Chapter 147 – Release of the Various Rankings

This night, the Academy District was bustling.

Some wept.

Some laughed.

Some grieved.

Some rejoiced.

The myriad facets of human life were vividly displayed in this small academic area, no less dynamic than the wider society.

If even a single Demon Hunter Academy exuded such intense atmosphere after the war, one could easily imagine how others fared.

The conclusion of the Huaming Campaign seemed to plunge all of Longyao City into a phase of jubilant celebration. Laughter echoed everywhere, as if it were the New Year.

It was inevitable—had Huaming District fallen, allowing the Phantom Demon army to breach the defense line and storm into the city, most of Longyao City’s residents would have become blood sacrifices for the Phantom Demons, meeting grim fates.

This battle determined the survival of Longyao City and all its citizens.

Now that the war had ended in their victory, it was only natural for celebrations and joy to abound.

Of course, the sacrifices would never again appear in this scene.

But for now, at least, pure happiness could still be felt.

Other matters would only surface after these emotions settled.

……

The next day, early morning.

Unusually, most students did not laze in their rooms but rose early to wash up, eat, and gather in the Mission Hall, creating a clamorous atmosphere.

This time, however, they weren’t there to accept missions.

With the war over, the Mission Hall no longer issued tasks. Even though the battlefield required cleanup and follow-up, that was the responsibility of Longyao City’s officials, not something for Professionals to handle.

Although the Mission Hall no longer assigned missions, it remained the first floor of the office building.

Thus, the Mission Hall was now arranged purely as an office space, still open to all Academy students.

The reason students gathered here so early was simple.

Here, the Academy would publicly display the various rewards that had been tallied overnight for students to review.

A closer look revealed that the bulletin board previously used for posting missions at the front of the Mission Hall had been replaced by an electronic screen.

Various data were displayed on the electronic screen.

Students crowded around, chattering animatedly.

“All our contribution points will be announced here, right?”

“And the scholarships.”

“It’s not just about money; there are also academic credit rewards that directly affect our grades and rankings in the Academy.”

“Then our rankings should see huge changes this time, shouldn’t they?”

“Can’t be helped. Some people sacrificed themselves and can’t hold onto their original rankings forever.”

“That’s true…”

The students conversed among themselves, discussing matters along these lines.

This time, the Academy would uniformly announce the contribution points each student earned during the Huaming Campaign. Based on these contribution points, corresponding scholarships and academic credits would be distributed.

Beyond monetary rewards, the scholarships included incentives such as new combat techniques, high-sequence Spirit Art spell formula books, alchemical potions, and alchemical tools.In addition to the credit rewards directly related to academic rankings within the Academy, today’s events would lead to significant shifts in the students’ standings.

Especially after removing some of the fallen from the rankings, the changes would appear even more drastic.

Perhaps some would break into the top hundred of their department after this, becoming elite students.

Perhaps some would even enter the top ten of their department, ascending to the ranks of top-tier students.

And perhaps some current top-tier and elite students would fall from their positions, tumbling from their pedestals.

All of this concerned the students’ exact academic performance, status, and treatment within the Academy. No one could remain indifferent—some anticipated these changes eagerly, while others felt tense and anxious.

Faintly, snippets of conversation could be heard among the crowd:

“I heard that Li Wei, the top student of the Hunter Department, and several other top-tier students from his team have all fallen.”

“Really? That Li Wei?”

“A whole group of top-tier students, all gone?”

“Oh my heavens…”

“What about Senior Xu Qianqian?”

“Wasn’t Senior Qianqian in the same team as Li Wei?”

“Don’t tell me she’s gone too?”

“I’d be heartbroken if that were true!”

The discussions in the crowd grew increasingly fervent, with all sorts of rumors spreading from mouth to ear.

Only now did they have the mental space to inquire about these matters and learn about the major upheavals occurring within the Academy.

As a result, the Mission Hall grew increasingly crowded, with more and more people gathering there.

And what about Su Ming and his group?

They had arrived as well.

“You’ve got to be kidding me?”

“There are already so many people?”

Lei Hao and Ye Bai stood at the entrance of the Mission Hall, staring at the packed scene inside with disbelief.

