Chapter 117: Gathering of Heroes

April 23, 2118, morning, Nanjing.

Hua Feng bid farewell to his parents early in the morning. After a brief packing session with Yun Meng and picking up Bai Feng, the three of them boarded a plane prepared through a collaboration between the Huaxia Cultivators Association and the government, heading to North America for their entrance ceremony.

Having graduated from a standard military academy, Hua Feng had never before had the chance to study abroad, though graduating from an ordinary university had not in the slightest hindered his current brilliance.

In the deep blue sky, the aircraft carrying 100 students cruised toward North America at a speed of 900 kilometers per hour. The journey was expected to take about nine hours. Everyone on board was brimming with excitement, feeling as though they were crossing the ocean with a mission for the future of Earth—a source of immense pride and honor.

"Xiao Meng, Bai Feng, what are you thinking about?" Hua Feng picked up the juice and bread handed out by the flight attendant and passed them to Yun Meng and Bai Feng, who were sitting further inside.

Yun Meng took the in-flight meal from Hua Feng. "Oh, blueberry and fresh orange—my favorite flavors. Thank you, Brother Hua Feng!" Distracted by the food, she set Hua Feng’s question aside.

"Thank you," Bai Feng replied briefly. "I was just wondering what kind of entrance ceremony we’ll encounter at Dawn Academy. As a rising star among globally renowned institutions, its reputation is no less than those century-old schools. I heard that its graduates are scattered across every vital scientific research position in the world; even the spatial issues concerning this apocalyptic catastrophe are being handled by them."

"Indeed, but as long as we work hard, we will surely achieve great results. Regardless of where we are, as long as we keep our commitment to ourselves and our sense of responsibility to this world, we will certainly earn the academy’s recognition and fulfill the duties we are meant to shoulder." Hua Feng felt uncertain inside, but he held fast to his long-standing principles.

He remained steadfast: The Great Way is singular, and my heart remains as it was in the beginning. The heart of the Dao is precarious; only through refinement and focus can one remain true.

Their destination, Dawn Academy, was located in the state of Alaska. At that moment, the people on the plane began to discuss it in a lively chatter:

"Alaska belongs to the United States, situated at the northwestern end of the North American continent. It borders Canada to the east and is surrounded on the other three sides by the Arctic Ocean, the Bering Sea, and the North Pacific. Geographically, it can be divided into the Southwest, Far North, Interior, Southcentral, and Southeast regions.

Alaska covers 1.52 million square kilometers, accounting for one-fifth of the nation's total area, making it the largest state in the U.S. Its population was 732,000 in 2012, ranking third lowest among all states.

The state possesses 17 of the 20 highest mountain peaks in the United States. The 6,194-meter Mount McKinley is the highest peak in North America. Among its more than 70 active volcanoes, the eruption of Novarupta in 1912 was the most violent of the century, subsequently forming the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Most of the world’s active glaciers are located within Alaska, with the largest, the Malaspina Glacier, covering an area of 2,202 square miles," said a youth in white.

"The state flower is the forget-me-not, the state tree is the Sitka spruce, the state fish is the king salmon, and the state bird is the willow ptarmigan. The capital is Juneau, and the largest city is Anchorage.

Alaska's four pillars of industry are oil, fishing, tourism, and air cargo. The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is known as the crossroads of global air routes and is the fourth-largest cargo airport in the world, second only to Memphis in the U.S.

Kotzebue and Barrow are two Eskimo communities in Alaska. In the Interior, the Yukon River is the northernmost river on Earth, famous for its woven beadwork. The University of Alaska is also located there.

Mount McKinley is the highest peak in North America and is surrounded by Denali National Park, home to many wild animals such as caribou, moose, Dall sheep, and grizzly bears," added a lively and cute girl.

"The Southcentral region is defined by the Alaska Range, which clearly outlines the curve of the Gulf of Alaska. More than half of Alaska's population lives here. It features glaciers, fjords, roadside lakes, calm beaches, and salmon-spawning rivers—a breathtaking sight throughout the four seasons.

In the Southeast, the Inside Passage is a glacial-carved landscape overgrown with hemlock and spruce. Juneau, the state capital and third-largest city, rose to prominence during the Gold Rush. Sitka is the main settlement for Russian-Americans; Petersburg retains many remnants of Norwegian loggers; Skagway vividly recreates life from a century ago; Ketchikan claims to have the world's largest collection of totem poles; and the Chilkoot Port in Haines houses a traditional cultural center.

This is the homeland of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian Indians, whose cultural heritage is primarily reflected in totem poles, masks, beadwork, basketry, and carvings," said the girl’s close friend who was traveling with her.

A man with well-defined muscles interjected: "It is generally believed that Alaskans originated from northern China, crossing the Bering Strait and developing into various Indian tribes. The ancestors of the Eskimos came from northern China, crossing the Bering Strait to reach the Americas about 10,000 years ago, perhaps via an ice-covered land bridge.

Eskimos belong to the East Asian ethnic group. Unlike American Indians, they possess more Asian characteristics and share certain cultural traits with their contemporaries in Asia, such as the use of fire, dog domestication, specific rituals, medical practices, and a social structure organized into regional groups.

Eskimos are the most widely distributed of the Arctic indigenous peoples, with their habitation stretching from the east coast of Asia to the Labrador Peninsula and Greenland, concentrated mainly on the North American continent. Westerners typically divide them into Eastern and Western Eskimos."

The youth in white who spoke first provided the conclusion: "Western Eskimos refer to the Inuit-speaking residents of the Aleutian Islands, northwestern Alaska, and the Mackenzie Delta in northwestern Canada. The Eskimo culture in these regions has been deeply influenced by the neighboring Asian and American Indian cultures. The first recorded Europeans were from Russia, who came to Alaska to trap sea otters for their fur.

The history of Alaska is a chronicle of humanity discovering and adapting to this rich and diverse geographical environment. From the moment humans set foot on this land, it has had a profound impact on those who live here.

The first Alaskans lived during the glacial period about 15,000 years ago, when most of the Earth's surface was covered in ice and snow. Large areas of land now submerged under the ocean stood above sea level at that time, and one of these pieces connected Alaska to Siberia. It is said that our academy can only be entered safely if someone from within the school meets you."