Chapter 2344: The New Generation of Humanity
In the interstellar city of Taoyuan Xiang, the scenery here could satisfy all your imaginations of a starry sky sci-fi metropolis!
Crowds of people filled the streets, all wearing the badge of the International Spirit Martial Alliance, and occasionally members of other races could be seen active within Taoyuan Xiang!
And as Jiangnan and his group appeared, from the streets and high-rise buildings, countless passionate gazes were cast their way!
Their eyes flickered with excited radiance!
A group of girls walking on the street stared blankly at Jiangnan!
(♥｡￫ꇴ￩｡)♥ "N-N-N-Nan... Nan Shen? The real one? Alive? So handsome? So much hotter than the photo in the textbook! A buzz cut!"
( *ﾟﾛﾟ ) "A legend! I've seen a living legend! Oh my god! Did my ancestors' grave emit green smoke? My heart is about to jump out!"
(♡ὅꇴὅ) "Ahhh~ Nan... Nan Shen is looking this way!"
Jiangnan turned his head to look, his mouth twitching. "Alive"? What the hell! It felt like he had become some rare animal on display in a zoo!
And it wasn't just them. At this moment, Jiangnan was undoubtedly the center of everyone's attention in the venue!
Whether men or women, even the on-duty Alliance guards, everyone looked at Jiangnan with eyes full of awe, worship, and boundless longing!
Gasps rang out on the street as the crowd gathered, the commotion growing louder by the minute!
Jiangnan scratched his head, full of regret:
(︶益︶٥) "See! I knew it! My buzz cut looks weird, right? I should have waited for my hair to grow back before coming home!"
Yeying's mouth twitched: (≖～≖٥) "What kind of obsession do you have with your hairstyle? The focus isn't your hairstyle—it's you, alright?"
"Pfft? Do you have any self-awareness at all?"
Yang Jian laughed heartily: "Humans have experienced four spiritual energy revivals, the Blue Moon Era, the Spirit Calamity Era, the Star Ruins War, and the Thousand Stars War, where we finally obtained Sequence qualification. All of this has been compiled into human history textbooks for future generations to learn!"
"Only by never forgetting the hardships we've endured along the way can we cherish the life we have now. Every human must understand just how many ancestors' lives were sacrificed to get us here!"
"Only by seeing the path we came from can we go further. As for Jiangnan, as the Era Lord, he naturally made it into the textbooks. Who in the world doesn't know him?"
"It's in the exams. You really don't realize what kind of status you hold in the hearts of humanity?"
Jiangnan's eyes sparkled, full of excitement:
(งﾟﾛﾟ)ง "Oh? Made it into the books? Am I that awesome? May I ask if the photo in the book is handsome? It's not a black-and-white photo, is it?"
Yeying's mouth twitched as she gave Jiangnan an elbow strike:
(￣ー￣) "It's an electronic textbook, dummy! You can play videos directly. What era do you think we're in now? The interstellar age!"
Jiangnan scratched his head shyly. "It's in the exam? Hehe~ hehehe~"
But the crowd was growing larger, surrounding Jiangnan and his group completely, making it impossible to move!
Yang Jian's mouth twitched: "Getting this close to Jiangnan? Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning? We can withstand it, but one strike would kill you!"
At these words, people suddenly remembered the thunder that had just flashed across the starry sky, recalling that Nan Shen was currently under a heavenly punishment!
Their faces went pale as they instantly retreated far away, clearing the path!
Jiangnan's mouth twitched. Can't I enjoy being admired by thousands just a little longer?
And you guys retreating this far won't help anyway, will it? If lightning strikes, you'll still be blown up!
So, under the gazes of the crowd—one-third terrified, seven-tenths worshipping—Jiangnan and his group entered the Taoyuan Branch of the Spirit Martial Alliance.
...
In the conference hall, a group of human high-ranking officials sat upright. Many were unfamiliar faces—young people or newly promoted newcomers, all sitting with their backs straight as arrows.
Were they about to see Nan Shen?
(•́﹏•̀٥)
While nervous, their hearts were also full of anticipation.
The Life Goddess Freya, however, was lying on the conference table, bored, drawing circles on it with her finger.
(๑ớ～ờ)ھ "Hmph~ Is Nan Shen coming or not? We've been waiting for him all morning! If he doesn't come soon..."
She licked her lips, reached under the table, and seemed to be searching for something.
Cooper, standing nearby, gave Freya a chop on the top of her head.
(｡･ˇ_ˇ･) "No drinking! We're in a meeting. If Nan Shen sees you, won't he scold you to death? You're supposed to be the president of the Spirit Martial Alliance. Act serious!"
But Freya slumped in her chair, completely giving up:
(꒪ͦᴗ̵̍꒪ͦ๑) "Hmph~ Nan Shen will understand me! He... pfft—"
Before she could finish, Jiangnan's figure suddenly appeared behind Freya, locking her neck with an arm!
(〝▼～▼) "Aha! You drunkard goddess! Pay me back! When are you going to pay back the money you owe me?"
Freya was choked until her eyes rolled back:
(꒪ͦཀ꒪ͦ|||) "What money! That was, like, ages ago! How the hell do you still remember that?"
"Stop choking me! Face! Give me some face, alright? I'm the president!"
"And besides, you brought back so many rich mining areas—do you really need what I owe you?"
Jiangnan tightened his grip: "Pfft! Even a mosquito leg is still meat! Pay up!"
At this moment, the high-ranking officials of the Spirit Martial Alliance were dumbfounded. This... this was Nan Shen?
He seemed a bit different from what they had imagined!
But someone still shouted:
(｀◠´*) "Everyone, rise!"
In the next instant, all members at the conference table stood up, bowing their heads toward Jiangnan.
