Chapter 148: [Approved]

...This was the most difficult and dangerous trial mission Squad One had ever encountered. If not for Shi Feng stepping in to save her, Sarah might have lost her life in battle.

However, that night also marked the peak of the beast tide, and from then on, the intensity of the beast surges decreased day by day. The respawning frequency of spirit beasts became scarcer and scarcer. After about another week like this, it became difficult for anyone to encounter swarms of beast flows.

At this point, the team members received good news: the current beast tide had retreated, and their internship mission had officially ended.

Returning to Bright Moon Town with exhausted bodies, they saw the townspeople running around and spreading the joyous news that the beast tide had subsided and their town was saved. At that moment, the team members felt an indescribable joy welling up from the depths of their hearts, as if they had been infected by the euphoria of the townspeople.

They had used their own hands, their own strength, to contribute to the Eternal Alliance, the City of Miracles, and Bright Moon Town. They were capable of helping others and defending their own homes!

During the internship mission, some students were injured, but no one suffered any casualties. This was truly something worth celebrating.

As everyone returned to Bright Moon Town, the Butcher stepped forward to greet them: "Brave volunteers, you have all worked hard. To thank you for everything you have done for Bright Moon Town, the townspeople earnestly request that you stay tonight. They will hold a bonfire dance party to celebrate the victory and let everyone enjoy a wonderful night of revelry! Furthermore, their request has already been approved by your academy. Tonight and tomorrow will be a holiday for all of you!"

The students cheered in unison. Over the half month of the beast tide, they had fought continuously, exhausting both body and mind with tightly strung nerves, and they desperately needed to cut loose.

When night fell, Bright Moon Town plunged into revelry. Pairs of bonfires were lit across a vast open space, and the townspeople brought out the fine wine, delicacies, and fruits they had treasured in their homes to treat these distinguished guests who had shed blood and sweat to protect the town. There was also an abundance of roasted meat, as everyone had managed to hunt a considerable amount of game during the beast tide.

The center of the open ground served as a dance floor, and many townspeople as well as volunteers rushed onto it, twisting their bodies to vent the accumulated stress of more than half a month to their hearts' content.

Surrounding the dance floor were groups of company members, with each company further subdivided into smaller squads. Even those who were previously unacquainted or unfamiliar with one another had forged intimate partnerships through fighting side by side against the beasts.

The members of Squad One also gathered around a bonfire, chatting enthusiastically. The firelight dyed their faces a glowing red, and every student was brimming with excitement.

Calories drank two cups of ale, and the usually timid boy spoke much more loudly this time: "Everyone, to be honest, when I first joined the volunteers for this internship mission, I was terrified inside. But I was too proud to quit, so I just had to bite the bullet and go!"

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this, and Yeping teased, "Calories, who doesn't know you're the scaredy-cat of the class!"

Kayla, sitting beside Yeping, chimed in, "Still, my Tantan was brave. He agreed without a second thought back then!"

"Of course, babe. If I had cowered, I wouldn't be a real man, and how could I be worthy of you!"

"Oh, please, you two, aren't you being disgustingly mushy?" Lulu the fangirl put on a disgusted expression. However, everyone was already used to this young couple publicly flirting.

Sarah sneered, "Lulu, you're just jealous. Go find someone yourself so you can stop acting like a lovesick fool all the time!"

Kayla agreed, "Exactly, Lulu. I know you're just jealous. Tantan and I are just being affectionate, and we aren't bothering you!"

"Hmph, I am not jealous! You two are sitting right across from me, and you're an eyesore. Are you even going to let people eat?" The fangirl puffed out her cheeks in denial, but anyone could tell she was protesting insincerely. After being in the same squad for so long, they knew each other inside out; how could they not know what kind of person each member was?

Effie smiled and said, "Alright, stop bickering. Today is a day for happiness! Remember what we said before setting out: we promised to return alive. Now, we've done it, and everyone is safe!"

"Right, let's toast to that!" Joanna raised her cup, though this time it was filled with fruit juice, as she dared not touch a single drop of alcohol anymore. She would never in her life forget the embarrassing incident at Weston Academy where she lost control and went wild after drinking.

Ten cups clinked together. Whether fruit juice or ale, they all tasted equally sweet because everyone was in such high spirits.

Zhuo Yuqing smiled softly, basking in the warm atmosphere. The experience of this internship mission had added a memorable memory to a life where she had previously felt entirely blank, living only for others.

