Once again, they slept until the afternoon of the next day before Su Bai's roommates woke up one by one.

Today was the day when the entire faculty and students of the Martial Academy held a funeral for those students who died on the battlefield.

Su Bai and his roommates wore their Martial Academy uniforms, draped with white hemp robes, walking in small groups along the campus streets.

A light drizzle fell from the sky.

Yet, not a single student held an umbrella, each walking with a heavy heart, heads bowed in the rain.

Their destination was the Martyrs' Cemetery of Jiangzhou Martial Academy.

Before reaching the cemetery, rows of coffins were lined up.

On each coffin was inscribed the heroic deeds of the students, read aloud with deep sorrow by the Old Principal:

"Cheng Guorong, began martial arts training at ten, reached Low Tier Martial Artist at fifteen, entered the Martial Academy at eighteen, and was a Mid Tier Martial Artist on the Myriad Races Battlefield. He died in a bloody battle, sacrificing himself to hold off three Nether Cats to protect his comrades!"

"Chang Shanyin, top martial arts scholar of Baiyang County, entered the Martial Academy as a Mid Tier Martial Artist, advanced to High Tier after three months of training. He bravely confronted a Bronze Tier Nether Cat, holding it off for three full minutes, torn into twelve pieces, his body nearly devoured by the Nether Cat, leaving only one hand!"

Beside the coffins, students in Martial Academy uniforms with white hemp robes stood solemnly.

After the Old Principal finished recounting the deeds of each martyr, twelve students from the Martial Academy would solemnly lift a coffin, marching with dignity into the Martyrs' Cemetery.

Each coffin was draped with a bright red Human Race Great Wall Battle Banner, with the Jiangzhou Martial Academy's motto embroidered in golden thread:

"With my chest, I forge the unyielding Great Wall of the Long Nation!"

On the ground were white paper money, a tribute and farewell from the living to their fallen comrades.

The drizzle from the sky grew heavier, perhaps the heavens wished to hide the tears of these iron-willed men with rain.

When all the coffins were placed in their respective graves, the Old Principal delivered a eulogy.

"Those of you who survived, fight for those who did not return! They were your brothers and sisters!"

"Inherit their will, grow stronger, fight, protect!"

The chief instructor then shouted:

"Attention, everyone!"

"Bow once!"

Thousands of students slowly bent their upper bodies towards the tombstones, bowing deeply.

This bow signified: May there be no war in heaven, only peace and joy.

"Bow again!"

This bow signified: May we be brothers in the next life, drinking and celebrating together.

"Bow thrice!"

This bow signified: From now on, your parents are my parents, and I will do my utmost to take care of them.

Brother, have a safe journey.

"Fire the salute!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A hundred senior students fired into the sky, bullets streaking through the air, as if guiding the souls of their fallen brothers to heaven.

As the gunfire rang out, countless people dressed in white outside the Martial Academy wept uncontrollably.

These were the parents who had come upon hearing the news, twelve hundred and fifty went, over five hundred returned.

Too many would never come back.

For the nation, a warrior had died on the battlefield.

But for a family, it was the loss of a beloved child.

It was the sorrow of gray-haired parents sending off their black-haired children!

An elderly woman held a piece of clothing her child once wore, collapsing in despair, repeatedly hitting the railing beside her, tears streaming down her face as she cried out in anguish:

"Why, why do those beasts of the Myriad Races invade us! Why did they kill my son, what did my son do wrong!"

"Heavens, tell me what my son did wrong, that you took his life at just eighteen!"

"We were living so well as a family, how could you be so heartless, you damned beasts, give me back my son, give me back my son!!"

Among the thousands of parents present, the vast majority shared the same feelings as this elderly woman, unable to understand why the Myriad Races invaded, why they lost their children.

The cries of grief echoed throughout the Martial Academy.

This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

Even the usually lively Su Xiaomei tightly held her parents' hands in this situation:

"Dad, are they all families of children who died on the battlefield?"

Su Father Qiu Zihao nodded solemnly.

Su Xiaomei's voice choked up: "Oh, they look so pitiful."

...

The entire funeral lasted nearly three hours. Finally, the exhausted Old Principal announced:

"Students, your parents are likely waiting for you outside the campus. Starting tomorrow, the school will be on a seven-day break, spend some good time with your families."

If not for the many classmates who sacrificed on the Myriad Races Battlefield, hearing about a seven-day break would have made the students jump with joy.

But now, all the students were filled with grief, slowly making their way to the school gate.

Since the Martial Academy was under military management, parents were not allowed inside.

The surviving students could still rush into their parents' arms.

But for those who had fallen, only their ashes, held by senior students, could be handed over to the corresponding parents in the crowd.

Seeing Su Bai come out, Su Xiaomei quickly shouted:

"Su Bai, Su Bai, we're here!"

Su Bai looked in the direction of the voice and saw his parents and sister had come. Instantly, the gloom of the entire day vanished, and he walked towards his family with a smile.

No matter the time, no matter how bad the mood, as long as family was by his side, they could always provide the warmest feeling.

Su Mother, with dark circles under her eyes, kept looking Su Bai over, and when she confirmed he wasn't hurt, she hugged him tightly, crying uncontrollably.

Su Zihao spoke: "Your mom couldn't sleep all night after hearing about the funeral at your school and seeing the news about so many students being attacked by fierce beasts, even though I explained you were fine, she was still worried."

"Alright, isn't Su Bai safe and sound? Let's talk more at home, even with an umbrella, we'll get soaked in this heavy rain."

But Su Mother wouldn't let go, afraid that if she did, she might never see her child again.

Su Bai always reported the good news and not the bad to his family, not mentioning his time on the battlefield. After returning, he only made a simple call to ask about home, as if the war had never happened.

So when they received the school's notice and saw the news, Su Bai's parents realized their son had already been to the battlefield!

After a long time, Su Mother finally calmed down. After the family had dinner at a nearby restaurant, they boarded a bus back to Yushan County.