Humanity's Rise Begins with Me

In the command center cafeteria, a large crowd of soldiers had gathered around.

"One hundred ninety-nine, two hundred plates!"

"I've never seen anyone eat two hundred plates of beast meat in one sitting."

"Sir, is your stomach really a stomach, not a bottomless pit?"

The soldiers who had survived the catastrophe cried out in amazement, staring at the dining table before him, where the plates had piled up like a small mountain.

Jiang Li rubbed his round belly and smiled faintly.

Ever since he began cultivating the Heaven-Stealing Divine Art, his body had indeed become different. His digestive ability was frighteningly astonishing as well.

After eating a plate of beast meat, he did not even feel it.

Suddenly, Jiang Li turned his head. The surrounding soldiers had parted to make a path as Huo Kai and Li Chaofan walked over together.

"Fifth Defense Line, Ninth Grade General Star, Li Chaofan, greetings to my benefactor!"

Li Chaofan gave a perfectly proper military salute. Though these were chaotic times, he cared for his soldiers as though they were his own children. If not for Jiang Li, the Fifth Defense Line would certainly have suffered devastating losses this time.

Thus, he would forever remember this debt of gratitude.

Jiang Li was taken aback, then smiled lightly. "It was only a small effort, not worth mentioning."

Seeing that Jiang Li remained so humble, Li Chaofan could not help but feel a trace of goodwill toward him.

"I never expected that at such a young age, little brother, you are already a Seventh Grade martial artist. It's truly unbelievable."

"May I ask, little brother, what level has your Blood Qi Value reached?" Li Chaofan sat across from Jiang Li, while the soldiers around them tacitly dispersed.

"I'm not sure. It's been a long time since I last tested it." Jiang Li smiled faintly.

Li Chaofan had wanted to compare him with that monstrous genius he knew, but upon hearing Jiang Li say this, he did not press further.

"Here are five hundred Military Merit Points. Little brother, you can use them to exchange for items on the Donghai Battlefield."

"Also, once the beast you killed have been counted from the satellite recordings, the merits will be settled onto this Military Merit Card as well."

Li Chaofan took out a blue Military Merit Card engraved with a golden dragon and placed it before Jiang Li.

"I'll also report your contribution this time and record it in your battlefield file."

Military Merit Points!?

Jiang Li's eyes lit up. He remembered that Awakening Stones could be exchanged for Military Merit Points.

"Then many thanks to General Star Li!" Jiang Li was in high spirits. "One more question—how do I exchange them?"

Li Chaofan froze for a moment, then smiled and helped Jiang Li download the Donghai Battlefield app while registering his identity information.

With Li Chaofan personally reviewing it, the information was approved very quickly.

"Little brother Jiang Li, here is my number. If you have any problems, you can contact me anytime." Li Chaofan left behind his phone number before finally departing.

Jiang Li opened the Donghai Battlefield app and began browsing the items within.

[Awakening Stone]: Military Merit Points

[Seventh Grade A-Class Battle Armor]: 3000 Military Merit Points

[Sixth Grade A-Class Dragon Scale Blade]: 5000 Military Merit Points

...

Jiang Li looked at the items listed above, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

At the same time, he opened the Yellow Book again.

[Name]: Jiang Li

[Age]: 18

[Cultivatable Lifespan]: 1568

[Ability]: Martial Soul (C-Class Perfected)

[Cultivation Art]: Heavenly River Crimson Blood Art (Eighth Grade Perfected)

[Martial Arts]: Blade Wielding Technique (self-created), Swift Wind Thunderous Charge Saber (Perfected), Phantom Shadow Maze Steps (Perfected), Fire Spirit Breathing Technique (Perfected)

In just one day, his lifespan had once again broken past a thousand.

"A true man born between Heaven and Earth should take the field to slay enemies, defend his home, and protect his country!"

"I wonder how high my lifespan will reach before the training camp assessment?"

