215: Chapter 215 Victory Celebration Banquet

Lin-hai Ruins Center.

Deep inside the Simulation Building.

The tightly shut ruin hatch suddenly lit up.

The staff waiting outside looked up abruptly.

"They're out!"

The heavy hatch opened.

Lu Cheng and the others walked out from the light.

Normal Source Qi returned to the air.

The terminals also recovered at this moment.

Lu Cheng looked down at the time.

Only five hours had passed in the outside world.

He had experienced so many days after entering Pseudo-Takamagahara, yet only five hours had passed outside.

"No wonder the System didn't refresh," he muttered in a low voice.

The two examiners were still standing at the entrance.

They had obviously seen most of the data through the external System.

The Dragon Kingdom representative looked at Lu Cheng and the others, his eyes filled with a trace of undisguised shock.

The Nordic Union examiner looked at Reinhardt to confirm he was still standing before heaving a slight sigh of relief.

The Dragon Kingdom representative spoke:

"The exploration of the simulation ruins has concluded for all teams."

"The final rankings are as follows."

The hall went quiet.

The light screen lit up.

[First Place: Dragon Kingdom Team]

[Second Place: Nordic Union]

[Third Place: Sakura Island]

[Fourth Place: Tianlan Ancient Kingdom]

[Fifth Place: Eagle Country]

Jiang Xuance immediately laughed out loud.

"First!"

Heavenly King Lin lifted his chin.

"As expected."

Reinhardt glanced at the scoreboard.

The Nordic Union's second-place ranking relied mainly on the large number of monster points killed during the Hyakki Yagyō, as well as the hidden mission on Daitengu Island.

If not for those points, they would likely have been suppressed by the Tianlan Ancient Kingdom.

Lan Jin looked at the rankings without saying anything.

The Eagle Country team had already been eliminated.

There was almost no room for a comeback in this exploration competition.

The Dragon Kingdom representative continued:

"The three events of the Youth Martial Arts Exchange Competition have all concluded."

"The total points are announced."

The light screen switched again.

[Dragon Kingdom: Fifteen points]

[Tianlan Ancient Kingdom: Five points]

[Nordic Union: Five points]

[Sakura Island: Five points]

[Eagle Country: Zero points]

[Final Result: Dragon Kingdom ranked first overall]

The whole hall was quiet for a moment.

Three events, Dragon Kingdom took first in all of them.

Fifteen points, full marks.

This couldn't even be called winning; it was a complete crushing victory.

Everyone was taken back to the first floor of the Simulation Building.

As soon as they walked out of the passage, the atmosphere became subtle.

Two elderly men from Sakura Island stood at the entrance.

One wore dark hunting clothes, had gray hair, and an aura as deep as an abyss.

War King Realm.

The other was thin with sharp eyes, and his aura had reached the Peak of the War General realm.

They had obviously been waiting for a long time.

When they saw Jinguji Ayane walk out of the passage, the expressions on their faces changed instantly.

Shock, astonishment... and a momentary panic.

The thin old man at the Peak of the War General realm reacted first and immediately stepped forward.

"Lady Ayane."

"What happened inside?"

Before he finished speaking, Jinguji Ayane had already looked up at him.

Her expression was very calm.

There was none of the previous submissiveness to arrangements.

Nor was there the usual deference when facing elders.

She just looked at him.

The Divine Power bell in her palm rang softly.

Ding-ling.

The old man's face turned pale instantly.

Jinguji Ayane spoke:

"Do I need to explain to you?"

Her voice was very light.

But at that moment, even the War King Realm old man next to her looked over.

The thin old man's body stiffened.

He felt a brand new aura of divinity from Jinguji Ayane.

The Legacy of Ame-no-Uzume was genuine.

His eyes changed several times, and finally, he lowered his head and took a step back.

"I dare not."

Jinguji Ayane did not look at him again.

She walked past the two old men, and when she passed Lu Cheng, her footsteps paused slightly.

She didn't turn her head, just said very softly:

"I will handle it well."

Lu Cheng nodded, "Just don't handle yourself out of existence; I look forward to the rest of your repayment."

A hint of a smile flashed in Jinguji Ayane's eyes.

"Rest assured..."

The team leaders soon came forward to pick up their people.

The two old men from Sakura Island followed behind Jinguji Ayane, their attitude significantly more cautious than before.

On the Dragon Kingdom side, Academic Director Zhao Mingshan had been waiting nearby.

He had his hands behind his back, and seeing Lu Cheng and the others walk out, a smile finally appeared on his face.

"Not bad."

"Well done this time."

Jiang Xuance immediately asked:

"Academic Director Zhao, are we going back to the hotel now?"

Academic Director Zhao Mingshan shook his head.

"Let's go."

"Everyone is waiting for you."

Heavenly King Lin was stunned for a moment.

"Everyone?"

