Chapter One: Lu Huan’s First Lesson as a Volunteer Teacher

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Record in the Archive of Heroes: In Star Year 1998, the dimensional collapse at Clearwind Mountain unleashed demonic energy, and the fifth squad of demonic beasts broke through the spatial barrier, intending to invade the central region of the Republic. Zhang Guli, mayor of Clearwind Town, led 32 Star Guards in a desperate defense, holding their ground with blood and sacrifice. In the end, they detonated the town's Constellation Array, perishing together with the demonic squad. Zhang Guli and his men were posthumously honored as the “Heroes of Clearwind” and awarded the Second-Class Heroic Martyr Medal. The survivors of the town, moved by their greatness, petitioned to build a City of Heroes on the original site to commemorate Zhang Guli and the 32 martyrs. In Star Year 1999, permission was granted for the city’s construction; it was to be named “Guli City.”

Located in the central-eastern part of the Republic, Guli City was a region lagging behind in star power development. Though heroes like Zhang Guli wrote history for this city, it was far from enough to attract investment or talent. Without distinctive industries, Guli’s economic growth was slow, which in turn led to a gradual drain of talent—further constraining development, delaying infrastructure, and causing star power education to fall behind the times.

Economy, talent, and education were the three foundations of urban construction in the era of star power. Without major reforms, these three elements formed the core of a city—a closed loop, as scientists called it. In this era of rapid change, the impact of the urban construction loop was stark. Guli had been established just twenty-one years, yet already looked faded and weary. In fact, even the six years of compulsory star power education for middle and high school required external talent allocated by the authorities. Of course, Guli City was not unique in this; thus was born the “teaching support policy.”

— Divider —

February 10, Star Year 2020. Junior Division, Guli Middle School.

Lu Huan, dressed in professional attire, stepped into the noisy Class 2, Grade 7, and stood at the podium, surveying the forty-five students—twenty-three girls and twenty-two boys.

The students gradually quieted, a little uneasy, all looking up at Lu Huan. They were quietly amazed at his youth, and faintly excited, knowing he was a recent graduate from a major city. This meant he could teach them more advanced and excellent knowledge of star power.

Lu Huan sighed inwardly—students everywhere were the same, all afraid of a teacher’s silence. He marveled again at how star power had truly changed the world. According to scientists, before the Star Era, high schoolers mostly learned simple basic physics. Now, at sixteen, Lu Huan was already a teacher. In this era of rapidly advancing star power, children inherited strong genetic factors from their parents; from birth, they could speak and perceive the world independently, with physical and intellectual development equal to twelve-year-olds from the pre-Star Era. Thus, students now completed the pre-Star Era high school curriculum in six years of elementary school, building their basic competencies and understanding of the world. Middle school focused on star power courses and martial cultivation, while high school added practical training.

“Ahem…” Lu Huan broke the silence, looking at the flowers of the nation before him. Without giving anything away, he projected his holographic image and personal data onto the blackboard via his wristwatch. Then, hands clasped behind his back, he strolled among the students, feigning an air of maturity. “My name is Lu Huan. There’s some information about me on the board. Look at it carefully—I’ll be asking questions in a moment!”

Questions??

The students all looked puzzled. What is there to ask? Isn’t this information easy to memorize after two readings? The only thing noteworthy were the three basic stats: 99, 75, 80.

“Teacher!” A burly male student raised his hand.

Lu Huan nodded, signaling him to speak.

The boy stood up. Nearly 1.7 meters tall, his body packed with muscle, his uniform stretched taut. “Teacher, I am ready!”

Lu Huan raised an eyebrow, smiling. “Did I say I was starting the questions?”

The student’s tone stiffened. “No… but I really am ready! Please ask me, teacher!”

“What’s your name?”

“Gan Lie!” The boy straightened his chest and replied loudly.

“Gan Lie! A good name! I know why you’re doing this—you want to make a good impression on me. Not a bad idea! However…” Lu Huan’s expression hardened, his gaze sharp as he stared at Gan Lie. “First rule of the school motto!”

Gan Lie tensed, swallowing hard. “Obey orders, accept discipline!”

