115: Chapter 115 Awarding the Medal of Major General

This thought exploded in Zhen Hai's mind like a clap of thunder, causing his burly frame to shudder violently.

He remembered the simple stone tablet core that Dean Mountain Sinking Deep Abyss had given Lin Yuan before he departed.

So that was it.

That wasn't some simple life-saving trump card at all.

It was the supreme power containing a single strike from an Emperor!

...

At the same time.

The martial artist network in Yan Country, and even across the globe, had been completely set ablaze.

During the battle of Baoan City, the military's profound yellow treasure mirror had made a remote recording.

Although the final footage of the Emperor's manifestation was directly encrypted and sealed by the highest authority, combat clips of Lin Yuan single-handedly guarding the West City, slaughtering a million-strong beast tide, and even clashing head-on with an Emperor Realm Demon were edited and released immediately after the battle.

[Pinned][Hot]: "An Eighteen-Year-Old King Realm! The young god of the human race Lin Yuan Slayed an Emperor Realm Demon and Held a City Alone!"

Less than ten minutes after the post was published.

The view count instantly surpassed a hundred million!

The comment section refreshed at a terrifying speed of tens of thousands of messages per second, directly causing the servers of Yan Country's largest martial artist forum, "Tianwu," to crash three times in a row.

"Holy crap! Is something wrong with my eyes? Is that Lin Yuan?! Wasn't he in the Sect Realm? It's only been a few days, and he's already in the freaking King Realm?!"

"The person above me, your focus is all wrong! The key is that last part! He went head-to-head with that bull-headed Emperor Realm Demon! A King Realm clashing with an Emperor Realm—my god, is that even something a human can do?"

"The video was cut, so they didn't show how that last Emperor Realm Demon died, but you can tell even with your toes that it was definitely killed by the great god Lin Yuan! The title 'young god of the human race' is truly well-deserved!"

"Hahaha! The faces of those fools at Heavenly Dome Academy are probably greener than pig liver right now! Their guts must be twisted with regret, right? Long Jiuxiao? Baili Ba? Now they don't even have the right to carry Great God Lin Yuan's shoes!"

The online carnival was like a storm, rapidly sweeping from within Yan Country to the rest of the world.

The youngest King Realm Expert in history.

An existence that, with a King Realm body, could slay those in the Emperor Realm.

On this night, the name Lin Yuan achieved godhood in the hearts of countless martial artists.

...

Yuanwu Academy, the bamboo forest on the back mountain.

Azure Nether Sword Emperor and Mountain Sinking Deep Abyss sat opposite each other, their game of chess having just reached the mid-game.

Suddenly.

Mountain Sinking Deep Abyss's hand, holding a white piece, froze in mid-air.

His aura, as heavy as a mountain, showed an extremely subtle, unknown ripple.

"My power... has been used."

Mountain Sinking Deep Abyss's voice was low as he placed the chess piece on the board, letting out a crisp click.

Azure Nether Sword Emperor held a black piece and didn't even look up.

"The result."

"Baoan City is safe. That child is also safe."

Mountain Sinking Deep Abyss's answer was calm, but Azure Nether, who knew him well, knew what kind of monstrous waves were currently surging in this Prison Suppressing Emperor's heart, which was usually as still as an ancient well.

"Not only is he safe, he has also... broken through to the King Realm."

Snap.

The black piece in Azure Nether's hand landed on the board.

He finally looked up, his eyes so clear they seemed to reflect the heavens, as he stared directly at his old friend.

"From a cultivation level to the First Star of the King Realm, it's been... less than half a month."

"Such speed is unprecedented throughout the ages."

Mountain Sinking Deep Abyss nodded, and on his square face that hadn't changed in ten thousand years, a rare, unspeakable complexity emerged.

"The Emperor's will I left behind was originally intended for him to deal with a certain-death situation below the Emperor Realm. I didn't expect it to be used so soon."

He paused, then changed the subject.

"Furthermore, the opening of the Purgatory Rift outside Baoan City was too suspicious. It didn't seem natural, but rather... man-made."

The moment those words fell.

The temperature in the entire bamboo forest suddenly plummeted to the freezing point.

The surface of the clear tea in front of Azure Nether Sword Emperor, which was still steaming, instantly froze over with a layer of bone-white frost.

He remained as calm as a breeze, but his fingers, which had been holding a chess piece, lightly tapped on the board, producing a sound that struck the soul.

"You mean."

"Someone is plotting against my student."

"Trying to use the demons to get rid of him."

Mountain Sinking Deep Abyss didn't speak, only remaining silent, and silence was an admission.

Azure Nether Sword Emperor smiled.

The smile was faint, yet it plunged the entire bamboo forest into absolute silence.

The wind stopped.

The bamboo leaves no longer swayed.

Even the flow of air completely solidified.

"Very well."

He spat out those two words and gently placed the black piece back into the chess box.

"It seems there are always some things in this world that don't know the meaning of death and have forgotten the taste of a sword."

