As they processed this, the two female cadets exchanged a look. A sudden realization dawned on them, and they couldn't help but exclaim in unison, "Is Fang Zhou going to be promoted two ranks at once?"

Sure enough, Lu Hu ignored the cadets' discussions.

He opened the promotion certificate in his hand and read aloud in a deep voice, "Junior Sergeant Fang Zhou discovered the Desecration Torch in Sea City Military Academy's Cave No. 1. He promptly alerted the academy and assisted in the destruction of the Desecration Core.

"He single-handedly wiped out a Kobold camp and a Fierce Ant nest, successfully recovering the remains and belongings of General Ning Feihu.

"Junior Sergeant Fang Zhou's performance has been outstanding and his achievements remarkable, meeting the criteria for consecutive promotions. According to Article 88 of the Longxia Federation Military's 'Rank Management Regulations,' he is hereby promoted to the rank of Senior Sergeant."

Lu Hu glanced around, and a Magic Energy Messenger flew to his side. He placed the heavy promotion certificate upon it. The messenger then slowly flew toward Fang Zhou on the arena, completing the handover under the watchful eyes of the crowd. At that moment, a timely notification appeared on Fang Zhou's personal terminal.

"Congratulations on your promotion to the rank of Senior Sergeant!

Senior Sergeant Fang Zhou, please keep up the good work. Everything for the Human Alliance!"

Looking at the red, gold-trimmed promotion certificate in his hand, Fang Zhou's expression was calm, though a glint of joy shone in his eyes. Although Instructor Lu Hu had repeatedly assured him during the Cave Hunting that he would help apply for military honors on his behalf, Fang Zhou never expected him to come through in such a major way.

From the looks of it, Lu Hu had somehow convinced the military to invoke the consecutive promotion clause from Article 88 of the 'Rank Management Regulations,' allowing his rank to jump two levels, directly from Junior Sergeant to Senior Sergeant. Compared to the Junior Sergeant ranks of his peers, Fang Zhou was once again far ahead.

It was common knowledge that for ordinary cadets, without extraordinary achievements, one had to wait until their second year after advancing to the Black Iron Tier before being granted the rank of Corporal. Every small step gained in the beginning stages would widen into a massive gap later on.

Fang Zhou understood this. Meng Hongzhuang understood this. And naturally, so did the other Seed Students and ordinary cadets.

The spectating cadets, who were already envious of the massive reward for the No. 1 Seed, felt their emotions grow even more complex as they stared at the bright red certificate in Fang Zhou's hands. Some even began to have an existential crisis.

The second reason for the special promotion, the recovery of General Ning Feihu's remains, had been broadcast live during the Cave Hunting for all to see. Therefore, every cadet was aware of it and understood the pivotal role Fang Zhou had played.

However, the first reason—assisting in the destruction of the Desecration Torch and Core—was something none of them had heard about. At the time, the desecration aura had jammed the signals of both Fang Zhou's personal terminal and his Hunting Recorder. In order to contact the instructors in the Cave Fortress, Fang Zhou had to sprint for several dozen minutes toward the outskirts of the Town Ruins just to get a signal. Under such adverse conditions, the live broadcast was naturally interrupted.

Thus, while the cadets knew something significant had happened that night, something that had even drawn out Golden Tier experts like Lu Hu and Su Xinyan, they had no idea what specific role Fang Zhou had played. Furthermore, aside from a few cadets with extensive sources of information, most first-year students had no access to the classified knowledge regarding desecration auras and Desecration Creations.

Hearing now that Fang Zhou had silently accomplished yet another major feat, the cadets looked at each other in dismay. An unbelievable thought began to bubble up in their hearts.

I'm 18, and so is Fang Zhou. I Awoke less than three months ago, and so did he. How can the gap between two people be this vast?

After letting the cadets murmur amongst themselves for a long while, the noise finally subsided. Only then did Lu Hu speak again. "No matter the glory, it is now in the past. One should always adopt a long-term perspective. I hope that all of you, Fang Zhou included, will not dwell on your book of achievements but will instead focus on the future.

"You are cadets of Sea City Military Academy, but more importantly, you are the future hope of the Longxia Federation and the entire Human Alliance.

"If you are strong, the Human Alliance is strong. If you perish, the Human Alliance perishes."

Saying this, Lu Hu took a deep breath. His tiger-like eyes widened, sweeping slowly across the entire assembly. "Alright, today's seed selection and award ceremony ends here. All cadets, leave in an orderly manner. Dismissed!"

On the podium, the group of instructors led by Su Tiankuo had already vanished at some unknown point. Lu Hu turned, gave Fang Zhou a slight nod, and then departed from the stage as well.

Fang Zhou put away the heavy promotion certificate, preparing to head to the logistics department to redeem his rewards, when Meng Hongzhuang suddenly rushed over.

"Lord Fang! Lord Fang! I'm so out of the loop! Please, let me see what a special promotion certificate looks like!"

Fang Zhou casually handed the certificate to his fawning, tail-wagging little assistant. She flipped through the document, muttering in admiration, "Article 88… it's only been used a handful of times over the years. I knew it! Lord Fang, you're invincible!"

Reluctantly, she returned the certificate to Fang Zhou and asked, "By the way, Lord Fang, what was all that stuff Instructor Lu Hu mentioned about a Desecration Torch and a Desecration Core?"

Since Lu Hu had spoken of Desecration Creations publicly, it meant the matter was no longer confidential. Fang Zhou briefly explained the situation with the Desecration Torch, which was a real eye-opener for Meng Hongzhuang.

He stretched lazily, about to leave the training field for the logistics department, when Bai Xiaochan emerged from some corner and pushed Meng Hongzhuang away from his side. The air immediately grew thick with a familiar tension.

An involuntary smile touched Fang Zhou's lips.

However, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the two little assistants tugged at each other only briefly before reaching a tacit balance. Bai Xiaochan took his left, and Meng Hongzhuang took his right. Under the intensely envious gazes of the other cadets, they followed Fang Zhou out of the training field, matching his every step.

Behind them, Ye Fan watched with a grim expression, mentally adding another mark against Meng Hongzhuang.

A gentleman's revenge can wait ten years; a petty man's revenge lasts from dawn till dusk. Fang Zhou was clearly the battle partner he had his eyes on first, only for that shameless Meng Hongzhuang to latch onto him. Meng Hongzhuang, you are courting death!

Enduring the pulling from his two little assistants, Fang Zhou made his way briskly to the logistics department. The place was already packed solid with dozens of Seed Students. However, upon seeing Fang Zhou approach, these cadets, knowing their place, tactfully parted to let him through.

In this era, it wasn't considered excessive for the strong to enjoy small privileges.

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