"All high-ranking members of the Spirit Martial Alliance greet Nan Shen!"
Jiangnan was startled by the momentum. He quickly let go of Freya and scratched his head shyly:
୧(〃⁼̴﹏⁼̴) "N-no need to be so formal, right? I'm not some big leader. This makes me really uncomfortable!"
Freya rubbed her neck, coughing heavily: "They just wanted to see you. Why are you so late?"
Just then, Yang Jian and the others entered the room. Seeing this, they couldn't help but grin: "No need to make the atmosphere so tense. Just interact normally, or else Jiangnan won't be able to relax."
"Everyone, sit down. You go sit too."
He pointed to the seat at the head of the table. Jiangnan didn't hold back. He high-fived Cooper casually, said a quick hello, and teleported directly into the main seat!
The team members and core members of the Bully Gang also found their seats.
Jiangnan propped his chin on his hand, scanning every face in the conference room one by one. Most were Dao Heaven rank, occasionally a Transcendent, but they were mostly unfamiliar.
There were even some Star Glory rank in the room!
Everyone Jiangnan looked at wore an expression of extreme nervousness.
(°～°〃) "Oh~ Not many familiar faces. Almost all of them are new to me?"
Yang Jian smiled: "They're all newly trained talents from the new generation. It's normal that you haven't met them. As for the old-timers, almost none are at home. They've all gone off adventuring in the starry sky!"
"As for humanity, we can't always rely on them to manage things. That would hold them back and tie them down with trivial matters. Cultivating talents from the new generation has always been a priority!"
"Now that humanity's conditions have improved, experts are springing up like bamboo shoots after rain. They will surely become the backbone of the human race in the future!"
Jiangnan nodded constantly. Indeed!
If he made Xiao Chuihuo, Bai Kou, and other powerhouses handle administrative affairs, it would only become a restraint for them!
Those who had reached the peak during the era of spiritual energy revival would continue to do so even in the interstellar age!
Adventuring, seeking breakthroughs, pushing limits again and again—that's what they were truly meant to do!
Jiangnan sighed with emotion: (⁼̴ꇴ⁼̴٥) "Ahhh~ Old, I'm old. I feel like I've become a remnant of the old era. I don't even recognize anyone anymore!"
It wasn't that Jiangnan was humble-bragging; he genuinely felt this sense of being left behind!
Everyone's mouths twitched. "Old"? If we remember correctly, wasn't Nan Shen only in his twenties?
But he had crossed through several eras—that was true, since Nan Shen had led them through each one!
Just then, Jiangnan's mouth opened wide as he stared in shock at a girl sitting in the audience!
☚(°口°๑) "Ah! Hatching Girl? Shirley, what are you doing here?"
Shirley was dressed in a simple dress, wearing a flower crown on her head. From the moment Jiangnan entered the room, she had kept her head down, not daring to look at him!
She had now reached the level of Dao Heaven Eight Stars!
Her cheeks flushed bright red as she suddenly looked up and glared at Jiangnan!
(⑉Ծ﹏Ծ⑉) "What... Hatching Girl? I am now the Secretary-General of the Spirit Martial Alliance! D-don't call me that nickname!"
Zhong Yingxue and the others also followed Jiangnan's gaze!
Everyone had some memory of Shirley. They had once gone into the abyss together. She had exceptional talent, possessing five elemental system abilities, and had even been called the Chosen Maiden!
Everyone looked at Shirley with surprise!
(´ﾟωﾟ) Oh? The cold and frosty Lady Shirley had this side to her too?
And what the hell was "Hatching Girl"?
Freya was also stunned:
(๑•̌～•̑)ˀ̣ˀ̣ "Nan Shen? You know Shirley? She's my new apprentice. She's talented, and I'm grooming her as my successor!"
Jiangnan grinned mischievously: (ಡωಡ〃) "Hatching Girl! Of course I know her. We're old acquaintances!"
Shirley's face grew even redder:
(ﾉ)﹏(ヾ) "Th-that's ancient history! Why are you bringing it up? Besides, didn't I just lose a few years as a slave to the Pioneer Academy? That agreement is long over!"
"Ahhh~ Black history! I beg you, please don't mention it. I don't want to live anymore!"
She wished she could find a hole to crawl into. All the effort I put into building my cold and frosty image—gone in an instant!
One "Hatching Girl" and it all vanished!
Jiangnan was taken aback: (｡･ˇ_ˇ･｡) "Lost a few years to the Pioneer Academy? Did that happen? When..."
Shirley slammed her head onto the conference table with the force of splitting a mountain, cutting off Jiangnan's question!
Shh! Shush!
Wu Liang and the others showed nostalgic smiles. The academy exchange competition, right?
That was so long ago. Thinking about it now brought back so many memories.
But Jiangnan looked at Shirley with confusion, his brow deeply furrowed, his eyes full of bewilderment...
Yang Jian laughed: "Alright. Shirley's personal abilities are indeed good, and everyone can see that."
"Jiangnan just came back. Let's give him a simple development report so he understands the current human situation. Freya?"
Freya smiled brightly: "Shirley? You've been preparing for quite a while, right? You go ahead!"
Shirley, face still red, picked up the intelligent brain and walked to the podium. Her face grew even redder!
They were the same age, both of the younger generation, but the two were in completely different leagues. Jiangnan had reached a height that Shirley could never achieve in her lifetime!
Even her own master couldn't compare, and now she had to give a report to Nan Shen. It made Shirley feel incredibly ashamed!
But taking a deep breath, Shirley's expression gradually turned serious. She was serious about this job!
With a wave of her hand, a holographic projection appeared, and she began explaining to Jiangnan the current state of human development!