Chapter 5 "I will continue on this path for them."

"What!"

Everyone was shocked, and Zhang Yongan didn't understand for a moment.

Chu Zihang and many teachers rushed forward, and the auditorium was immediately in chaos.

The students, who had previously maintained strict military discipline, now stood up and rushed towards the door.

"Someone's dead?"

This was the first thought that came to Zhang Yongan's mind.

Thankfully, the auditorium door was large enough, and Zhang Yongan quickly followed the crowd out.

Arriving in the courtyard outside the auditorium, Zhang Yongan spotted a figure holding a knife standing in the center.

It was a female warrior.

She was around the third rank.

Chu Zihang and several teachers were the first to meet her. Zhang Yongan sensed a wave of sadness from the woman.

He had experienced this inexplicable sadness countless times, the feeling after the death of countless comrades.

"Someone really died."

The female warrior wielding the knife could no longer contain herself upon seeing Chu Zihang and his companions arrive. She knelt on the ground, her hands covering her face as she burst into tears.

"They all stayed on the alien battlefield. I'm the only one who returned alive."

"I'm sorry, Principal, we weren't able to bring back any resources this time."

"The students probably won't have enough resources for their training in the future."

The two female teachers embraced the female warrior, comforting her, tears streaming silently from their eyes.

Silently weeping.

Zhang Yongan stood not far away, as if understanding something.

He had reviewed the information yesterday. A warrior's memory was terrifying; he had memorized the realms and names of all the martial arts teachers in the school.

He immediately identified those who were absent from the auditorium; they had all gone to the alien battlefield.

There were five teachers who had gone to the alien battlefield to plunder resources for these students. They were the only three-ranked warriors the school could still boast.

Now, only one had returned.

This also meant that the school would virtually cease plundering resources from alien races.

The students' training would only become increasingly difficult. Without resources, upon graduation, they would be nothing more than useless warriors, let alone avenging their fathers.

And the female warrior, bearing the grief of her comrades' sacrifice, was solely concerned with their failure to reclaim the resources.

This also meant that, in the hearts of these people, paving a path to martial prowess for these children was far more important than their own lives.

As expected of a member of the 649th Army!

Zhang Yongan took a deep breath. Some students had already gathered around him, their faces filled with sorrow, some shedding tears.

Zhang Yongan pushed his way through the crowd. Chu Zihang's face was frozen, his lips twitching slightly, clearly forcing back his grief. He couldn't cry uncontrollably in front of these children.

He approached the woman and knelt silently, as if comforting a comrade weeping for his fallen comrade on the battlefield.

He placed a warm hand on the female warrior's trembling shoulder and said solemnly:

"I will continue this path for them."

...

The opening ceremony ended abruptly, and the entire school was shrouded in a sad atmosphere.

Zhang Yongan sat in the principal's office.

The previous principal was a playboy who had come here to gild his reputation. He neglected the students and even scorned the teachers who risked their lives to plunder resources for those impoverished students.

According to Chu Zihang, the former principal's most common refrain was:

"A monthly salary of a few thousand federal coins is worth risking your life for a bunch of poor kids."

The words were crude, but the truth was there.

But Zhang Yongan really wanted to slap the former principal in the face. Don't let him get the chance!

Originally, the teaching staff had thirty members, but now four were gone, and Zhang Yongan was added.

That meant there were still twenty-seven members.

These people are more than enough to serve as instructors for six hundred people. After all, the instruction is simple. A high school teacher would be more than adequate to teach students who haven't yet reached the martial arts realm how to cultivate their Qi and blood, let alone experienced battlefield warriors.

What's lacking now is resources.

There's no hope of relying on the Magic City Ministry of Education to provide resources.

The only option left is to return to the battlefield and seek resources from the alien races.

Zhang Yongan has been fighting in the alien battlefield for many years and is already quite familiar with it. He will have no problem taking risks to obtain resources.

This matter must be put on the agenda; it is crucial to his future strength.

Some of the other teachers are simply not suited to taking risks on the battlefield; it would be tantamount to committing suicide.

It's the start of a new semester.

The freshmen have just completed a month of military training, and the juniors will enter the workforce in a year.

It's a fresh start, so to speak.

Zhang Yongan wants to fulfill his promise within this year, but he's unsure if it's feasible.

"If resources are sufficient, it would be easy to help students whose Qi and Blood are on the verge of a breakthrough reach the Martial Realm within a year."

"Get ready, get ready to cross the Star Gate and enter the alien battlefield!"

This day was spent familiarizing themselves with school affairs.

Night fell.

12:00 sharp.

[Daily Qi and Blood Balance]

As golden text flashed before him, a surge of Qi and Blood power surged through Zhang Yongan's body, rapidly flowing throughout his body.

It was absorbed in the blink of an eye, a transformation that could be described as instantaneous.

"A small step from the middle stage of the Fourth Rank towards the late stage."

"Even though these students haven't reached the Martial Realm yet, the Qi and Blood they cultivate daily is still allowing me to noticeably improve my strength. This golden finger is truly magical."

"If I give each of them a Qi and Blood Pill to absorb tomorrow, the overall increase in Qi and Blood power will make my strength soar!"

Zhang Yongan was excited. It was like absorbing the medicinal power of six hundred first-grade Qi and Blood Pills simultaneously!

Of course, the Qi and Blood Pills would inevitably lose some of their potency.

Moreover, the potency of a first-grade Qi and Blood Pill was somewhat weak for a fourth-grade expert, but the quantity was large.

At the daily calculation, the Qi and Blood Power calculated was definitely several times higher than usual.

Zhang Yongan took a deep breath: "I can't imagine how high my realm will rise if everyone breaks through to the Warrior level!"

"Perhaps in the near future, I can even become a high-grade expert!"

It is precisely because of this that Zhang Yongan's words today were not empty words.

He might not be able to achieve the fourth-grade level now, but what if he could achieve the high-grade level?

Zhang Yongan decided, "First, I'll use all the 5 million resources on my students."

"My strength will definitely leap forward then."

"I'll be more stable when entering the alien battlefield!"

After absorbing the power, Zhang Yongan lay down on his bed and fell into a deep sleep.

These past few days had been a bit tiring for him.

Two months ago, he was wounded on the battlefield, his Qi and blood were depleted, and his foundation was damaged. A month later, he was discharged and arranged for work. He spent half a month in a sanatorium. Shortly after arriving in the new city, his meager retirement pay was coveted by someone, who then arranged a blind date.

Even now, with his Qi and blood restored and his strength improved, he still feels like a dream.

This dream is so beautiful, he really doesn't want to wake up.

Meanwhile,

The Shanhe Martial Arts Academy forum.

The forum exploded after the new semester's opening ceremony.

First, they commemorated the fallen teachers, then discussed the new principal.

"I think what the principal said might actually come true. After all, first-class merit isn't something you can achieve just by making empty promises."

"Anyway, I don't believe it. Just listen to it for fun, don't take it seriously. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment."

"With so many of us, he's not some wealthy man, how could he possibly provide the resources?"

"We're already stuck in this quagmire. Why do we always have people who give us hope and then disappoint us? Isn't it better to just keep us stuck in this quagmire?"

Student Council President Yanagisawa Ryu: "Enough. I don't want to hear any more of this negativity."

"Practice diligently. Don't forget your parents perished at the hands of the aliens."

"Although our talent is limited, the Federation at least gave us the opportunity to attend a martial arts school. We can't pin our hopes on others. One day, we will charge into the alien battlefield and avenge them!"