The soldier dodged as he tried to explain, "Lu Feng, stop! I'm not the killer!"
But by then, Lu Feng had completely lost himself to madness. His dagger stabbed again and again, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle.
The soldier was shocked to discover that this recent high school graduate had reached Peak Second Realm.
If not for his Early Third Realm cultivation, he would almost have been wounded.
In desperation, he seized Lu Feng's arm and struck him with a palm infused with True Qi, knocking him unconscious.
He immediately reported the situation at the scene to the Military Region.
Several days later, a steady rain fell.
He Qing's funeral was held in a cemetery west of Jinzhou City.
Hong Tiejun, Shen Yu, Lin Qiuyue... Nearly all the former students of Senior Year Class 9 were there. The only one missing was Zheng Tong, the young master of the Zheng Family.
"Who was it? Who killed Teacher He?" Hong Tiejun clenched his fists until they cracked.
Shen Yu and Lin Qiuyue were already weeping.
They couldn't accept that their teacher had left them forever, barely two months after graduation.
As He Qing's students, they all knew something of his background.
He had lost both parents as a child and grown up in an Orphanage.
Later, he had met an elderly Warrior, a university lecturer who used his own savings to put He Qing through Martial High School and Martial University.
To repay that kindness, He Qing had chosen not to join the military after graduating from Martial University. Instead, he had become a Martial High School teacher, passing that kindness on to others.
Lu Feng stood at the very front of the crowd. Rain slid from his hair, mingling with his tears.
As he gazed at the black-and-white photograph, its subject forever wearing a gentle smile, it still didn't feel real.
He Qing had already bought an Interstellar Ticket. In three days, he was supposed to set out on a new journey in life. But before he could leave, his own journey had come to an end.
He thought back to how, only a few days earlier, He Qing had patiently explained the Martial Realm to him.
They had promised to meet again after He Qing returned from his Interstellar Travel.
"When I'm old, I'll definitely come back."
The words still rang in his ears, but the man who had spoken them was gone.
Whenever Lu Feng remembered the scene on the night his teacher was murdered, it felt as though a poisonous thorn had pierced his heart.
The funeral ended amid muffled sobs.
People gradually left, but Lu Feng remained where he was, like a stone statue drenched by the rain.
His grief at losing his teacher was mixed with irreparable regret and a fury that gnawed at his bones.
Although the military had used every means at its disposal to hunt down the killer after He Qing's murder, it had found no clues.
But Lu Feng was certain that the Zheng Family had something to do with Teacher He's death.
One day, he would make that powerful family pay a terrible price.
In the days that followed, Lu Feng devoted himself entirely to cultivation.
His resolve to avenge his teacher was branded into his heart, driving him to grow stronger without pause.
However, after Skyfire Club had undergone a military investigation, it temporarily stopped taking on new beast-taming jobs, cutting off his steady source of energy.
Relying only on daily hard cultivation in the Cultivation Room, his progress was painfully slow.
With no other choice, he began sneaking off to the Beast Fighting Arena after work each day.
But he no longer manipulated match results for money. After absorbing the Exotic Beasts' energy, he left at once.
By the end of August, he had broken through to Ninth Layer Iron Bone Realm.
On August 26, Hong Kun, the owner of Skyfire Club, returned to the Jinzhou Military Region base.
He went to Xie An, head of the Military Merit Statistics Department, to ask about the progress of the club's Expedition application.
More than half a month had passed since he submitted it, and other clubs that had applied around the same time had already been approved.
Xie An had spent these past few days thinking about how to recruit Lu Feng, and had inadvertently delayed Skyfire Club's application.
But he understood that he couldn't keep holding it up. After all, the club had accumulated Military Merit Points for over ten years and fully met the requirements for an Expedition.
Just then, one of his subordinates leaned close to Xie An's ear and whispered, "Minister! We could..."
After hearing the suggestion, Xie An's eyes lit up. He turned to Hong Kun.
"President Hong, your club's Expedition application can be approved, but I have one condition."
Hong Kun couldn't help rolling his eyes inwardly.
His club clearly met the requirements, yet this old fellow was tacking on a condition. Wasn't that a little shameless?
But the other man held the power to approve the application, so Hong Kun could only patiently hear him out.
"Please go ahead, Minister Xie."
"According to regulations, civilian clubs approved for an Expedition must send five Warriors of Third Realm or above to join the army in hunting resources on other planets. If I approve your application, one of those five slots must go to Lu Feng."
"What?" Hong Kun's expression changed sharply. "Minister Xie, you can't be serious. Lu Feng is only a Second Realm Warrior. You know better than anyone how dangerous an Expedition is."
The Second Realm, Iron Bone Realm, was still a foundational stage of martial arts. Although the body was far stronger than an ordinary person's, it contained not a trace of True Qi.
If they encountered a powerful Exotic Beast, their chances of survival would plummet.
"President Hong, there's no need to get worked up."
Xie An raised a hand, signaling for him to calm down.
"Since we've made this arrangement, we'll naturally ensure Lu Feng's safety. He can tame Exotic Beasts, and taking part in the Expedition will be a valuable trial for him."
Xie An had accepted his subordinate's suggestion for a reason.
Since Lu Feng refused to join the military, he could go on an Expedition alongside Skyfire Club instead.
All civilian clubs taking part in an Expedition had to follow military orders during the journey. In effect, they would become subordinates of the military.
An Expedition often lasted several years or even longer. During that time, the resources they acquired on other planets could be used for cultivation at any moment, greatly increasing a Warrior's rate of progress.
That was exactly why civilian clubs vied for Expedition approval.
Xie An believed that once Lu Feng experienced the benefits of joining an Expedition firsthand, he might change his mind and eventually choose to join the military.
Hong Kun was silent for a long time before finally letting out a sigh. "All right, I'll give him the slot. But I can't guarantee that he'll be willing to go."
On the way back to the club, Hong Kun sat in the passenger seat and turned to look at his friend Yang Qian, who was driving.
"Why do you think Minister Xie is so insistent that we take Lu Feng? Warriors below Third Realm would die instantly on the Alien Star Battlefield without Mecha protection."
Yang Qian had been Hong Kun's friend since childhood. He was also the strongest Warrior in the club apart from Hong Kun, so of course he was on the Expedition roster.
"He still hasn't given up on the kid. Lu Feng can tame Exotic Beasts, and that ability is far too tempting to the military."
"Honestly, why won't that kid join the military? Why does he insist on staying with me?"
Hong Kun sighed, then continued, "Do you think he'll agree to join our Expedition?"
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