So this was what friends, partners, adventure, and passion felt like! Afterwards, the students chatted and laughed in twos and threes. Luo Chen nudged the stallion-like brother next to him and muttered, "Boss, there are plenty of passionate... ah, and they're all letting loose tonight. Why don't you try your luck? You might just have a romantic encounter later!"

Shi Feng flatly and righteously refused, "Not interested. Tonight, this stallion puts his squad members first."

Luo Chen was stunned: "Bro, this doesn't sound like your style at all. What, did you have a personality transplant?"

"Tsk, stop nagging. Say, you beast, let me ask you. What do you think of Sarah?"

"Sarah? She's not bad." Luo Chen frowned. "Birdman, lately you've been constantly bringing her up to me. Don't tell me you've got your eyes on her? Didn't I tell you? Sarah doesn't have a very high opinion of you, so don't waste your energy. You'd better spend your “energy” on those passionate little girls from the town instead!"

"How do you know I can't hook up with her if I don't try?" Shi Feng chuckled wickedly. "Challenges are what make it interesting. Hang on, I won't talk to you anymore, Sarah is coming over."

Luo Chen looked up and saw Sarah walking over holding a cup of juice. She said to the stallion brother, "Shi Feng, I want to thank you. You saved my life during the beast tide. Also, I really want to apologize for having some prejudices against you before."

Shi Feng struck his signature lethal weapon smile for beauties—a natural, sun-drenched, high-voltage grin: "Classmate Sarah, think nothing of it! We're in the same group, so helping each other is only right. Especially for a girl as beautiful and refined as you... tsk tsk. Even if I had to risk my life, I would still have rescued you from the demonic claws of the chaos beasts!"

Everyone loves flattering words, especially when delivered by Shi Feng's glib tongue that could talk the dead back to life. Sarah was immediately somewhat moved. Seizing the opportunity, the stallion brother smoothly pressed his advantage: "The moonlight is so lovely tonight, Classmate Sarah. I'd like to invite you to dance. Would that be alright?"

Sarah's defenses were already greatly weakened, and almost without thinking, she replied, "Alright."

Right after agreeing, she felt a trace of regret. She didn't want to get deeply involved with this playboy, but then she thought dancing wasn't a big deal after all. Besides, it wouldn't do to break her promise, so she let it go.

"Please!" The stallion brother was the very picture of a gentleman as he led Sarah toward the dance floor in the center of the open ground. This left the fangirl deeply frustrated; no matter how proactively she signaled Shi Feng, he didn't react, yet Sarah hadn't done a thing and still received his invitation.

*Hmm, does Classmate Shi Feng have a hero-complex of saving damsels in distress? If I had known this, I would have pretended to encounter danger during the internship mission and let him save me too, sigh!*

Luo Chen shook his head. Poor girl, she had escaped the demonic claws of the spirit beasts only to fall right into the hands of the big bad wolf. Even though it was just a dance, with Shi Feng's methods, one dance would quickly turn into two, then three, until he sweet-talked her into a daze and ultimately devoured her whole!

Once the stallion brother abandoned friendship for the sake of romance to go flirt, Luo Chen found himself much more bored and quickly shifted his attention to the food. All the food at this party was free—free, what a holy and magnificent word! If he didn't eat his fill, Luo Chen would truly be letting down the elders of Bright Moon Town, especially since they were treating him with such genuine sincerity!

Having convinced himself with a high-sounding excuse, Luo Chen launched a ferocious assault on a large platter of roasted meat, wishing only that he could use a vortex supercharger to double the capacity of his stomach.

Joanna found this extremely agonizing to watch and said to Effie, "Look, that guy is at it again. Even if it's free, there's no need to stuff himself to death like that. He really is a pig!"

Effie sighed and said, "Yet, someone lent her Radiant Light Garment to that very pig!"

Joanna choked, turning red with embarrassment as she snapped, "Why do you keep bringing that up? I already told you, I did it for the sake of the squad!"

Ellie smiled and said, "Fine, I won't mention it anymore, lest someone gets angry out of shame and threatens to rape me out of nowhere!"

Joanna snorted and retorted, "As long as you know my prowess! Behave yourself from now on, and your big brother will treat you a bit gentler tonight!"

Fortunately, the two of them spoke in low voices; otherwise, anyone overhearing might have genuinely thought they were lesbians.

Aside from Ellie and Joanna, the conversations of the others also gradually shifted toward Luo Chen. The first to do so was Yeyan, who sat down beside Luo Chen with a cup of ale and said, "Classmate Luo Chen, let's have a drink!"

"You got it!" Luo Chen readily agreed.