Lu Huan’s brow relaxed. He walked back to the podium, turned off the projection, and looked at Gan Lie. “Do you know your mistake?”

“Yes!” Gan Lie stood upright, meeting Lu Huan’s eyes. “Teacher, I was wrong!”

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“Very good! Gan Lie… A mistake must be punished! But you showed courage, which is commendable…” Lu Huan pulled up the student roster and reviewed Gan Lie’s information. “Here’s my deal: since you want me to ask a question, I’ll ask you one. If you get it right, you’ll be exempt from punishment, and I’ll give you an extra point in your overall evaluation. If you get it wrong, you’ll run ten laps of the school’s four-kilometer track.”

“Please ask, teacher!” Gan Lie was brimming with confidence.

Lu Huan looked at Gan Lie, liking him more the longer he watched. Such a student was truly a rough gem.

“Suppose, here in Guli City, I am being hunted by a first-rank fire-element Star Adept whose three stats are 120, 150, and 110. The question: How should I turn the tables and defeat him?”

Gan Lie: “……”

The whole class: “……”

Is this a joke? Not even a Star Adept and you want to defeat a Star Adept? You’d be lucky to escape, let alone fight back! And that’s a fire-element Star Adept, known for their overwhelming attack power!

Gan Lie was dumbfounded, grumbling inwardly. If you want to punish me, just do it—why the drama? Tilting his head, he ignored Lu Huan entirely and went out to run. Ten laps was a lot, but not impossible.

Lu Huan wasn’t angry at Gan Lie’s lack of manners. A bit of spirit was a good thing—it gave him more to work with.

“This question is for all of you. You have ten minutes to answer. If you can’t solve it, don’t bother with ten laps—just do six. Off you go! For those who get it right, an extra point!” Lu Huan stroked his chin, smiling slyly.

The students wilted. Extra points? Who cares! You’re just here to put us in our place!

Fine, let’s run!

In twos and threes, they grouped up and went to the track, not bothering with any countdown.

“Teacher, I have an idea!” A thin boy raised his hand, still thinking hard.

“Oh? Let’s hear it!” Lu Huan nodded, checking the roster—this should be Deng Wenle.

“If I were you, teacher, I would create a delayed self-destruct Star Arc, leverage the foundation of Guli City’s Constellation Array, and detonate the array to blow him up! Heh…” Deng Wenle’s small eyes twinkled with a mischievous look reminiscent of the famous comedian Master Feng.

“Oh? Why do you think I could create a delayed self-destruct Star Arc? I haven’t even advanced to Star Adept yet. Without the ability to manifest and solidify star power, how could I make a first-rank self-destruct Star Arc?” Lu Huan rested his head in his hand, watching Deng Wenle with interest. Tall, big, round-faced, small-eyed, chinless—he felt a strange sense of kinship, almost hoping he’d say, “I miss you all so much!”

Encouraged by the teacher’s question, Deng Wenle pressed on. “Because your profile says you once inscribed a star array for Professor Cai’s star core reactor experiments. Just five days ago, the Starfire Chronicle updated, highlighting Professor Cai’s breakthrough—his star core reactor can now use star arrays to trigger core collisions, resulting in exponential energy explosions. The article said this would greatly advance star core weaponry, making it possible for the military to standardize them as routine resources.”

“Exactly, it won’t be long before star core weapons become standard military equipment. But what does this have to do with my question?” Lu Huan was in no hurry; Deng Wenle was a promising student.

“The real reason star core weapons are hard to mass-produce is that core collisions require a manifested, solidified star core reaction field. According to the article, only a fifth-rank star power master can do this, and even then, it takes more than ten years to create just one reaction field. But Professor Cai’s new reactor uses a star array instead, which functions as a solidified reaction field. Since you inscribed that array for Professor Cai, I boldly surmise that you, teacher, can create star arrays that mimic the effects of a solidified star power field!”

Deng Wenle swallowed, calming himself, and continued, “So, for you, a first-rank delayed self-destruct Star Arc would be easy! After all, you have a base mental stat of 99 and a perfect score in practical research—a bona fide genius!” Deng Wenle’s guess was audacious, almost unbelievable even to himself, but he couldn’t help using honorifics when speaking to Lu Huan.

