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He might be able to pierce through Qianye’s origin defenses with greater effort, but he was a character on the same level as Zhao Xuanji—it would be too shameless for someone of his status to try again after failing the first time. Moreover, Zhao Xuanji was casting a gaze of ill-intent at him. Was he supposed to explain to this old rival that he had failed to see through a youngster in one try?

As one who had experienced numerous winds and waves, Bai Songnian quickly recovered from his loss of composure. A smile reappeared on his face as he nodded. “Indeed extraordinary and deserving of the Zhao clan’s courtesy.”

“You’re too kind.” Qianye’s brows rose slightly as he accepted this tentative complement. His attitude was neither servile nor overbearing.

The Bai and Zhao clan motorcades arrived side by side at the command center and parked in the open space outside of the gates. All vehicles apart from those of Zhao Xuanji and Bai Songnian had to stop here—even Zhao Jundu and Bai Aotu weren’t exceptions.

A high platform had been constructed in the largest drill grounds at the command center. The atmosphere was solemn with Ironclad Guards standing around the area in large numbers.

Powerful aristocratic leaders like Zhao Xuanji naturally sat at the center of the platform, while the lesser nobility and leaders of second-rate army corps were seated at the periphery. The others could only sit within the drill grounds, but Qianye and the others had seats in front of the platform. There was an area there marked out according to the rankings of the nobility.

Zhang Boqian’s seat on the platform was empty, but even so, no one in the field dared cause a clamor. Most of the familiar clans would only exchange greetings at most, with hardly anyone engaging in lengthy discussions. Apart from that, the only thing to do was wait silently for the ceremony to begin.

Qianye stood for some time within the Zhao clan lineup before he heard the long cry of a bugle horn. The bold melody reverberated throughout the camp for a good while before receding.

The three bugle calls followed by three drumbeats shook the hearts of everyone present—it was as though a boundless might had descended upon them.

Qianye looked up at the stage after sensing something. There, he saw that a heroic man had suddenly appeared in the central seat. The man was merely sitting there, but Qianye felt as though there was a tall mountain peak rushing at him—he could hardly breathe for a short moment.

Zhang Boqian spoke as the drums had faded away. “From the bloody battle to the end of the campaign at Giant’s Repose, it can be said that the empire had stood united against the enemy and made great contributions. Since its foundation, our Great Qin Empire has always rewarded contributors generously. Today, this monarch will award the meritorious soldiers in His Majesty’s stead, so that they can be viewed as the role models of every army.”

Zhang Boqian’s voice wasn’t that clear and resounding, but it washed over the entire imperial camp and rang clearly in everyone’s ears. Moreover, his voice wasn’t limited to the imperial camp—it grew sharper and sharper as it spread out in all directions, ending in a rumbling thunder far in the distance.

In the wilderness outside of the camp, dozens of figures popped out from under the ground and within the grass. They rolled about on the ground in great agony, blood flowing out of their noses and mouths until their last breath. These were spies the Evernight side had left to collect intelligence. They were well-hidden at first, but who would’ve thought they would lose their lives in this manner?

At this moment, an Ironclad Legion soldier delivered a tray with a large bowl of strong wine on it. There were other people shuttling between the soldiers on and below the platform, distributing wine to everyone.

Zhang Boqian stood up and raised his bowl. “It’s said that a general conquers at the expense of myriad lives. Our glory today was actually bought using the fresh blood of countless comrades. Before we proceed with the bestowments, I would like to drink with all of you as an offering for the departed.

The audience was solemn as they followed Zhang Boqian’s ritual and emptied the bowl of strong wine.

The bowl of alcohol felt like fire as it entered Qianye’s stomach. During his momentary daze, the faces of past comrades crept into his blurry vision. For a brief moment, his entire being was filled with a bleak chill that caused him to sigh.

With that, Zhang Boqian returned to his seat and a champion beside him delivered a list of names. Zhang Boqian scanned the list and said with a nod, “The awards this time will tally up the contributions from the bloody battle, Giant’s Repose, and for storming the Evernight main camp. What does everyone think about this?”

No one expressed any objection—neither those on the stage nor the ones below. Not all of the aristocratic descendants had taken part in three battles. This arrangement was inevitably disadvantageous to some, but they couldn’t find the reason to object since those who had fought in every battle faced the greatest risk. Moreover, it was certain that the emperor had read about this arrangement already. Even if there were some who wanted to object, they wouldn’t dare voice their opinion on such an occasion.

Zhang Boqian waited for a while, but the scene remained deathly silent. He then said, “First place, Bai clan’s Bai Aotu. First-class merit.”

These words caused the Bai clan to break into thunderous applause. On the stage, Bai Songnian’s eyes had narrowed into a straight line. He cupped his hands in every direction to accept everyone’s congratulations.

The Bai clan’s grandeur at this moment was peerless.

A first-class merit required one to kill an honored marquis. However, these characters were more or less the most powerful dark race leaders on the battleground. None of the other side’s main generals had fallen in the three battles, so it was likely that Bai Aotu had accumulated merit by killing at least two marquis-level dark race experts and other enemies of the same level.