After downing a cup of ale, Yeyan said, "To be honest, I looked down on you at first. But now, no matter how I look at it, you don't seem as terrible as I imagined. Everyone makes mistakes, but at least I believe you're a very good person now, a very good partner, and I'm willing to be your friend—if you're willing too!"

Luo Chen understood he was referring to his past scandals at Weston Martial Arts Academy, yet Yeyan didn't mind at all. This deeply moved Luo Chen, as he had gained the recognition of yet another person and made another friend.

Luo Chen nodded heavily, "Of course! I can never have too many friends!"

Kayla also spoke up for Luo Chen, "That's right! During the mission, Classmate Luo Chen voluntarily stepped up to handle every single battle so the rest of us could get adequate rest, even though he was putting himself in grave danger. Don't you all agree? When we encountered the chaos beasts, he didn't run off and leave Yanyan behind either!"

Calories nodded as well, and even Lulu had to admit that no matter how much she disliked the sight of him, Luo Chen was a thoroughly competent partner.

Effie remained silent, lost in thought. Not only her, but everyone who had deep contact with Luo Chen shared the exact same sentiment. Judged from any angle, aside from being a little greedy for money, Luo Chen truly didn't look like a person of bad character.

"What are you thinking about?" Joanna interrupted Effie's musings.

Misinterpreting Effie's thoughts, Joanna persuaded her, "Forget it, Effie, that jerk is currently..."

Effie smiled. "Didn't I tell you? I never minded."

Zhuo Yuqing, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, "Effie, actually..."

Effie turned her head and asked, "Yuqing, what is it?"

Zhuo Yuqing hesitated, stopping herself, and finally said, "Oh, nothing. I just wanted to toast with you all to celebrate getting through the challenge together."

Actually, Zhuo Yuqing had almost blurted out the truth just then, but in the end, she lacked the courage. She had finally managed to escape the control of the Holy Martial Hall and make so many friends; if she revealed the truth, she might be instantly ostracized and isolated. She simply couldn't bring herself to do it.

Zhuo Yuqing sighed inwardly. *Captain, I'm sorry. I have to let you suffer this grievance, but now you're gradually winning back everyone's forgiveness. Please don't blame me!*

Amidst the conversations, Shi Feng and Sarah returned. Sarah's face was somewhat flushed, whether from the heat of dancing or something else.

As the stallion brother returned to his side, Luo Chen lowered his voice and asked, "Well, birdman, did you successfully score, or did you make a date with Classmate Sarah to meet at some grassy field at three in the morning?"

"Crap, am I that kind of person?" Shi Feng gave Luo Chen the middle finger. "Your truly is a gentleman. Do you even know what a gentleman is?"

Luo Chen laughed, "I know, of course I know—it means a wolf in sheep's clothing! Another one falls victim to your traps, how pitiful!"

The celebratory dance party finally drew to a close around midnight. The students returned to the temporary lodgings arranged by the town to rest; after camping in the Forest of Fear for over half a month, they could finally sleep properly inside a house.

However, Luo Chen did not return to his quarters. Instead, he sought out the Butcher: "Instructor Butcher, we have to head back to the City of Miracles tomorrow morning. Tonight, I'll demonstrate the spiritual combat technique I learned for you!"

The Butcher smiled and said, "Good, I've always wanted to see what your spiritual combat technique looks like!"

The two found a secluded spot. Luo Chen entered a state of selflessness, allowing his spiritual energy to flow autonomously with his intent, and his right hand began to glow with a radiance as bright as the scorching sun. Next, dozens of shooting-star energy beams shot out at high speed from beneath his fists, exceptionally dazzling in the dark night.

The Butcher watched all this in astonishment. The area-of-effect damage of this spiritual combat technique was immensely formidable!

Having finished the technique, Luo Chen looked slightly fatigued, but said joyfully, "Instructor Butcher, this is my spiritual combat technique—Starlight Burst. What do you think?"

"Very good, extremely domineering, and with exceptionally fierce power. It's equivalent to a tier-six combat technique. Not bad, kid, I never imagined you could learn it so quickly!" The Butcher gave him a thumbs-up. "I said before, you're an optimistic person, and your spiritual combat technique would definitely be righteous and upright. I wasn't wrong. Hmm, your Starlight Burst seems to contain a sacred attribute."

"Instructor Butcher, Dean Ulysses of our academy thinks the same thing. Moreover, he often guides me now and even pointed out ways to improve my spiritual combat technique. If I concentrate the Starlight Burst onto a single point, the piercing effect will be even better, plus it will carry an explosive effect!"

