99: Retired veteran!

The gate of Star Academy.

Lan Zhan stood at the entrance, seemingly conversing with Old Wang, who was dressed in a security guard uniform.

"I didn't expect that so soon, there would be more little ones heading to the Tianxing Great Wall!"

Old Wang seemed to recall something, sighing with emotion.

Lan Zhan smiled, "Actually, according to previous practice, they wouldn't even get to see that place until they completed the second phase of their training!"

"But... the talent of this batch of youngsters is truly terrifying!"

Lan Zhan couldn't help but exclaim.

The record of twenty-seven days for the first phase of training at Star Academy had not been broken for a long time.

Yet, in this current batch, everyone except Long Tianxing had broken this record.

Even Long Tianxing had matched it.

Although it's true that most of Long Tianxing's group of four accelerated their training due to Lu Sheng's presence.

They achieved this under immense pressure.

However, it must also be acknowledged that without absolute talent, even with greater pressure, they would not have been able to reach this point.

As for Lu Sheng, there's even less to say.

He broke the limit of Qi and Blood, surpassed the Old Sword Saint's record, and even comprehended Sword Intent—something only Viscera Refining Realm Martial Artists can grasp—during the first phase.

Any one of these three points, if found in a single person, would mark them as an extreme Prodigy.

Let alone all three.

"That's true, but I'm just afraid that among these five youngsters, someone's true nature might not be suitable for the Tianxing Great Wall!"

Old Wang sighed, a hint of worry in his cloudy eyes.

The smile on Lan Zhan's face also faded little by little.

He seemed to be pondering something.

A moment later, a light flickered in his eyes, and Lan Zhan spoke softly.

"No, I believe in them!"

"They... will definitely be recognized by the Tianxing Great Wall!"

Lan Zhan murmured, his eyes filled with immense confidence in Lu Sheng and the others!

Old Wang looked at Lan Zhan's confident gaze and ultimately said nothing, merely looking silently in the direction of Star Academy's interior.

"They're here!"

Old Wang spoke softly, and Lan Zhan also looked towards the interior of Star Academy.

He saw five youngsters walking together, slowly approaching the main gate.

"Greetings, Old Wang!"

The five arrived at the gate, first bowing to Old Wang, then to Lan Zhan.

"All good children!"

Old Wang looked at the five, chuckling.

"Alright, you all go do your business; I still have to guard the gate!"

"This salary isn't easy to earn!"

Old Wang chuckled as he walked towards the security room nearby.

Seeing this, Lan Zhan smiled, then led the five and headed in a certain direction within Tianxing City.

"Let's go!"

Lan Zhan waved his hand.

The five followed behind Lan Zhan, looking around with curiosity.

Around them, many vendors were doing business.

It looked no different from an ordinary city in the interior.

The only difference was... these seemingly ordinary vendors each had a faint, elusive trace of Evil Qi about them.

They didn't look like ordinary people.

"Speaking of which, since you joined Star Academy, you haven't formally seen the entire Tianxing City, have you!"

Lan Zhan said as he walked with the five youngsters.

The five exchanged glances and nodded.

Since joining Star Academy, they had either been Cultivating or undergoing specific training.

They hadn't even stepped out of Star Academy.

Aside from a brief glimpse of Tianxing City's atmosphere when they first arrived, they hadn't had any other opportunities.

Now, following behind Lan Zhan, they were finally getting a true look at the appearance of one of the Human Race's nine major front-line cities.

"As one of the Great Xia's nine front-line cities, Tianxing City's most important purpose is to resist the invasion of the demonic invaders!"

"However, each city is different. Some cities are garrisoned by the military, and ordinary people are not allowed to enter them."

"But in Tianxing City, besides the military and the Martial Alliance, there is our Star Academy!"

"It is also the only city among the nine major cities that has a Martial Arts Academy presiding over it!"

Lan Zhan explained.

However, everyone already knew what he was saying.

"But within Tianxing City, there is another group of people!"

Lan Zhan said.

