The discomfort from plane repulsion left some wizards frustrated and restricted, but for others, it was synonymous with opportunity.

In the Frostflame Plane, within a deep valley blanketed by ice and snow, a Grade 2 combat wizard clad in armor cautiously hunted a rare frost lizard amidst the icy crevices.

With the disappearance of high-grade snow monsters, every snow monster gathering point had become a “treasure trove” in the eyes of wizards. Even areas once avoided due to the presence of high-grade snow monsters were now open for exploration.

For a wizard like Jie Ming, who mastered core technologies and leaned toward logistics, these scattered gains held little appeal. But for most combat wizards, desperate for resources, such a heaven-sent opportunity was not to be missed!

The Grade 2 wizard deftly dodged the frost lizard’s crystalline claws, launching a precise flame arrow that struck the creature’s eye, killing it instantly. Carefully, he stripped its hide and core, storing them in his spatial expansion pouch.

As he flew back to the outpost, he tallied his haul, deeply satisfied with his risky venture. In the days since Master Augustine’s departure, the sudden plane repulsion had caused significant discomfort, curbing most wizards’ activities. Few dared venture deep into enemy territory during this time, fearing mishaps.

This wizard had seized the “window of opportunity.” He judged that with competitors sidelined, this period would yield the richest resources. So, he boldly left the camp to hunt rare materials.

His prediction proved correct—his gains far surpassed previous outings. Without rivals, he easily hunted several high-grade magical beasts he wouldn’t have dared approach before and found rare ice-attributed materials. This wealth would cover his next phase of knowledge acquisition.

“Once I’m back, I’ll buy from my mentor…” he mused, planning which knowledge or combat spell to purchase to boost his strength.

Suddenly, he noticed a massive energy turbulence on the horizon, advancing toward him at an unbelievable speed.

“What’s that?” His heart clenched. He activated his Eagle Eye spell, focusing his mental energy on the distance.

When he saw clearly, sheer terror gripped him.

The “energy turbulence” was no natural phenomenon—it was an uncountable army of snow monsters. The disturbance was the chaotic elemental tide stirred by their rapid advance!

A white flood surged across the ice plain with unstoppable momentum. Most terrifyingly, even the weakest among them were Grade 2 creatures!

“Damn it! How is this possible?!” The wizard’s face paled.

As a mere Grade 2 wizard, he could barely handle a small team of Grade 3 snow monsters. This near-endless army was far beyond him.

But escape was already impossible. Before he fully grasped the army’s scale, several “dots” broke from the distant horde, transforming into black streaks racing toward him.

By the time he noticed, several robust snow monsters stood before him. He hadn’t even detected their flight paths—it was as if they’d teleported!

His pupils contracted. He spun, activating his fastest escape spell. But before he could fully transform into a streak of light, an overwhelming, icy aura enveloped him.

“Roar!”

With a deafening bellow, a terrifying Grade 3 snow monster gave him no chance to react, sweeping its crystalline claws in a deadly arc.

Slash!

In the instant he turned, a faint sound rang out. His head was cleanly severed. A geyser of blood froze into crimson ice crystals before it could fully spray, halted by the extreme cold.

His headless body, like a kite with its string cut, fell powerlessly to the icy ground, its residual elemental glow fading.

The snow monster, the killer, didn’t spare the corpse or the frozen head a second glance. After the kill, it rejoined its ranks, advancing with the massive army in resolute momentum.

…

The calm routine shattered within half a month.

In his laboratory, Jie Ming was refining new spell materials with high-grade energy crystals when his magical network terminal blared a piercing red alert.

A camp-wide warning, accompanied by vibrating rune screens, sounded the highest level of alarm.

[Emergency Alert! All wizards exploring outside must return to the camp at maximum speed to assist in defense!]

[Mandatory Mission Issued! All wizards, check and execute immediately!]

Jie Ming’s heart tightened as he opened his mission details. A dense list of mandatory tasks appeared on the screen.

His task: [In the shortest time, master the issued knowledge and assist in building a biochemical beast army.]

Curious, Jie Ming opened the “knowledge archive” sent with the task. The contents detailed a complete set of techniques for creating biochemical beasts—from basic material processing to energy circuit construction, soul anchoring, and combat command programming.

“Not particularly groundbreaking,” Jie Ming mused. The system was mature but lacked revolutionary innovation. The only notable aspect was its focus on using Frostflame Plane materials to create beasts suited to the environment, significantly reducing production costs and resource consumption. It even included techniques for crafting high-grade elemental biochemical beasts from local elemental creatures.

Clearly, the camp had compiled years of localized research by wizards.

Jie Ming reviewed other tasks, noting many combat wizards were assigned to dismantle core nodes at dangerous border outposts, transporting defense materials and energy cores back to the camp. This was a clear sign of the camp contracting its defenses to prevent resources from falling into enemy hands.

Combined with the biochemical beast production tasks, Jie Ming’s heart sank. “It seems the monsters have mobilized, preparing a full-scale war against the camp!”

Contracting defenses and mass-producing biochemical beasts as cannon fodder signaled preparations for a final battle—a prolonged one, given the tasks’ scope.

Though he’d anticipated this, facing the reality of an imminent war made Jie Ming tense. But there was no time for hesitation. Unfamiliar with advanced biochemical modification, he immediately began studying the task.

…

Two months passed in a blink.

The camp’s wizards had been exceptionally busy, with more returning as the emergency alert persisted.

Jie Ming’s learning ability was strong, quickly mastering the basics of biochemical beast modification, leaving only practical application. Upon learning his progress, the camp assigned him a new task.

Following the order, Jie Ming left his lab for a temporary defensive node on the camp’s outskirts to inspect and collect materials.

After a few hours of flight, he arrived at a newly built node, thousands of kilometers from the camp’s core, on the war’s frontline. A transparent rune-energy force field enveloped the area, beyond which lay the scorched wasteland of the Blazefire Realm.

Jie Ming exchanged brief greetings with the wizards stationed there, responsible for energy maintenance and patrols.

“Roar!!!”

As he greeted them, a deafening roar, accompanied by violent ground tremors, erupted from beyond the force field.

A massive shadow, like a tank at full throttle, slammed into the transparent barrier!

Boom!

The force field rippled but stabilized quickly.

Jie Ming stood within the rune field, his gaze calm, mental energy already focused. The attacker was a beast resembling a spherical wild boar, the size of a small truck, covered in charred, rocky skin with sturdy, pillar-like limbs. Its back bore sharp, volcanic-rock-like spines exuding molten heat—a Grade 3 magical beast, a lava boar!

Jie Ming thought he was prepared, but the war’s onset defied his expectations. The first to assault the wizard camp were neither the lava giants nor the snow monsters but the plane’s wild beasts!