The members of the Red Flame Squad arrived at the plaza designated for the assembly. Thousands of people had gathered into a dense, dark sea of figures. Fortunately, the space base was vast enough to feature multiple plazas capable of holding tens of thousands.
"Fang Yu, let's catch up once we're back at school. We can chat in the group."
"We're heading over to our class's gathering point first."
Bai Chen, Qin Yang, and the others said their goodbyes to Fang Yu before quickly dispersing. After ten days of rest, Xia Yao had also largely recovered.
To facilitate administration and collective instruction, the returning students assembled by class. The incoming students, however, had not yet been assigned classes, so they gathered separately in their own designated area.
"Fang Yu is here."
"It's Fang Yu."
"That's him? I didn't notice him when we assembled at the school last time."
"A coefficient score of 1.8—that's insane. Yan Hezhou in second place only got 1.5. The gap is massive."
Noticing Fang Yu walk over, many new students began whispering among themselves.
In this combat training, the most famous figure among the incoming fourth-year class was undoubtedly Fang Yu. His coefficient score was so far ahead of the rest that it was impossible not to draw attention.
"Even with a 1.8 coefficient score, it's useless. He can't take first place—his bonus eligibility has already been revoked."
"What happened? How come I haven't heard about this?"
"I heard about it. Supposedly, he got into a clash with an Earth Academy student, which ended in the guy's death. So he was hit with a penalty for excessive defense."
"Oh? That rings a bell. No wonder his coefficient dropped from 1.9 to 1.8."
"Killing an Earth Academy student and only getting excessive defense? That's sketchy. Shouldn't that at least be manslaughter? Does this Fang Yu have some crazy backing?"
"He killed someone and still struts around like that? Best not cross him in the future!"
"Not totally sure. I heard there were news reports too. He's probably got some serious background."
"Fan Xing was dragged into it as well. He got penalized and lost his bonus eligibility too."
"Damn, really? Did the two freshmen team up to kill an Earth Academy student?"
The freshmen whispered amongst themselves. Because the hearings involving the Red Flame Squad and the Black Ice Squad were not public, and because students had little contact during the combat exercises, speculation was running rampant.
Having reached the realm of Inner Vista in his martial skill and possessing a Life Level exceeding 26, Fang Yu's hearing was exceptionally sharp. He could hear every whisper of the freshmen's chatter clearly. Naturally, he did not bother to argue; there was no point.
He walked straight toward Wang Mo, Zhang Tao, and the others. Most of the students from Wuling Martial Junior College had gathered there.
"Fang Yu!" Zhang Tao waved at him.
"Fang Yu, you're here?"
"Are you alright?"
Quite a few students greeted Fang Yu warmly. Fang Yu responded to each of them. Having come from the same junior college, it was only natural for them to cluster together in unfamiliar surroundings.
However, while many appeared warm on the surface and even took the initiative to console Fang Yu, deep down they were gloating, feeling a sense of petty satisfaction.
Ever since the junior-college-to-undergraduate upgrade exam, Fang Yu had shone far too brightly. Out of all the students from Wuling Martial Junior College, he was the sole recipient of an Elite Contract, and his performance in the practical combat assessment had been unmatched. Back in junior college, while his technical talent had been superior, their overall showings had not been so vastly different. Naturally, quite a few harbored secret jealousy toward him.
Now, hearing that Fang Yu had fallen on hard times, a sense of balance was restored in their minds.
"Old Fang, have you been alright these past few days?" Wang Mo stepped forward, full of genuine concern, and lowered his voice. "Don't pay any mind to what people are saying. They're just—"
"I'm fine. Never better," Fang Yu replied with a slight smile.
Having stepped into the realm of Inner Vista, how could his mood be bad?
Besides, those ten days of arduous cultivation had brought not just martial progress, but a transformation of his mindset, enabling him to view everything with greater poise and rationality.
"Fan Xing." Fang Yu's gaze fell upon Fan Xing, who happened to look back at him. Fan Xing's eyes flickered with evasiveness before he immediately lowered his head. Fang Yu had already heard that the surviving members of the Black Ice Squad had received severe punishments for their prior banditry.
