# Chapter 2369: Don't Become Me! Surpass Me! (Bonus Chapter)
The news of Jiangnan's return to Pioneer Academy spread throughout the school instantly!
And he was going to hold an opening ceremony and mobilization meeting for everyone—all the students went crazy!
In their hearts, Nan Shen was a god-like existence, a legend, you know?
He was the goal that countless people strived toward. Just getting to see him once would be something to brag about for a lifetime!
As soon as the news spread, students rushed toward the playground like madmen, forming neat rows!
Some came out wrapped in bathrobes, toothbrushes dangling from their mouths, their hawk-like eyes scanning everywhere:
(ﾟдﾟ≡ﾟдﾟ) "Nan Shen? Where's Nan Shen?"
Soon, a huge crowd of students gathered on the playground. Adding up all grades, the total must have exceeded a hundred thousand!
After all, the Pioneer Academy was no longer the scale it used to be!
The instructors stood in front, students behind them. Many of the instructors were familiar faces to Jiangnan, their spines straightened, eyes full of longing as they looked toward the podium!
Jiangnan teleported and appeared on the podium, shyly rubbing his head!
୧(〃⁼̴～⁼̴) "Ahem~ My hairstyle doesn't look weird, does it?"
The students couldn't help but laugh, yet they still shouted back loudly: "Handsome!"
Jiangnan grinned: "They told me to give a speech, but I don't really know what to say to you. You came to this Pioneer Academy—what do you want to do? How about telling me?"
The students' emotions were instantly stirred up!
Someone immediately raised a hand and shouted:
٩(*͡°ꇴ͡°*)۶ "I want to become a cool Pioneer, work hard to get stronger, and step onto a bigger stage as soon as possible!"
The students immediately started chattering away!
(งᵒ̌⥎ᵒ̌)ง "Ahhh~ I really want to leave Blue Star and go see the Taoyuan Star branch campus! That's the first stop of humanity's starry sky!"
"Yeah, yeah! Thousand Stars City, Ten Thousand Races Sequence—so colorful and wonderful! I really want to see it with my own eyes! The atmosphere on Blue Star is too peaceful. I feel like there's no motivation?"
"A mature Pioneer is someone who roams the starry sky and completes all kinds of difficult missions, right? That's the life I want. A starry sky wanderer—cool~"
"A real man should charge onto the battlefield and fight fiercely in the starry sky, right? The peaceful atmosphere on Blue Star doesn't suit me. Sooner or later, I'll charge into the starry sky and let the Ten Thousand Races of the Starry Sky see how formidable we humans are!"
Ye Ye's pretty face was flushed with excitement:
∠(｀◠´*) "Ye Ye wants to become someone as amazing as Brother Jiangnan!"
The students nodded repeatedly, the atmosphere extremely heated!
Guan Hu looked helpless and turned to Jiangnan!
Jiangnan's brows were tightly furrowed, his expression as gloomy as water!
"So this is what you came to the Pioneer Academy to do? If that's the case, then all of you might as well pack up and go home right now! The Pioneer Academy doesn't need students like you!"
The reprimand, laced with anger, instantly froze all the students. The heated atmosphere was swept away, and the venue became so quiet you could hear a pin drop!
Ye Ye's face turned pale. Brother Jiangnan is angry?
Jiangnan narrowed his eyes: "Pioneers? With thoughts like that, do you really deserve to be called Pioneers? Pioneers are the vanguard of the era. They are meant to lead the course of the times!"
"In this era! The mission on the shoulders of Pioneers is heavier than any previous era. And what are your brains full of?"
"Blue Star's atmosphere is too peaceful? No pressure? Do you think the peace, prosperity, and security Blue Star enjoys today came for free? Do you know how to cherish it?"
"Charging into battle? Fighting in the starry sky is cool? You crave war? Do you even know what war is? Have you ever participated in war? Huh?"
The questioning echoed over the Pioneer Academy. Jiangnan's eyes were bloodshot, his body burning with the aura of a murderous star, his killing intent exploding outward in an instant! Suppressing the entire venue!
In that moment, every student present was enveloped by the fear of death!
Death! They would really die!
Pale-faced, none of them could muster any strength in their legs. They all collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably!
And this was Jiangnan without even using his full strength. Otherwise, the students would have been scared out of their wits!
Jiangnan narrowed his eyes: "War! People die! You can't even stand up under my killing intent! Having never experienced it firsthand, you'll never understand!"
"Now Blue Star is in an era of great peace. You think there's no pressure? No challenge? That everything is just taken for granted?"
"Then let me show you with your own eyes what it was bought with!"
As he spoke, his aura erupted, enveloping everyone present. Violent spatial fluctuations exploded!
The scenery around them changed instantly. With a single teleport, he brought everyone to the square in front of the Origin Monument in Jingdu!
The students were terrified. This... this is Jingdu? We came here instantly?
Nan Shen, he...
Jiangnan pointed at the Origin Monument: "Open your eyes wide and see clearly! This era was bought with their lives!"
"Every single name on that monument was once a living, breathing life! It was earned by countless predecessors who stepped forward one after another and died generously!"
"They were someone's son, someone's husband, someone's father. This era of Blue Star was paved with their flesh, blood, and bones!"
"Does all of this come for granted? Do you know how to cherish it? A time of chaos? War—is that really something to look forward to? A global spirit calamity killed half of humanity—billions! Is this something you can talk about with a smile?"
