Ye Lingchen fiddled with the weapon in his hand and was already beginning to think of its utility value.

He initially felt that any knowledge other than Kungfu were just auxiliary skills, but his thinking had changed dramatically.

Those skills were fundamental!

Regardless of how skilled one was at Kungfu, that strength belonged to only one person. Even if he could pass down the Kungfu, how many people would be able to learn it? On the off chance that they could, it still took time, and there was always the concern that one of them might give up midway.

Other skills were different because they strengthened one's ability in the short-term. It could also possibly be a way to increase one's power.

For example, Ye Lingchen would not dare to act so brazenly earlier if there had been no formation. It would not have been that easy to kill an enemy that was much stronger than him.

Once he was able to refine weapons and armor, he could greatly improve the combat effectiveness of human beings. In addition, if those materials are used in science and technology, Ye Lingchen could foresee the possibility of creating Iron Man!

'The material used to make Iron Man's suit could never be found on Earth, but it might be present in the Void Realm!

'We can't use technology in the Void Realm? Doesn't matter. We have spirit stones, don't we? Wouldn't it solve the problem if we replace the energy source of the suit with spirit stones?

'Damn it! I'm a genius extraordinaire!

'There's also herbs. I can create a pill that will be useful to warriors in the future. Wouldn't that also be good news for mankind?

'Auxiliary skills are just too important!'

Ye Lingchen's eyes brightened along with those thoughts. He could envision the possibility of fighting the Void Realm, and at the same time, it cemented his determination to establish a school!

Since he could improve the quality of the spiritual energy on Miracle Island, was there any reason not to open a warrior school on Miracle Island and turn it into Earth's sacred land of warriors?

On the one hand, it could improve the combat effectiveness of human beings, while on the other...it could also serve as a force to protect Miracle Island. In that way, two birds were killed with one stone.

In fact, one did not need to think too hard to see that Earth's future trend was shifting toward the practicing martial arts. It was inevitable, so he might as well be a step ahead of it and create a martial arts holy land.

The only problem was...the resources were far too little.

Formations, tool refinement, and elixirs all required materials. Earth was clearly unable to provide all that and it had to be obtained from the Void Realm.

The formation he created earlier used up all of Ye Lingchen's mid-grade spirit stones and cost him a huge sum of money. War was a money-burning machine, and he was...poor!

Too poor.

Moreover, that was merely a small trapping formation. He did not dare to think of the cost incurred if he used a large-scale formation or a killing formation.

It was still worth it though, because killing one Grade-A+ creature and two Grade-A creatures was simply a miracle.

It would have been awesome if the spirit stones mine could be moved from the Void Realm to Miracle Island.

Ye Lingchen's fantasies unknowingly changed his attitude toward the Void Realm. Rather than viewing it as being trapped in war, he now viewed it as a treasure that he had to plunder—ahem—to obtain.

...

"The war is over. Deputy Director Chen and the others are back!"

Back at the Martial Arts Pavilion, the warriors who received the news rushed to the gate together. Thousands of people walked in an orderly manner and stood strong with a luminous gaze.

Almost all the martial artists who stayed behind in the Martial Arts Pavilion have arrived. They had yet to cultivate their inner force, but they were still young and were considered geniuses too. They were the future hope of the Martial Arts Pavilion.

They were not allowed to go to the battlefield because it was believed that they could cultivate to even greater heights. In turn, they would have a higher survival rate on the battlefield in the future and could make greater contributions.

At the forefront, Xiang Guocheng's eyes sank as he looked into the distance.

"Salute! Welcome the heroes!"

Whoosh!

Everyone raised their hands together and the whooshing sound of wind was heard.

Chen Qi stepped forward and raised his left hand to salute. Ye Lingchen then noticed that his left and right thumbs were missing, while the bones on his wrists were exposed. He had used his own power to fight the Grade-A+ creatures alone, which would certainly end up causing serious injury. In spite of that, he did not show any sign of pain along the way.

"Director Xiang, we've honored our mission. The creatures in the Void Realm have been fended off, but...Instructor He, Director Liu, and Instructor Li died in battle..."

Xiang Guocheng's eyes turned red and tears began welling up in his eyes. He was a completely different person from when Ye Lingchen first saw him. At that moment, he stretched out his trembling hand and patted Chen Qi's shoulder. His knife-like gaze appeared as though it could pierce through Hell's Gate despite it being some distance away.

"Three innate warriors and hundreds of other warriors..."

Xiang Guocheng muttered, "Of the prospects who have had success in cultivating all these years, half have died, and I..."

He shook his head guiltily and was lost for words.

Although he had the strength, he was unable to participate in the battle. All he could do was watch those people die one by one, which was actually more painful than dying in battle himself. However, he had to keep guard over the place in case a peak level Innate Stage creature rushed out of the Void Realm.

Every warrior bowed their heads and had expressions of grief.

Many people did not see their buddies returning. They were confused and helpless at first, after which they began to shed tears.

"Grandfather!"

Someone called from the crowd.

Ye Lingchen saw Lin Ao and Lin Ruoyu rushing over.

Lin Tianxiong's clothes were stained with blood at that point and he looked considerably listless. At a glance, his condition was noticeably woeful. Moreover, his left hand hung on his body motionlessly and clearly looked crippled.

Lin Ao and Lin Ruoyu's tears burst out immediately and they could not even speak.

"Shut your mouth, both of you! Why the hell are you crying when I'm not dead yet?! I came back alive, so don't you dare cry!"

Lin Tianxiong's pale face reddened due to anger and he coughed up blood.

Lin Ao and Lin Ruoyu were immediately shocked senseless.

"Do you guys want me to die from anger now that I survived the war?

"Whether I die or not is beside the point. I don't need your tears even if I'm dead. Killing a few more Void Realm creatures is much better than anything else in the world!

"Don't stay here if you're afraid of death. At least you won't bring shame on me!" Lin Tianxiong continued scolding. "I'd be praising you if only your tears can kill the enemy. No one needs you to cry for the sake of grief!"

Lin Ao and Lin Ruoyu gritted their teeth. Tears were still rolling down their faces.

Lin Tianxiong pushed Ye Lingchen forward and said, "Don't you look up to this kid and aim to be like him? I'd be dead if it weren't for him. He's done a great job this time, and his strength has surpassed you by leaps and bounds. How will you even be on his level?

"The only reason I shamelessly sent you here was because of your promise. Get out of my sight. You irritate me."

After speaking, Lin Tianxiong turned and left by himself.

Lin Ao and Lin Ruoyu burst into tears and did not know what to do.

"Don't worry, the Void Realm's elixir is very powerful. Old Man Lin will be fine," Ye Lingchen assured.

"Brother Ye, thank you. You've saved my grandfather again." Lin Ao wiped away his tears and expressed his sincerest gratitude.

"Brother Lin, you've helped me a lot too. Old Man Lin and are comrades-in-arms, so there's no question that I'll save him." Ye Lingchen smiled.

"Lingchen, can you tell me about the battlefield?" Tears streamed down Lin Ruoyu's face as she looked at Ye Lingchen and asked.

"The battlefield..." Ye Lingchen let out a sigh. "Okay."

...