Ye Bai in particular recalled his previous experiences of camping here for two days to accept missions, causing him to tense up and his expression to turn extremely grim.

“It’s already this crowded?”

“I’m not really keen on going in.”

“Same here…”

An Zijin, Jiang Wanyu, and Yao Beibei all felt somewhat hesitant to proceed.

After all, they were all delicate and beautiful young women. If they entered such a crowded place, who knew how many wandering hands they might encounter?

“How about you all wait here?”

Su Ming, dressed in casual wear, appeared relaxed and at ease. His expression carried a hint of laziness and boredom as he made the suggestion to the young women.

Incidentally, Su Ming wore long sleeves with a fingerless glove on his right hand. Beneath the sleeve, his arm was wrapped in bandages, concealing his astonishingly powerful right hand.

This attire didn’t seem particularly unusual—to outsiders, it just appeared he was wearing an extra fingerless glove, nothing worth noting.

Even among Su Ming’s own team, while they found his fingerless glove somewhat strange, they didn’t dwell on it.

None of the people here knew that among these “ordinary” students, there mixed in one who appeared “unremarkable” but was actually a Dual Professional.

Not only had this person undergone Awakening and possessed a Vision Mark, but his strength as a Hunter approached Three-Star level. Mingling among students who weren’t even formal professionals yet, he was like a wolf hiding in a flock of sheep.

Unfortunately, this wolf preferred to secretly enjoy his gains rather than hunt openly.At this point, Su Ming’s path to becoming the Sword God of Shili Slope was finally taking proper shape.

At the very least, he had initially cultivated his “Sword God” status within the Demon Hunter Academy, this “Shili Slope” of his.

Perhaps because of this, Su Ming was in quite a good mood today and couldn’t help but show more consideration towards the junior girls in his squad.

But the junior girls shook their heads.

“I want to go in with Brother Su Ming.”

An Zijin remained as steadfast as ever in her original intention—she simply had to stick close to Su Ming.

If anything, since returning from the battlefield, An Zijin seemed to have become even more attached to Su Ming than before, as if trying to prevent that Fox Spirit from getting close to him, much like a protective mother hen guarding her chick.

Even though Xu Qianqian had already left the battlefield, suddenly vanishing without a trace and no one knew what she was up to, An Zijin never seemed to let her guard down.

Su Ming didn’t find it annoying. In fact, having a beautiful girl cling to him like this sometimes felt quite satisfying. Plus, she was the girl next door who had been accustomed to sticking to him since childhood, so he naturally didn’t have much to say about it.

However, if An Zijin was going to stick close to Su Ming, the two little admirers clinging to her naturally weren’t about to be outdone.

“If Zijin is going in, then I’m going in too.”

Jiang Wanyu declared this without hesitation.

“I… I want to go in too!”

Even Yao Beibei mustered up her courage.

Each of them held one of An Zijin’s arms, which made her very unhappy.

“I want to hold Brother Su Ming’s arm…”

This protest was completely ignored by Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei.

Su Ming wanted to say something but was glared at by Ye Bai beside him.

So, Su Ming kept quiet.

Instead, it was Lei Hao who, upon learning everyone’s intentions, immediately shouted out.

“Since everyone’s going in, then let me lead the way!”

With that, Lei Hao charged into the crowd, forcing his way through.

“Make way! Make way! Please make way!”

Relying on his loud voice and large build, Lei Hao forcibly carved out a path.

This undoubtedly provoked public outrage.

“Damn it! What’s with all the pushing?”

“Is there money up ahead?”

“Have you no manners?”

“What grade are you in? What’s your rank in the exams?”

“Acting so arrogant—you must have family working at the Academy, right?”

In an instant, all sorts of curses were thrown at Lei Hao.

Lei Hao paid no mind and instead waved triumphantly at Su Ming and the others.

“Quick! Hurry over!”

Lei Hao shouted loudly.

“……”

An Zijin, Jiang Wanyu, and Yao Beibei all felt like they didn’t want to go in anymore, while Su Ming and Ye Bai had the urge to deny knowing this guy.

But Lei Hao’s shouting caused the students in the crowd to turn their attention toward the entrance.

