Year 83 of the Dawn Era.
In the southern district of Star City, in the Guan Mountain neighborhood.
A handsome young man sat idly at his desk, his right hand propping up his chin, and his left hand absentmindedly twirling a pen. His gaze was fixed on the acceptance letter placed on the desk.
The letter was stamped with the golden characters of "Dawn Academy."
This was the goal of countless students.
And it was the direction Mo Yu had worked tirelessly for.
Since receiving the acceptance letter from Dawn Academy, his grandmother, who had always been his companion, had even refused to play a single round of Mahjong with the old folks in the neighborhood. She felt that a one-yuan Mahjong game no longer suited her status.
Just then, the phone on the desk vibrated. Mo Yu picked it up and saw that it was a call from his cousin.
He answered the call, and immediately heard his cousin's voice, thick with a sob.
His cousin briefly explained that they had gotten into a conflict with a classmate over differing views and had been beaten up. He was hoping that Mo Yu could help him settle the score.
Before his cousin could finish speaking, Mo Yu decisively hung up the phone.
He couldn't take this on.
Helping his cousin vent his anger was fine, but the issue was that he knew the classmate who had fought with him. With his current abilities, he was no match for them.
Today's middle school students were truly fierce.
It was said that the classmate who had clashed with his cousin had a grandfather who was one of the first batch of blood-forged warriors, and his father had followed in his footsteps, becoming a blood-forged warrior through hard work.
With two generations of bloodline upgrades, this child was born with a bloodline potential surpassing that of ordinary people who had been cultivating for years.
Although he had only started cultivation not long ago, if a fight broke out, it would only end in disgrace for Mo Yu.
Mo Yu wanted to help his cousin, but his strength simply didn't allow it.
What was a blood-forged warrior? They were the peak combat power of Star City, the very best of humanity.
Clearly, his cousin understood this as well. So, asking him to help wasn't just about settling the score; it was asking him to go along and share the punishment.
Mo Yu turned his thoughts away from his cousin's troublesome matter and refocused on the acceptance letter on his desk, his lazy expression gradually turning serious.
He reached out and slowly ran his fingers over the golden characters, once again feeling the anticipation of the new life that awaited him.
He had already made up his mind about the future.
He would become a frontline warrior, just like his parents, fighting on the frontlines to carve out a future for humanity.
"Xiao Yu, dinner's ready!"
"I'm coming."
Hearing the call from downstairs, Mo Yu immediately responded, standing up and quickly heading down.
When he reached the dining table, a spread of home-cooked dishes was already laid out. His grandmother was bringing the last steaming dish from the kitchen.
"Xiao Yu, you'll be going to Dawn Academy tomorrow, eat more," his grandmother said.
"Okay," Mo Yu replied with a grin as he picked up his chopsticks and began eating.
Grandmother sat beside him but didn't start eating. Instead, she gazed at him with a mixture of pride, reluctance, and a hint of worry in her eyes.
"Xiao Yu, your parents died on the frontlines. Why won't you listen to your grandma? Why apply for the combat department at Dawn Academy? You could have been a researcher—better welfare, and they would even introduce you to some excellent potential partners. If you perform well, you could even be buried in the Hero's Cemetery after you die, bringing honor to the Mo family!"
"Even on the frontlines, I can still bring honor to the family. If I perform well, I can still be buried in the Hero's Cemetery. Don't worry, Grandma. I'll take care of myself."
Mo Yu nodded with a cheeky grin, picking through his food.
From initially refusing sternly to now compromising, he had gone through a long internal struggle with his grandmother over applying to the combat department.
His father was the deputy captain of the "Glorious Domain Combat Squad" on the frontlines, and his mother had been one of his father's soldiers, as well as his classmate. They both died together while exploring unknown territories on the frontlines.
He had been very young at the time, and now his memories of his parents were hazy.
But he knew their deaths had left a deep mental scar on his grandmother.
For this reason, she had repeatedly warned him not to join the frontlines, to stay behind and keep the Mo family bloodline going.
One of her favorite phrases was:
"If I hadn't forced your parents to have you early, after they died, the Mo family's line would have ended. You're the treasure your grandma worked hard to raise."
Thus, his grandmother was always strongly opposed to his desire to go to the frontlines.
In an attempt to cure his rebellious streak, his grandmother, who had retired from the Tiger Soul Technology Division, frequently taught him about technological knowledge, hoping he would inherit her expertise and contribute to the development of Star City's technological system.
Mo Yu had learned a lot about his grandmother's past.
She was once a technician in the body mechanical modification department of the Tiger Soul Research Institute.
Those years, according to her, had been the peak of her life.
But life in the rear was not as safe as his grandmother had made it out to be. Although the casualty rate on the frontlines was much higher, the mental pressure on the research technicians in the rear was immense, with constant experimental risks.
