184: Reunion!

Lu Sheng was startled.

After a moment of thought, he realized that it had been a long time since he had returned to Star Academy.

Originally, the training period Lan Zhan mentioned was only three months.

However, Lu Sheng had spent nearly two months in Iron City alone.

Now, he had been in Shanhai City for more than two months.

The training period Lan Zhan spoke of had already been exceeded by more than a month.

It had been four or five months since he left Star Academy.

Considering the severe losses Star Academy had suffered this time, perhaps it was time for him to go back and take a look!

Lu Sheng nodded slightly, placing the Xuan paper with the four characters "God and Demon Contemplation" into his spatial ring.

Then, Lu Sheng looked at the Sage of Literature, hesitated for a moment, and then softly asked, "Senior, could I ask you for a favor?"

The Sage of Literature smiled faintly: "Speak."

Lu Sheng said, "Old Wang, who guarded point 18 with me, could his remains be sent back to his hometown? Before he died, he only said he wanted to go home."

The Sage of Literature looked at Lu Sheng and said softly, "Don't worry, as long as they are soldiers who died in battle on the battlefield, if their remains can be found, someone will bring their ashes back to their hometowns."

"Including their children, the Great Xia military and the Martial Alliance will provide them with certain subsidies. The descendants of soldiers who made significant contributions will enjoy more preferential resources."

Listening to the Sage of Literature's words, Lu Sheng nodded.

The descendants of these soldiers who died on the battlefield would all receive support from the Martial Alliance and the military, just like those Martial Arts Families in Yun City before.

They would thrive under the support of the military and the Martial Alliance, becoming a hidden reserve force for the Great Xia's rear.

Perhaps, during this process, the descendants of these soldiers who died on the battlefield might fail to control their inner greed and gradually become corrupt.

However, most Martial Arts Families still adhered to a certain code of conduct.

After learning that Old Wang's family would have no worries, Lu Sheng also breathed a sigh of relief, and the large stone weighing on his heart gradually settled.

Immediately, Lu Sheng stood up, bowed slightly to the Sage of Literature, and then exited the courtyard.

He walked directly towards the gate of Shanhai City.

After being away for so long... perhaps it really was time to go back and take a look...

The high-speed iron Dragon raced across the wilderness, its silver body like a flash of lightning, speeding along.

Lu Sheng sat in the luxury seat of the high-speed rail, looking out the window at the constantly receding scenery, his heart incredibly calm.

Having come to this world and experienced so much, Lu Sheng was no longer the naive young man who first arrived in this world.

Sometimes, when faced with things he found difficult to accept, Lu Sheng would ultimately choose to suppress them in the deepest part of his heart.

Only when he had the power to resolve everything would he bring out the matter that had been placed in the deepest part of his heart.

The destination of the high-speed rail was precisely the city closest to Tianxing City.

After leaving Shanhai City, with his Shackles Realm cultivation, Lu Sheng rushed to the nearest city at the fastest speed and boarded the high-speed rail heading to the city on the outskirts of Tianxing City.

After a few hours, the high-speed rail slowly pulled into the station.

Lu Sheng withdrew his gaze, slowly got up from his seat, left the high-speed rail, exited the high-speed rail station, and then walked directly towards Tianxing City.

At the same time, in a courtyard of Star Academy.

Lin Xuan sat quietly under a pavilion, with various tea sets laid out before him, and the fragrance of tea wafted from the teacups, spreading out little by little.

In front of Lin Xuan, Elder Li, wrapped in numerous bandages, appeared somewhat listless, his aura weakened.

He looked at Lin Xuan, who was preparing tea, and spoke with some irritation.

"This invasion by the alien demons was also part of your plan, wasn't it?"

As soon as he spoke, Lin Xuan's movements of preparing tea paused slightly, then he looked at Elder Li in front of him, a smile playing on his lips.

"Why do you say that?"

Elder Li said impatiently, "Don't I know what you're like? If the alien demons invaded and a Demon Emperor descended, you would have already gathered the Ten Saints of Great Xia and prepared an ambush for them. Yet this time, you had no inkling of their invasion."

The smile on Lin Xuan's lips faded slightly, and he said softly, "Do you believe me if I say I truly didn't detect it?"

Elder Li said nothing, just looked at Lin Xuan calmly.

That look was as if to say,

Are you taking me for a fool?

Finally, Lin Xuan couldn't stand Elder Li's gaze, and shrugged helplessly.

"Indeed, I can't hide anything from you!"

After getting the answer he wanted, Elder Li fell silent, but a hint of gloom gathered between his brows.

"You did this... we suffered heavy losses this time!"

"Some of them... they were still just children!"

Elder Li lowered his head, his voice filled with sorrow.

Lin Xuan also fell silent, and for a moment, the atmosphere between the two became somewhat oppressive.