"Dean Ulysses?" The Butcher was slightly surprised, but immediately remarked, "Your luck is truly incredible to receive guidance from a Heavenly Mortal. His judgment is infallible!"

"However, I still can't control the power of this move yet. Half an hour after executing it, my spiritual energy collapses and I become very weak!" Luo Chen smiled bitterly. "Instructor Butcher, if there's nothing else, I'll head back to the dorm to rest!"

The Butcher patted Luo Chen's shoulder. "Hahaha, alright, go back. Good lad, keep it up. Your achievements might surpass even what I imagine!"

After bidding farewell to Luo Chen, the Butcher did not return to the military camp. Instead, he went to the Blue Emperor Academy volunteers' female dormitory to find Effie.

After the military campaign, the devil instructor Butcher was known to everyone inside Blue Emperor Academy—no one was unaware of him. However, Effie had no idea why he was looking for her.

"You are Classmate Effie, aren't you?"

"Yes, Instructor Butcher. May I ask what business you have with me?"

"Yes, I'd like to say a few words to you," the Butcher said slowly. "Classmate Effie, have you ever seen Luo Chen's combat technique that resembles a blazing sun?"

Effie didn't know why the Butcher was asking this, but she answered truthfully, "I haven't seen it with my own eyes, but I've heard of it. It's said to be a very powerful combat technique."

"This special combat technique is what I taught him," the Butcher smiled slightly. "Even I don't know how to use it, because it originates from the heart, and it's different for everyone.

"Luo Chen's combat technique contains a sacred attribute. I want to tell you this: a person of base character could never, using the methods I taught, learn an upright combat technique that contains a sacred attribute! That is all I wanted to say. Farewell!"

The Butcher was not a long-winded man. After dropping these few words, he turned around and walked away without looking back. He didn't want to spell out the raw truth directly, as Effie might not believe it anyway; besides, Luo Chen had said he wanted to clear his own name and shoulder this blame himself.

Yesterday, Luo Chen had told him happily: *Instructor Butcher, now through my hard work in the internship mission, I've gained the recognition of my squadmates. One day, more and more people will acknowledge me, and one day, more and more people will believe in me! When that time comes, I won't need any defense to reclaim my innocence; I'll make them know that the one who lied was Kevin.*

In the past, Kevin had relied on his reputation to force that blame onto Luo Chen. Luo Chen wouldn't resort to underhanded tactics, but he would fight back in the most righteous and upright way possible. Perhaps this was a long road, but it was also a precious journey of growth! That heavy scapegoat would become the driving force propelling him ever forward, never letting him slack off.

The Butcher didn't have Luo Chen's patience; being an impatient man, he couldn't help coming over to lecture Effie a bit. Yet his words sparked a profound, renewed reflection within Effie.

Currently, not many people held a favorable view of Luo Chen. But among those few were Shi Feng, who acted profligate on the surface yet was untamed and proud at heart; the hot-tempered devil instructor Butcher; Zhuo Yuqing, who held her head as high as a swan; the academy's dean, the Heavenly Mortal Ulysses; and even Joanna, who had initially detested Luo Chen the most, whose attitude had undergone a 180-degree shift without her realizing it. Effie could tell that although Joanna refused to admit it aloud, she cared deeply about Luo Chen—she had even lent him her Radiant Light Garment for self-protection during the internship mission.

The people listed above were all ones who did not easily acknowledge others, yet they had all become Luo Chen's brothers, friends, partners, or mentors. Could it all merely be a coincidence?

Furthermore, every time she met Luo Chen, Effie could never find a trace of guilt in his eyes. Luo Chen was always so composed... which often made Effie feel that the one who ought to feel guilty was herself. For some reason, she always felt she owed this boy something—an indescribable something.

*Why do I harbor such strange thoughts?*

The next morning, the army used crystal-core-driven armored vehicles to transport the students back to Blue Emperor Academy. Upon reaching their destination, before they could even catch their breath, those soldiers had to depart. Before leaving, the Butcher found Luo Chen: "Kid, I have to go! Although the beast tide has subsided, there are still plenty of loose ends waiting for us to clean up after the surge. If we get the chance, we'll meet again. Hahaha!"

For these iron-blooded soldiers who constantly rushed about to protect the townspeople, Luo Chen felt a wave of respect rise from the bottom of his heart. He executed a military salute and said, "Goodbye, Instructor Butcher!"

