Chapter 178: The End of the Training

With a sigh, Bai Li Pang Pang returned to the dormitory.

"How did it go?" Lin QiYe raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know what happened. As soon as I entered, the instructors wanted to check my Free Space, and after they did, they looked at me like they'd seen a ghost, and then I came out." Bai Li Pang Pang said, somewhat confused.

Lin QiYe coughed lightly but didn't speak.

Fortunately, the traces left in the warehouse had been completely erased by the Darkest Forbidden Ruins spell the night before, severing any connection to him. The instructors hadn't found any clues, and they started to suspect that Bai Li Pang Pang might have used his Free Space to empty the armory. But after the search, they couldn't find anything, which cleared Bai Li Pang Pang of any suspicion. From here on, further investigation would be much more difficult.

"Let's just say I borrowed it... Once I have enough power, I'll return it double." Lin QiYe thought to himself.

For the War Mummy, swallowing as many weapons as possible would determine its strength. If Lin QiYe left the training camp, he might never come across such a vast stockpile of weapons again. The only way to get this kind of opportunity would be to raid a military base, and he couldn't afford to miss it.

While Lin QiYe silently lamented, the familiar sound of the whistle rang out outside the dormitory, snapping him back to reality. He patted the still-absent-minded Bai Li Pang Pang on the shoulder.

"Let's go. The training's about to start."

Bai Li Pang Pang mumbled an "Okay" and quickly followed behind Lin QiYe as they ran outside...

August.

The coolness of spring had completely dissipated, replaced by the scorching heat of summer that seemed to bake the entire earth like a massive furnace. Even the slightest movement made one sweat profusely.

Lin QiYe sat alone in the shade, gazing at the familiar training grounds in the distance, lost in thought.

"QiYe, why are you sitting here alone?" Cao Yuan walked over from a distance, a little puzzled. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Yes," Lin QiYe nodded, standing up from the ground and glancing at the training grounds one last time. "It's just... hard to let go."

Cao Yuan turned around and sighed deeply. "It is the place where we've fought for a whole year. The day after tomorrow, we'll leave. Once we leave... we may never come back. It's worth taking a good look."

Lin QiYe didn't respond, just shook his head and began walking toward the cafeteria.

"QiYe, why are you so slow?" Bai Li Pang Pang was already standing at the table, his mouth full of food, speaking in a muffled tone. "If you were any later, I'd have eaten it all."

"Glutton." Cao Yuan said casually.

Bai Li Pang Pang grinned, about to retort when Lin QiYe suddenly spoke up.

"By the way, with the training and assessments all finished, is there anything left for us to do?"

Bai Li Pang Pang thought for a moment. "I don't think so. We just have to wait for the final rankings to come out, and then the higher-ups will arrange our assignments. They'll send us notifications."

"There's also an oath ceremony the day after tomorrow. After receiving our Star Blades, cloaks, and medals, we'll leave the training camp that evening and head to our respective stations," Cao Yuan added.

"In short, for the next few days, we can just relax," Bai Li Pang Pang yawned. "We've been working hard for a year here, and now we can finally enjoy a few comfortable days."

As soon as he finished speaking, he received a message on his phone. Not just him, but everyone in the cafeteria received the same message.

After the training and assessments were over, the instructors had returned everyone's phones. Aside from not being allowed to leave the training camp and not revealing anything about the camp, there were no other restrictions.

In a way, they were officially Night Watchers, no longer rookies in the training camp. The only thing left was the oath ceremony.

"Damn! The overall rankings are out!" Bai Li Pang Pang exclaimed, looking at his phone. "I scored 74, ranked 184th... um..."

Bai Li Pang Pang's face fell. "This doesn't make sense. I was second in the drills, but now I'm 184th?"

Lin QiYe couldn't help but reply, "This is the overall score. Your scores were high in the exercises and shooting, but in physical fitness, hand-to-hand combat, and strategy, how many points did you expect to get? You should know your own strengths and weaknesses."

Bai Li Pang Pang: ...

Cao Yuan glanced at the rankings. "I got 91, ranked third... about what I expected."

Bai Li Pang Pang leaned over to Lin QiYe. "QiYe, aren't you curious about your rank?"

"First," Lin QiYe said, without even glancing at the list, speaking calmly.

"..." Bai Li Pang Pang shrugged. "Boring."

At the very top of the list, the name Lin QiYe was displayed in bold, with an overall score of 95, ranked first.

In fact, if it weren't for the pitiful 6 points he scored in the shooting test, his score might have been even higher. After all, the second-ranked person, Shen Qingzhu, only had 92 points, so Lin QiYe's performance was terrifyingly strong.

Bai Li Pang Pang sighed. "The gap between people... How can it be so big? With this kind of result, QiYe, you're almost certainly going to the Shangjing team."

"Not necessarily," Cao Yuan replied casually. "It's not just Shangjing. I suspect those special teams are already eyeing you..."

Border of Daxia.

In a remote jungle.

"Take him down! We must take him down!" A woman draped in a golden cloak said firmly. "The agent of the Double Gods, ranked first in the training camp, with the Star Blade medal... this Lin QiYe's potential is immense. We absolutely cannot miss the chance to recruit him into our Phoenix team!"

A man beside her, wearing glasses and appearing gentle, sighed. "Captain, please calm down. Our team doesn't need more people."

"This isn't about need," the woman retorted with a determined glint in her eyes. "I'm sure, if we let Lin QiYe grow, he'll surpass both me and Wang Mian. Such a talent, we Phoenix cannot afford to miss!"

"But according to the rules, special teams can't recruit new members unless there are major casualties," the man hesitated.

The woman paused to think...

After a long moment, her eyes suddenly brightened. She turned to look at the man, her intense gaze making him feel uneasy.

"Captain... what are you thinking?"

"How about this," the woman said with a grin. "I'll start by severely injuring you, then we'll report personnel loss. After Lin QiYe is recruited into our team, I'll make sure you're healed... Isn't that a win-win?"

The man: ...