Early the next morning, Feng Qi woke up and began preparing himself.
Today was Star City Academy's graduation ceremony, and he couldn't afford to show up looking unkempt.
After taking some time to tidy his hair, he put on his training attire and headed to the training hall.
For him, cultivation wasn't just about gaining strength—it was about extending his lifespan.
Without absorbing spiritual energy through cultivation to nourish his body, he wasn't sure if he could even live long enough to see the Dawn Army established.
When he arrived at the training hall, the Mist Lord was nowhere to be seen.
But Feng Qi didn't need to guess where he had gone.
He was definitely training the Blood Refinement Warriors, preparing them for the future.
He had been keeping an eye on their progress, and he had to admit—the Mist Lord's training methods were incredibly effective.
In just two years, these Blood Refinement Warriors had all reached Silver Rank or higher, and their strength continued to improve.
It wasn't just because of the Blood Refinement Techniques from the future.
The Mist Lord had also carefully structured their daily routines, energy intake, and training intensity, fine-tuning every detail of their regimen.
To ensure the effectiveness of his training, the Mist Lord had even spent time studying human anatomy.
At this point, his understanding of human physiology and cultivation science was so advanced that he could easily pass the entrance exams for Tiger Soul Research Institute and become an official researcher.
But there was one major problem—the training of Blood Refinement Warriors couldn't be fully implemented on a large scale.
The Blood Refinement Techniques could be taught, but mass-producing warriors was impossible.
The difference was simple: teaching a technique was about gradual improvement, strengthening humanity's bloodline foundation over generations.
But training Blood Refinement Warriors required massive amounts of resources—resources that Star City simply didn't have.
The Mist Lord had once explained his "war-feeding-war" strategy to Feng Qi.
He pointed out that, in a way, humanity was already following a war-feeding-war model for growth.
At first glance, this might seem counterintuitive—after all, war always resulted in casualties and weakened a species.
But looking at it from another angle, the reality was very different.
He said that, even if every human being were a genius, most would still end up being average.
Take Star City as an example.
There was only so much room for geniuses within a single city.
If everyone were a genius, the vast majority would still end up as ordinary people.
And the one thing that limited the number of geniuses was resources.
Cultivating genius warriors required immense amounts of resources.
The more geniuses a city tried to train, the greater the demand for resources.
Star City had clearly recognized this, which was why it followed a "selective elite training system."
Everyone had the right to grow stronger, but only the best of the best were admitted into Star City Academy and other elite training institutions.
And Star City poured massive amounts of resources into developing those elites.
If they had tried to train everyone equally, their resources would have been stretched too thin.
So if humanity wanted to progress as a whole, the first barrier it had to overcome was the resource problem.
And the fastest way to secure more resources was through war and conquest.
That was why most domain species chose the path of war—because war was the quickest and most efficient way to gain resources.
Using war to sustain war meant taking casualties, but in return, it allowed the next generation of warriors to rise and grow stronger.
The same principle applied to the Blood Refinement Techniques.
Their spread was inevitable, but mass-producing warriors simply wasn't feasible.
Star City didn't have enough resources to support large-scale Blood Refinement training.
This was the harsh reality—and solving this issue wouldn't be easy.
The leading scholars of human civilization had adopted a "The Strong Lead, The Weak Follow" philosophy—essentially a "The Rich Help The Poor" strategy.
Their plan was to train an initial group of elite warriors, who would then secure more resources from the frontlines.
With those resources, humanity could accelerate its technological and military development, strengthening its overall power.
At its core, this was still a war-feeding-war model.
It focused on concentrating resources at the top, allowing the most talented warriors to grow stronger and bring back even more resources to nurture future generations.
This was how humanity would break the cycle and establish a self-sustaining growth system.
The Mist Lord's words left Feng Qi deeply moved.
He had also proposed an alternative strategy—instead of focusing on small-scale defensive operations, humanity should consider full-scale war.
One idea was to establish "Plunder Cities"—instead of defending against invasions, humanity should launch its own conquests, actively seizing resources from other species.
The word "plunder" sounded cruel, but it was the most effective way to obtain resources.
In the end, the Mist Lord summed it up clearly:
Strength was the foundation of any species.
And among the many aspects of strength, resource reserves were the most important.