"The fall of two Dao Entry Realm experts, and even several demon-slaying combat teams, they were all your students, how could you..."

Elder Li slowly raised his head, looking at Lin Xuan with complex eyes.

He didn't know why, but looking at Lin Xuan in front of him, Elder Li felt a sense of unfamiliarity from Lin Xuan.

As if he had never known Lin Xuan.

Meeting Elder Li's gaze, Lin Xuan slowly said, "But... some things always require sacrifice. This time, didn't we also kill two Demon Emperors, as well as many members of the Demon Cult and alien demon experts?"

"The losses in Tianxing City this time were all worth it!"

The more Lin Xuan spoke, the firmer his voice became.

"But..."

Elder Li wanted to say something, but Lin Xuan abruptly cut him off.

Lin Xuan looked at Elder Li and said softly, "Elder Li, you are also an old-timer in Star Academy. You should know that in this era, nothing can be achieved without sacrifice!"

"This time, we only sacrificed the lives of two Dao Entry Realm experts to kill two Demon Emperors of the alien demons."

"No matter how you look at it, we profited!"

"Perhaps our Tianxing Great Wall suffered heavy losses this time, but in Iron City and Shanhai City, our Great Xia achieved a great victory!"

"I never hoped that with a few schemes, I could make the alien demons run around in circles and kill their two Demon Emperors. If we didn't pay some price... do you think the alien demons would let it go?"

"Their wrath, Great Xia must bear. Whether it's our Tianxing Great Wall or other Great Xia front lines, this loss is necessary!"

"At Tianxing Great Wall, I can still control the losses to a minimum, but once it descends upon other cities, I won't have that confidence!"

Lin Xuan's words resonated in Elder Li's ears, making him even more silent.

He understood everything Lin Xuan said and knew that in this era, some people would always have to sacrifice.

However, seeing his old friends, and even the Juniors by his side, one by one dying in front of him, Elder Li felt as if his heart was being clutched, causing immense pain.

There was never a perfect plan in this world. Even the best plan ultimately required the sacrifice of a small number of people to achieve greater success.

Especially when Great Xia's foundation was inherently inferior to that of the alien demons, the losses at Tianxing Great Wall, from a broad perspective, were worth it.

But in the hearts of different people, such losses might not be worth it.

Just like the current situation.

The two fell silent again. Lin Xuan no longer had the heart to prepare the tea on the table, just quietly watched the water boil over and over again.

Finally, Elder Li broke their silence.

"But what about the upcoming Academy Tournament?"

He looked up at Lin Xuan.

"Now, the young ones in the academy have already suffered heavy injuries and cannot recover in a short time. Are you going to let them face the Academy Tournament in their current state?"

"The people from the other Five Great Academies are not to be underestimated!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow slightly, and a smile reappeared on his face.

"Elder Li, did you forget about some of the Juniors in our Academy?"

"Hmm?"

Elder Li was startled at first, then reacted, though his expression was a little strange.

"It's not that I don't trust these Juniors, but if the information I received is correct, even Lu Sheng is only in the Shackles Realm right now. To win first place in the Academy Tournament, he would need at least the combat strength of the Body Storage Realm..."

"Even if Lu Sheng could barely reach that level of combat strength, what about the other four Juniors...?"

Elder Li didn't speak, but his meaning was very clear.

Lin Xuan merely smiled faintly in response, picked up the teacup from the stone table, and after draining it, smiled calmly.

"Lu Sheng is indeed a Prodigy, but the other four Juniors are not to be underestimated either. I've said it before, their talents, in any era, would be among the most top-tier existences!"

"It's just that in this era, they happened to meet Lu Sheng!"

"Right now, the progress of those four Juniors... is truly terrifying!"

Lin Xuan's voice suddenly became a little profound.

Elder Li listened to Lin Xuan's words, his expression slightly puzzled, but after a moment of contemplation, he finally nodded.

"Since you've already made arrangements, I, this old man, won't inquire further about the rest. However, winning first place in this Academy Tournament won't be an easy feat for these Juniors!"

"They are Prodigies, that's true, but the other Five Great Academies all have some abnormal talents emerging. I don't know what's wrong with this era, abnormal talents are popping up one after another!"

Elder Li chuckled and shook his head, perhaps having thought of something.

Lin Xuan smiled faintly: "Fortunately, there's still some time until the Academy Tournament. Once they return, the Academy will fully support them."

"I believe that after a period of tempering, their cultivation will also see a rapid improvement!"

Lin Xuan smiled, his voice gradually echoing through the courtyard... Tianxing City.

A figure in white slowly walked towards the city gate.

At this moment, the atmosphere in Tianxing City was slightly oppressive.

Even the soldiers of the Tianxing Army standing at the city gate had a sorrowful expression on their faces, as if they had experienced something painful.

Bandages were still wrapped around their bodies, and faintly, one could even smell the scent of Qi and blood emanating from them.

