Li Xiaofei.

As for Nagashima? He was merely someone she had met during her secluded cultivation. The days had become unbearably dull, so she had simply spoken with him a little during her free time when she discovered he was close to her in age and a few common interests.

In Masami Ishihara's heart, Nagashima was utterly insignificant compared to her master.

As he watched the girl walk into the distance, Li Xiaofei said coolly, "God General Angrus of Eden... Heh. You certainly have countless disguises. But I didn't expect you to reveal yourself voluntarily and deliberately trigger the imprint I left behind to draw me out... What is it? Do you believe you're fully confident in dealing with me this time?"

The Jiepeng man known as Nagashima wore a faint smile. He didn't deny his identity and said, "In fact, I've been observing you for a long time."

"Oh?" Li Xiaofei chuckled softly.

Nagashima continued, "You're different from the others in Chongque City. As far as I know, no emissary of Chongque City has ever treated a base planet as their own home. But you... you seem deeply attached to everything here."

Li Xiaofei looked askance at him. "Did you reveal yourself just to say this nonsense?"

Nagashima replied, "Of course not. I came to talk about the possibility of cooperation between us."

"Cooperation?" Li Xiaofei thought he had misheard. "A lackey of a cosmic rebel organization actually wants to cooperate with me? Cooperate on what?"