Winterfell Supply Zone.
After finishing their meal, Feng Qi and Mu Qing arrived at District 12 of the supply zone.
This entire street was lined with various shops, selling everything from advanced technology weapons to cold steel weaponry and wilderness survival gear—essentially, anything a Domain Combat Squad might need could be found here.
Most of these shops were operated by the Domain Squad Headquarters, and the profits they generated were primarily reinvested into the maintenance and expansion of the supply zone.
For instance, the price subsidies on supplies, the 24-hour operating maintenance bots, or the infrastructure expansion projects that followed the successful conquest of a new Domain Field—all of these required significant funding.
Aside from financial aid from major cities, the Domain Squad Headquarters also injected large sums into these projects.
Stopping in front of a rental shop named Black Whirlwind, Feng Qi brushed the snow off his coat before stepping inside with Mu Qing.
The moment they entered, the stark contrast between the cold air outside and the warmth inside was immediately noticeable.
The chime of the doorbell caught the attention of the shopkeeper, a woman seated behind the front counter. She looked up as they entered.
She appeared to be in her early thirties, with noticeable burn scars on the side of her neck. Her long hair was neatly tied back with a silk scarf, and her sharp, focused gaze exuded an air of competence.
A battle-axe tattoo was inked on her exposed right arm, while a silver dog tag hung around her neck, bearing the same battle-axe insignia—a clear sign that she was once a member of a Domain Combat Squad.
For retired warriors, their squad insignia was not just a piece of metal but a symbol of the battles they fought and the honor they carried.
Seeing customers enter, the woman stood up and greeted them with a polite smile.
"What do you need?"
Without hesitation, Feng Qi stepped up to the counter and nodded.
"I need a snow vehicle, two portable tents, a crate of A-class rations…"
As he listed the items, the shopkeeper pulled out a device and began recording his request.
Once he finished speaking, she looked up and smiled.
"We have everything except the portable tents. I'm currently out of stock, but I can source them from a nearby shop for you. When would you like to pick them up?"
"What's the soonest you can get them?"
"One hour."
"Alright, I'll wait here."
The woman raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, but she didn't ask further questions.
Instead, she immediately pulled out her communication device and relayed orders for her staff to prepare the requested supplies.
Since they had time to spare, Feng Qi and Mu Qing wandered around the shop, browsing the various pieces of equipment on display.
This rental shop was noticeably different from the ones Feng Qi had visited before.
Previously, the shops he went to mostly carried used or retired gear, often belonging to fallen soldiers or veterans who had left the battlefield.
However, the items here were mostly brand-new, many still bearing the original manufacturers' trademarks.
Among them, Feng Qi even spotted the logo of Shattered Sky Group, a company associated with his student Xu Hongyun.
—
Time passed quickly, and before long, an hour had gone by.
All of the rented equipment had been loaded onto the snow vehicle.
After conducting a final check to confirm everything was accounted for, Feng Qi returned to the counter.
Being broke, he naturally had no money to cover the rental fees or purchasing costs.
But this wasn't his first time dealing with this situation. Without hesitation, he authenticated his Tiger Soul Research Institute credentials on-site and charged the entire bill to the research institute's account.
Having a sponsorship team meant spending money with ease and zero guilt.
Once the rental and purchase formalities were completed, Feng Qi drove the snow vehicle out of the Black Whirlwind Rental Shop.
—
Outside, the snowstorm raged on, pelting against the vehicle's windshield. The automatic wipers activated immediately.
Merging onto the main road, Feng Qi activated the navigation system and set a course straight for Mist Domain Field.
Their vehicle sped off into the snowy night.
Through the transparent sunroof, Feng Qi gazed up at the northern night sky.
Unlike the polluted skylines of major cities, the Northern Wastes had a crystal-clear view of the stars.
The galaxies above stretched infinitely, making it feel as if the cosmos was within reach.
It was a breathtaking sight, one that humbled the soul and inspired awe for the vastness of the universe.
Lowering his gaze, he glanced over at the passenger seat.
Despite having just eaten dinner, Mu Qing was already hungry again.
She had torn open a pack of compressed biscuits and was nibbling away absentmindedly.