Fang Yu suddenly sensed something and turned his head toward the returning students nearby. He immediately spotted a tall, handsome young man—roughly 1.9 meters tall—staring at him with a sharp, penetrating gaze.
From the man's posture, temperament, and eyes, Fang Yu made an instantaneous judgment:
An expert!
The more powerful a martial artist was, the more their vigorous vital energy and potent spiritual force intertwined to unconsciously influence their surroundings—what was commonly known as a "life magnetic field" or "aura."
Seeing Fang Yu look his way, the tall young man remained calm and simply turned his head away.
"That's Wan Jin. They probably arrived from one of the other auxiliary bases," Wang Mo whispered from the side.
"Wan Jin? The one ranked third on the overall score leaderboard?" Fang Yu murmured.
With Fang Yu's memory, even without actively trying to memorize it, retaining the top ten names on the leaderboard was effortless.
"Yeah," Wang Mo whispered. "Over the past few days, my dad has been secretly digging into Xia Kaishan's background and records, and he sent me a copy. There are quite a few people at our university who have ties of varying degrees to Xia Kaishan. But among the verifiable data, there are two you really need to watch out for. One is an instructor who has deep history with Xia Kaishan named Lu Min. Back when Xia Kaishan was general manager in Huanchuan City, Lu Min was a martial artist signed under him, and he received financial backing from Xia Kaishan multiple times."
Lu Min? Fang Yu committed the name to memory.
"The other is this Wan Jin."
"His family is among the wealthy elite of Huanchuan City, probably not much behind mine. Word is his family spent a hundred million to apprentice him under Xia Kaishan," Wang Mo said. "He's Xia Kaishan's inner disciple, and he's already an Advanced Martial Artist."
"An inner disciple?" Fang Yu thought over the term.
In this era, taking on masters and disciples was commonplace.
As long as their children showed even a modicum of martial talent, many wealthy families would find ways to have them study under an Earth Martial Artist... Of course, their martial talent couldn't be too shabby either.
To rank third on the fourth-year overall score leaderboard, Wan Jin's talent was clearly impressive.
Good natural talent, family wealth, and guidance from a top Earth Martial Artist like Xia Kaishan... His prospects of becoming an Earth Martial Artist in the future were very strong.
Before long, all the students were assembled.
Numerous faculty members from Huguang Martial University, along with a vice president, arrived on scene one after another, and the Fourth-Year First-Semester Combat Summary Assembly officially commenced.
"This combat training resulted in significant casualties: 166 students fell in battle," spoke Associate Professor Tang, the Senior Year Director. Her voice was cool and resonant with authority. "Their deaths were honorable; they fell on the Primordial Star in their capacity as Civilization Warriors... I hope you all remember that when you fight on the Primordial Star, you fight for all of humanity, contributing to the evolution of civilization as a whole."
The plaza fell dead silent.
Hearing this casualty count, none of the students showed much visible turmoil. Years of education and repeated battles against ferocious beasts had made every student keenly aware of the stakes they faced.
Martial undergraduate students enjoyed treatment dozens of times better than cultural undergraduate students.
Why?
This was precisely why.
"Those who survived performed admirably during this combat deployment. The assessment completion rate was 99.6%, with an excellence rate of 16.5%," Associate Professor Tang continued. "A select few performed outstandingly. Next, I will commend the top ten students on the overall score leaderboard. They are... Each of the aforementioned students will receive a university scholarship of 1,000,000 Star Coins as encouragement."
The top ten students were all from the Earth Academy. Aside from Wan Jin, Fang Yu recognized none of them.
The first round of commendations concluded.
Wan Jin and the others stepped down from the stage in turn.
Among the freshmen below the stage:
"Yan Hezhou, it's your turn."
"First place among the freshmen."
Many students stood beside Yan Hezhou, and a flicker of anticipation crossed his eyes. Going by standard procedure, the freshman commendations would follow those of the returning students.
In terms of strength, he had originally only ranked third among the incoming fourth-year students.
He had never imagined that Fang Yu and Fan Xing would both run into trouble one after another.
Now, the honor seemed poised to fall to him.
However, Associate Professor Tang's next words did not continue the commendations as the students anticipated. Instead, her tone turned grave. "During this combat training, certain incidents occurred among our students that carried an extremely vile influence and produced exceptionally severe consequences."