"Right!" The Butcher wasn't one for lingering sentimentality and immediately hopped onto the armored vehicle. Watching the armored vehicles drive away, the students collectively raised a military salute to the soldiers.

Having gone through this beast tide, they finally experienced firsthand how precious the character of these soldiers truly was. They themselves had only faced a single beast tide and were already exhausted to the point of collapse, whereas these soldiers had endured countless blood-soaked battles on the frontline, using their own blood and lives to protect patches of pure land carved out of the wilderness plagued by savage beasts.

They were true men!

Many of them felt a pang of shame, recalling how they had previously resented the instructors' harshness during military training. Without the grueling, break-neck drills enforced by the instructors, could they have forged the resilient willpower required to grit their teeth and endure the beast tide?

Returning to the beautiful campus, everyone felt as if a lifetime had passed. Only after going through the beast tide did they realize what a rare opportunity it was to study here. Moreover, they needed to work even harder to strengthen their own power if they wanted more capital to survive in battle.

This beast tide brought everyone much more than just experience; the mentality of every single student had also matured significantly. A warrior who had not been tempered by truly difficult battles could never become the best warrior.

Luo Chen quietly stuffed the crumpled Radiant Light Garment back to Joanna and said somewhat sheepishly, "Classmate Joanna, thank you for lending me this protective gear. I'm really sorry, I sweat a lot during this period, and since I didn't have time to wash it, it might smell a bit."

"Who says you didn't sweat? By the look of you, you wouldn't smell like flowers either!" Joanna swiftly snatched the vest back, glared at Luo Chen, and warned, "Remember what I said: don't mention this to anyone, especially that stallion. Otherwise, I'll make you wish you were dead!"

Luo Chen broke out in a cold sweat. "Don't worry, I won't. Besides, I don't want people to know I wore women's undergarments either!"

This remark caused Joanna's pretty face to flush red once more as she viciously scolded, "I told you, it's unisex! You really are an idiot!"

With that, she stormed off in a huff, leaving Luo Chen completely baffled. Classmate Joanna's attitude changed really fast; she seemed angry—wasn't she blaming me for soiling and stinking up her vest? If I'd known, I would have washed it clean before returning it to her.

The second- and third-year volunteers also returned to Blue Emperor Academy in succession. That very evening, Blue Emperor Academy held a whole-school commendation ceremony. All the volunteers stood on stage, and Dean Ulysses personally delivered a speech.

"I am very glad to see you all return safely. Volunteer students, brave warriors, I am proud of each and every one of you, because every single one of you is a hero in the hearts of the Eternal Alliance, the City of Miracles, and the people!"

Following that, the Dean awarded medals to the students. The academy had stated earlier that to encourage these rookies still in their studies, as long as they were willing to join the volunteer ranks and persist until the beast tide subsided, they would all receive a Fifth-Class Merit.

This medal was not certified by the academy alone, but by the Eternal Alliance and the City of Miracles. It represented true honor; no matter where one went within the Eternal Alliance, anyone who saw this medal would look upon the bearer with utmost respect and even enjoy better treatment on certain occasions.

As their names were called, the students stepped forward one by one from the formation to receive the medal of honor from Ulysses's hands and pin it to their shoulders. At this moment, every volunteer student was exceptionally emotional and grateful that they hadn't cowered and quit the internship mission back then, otherwise they would only have been spectators witnessing others enjoy a hero's reception.

Whenever a student stepped onto the stage, thunderous applause and cheers erupted, and some female students even shrieked loudly! The stage of a warrior is forged with bloody passion!

Luo Chen, mixed within the formation, clenched his fists tightly while also harboring a sliver of worry: when his turn came to go on stage, would it result in a dead silence and an awkward scene?

No matter how much Luo Chen worried, what was bound to come would come. When his name was called and Luo Chen stepped out from the ranks, the students' applause abruptly ceased, causing Luo Chen's heart to instantly tighten into a knot.

"Clap!"

Someone was the first to start applauding, then a second person, a third person, and finally, thunderous applause rolled across the hall.

Regardless of what kind of person Luo Chen had been in the past, the contributions he had made not long ago to the Eternal Alliance and this city could never be erased.

Luo Chen's eyes welled up with hot tears. *Instructor Butcher, do you see this? I am gradually winning the recognition of more and more people!*

***

A massive chapter of over seven thousand characters! Ten thousand characters updated today alone. Just like Luo Chen, the author also desperately longs to gain everyone's recognition. If you recognize the author's work, please cast your monthly votes for the Divine Emperor! The author isn't just all talk—you can see my hard work with your own eyes!!!!!