For example, his grandmother once made a mistake while operating on a mechanical modification experiment, accidentally cutting off her left hand's little finger and ring finger.
She also once suffered from radiation poisoning caused by the ore used in the modifications, causing her to be bedridden for several years. If it hadn't been for timely treatment and the availability of a corresponding healing plant from the resource library, her grandmother would most likely have never woken up from that radiation accident.
Even now, the effects of the radiation still linger.
Occasionally, his grandmother would cough incessantly, even coughing up blood. If she hadn't gained a healing talent ability from the Great Figure Feng Qi, she wouldn't have survived until today.
But one thing was clear—his grandmother was once extremely talented, and there were records to prove it.
Under the guidance of great teachers, he learned a lot of technological knowledge from his grandmother, but he could never bring himself to feel interested.
What he longed for was a career at the frontlines, to fight bloodily on the battlefield and achieve great feats.
This path was one he had to choose for himself, and his grandmother couldn't stop him.
Now, with the acceptance letter from Dawn Academy in hand, his grandmother had completely given up on trying to change his mind.
Mo Yu understood his grandmother's emotions very well. They were mixed with pride, worry, and fear.
The only thing he could do was offer words of comfort.
At that moment, his white-haired grandmother picked up her chopsticks and served him a piece of meat, unable to resist chiding him again.
"Go to Dawn Academy and study hard. The harder you work now, the less blood you'll shed when you're on the frontlines. Learn your skills well... And find yourself a partner soon…"
"Don't worry, Grandma. I'll study hard."
Mo Yu stuffed the piece of meat into his mouth, automatically ignoring the latter part of the sentence, smiling and nodding in agreement.
As his grandmother continued her tireless advice, Mo Yu finished his dinner.
Returning to his room, he began tidying up.
The thought of going to Dawn Academy the next day and starting a brand-new life made his blood boil with excitement. He couldn't help but imagine the days ahead on the frontlines, where he would achieve great things, and he couldn't resist dancing around with joy.
After packing his bags, Mo Yu washed up and lay in bed, excited for a long time before finally falling asleep.
The next day.
Accompanied by his grandmother, Mo Yu boarded the city light rail train heading to the eastern district of Star City.
As the train slowly started moving, Mo Yu leaned against the window and waved goodbye to his grandmother, tears unknowingly welling up in his eyes.
The train accelerated, and the city landscape outside the window blurred quickly in his sight.
Thinking about how his grandmother would be left alone at home with no one to keep her company, a tinge of guilt stirred in his heart.
At that moment, his phone vibrated with a new message.
He picked it up and saw that it was a text from his grandmother:
[No need to cook for you every day anymore. Now I can play Mahjong with my old friends every day, and occasionally plant flowers and vegetables in the neighborhood. I'm so happy. The retirement life has officially begun… Oh, and by the way, when you're at Dawn Academy, keep a low profile. I've heard that the combat department there has some tough people. Being too high-profile can get you into trouble.]
Mo Yu: ...
The sadness in his heart dissipated, and a smile couldn't help but spread across his face.
The train sped along, and looking down at the bustling city of Star City, Mo Yu thought about how he would soon be one of the city's defenders. His heart surged with pride, and he became even more eager for the new life awaiting him.
After several hours, Mo Yu arrived at the eastern district station.
Outside the station, there were already vehicles from Dawn Academy waiting to pick up the new students.
Mo Yu chose a nearly full car, sat down, and found a seat.
He looked around at the other passengers. Their faces were all young, their excitement and pride barely hidden.
Mo Yu didn't find this surprising.
After all, getting into Dawn Academy meant they were all extraordinary talents, the best of the best.
Without a bit of arrogance, how could they move forward with such confidence?
That was something his teacher had told him.
But after Mo Yu was accepted into Dawn Academy, his teacher also gave him another piece of advice.
His teacher said that there was always someone better, someone beyond the sky. He had once been proud of his own talent.
When his teacher was sixteen, he firmly believed his talent was exceptional, and that he would be one of the greats of his time, opening up a new era for humanity through his own efforts, just like Feng Qi.
That was until he met the descendant of a blood-forged warrior.
His teacher had just entered Star City Academy and was about to begin military training. It was during the physical exam that he first saw the blood-forged warrior's descendant. He was wearing frameless glasses and a white shirt, looking polite and refined. But during the test, he seemed like a wild beast. His test results exploded, and his physical attributes were three times that of his teacher. Later, his cultivation talents completely crushed everyone in his class.
The exaggerated gap in talent felt like an insurmountable chasm, completely shattering his teacher's pride.
From that point on, his teacher understood a crucial lesson: the world was never short of talent. The significance of hard work wasn't to surpass talent, but to give the next generation a higher starting point.
When his teacher said this, his eyes were full of emotion for the past, and it left a deep impression on Mo Yu.
