# 178
**Chapter 178 – Graduation Looms**
Amid a chorus of sighs, Baili Pangpang trudged back into the dormitory.
“How’d it go?” Lin Qiye raised an eyebrow.
“No idea what happened. The moment I walked in the instructors demanded to inspect my [Unrestrained Space]. When they finished, they looked like they’d seen a ghost, then shoved me out.” Baili Pangpang scratched his head, utterly bewildered.
Lin Qiye cleared his throat and said nothing.
Fortunately, he’d used his Utmost Darkness God’s Ruins last night to erase every trace in the warehouse, severing all connection to himself.
The instructors really had found no other clues and had started to suspect Baili Pangpang had emptied the armory with [Unrestrained Space]. Now that the search was done, his innocence was proven, and any further investigation would be far more difficult.
“Consider it a loan… When I’m strong enough, I’ll return double.” Lin Qiye silently vowed.
For the war mummy, the amount of weaponry it swallowed directly determined its strength. Once they left the training camp, the only way to find such a stockpile again would be to raid a military base. A chance like this was once in a lifetime—Lin Qiye couldn’t let it slip.
While he was inwardly confessing his sins, the familiar whistle sounded outside the dorm. He snapped back to reality, slapped the still-dazed Baili Pangpang on the shoulder.
“Let’s go—training starts.”
“Oh.” Baili Pangpang jogged after him…
…
August.
The last cool breath of spring was gone; summer’s furnace scorched the earth. A single twitch produced rivers of sweat.
Lin Qiye sat alone beneath a shade tree, gazing at the familiar training ground, lost in thought.
“Qiye, why are you sitting here alone?” Cao Yuan walked over, puzzled. “Not eating?”
“Going.” Lin Qiye stood, gave the field one last look. “Just… feeling reluctant.”
Cao Yuan glanced back and exhaled. “We fought here a whole year. The day after tomorrow we ship out. Might never come back. Worth a last look.”
Lin Qiye said nothing, only shook his head and headed for the canteen.
“Qiye, why so slow?” Baili Pangpang’s mouth was stuffed, words mushy. “Any later and I’d’ve licked the plates.”
“Glutton,” Cao Yuan deadpanned.
Baili Pangpang grinned, ready to fire off some choice insults, when Lin Qiye cut in:
“Training and exams are done. Anything left?”
Baili Pangpang pondered. “Seems not. We wait for the final rankings, then headquarters assigns our posts and sends notice.”
“Day after tomorrow there’s the oath ceremony,” Cao Yuan added. “They hand out our星辰 knives, cloaks, and medals. That night we leave for our stations.”
“So basically, we just lie flat till then.” Baili Pangpang yawned. “A whole year of hell—finally two comfy days…”
Before the words left his mouth, every phone in the canteen pinged. After exams ended, the instructors had returned them. Apart from not leaving camp or revealing anything about it, there were no restrictions. In a sense they were already full Night Watch—only the oath remained.
“Holy crap—final rankings!” Baili Pangpang yelled. “I’m 74 points, 184th place… uh.”
His face fell. “Makes no sense. I was second in the war game—how’d I drop to 184?”
Lin Qiye rolled his eyes. “It’s overall. You did okay in war-games and shooting, but you know how low you scored in fitness, melee, strategy…”
Baili Pangpang: …
Cao Yuan skimmed the list. “91 points, 3rd place—about what I expected.”
Baili Pangpang leaned toward Lin Qiye. “Aren’t you curious where you stand?”
“First.” Lin Qiye didn’t even glance up.
“…Boring.”
At the very top, Lin Qiye’s name hung over everyone: 95 points, rank 1.
If he hadn’t scraped a miserable 6 in shooting, he’d have been higher. Second-place Shen Qingzhu had 92—showing how monstrous Lin Qiye’s score was.
Baili Pangpang sighed. “How can the gap be this huge… With numbers like that, you’re basically guaranteed a spot on the Shangjing squad.”
“Not necessarily,” Cao Yuan said slowly. “I bet the special teams are already itching…”
…
Great Xia border.
Deep in a primal jungle.
“We grab him—no matter what!” declared a woman in a golden cloak. “Dual-god proxy, top of the camp, Star Medal on his chest—his potential is insane. We lure—no, recruit—him to Team Phoenix!”
Beside her, a mild-looking man in glasses sighed. “Captain, calm down. We’re not understaffed…”
“It’s not about need. I swear, given time he’ll surpass even me and Wang Mian. Talent like that—Phoenix can’t miss it!”
“But regulations say special teams can’t absorb rookies unless they suffer major losses.”
The captain pondered…
Moments later her eyes lit up. She spun to him; the stare made his scalp tingle.
“C-Captain… what are you thinking?”
“Here’s the plan.” She beamed. “I cripple you first, report the loss, recruit Lin Qiye, then heal you back. Perfect, right?”
Man: …