Feng Qi stepped on the accelerator.
With the roar of the engine, the vehicle's speed surged forward.
—
After some time, they finally left Winterfell Supply Zone.
Ahead of them, three main roads stretched into different frontline Domain Fields.
Without hesitation, Feng Qi took the leftmost path and pressed down on the gas pedal.
Under his brutal driving style, the snow vehicle's speed climbed rapidly.
There were no speed limits on these roads.
How fast one drove depended entirely on their confidence in their own survival skills.
As long as you believed you wouldn't die, even attaching rocket thrusters to your vehicle wouldn't be an issue.
Feng Qi felt that his luck was pretty good.
More importantly, the foodie sitting in the passenger seat had even tougher luck than he did.
Even if the snow vehicle hit its top speed and crashed into an obstacle, they would still walk away completely unscathed.
With zero risks to worry about, there was only one thing left to do.
Speed up.
—
After driving for some time, the cleared roads ended, leaving behind thick layers of snow.
Luckily, guiding markers had been placed along both sides of the path, ensuring they didn't veer off the main route.
As they continued their journey, Feng Qi resumed telling Mu Qing about Winterfell Supply Zone's history.
Throughout the conversation, Mu Qing occasionally asked questions, her curiosity evident.
Unlike when he first came here alone, this time, he didn't feel isolated.
With Mu Qing beside him, he felt a sense of reassurance.
—
After several hours of driving, the road ahead split into multiple paths once again.
Feng Qi glanced at the diverging roads ahead.
If Winterfell Supply Zone was the roots of a tree, then the main road leading out of the supply zone was its trunk—branching off into countless side paths, each leading to a different Domain Field.
In a way, this was quite similar to a game dungeon system.
Each Domain Field was like a separate instance, containing unique enemies, resources, and opportunities for strength enhancement.
Frontline warriors ventured into these domains to gather materials, improve their gear, and strengthen their cultivation abilities.
The only difference was that in reality, every warrior only had one life.
Unlike a game where players could respawn, stepping into a Domain Field meant facing life-and-death struggles.
This inescapable reality weighed heavily on every warrior's heart.
—
The snow vehicle rumbled forward for some time when Feng Qi suddenly noticed something unusual.
The soft chewing noises that had accompanied their journey had completely disappeared.
Turning his head slightly, he saw that Mu Qing had fallen asleep.
Her sleeping posture was adorably curled up, her small body nestled against the passenger seat.
Her mouth was slightly open, and from time to time, she would subtly smack her lips, as if dreaming of eating something delicious.
Feng Qi smiled, but his eyes quickly returned to the road.
The snowfall had intensified.
The headlights could only illuminate a limited area, revealing endless flurries of whirling snow.
The windshield wipers were operating at full speed, constantly battling against the thickening frost.
He had no idea how long he had been driving when a faint glow emerged on the horizon.
Peering through the curtains of snow, he saw a massive white barrier standing at the far end of the road, extending for miles on either side.
"Senior, we're almost there."
Mu Qing's eyes snapped open, her gaze instantly sharp and alert.
"Understood!" She nodded with clear enthusiasm.
Feng Qi raised a brow.
"You were asleep just now?"
"No, that was just a form of controlled hibernation," Mu Qing explained casually.
"It significantly lowers my hunger and energy consumption. Since we'll be fighting soon, I needed to conserve as much energy as possible."
Feng Qi nodded in understanding.
It made perfect sense.
With Mu Qing's physique, even if she didn't sleep for an entire month, she would still function perfectly fine.
For an ordinary person, sleep was essential—a way to relieve fatigue, restore bodily functions, and clear toxins from the system.
But Mu Qing's body had no need for such processes.
—
As they drove closer, an unexpected sight came into view.
On the side of the main road, a cluster of portable tents had been set up, and a convoy of vehicles was parked not too far away.
However, there was no sign of anyone nearby.
"Looks like a Domain Combat Squad is already inside, executing a mission," Feng Qi remarked.
"Let's get out."
He steered the snow vehicle off the road and parked it near the tents.
After stepping out, they moved toward the trunk and began sorting through their gear.
Once they were fully prepared, they approached the towering white barrier that marked the entrance to the Wave Domain Field.
