High Martial Arts: Slay enemies to become stronger, forge invincibility from billions of corpses.

At 9:00 AM sharp, the lights on the ceremony stage came on.

The music began, not a stirring march, but a slow, solemn orchestral piece.

The melody echoed through the stadium, gradually silencing the clamor of 50,000 people.

The conversation in the stands quieted down.

A middle-aged man in a black tuxedo walked onto the stage. He was the Dean of Academic Affairs of Tianhai University. Holding a microphone, he scanned the entire audience.

"The Tianhai University Freshman Enrollment Ceremony is now beginning."

There was thunderous applause.

"Everyone rise, play the national anthem of Great Xia."

Fifty thousand people stood up at the same time, their synchronized movements making the entire stands resemble a wheat field blown by the wind.

As the prelude to the national anthem began, countless lips parted simultaneously, their voices converging into a torrent that echoed beneath the stadium's dome.

……

Song Chen is not among them.

He is in heaven.

Inside the spaceship's cabin, Song Chen leaned back in his seat, looking through the porthole at Tianhai City, which was getting closer and closer below.

The city's silhouette unfolds in the morning light, the glass curtain walls of high-rise buildings reflecting golden sunlight, and crowds on the streets move like ants between buildings.

However, he didn't look like a student attending an entrance ceremony; he looked like a soldier who had just crawled down from the battlefield.

Teacher Zhou sat opposite him, holding an electronic tablet in her hand, glancing at the scenery outside the porthole from time to time, and then at Song Chen.

Her expression was complex, a mixture of shock, awe, and an indescribable heartache.

He was only eighteen years old. While his peers were enjoying their new university life in safe cities, he had already stepped onto the front line of the battle between humans and alien beasts.

Teacher Zhou said softly, "Song Chen, your registration procedures have been taken care of by the school. You don't need to queue at the registration window."

Song Chen glanced at her: "Don't you need it?"

Teacher Zhou nodded: "Commander Qin contacted the principal last night, explained your situation in detail, and the principal personally approved that your enrollment procedures will be handled entirely by the Student Affairs Department. You only need to..."

She paused for a moment, seemingly considering her words.

"All you need to do is show up at the ceremony."

Song Chen paused for a second, then nodded without asking any further questions.

Through the porthole, the entire view of Tianhai University came into view.

The campus covers a vast area, and the buildings resemble a small city under the sunlight.

The most eye-catching building is the Central Stadium, a huge white building in the center of the campus, shaped like an inverted bowl, its dome shimmering in the sunlight.

The stadium is surrounded by teaching buildings, laboratory buildings, training halls, and student dormitories, all of which are connected by wide green belts.

The spaceship began its descent.

The music continued to play above the stadium.

After the national anthem finished playing, the 50,000 people returned to their seats.

The dean of academic affairs walked onto the stage and began to introduce the guests attending the ceremony.

The mayor of Tianhai City, the director of the education bureau, several military representatives, chairmen of several companies, owners of several martial arts schools...

Each time a name was called out, polite applause rang out from the stands.

Then, the dean of academic affairs raised his voice by a notch.

"Next, please welcome Mr. Zhou Wangyue, President of Tianhai University, to deliver a speech."

The applause suddenly turned enthusiastic.

An elderly man walked onto the ceremony platform.

He was about sixty years old, thin, wearing a dark blue Zhongshan suit, with gray hair that was neatly combed.

Zhou Wangyue, President of Tianhai University, is a sixth-level Grandmaster.

The true top figures of the Great Xia Dynasty.

He is not only exceptionally strong, but also one of the very few sixth-tier individuals who is proficient in both martial arts and academics.

He is a leading scholar in the field of psionic research, having published hundreds of papers and mentored countless students.

In Tianhai City, Zhou Wangyue is a living legend.

At Tianhai University, he was a god.

The elderly man walked onto the stage, stood in front of the microphone, and did not take a script.

His gaze swept over the 50,000 people in the stands, he remained silent for three seconds, and then spoke.

"Dear new students, parents, and guests, today is the freshman enrollment ceremony of Tianhai University."

"You come from all over the country, from all corners of the country, and have gathered here. Some of you have traveled for three days and three nights by train, some have crossed thousands of kilometers of wilderness, and some have braved the risk of beast tides to arrive in Tianhai before the registration deadline."

"You've had a tough time, you should be proud of yourselves."

A low ovation rang out from the stands.

Zhou Wangyue raised his hand and gently pressed it down, and the applause stopped.

"But today, I don't want to talk about grand principles, the school motto of protecting the country with force and serving the world with knowledge, the glorious history of Tianhai University, or your study plans for the next few years."

"There will be plenty of time to say those things later."

"Today, I only want to talk about one thing."

His gaze deepened, as if he were looking into the distance.

"Two days ago, a level-three beast tide broke out, and all thirty-six outer fortresses were attacked. A million alien beasts rushed towards our defenses."

"Our soldiers, our warriors, fought on the walls for two days and two nights."

"They held their ground."

The stands were completely silent.