Ye Beihan also raised his head.

"Who?"

Academic Director Zhao Mingshan smiled.

"You'll know when you get there."

Lu Cheng looked at his expression and suddenly felt a bit ominous.

Academic Director Zhao Mingshan led the group out of the Lin-hai Ruins Center.

Under the night, the high-rises of the Magic City were like a continuous sea of light.

Source Energy rails passed over the city, with silver-blue streams of light sliding into the distance in rows.

Xu Xinglan sat in the car, looking at the increasingly prosperous streets outside the window, and couldn't help but speak.

"Academic Director Zhao."

"This direction... why does it look increasingly expensive?"

Academic Director Zhao Mingshan smiled.

"Since you took first place this time, we can't just find any cafeteria to celebrate for you."

The motorcade soon stopped in front of a towering hotel.

This was one of the most luxurious hotels in the Magic City.

The whole building looked like a silver longsword standing in the night, with pale gold Source Array patterns flowing on the outer walls, and huge white jade dragon pillars standing on both sides of the entrance.

Above the main entrance of the hotel, a striking line of golden glowing text hung.

[Congratulations to the Dragon Kingdom Youth Exchange Team for winning first place in the International Youth Martial Arts Exchange Competition!]

Jiang Xuance just got out of the car, and his whole person became spirited.

"Whoa!"

"This level of prestige!"

Heavenly King Lin looked at the line of text, and the corners of his mouth also lifted slightly.

They had fought their way here, and they certainly hadn't won easily.

As soon as Lu Cheng walked to the hotel entrance, the sound of salute cannons rang out.

Bang bang bang!

Ribbons fell.

Sister Bai was wearing a formal dress, holding a microphone, and standing at the entrance of the lobby.

When she saw Lu Cheng and the others, her eyes lit up.

"They're here!"

"The Dragon Kingdom representative team is back!"

In the lobby, applause rang out instantly.

Lu Cheng looked up.

Then his footsteps paused slightly.

The lobby was full of people.

There were people from the Education Bureau.

There were people from the Martial Arts Association.

There were people from the Military District.

There were also directors from several top martial arts universities.

Several family elders were also sitting on the side, their smiles impossible to hide.

Mei Wushuang sat next to the main table, holding a teacup, and raised an eyebrow after seeing Lu Cheng come in.

Shen Guhong and Director Wang were also nearby, chatting about something.

And sitting in the center of the main table was actually a figure who could only be seen on TV...!

The Director of the Dragon Kingdom Education Bureau, Xue Xiangwan.

He looked to be around forty, with a gentle temperament, but his eyes carried great weight.

Just sitting there made the atmosphere of the whole hall steady.

Next to him sat a man covered in injuries.

The man had medical repair patches on half of his face, his right arm was wrapped in bandages, a metal fixation frame was faintly visible under his chest clothing, and his aura was extremely heavy.

Like a Vicious Beast that had just come off the battlefield.

Academic Director Zhao Mingshan lowered his voice to introduce.

"Military District He Sui, Division Commander He."

"War King Realm."

Jiang Xuance's mouth twitched.

"A Battle King is injured like this?"

Academic Director Zhao Mingshan looked at him.

"Just came back from the front line."

Jiang Xuance immediately shut up.

Lu Cheng had originally thought that when Academic Director Zhao Mingshan said "everyone is waiting for you," it would at most be the Dragon Kingdom Team having a meal internally.

As a result, looking at it now, this commotion was a bit big...

Lu Cheng looked at the seats in front, suddenly feeling a bit ominous.

"Academic Director Zhao."

"Where do we sit?"

Academic Director Zhao Mingshan pointed at the main table with a smile.

"Of course, over there."

Tang Zhiwei smiled lightly, holding Lu Cheng's arm and said.

"What are you afraid of?"

"This is what you deserve!"

Lu Cheng looked at her.

"You are quite calm."

Tang Zhiwei blinked.

"Anyway, you're the one being focused on."

After everyone was seated, Xue Xiangwan stood up first.

The hall went quiet instantly.

He looked at the Dragon Kingdom representative team, his voice clear and gentle.

"You fought very well in this exchange competition."

"Three events, all first place."

"It can be said that it exceeded all our expectations."

When she said this, her gaze fell on Lu Cheng, and a little smile appeared in her eyes.

"Among them, Student Lu Cheng, you have made an indelible contribution in this trial!"

Applause came from the hall.

Xue Xiangwan continued:

"The rewards have been drafted."

"All members of the representative team will receive a special Cultivation resource from the Education Bureau."

"Including high-level Source Stones, Mental Energy nourishing potions, Source Artifact exchange quotas, and an opportunity to access the deep-level permissions of the Dragon Kingdom Youth Martial Arts Database."

Jiang Xuance's eyes lit up.

Source Artifact exchange quotas!

Deep-level database permissions!

This was much more valuable than just giving money.