At that moment, the welcome vehicle started up, heading toward Dawn Academy.
The eastern district of Star City was far more bustling than the southern district where he lived. The roads along the way were clean and spacious, and Mo Yu could see many cleaning robots moving about.
After 2 hours of high-speed travel, they arrived in front of the gates of Dawn Academy.
The driver stopped the vehicle in front of the entrance, rested one hand on the steering wheel, and turned to shout at them:
"Everyone, get out. You'll need to undergo an identity verification at the gate, then go in on your own!"
Upon hearing this, Mo Yu grabbed his luggage and got out of the car, following the crowd of future classmates.
He looked up and saw a stone tablet standing in the center at the gates of Dawn Academy, with four large golden characters: "Dawn Academy," personally written by Feng Qi.
Perhaps it was an illusion brought by faith, but as Mo Yu stared at the stone tablet, Feng Qi's expectations for the future seemed to leap off the words, sending a brief wave of confusion through him.
Following the crowd, he made his way to the identity verification area.
The security guard was a retired soldier from the frontlines, missing his right arm. His left arm, holding the scanning device, was covered in faded scars.
When Mo Yu stepped in front of the security guard, the guard immediately raised the device and scanned his face.
"Beep, verification complete. New student: Mo Yu."
"Go ahead."
"Thank you." Mo Yu politely nodded, then pushed his luggage and walked toward the gates of Dawn Academy.
Crossing through the gates, a broad road lay ahead, with many stone tablets lining both sides.
Each tablet commemorated Feng Qi's great achievements, and further along, there were many statues. These were alumni of Dawn Academy who had made outstanding contributions to humanity, the heroes of their time.
After their deaths, their statues were erected here for the future generations of Dawn Academy to admire.
This was the heritage of the academy. While Dawn Academy's establishment and history couldn't compare to Star City Academy, it had still produced many brilliant minds.
They were the face of Dawn Academy.
Mo Yu followed the flow of people toward the registration area, feeling a sense of awe at everything around him.
Passing through a patch of trees, his view suddenly opened up, and towering buildings stood in the distance. But the most striking was the over 10-meter-high statue of Feng Qi, the hero.
The statue of the hero, holding a sword in his left hand and a book in his right, was clearly well-maintained. Despite having been there for decades, it remained spotless, as if it had just been erected.
The crowd moved to the left of the statue of Feng Qi and then began walking toward it.
Seeing this, Mo Yu immediately followed the crowd.
Many students who arrived in front of the statue of Feng Qi bowed and nodded.
This didn't seem strange to Mo Yu. His generation, and even those before them, had many followers of Feng Qi, even believers.
This faith had become a tradition.
Mo Yu also regularly visited the Hero's Cemetery or the Central Plaza with his grandmother to pay respects to Feng Qi's statue.
His grandmother was especially a devout follower of Feng Qi.
If it hadn't been for the faith that granted her a talent ability related to healing her body, his grandmother would never have lived this long.
Through history, he admired Feng Qi.
Through the present, he was grateful that Feng Qi had given his grandmother a second chance at life.
Dawn Academy, where Mo Yu now stood, was personally planned and built by Feng Qi, and even the academy's first specialized department was established by him.
In Mo Yu's heart, Feng Qi was a hero worthy of everyone's faith and admiration.
When the crowd ahead dispersed, Mo Yu took a step toward the statue of Feng Qi.
At this moment, he noticed a stone tablet standing beside the right foot of the statue. After bowing respectfully to the statue, he looked up at the stone tablet.
The stone tablet had clearly weathered the passage of time, but the text on it was still very clear.
From the text, Mo Yu learned that this was a message left by Feng Qi for the future generations of Dawn Academy when the academy was first established.
Mo Yu's eyes skimmed the introductory text at the top, then moved down to read Feng Qi's message to the future generations of Dawn Academy.
["Suffering is not to be celebrated, but being human means we cannot live a life free from hardship. We do not have the bloodline potential of powerful clans, nor the innate talents of other races. Unable to escape suffering, we must rely on ourselves for salvation. We must believe that suffering will not last forever. The purpose of learning is to gather strength in the face of hardship. Even if the light that shines through the cracks is faint, we must seize it and hold on to the courage to always grow toward the sun."]
["To those who come after, when you face setbacks and suffering, always remember to try again and again, never ceasing. Gather the courage to begin anew, and continue moving forward."]
The words left by Feng Qi on the stone tablet revealed his unyielding faith.
At that moment, the words seemed to transform into spiritual power, uplifting his spirit and greatly shaking Mo Yu's heart.
Looking up at the statue of Feng Qi, the power of faith surged within Mo Yu's heart.
He bowed deeply once again to the statue and, in his heart, made a vow—a roar that declared war on the future's suffering.