The teleportation formation activated at dawn.

Ten teams, one hundred disciples, stood in the sect's grand plaza, arranged in organized groups. Elders supervised the departure, their expressions ranging from encouraging to grimly resigned. They knew the statistics. They knew not everyone would return.

Sect Master Liang addressed us one final time. "You carry the Azure Peak Sect's honor into the Crimson Wastes. Retrieve what you can. Survive if possible. Remember, wisdom is knowing when to retreat."

[TRANSLATION: DON'T DIE FOR TREASURE]

[GOOD ADVICE THAT MOST PEOPLE WILL IGNORE]

Team 7 stood together in our designated formation circle. Chen Rou at the center, Tang Bolin beside her, the rest of us arranged in practiced positions. I held Yun Xia's hand, feeling her nervous grip.

"First teleportation?" Han Feng asked Zhou Ming, who looked pale.

"Y-yes, Senior Brother."

"It feels like your insides are being scrambled, then unscrambled in the wrong order. Totally normal." Han Feng grinned at Zhou Ming's horrified expression. "I'm kidding. Mostly."

[HAN FENG: TERRIBLE AT REASSURANCE]

[ZHOU MING: TERRIFIED]

[THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN]

The formation arrays began glowing, intricate patterns of light and power that made my skin tingle. Elder formations, capable of transporting groups across hundreds of kilometers instantly.

"Brace yourselves," Chen Rou commanded. "Three... two... one—"

The world twisted.

[SPATIAL DISPLACEMENT: ACTIVE]

[THIS FEELS WRONG]

[VERY WRONG]

[WHY IS EVERYTHING SIDEWAYS]

It felt exactly like Han Feng described, like being turned inside out, compressed into a single point, then explosively expanded. My stomach lurched. Reality blurred. For a moment, I existed in multiple places simultaneously.

Then it stopped.

We materialized in the Crimson Wastes.

[TELEPORTATION COMPLETE]

[LOCATION: CRIMSON WASTES - SECTOR C-7]

[DISTANCE FROM SECT: 847 KILOMETERS]

[WELCOME TO HELL]

The landscape was... wrong. That was the first thing I noticed. Everything had a reddish tint, like the world was permanently stained with old blood. The sky was overcast with crimson clouds that never quite revealed the sun. Twisted trees with black bark and red leaves dotted the terrain. In the distance, ancient ruins rose from the earth, crumbling structures that defied normal architecture.

[ENVIRONMENTAL QI: CORRUPTED]

[ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE: ABNORMAL]

[DANGER LEVEL: MODERATE TO HIGH]

[EVERYTHING HERE WANTS TO KILL YOU]

[HAVE FUN]

Zhou Ming immediately bent over and vomited. He wasn't alone, Liu Yan looked green, and even Su Mei seemed unsteady.

"Teleportation sickness," Chen Rou said, unfazed. "It'll pass in a few minutes. Drink water. Don't fight it."

I felt queasy but managed to keep everything down. Yun Xia looked uncomfortable but functional. Han Feng seemed completely unaffected, the bastard.

[YOUR INFINITE QI CONSTITUTION HELPS WITH SPATIAL DISPLACEMENT]

[INTERESTING SIDE BENEFIT]

[NOTED FOR FUTURE REFERENCE]

"Form up," Chen Rou ordered once everyone recovered. "Wei Long, scout ahead fifty meters. Everyone else, standard formation. Eyes open, mouths shut. The Wastes respond to noise."

"Respond how?" I asked.

"Badly."

[OMINOUS]

[VERY OMINOUS]

We moved into formation, Wei Long ahead, Chen Rou and Tang Bolin at the front, the rest of us in a defensive cluster. The ground beneath our feet was hard-packed red earth that crunched with each step. The air smelled like copper and decay.

[SCANNING ENVIRONMENT...]

[DETECTING: MULTIPLE QI SIGNATURES]

[CLASSIFICATION: CORRUPTED BEASTS]

[DISTANCE: 200+ METERS]

[THEY KNOW WE'RE HERE]

"Contact," Wei Long's voice drifted back. "Three corrupted wolves. Stage 4. Fifty meters ahead, behind that rock formation."

Chen Rou made a hand signal. The team shifted smoothly, combat formation, ranged attackers ready, close-combat positioned to intercept.

