101: Answer!

Tianxing Great Wall!!

Upon hearing these four words, Lu Sheng's body trembled slightly, and his pupils couldn't help but contract.

Lin Xuan, who had appeared in his dorm room earlier, had mentioned these four words.

His question to Lu Sheng was to answer him after returning from the Tianxing Great Wall.

At that time, Lu Sheng still didn't know what the Tianxing Great Wall was, but now... the place he was going was the Tianxing Great Wall!

"What exactly is this Tianxing Great Wall? Why did the Dean insist that I answer his question only after returning from the Tianxing Great Wall?"

"Why do Teacher Lan and those former Tianxing Army soldiers, even retired Tianxing Army personnel, show complex expressions when mentioning these four words?"

A series of questions swirled in Lu Sheng's mind, yet they only fueled his curiosity.

"Perhaps... everything will be known once I reach the Tianxing Great Wall!"

Lu Sheng thought to himself.

After Lan Zhan's words fell, the group seemed to fall into silence.

Each of the five, including Lu Sheng, seemed to have different thoughts gradually emerging in their minds.

They walked slowly through the dark world, like a group of ascetics, not a single person speaking.

It was as if, apart from this world ravaged by Devilish Qi, no other sound existed.

But precisely because of this, the five, including Lu Sheng, furrowed their brows.

"Why is it so quiet here?"

"Isn't this the Otherworldly Demon Battlefield? Why haven't we seen a single Otherworldly Demon after being here for so long?"

The five, including Lu Sheng, couldn't help but ask Lan Zhan.

But in response to their questions, Lan Zhan merely tossed out a casual remark.

"You'll know when you reach the Tianxing Great Wall!"

Yet, it was precisely this sentence that furiously stimulated the curiosity in the five's hearts.

The more Lan Zhan said this, the more their curiosity about the Tianxing Great Wall steadily increased.

Gradually, they didn't know how long they had been walking.

Finally, in the pitch-black world, they vaguely saw a long outline.

That outline, within the dark world, appeared incredibly dazzling.

Above that long outline, something orange-red seemed to be floating, like lanterns.

Those orange-red 'lanterns' emitted a faint light, barely granting a few specks of brightness to the dark world.

This was also why they were able to see this long outline.

"Is that... the Tianxing Great Wall?"

Lu Sheng couldn't help but stare intently, muttering softly.

The group walked towards the long outline, and the closer they got, the more dazzling the faint light became.

They even vaguely seemed to truly see a Great Wall standing in this pitch-black world.

But when they reached a distance of less than a hundred meters from the Great Wall, the pupils of the five, including Lu Sheng, suddenly constricted.

The extremely dilapidated city wall stood silently on the ground, and one could even see gaps in various parts of the wall everywhere.

And the faint orange-red glow they had seen earlier was the firelight ignited on the wall, similar to a Beacon Tower.

Figures stood silently on the city wall, as if they had turned into sculptures.

The city wall stretched out, even beyond sight.

It truly seemed to form a Great Wall, blocking the invasion of Otherworldly Demons.

Standing behind this Great Wall, they could even hear roars like wild beasts coming from beyond the Great Wall.

"This... is the Tianxing Great Wall!!"

Lan Zhan's voice slowly entered their ears.

The bodies of the crowd trembled slightly, and their gazes sharpened once more.

They saw that on the city wall, there seemed to be mottled bloodstains, which had been there for an unknown period, as if they had fused with the wall.

In front of them was a long flight of steps, and by following these steps, they could ascend the Great Wall before them.

But for some reason, as the five of them looked at the steps before them, they felt an overwhelming sense of oppression.

It seemed that ascending the city wall would place something heavy upon their shoulders.

At this moment, Lan Zhan, who had been standing in front of them, slowly turned his body.

His expression became more serious than ever before.

"The Tianxing Great Wall is the first line of defense for Tianxing City to guard the Great Xia Territory! This place... is also the most dangerous line of defense!"