Even so, it was enough to look down on the entire army.

The empire’s awards were generous, to say the least. She could exchange a grade-eight origin firearm or some other reward of similar value.

Bai Aotu was, as before, dressed in plain, white clothes. She took firm steps onto the platform and received an inscribed jade tablet from Zhang Boqian. This token was proof of her contributions and could be used at the imperial armory to exchange for items.

The Bai Aotu in Qianye’s expression was someone who could hardly be moved unless the earth and sky were to fall apart. But her hands were trembling slightly as she stood in front of Zhang Boqian to receive the tablet. Apparently, she was beside herself at this moment. This surprised everyone on and below the stage, including Qianye.

Bai Aotu’s loss of composure lasted for but a short moment. Her eyes quickly regained their clarity, and a tyrannical vigor rose again around her body. It was just that this power appeared rather weak in front of Zhang Boqian, much like a small tree before a majestic peak.

Even so, the major characters on the stage nodded in quick succession. Bai Songnian looked all the more pleased and seemed unable to keep his mouth closed. As a heavenly monarch, Zhang Boqian’s suppressive might was shocking even if he was simply standing there without any deliberate action.

Being able to release one’s vigor in front of him—even just a wisp of it—was no easy feat. Bai Aotu’s future prospects had been widely proclaimed by the Bai clan. This display of strength before the army and clans caused Bai Songnian’s expression to be filled with radiance.

Naturally, not everyone was praising Bai Aotu. Some of the clans that didn’t get along with them exchanged meaningful glances. It was considered bad manners to forcefully release one’s power in front of a superior expert—a narrow-minded individual would have already been offended by her.

No matter what people above and below the stage were calculating, Zhang Boqian’s expression remained the same. There was neither anger nor praise. It was as though Bai Aotu was no different from any other soldier in the drill grounds.

Zhang Boqian said with a nod, “You must serve the empire more in the future.”

A short speech of encouragement was customary after bestowing the award. Zhang Boqian’s words only followed tradition without any additional praise. This inevitably caused Bai Songnian to feel some disappointment. But he calmed down after some thought because this was Zhang Boqian’s natural disposition—he never showed favor toward anyone.

Someone duly led Bai Aotu back after she had put away the jade tablet.

Afterward, Zhang Boqian announced, “Second place, Zhao clan’s Zhao Jundu. First-class merit.”

This announcement immediately kicked up a great clamor.

Zhao Jundu truly rose to fame toward the end of the bloody battle, and his ascension to the champion rank was only a couple of months ago. Due to the presence of the Iron Curtain, the participants in the bloody battle were mostly below the count rank. As such, the contributions were limited no matter how many of them he killed. There were indeed marquises operating in Giant’s Repose, but it wasn’t possible for Zhao Jundu to kill these opponents at rank-twelve.

Although everyone admitted that Zhao Jundu was extraordinarily talented, he was still too young, and his origin power rank was limited. Many people couldn’t believe that he was in the rankings at all, much less ranked second.

The empire’s first-class merit required one to kill an honored marquis. In order for Zhao Jundu to obtain this contribution, he must’ve used sheer numbers to meet this requirement. Such a large number of kills proved that those at the same level might not even last a couple of moves against Zhao Jundu.

Hearing his name being called, Zhao Jundu stood up calmly and adjusted his clothes before walking onto the stage. Soon, he was standing before Zhang Boqian.

Zhao Jundu’s pose raised a hubbub of whispers upon and below the stage. This illustrious Zhao clan fourth young master had rarely appeared in public since his level-suppression five years ago. Hence, very few had ever seen him in person.

All eyes lit up after seeing him personally. Both Zhao Jundu’s appearance and temperament were beyond outstanding. Be it his allies from the Zhao clan or his enemies, everyone offered silent praise. They felt that his bearing alone was deserving of his title as the number one character among the younger generation.

Zhao Jundu, however, was frowning as he stood in front of Zhang Boqian. He could feel an invisible pressure upon him which made it difficult to even breathe, not to mention speak. Zhang Boqian wasn’t deliberately containing his power today. Just the vigor overflowing naturally from him was enough to make Zhao Jundu feel a certain pressure. It was as though a mountain was falling slowly onto his back.

Zhao Jundu’s origin power became fully activated on its own, poised to resist at all costs. His body trembled all of a sudden as a wisp of azure energy rushed into the sky and condensed therein, receding only after quite a while.

All those seated nearby were veteran experts with great insight. Someone immediately praised, “What a powerful azure energy!”

Zhang Boqian gave Zhao Jundu an extra glance and said with a slight nod, “Good foundations, keep up the good work. Do not be arrogant or become distracted by material gains, always maintain an unmoving heart.”

Zhao Jundu’s expression shifted slightly as he performed a military salute. “Thank you for your instructions, Your Majesty.”

Zhang Boqian spoke no more and simply handed the jade tablet to Zhao Jundu. The words “first-rank” were inscribed on the tablet. It was just that the golden characters were lined with a silver border, to differentiate it from a true first-rank merit.

Zhang Boqian only spoke a couple of extra words, but this caused everyone’s expression to change quite a bit.