"Lin Tian, Yun Xia, with me," Chen Rou said. "Han Feng, Tang Bolin, flanking positions. Rest of you, support and watch for additional threats."

[FIRST COMBAT]

[TIME TO SEE IF TRAINING PAYS OFF]

We advanced carefully. The rock formation appeared, twisted red stone that looked melted and reformed. Behind it, three shapes moved.

The corrupted wolves emerged.

They were wrong. That's the only way to describe them. Normal wolf shape, but their fur was matted with crimson growths that pulsed like tumors. Their eyes glowed with sickly red light. Foam dripped from their jaws, not saliva, but something that hissed when it hit the ground.

[CORRUPTED WOLVES - STAGE 4]

[ENHANCED AGGRESSION, REDUCED INTELLIGENCE]

[ATTACKS: TOXIC BITE, PACK TACTICS]

[WEAKNESS: FIRE QI, COORDINATED STRIKES]

The wolves charged without warning.

"Intercept!" Chen Rou commanded.

I moved with Yun Xia, the Infinite Tide Scripture flowing through my enhanced Stage 6 body. The lead wolf lunged at me, I sidestepped, redirected its momentum, and drove my sword into its flank.

The blade sank deep, but the wolf didn't react normally. It twisted impossibly, jaws snapping toward my arm despite the wound that should have crippled it.

[CORRUPTION EFFECT: PAIN IMMUNITY]

[THEY DON'T STOP UNTIL DESTROYED]

Yun Xia's palm strike caught the wolf's head, her Flowing Water Palm technique channeling Qi that disrupted its movements. It stumbled, and I followed up with Tsunami Fang, concentrated Qi that punched through the creature's skull.

It finally collapsed, twitching.

[CORRUPTED WOLF: ELIMINATED]

[ONE DOWN, TWO TO GO]

Han Feng and Tang Bolin had already dispatched the second wolf, brutal, efficient teamwork. The third tried to flee but Wei Long's throwing knives caught it mid-retreat. It fell, convulsing.

"Clear," Wei Long reported.

The entire engagement had lasted maybe thirty seconds.

"Good," Chen Rou said. "But notice, they didn't feel pain. Corruption does that. Always assume corrupted beasts will fight until physically incapable. No half-measures."

[LESSON LEARNED: CORRUPTED = EXTREMELY DANGEROUS]

[OVERKILL IS APPROPRIATE]

We continued deeper into the Wastes. The landscape grew stranger, buildings that seemed to grow from the earth rather than being built. Formations that flickered with ancient power. Strange plants that retreated when approached.

[ANCIENT RUINS DETECTED]

[STRUCTURE: IMMORTAL ERA ARCHITECTURE]

[AGE: APPROXIMATELY 10,000 YEARS]

[DANGER LEVEL: UNKNOWN]

"There," Zhao Fei pointed. "That building has intact formations. Probably protected treasure inside."

Chen Rou studied it carefully. "Zhao Fei, analyze. Everyone else, perimeter watch."

Zhao Fei approached the building, a squat structure with walls covered in glowing script. He pulled out various tools, traced patterns in the air with his fingers, muttered calculations.

"Triple-lock formation," he announced. "Ancient but stable. I can open it, but it'll take twenty minutes and make noise."

"Noise attracts attention," Chen Rou said. "Wei Long, expand scout radius. Everyone else, prepare for visitors."

[TREASURE HUNT: ACTIVE]

[RISK LEVEL: MODERATE]

[REWARD: POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT]

Zhao Fei worked while we watched. His fingers traced intricate patterns, Qi flowing into the formation's weak points. The script began responding, glowing brighter.

Ten minutes in, Wei Long's voice came urgently: "Contact! Multiple signatures approaching from the east. Not beasts, cultivators!"

[RIVAL SECT ENCOUNTER]

[WONDERFUL]

Chen Rou's expression hardened. "Numbers?"

"Five. Stage 5 and 6. Moving fast." Wei Long materialized from the shadows. "Crimson Peak Sect, based on their robes."

"Zhao Fei, how long?"

"Ten more minutes!"

"We hold them off." Chen Rou positioned herself between the approaching cultivators and Zhao Fei. "Defensive formation Beta. No killing unless they attack first. We're not starting a sect war over one treasure."