Even within the Mist Clan, when their ancestor was alive, their power had far surpassed what it was today.
And that wasn't just because of the ancestor's personal strength—it was because the Mist Clan had more resources back then.
Feng Qi understood the real reason behind the Mist Clan's former dominance—it had an abundance of resources.
Back then, research didn't require painstaking calculations or careful rationing—they could simply throw resources at problems until they were solved.
The same applied to cultivation. If efficiency was low, they compensated with sheer volume of resources.
That was why, even after their ancestor's death, the Mist Clan remained one of the ruling factions across multiple domain worlds.
Only when they lost their primary source of resources did their decline begin.
But how to solve this resource problem for Star City?
Feng Qi already had some preliminary ideas.
He walked to the center of the training room and began refining his body.
He called this process: Longevity Training.
At 7:00 PM, Star City Academy.
The sports field was brightly lit, adorned with decorations, and colorful banners displaying graduation blessings from representatives of various industries.
Across the lush green field, tables were set up every five meters, each seating ten graduates.
At every seat, a beautifully wrapped gift box awaited its owner.
Inside were candies, small gifts, and—most importantly—a bank card.
This was a starting fund of 200,000 credits, sponsored jointly by Star City Academy and corporate donors, intended for graduates to purchase gear and supplies before heading to the frontlines.
At the front of the field, a stage had been newly constructed, where various performance groups were conducting sound checks in preparation for the graduation ceremony.
The graduates had all changed into their ceremonial combat uniforms, resembling battle robes, their faces filled with smiles.
But behind the joyous atmosphere lay an undeniable sorrow.
Even if they hadn't personally witnessed the horrors of the frontlines, the casualty reports from past years told them all they needed to know.
Few returned home alive.
For years, they had been nurtured and trained, only for this moment—to fight for the survival of humanity.
At 8:00 PM, Feng Qi arrived as promised and walked straight to the table where Mu Qing, Lin Ran, and the others were seated.
The moment they saw him, everyone smiled and greeted him in unison—
"Qi-ge!"
That familiar greeting instantly dissolved any sense of distance that time had created.
Feng Qi turned toward Mu Qing, who was seated beside him.
She was wearing her graduation battle robe, still exuding the same adorable yet determined aura—unchanged from the past.
As they chatted, Mu Qing suddenly asked,
"Qi, do you still remember our promise?"
Of course, he remembered.
That summer evening, by the lake in front of the dormitory, he had promised her:
If one day she established a domain combat squad, he would join as her deputy and fight alongside her on the frontlines.
But that was a promise he could no longer keep.
This sacrifice timeline had a different path for her.
Mu Qing needed to walk her own road, and he didn't want to interfere too much.
His priority was building Star City while waiting for Mu Yan to appear and help Mu Qing form the Dawn Army.
Through Mu Yan, he hoped to uncover more truths about the world.
His involvement would only introduce more variables into the future.
Seeing his hesitation, Mu Qing smiled and said,
"Keeping a genius like you by my side would be a waste. The research institutes suit you far better… But if you ever need help, remember, you can always reach out to me."
Feng Qi nodded firmly.
"Same goes for you. If you ever need anything, contact me right away."
Mu Qing nodded without hesitation.
"Of course, I will! You're my best friend, after all."
At that moment, the music changed.
Feng Qi turned toward the stage, where he saw Bai Fusheng walking up.
Taking the microphone from the host, Bai Fusheng stood tall in his black ceremonial robe, embroidered with cloud patterns and mountain-shaped motifs, resembling a miniature landscape.
His expression was serious, his words solemn.
With firm conviction, he delivered the graduation speech, imparting a final lesson to the graduates.
He reminded them:
No matter where they were, no matter how much time passed, the blood of humanity flowed within them.
And when faced with temptation, they must never betray their people.
His speech resonated deeply.
And when Bai Fusheng shouted his final words,
"Men, why not take up arms and reclaim the fifty states of our homeland?"
The entire audience erupted into thunderous applause.
With that, the graduation banquet officially began.
As the music played, the students spoke their farewells.
Feng Qi felt a sense of déjà vu, as memories of his old friend, Mo Fei, surfaced.
They had once vowed to reunite every year.
But aside from the sacrifice timeline where he joined the Institute of Technological Research, they had never met again.
