Chapter 43 Openness and Dedication

Under the gaze of the multitude, Principal Gu handed a microphone to Lin Yin. "Upon arriving at Tianhe Academy, what is the very first thing you wish to say?"

Instantly, everyone perked up, paying absolute attention.

Lin Yin gazed out at the countless young faces below the stage. He knew that these youths, much like himself, wished to forge the immortal frontiers of the human race with their flesh and blood, to fight against all odds to protect their homeland. Yet, he also knew that once these youths finished their academic lives and stepped onto the battlefield, many of them would vanish each year.

Loyal bones are buried in green hills everywhere; blood and tears can hardly wash away the hatred of the mortal world.

He took a deep breath, and the grand auditorium fell completely silent.

"Since we can grow our own wings, why rely on a cloud ladder?"

"I hope that one day in the future, everyone will grow wings of their own."

"Therefore, upon joining Tianhe Academy, I will unconditionally open up my training methods, cultivation techniques, and practical experiences. I hope everyone will strive earnestly and not fail this youthful prime."

"I have finished speaking."

Lin Yin handed the microphone back to Principal Gu.

At this moment, Principal Gu, along with the thirty thousand Tianhe students in the audience, froze in utter astonishment.

None of them expected Lin Yin to announce his ultimate decision right here and now.

Even less did they expect that Lin Yin would be willing to share his hard-earned cultivation experience unconditionally!

Not a shred of arrogance could be seen in Lin Yin; they saw only a martial arts spirit so pure it brought tears to their eyes!

"Such righteousness in a scholar!" someone suddenly shouted aloud.

In an instant, the phrase "such righteousness" echoed overwhelmingly across the hall.

Even though Lin Yin was of the same age as them, even though Lin Yin was merely a student.

Reverence! A profound sense of reverence welled up in the hearts of countless human beings.

Even Principal Gu was deeply touched, his eyes turning slightly moist with emotion.

Possessing a tier-nine martial arts talent and being heavily contested by various royal families, he remained as humble and low-key as an ordinary person.

On top of that, he was willing to unconditionally open up his cultivation experience.

How could such a person fail to win the respect of the world?

At this moment, in the eyes of the thirty thousand students, Lin Yin was not merely a towering human prodigy and peerless genius; he was also cast in an aura of pure, sacred light.

"Such righteousness!"

"I refuse to call him a fellow student; I wish to address him as master."

"The students of Tianhe wish our master boundless prosperity in his martial path!!"

The students were boiling with excitement.

The teachers were equally moved with emotion.

In truth, they could guess that Lin Yin's techniques and experiences might be extremely ill-suited for ordinary students—perhaps standing like a massive mountain that one could attempt to climb, yet never even reach the halfway point.

However, this spirit of selfless dedication was the most precious thing of all.

Who did not know that royal heirs and imperial prodigies all possessed supreme techniques, yet kept them heavily guarded and hidden away, leaving ordinary families with no qualification to even touch them?

Yet now, Lin Yin was willing.

A tier-nine martial talent, a phenomenon rarely seen in eighty years, was willing.

Even if his techniques and experiences were unsuitable for ordinary people, that did not matter.

What mattered was seeing that he was willing to hold high the banner of the human race.

Given time, if he ascended to the absolute peak of the realm, the blessings would spread to the entire human race.

"With such a student, I would gladly give him my very heart and lungs," a teacher sighed emotionally.

"Sigh! It is truly unimaginable how the Lin Family's Martial King Manor could be so blinded by greed. What a wonderful child," another teacher lamented with deep feeling.

"Zixun!" A girl wearing an orange-yellow training uniform vigorously shook Jiang Zixun's arm, clasping her hands together with a pitiful, adorable expression. "You must introduce little Lin to me; he is truly so charming."

The corners of Jiang Zixun's mouth twitched.

Yet, glancing back at the dazzling Lin Yin at the front of the stage, she had to admit—fine, this kid indeed possessed quite a bit of charm and charisma.

