That afternoon.
An extraordinarily brief announcement swept across the internet.
Every major official media outlet in Dragon Country pinned a Red-Header Document to its homepage.
[At seven tonight, News Broadcast will announce a major national policy. All citizens are urged to watch!]
The fewer the words, the bigger the news.
That single sentence shot to the top of every social platform's Trending Search List.
Servers across the internet buckled under the load.
On every major forum, users frantically refreshed their pages.
"Holy shit!"
"I haven't seen anything like this in decades!"
"It's definitely connected to that Beast Tide livestream from a few days ago!"
"My uncle works for the government. He heard they're going to release a Cultivation Technique!"
"..."
Rumors flew everywhere.
Some people were terrified. Others were beside themselves with excitement.
In the Imperial Capital.
At the Inner City's Family Compound.
Lin Xiaoxiao sat cross-legged on the leather sofa, phone in hand.
She stared at the countdown on her screen, her wide eyes shining with excitement.
"Dad, Mom, stop what you're doing!"
"It's almost seven! My brother's definitely going to be on TV!"
Lin Jianguo wiped the water from his hands.
He hurried over to the television and sat up straight.
Zhang Hui came over with a plate of cut fruit, her eyes fixed on the screen.
They knew what their son was capable of.
But appearing on the country's most important news program? That was an honor for the whole family.
At the same time.
Rush hour miraculously vanished across the country.
Streets that were usually packed stood empty.
Food stalls, mall displays, subway televisions.
Every screen that could light up was tuned to the same channel.
At precisely seven o'clock.
The familiar opening theme began to play.
The Host's solemn face appeared on screen.
There were none of the usual pleasantries.
The Host went straight to the point, his voice steady and firm.
"Good evening, fellow citizens."
"Just over ten days ago, Blue Star underwent a drastic change."
"Spiritual Energy Revival began across the world. Large numbers of animals experienced bloodline mutations and became bloodthirsty Ferocious Beasts."
Those words gave an official explanation for the recent turmoil.
It was confirmed.
The internet erupted. Countless people hammered at their keyboards.
"So it really is Spiritual Energy Revival!"
"I knew there was something wrong with the stray cat downstairs when it suddenly grew fangs!"
The online uproar could not reach the Livestream.
The Host continued, his expression grave.
"At present."
"Large numbers of mutated Ferocious Beasts occupy the wilderness."
"The danger is extreme."
"We strongly urge all citizens not to enter forests or mountains without due cause!"
"If you spot any unusual creature, call the police immediately and let the military handle it."
The image changed.
Several pieces of real footage showed the military clearing out Ferocious Beasts.
It was bloody and savage.
Dogs that had once been gentle pets now bared protruding fangs.
Viewers in front of their screens swallowed in unison.
Ordinary people had no chance of fighting back against monsters like those.
But that was only the beginning.
The Host's voice dropped. The image turned black and white, and mournful music began to play.
"Seven days ago."
"Seven unprecedented Beast Tides broke out within Dragon Country."
"To protect our nation, Dragon Country's soldiers stepped forward and fought to the death without retreating."
"Zhang Tian, lieutenant. Killed in action at the Changbai Mountain Defense Line."
"Li Hai, major. Killed in action at the Taihang Mountains Defense Line."
"..."
Names of the fallen rolled across the screen like a waterfall.
"Across the seven defense lines."
"Our military lost a total of 14,815 personnel!"
"More than 38,000 were seriously wounded or disabled!"
The Host's eyes reddened, and his voice trembled faintly.
When those figures appeared, the entire country fell silent.
The once-frenzied stream of comments vanished.
No one tried to make a joke.
More than fifty thousand casualties had bought peace for the cities inland.
"There's no such thing as peace without sacrifice."
"Someone is carrying the burden for us."
A lone comment drifted across the screen.
Then.
Countless candle emojis flooded it.
"All citizens, please observe three minutes of silence."
The television image held on a flag flying at half-mast.
In a conference room at the Martial Arts Research Institute.
Lin Yuan stood by the window, gazing into the distant night sky.
His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had gone white.
More than fourteen thousand people.
They were not cold numbers. They were men who had shed their last drop of blood for their country.
Su Qingxue stood behind him and lowered her eyes.
In her previous life, this disaster had left millions dead or wounded in Dragon Country.
In this life, thanks to Lin Yuan and the preparations made in advance, the losses had been reduced as far as possible.
But the pain was still real.
Three minutes felt both long and short.
When color returned to the screen, the Host's gaze had turned razor-sharp.
"The dead are gone. The living must carry on."
"Their blood must not have been shed in vain!"
"With the approval of Supreme Headquarters, we will honor several soldiers today!"
"Major Ye Qingshan!"
"At the Mount Wuyi Defense Line, he killed one Second-Tier Ferocious Beast and hundreds of First-Tier Ferocious Beasts!"
"He is hereby promoted by special exception to lieutenant colonel!"
On screen.
Ye Qingshan, dressed in a crisp uniform, raised his hand in salute.
"Holy shit!"
"He killed a Second-Tier Ferocious Beast by himself? That's insane!"
"That guy's an absolute War God!"
The viewers' excitement flared at once.
Next.
"Major Chu Tiankuo... promoted to lieutenant colonel!"
