Your Mom Was Right

Jiang Ran finished reading with a calm expression.

From the moment this announcement was issued, it meant that the entire modern world had officially stepped into the Era of Transcendence.

The past cover-ups, probes, and partial disclosures had all become history.

What followed would be a phase of reshaping the cognition of the entire population.

Not long after Jiang Ran finished reading, his screen lit up.

It was a message from the Dean of Students.

"Teacher Jiang, the school will hold an awards ceremony tomorrow morning. You must be present and cannot be late."

After replying that he had received it, Jiang Ran put down his phone.

He sat alone at the desk, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the tabletop.

Xiaoyu should be asleep by now, so Jiang Ran didn't send her a message, planning instead to go to the school to see her in person tomorrow.

Subsequently, Jiang Ran pulled out a sheet of white paper and picked up a pen.

He wrote five terms on it.

Ancestral People, Deities, Exotic Beasts, Humanity, and Ancient Transcendents.

The pen tip paused on the paper, and he began to organize his thoughts.

After the trip to the Ancient Tomb, the situation within the Abyssal Void was far more complex than he had imagined.

Among them, the Ancestral People and the Exotic Beasts were definitely hostile factions.

After all, there was a fundamental conflict of interest.

To them, humans were both food and experience packs, and the reverse was equally true.

This made it impossible for the three parties to coexist.

As for the Deities...

Judging from the murals in the tomb of Qu Yuan and the words of that Shaman elder, they should also be hostile.

But he hadn't encountered any yet, and among the Deities, some were gods worshipped throughout human history.

Therefore, Jiang Ran still categorized them as "questionable" for now.

And the Ancient Transcendents...

Jiang Ran tapped the desk lightly with the end of his pen.

Based on Zhou Yuan's reaction, the Federation must have found some... still-living Ancient Transcendents in other ancient tombs.

Moreover, those individuals had not actively attacked the Federation's people.

Thus, the Federation's current vigorous exploration of ancient tombs suggested they could be placed in the ally or neutral camp on humanity's side for the time being.

However, looking at the current situation alone, the outlook for humanity was not optimistic.

Because it was known that the most numerous entities in the Abyssal Void were the Exotic Beasts.

They were endless, spread across every region.

Whether humanity could match the Exotic Beasts alone was a question without an answer, but one thing was certain: if these ancient Ancestral People were added to the mix...

Humanity was definitely the weaker side.

Because one simply could not rely on the Ancient Transcendents.

The reason was simple: the number of Ancient Transcendents was bound to be small.

Furthermore, if their strength were truly overwhelming, the transcendent civilization would not have died out in their era...

Therefore, the Ancient Transcendents might be able to provide some knowledge and heritage.

But they could not fundamentally change the balance of power between humanity, the Ancestral People, and the Exotic Beasts.

Overall...

Everything would eventually depend on whether the so-called Deities truly existed.

If they did exist, what would their attitude be?

Thinking this far, Jiang Ran put down the paper.

These were his current conclusions regarding the situation inside the Abyssal Void.

Although the situation was not optimistic, everything had only just begun, and no one could determine what the future held.

All that could be done now was to plan every step of the present well.

Jiang Ran looked at his various Profession Panels.

Currently, the only ones with experience progress were Traditional Bow Shooting Lv.5 (210/500), Blade Arts Lv.7 (410/700), as well as Chinese and Mathematics.

To quickly unlock the remaining skills of the Nuo Opera Master, he had to start with these few abilities.

Language and Mathematics should be no problem at all.

He just needed to provide specialized tutoring for Xiao Rou in these two subjects moving forward.

As for Traditional Bow Shooting, if he asked Li Xintong to activate her supernatural ability to compete against him, that shouldn't be much of an issue either.

However, the Blade Arts...

I wonder if Old Chen could handle it if I used a real blade to hack at him?

Jiang Ran rubbed his chin.

If he controlled his strength, it should... be fine, right?

That was what he thought.

Time moved to the next day.

After a night of public opinion fermenting, one could feel that the atmosphere across the entire Federation had changed significantly.

On his way to school by bike, Jiang Ran could see people everywhere on the streets discussing the matter.

The headlines of newspapers at kiosks were all filled with related reports.

The televisions in convenience stores were looping the Federation spokesperson's speech, and even the advertisements at bus stops had been replaced with slogans like "Explore Rationally, Safety First."

Jiang Ran also sent a text message to Xiaoyu.

"Focus on your studies for now, don't worry about anything else. I'll come to see you tonight."

The other party quickly replied:

"Understood."

Concise and to the point, very much in Xiaoyu's style.

Jiang Ran smiled and put away his phone.

Upon arriving at the school office, Jiang Ran didn't even need to ask; the teachers were already discussing today's commendation ceremony.

"I heard two students are being honored this time, and both are from our school."

"Indeed, both are capable of entering that Abyssal Void; it's truly remarkable."

"My child pestered me all night asking about it, wanting to go too..."

A female English teacher looked at Jiang Ran, her eyes filled with obvious envy:

"Teacher Jiang, your students have really brought honor to you this time."

Jiang Ran was stunned by this remark and asked:

"What's the situation?"

Hearing this, a male teacher nearby said in surprise:

"Teacher Jiang didn't watch the news last night?"