"Bah! You're just daydreaming, Xiaoman." Zhang Zhang put her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest with a proud expression. "I got to know him back in the security zone. You want to surpass me and take the lead? Keep dreaming."

The grand auditorium remained abuzz for a long time.

Waiting for the noise to subside slightly, Principal Gu looked earnestly at Lin Yin and asked the question every teacher wanted to know.

"Why did you choose Tianhe Academy?"

Instantly, all the teachers and students ceased their chatter, turning their attention with eager curiosity.

Indeed, the fierce competition among the eight nations had been the talk of the town. Choosing any royal-tier academy would have offered a far more promising future than Tianhe Academy.

Faced with the inquiry, Lin Yin smiled faintly and replied in a soft voice, "Perhaps it is because I value the fierce, unyielding martial spirit here, which happens to match my own temperament."

The teachers and students were first puzzled, then broke into a knowing smile.

They recalled the incident where Lin Yin carved out his bones to return them to his mother. To face an unjust and deformed family background with a blade to his flesh without even changing his expression—whoever heard of such a deed could only call it hard-boiled.

"Hahahaha!"

Gu Jiang山 burst into hearty laughter, the principal who was usually gentle and mild-tempered. "Since you all say our martial spirit is fierce and unyielding, then let us show our claws and fangs to the tigers and wolves outside!"

"All faculty and students!"

"We are about to welcome a tempest storm from all directions."

"Are you ready for battle!?"

Principal Gu demanded in a booming voice.

The eyes of the thirty thousand students turned bloodred.

The master himself showed such righteousness; how could we act like cowards?

They responded with raised fists and thunderous shouts.

"Alright!!"

Lin Yin was somewhat bewildered, scratching his head. Ah? What battle?

A moment later, he found out what kind of battle it was.

Two battlefields: one in cyberspace, the other in reality.

Online, an overwhelming wave of skepticism surged toward Tianhe.

"A certain student from Qingtian Academy: 'Are you people even worthy of having a tier-nine martial talent?'"

"A certain student from Fengyao Academy: 'Advise you to face reality, you are not worthy!'"

"A certain student from Fengtian Academy: 'Do you know what kind of terms our Great Yan King offered? Just the cash alone amounted to 500 million per year! Can draining Tianhe Academy dry yield even 500 million?'"

"A certain student from Kunlun Academy: 'Hahahaha, let alone 500 million, in a poverty-stricken place like Tianhe City, coming up with 5 million in a year would be difficult.'"

"Give up while you can. Lin Yin is just wasting his time at Tianhe."

"What shady tricks did Tianhe Academy pull?"

...

In reality, messages from major royal-tier academies came flooding in like a tide.

Principal Gu looked at the messages from these heavyweight figures without changing his expression.

"Are preparations complete?" he asked.

"We have secured the support of the Xia Sovereign, and the national treasury is opening a dedicated fund! 320 million annually, specifically allocated for cultivating Lin Yin..."

"Although Bailou Academy is deeply displeased, fortunately, they are all academies of the Great Xia Nation, so they agreed to provide aid and are dispatching a large team of renowned teachers and experts as we speak."

"Local governments across Great Xia are also dispatching assistance."

"And the Royal Court side! Your family is also fighting for resources."

"Rest assured, Principal, we can definitely withstand the pressure from all the nations!"

Principal Gu nodded. "Mm."

He then opened the messages from those top-tier figures.

The Great Yan King beat his chest and stamped his feet in frustration: "Gu Jiangshan, I'm telling you, at most one year! If I don't see Lin Yin grow to a level that satisfies me within a year, I swear I will come and take him back myself!!"

The Great Han King was so angry his teeth itched: "Why choose your Tianhe Academy? Confess honestly, what kind of underhanded schemes did you use? If I find out, regardless of whether you have Xia Changsen behind you, just wait for it!"

Now, the monarchs of various nations had also begun to panic thoroughly.

Ever since that night, they had tried contacting Elder Jiang many times, but Elder Jiang had only one sentence: We will not interfere in any of Lin Yin's decisions.

Helpless, they could only wait, yet never had they expected such an outcome in the end. This was simply completely unacceptable.