In this moment, all the students stared blankly at the Origin Monument, the names densely packed, far too many!
Li Mingshan's name was also engraved on it, having fallen in the Battle of Jingdu!
They had indeed experienced war, but not by participating in it firsthand. They were the ones who were protected, the ones who survived...
Jiangnan narrowed his eyes: "Whenever you feel that this peaceful era has no challenge, that daily life is boring, think of those who died! Do you understand? The peaceful yet boring daily life in your eyes was something they yearned for until their very last breath!"
"Four waves of spiritual energy复苏, humanity fought for over three thousand years, all for the sake of the era we have today!"
"Today, I'll make you see it clearly!"
As he spoke, he directly used spatial barriers to build a square box enveloping everyone, then made several ultra-long-distance teleports!
He had already brought them to the lunar core, the center of the giant Origin Spark!
If not for Jiangnan's protection, the students couldn't have survived in this environment!
And the most conspicuous thing here was the blood-colored stone tablet standing outside the Starlight Array!
Four eras had left their inscriptions on it!
Jiang Fan, Qin Di, Ji Yu, and the last to leave an inscription was Jiangnan!
Looking at the blood-colored tablet, the inscriptions spanning over three thousand years seemed like a dialogue across time between the lords of each era!
The students fell completely silent, staring at the Origin Monument in utter shock!
Jiangnan said coldly: "Over three thousand years, the efforts of four eras—we only did one thing: make humanity win! Keep winning!"
"Now, this era has been handed over to you. The interstellar era presents humanity with countless opportunities and risks. You are the ones who will lead the times forward!"
"When that day truly comes, what can you leave behind for this era? Do you have the qualifications, the face, to leave an inscription on this stone tablet? Can you take the baton from my hands and let humanity keep winning?"
The students were all silent. They had never thought about these questions before. The brilliance of the interstellar era, the vast starry sky, countless novel things—they had captivated the attention of the younger generation!
They only looked up at the starry sky but never looked down at the path beneath their feet. That wouldn't do!
"Then... how does one become a qualified Pioneer in this era?"
A student clenched his fists, stubbornly looking at Jiangnan!
Jiangnan looked at the blood-colored tablet, at that familiar name, his eyes full of nostalgia!
With several more ultra-long-distance teleports, he brought everyone to a city called Dao Yi City!
The entire city radiated outward from a towering giant tree!
The sun shone down, and the entire city of Dao Yi was covered in the dappled shade of the tree, full of coolness!
A gentle breeze blew, making the leaves rustle!
Looking up at this thriving giant tree, Jiangnan was silent for a long time!
The students were also shocked by this giant tree. It was huge!
Nan Shen... why isn't he talking?
Jiangnan slowly spoke, his voice a little hoarse!
"Want to know what a true Pioneer is? This is it..."
Ye Ye's eyes glistened. This was Grandpa Chen, she knew. But many students were puzzled!
Jiangnan murmured: "He was once a Dao Heaven of Huaxia. During the Global Spirit Calamity War, to protect the people of this city, he resolutely ignited himself, turned into a Moonlit Tree Kingdom, and slept here forever!"
"And he... could have left, but he chose to stay for the sake of those strangers..."
In that moment, the students' scalps tingled. So that's how this giant tree came to be?
Jiangnan turned to look at the students, his eyes deep: "When that moment truly comes, what choice will you make? Stay? Or leave..."
"I'm not asking you to die. I want you to understand that the Pioneer is a spirit. It's the one who always charges at the very front, leading the course of the times!"
"In times of war, you can become a guardian deity, protecting the people around you, not knowing what retreat means, never easily admitting defeat, always moving forward! Pulling the era forward!"
"If you have this resolve, then you are already qualified Pioneers!"
Seeing the longing and reverence in the students' eyes as they looked at the giant tree, Jiangnan felt somewhat at ease. He turned and said softly:
"Just like this giant tree protects the people, the reason you don't feel pressure, that you think Blue Star is peaceful and prosperous, is because we have shielded you from the pressure. That's how you have this peaceful training environment and resources without worry!"
"Humanity's current situation is still not optimistic. The Starry Sky Sequence is watching eagerly, and the Sequence War is imminent. But these are not things you need to think about right now!"
"What you need to do now is seize every moment to grow strong, to mature into qualified Pioneers as soon as possible, to become trees that can shelter others from the wind and rain!"
"We will eventually grow old one day, fall one day. Even I might fall one day. But countless others will stand up to take our place, to shelter humanity from the wind and rain, and create a good training environment for the younger generation!"
"Become one of those who stand up! Catch up!"
Ye Ye shook her head repeatedly: "No, no! Brother Jiangnan will never fall! Nan Shen is the strongest!"
Jiangnan smiled and rubbed Ye Ye's head: "There's no such thing as the strongest! I know that my existence may be the goal many people strive for!"
"Ye Ye even said she wants to become someone like me. But what I want to say is: don't become me! Become yourself! And then..."
"Surpass me!"
pS: Today's bonus chapter is in place! Originally planned for three days of bonuses, and today is the third day!
Whether there will be bonus chapters tomorrow depends on my condition. Don't have too high expectations, okay? Hehe~
Qingfeng has been working like crazy these past few days (;´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`), can't sleep, insomnia, eyes hurt, wu~