Lu Sheng stood at the city gate, gazing at Tianxing City before him, and couldn't help but fall silent.

Tianxing City had suffered heavy losses this time!

After a moment of silent observation, just as Lu Sheng was about to step into Tianxing City, he suddenly seemed to sense something and turned his head to look in a certain direction.

He saw a young man, his body wrapped in iron chains, slowly walking across the wilderness. A suppressing aura emanated from his entire being.

"This guy..."

Lu Sheng's eyes narrowed slightly, and then, a smile finally appeared on his silent face.

"It seems I'm not the only one who has improved. These guys... have all made different advancements!"

Lu Sheng murmured softly.

At this moment, the young man covered in iron chains finally walked up to Lu Sheng. He stood before Lu Sheng, looking at him with a cold expression.

But all of a sudden, he smiled.

"This time... I shouldn't fall too far behind you!"

The young man said with a smile.

Lu Sheng also opened his arms, took a step forward, and embraced Gu Yun.

"Long time no see!"

Gu Yun also hugged Lu Sheng, the smile on his face dispelling some of the coldness from his features.

"Long time no see!"

The two hugged tightly, and though nothing was said, everything was contained within that embrace.

"Yoo-hoo!!!"

Suddenly, a shrill cry came from afar.

Gu Yun and Lu Sheng both looked up in the direction of the sound.

They saw an extremely domineering off-road vehicle speeding across the wilderness. In the driver's seat, a young man in a jacket wore a large gold chain around his neck, and oversized sunglasses covered his eyes.

His entire being exuded an extremely strong air of a nouveau riche.

"This guy..."

Lu Sheng looked at the young man with his extremely strong nouveau riche aura, and his mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly.

This way of returning was truly in line with his personality!

Screech!!

The huge off-road vehicle, performing an elegant drift, stopped steadily in front of Lu Sheng and Gu Yun.

"You two..."

The car door opened, and Long Tianxing, stepping on the running board, waved at the two.

"Did you miss me!"

Saying that, Long Tianxing grinned, and a golden glint from his teeth shimmered gently in the sunlight.

"Missing you, not really. Right now, I..."

Gu Yun tugged at the iron chains on his body and gave Long Tianxing an odd smile.

"I really want to give you a beating, that's for sure!"

"So... do you want to try?"

As he spoke, the chains on Gu Yun's body slid across the ground, making a clanging sound.

Long Tianxing's sunglasses slid down slightly. He glared at Gu Yun, and after swallowing hard, Long Tianxing huffed proudly.

"Gu Yun, do you think it's still like before? Now, I've already inherited the true teachings of my mother. I'm not bragging, but beating you up is a matter of minutes!"

Saying that, Long Tianxing even put on a smug expression.

The smile on Gu Yun's face slowly vanished, and the veins on his forehead bulged little by little.

"It seems some people, if not taught a lesson, really don't know their place!"

Gu Yun murmured, slowly walking towards Long Tianxing.

Just then, a clear shout suddenly rang out.

"Want to fight? Wait for me!!"

Hearing the shout, Gu Yun also stopped. Lu Sheng and Long Tianxing both shifted their gaze to the direction from which the sound came.

They saw a burly figure rapidly running across the wilderness. Faintly, one could even feel an explosive power gathering within that formidable body.

And on that burly figure, a petite figure was comfortably carried on the strong man's back, rushing quickly towards the gate of Tianxing City.

"Whoa, I thought my car was flashy enough, but I didn't expect Yu Qianqian, that girl, to actually use Xia Kong, that big guy, as a mount!"

"As expected of the Sword Immortal's disciple! How flashy!!"

Long Tianxing said with a hint of envy.

At this moment, he really wanted to switch places with Yu Qianqian.

Although his off-road vehicle was expensive, opportunities to have Xia Kong, that big guy, as a mount were rare.

Thinking this, Long Tianxing even licked his lips.

"Hehe, it seems everyone is back."

Xia Kong stopped steadily in front of the three, and Yu Qianqian, who was on his back, leaped down and immediately fixed her gaze on Lu Sheng.

"Lu Sheng!! I challenge you!!"

Yu Qianqian immediately wanted to fight Lu Sheng, and from her gaze, it seemed she had been waiting for this day for a very long time.

"Hehe, actually, I had that idea too!"

Xia Kong scratched his head, smiling honestly.

Gu Yun silently tugged at the iron chains wrapped around his body and said faintly: "If possible, count me in. I've wanted to fight this guy for a long time!"

Lu Sheng listened to the three, raised an eyebrow slightly, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he stared at Long Tianxing with a knowing look.

"What about you? Do you want to challenge me too?"

Long Tianxing gave an embarrassed smile, wanting to refuse, but then he noticed that the other three were all staring at him with unfriendly gazes.

Helpless, Long Tianxing righteously patted his chest.

"Of course!!"