"Not only do we have to constantly resist the invasion of Otherworldly Demons, but we also have to contend with the presence of Devilish Qi!"

"A Martial Artist, even with the aid of a Pure Heart Pill, cannot stay in the Otherworldly Demon Battlefield for long, unless they reach the Qi Refining stage, only then can they use the Spiritual Qi in their bodies to resist Devilish Qi!"

"And every Martial Artist in the Mortal Refining Realm needs to take a Pure Heart Pill to barely stand in the Otherworldly Demon Battlefield."

"But once they stay here for too long, there's also the danger of being assimilated. Therefore, the garrison of the Tianxing Great Wall is basically replaced once a month!"

"But even so, soldiers often can't withstand the erosion of Devilish Qi and have to withdraw from the Tianxing Great Wall, thus retiring!"

"Many Tianxing Residents in Tianxing City, who appear to be physically sound, have to retire for this very reason. Their bodies can no longer withstand the erosion of Devilish Qi, and if they continue to stay here, they will turn into Otherworldly Demons!"

"Therefore, every soldier on the Tianxing Great Wall, from the moment they stand on this Great Wall, is overdrawing their own lives, becoming the first line of defense against the invasion of Otherworldly Demons!"

Lan Zhan's voice was like a clap of thunder on a clear day, continuously exploding in the minds of the five.

"So, don't think the world is beautiful. The reason you enjoy so many resources and so much education is because, on the true front lines, there are people carrying the burden for you!"

"In the unseen darkness, there are always people holding up that faint light, tearing a gap in the night!"

"Now..."

Lan Zhan slowly took a deep breath and said in a deep voice.

"I announce that the second phase of training for the forty-fifth batch of Star Academy students officially begins!"

"The assessment for the second phase of training... is ascending the city!!"

"Before you, there are a total of one hundred steps. As long as you can ascend above the fiftieth step, you will have passed the second phase of training!"

"However, before you ascend the city, I must say one thing."

Lan Zhan looked deeply at the five, a hint of solemnity in his eyes.

"Once you ascend the city, even if you don't reach the fiftieth step, a Karma will be formed between you and the Tianxing Great Wall, and this Karma... is the responsibility you must bear!"

"If you don't want to leave this Karma, you can give up now. I won't blame you for anything; the choice, ultimately, is in your hands!"

For a moment, Lan Zhan's words made the five look at each other.

There was a hint of hesitation in their gaze towards the steps.

Ascending the city would actually entangle them with a trace of Karma?

How mysterious!

Although, with their Realm, it was still too early for them to concern themselves with Karma, Lan Zhan had also said that this Karma was the responsibility they had to bear for ascending the city today!

As for what that responsibility was... in fact, when they saw this majestic Tianxing Great Wall, they already understood.

For a moment, the five fell into silence.

Lan Zhan was not in a hurry, merely waiting quietly for these young ones to make their choice.

The assessment of ascending the city, in the past training plans of the Star Academy, was usually only given to students after they had achieved a Breakthrough into the Hundred Meridians Realm.

But these five young ones were truly Prodigies, forcing the higher-ups of the Star Academy to change their plans and bring them to the Tianxing Great Wall early!

Amidst the silence, suddenly, the sound of chains dragging across the ground rang out.

They saw Gu Yun step out first.

He looked at Lan Zhan with shining eyes and said in a deep voice, "I don't know what Karma is, but from the moment I left the mountain, my teacher taught me that all my learning and abilities are for Great Xia."

"As a person of Great Xia, I think... this responsibility, I, Gu Yun, will bear it!!"

With that, Gu Yun took a step and walked directly towards the long flight of steps.

Upon hearing this, Lan Zhan's face also showed a smile.

With a hint of encouragement in his eyes, he watched Gu Yun slowly walk up the steps.

The instant Gu Yun's foot landed on the first step, Lu Sheng clearly saw Gu Yun's body tremble slightly.