Without hesitation, they stepped inside.
—
As soon as they entered, a new world unfolded before them.
The Wave Domain Field was a rare spirit-type Domain Field, and its environment was completely alien compared to the real world.
Everything was submerged in an endless ocean of milky-white liquid.
Instead of solid ground, they found themselves suspended in this strange, weightless sea, as if swimming through liquid air.
This liquid wasn't water.
It was a dense energy field, permeating every corner of the domain.
With each breath, the liquid flowed through their nostrils and mouth, evaporating into pure spirit energy that spread throughout their bodies.
The spirit energy concentration here wasn't particularly refined, but it was abundant beyond measure.
—
Since there was no ground to walk on, they had to move forward by swimming.
After a few moments, shadowy shapes emerged in their field of vision.
The first Domain Creature had appeared.
It resembled a massive jellyfish, its semi-transparent body rippling gently as it floated through the spiritual sea.
At its center, a glowing elemental core pulsed rhythmically.
Elemental creatures like these could be identified by the color of their cores.
And this one's core burned bright red.
The moment it detected intruders, the jellyfish-like creature expanded, its body ballooning several times its original size.
Suddenly, its core flared, and a blast of fire erupted from within its transparent body, hurtling straight toward Feng Qi and Mu Qing.
The flames surged forward, igniting the spiritual liquid around them, turning it into a roaring inferno.
But before the firestorm could reach them, Mu Qing moved.
Her fist clenched tightly, and she punched forward with terrifying force.
Boom!
A shockwave of blood energy exploded outward.
The flames were instantly snuffed out, swallowed by the overwhelming energy burst.
The jellyfish-like creature had no time to react.
The moment the blood wave engulfed it, its entire body disintegrated.
Not even ash remained.
—
Without stopping, they continued forward.
Along the way, they encountered more elemental lifeforms.
Unlike biological Domain Creatures, elemental beings lacked flesh and blood.
To this day, there was no conclusive research proving whether or not elemental lifeforms had sentience.
They acted purely on instinct, with no discernible logic to their behavior—other than their inherent hostility toward living beings.
What made them truly dangerous was their overwhelming offensive power.
Their attacks were brutally strong, but their defenses were weak.
To biological creatures, elemental beings were natural predators.
As they ventured deeper into the domain, attacks became more frequent.
Countless elemental entities attempted to ambush them, yet none survived past Mu Qing's first strike.
—
After hours of swimming, Feng Qi felt no exhaustion whatsoever.
The sheer density of spiritual energy in the Wave Domain Field meant that every breath filled his body with nourishing power.
If it weren't for the constant danger, this place would actually be an ideal training ground.
As Feng Qi and Mu Qing advanced, they noticed countless floating elemental crystals scattered throughout the space.
Feng Qi had encountered descriptions of these in his studies on domain theory.
According to research, elemental crystals were formed when elemental lifeforms perished, leaving behind elemental cores that gradually absorbed spiritual energy from the environment, condensing into these crystalized forms.
However, collecting resources wasn't their primary objective this time.
Feng Qi didn't pay much attention to these spiritual ores, though Mu Qing was curious enough to take a bite of one.
Judging by the expression of disappointment on her face, the taste was not to her liking.
—
They continued swimming through the spiritual sea for an uncertain length of time before Mu Qing suddenly spoke:
"Qi-ge, there's a strong surge of spiritual energy ahead. Seems like a battle is taking place."
Hearing this, Feng Qi immediately focused his vision toward the distance, but the distance was too great for him to see anything clearly.
"Let's go check it out."
The two increased their speed, quickly moving toward the source of the spiritual disturbance.
Before they had entered the Wave Domain Field, they had noticed a convoy of vehicles left outside the barrier.
This confirmed that a Domain Combat Squad was operating inside—either for resource collection or some other mission.
Feng Qi suspected that the battle ahead was likely related to them.
—
As they closed in, the scene before them gradually became clearer.
A large group of semi-transparent, octopus-like elemental lifeforms was engaged in fierce combat against human frontline warriors.
The attacks of these creatures were extremely peculiar.
Each time their tentacles pulsed, waves of spiritual energy rippled outward.
