Chapter 136 : Chapter 136

Chapter 136. He Earned Exemption from Training and Shocked All the New Recruits

The instructor’s single sentence, “Challenge successful,” plunged the training ground of more than three thousand recruits into stunned silence.

Every last one of them had their eyes wide open, their expressions exaggerated with shock.

“Huh? We just took a nap, and then… we won?”

“Before I passed out, I remember the Divine Battle Division wiping us all out. So how did we win?”

“Could it be that someone didn’t lose consciousness and took down the Divine Battle Division?”

“Holy shit! Who the hell was that awesome?”

“…”

The crowd below the stage instantly burst into discussion, their gazes naturally gathering on Su Linyu, Tang Long, and Chu Xingchen. After all, they were the most talented and strongest students in the Central China Martial Arts Academy.

And not long ago, they had even won the championship of the Huaxia Team League.

If anyone could defeat a monstrous force like the Divine Battle Division, it could only be them.

“Damn, just as expected of members of a champion team. That’s insane.”

“This is definitely a milestone-level achievement in the Military District Internship. The Recruit Challenge has gone on for more than seventy years, and not a single class has ever succeeded.”

“This feeling of getting carried is amazing. Chief Instructor, does this mean we won’t have to train anymore?”

“…”

The recruits cheered for Su Linyu and the others, and they also cheered for the possibility of not having to train.

Jiang Feng, who was stuck in the middle of them, frowned deeply and stared at Jiang Yichen with dark eyes.

Su Linyu and the others had beaten the Divine Battle Division? That was impossible.

He had read their files. The weakest among them was at the peak of the Sixth Realm, and even with their cultivation suppressed, they could still dominate anyone at the same level.

How could three Fifth Realm cultivators like Su Linyu and the others possibly defeat the Divine Battle Division?

Suspicion surfaced in Jiang Feng’s eyes.

“Heh, exempt from training? You’re thinking too naively.”

On the stage, Zhou Yu stood with his hands clasped behind his back and announced, “In this Recruit Challenge, Jiang Yichen alone succeeded. Everyone else failed.”

???

Young Master Jiang!

The moment those words were spoken, every gaze turned toward Jiang Yichen, making him stop just as he was about to open his High-level Slacker Gift Pack.

Jiang Feng froze on the spot as well, his mind buzzing.

“Huh? Does that mean… Young Master Jiang took down the Divine Battle Division by himself?”

“No way, he’s that strong? I remember his rank in the martial exam being really low.”

“Not just the martial exam. He’s been at the bottom of the academy rankings for years, and his martial cultivation never improved. Even those rumors online about Young Master Jiang killing a sixth-rank peak demon beast during the martial exam were proven to be editing tricks and special effects.”

“I seriously missed out on a fortune. I didn’t even see how Young Master Jiang made his move. So he really was pretending to be weak.”

“Taking on the Divine Battle Division alone? That’s insane! I’m never believing those online bloggers’ analyses again.”

“But hold on, Young Master Jiang is one of the recruits too, so how can you declare that I failed, Chief Instructor?”

“…”

The recruits were utterly shocked, but at the same time, they were very dissatisfied with Zhou Yu’s words.

“Do any of you have any shame? You didn’t contribute a single bit, and you still want to claim the credit? I’m telling you right now, that’s impossible!”

Zhou Yu’s tone turned stern. His cold gaze swept across the recruits before he said seriously, “Other than Jiang Yichen, everyone will undergo normal training.”

“Jiang Yichen, although you have earned exemption from training, that only exempts you from daily drills. You must still participate in recruit wilderness missions, recruit assessments, and the rest. Do you understand?”

Jiang Yichen lifted his eyes and met the killing intent hidden in Zhou Yu’s gaze, then nodded with a smile. “I understand.”

For him, that was already more than enough. Daily group training made up over eighty percent of the routine, which meant he could now enjoy life in comfort.

As for recruit wilderness missions and recruit assessments, those had to be attended. Otherwise, he would not receive the official stamp for the Military District Internship.

“Good.” Zhou Yu nodded and withdrew his gaze. After taking a deep breath, he said, “Dismissed. Go eat and rest. Official recruit training begins this afternoon.”

After speaking, Chief Instructor Zhou Yu snapped to attention, turned left, and shot an irritated look at the Divine Battle Division standing on the other side of the podium. Without saying a word, he turned and left.