"And among these people guarding the city, there was one special person."

Zhou Wangyue's voice became slow and clear, each word as if it were carefully crafted.

"He is a freshman, a freshman at Tianhai University this year."

"He comes from Anning City, a base city far from Tianhai."

"He was the martial arts champion of Nanjiang Province. On his way to Tianhai to register, he received the conscription order. Without hesitation, without detour, without waiting, he went straight to the nearest fortress and joined the battle."

"He fought on the wall for two days and two nights."

"No rest, no rotation, no retreat."

"In just two days, countless strange beasts died at his hands."

The air in the stadium seemed to freeze.

The stadium, which could hold 50,000 people, was so quiet that you could hear the faint sound of psionic particles floating in the air.

His name is Song Chen.

Zhou Wangyue's voice echoed through the stadium.

"He should have been queuing at the registration window, he should have been sitting in this stands, attending the entrance ceremony with you, but he wasn't, because he was standing on that wall in your place."

Qingxiao sat in the front row, her hands gripping the fabric at her knees. Her eyes were red, but she bit her lip, refusing to let the tears fall.

Her heart was pounding violently in her chest, each beat feeling like it was hitting her ribs.

He's standing on that wall for you.

These words struck her like a hammer, hitting the softest spot in her heart.

Wei Hong sat in the middle row, his face looking as if he had been punched. His lips were pressed into a line, and the muscles on his chin were trembling slightly.

Zhou Wangyue's voice continued, deeper and more resonant than before:

"The Tianhai City Defense Command has decided to award Song Chen the Tianhai City First-Class Combat Hero Medal."

He raised his hand and pointed to the sky above the stadium.

"This medal should have been awarded on the walls of the fortress, but Commander Qin Wu said that more people should witness this honor."

"Therefore, today, here, before you,"

"I came personally to present him with this medal of honor."

In the stands, everyone's eyes followed the direction Zhou Wangyue was pointing, looking up at the sky.

Above the stadium, a silver-white spaceship is slowly descending.

Sunlight shone on the fuselage, and the psionic coating reflected a pale blue light, like a falling star.

The spaceship descended very slowly, as if deliberately making sure everyone could see it clearly.

It passed through the clouds, through the sky filled with floating psionic particles, and slowly landed on the lawn in the center of the stadium.

The hatch opened.

The gangway was lowered.

A tall, slender figure stepped out of the cabin.

He walked down the gangway and onto the lawn.

The eyes of 50,000 people were on him alone.

Song Chen stood in the middle of the lawn, looked up at the dense crowd in the stands, and his lips twitched slightly.

He didn't expect the commotion to be so big.

Song Chen's gaze fell on Zhou Wangyue, and he felt a vast expanse of blood and qi power.

Zhou Wangyue stepped down from the stage and walked towards Song Chen.

His steps were slow, but each step carried a solemn sense of ceremony.

The aura of a sixth-level grandmaster was completely suppressed on him. At this moment, he did not look like an unparalleled expert, but only like a principal welcoming students.

He walked up to Song Chen and stopped.

The two people looked at each other.

Zhou Wangyue looked at him and took out a small wooden box from the inner pocket of his Zhongshan suit.

turn on.

Inside lay the dark gold badge—a shield, a sword, and a five-pointed star.

Tianhai City First-Class Combat Hero Medal.

Zhou Wangyue took the badge out of the box with both hands and stepped forward.

His voice wasn't loud, but in the quiet stadium, everyone could hear him:

"Song Chen."

"Thank you for everything you've done for Tianhai City."

"You deserve this medal."

He pinned the badge to Song Chen's left breast pocket.

The dark gold emblem stood out against the black combat suit.

Song Chen lowered his head, glanced at the badge on his chest, then raised his head to look at Zhou Wangyue.

"Thanks."

Zhou Wangyue nodded, took a step back, and turned to the stands.

He raised his right hand and saluted Song Chen.

A sixth-level grandmaster, the president of Tianhai University, a living legend.

A salute to an eighteen-year-old student.

In the stands, 50,000 people stood up at the same time.

No one spoke, no one applauded.

That was a silence more powerful than any applause or cheers.

Fifty thousand pairs of eyes were fixed on the young man in the center of the lawn, their gazes filled with awe, emotion, and shock.

Zhou Wangyue lowered his hand, turned to face the stands, and his voice rang out again:

"Dear students."

"Today, a young person, just like you, is standing on the wall in your place before you sit in the safety of your classroom."

"Many of you will stand on that wall in the future; some will stand further away, and some will stand higher."

"But today, he stands there."

"Remember him."

"Remember his name, remember his face, remember the blood on his body."

"Then, study hard, train hard, and become stronger."

"Because one day, the people standing on that wall will be you."

He turned around and extended his hand to Song Chen.

Song Chen looked at the hand and then grasped it.

Song Chen stood still, the sunlight shining on him, making the medals on his chest gleam.

In the stands, 50,000 people remained standing, silent, watching.

The psionic particles floated slowly in the sunlight, like countless tiny stars, revolving around his body.