CHAPTER 167: CHAPTER 167: CONSECUTIVE PROMOTIONS, ONE GOOD THING AFTER ANOTHER

Senior Sister Die Wu bit her lip slightly and said somewhat sheepishly, "I want the Evergreen Fruit he has. Can you ask him what he wants in exchange for it? Contribution points? Demon materials? Refining Stones? Gemstones? Potions? Whatever he wants, I can give it to him!"

Meng Hongzhuang put her hands on her hips and smiled proudly. "Senior Sister Die Wu, of course I have Fang Zhou’s contact information. But it’s already nighttime, so he’s probably off training diligently somewhere. How about this: I’ll send him a message first, letting him know you want to trade for his Evergreen Fruit. Then, after the arena challenges are over tomorrow and the seed rankings are decided, I’ll take you to meet him. You two can discuss the terms of the trade yourselves. How does that sound?"

Knowing Meng Hongzhuang’s suggestion was sensible, Senior Sister Die Wu could only suppress the joy and anxiety in her heart and slowly nod. After a moment of thought, she asked, "Hongzhuang, do you know what kind of resources Fang Zhou needs the most?"

Meng Hongzhuang pondered for a moment before replying with certainty, "What he needs most are definitely Undead Attribute resources! Besides that, he needs resources that speed up Cultivation, especially those that accelerate Spiritual Power recovery, Skill practice, Meditation effectiveness, and Soul Recovery Speed. Of course, he definitely doesn’t need things like potions and Arrays that can be mass-produced in the military academy’s resource center."

As she spoke, Meng Hongzhuang smacked her lips, a look of envy crossing her face. She continued, "After all, Fang Zhou already has over a thousand contribution points and will soon be upgraded to E-level permissions. He also gets significant discounts from his No. 1 Seed status and the Undead Mage Research Group. He can exchange for any resource he wants from the military academy."

"Over a thousand contribution points?!" Senior Sister Die Wu exclaimed in surprise. "Haven’t you all only been Awakened for two months? Where did he get so many?"

Just as Meng Hongzhuang was about to count Fang Zhou’s assets on her fingers, Giant Bear Vini, who had been waiting for a long time, finally grew impatient.

"ROAR!"

It shook its head, unable to stop itself from letting out a low growl at its master.

Meng Hongzhuang snapped out of it and quickly soothed Giant Bear Vini by patting its paw. She then turned to Senior Sister Die Wu and said, "Senior Sister, there are many posts about Fang Zhou on the intranet forum, along with lots of videos of his fights. You can learn more about him beforehand; it’ll make your conversation with him tomorrow go more smoothly. I’m going to send him a message right now, and then I need to get more familiar with my [Natural Crown] Skill. I have to face a challenger with a bad case of eighth-grader syndrome tomorrow, and I can’t lose to him. It’s so annoying!"

Senior Sister Die Wu nodded and gave Meng Hongzhuang a grateful look.

Meng Hongzhuang opened her personal terminal and tapped on Fang Zhou’s profile. She was just about to send him a private message when she suddenly noticed the [Undead Mage Support Team] chat group she had pinned.

Introducing Senior Sister Die Wu as a major client to Fang Zhou should count as a small contribution, right?

She chuckled softly and opened the chat group.

[Bear Dominating the World] (Meng Hongzhuang): @Ordinary Apprentice Fang Zhou, a second-year Senior Sister from the Nature Series Professional Association, Liu Diewu, wants to buy the Evergreen Fruit you have. If you’re interested, I’ll bring her to meet you after the arena challenges end tomorrow.

After waiting for a while and seeing no reply from Fang Zhou, Meng Hongzhuang threw herself back into her intense Skill Training.

As the roars of beasts rang out, Senior Sister Die Wu was secretly filled with admiration.

Seeing Hongzhuang’s proficiency in commanding her animal companions, she’ll probably advance to Middle Rank Apprentice soon. The new generation surpasses the old. It looks like we’re about to be left in the dust.

She let out a gentle breath, stepped aside, and began browsing the intranet forum for posts about Fang Zhou.

***

Meanwhile, in the principal’s office.

Su Tiankuo sat imposingly in his chair and looked at the excited Lu Hu before him. "You’re decades old now. How can you still act like a greenhorn from twenty years ago? Wearing your heart on your sleeve like that... you have no composure!"

Lu Hu laughed heartily and handed a roll of paper to Su Tiankuo. "Commander, the military’s special promotion order has been issued. We can promote Fang Zhou tomorrow after the arena challenges!"

Su Tiankuo squinted at the promotion order in his hand, reading it word by word. "Junior Sergeant Fang Zhou has demonstrated outstanding merit and meets the conditions for consecutive promotion. In accordance with Article 88 of the Longxia Federation Military Rank Management Ordinance, he is hereby specially promoted to the rank of Senior Sergeant."

After finishing, Su Tiankuo shot a sideways glance at Lu Hu, who was beaming with uncontrollable pride. A sharp puff of air escaped Su Tiankuo’s nostrils. "I’m surprised those old geezers at military headquarters actually approved the special promotion application you submitted for Fang Zhou."

He turned his gaze back to the promotion order, unable to stop himself from shaking his head and sighing. "Tsk, tsk. Article 88 of the Ordinance allows for a two-rank jump. It’s been a long time since anyone has been worthy of that, hasn’t it?"

Lu Hu smiled. "During this Cave Hunting, Fang Zhou was the first to alert the academy to the appearance of the Desecration Torch. He also assisted us in eliminating and purifying the Desecration Core. Later, he used his Talent to find the remains of General Ning Feihu in the underground ant nest, an act of immense significance. If you ask me, if Article 88 didn’t cap the promotion at two ranks, Fang Zhou would absolutely qualify for a position as a Lieutenant."

Hearing this, Su Tiankuo snorted coldly, his eyes drooping. "Are you treating military regulations like a game? Promotion in military rank requires both merit and strength! Fang Zhou indeed performed a great service this time, but he isn’t even a Black Iron-rank Professional yet. He’s just a mere Apprentice. What strength does he possess to become a Lieutenant?"

Observing Su Tiankuo’s expression, Lu Hu said cautiously, "The military regulations are written in black and white, so of course, I accept them. Besides, the merit he earned this time won’t be written off just because it was enough for his promotion to Senior Sergeant. The next time he performs a meritorious deed, it will be added to this recorded achievement, greatly reducing the difficulty of a future promotion to Lieutenant."

"However," Lu Hu added, his tone turning somewhat defiant, "Commander, as for the issue of strength you mentioned, I don’t believe it applies to Fang Zhou at all. In just three months, he’s gone from an ordinary person to a Middle Rank Apprentice. He even possesses enough combat power to sweep through Cave No. 1. A prodigy like him, given a little time to grow, is certain to make unstoppable progress. He is more than capable of shouldering the rank of Lieutenant!"

Su Tiankuo sighed heavily and waved his hand. "The tallest tree in the forest is sure to be toppled by the wind. For us human Professionals, a military rank isn’t just an honor and a privilege; it’s an obligation and a responsibility. On the battlefield, those Abyssal Demons will prioritize concentrating their fire on high-tier human officers. And we humans, in turn, will give them an eye for an eye, prioritizing the elimination of their high-tier demon leaders."