Jiang Ran nodded:

"Of course I did."

"Then you still don't know?" the female teacher took over, "That Li Hao from your class, and that top student Zhou Ming, both of them voluntarily joined the Fire-Kindling Academy. In their speeches, they both mentioned you, Teacher Jiang."

Hearing this, Jiang Ran couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.

He asked curiously:

"What did they say about me?"

The teachers exchanged smiles, playing coy:

"You'll find out in a moment."

Seeing this, Jiang Ran could only laugh helplessly.

Soon, it was time for morning exercises, which was also the time for the commendation ceremony to begin.

On the playground, the entire school's faculty and students stood in formation.

A red banner with white lettering was hung on the podium: "Commending the Advanced, Bravely Shouldering the Mission: Our School's Students Selected for the Federation Fire-Kindling Academy Ceremony."

The principal, the dean of students, and others were already seated.

Zhou Ming went up to the stage first.

He was wearing a neat school uniform with the Fire-Kindling Academy badge pinned to his chest.

It depicted a cluster of flames surrounding an open book, symbolizing the fire of knowledge and the inheritance of civilization.

His speech was very standard.

He began by thanking the school for its cultivation and the Federation for the opportunity, then recounted how he had accidentally entered the Abyssal Void, describing his initial panic and confusion before transitioning to his eventual adaptation and growth.

Then, he shifted the tone of his speech:

"Here, I want to give special thanks to my former psychology teacher, Teacher Jiang Ran."

Down in the audience, Jiang Ran stood among the ranks of teachers and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"During my most anxious and panicked moments, it was Teacher Jiang who said something to me."

Zhou Ming paused, his voice carrying across the playground through the microphone, "He said, no matter what the truth is, there will always be someone who can find a way to deal with it."

"You are no exception."

"That sentence made me realize that panic is useless, and avoidance is equally futile."

"Our generation happens to be standing at the threshold of a changing era."

"Instead of complaining, it is better to become the person who finds the solution."

Applause erupted from the crowd below.

Jiang Ran listened from below, feeling a sense of sentimentality.

He had to admit...

This tactic was highly effective for teenagers in the prime of their hot-blooded youth.

Because it satisfied their hero complex.

At the same time, it also increased their sense of responsibility and mission.

Moreover, such public recognition and speeches would undoubtedly encourage other students.

If more children were to enter the Abyssal Void in the future, they would be more inclined to join the Fire-Kindling Academy and become the person being honored.

Jiang Ran did not think this was a bad thing.

When an individual lacks the ability to be self-sufficient.

The Federation is indeed the best harbor for these children.

With organization, training, and resources, it is at least much safer than them stumbling around in the dark on their own.

After Zhou Ming finished his speech, it was Li Hao's turn.

Li Hao's speech was much the same, with the only difference being that Zhou Ming would go directly to the Fire-Kindling Academy for full-time training and would stop attending classes at the school starting today.

Li Hao, on the other hand, chose to retain his student status and would continue to attend classes in reality every day.

Once the speeches concluded, Li Hao returned to his class's position, which was not far from Jiang Ran.

After stepping down, he smiled at Jiang Ran with a hint of shyness.

Jiang Ran walked over to his side and asked softly:

"Why didn't you go to the Fire-Kindling Academy for training like Zhou Ming?"

Li Hao thought for a moment and said earnestly:

"My mom said that martial arts are established by virtue, and virtue comes before skill. Extraordinary ability is the skill, but the virtue of how to conduct oneself must be polished slowly in daily life."

"She thinks I'm not ready yet."

He paused and looked at Jiang Ran:

"Besides, since you are here, Teacher Jiang, I feel... I can still learn a lot at school."

Jiang Ran listened and looked at him with some surprise.

He hadn't expected his mother to consider such things.

He patted Li Hao on the shoulder and said in agreement:

"Your mother is right."

After the commendation ceremony ended.

The students returned to their classrooms one after another.

Jiang Ran was about to leave the playground when he was stopped by the Dean of Students.

"Teacher Jiang, come here for a moment."

The Dean wore a smile as he pulled him aside and lowered his voice:

"The leaders from the Bureau of Education just called, and they specifically commended you."

"They said you have done an excellent job in student psychological counseling and value guidance, especially in stabilizing the students' mindset during such a special period."

Jiang Ran listened and understood in his heart.

This was likely the signal the Federation wished to convey.

They were encouraging teachers to continue playing their role in nurturing students in this new era.

"Additionally..." the Dean's tone became even softer, "If you are interested, we can recommend you for the teacher training system at the Fire-Kindling Academy."

"Of course, it's not mandatory; it depends on your personal wishes."

Jiang Ran was taken aback, pondering for a moment before nodding.

"Thank you, Director, I will consider it."

Back in the office, Jiang Ran sat at his desk, organizing his lesson plans.

Outside the window, the sunlight was perfect.

On the playground, students were still excitedly discussing the Abyssal Void, the transcendent, and the Fire-Kindling Academy...

Those youthful faces were filled with longing for the unknown and an eagerness to test themselves in this new era.

Jiang Ran withdrew his gaze.

He recalled the five words he had written on a piece of paper last night.

Now, he should add one more.

Era.