Chapter 117 – A Completely Different State of Mind

Unlike Li Wei and the others’ reckless pursuit of quick success, the performance of Su Ming’s team during this garrison mission was actually quite remarkable.

Aside from Jiang Wanyu, who fell early after being poisoned by the Toxic Glue Demon, the rest of the team achieved impressive results in frontline combat.

The most outstanding performers were undoubtedly Su Ming and An Zijin.

During the first full-scale battle against the Phantom Demons yesterday, the two displayed astonishing Spirit Power, continuously unleashing area-of-effect Spirit Arts. Although the sequences weren’t high-level, their power was remarkably strong, astonishing everyone present.

Although the intense battle situation afterward prevented people from paying much attention to Su Ming and An Zijin, their performance was certainly noted by Commander Duan, who commanded the entire Defense Line, and the high-ranking military officials.

Longyao City had promised that those who performed well and made significant contributions during this campaign would receive more contribution points and greater rewards. Since such bold claims were made, it proved that Longyao City had deployed observers to continuously collect intelligence from various battlefronts and record everyone’s performance.

Su Ming and An Zijin’s performances caught these observers’ attention and ultimately received high praise.

Later, while Jiang Wanyu was recuperating, Su Ming, Yao Beibei, Lei Hao, and Ye Bai never neglected frontline combat duties. They strictly followed the rotation schedule without being late even a single second.

In this context, while Lei Hao and Ye Hao might have had average performances, they persevered until the end, undoubtedly achieving better results than those who encountered accidents midway.

As for Yao Beibei, though she felt disappointed with her own performance with Su Ming providing support, in others’ eyes, a first-year student who could charge into battle like that while demonstrating exceptional potential and qualities would naturally receive increasingly higher evaluations.

Additionally, although Jiang Wanyu fell midway and needed prolonged recuperation, the fact that she recovered from the Toxic Glue Demon’s poison solely through her team members’ efforts further boosted Su Ming’s team’s evaluation.

Thus, though Su Ming’s team might not have realized it, in the eyes of higher-ups, their performance in this campaign might have been even more impressive than Li Wei’s team.

Li Wei’s team not only recklessly sought merit and ended up in disarray but also had uncooperative members like Xu Qianqian who showed no intention of teamwork, making the team appear united outwardly but divided inwardly. In the higher-ups’ view, such so-called top students undoubtedly lost points.

The result was that among all student-level teams, Su Ming’s team unknowingly ranked within the top three in evaluations for this campaign.

Yes.

Su Ming’s team had transformed from an ordinary, unremarkable student team into an outstanding one—demonstrating impressive capabilities, responsibility, consideration, unity, cooperation, and resilience.

Their team’s total contribution points, combined across all six members, actually ranked within the top three among all student teams. Even when including student teams fighting on other defense lines, they still ranked within the top ten.A team of ordinary students, without a single top-tier student or even an elite student, had managed to achieve such results—wasn’t that performance impressive enough?

As a result, Su Ming and his group garnered some attention and were ultimately deemed capable of undertaking subjugation missions in critical zones, successfully becoming one of the subjugation teams assigned to B-5 Zone.

It was precisely this realization that led Su Ming to remark that they had overperformed.

After explaining this to the others, they understood but couldn’t help feeling concerned.

“Getting a higher evaluation is a good thing, but with our strength, can we really handle subjugation missions in important zones?”

Lei Hao was uncharacteristically lacking in confidence.

“I think it’s risky,” Ye Bai added with a furrowed brow. “Don’t forget, we’ve also lost Junior Jiang from our side.”

“Only the five of us?” Yao Beibei couldn’t help but ask. “Can we really do it?”

“Brother Su Ming…” An Zijin once again relied on her instinct to turn to Su Ming whenever she felt uncertain, her expression filled with worry.

Su Ming scratched his head. Though he inwardly sighed, he didn’t show too much concern.

“The mission doesn’t require us to eliminate a specific number of Phantom Demons. If we encounter real danger, we can just retreat,” Su Ming said calmly. “Besides, we’re not the only team responsible for subjugating B-5 Zone.”

Each zone’s subjugation was carried out by multiple teams working together.

For critical zones, the number of teams involved was even larger—dozens of teams joining forces was common, including many specialized Professional teams.

The mission, though seemingly daunting, was actually far less dangerous than An Zijin and the others imagined.

“Commander Duan also mentioned earlier that if we encounter danger, we can send a distress signal, and nearby teams will come to our aid. So, we just need to act within our capabilities and not worry too much.”

Su Ming’s tone remained relatively relaxed.

His mindset had shifted significantly.

He had already ventured beyond the frontlines alone countless times, swept through waves of Phantom Demons for materials, subdued a Phantom Demon Legion, and conducted numerous combat trials outside. He was already well-versed in such situations.

Moreover, his substantial increase in strength had boosted his confidence considerably. He no longer needed to be as cautious and guarded as before.

Upper-Rank Professionals were true powerhouses, respected and revered wherever they went.

The Awakening of his Vision Mark had made Su Ming a genuine Upper-Rank Sorcerer, while his Nightmare Species Bloodline transformation granted him combat prowess far surpassing that of a Three-Star Hunter. Now, Su Ming no longer needed to hesitate in every situation—he simply had to maintain a cautious mindset.

Perhaps infected by Su Ming’s relaxed attitude, the unease in everyone’s hearts gradually subsided.