“Hmm, Deng Wenle, is it? Interesting!” Lu Huan was satisfied with his thinking—only those who dare to imagine can achieve. “That’s right, the star array that replaces the star core reaction field was indeed inscribed by me!”

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What?!

Seriously?!

Hearing their teacher confirm it, the students still found it hard to believe. Forgetting all discipline, they immediately opened their wristwatches, searching the StarWeb for reports on Professor Cai’s star core reactor breakthrough. There, in the attached paper, the first author was Professor Cai Xian, the second was Lu Huan, and beside the names was a half-body holographic portrait—it was their very own teacher Lu Huan… The class was stunned, hearts pounding with excitement. This was the master who had created a world-changing star array! Studying under him could only mean a limitless future!

The realization was overwhelming for these ten-year-old children. Though their intelligence and physique were advanced, the idea of a master like Lu Huan becoming their teacher was simply too much to process. Their eyes sparkled with exhilaration, even Deng Wenle, who had suspected as much, was no different.

Lu Huan looked at these children and smiled faintly. He saw not just a spark of hope in their eyes, but a burning flame of longing.

Fate truly works in mysterious ways! If it hadn’t been for a data discrepancy delaying Professor Cai’s results by a week, he would never have been allowed to choose his own internship assignment. Then he wouldn’t have come here to teach alongside the goddess, nor met these adorable children.

Thankfully, the teaching support policy had priority code A—even Professor Cai couldn’t pull Lu Huan back from his teaching post.

“Ahem…” Lu Huan cleared his throat, signaling the students to settle down, and asked Deng Wenle, “Your idea of detonating the Constellation Array to kill a first-rank fire Star Adept is certainly feasible, and I think many classmates had the same thought. After all, this is the City of Heroes founded by Zhang Guli.”

“But, Deng Wenle, let me ask you: if you detonate the Constellation Array, what about the millions of residents of Guli City? What about your classmates and friends? What about your parents and siblings? What will become of this great Heroic City you call home?”

Deng Wenle was speechless, not knowing how to answer.

“Yes, detonating the Constellation Array would kill your pursuer, but at the cost of an entire city—the very city that gave you life and raised you! How is your act any different from that of a monster?” Lu Huan’s words were sharp and severe as he rebuked Deng Wenle.

Ashamed, Deng Wenle bowed his head, all levity gone.

After a pause, Lu Huan changed his tone and addressed the whole class. “Yes, we all know that Zhang the Hero detonated the Constellation Array to kill the demonic beasts. But have you ever wondered why he did it? According to later expert investigations and accounts from survivors, he had already evacuated the townsfolk—he could have escaped himself or called for help from the central standing army and withdrawn. So why did he hold his ground to the death, never retreating, not even hesitating to die together with the enemy? Wasn’t that foolish?”

Lu Huan chuckled softly, but his words were heavy. These children were only ten years old. Though their intelligence and constitution were high, they had yet to form their own values, and their understanding of the world, the times, and their predecessors was limited to textbooks and the StarWeb. His words were enough to make them pause and reflect—on the true, profound, and tragic meaning behind the heroic deeds celebrated in this era.

“Clearly, Zhang Guli was no fool, and neither were his thirty-one brothers. They didn’t retreat because behind them was the vast heartland—millions of fertile fields, immense supplies, and a year’s worth of provisions for the demon-fighting army—none of these could be lost! They didn’t retreat because behind them were their families, countless women, children, and the elderly—people who needed their protection at all costs. Most of all, they didn’t retreat because behind them were you—the future pillars of the Republic! The hope of the Republic is you!”

“That is why… they chose to detonate the Constellation Array! That is why… they chose to perish together with the demonic beasts!”

……

The classroom was silent. Lu Huan’s words echoed in the minds of the students. One by one, they left their seats, wordless, and ran their laps—including the usually clever Deng Wenle.

No one complained of exhaustion. No one stopped—until they were utterly spent…

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