Lu Sheng's brows furrowed slightly, and he softly asked, "Are these the Tianxing Residents? Why do they live in Tianxing City?"

This had always been a question that perplexed Lu Sheng.

As a front-line city, Tianxing City itself needed to prevent demonic cult members from causing trouble. Logically, it should be strictly guarded like other front-line cities, preventing ordinary people from entering.

Yet, in Tianxing City, there were also people like the Tianxing Residents.

This left Lu Sheng somewhat confused.

Could it be... that the people of Tianxing City weren't afraid that some of these so-called Tianxing Residents might be shadows of the demonic cult?

Listening to Lu Sheng's question, Lan Zhan smiled faintly, "Regarding your question, we first need to explain what kind of people these Tianxing Residents actually are!"

With that, Lan Zhan stopped, and the five behind him also halted.

But they looked at Lan Zhan with confusion.

However, Lan Zhan didn't look at them. Instead, he casually pointed at a steamed bun vendor and said with a smile.

"You explain your identity to these youngsters!"

The vendor, hearing Lan Zhan's words, also smiled and looked at Lu Sheng and the others.

"These must be the new students of Star Academy, huh? Heh heh, I didn't expect them to be going to that place so soon!"

Lan Zhan said with a smile, "Why so much talk? Give me a few steamed buns, and tell them your identity at the same time!"

"Alright!"

The vendor quickly wrapped a few steamed buns, handed them to Lan Zhan, and then looked at Lu Sheng and the five.

At this moment, however, the vendor's expression became incredibly serious.

The vendor straightened his chest, clenched his right fist, and heavily struck his chest. His gaze was resolute, and he spoke solemnly.

"Zhang Erniu, Centurion of the Ninth Batch of the Tianxing Army, reports to the officer!"

Lu Sheng and the five felt a slight tremor in their hearts as they listened to the vendor's somewhat solemn voice.

Tianxing Army?

Before they could react, Lan Zhan, standing nearby, also had a serious expression, striking his right fist against his chest.

"Lan Zhan, 32nd generation student of Star Academy, Commander of the 102nd Regiment, Eighth Batch of the Tianxing Army!"

Lan Zhan let out a low growl, and within that growl, a wave of martial Qi slowly reverberated.

The two exchanged glances, then solemnly lowered their hands.

Then they smiled.

"Alright, you keep selling. Star Academy will pay for these steamed buns!"

Lan Zhan smiled and continued to walk forward.

A look of shock appeared on the faces of Lu Sheng and the five.

These Tianxing Residents... were all members of the Tianxing Army!

However, they were all retired members of the Tianxing Army.

"No wonder..."

Lu Sheng murmured softly.

No wonder Tianxing City could be like other ordinary cities, with residents living and doing business.

It turned out that these residents of Tianxing City were all retired Tianxing Army personnel!

With such an identity screening, the shadow of the demonic cult could be largely excluded.

After all, before becoming part of the Tianxing Army, an identity screening was already required.

And to reside in Tianxing City, another identity screening was also necessary.

Under two screenings, it would not be an easy task for the demonic cult to infiltrate and become Tianxing Residents.

Moreover, even if members of the demonic cult did infiltrate.

But with retired Tianxing Army soldiers all around, any bad deeds they tried to commit would easily be discovered.

Once discovered, what awaited the demonic cult members would be the Tianxing Army's most ruthless crackdown and purge!

The five savored the revelation. By the time they came to their senses, Lan Zhan had already walked quite a distance.

They quickly followed.

Lan Zhan seemed to notice the five of them catching up. While eating a steamed bun, he said without turning his head, "Actually, besides the Tianxing Army personnel, another portion of the residents are students from Star Academy who didn't pass the assessment and voluntarily chose to live in Tianxing City."

"There's nothing much to say about them. Their background is similar to these retired soldiers; they all want to continue staying in Tianxing City."

Long Tianxing pondered for a moment, then couldn't help but ask, "But why do they stay in Tianxing City? Since they've retired, wouldn't it be better to return to their hometowns?"