Any warrior who was hit head-on by these waves would immediately start bleeding from all seven orifices, clutching their heads and screaming in agony.
The octopus-like creatures were identical to the descriptions in the Wave Domain Field research files—they were the Wave Clan, the native inhabitants of this domain.
Meanwhile, the frontline warriors wore standardized combat equipment.
This was no ordinary armor—it was lightweight and thin, appearing to be almost weightless.
Feng Qi immediately recognized it.
This was "Mental Armor", designed specifically to counteract spiritual attacks.
—
Currently, humanity's understanding of spiritual energy combat was still in its infancy.
Modern cultivation science had yet to develop a fully effective method to resist mental attacks.
However, enemies wouldn't wait for humans to catch up.
Spirit-based Domain Fields continued to expand, forcing humanity to adapt.
To solve this issue, researchers had developed Mental Armor, using specialized spiritual minerals extracted from Domain Fields.
It quickly became mandatory equipment for any warrior engaging in spiritual battles.
—
From the state of the battle, the humans clearly had the upper hand.
The Wave Clan, despite their strange and unpredictable attacks, were being systematically eliminated by the coordinated teamwork of the squad.
However, the fight was still deadly.
If a warrior failed to dodge in time, they would suffer a devastating mental attack, causing instant brain death—their bodies freezing in place, eyes blank, their consciousness completely erased.
—
Feng Qi turned to Mu Qing.
"Senior."
Now was not the right time for him to intervene.
After all, in his Blood Source Form, he looked even more like a villain than the Wave Clan themselves.
If he rushed in, the entire combat squad might panic and start attacking him instead.
It was clear that Mu Qing was the better choice for stepping in.
Mu Qing nodded.
A glow of jade-colored light enveloped her body.
The innocent, relaxed expression she had just moments ago vanished, replaced by a cold and focused gaze.
—
With a brief moment of preparation, Mu Qing launched forward.
Like a rocket propelled by sheer force, her figure became a streak of jade light, soaring directly into the battlefield.
The moment she arrived, both the Wave Clan and the combat squad warriors turned their heads to look at her.
And then—
Boom!
Mu Qing swung her fist.
In an instant, explosions of jade-colored energy erupted in every direction.
Standing at the epicenter of battle, Mu Qing resembled an unstoppable turret, unleashing a relentless storm of attacks.
Wherever her fist shadows passed, Wave Clan members were instantly obliterated, their ethereal bodies dissolving into the spiritual sea.
—
The remaining Wave Clan warriors quickly realized the danger she posed.
All at once, they turned their attention to Mu Qing, gathering their mental energy and unleashing a concentrated psychic shockwave.
A storm of pure mental force surged toward her, slamming into her body all at once.
Mu Qing's movement stopped abruptly.
The warriors from the combat squad watched in horror.
In their understanding, being hit by a full-powered psychic assault like that meant one of two fates—either complete brain death or permanent insanity.
Even Mental Armor had its limits.
A sudden ally appearing on the battlefield was one thing, but now it seemed like she had been crippled instantly.
—
But inside Mu Qing's consciousness, an entirely different battle was taking place.
The immense surge of spiritual energy stormed through her mindscape, but instead of harming her, it was being filtered and purified.
Instead of destroying her mental defenses, the wave of psychic power was absorbed, seamlessly integrating into her spiritual sea.
In her mental space, a vast ocean of crimson energy surged, swelling with newly refined spiritual power.
—
A moment later, Mu Qing opened her eyes.
A red mist-like glow flowed through her irises, and her gaze sharpened once more.
From a distance, Feng Qi watched with a knowing smile.
He had expected this outcome.
Back when Mu Qing had consumed the experimental "Weak Domain Race Task List Potion", she had instantly absorbed its effects, showing no adverse reactions.
It was then that Feng Qi had realized something.
Mu Qing's unique physique didn't just allow her to digest food at an unnatural rate—it also gave her the ability to absorb and process spiritual power just as easily.
That was why, when he saw her hit by the full force of the Wave Clan's psychic storm, he felt no concern at all.
And as expected—
The Wave Clan's attack hadn't crippled her.
It had only made her stronger.