It seemed as if some extremely profound energy suddenly fell upon his shoulders.

His Realm and, Gu Yun's legs, bent slightly at this moment.

But very quickly, a force of vital Qi surrounded Gu Yun's body, forcefully resisting that profound energy.

He continued to walk up the steps.

One step, two steps, three steps... soon, Gu Yun directly reached the tenth step.

"Hehe, I don't understand what Karma is or isn't, but I know that if Otherworldly Demons descend, I'll have to act!"

At this moment, Xia Kong also walked out. He scratched the back of his head with a simple and honest expression, then followed Gu Yun's steps and slowly walked up the steps.

Lan Zhan nodded slightly, the encouragement in his eyes growing more intense.

At this time... Yu Qianqian, who had been silent, also quietly walked out. She said nothing, only walked up the city-ascending steps side by side with Xia Kong.

"If everyone else is going up, and I stay behind, it would be quite embarrassing!"

Beside Lu Sheng, Long Tianxing suddenly laughed.

Originally, Long Tianxing always had a lazy demeanor, but at this moment, that lazy aura on him suddenly disappeared.

It was replaced by a sharp edge.

"My old man, though he gave me a comfortable life, he also kept nagging me every day..."

Long Tianxing picked his ears, as if a little nonchalant.

"Once the Otherworldly Demons descend, my good days will be over."

"Young Master, I, don't want to give up such good days!"

After Long Tianxing finished speaking, he grinned at Lu Sheng next to him.

"I'm going up first!"

With that, Long Tianxing took a step and followed behind Xia Kong and the others, slowly walking up towards the Tianxing Great Wall.

Lan Zhan watched the actions of the four, a smile involuntarily appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Regardless of whether they could reach the fiftieth step, their current Heart-Nature already made them qualified students of the Star Academy!

What is a student of the Star Academy?

The Star Academy is rooted in Tianxing City, protecting Tianxing City. This is something every student, teacher, and even high-ranking official of the Star Academy must do.

From the moment they joined the Star Academy, they already bore their own responsibilities!

Lan Zhan watched the climbing figures of the four, slowly shifting his gaze to Lu Sheng, who had not yet moved.

There was a hint of expectation in his eyes, but he did not speak, to avoid any change in Lu Sheng's thoughts.

Lu Sheng looked calmly at the Tianxing Great Wall before him and the four who were continuously climbing, his heart already somewhat bewildered.

To be honest, Lu Sheng did not have a strong sense of belonging to Great Xia.

He was a Transmigrator; he might have feelings for his home country, but it was definitely not directed at Great Xia.

His understanding of Great Xia, and that faint sentiment, were merely traces of memories left by his previous self.

Lu Sheng never considered himself a Saint or a do-gooder.

If there was a threat to his life, Lu Sheng would instinctively choose how to avoid that danger, even if someone died beside him.

However... as Lu Sheng spent more and more time in this world, a subtle shift began in his thoughts.

Here, he began to have a home.

He began to have people who cared for him.

He began... to have the impulse to fight for others.

He saw many things here.

He saw the Demonic Cult disregard the lives of an entire city, just to force Kong Yunchang to cripple himself.

He saw that when danger descended, those Martial Arts Families unhesitatingly stepped forward, standing in front of all ordinary people.

He saw soldiers rooted in such harsh environments, just so that in the bright world behind them, there would be peace year after year, and the lights of thousands of homes!

Suddenly, Lin Xuan's voice resonated in Lu Sheng's mind again.

"If one day, Otherworldly Demons descend upon Great Xia, and everyone is no match for them, what will you do?"

"Are you... prepared to bear the responsibility you need to bear?"

Two questions continuously echoed in Lu Sheng's mind.

Lu Sheng lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought.

A moment later, Lu Sheng looked up again, the trace of confusion in his eyes had vanished, replaced by... a hint of Tenacity.

"I think... I have my answer!"

Lu Sheng murmured softly, and slowly walked up the hundred steps.