“Chief Instructor, the Divine Battle Division came to help us hold the field. Shouldn’t we treat them properly?” Instructor Huang stepped forward and asked.

“Treat them?” Zhou Yu snorted coldly. “Give them four meal cards. That’s good enough.”

The Divine Battle Division: “…”

Lingling, the soul body floating in the air, looked toward Mei Xue’er. “Minister, it seems like they dislike us.”

“It’s fine. We lost, so we can’t blame anyone else,” Mei Xue’er said helplessly as he turned and tapped his custom wristband.

His stunningly beautiful face gradually filled out, and black sideburns and a beard grew in, restoring him to the scruffy middle-aged man he used to be.

“Minister, the four of us used our full strength, and we still couldn’t force Jiang Yichen to use Law Power. The mission failed,” Liang Shan said dejectedly as he repaired his protective suit.

Lingling pouted. “Our very first mission ended in failure. The Commander-in-Chief is definitely going to be disappointed in us.”

But Mei Xue’er only shook his head and gave a sly grin. “A Martial Emperor who just graduated is already more than qualified to join the Divine Battle Division.”

“We’ll head to the cafeteria later and invite him to join.”

Lingling frowned. “Minister, are you sure he’ll agree?”

“The Divine Battle Division is second only to the Commander-in-Chief in rank, and with Jiang Yichen’s Martial Emperor strength, it would be a complete waste for him to stay in the Military District Internship.”

Confidence shone in Mei Xue’er’s eyes, and his beard curled upward with the grin. “If he refuses, then this lady will just… have the Commander-in-Chief issue an order.”

The moment he remembered that his Charm Art was useless against Jiang Yichen, he changed his wording.

“Haha, the Minister used to make people submit with Charm Art. That won’t work anymore,” Lingling said with a hand over her mouth, laughing.

Bearded Uncle Mei Xue’er frowned and swatted at Lingling’s head.

But his hand passed straight through her soul body, and Lingling stuck out her tongue. “You can’t hit me, you can’t hit me.”

“Enough fooling around. Let’s head to the cafeteria first.”

Mei Xue’er glanced at Jiang Yichen below the stage, surrounded by recruits, then led his team toward the cafeteria.

“Young Master Jiang, can I get your autograph?”

“Young Master Jiang, tell us how you crushed the Divine Battle Division. I really want to know.”

“Young Master Jiang, you’re incredible. Not only did you build a champion team like Spark, your own strength is this terrifying too.”

“Ahhh, I’m so jealous. Young Master Jiang, you don’t even have to train anymore. Wuuu…”

“…”

On the training ground, the recruits crowded around Jiang Yichen and the others, jostling and pushing against one another.

It practically felt like a celebrity fan event.

Looking at the pens and paper they were thrusting toward him, Jiang Yichen chuckled and took them, signing one after another.

He had become a star for once.

In his previous life, he had always been the target of ridicule behind his back among his classmates. The Jiang Family’s Eldest Young Master, hopeless at martial arts, and even a simp.

He had never once received this kind of attention from the masses. Experiencing it now actually felt pretty good.

A smile lingered on Jiang Yichen’s lips as he accepted the pen and signed page after page.

Beside him, Su Linyu’s eyes were filled with admiration. She clasped both hands together and held them to her chest.

“Brother Yichen is becoming more and more outstanding. I have to work hard and become better too, so I can be a qualified fiancée,” she thought with a sweet smile.

Tang Long and Chu Xingchen were happy for Jiang Yichen from the bottom of their hearts, but at the same time, they felt that odd mix of pride and pressure a man feels when his brother suddenly leaves everyone else in the dust.

Of course, the one who felt the worst was Jiang Feng. Watching Jiang Yichen being surrounded like the moon among stars, he clenched his fists tightly.

He could not understand it. He had long since planted informants around Jiang Yichen, and every report he received said the same thing: Jiang Yichen loafed around all day and never cultivated.

But if Jiang Yichen spent every day slacking off, why was his strength so terrifying?

Ever since the martial exam, Jiang Feng had been getting up at six every morning to cultivate his cultivation art, and after two months, he had only reached the eighth level of the Fourth Realm.

I’ve worked this hard, and I still can’t compare to a man who slacks off all day?

Jiang Feng lowered his head and slowly sank into self-doubt.