Graduation promises…
Were too fragile.
That thought led him to recall a drunken night with Wang Jinsheng…
Old Wang once told him that after graduation, he never saw his best friend again. The last piece of news he received about him was the obituary from the frontlines.
People often said that this era carried too much burden.
And they were right.
But Feng Qi understood something even deeper—the stability of Star City today was bought with the sacrifices of those who came before.
And now, they were the ones carrying the weight for the next generation.
It was a never-ending cycle—a battle for the survival of humanity, passed down through generations.
Each era had its own problems.
Darkness existed everywhere—social issues, external threats, war.
But rather than giving in to despair, the true challenge was finding a way to change the status quo.
Just like Bai Fusheng had said:
"We must share a collective identity as a species."
You could be dissatisfied with society, but you had to acknowledge that everyone here shared the same bloodline.
That was the true core of unity—the real foundation of a race's strength.
Dynasties might rise and fall, societies might shift, but their identity as humans would never change.
The graduation banquet lasted until midnight.
As the final bell echoed across the campus, the event officially ended.
Soft, melancholic farewell music played in the background.
Some graduates could no longer hold back their emotions, smiling through their tears.
Four years of effort had come to an end.
A new journey was about to begin.
As the crowd gradually dispersed, Feng Qi and his group walked with Mu Qing to the dormitory entrance.
All around them, students carrying large bags and suitcases emerged from the dormitory halls.
Many of them still had tear stains on their faces, their eyes red, clearly unable to shake the emotions of the night.
Soon, Mu Qing appeared.
She had changed into sportswear, a large backpack slung over her shoulders, dragging two suitcases behind her.
Feng Qi stepped forward, taking one of the suitcases from her hands.
The moment of parting had arrived.
Looking into Mu Qing's eyes, he could see the reluctance buried deep inside.
Compared to the original timeline, the biggest change in Mu Qing wasn't her strength, but her mindset.
In the past, she had been consumed by hatred, viewing herself as nothing more than a weapon for humanity's war against the Domain invasion.
She had no emotional attachments to this world.
Hatred was the only thing that kept her moving forward.
But now…
She had him.
She had friends.
And that made this farewell much more difficult than before.
Still, parting was inevitable.
And Mu Qing had already prepared herself for it.
At the academy gates, everyone presented their farewell gifts.
Feng Qi handed Mu Qing a Winterfell Supply Zone universal card.
With it, she could purchase anything she needed—weapons, supplies, even hotel accommodations.
Star City Academy had given every graduate 200,000 credits as a starting fund.
But for Mu Qing, that money would barely last her a week if she lived frugally.
Feng Qi had loaded an additional 500,000 credits onto the card.
It was everything he had saved up.
Mu Qing's eyes were red as she accepted it.
Feng Qi smiled, patting her on the shoulder.
"I'll be watching your progress from the rear. I hope you form your combat squad soon, and one day rise into the top ten squads of humanity. Keep pushing forward."
Mu Qing nodded firmly.
"Senior Mu Qing, good luck!"
"Senior Mu Qing, hurry up and form your squad! When I graduate, I'll come join you!"
"Senior Mu Qing, it's time for the world to recognize you! I bet your name will be written in the annals of human history!"
Amidst the cheers and well-wishes, Mu Qing stepped onto the Star City Academy shuttle bound for the airport.
As the bus slowly pulled away, she extended her hand through the window, waving goodbye.
The vehicle disappeared into the distance.
For some reason, everyone felt a heavy weight in their hearts.
Feng Qi let out a silent sigh.
Farewells were always bittersweet.
Even if he had experienced them before.
"Next year, it'll be my turn to graduate. What gifts are you guys getting me?" Lin Ran suddenly spoke up, breaking the somber mood.
Feng Qi glanced at him sideways.
"A few more brick-thick textbooks sound good?"
Lin Ran's face immediately fell.
"Not again! Can't you just give me a bank card?"
Everyone burst into laughter.
It was already past midnight, and as the group was about to disperse, Feng Qi suddenly called out—
"Brothers, now that Mu Qing has left, your true mission has begun. It's time to drop out of school and help me!"
Lin Ran blinked in confusion.
"Qi-ge… you want us to drop out? And what's the mission?"
Feng Qi grinned.
"The mission is… to save the world!"