...

Yan Country, Purple Dragon City, the Military's Supreme War Room.

The atmosphere was as solemn and chilling as iron.

On both sides of the long table sat military giants with brilliant general stars on their shoulders.

At the head of the table, General Qin Zhenyue's expression was resolute, possessing a natural authority without even being angry.

On the virtual screen in front of him, the god-like figure of Lin Yuan single-handedly holding back a million-strong beast tide outside the West City wall of Baoan City was playing on a loop.

One could hear a pin drop in the meeting room.

All the battle-hardened generals were so shaken by the figure on the screen that they lost their composure, unable to utter a single word.

After a long time.

Qin Zhenyue turned off the screen.

HeLooking around the entire venue, his voice heavy and stable like a mountain.

"You've all seen it."

"I have decided to make an exception and award Lin Yuan the rank of Major General."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire meeting room instantly erupted!

"What?!"

"General, this is against the rules! He's only eighteen!"

"Exactly, the rank of senior colonel was already an unprecedented exception; promoting him to Major General has no precedent in the history of the military!"

An extremely senior Lieutenant General stood up and spoke earnestly.

"Commander Qin, we are not questioning Lin Yuan's achievements; the merit of this battle is earth-shaking! However, military rank promotion concerns the nation's dignity and the military's soul; it cannot be treated lightly!"

Voices of opposition rose one after another.

Qin Zhenyue just listened quietly.

He didn't slowly stand up until all the voices had died down.

A terrifying pressure that seemed capable of crushing mountains instantly enveloped the entire meeting room!

"Rules?"

Qin Zhenyue's voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Rules are set by people."

"When rules become shackles for a genius, then those rules should be changed."

He extended a finger and tapped heavily on the table.

"An eighteen-year-old in the King Realm!"

"An eighteen-year-old slayer of Emperors!"

"Tell me, in the history of Yan Country, has there ever been one?!"

"Tell me again, is his merit of defending Baoan City and saving hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians not enough to award him the rank of Major General?!"

Total silence filled the room.

Qin Zhenyue took a deep breath, his tone becoming more solemn than ever before.

"Gentlemen, times have changed."

"What Yan Country needs is not a rulebook that sticks to conventions, but a... god who can stabilize the nation's destiny!"

"Lin Yuan is the god we need!"

"My mind is made up. This is an order, not a discussion."

After saying that, he ignored the shock on everyone's faces and turned to stride away.

Back in his office, Qin Zhenyue pulled up another SSS-level encrypted file.

On the cover of the file were two shocking gold-leafed characters.

[Baili]

He looked at the information on the Baili Imperial Clan, remaining silent for a long time.

After a long while, a low sigh echoed in the room.

"For the sake of so-called face and control..."

"In the eyes of people like you, have the lives of your own kin and the ferocious demons become tools that can be used and sacrificed at will?"

...

Baili Imperial Clan, the Council Hall.

*Smash!*

A warm white jade teacup was slammed onto the ground, exploding into powder.

Baili Jiang sat in the main seat, his burly body trembling violently from extreme anger.

Below the hall, a group of imperial clan elders stood with their heads bowed, their breathing having come to a standstill.

Baili Lei's Life Tablet had shattered.

The plan for Baoan City had completely failed.

That little brat named Lin Yuan not only didn't die but instead rose to the heavens in a single step, becoming a hero revered by thousands!

"Trash! A bunch of trash!"

Baili Jiang roared in anger, his pressure as an Emperor Realm Expert making the entire hall hum and the pillars tremble.

"Who can tell me what on earth is going on?!"

"A Peak King Realm went to kill someone in the Sect Realm and was actually killed instead?!"

"Where is Mou Cang? What about that Second Star of the Emperor Realm demon? How did it die?!"

An elder stood up tremblingly, his voice shaking.

"Clan... Clan Leader, according to the scattered news sent back, Mou Cang... was killed by a single palm strike from an Emperor's manifestation that descended from the sky."

"An Emperor's manifestation?"

Baili Jiang was stunned for a moment, then a hideous distortion appeared on his face as he laughed sinisterly.

"I knew it! I knew that a mere brat like him couldn't possibly have that kind of power!"

"It's a trump card! It must be a life-saving trump card left to him by some old fogey!"

He slammed the armrest, leaving clear fingerprints in the hard dark-gold metal as he suddenly stood up.

"A trump card of this level is one fewer every time it's used! I don't believe he has a second one!"

Baili Jiang paced back and forth in the hall, the shock and anger in his eyes gradually replaced by an even more sinister malice.

He stopped pacing, every word sounding as if it were squeezed out from between his teeth.

"This time, he got lucky."

"Pass down my order: temporarily scale back all operations against Lin Yuan and leave no evidence behind."

"But keep a death grip on his every move!"

A chillingly cruel look flashed across Baili Jiang's face.

"I want to see exactly how many trump cards you have!"

"Next time, you won't be so lucky!"