Jiang Li was filled with excitement as he put away the Yellow Book.

He did not cultivate the Heaven-Stealing Divine Art again. Instead, he exchanged Military Merit Points at the command center for a private room for one day and slept soundly.

While Jiang Li slept leisurely, Li Chaofan watched the satellite recordings and repeatedly sucked in cold breaths.

"Every single one was killed in a single strike. This Jiang Li's strength has likely already surpassed that of ordinary Seventh Grade martial artists."

"Even a Seventh Grade Fire Sea Demon Lizard was killed with a single slash!"

"His movement technique and saber technique should both have reached the Perfected realm."

Li Chaofan muttered to himself, his face filled with shock.

The last time he had seen such a genius was five years ago—the monstrous talent from the Li Family who had shaken all of Donghai.

"Boss, news has arrived from the First Frontline."

At that moment, Huo Kai rushed in, panic-stricken.

"An A-Class Beast Tide is coming. The First Frontline can no longer hold. Large numbers of beasts have broken through the First Frontline and entered the Second Frontline and Third Frontline."

"According to the First Frontline's estimates, in three days, at least ten thousand beasts of uncertain grade will charge into the Fifth Frontline."

Huo Kai's words made Li Chaofan abruptly rise to his feet.

"What?"

"Ten thousand beasts? Wouldn't that flatten the Fifth Frontline!" Li Chaofan's expression turned incomparably grim.

This time, a beast horde of merely over a hundred Eighth Grade beasts had nearly caused devastating losses to the Fifth Frontline without Jiang Li's help.

"News from the front says they began mobilizing a week ago. The Li Family and Rong Family are on their way, and reinforcements should arrive soon."

Huo Kai gave a bitter smile. "But no one can say how long 'soon' will be."

Li Chaofan had no choice but to accept this reality.

"Fortunately, it's an A-Class Beast Tide. If it were S-Class, I'm afraid neither you nor I would make it back."

"Give the order: Fifth Defense Line, full alert across the line! All martial artists are to be temporarily conscripted!"

Li Chaofan made his decision without hesitation and began issuing orders.

The next day, when Jiang Li woke up, he immediately sensed that something was off.

"What happened?"

Jiang Li ordered over a hundred plates of beast meat in the cafeteria and asked as he ate.

"An A-Class Beast Tide is about to arrive. They say the entire Donghai Battlefield will be affected."

"Sigh, who knows how many more people will die this time. Those damned beasts."

A logistics soldier sighed bitterly and turned to leave.

An A-Class Beast Tide meant that a Third Grade Beast King could appear at its highest level, an existence already comparable to a Martial Venerable.

"I had planned to leave for the Fourth Defense Line, but it seems these soldiers at the Fifth Defense Line need me more."

Jiang Li was also affected by the heavy atmosphere. He could not help recalling the scenes he had witnessed from afar on the battlefield yesterday—living people being torn apart by beasts, opening high-explosive grenades and perishing together with the beasts.

For some reason, it overlapped with the apocalyptic scene in his mind from when he had just transmigrated.

Beasts as towering as mountains, cities that no longer existed, rubble and ruins as far as the eye could see—not a single human in sight...

He did not know whether those images had been dreams or something else, but he absolutely did not want to see such a day come.

"Perhaps, just as Principal Lin said, in this era, humanity's fate may very well rest upon some awakened talent."

"Then perhaps I, who possess the Yellow Book, can try to end this age of rampaging beasts and return the world to the peace and prosperity it once knew."

A dazzling brilliance appeared in Jiang Li's eyes.

"If humanity is destroyed, what meaning would there be in me living ten thousand years alone? Perhaps this is why the Yellow Book brought me into this world, and this..."

"Is exactly what I want!"

After swallowing all the beast meat, Jiang Li gripped the Black Horizontal Saber, a fierce killing intent radiating from his body.

"To end this era—humanity's rise begins with me!"