A vile influence? In an instant, many students who had been clueless or growing impatient had their interest piqued.
"The most severe of these," Associate Professor Tang said, her expression solemn, "involves the Black Ice Squad, led by Earth Academy student Xia Tao. During combat training, they repeatedly plundered treasures from fellow students and ambushed civilian martial artists multiple times, ultimately causing a heinous incident that indirectly led to the deaths of several civilian martial artists."
An uproar broke out.
It should be noted that while various rumors had circulated over the past few days, the vast majority of students had remained in the dark about the details.
Below the stage, Wan Jin, who had just been chatting and laughing with a classmate, suddenly underwent a drastic change of expression.
What was going on?
The man was already dead. According to his master Xia Kaishan, Xia Tao's offenses were supposed to be handled quietly... How could they be publicly condemned at the summary assembly? A sense of foreboding flickered through Wan Jin's mind.
"Fortunately!" Associate Professor Tang's voice rang out with ringing clarity. "There are still students in our university who hold justice in their hearts and uphold the valor of martial arts. When Xia Tao attempted another robbery in the Wilderness Zone, they mounted a courageous counterattack. While this ultimately led indirectly to Xia Tao's death... their actions were just, brave, and worthy of commendation!"
Shock rippled through the crowd.
Instructors like Jiang Wei and Teacher Li looked on in astonishment, instinctively turning their gazes toward Vice President Qing and Professor Xu, who was attending on behalf of the president. What was happening?
The case had already been judged and concluded. How could Fang Yu possibly receive a commendation now?
Vice President Qing chuckled and waved his hand, signaling them to remain calm.
"Next, I make the following announcements," Associate Professor Tang stated deliberately. "Former captain of the Black Ice Squad, Xia Tao: though deceased, punishment cannot be waived. Supplementary disciplinary action is hereby ordered: his Earth Contract is revoked, he is expelled from the university, and his name will be displayed on the front page of the university's Disciplinary and Legal Violations Portal as a warning to future students.
"Former Black Ice Squad members Fu Wen and Shao Yihui: their Elite Contracts are revoked, and they are expelled from the university.
"Former Black Ice Squad member Fan Xing: his Elite Contract is revoked, and he receives a severe reprimand. Any subsequent violation will result in immediate expulsion." A trace of killing intent laced Associate Professor Tang's tone.
In an instant, the faces of Fu Wen and Shao Yihui turned ashen below the stage. Expulsion?
While personal strength was paramount for a martial artist, being expelled directly from the university was an indelible stain on their official record. Unless they went on to become Tier-4 Civilization Warriors or even Earth Martial Artists... securing any respectable position in society would be nearly impossible.
"Elite Contract revoked?" Fan Xing felt an equal pang of bitterness.
His only solace was that he had escaped immediate expulsion.
Associate Professor Tang's voice softened once more. "At the same time, to commend the Red Flame Squad, led by Fang Yu, for their outstanding contribution in upholding campus discipline and the rule of law:
"Red Flame Squad members Bai Chen, Qin Yang, Xiong Meng, and Xia Yao are each awarded 500,000 Star Coins.
"Red Flame Squad member and incoming freshman Fang Yu is awarded 2,000,000 Star Coins and, in recognition of his exceptional performance during combat training, is granted an Earth Contract as encouragement.
"Here and now!
"I issue another warning to every student.
"You are not ordinary cultural undergraduate students; you are martial artists.
"The reason martial artists enjoy privileges within civilization is not simply because of their great strength," Associate Professor Tang said with gravity. "It is because of the immense contributions martial artists make to civilization.
"On the Primordial Star, healthy competition is permitted in the pursuit of treasures and personal advancement, but that does not mean you may act with impunity, nor does it mean you may slaughter your own kind. Such conduct will never be tolerated by this university, nor by the entire Blue Moon Alliance.
"I hope none of you ever forget the first lesson taught by this university: the duty of a martial artist.
"Forging swords for civilization, honing blades for humanity—martial artists are the Great Wall." Associate Professor Tang's gaze swept across the thousands of martial artists below. "A martial artist's blade should always be pointed outward."
Chapter 82