"Major Xiao Zhan... promoted to lieutenant colonel!"
One after another, the talented martial artists who had shone during the Livestream received commendations.
Every name came with a dazzling record of achievement.
Viewers across the country felt their blood surge.
These were Dragon Country's new generation of guardians!
Foreign viewers who had bypassed internet restrictions watched with envy.
Their countries' armies were being driven back by Ferocious Beasts, while Dragon Country already had superhumans who could kill the monsters single-handedly.
The stark contrast left foreign forums in stunned silence.
And yet.
The main event had only just begun.
The Host raised his voice, barely containing his excitement.
"Colonel Su Qingxue!"
"At the Taihang Mountains Defense Line, she killed three Second-Tier Ferocious Beasts and more than a thousand First-Tier Ferocious Beasts!"
"With the approval of Supreme Headquarters, she is promoted to major general!"
Boom!
The internet exploded.
"Major general?"
"A major general that young?!"
"A Valkyrie! She has to be a Valkyrie reborn!"
"She killed over a thousand Ferocious Beasts. Is she even human?"
The moment Su Qingxue's cool, beautiful face appeared on screen, she won countless hearts.
But once the initial shock passed.
Everyone realized something.
Su Qingxue had killed three Second-Tier Ferocious Beasts.
What about the powerhouse at the Shu Capital Defense Line who had torn through a Beast Tide single-handedly?
The Host did not keep them waiting long.
The screen showed the breathtaking sight of Lin Yuan charging forward with his spear.
"Colonel Lin Yuan!"
"At the Shu Capital Defense Line, he fought a Peak Second-Order Stage Ferocious Beast alone!"
"He killed dozens of Second-Tier Ferocious Beasts and more than ten thousand First-Tier Ferocious Beasts!"
"Single-handedly, he routed the Fifteen-Hundred-Thousand Beast Tide!"
"With the approval of Supreme Headquarters, he is promoted to major general!"
The Host's voice nearly cracked as he read the name.
At that moment.
It was as though an earthquake had struck all of Dragon Country.
More than ten thousand killed!
One man had broken an army!
No human could do that. He was a god walking among them!
"God Lin!"
"I bow before you!"
"What kind of monster is he? My hands shake just killing a chicken."
"Ten thousand beasts slain! Now that's a real man!"
Comments filled the screen so densely that nothing behind them was visible.
At the Imperial Capital's Family Compound.
Lin Jianguo's hand jerked, spilling tea onto his trouser leg.
But he made no move to wipe it off.
He stared at his son's resolute face on the television, his eyes red.
Zhang Hui covered her mouth as tears streamed down her face.
"My brother's a general?"
"I'm not dreaming. My brother really is a general!"
Lin Xiaoxiao pinched her cheek and winced at the pain.
She sprang up on the sofa in excitement.
A major general under thirty, in peacetime!
And a General Star with a record of battle honors, earned through real combat!
Lin Xiaoxiao's phone buzzed nonstop.
Her class group chat had already exploded.
Everyone was tagging her, asking if that powerhouse was really her older brother.
Lin Xiaoxiao lifted her chin proudly and replied with a smug emoji.
The broadcast cut back to the studio.
The Host took a moment to steady himself.
"To meet the crises ahead, the nation has decided to establish the Martial Arts Research Institute!"
"Elder Zhan will personally serve as its highest-ranking officer!"
"The country's finest martial artists and scientists will be brought together to study martial arts and aura!"
The announcement sent the internet into another frenzy.
Who was Elder Zhan?
The fact that he was taking charge himself showed just how seriously the nation took martial arts.
"Furthermore."
"Major General Su Qingxue will serve as a special adviser to the Martial Arts Research Institute."
"Major General Lin Yuan will serve as commander-in-chief of the Martial Arts Research Institute Special Operations Team!"
Commander-in-chief of the Special Operations Team!
That title carried even more weight than major general.
It meant that martial arts training across Dragon Country's military would be under Lin Yuan's direction.
Lin Yuan's name had been carved at the top of the martial arts pyramid.
But the most explosive announcement had been saved for last.
The Host looked straight into the camera and spoke one word at a time.
"By decision of the highest authorities."
"Effective immediately, Dragon Country will make the Basic Breathing Technique available to the public!"
"Tomorrow at ten in the morning."
"Every citizen of Dragon Country, regardless of age or gender."
"May use their ID card to log in to the Martial Arts Research Institute's official website and receive it for free!"
Silence.
Deathly silence.
It was as though the entire internet had been put on pause.
A full ten seconds passed.
Then excitement erupted like a volcano, flooding every social media platform.
"Everyone gets to train?"
"The government's giving out a Cultivation Technique!"
"I can become a martial arts hero too?"
"I'm not sleeping tonight. I'm camping in front of my computer!"
"Dragon Country rules! I'll never regret being born in China!"
"..."
This would truly change the nation's destiny!
Nothing was being kept secret. No one was getting special privileges.
Anyone from Dragon Country had a chance to set foot on the path to the Transcendent Realm.
Meanwhile, people abroad went completely wild.
So many protest letters poured in that their governments' websites crashed.
They demanded that their governments buy the Breathing Method from Dragon Country at once, or they would strike and march in protest.
That night, the balance of power across the world was completely reshuffled.
Before you continue