53: Chapter 53 Promotion to Trainee

The first audit after the hall was finalized was not arranged in front of the mission stele, but between the inner and outer rings.

A low curtain of fire had appeared there. Inside the fire curtain were seats for formal members, and outside were seats for Candidates and Apprentices. It was not blinding, but it clearly delineated the boundary of authority.

Shen Qinghe, Zhao Ye, and Bai Ya were already seated in the inner ring.

They were not here to undergo the formal member audit. That step had been completed long before Torch opened. Multiple mission records, Ability Seed exchanges, basic standard equipment, performance at the longevity lamp auction, and no violation records had all made them the first generation of formal members of the Xinhuo Council.

So they were sitting here today to witness the next batch of people cross their own thresholds.

Lin Zhao stood outside the fire curtain, his expression calmer than usual. He was still wearing the standard jacket he had borrowed during missions, but the fire patterns on that jacket were not fully bound; they only lit up briefly when the mark heated up.

Xu Minglan stood next to him, holding an abnormal injury observation record. She was not looking at the inner ring seats, but at the audit text emerging from the stele.

Zero's voice sounded.

"Candidate Lin Zhao, entering Apprentice audit."

"Mission records: red shoes Candidate mission, old object probing mission, paper person knocking support, Torch field combat perimeter evacuation."

"Evaluation: stable action, obeys rules, possesses tendencies for protection and frontline assistance."

"Violation records: none."

"Recommended promotion: Apprentice."

The Mark of the Torch on the inside of Lin Zhao's wrist grew slightly warm.

The Xin Huo Interface unfolded before his eyes.

"Identity authority update: Candidate → Apprentice."

"Unlocked: Basic standard equipment exchange qualification."

"Unlocked: Level 1 Ability Seed exchange qualification."

"Unlocked: Low-tier collaborative missions."

"Core standard technique: Torch, insufficient authority, cannot be learned."

When he saw the words "Torch", his gaze paused.

Details could be viewed.

The effects, restrictions, coverage, and conditions for formal members were all written clearly. Even the problem of excessive landing impact like Zhao Ye's was marked as a risk case in the training suggestions.

But the button was grey.

Cannot be learned.

Lin Zhao was not disappointed; instead, for the first time, he felt his goal was concrete. He no longer just vaguely wanted to become stronger; he knew he had to exchange for an Ability Seed first, accumulate mission records, and become a formal member.

Zhao Ye saw his expression from the inner ring and grinned: "See the gap?"

Lin Zhao nodded: "I see it."

Zhao Ye had wanted to tease him a bit, but suddenly found that this kid answered too seriously, making it hard to continue.

Zero continued.

"Candidate Xu Minglan, entering Apprentice audit."

"Mission records: red shoes Candidate mission, crying face copper coin injury treatment, freezer breathing medical support, longevity lamp casualty observation, hospital abnormal echo recording."

"Evaluation: stable medical judgment, good sense of boundaries, proactively proposed abnormal injury observation rules."

"Violation records: none."

"Recommended promotion: Apprentice."

Xu Minglan's Xin Huo Interface lit up accordingly.

"Identity authority update: Candidate → Apprentice."

"Unlocked: Medical-type basic standard tool exchange qualification."

"Unlocked: Abnormal injury observation module."

"Unlocked: Medical route Ability Seed viewing and exchange qualification."

She clicked on the medical route.

"Cleansing Creator: abnormal injury treatment, pollution delay, purification tool strengthening."

"Guardian Lamp Medic: spirit echo stabilization, low-tier pollution sequelae observation, Guardian Lamp adaptation."

Both routes clearly listed initial effects, growth directions, exchange conditions, and contribution point consumption.

After reading, Xu Minglan's first reaction was not excitement, but calculation.

Her contribution points were still a bit short.

Not by much, but they were short.

Bai Ya noticed her expression from the inner ring and said in a low voice: "The fairest thing about the Xinhuo Council is that it won't give you a discount just because you're in a hurry."

Zhao Ye added: "The most unfair thing is that it's really expensive."

Shen Qinghe finally glanced at them.

Both fell silent at the same time.

