Chapter 203: Officially joining the Heavenly Network (Part 2) Li Yixiao continued, “This world had never experienced peace. The magical era has brought about big changes, changes which you or I could not avoid. Since the establishment of the heavenly network a year and a half ago, 32 pract.i.tioners have already been sacrificed. The oldest was just 34 while the youngest, 18. Perhaps you might be the next one to be sacrificed tomorrow, or perhaps even myself.” “The path of training has never been smooth sailing. This path is filled with malice, blood, death, and swords. But in our lives, even if our teammates are sacrificed, we’ll have to step on their corpses to continue the fight.”

“Raise your right hand and repeat after me,” Li Yixiao already had his hand raised, his hand balled up into a fist. The previously unreliable princ.i.p.al in the students’ eyes has never been so reliable, it was as if he turned into a different person overnight. His calm words described a life the direct opposite of calm but everyone listened to it and accepted it.

All the students down below also quietened down and raised their right fists. “I pledge that as part of the heavenly network, I will not fear death or difficulties. From this day, I will defend my country with my life. I will defend my country from dawn till dusk, I will defend the civilians…”

“I will learn military tact, politics, and science diligently. I will train tirelessly and protect my equipment. I will uphold the secrecy of our military and stand by our traditions. I will be courageous and fight against chaos. To fight courageously and not fear death. To protect society and our home country. To protect the peace and prosperity of the citizens and under no circ.u.mstances will I betray my homeland…”

“From this day on, I dedicate the life I love to my home country. I will never stop defending my country…”

“I will stand firm and abide by those aforementioned words for life.” The voices of daoyuan students and Li Yixiao echoed around Luo Cheng International School. The atmosphere was energetic. They were no longer students, but warriors who were on the path to battle.

The voices of more than a thousand people were powerful and majestic. Those students waiting in the cla.s.srooms to be sealed could not help but go to the corridor and gazed silently at everyone on the field. Some of them started regretting, thinking if their choice was wrong.

Perhaps they shouldn’t judge this decision as wrong or right, but this decision should be made in reference to the heart. How could a teenager’s energy, pa.s.sion, and vigor be extinguished at such a young age? In the future, they will be at the back like a bunch of cowards watching others fight for them as they carried on with life, marriage, careers and start their own families in peace. But when they realize that they could have been one of them battling, will they be able to get over their own conscience?

They had no answer. Lu Shu scanned his surroundings. Everyone was agitated and pa.s.sionate after reciting this pledge as if they had just been brainwashed. Some people might be afraid of death in the future or just drift along in this life they dedicated to their country, but no one could say that they were insincere at this moment.

It wasn’t just them reciting the pledge. Lu Shu also saw the cla.s.s teachers, such as Xi Fei, standing in the corridors watching them and reciting the pledge as well.

They must have taken this pledge before. The moment after the pledge, even Lu Shu who once treated the pledge as just a sort of gimmick, was subconsciously silent.

Sometimes, no one knew when he would succ.u.mb to emotions or some sort of force, to feel strongly for a cause.

This wasn’t a legitimate pledge and Lu Shu felt that the lines were exaggerated and like a gimmick. But if they were mere words and blatant lies, it would not have attracted so many people to recite with so much pride and in unison. Lu Shu never felt that such a pledge would cause any sort of restriction. After all, things such as pledges… weren’t they meant to be broken? They could just say it casually with their mouths, who couldn’t pretend to be moved and pa.s.sionate by clenching their fists and reciting the pledge?

But at this instant, Lu Shu was gravely silent. He felt that there was some sort of energy in his heart that was energetic and agitated. It was just like a ball of fire, burning intently and heating up his blood. Lu Shu still felt that he wasn’t someone who would sacrifice his life like that. He still looked forward to the day when he is powerful enough to stop depending on the heavenly network and leave the organization to lead his own peaceful life.

But he thought that if he didn’t contribute to this organization before leaving or if he didn’t become friends with these people and fight pa.s.sionately alongside them, there would be some regret in his life in future.

At least… he should do some justice for the resources provided to him. Yes, it’s to show his grat.i.tude for the resources and not for some stupid ideology.

But even if he thought this way, Lu Shu was still rather confused as this turn of events was far too different from his original intentions.

Li Yixiao bellowed, “Military licenses and other stuff will be distributed to everyone half a month later. You may go home now. And always remember what you guys pledged under the flag tonight.”

To Lu Shu, he was still more inclined towards working for his freedom, and this freedom didn’t mean freedom to do whatever he wanted to, but the sort of freedom which will give him the ability to reject and say no.

He really could not tolerate it if he had to stay in the heavenly network for life and listen to the orders of superiors.

Lu Shu entered his house without saying a word and went on to partic.i.p.ate in the lottery, eat the chi fruit and then suppress his chi while singing little stars.

At this moment, only training seemed to be able to calm him down. It was just a pledge, who wouldn’t forget a pledge after reciting it? Even if pledges was useful, why were there still so many betrayals?

But once the hot-bloodedness from the pledge died down, Lu Shu returned to being his rational self.

He felt that being rational was what humans required the most. This was the most important quality to achieve improvement, not by being hot-blooded or impulsive. Looking back at humanity’s development, didn’t generations of people used rational thinking to look for ways to bring humanity forward?

The chi was becoming harder to control and Lu Shu trained hard until 3 am in the morning and he slowly got used to it. It was no longer as hard as it was.

He packed up, washed his face and went out for sword training. Li Xianyi was sitting by his stone table reading a book as Lu Shu trained with his sword quietly in the garden. He had advanced from learning picks to stabs.

Picks had to be intricate and were technical while stabs required speed and precision. Li Yixian mentioned that when the eyes, spirit, arms, handle and the tip of the sword are one, the sword in Lu Shu’s hand would be unstoppable.

Li XIanyi was very quiet today and only focused on his math textbook. He had advanced from second year of middle school to the third… and Lu Shu was even more silent as if he had something on his mind.

As to what the problem was, only he had the answer. After he was done training, Li Xianyi put his book down and asked, “Have you joined the heavenly network?”

“Yeah?” “What plans do you have?” “I don’t know.”