[DIPLOMATIC APPROACH]

[SENSIBLE]

[ALSO PROBABLY FUTILE]

The Crimson Peak disciples arrived, five of them, wearing blood-red robes with black trim. Their leader was a woman with Stage 6 cultivation and a sneer that suggested she enjoyed conflict.

"Azure Peak," she said with mock surprise. "How coincidental. We were just heading to this building."

"First come, first served," Chen Rou replied evenly. "We're claiming this site."

"Claiming?" The woman laughed. "The Wastes don't work that way. Treasure belongs to whoever takes it."

"Then you're welcome to find another building. There are hundreds."

"But this one has you already opening it." The woman's sneer widened. "Why waste our effort when you've done the work?"

[NEGOTIATIONS: FAILING]

[CONFLICT: IMMINENT]

[RECOMMENDED ACTION: PREPARE TO FIGHT]

Tension crackled. Both groups sized each other up. We had numbers, ten versus five, but that didn't guarantee anything in the cultivation world.

"Last chance," Chen Rou said. "Walk away."

"Or what? You'll fight five against ten?" The woman shrugged. "Your math is better, but our average cultivation is higher. Could go either way."

She was right. Her group was all Stage 5-6, while we had several Stage 5s who were still relatively inexperienced.

"Your choice," Chen Rou said.

The Crimson Peak leader smiled. "Attack."

[HERE WE GO]

[FIRST REAL COMBAT]

[TEAM COORDINATION: TIME TO SHINE]

The Crimson Peak disciples surged forward. Chen Rou met the leader head-on, their Stage 6 and 9 cultivations creating shockwaves. Tang Bolin intercepted two more. The rest of us engaged the remaining pair.

I found myself facing a Stage 5 cultivator with a spear. He was fast, skilled, and clearly experienced in the Wastes.

But I was faster.

[COMBAT ASSIST: FULL ACTIVATION]

[STAGE 6 POWER: ONLINE]

[INFINITE TIDE SCRIPTURE: MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY]

The Infinite Tide Scripture flowed perfectly through my enhanced cultivation base. I dodged his spear thrust, redirected the follow-up, and countered with a palm strike that sent him stumbling.

"Stage 6?" he gasped, surprised. "But you look—"

I didn't let him finish. Tsunami Fang, full power, concentrated into a single devastating strike.

He went down.

[ENEMY ELIMINATED]

[EFFICIENT]

Beside me, Yun Xia worked with Su Mei and Liu Yan, their coordination perfect. The second Crimson Peak cultivator found himself overwhelmed by their combination of defense, support, and strategic strikes.

Chen Rou's fight ended suddenly, the enemy leader unconscious at her feet. "Stand down or join her," she commanded the remaining Crimson Peak disciples.

They looked at their fallen comrades, at our intact team, and made the smart choice.

"We're leaving," one said, dragging his unconscious teammate.

"Smart," Chen Rou said. "Next time, respect claims."

They fled, carrying their wounded.

[FIRST ENCOUNTER: VICTORY]

[CASUALTIES: ZERO]

[TEAM PERFORMANCE: EXCELLENT]

[CHEN ROU: TERRIFYINGLY COMPETENT]

"Clear," Wei Long confirmed.

"Zhao Fei?" Chen Rou called.

"Done!" The formation dissolved with a sound like breaking glass. The building's door swung open, revealing darkness within.

"Everyone inside," Chen Rou ordered. "Let's see what we won."

As we entered the ancient building, I couldn't help but think:

Day one. First combat. First rival encounter. Already exhausting.

Three months of this.

[YEP]

[THREE MONTHS]

[NINETY DAYS]

[THIS IS going TO BE A LONG EXPEDITION]

'System, how's my survival probability looking?'

[AFTER THAT PERFORMANCE?]

[62%]

[TRENDING UPWARD]

[KEEP IT UP, BOSS]

Inside the building, ancient treasures waited.

Outside, the Crimson Wastes watched.

And somewhere in the ruins, nine other teams fought their own battles.

The expedition had begun.

[WELCOME TO THE CRIMSON WASTES]

[ENJOY YOUR STAY]

[TRY NOT TO DIE]

[END CHAPTER 22]

[CRIMSON WASTES ARC: INITIATED]

[TEAM 7 STATUS: FUNCTIONAL]

[TREASURES FOUND: PENDING]

[DAYS REMAINING: 89]

[SURVIVAL: ONGOING]

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