“You’re right. If things really go south, we can just send a distress signal or retreat. We’re not afraid of losing face.”

Lei Hao returned to his usual carefree demeanor.

The others nodded in agreement, and they began discussing the mission details.

The other teams were doing the same. Having confirmed their assigned zones, they gathered in groups to discuss strategies, filling the venue with a buzz of activity.

Even Li Wei’s team began to rally their spirits, exchanging determined glances among themselves.They wanted to redeem their previous lapse in composure and were determined to perform well, absolutely not repeating their earlier mistakes.

Unfortunately, no matter what they thought, Xu Qianqian remained uninterested.

She first glanced in Su Ming’s direction, then fixed her gaze toward Xu Yanyan.

“The war is nearing its end—she should be making her move soon, right?”

With this thought, Xu Qianqian tightened her grip on the dagger at her waist.

Xu Yanyan, however, seemed to have completely forgotten Xu Qianqian’s existence. She gathered the surrounding Family Hunters and was engaged in a serious discussion.

But no one noticed that before the discussion began, Xu Yanyan and Gao Xu, who stood beside Commander Duan, exchanged a glance.

Gao Xu gave an imperceptible nod, prompting Xu Yanyan to subtly curve the corners of her lips.

Immediately after, Xu Yanyan returned to her usual demeanor as if nothing had happened and continued conversing with the surrounding Family Hunters.

……

After the meeting adjourned, the Professionals began returning to their respective residences to regroup, leaving the defense of the line to the military.

With the support from the Spirit Demon Abyss cut off, the pressure on the frontline had drastically decreased. Even without the Professionals, entrusting the defense to the military was feasible.

The Professionals’ mission was no longer defense but offense.

This was the final phase of the war. Once they overcame this hurdle, everything would come to an end.

At this thought, the physically and mentally exhausted Professionals couldn’t help but rally their spirits, choosing to persevere.

Su Ming and his group also returned to their residence to regroup, planning to set out afterward to begin hunting the Phantom Demons.

However, to their surprise, when they returned to their residence, Jiang Wanyu, who had been in a deep slumber, had actually awakened.

“Wanyu!”

Both An Zijin and Yao Beibei were overjoyed. As soon as they saw Jiang Wanyu sitting up in bed, they rushed over without a second thought.

“Are you okay?”

“How are you feeling?”

Lei Hao and Ye Bai also hurried forward.

Su Ming stood at the back, observing Jiang Wanyu’s complexion and noticing that she had almost fully recovered.

At this moment, Jiang Wanyu smiled and spoke to everyone with immense gratitude.

“I feel much better now. Thank you, everyone.”

Jiang Wanyu bowed her head.

She was truly grateful to everyone present—not only for their care but also because they had never given up on saving her from beginning to end.

Especially Su Ming. Jiang Wanyu hadn’t forgotten who she owed her recovery to.

“Senior…”

Jiang Wanyu looked at Su Ming, opening her mouth as if she wanted to say something.

Su Ming shook his head, raised his hand, and interrupted her.

“As long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters.”

Su Ming didn’t want to dwell on this topic.

After all, he still hadn’t explained Shi Lin’s origins to the group, nor had he explained Yun Langyue’s background. He hadn’t even clarified how he managed to summon these two individuals.

To prevent the others from bringing up the topic, Su Ming chose to end it.

Unaware of all this, Jiang Wanyu thought Su Ming was just being modest. She gave him two grateful glances, refrained from mentioning it further, but deeply engraved the matter in her heart.

After everyone fussed over Jiang Wanyu and confirmed that she was indeed fine, they finally felt at ease.However, upon learning that the Spirit Demon Abyss Entrance had been successfully sealed and the war was nearing its end, Jiang Wanyu immediately declared:

“I want to go with everyone too!”

Jiang Wanyu climbed out of bed.

“No!”

“You need to rest properly!”

An Zijin and Yao Beibei quickly tried to stop her.

But Jiang Wanyu really didn’t want to keep lying down any longer.

“I’ve already caused everyone too much trouble! I can’t just keep lying here!”

Jiang Wanyu spoke with stubborn determination.

“I’m also a member of this team! Let me come along!”

Clearly, Jiang Wanyu had no intention of lying around until everything was over and reaping the benefits without contributing.

Seeing that they couldn’t persuade Jiang Wanyu, everyone turned their gaze to Su Ming.

“Are you sure you can handle it?”

Su Ming looked Jiang Wanyu over and asked.

“I can!”

Jiang Wanyu met Su Ming’s gaze directly.

In her hand, she tightly gripped the small cloth pouch containing her alchemical short saber.

Seeing this, Su Ming understood that Jiang Wanyu was planning to use her trump card to avoid holding everyone back any longer.

In that case…

“Alright.” Su Ming readily agreed. “You can come with us.”

“Thank you, senior!” Jiang Wanyu’s face lit up with an excited smile.

Immediately, everyone made some final adjustments to their equipment and items before leaving their quarters.

Before long, numerous off-road vehicles began driving out of the camp, heading toward various areas along the front lines.

Su Ming’s group was among them.

Li Wei’s team, which included Xu Qianqian, was also part of the convoy.

No one noticed that in the direction where Li Wei’s team had departed, several off-road vehicles were following closely behind.

The real show was about to begin.

(End of Chapter)