# 146
Chapter 146: Are You Well-Read?
“A Star Medal?”
The moment those two words were spoken, not only the recruits below the stage but even most of the instructors on the platform were stunned.
It was an honor second only to the Galaxy Medal. Even Chief Yuan Gang, head of the training camp, possessed only three, yet Lin Qiye—a rookie who hadn’t even graduated—was receiving one?
Yet, on reflection, it wasn’t hard to understand.
Leaving everything else aside, simply shielding every recruit on the bus from missile shrapnel guaranteed the medal wouldn’t be low-grade.
The two-hundred-plus recruits in this camp were the Night Watch’s reserve force drawn from across Great Xia; they were the future backbone of the nation’s defense. Had anything happened to them, the Watch would have faced a generational gap, weakening security country-wide.
In recent years, the mysteries appearing across the land had grown stronger. A rupture in the Night Watch’s strength wouldn’t endanger merely one city—it would spiral into a nationwide catastrophe.
From that angle alone, Lin Qiye’s actions satisfied the criterion of “quelling a large-scale incident capable of destabilizing society.”
As for severely injuring Snake Woman and jointly killing Han Shaoyun, those seemed huge, yet nationally they were minor: a “Pool”-realm Medusa agent and a “Sea”-realm Believer couldn’t whip up any real storm.
There was also a point grasped by only a handful: having clashed head-on with the Church of the Ancient Gods and wounded Snake Woman, Lin Qiye had rejected their recruitment and firmly sided with the Night Watch.
A double-god agent declaring his stance so resolutely—if headquarters offered no reward, it would be unseemly.
What reward? Money? Forbidden artifacts? Promises of a glittering future?
Too crude, too vulgar.
By coincidence, a merit report on Lin Qiye had just landed on their desks, so they naturally seized the chance to wrap the “gift” in prettier ribbons.
Driven by all these factors, Lin Qiye’s Star Medal became utterly, indisputably justified.
“Lin Qiye, step forward to receive your honor.” Yuan Gang’s voice snapped Lin Qiye from his daze; he strode to the platform.
Yuan Gang moved to his side, opened a small black case, and within the dark silk lay a deep-blue medal that glittered like a fragment of night sky, a shining star seemingly sealed inside the crystal.
He solemnly lifted the medal and pinned it to Lin Qiye’s chest.
Lin Qiye drew a deep breath and saluted.
Under envious stares, he descended the steps and returned to formation.
Baili Pangpang swallowed hard and gave him a big thumbs-up.
“Qiye, you absolute beast!!”
After Lin Qiye, the second name Yuan Gang announced for an award shocked everyone.
“Shen Qingzhu, for promptly eliminating the devastating eye of the Great Wind Calamity, saving half the city from destruction, is awarded the Star-Glory Medal.”
“Holy—Bro Cool?” Baili Pangpang’s eyes bulged.
Every head swiveled toward Shen Qingzhu, who himself looked dumbstruck, staring at Yuan Gang as if to say, “You kidding me?”
Confirming it was no joke, Shen Qingzhu braced himself and climbed the platform.
He’d never imagined a casual snap of his fingers would inexplicably save half of Cangnan City.
He accepted the medal in a daze, descended in a daze, returned in a daze—convinced the world had gone mad.
When Yuan Gang dismissed them, the crowd rushed to eat. Deng Wei, Li Jia, and Li Liang instantly surrounded Shen Qingzhu, eyes shining with worship.
“Bro Shen! When’d ya save Cangnan City?!”
“Yeah, weren’t you out earnin’ cash? How’d ya snag a medal?”
“Bro Shen is Bro Shen—epic!!”
Surrounded, Shen Qingzhu cleared his throat and lifted his chin.
“Hmph, look at you bumpkins. It’s just a Star-Glory Medal. One day I’ll bag one even bigger!”
“Bro Shen is mighty!”
“Bro Shen is awesome!”
Baili Pangpang watched, lips twitching. “Bro Cool’s at it again… I gotta deflate him.”
He sucked in air and bellowed:
“Qiye’s the strongest!”
“Qiye’s the handsomest!”
“Qiye is freaking amazing!!!”
The group spun around, glaring at the pair.
Lin Qiye rolled his eyes and smacked Baili Pangpang’s head. “What are you, five? Come on, grub time.”
“O-okay…”
——
After physical training ended, the recruits’ curriculum blossomed: tactical guidance, mock drills, Forbidden Ruins theory, practical combat, world mythology, and lectures on high-risk Forbidden Ruins that had surfaced.
If the first half-year had been spent collapsing outdoors, now eighty percent of their time was classroom theory.
It felt like university—military academy, to be precise.
For most, this beat passing out on the field any day. A minority, however, rejected every cell of book learning.
“What is the essence of mental power?”
On the podium, an instructor in black-rimmed glasses scanned the room, finally landing on the last row.
“Shen Qingzhu.”
Shen Qingzhu, face plastered to the desk, lifted his head blearily.
“The essence of mental power—what is it?”
“Damned if I know.”
“… Ten laps, outside.”
“On it!!”
He sprang to life, shot from the room, and tore around the track.
Instructor Gu sighed and picked again—this time Lin Qiye.
“Lin Qiye, do you know?”
“The essence of mental power is the supernatural force generated by conscious activity under specific conditions,” Lin Qiye answered evenly.
Instructor Gu nodded approvingly. “Good. Remember, theory is no less vital than combat when eradicating mysteries. Maintain the attitude of a learner: seek, research, think, debate—only then can we glimpse the truth of the world…”
The words sparked something in Lin Qiye’s mind. He remained standing.
“Why are you still up?” the instructor asked.
Lin Qiye hesitated. “Instructor Gu, are you well-read?”
Gu chuckled proudly. “I’m a tenured professor at Tsinghua. What do you think?”
“Then may I ask a question?”
“Go ahead.” Gu adjusted his glasses.
“Do you believe… the world we currently live in is real?”