Xue Xiangwan added:

"In addition, because you won the overall first place in this exchange competition, the Dragon Kingdom will receive two extra spots in the next stage of the high seas ruins exploration."

Hearing the words "high seas ruins," many big shots present moved slightly.

Lu Cheng also raised his head.

Xue Xiangwan looked at them.

"These two extra spots will give priority to members of this representative team."

"If anyone in your team needs it, you can apply to the Education Bureau later."

After Xue Xiangwan finished speaking, the Vice President of the Martial Arts Association also stood up and spoke a few words.

The content was roughly that young people have a promising future, the Dragon Kingdom martial arts have successors, and everyone should continue to work hard.

Sister Bai was live-streaming and recording on the side.

The camera occasionally scanned Lu Cheng.

After the formal speech ended, the celebration banquet entered a relaxed segment.

Dishes were served one by one.

High-level spiritual meat, sashimi of sea exotic beasts, medicinal soup, spiritual fruit desserts.

Jiang Xuance was so moved he almost teared up.

"This is what you call a celebration banquet."

Heavenly King Lin picked up a piece of spiritual meat.

"The taste is not bad."

On the other side, He Sui walked to Lu Cheng with a wine glass.

His injuries were not yet healed, and his chest fixation frame creaked slightly when he walked.

But that sense of oppression polished on the battlefield still made the few young people around sit up straight subconsciously.

He Sui looked at Lu Cheng and laughed.

"Good kid."

"Are you Lu Cheng?"

Lu Cheng put down his chopsticks.

"Division Commander He."

He Sui looked him up and down.

"I watched the video."

"Fighting peers in the arena doesn't mean much to you anymore."

"Are you interested in coming to the Military District to see real combat?"

As soon as these words came out, the people at the table went quiet.

Jiang Xuance's chewing of the spiritual meat stopped.

Before Lu Cheng could speak, Mei Wushuang's voice came from the side.

"Division Commander He."

"You just came back from the front line, and you're already eyeing the students of our academy?"

He Sui turned his head and grinned.

"Director Mei, such a good seedling must go to the battlefield to see blood."

Mei Wushuang held her teacup, her expression faint.

"Lu Cheng hasn't even passed the selection period."

"If you abduct people to the Military District now, does the procedure for the Navigator Academy still need to be followed?"

He Sui tutted.

"Procedures can be flexible."

Mei Wushuang looked at him.

"Go tell the Dean."

He Sui was silent for a second.

Then he looked at Lu Cheng again.

"Have a chance to come to the Military District in the future."

"I'll show you something real."

Lu Cheng thought about it.

"I will definitely go if there is a chance."

He Sui nodded with satisfaction.

"Okay."

"As long as you have the guts."

He patted Lu Cheng on the shoulder with considerable force.

An ordinary person would probably be grimacing.

Lu Cheng sat steadily, not even shaking his water glass.

He Sui's eyes lit up.

"Your physical constitution is also good."

Mei Wushuang put down her teacup.

"Division Commander He."

He Sui raised his hand with a smile.

"Okay, okay, okay, I won't snatch him."

"I'm just looking."

In the second half of the celebration banquet, Director Wang from the Magic City Martial Arts University also came over.

He had a kind smile, and his gaze at Lu Cheng was like looking at a walking gold mine.

"Student Lu Cheng."

"You happen to be in the Magic City these few days."

"Our Magic Martial Arts is currently holding an internal competition."

"Are you interested in stopping by to take a look?"

Lu Cheng looked at him.

"Take a look?"

Director Wang's smile became even brighter.

"And provide some guidance."

Jiang Xuance almost laughed out loud.

"Director Wang, I could hear your abacus clicking from the side."

Director Wang remained calm.

"Young people exchanging ideas, you know."

"You represented the Dragon Kingdom and took first place this time, which is a great stimulus to our Magic Martial Arts students."

"Let them see what a real top-tier peer looks like, it also has benefits."

Lu Cheng raised an eyebrow.

"Free labor?"

Director Wang immediately waved his hand.

"Of course, there will be compensation."

"Magic Martial Arts has several special Cultivation Techniques and Source Techniques that cannot be learned outside."

"If you come to provide guidance for a match, we can open some learning permissions for you."

As soon as this was said, Lu Cheng's eyes finally became a bit more serious.

As a top martial arts university, Magic Martial Arts University must have some bottom-of-the-box Cultivation Techniques and Source Techniques. Going to Magic Martial Arts University for a turn and plucking some Cultivation Techniques would also be a good thing.

Lu Cheng answered readily, "No problem, but... to what extent should I provide guidance?"

Director Wang smiled and said:

"As long as they don't die, the academy can cure them if they are beaten crippled."

Lu Cheng nodded.

"Understood!"

The banquet hall was bright, and all night long... inside and outside the banquet hall, everyone had different calculations.