Chapter 192

"Until one day, countless bizarre-shaped monsters crawled out of these space rifts; these monsters were not native to Blue Star, yet they fed on humans, and in their eyes humans were the finest meat—we collectively call them aberrations......"

"Gurgle—"

"Space rifts? What the hell!!"

"This is so terrifying; why has no one ever told me about this......"

"My dad is a teacher at the martial university; why didn't he tell me either?"

"When Tang Mingyue paused, many students below swallowed nervously, their faces filled with panic."

"Not telling you is quite normal; setting aside confidentiality agreements, even if elders in the family know, they usually choose to conceal it to avoid causing panic, and sometimes knowing too much isn't a good thing."

"Tang Mingyue continued speaking."

"Then, Teacher Tang, what's the connection between these and the emergence of martial artists? And why not use nuclear weapons to deal with those monsters—wouldn't that be more efficient?"

"Some meticulous students raised a question."

"Good question," Tang Mingyue nodded, "When these aberrations first crawled out of the Caves, the military used thermal weapons to attack, but the effect was minimal; even bombing a radius of several kilometers into a hell on earth, it's still hard to kill a third‑rank aberration."

"It's as if these aberrations have a special resistance to our thermal weapons—strikes feel neither painful nor itchy......"

"Just when everyone had fallen into despair, some ancient martial families discovered that the martial arts manuals passed down from their ancestors also gained extraordinary effects as Blue Star changed."

"Take, for example, Zhang Fugong Longyu, the founder of the Shogunate Martial University, who was a Daoist before the first year of the Martial Way; the cultivation method practiced in their Daoist temple underwent a qualitative change after the Caves appeared, turning what was merely a health‑strengthening martial art into something capable of splitting mountains and cleaving stone!"

"Doesn't that sound unbelievable?"

"At that moment the entire classroom fell utterly silent, with only Tang Mingyue's own voice audible."

"Although Tang Mingyue didn't say much, and to this day no evidence has been gathered that would explain Blue Star's change."

"But everyone vaguely guessed what it was: some intangible, invisible mysterious substance silently altered the whole world......"

"Teacher Tang, how were the aberrations in the Caves finally dealt with? Thermal weapons didn't work—could martial artists easily kill them?"

Tang Mingyue nodded, "Yes, it's unscientific, but the facts are before our eyes—these ferocious aberrations can be eliminated with cold weapons, even with fists and feet."

"As long as the power used to attack the aberrations comes from the human body itself, rather than thermal or electrical energy, it can inflict normal damage—especially the Blood Qi of martial artists, which is currently humanity's best means of dealing with aberrations."

"This is also why martial artists have become mainstream—only when their numbers grow can we send them to garrison the Caves to fight aberrations and demon beasts, thereby preserving human civilization......"

"As Tang Mingyue kept introducing the topic, the students gained a preliminary understanding of the Caves."

"Some had a sudden realization and were eager to try, while others frowned, unsure what they were thinking, a hint of fear on their faces."

"Teacher, will our future assignments be related to the Caves?"

"Ma Houshi, sitting beside Lu Jing, raised his hand and asked a question that everyone was concerned about."

Tang Mingyue swept her bangs behind her ears, her eyes gaining a touch of sorrow, "Yes, ordinary martial university students won't come into contact with the Caves this early, but you lot from the prestigious martial universities will receive assignments to enter the Caves after your sophomore year......"

"As soon as she finished speaking, the classroom erupted in an uproar."

"Holy cow, no wonder the mortality rate is so high!"

"I was saying, those regular assignments don't look too dangerous, but it turns out the danger was waiting here all along."

"Is it still possible to drop out now?"

"Of course, the students who said those things were mostly making a helpless joke."

"They've already signed the life‑and‑death waiver—what reason is there to drop out?"

"Don't be so pessimistic, classmates—the Caves assigned to you are relatively low‑level, and there are basically military personnel present as well."

"Seeing everyone's listless expressions, Tang Mingyue hurried to comfort them."

"After consoling them, she then told the students some strange tales about the Caves, and only then did their emotions settle."

At that moment, Ma Houshi beside her raised his hand again and asked, "Teacher Tang, how strong are the aberrations in the Caves? Also, will the Caves suddenly appear? If one day a Cave suddenly pops up in a city......"

Ma Houshi was somewhat worried—if a Cave suddenly appeared in his home one day, he wouldn't even be able to run away.

Tang Mingyue smiled, "Don't worry, the appearance of Caves isn't frequent, and they basically only show up in sparsely populated areas; so far there have been no cases of a Cave appearing inside a city."

"Also, regarding the strength of the aberrations you asked about, they are roughly on par with the demon beasts of the Huāngshén Cónglín, just more bloodthirsty and more numerous......"

"However, in recent years the aberrations seem to be getting stronger as well, and the frequency of Cave appearances has increased, causing the upper echelons to feel pressure—after all, each Cave requires tens of thousands of martial artists to garrison......"

Another student interjected, "If things keep developing this way, aren't we doomed to lose?"

"The atmosphere in the classroom instantly grew oppressive again."

All right, let's leave the Cave topic here," Tang Mingyue interrupted their thoughts, "you still have over a year before you officially enter the Caves, so don't be overly anxious; for now, focus on improving your strength."

"Got it, Teacher Tang."

"Don't worry, our will is truly steadfast!"

"Everyone nodded, each with their own thoughts."

"Seeing that the students' attitudes were all good, Tang Mingyue also felt somewhat relieved."

"These are the cream of Huaguo's crop of geniuses, the pillars that will uphold Huaguo's future!"

"Out of the millions of examinees nationwide, only about fifty make it into this class."

"If even they can't accept it, the aberrations would have already taken over Blue Star."

"Ding-ling-ling—"

"The dismissal bell rang, and Tang Mingyue led the students, who had signed their life‑and‑death waivers, out of the classroom."

"Lu Jing also stood up and walked outward, with Ma Houshi trailing behind him like a little follower."

"Although this lesson wasn't a formal lecture, Lu Jing felt he had learned a lot."

"Earlier doubts about the Caves have now all been cleared up."

"Moreover, he also came to understand the origins of martial artists......"

"But the most important gain is this manual in his hand, the 'Shogunate Breathing Method'."

"Coincidentally, there's a printer in the villa, so it's time to start synthesizing the technique!"

"Lu Jing had a premonition that this breathing *** brought him a great surprise."