Zero ignored this small interlude.

"Peripheral logistics collaborator Tang Zhiwei, authority audit."

Tang Zhiwei was not standing in front of the Apprentice fire curtain. Her position was outside the logistics porch, with a dark red seal projection hanging in front of her.

"Current identity: Peripheral logistics collaborator."

"New evaluation: longevity lamp auction identity cover effective; casualty transfer route effective; cleanup in the wealthy circle effective."

"Authority adjustment: Logistics Seal Holder Candidate."

"Unlocked: Safe House construction application, logistics fund pool limit increase, mission vehicle dispatch, casualty transfer route filing, material warehouse registration."

Tang Zhiwei saw that the "Ability Seed exchange" column was still locked, but her expression did not change.

She had long understood that the Xinhuo Council would not let her cross the threshold just because she had money. What she could truly grasp were resources, order, and logistics channels.

She nodded gently: "Accepted."

Finally, it was Zhou Yan.

He stood on the edge of the outer ring, holding the ash record book in his arms, his face paler than others, but he did not retreat.

"Archive collaborator Zhou Yan, authority audit."

"Mission records: red line directory, out-of-town anomaly data organization, longevity lamp folklore comparison."

"Evaluation: data judgment effective, folklore adaptation degree relatively high, psychological pressure capacity still needs observation."

"Authority adjustment: Archive collaboration authority elevated."

"Unlocked: Out-of-town anomaly archive low-authority access, folklore data entry contribution, Candidate observation continued."

Zhou Yan saw the words "Candidate observation continued" and breathed a sigh of relief instead.

It wasn't that he didn't want to progress.

He just knew very clearly that he wasn't ready to stand in the inner ring yet.

Lu Chen sat in the Fire Keeper's seat, taking in everyone's reactions.

This is what organizational growth looks like.

Not everyone leveling up together, not everyone getting abilities together, and not everyone being pushed to the front line.

Some become Apprentices.

Some remain in logistics.

Some continue to do archive collaboration.

Some sit in the inner ring, becoming the benchmark for the next batch of people.

The stele finally displayed a new prompt.

"Third-generation Candidate screening pool can be opened."

"Suggested screening scope: Qinghe City and surrounding cities."

Lu Chen looked at the scattered red dots on the Grey Net map.

"Open screening."

The fire patterns on the Candidate outer ring extended beyond Qinghe for the first time.

After the audit ended, Lin Zhao did not leave immediately.

He opened and closed his Xin Huo Interface, repeatedly looking at the items whose permissions had just been unlocked. Basic standard jacket, low-tier containment bag, movement route Ability Seed, protection route Ability Seed—each item had clear conditions written.

Visible, but out of reach.

This feeling was not comfortable, but it was much better than before, when he had absolutely no idea where the path lay.

Xu Minglan was also checking her medical route. In her interface, the Cleansing Creator and Guardian Lamp Medic routes were listed side by side. The former leaned more towards abnormal injury treatment, while the latter leaned more towards spirit echoes and low-tier protection. She knew she couldn't choose based on a moment of impulse. In medicine, choosing the wrong treatment plan could harm people, and the Torch route was the same.

Shen Qinghe walked up to them, not putting on airs as a Senior, but just saying: "Don't rush to exchange. Think clearly about where you want to stand in the future first."

Lin Zhao asked: "Did you think it through when you chose?"

Shen Qinghe was silent for a moment.

"I didn't think it through completely," she said, "but I knew that if no one saw the rules clearly, those who rushed up would die even faster."

Lin Zhao understood.

Zhao Ye walked over and patted his shoulder: "She's responsible for watching the rules, and I'm responsible for taking the hits. If you take the protection route in the future, don't just think about blocking in front. Being able to block is called guarding; not being able to block is called sending them to their deaths."

Bai Ya added from behind: "It's rare for him to sound like a human."

Zhao Ye turned back: "Can you not curse while complimenting someone?"

The boundary between new and old members became less cold because of these few words.

But the fire curtain was still there.

It reminded everyone that the Xinhuo Council could provide direction, but it would not spare anyone from the path that had to be walked.