When they saw Jiang Wanyu, saw Yao Beibei, and even saw An Zijin, their expressions instantly changed.

“Isn’t that An Zijin?”

“So it’s Academy Beauty An who wants to go in?”

“Little Zijin is as adorable as ever today!”

“You big guys, hurry up and make way! Clear a path for our little Zijin!”

“Move aside! Move aside!”

From within the crowd, a group of fan club senior sisters emerged from who knows where and actually started shooing people away.This time, no one complained and they obediently stepped aside. Even though some harbored improper thoughts upon seeing An Zijin’s lovely face, those intentions were swiftly crushed under the senior sisters’ authoritative shooing.

Soon enough, a path opened through the crowd.

“???”

Lei Hao, the only person standing in that path, remained frozen in his pose with his hand raised, shouting.

“Pfft!”

Ye Bai burst out laughing, causing the deeply embarrassed Lei Hao to charge at him with a mix of awkwardness and anger.

“Hooray!”

“The senior sisters are amazing!”

Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei cheered at the sight.

Only An Zijin blushed with extreme shyness, secretly glancing at Su Ming.

Su Ming didn’t speak but gave An Zijin a thumbs-up.

That single gesture immediately made An Zijin beam with joy, her radiant smile melting the hearts of everyone present, regardless of gender.

And so, everyone entered the Mission Hall together and gathered before the electronic screen.

By now, the list of all students had been displayed on the screen, accompanied by columns showing the currently tallied contribution points, academic credits, scholarship amounts, additional rewards, and updated rankings.

Naturally, everyone first looked at the contribution point totals.

Instantly, exclamations erupted from Su Ming’s team members.

It was unavoidable.

“Lei Hao: 187,754.”

“Ye Bai: 164,618.”

These were Lei Hao and Ye Bai’s contribution points.

“I actually have over 180,000 contribution points?”

“120,000 contribution points? This…”

Lei Hao and Ye Bai stared at each other in disbelief.

They quickly scanned the electronic screen to check the contribution points of other students.

They discovered that ordinary students typically had at most tens of thousands of points, while those with over 100,000 were usually elite or top-tier students in specialized teams.

In other words, Lei Hao and Ye Bai’s contribution points had surpassed what ordinary students could achieve, rivaling those of elite and even top-tier students.

“How did we get so many?”

“Yeah…”

The two were utterly perplexed.

Only Su Ming wasn’t surprised.

Originally, during their defense line garrison duty, their team had performed unexpectedly well, even surpassing the Academy’s strongest team led by Li Wei and Xu Qianqian by a significant margin, earning high praise from the Academy.

During the days of pushing the defense line forward, everyone had continuously hunted Phantom Demons, steadily accumulating contribution points.

Although Lei Hao and Ye Bai hadn’t been as outstanding as Su Ming and An Zijin, their performance had been solid and reliable.

Therefore, in the team’s overall combined results, these two deserved a substantial share.

Not just Lei Hao and Ye Bai—Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei had also earned high contribution points.

“Jiang Wanyu: 199,582.”

“Yao Beibei: 176,284.”

As first-year freshmen, these two juniors had acquired more contribution points than many senior students.

Even Ye Bai couldn’t match these two girls. Though partly disadvantaged by being support-focused rather than damage dealers, this clearly demonstrated how highly the Academy and Base City valued their performance.Especially Jiang Wanyu, who had missed the garrison duties behind the Defense Line due to the Phantom Demon’s poison, actually had more contribution points than Lei Hao, Ye Bai, Yao Beibei, and others.

Presumably, during the period of advancing the Defense Line, Jiang Wanyu had personally slain countless Phantom Demons with her sharp alchemical weapons, which had also caught the attention of the Academy and the Base City.

As for Su Ming and An Zijin…

“No way?”

“You two are just too outrageous!”

Lei Hao and Ye Bai exclaimed loudly, drawing the attention of those around them.

Su Ming and An Zijin exchanged a glance, both showing helpless expressions.

On the electronic screen, their contribution points were clearly displayed.

“Su Ming: 514,469.”

“An Zijin: 508,423.”

It was just that conspicuous and exaggerated.

(End of Chapter)