"With the merits they earned on the battlefield, wouldn't they be able to live better lives after returning home?"

As Long Tianxing said, these retired soldiers could clearly return to their hometowns, where their treatment would definitely be better than in Tianxing City.

Coupled with their Martial Dao Realm, becoming teachers in some schools, or even joining the city defense army, the Martial Alliance, and establishing Martial Arts Family, would be far superior to living in Tianxing City.

Why, then, would they choose to remain in Tianxing City?

Moreover, it's so dangerous here. If the demonic invaders launched a large-scale invasion, everyone in Tianxing City would be affected.

This was not a wise choice!

"Heh heh, you haven't been in the military; you don't know what it means for a soldier to be on the front line!"

Lan Zhan suddenly sneered.

He stopped and looked at the five.

"For a soldier! A true soldier, the best outcome is undoubtedly to die on the battlefield!"

"Any retired soldier is unwilling!"

"They always feel they still have the strength to resist the demonic invaders, to protect their homes, but according to military regulations, once severely wounded or losing a limb, they must retire!"

"They have no choice but to retire!"

"From the moment they became soldiers, what they thought of was never themselves, but the entire Great Xia!"

"Even though some of them have very poor talent, and may never even enter the Blood Refinement Realm in their lifetime, they are still willing to use their meager strength to resist the invasion of the demonic invaders!"

"What is it for? Isn't it for the myriad lights of homes behind them?"

"Now retired, that conviction in their hearts remains undiminished. They still want to take up their swords and go to the battlefield, but they are forced to retire."

"And by staying in Tianxing City, they might face the danger of demonic invasion, but at the same time, this danger is also what they crave!"

"For most of them, killing one more demonic invader means one less crisis for their descendants and friends!"

"I can say without exaggeration that when Tianxing City faces peril, these people will not hesitate to pick up their weapons and become the reserves for Tianxing City's defense!"

"This... is the meaning of their existence!"

Lan Zhan's voice echoed in the minds of the five.

The five trembled slightly, as if something had gently embedded itself deep within their minds.

Lu Sheng looked around, at the vendors continuously shouting their wares, and the pedestrians walking by.

Suddenly, he thought of the Martial Arts Family in Yun City.

That group of people, whom most considered corrupted, even the demonic cult believed to be corrupted, yet they stepped forward when Yun City was in peril.

Were the Martial Arts Family of Yun City not the same as these Tianxing Residents of Tianxing City?

Perhaps... it was precisely because of them that the Tianxing Army in Tianxing City could, like Kong Yunchang back then, confidently leave the rear to them.

Lan Zhan gave the five a deep look, then continued walking in a certain direction.

Only this time, no one spoke. The five seemed to be immersed in Lan Zhan's previous words.

Gradually, they seemed to have traversed from Star Academy across the entire Tianxing City. The Tianxing Residents around them gradually diminished.

In their place were barracks increasingly filled with a murderous aura, and platoons of Tianxing Army soldiers marching through the streets!

Soon, they could see the towering city walls, blocking their view. Vaguely, they could even see the dark world beyond the walls.

Black mist, like dark tentacles, tried to spread into Tianxing City.

But it was blocked by the majestic city wall.

Lan Zhan led the five slowly to the base of Tianxing City's wall. This was another gate of Tianxing City.

However, unlike the gate Lu Sheng and the others had entered through before, this gate... was specifically prepared for the demonic invaders!

Once the demonic invaders attacked, countless Tianxing Army soldiers would pass through this gate to deliver a devastating blow to the demonic invaders!

"Yo, Commander Lan, you're taking the rookies this time!"

Suddenly, from atop the city wall, an old soldier seemed to recognize Lan Zhan and spoke with a laugh. But when he laughed, his yellowed teeth showed.

Lan Zhan laughed heartily, "It's an old tradition, can't forget it!"

"Open the gate. We always have to let these youngsters see the real world!"

The old soldier on the city wall chuckled.

"Indeed, indeed. But I wonder how many will be able to stay this time!"

The old soldier shouted, and the Tianxing City gate slowly opened.