Lu Fei shrugged, "Then we'll disband here and go our separate ways. I'm not interested in how you complete your mission."
He paused.
Then he leaned close to Tu Tian's ear and grinned, "After all, I'm first place."
A light remark.
Tu Tian's face immediately changed, turning from green to purple, like a pig's liver. He stumbled, thoroughly angered.
Damn it... There were too many people here, or he would have dealt with this arrogant fool already. When had he ever been treated like this!
Tu Tian clenched his fists and grabbed Lu Fei's collar, about to lash out.
At that moment, a timely interruption came.
"I think you need to explain."
"Shut up! I don't need your—"
Tu Tian blurted out, one hand gripping Lu Fei's collar, the other pointing in the direction of the voice. But in the next instant, he froze.
That direction was towards Di Wuhe.
"Teacher!"
Chen Fei reacted swiftly this time, leaping down from the podium. He wasn't acting to defend Di Wuhe, but feared Di Wuhe might, in a fit of temper, dismember someone's arm again.
Di Wuhe waved his hand, signaling that there was no need to be nervous.
Chen Fei breathed a sigh of relief and quickly looked at Tu Tian, saying sternly, "Tu Tian! Apologize to Councilor Di Wuhe at once!"
Tu Tian gritted his teeth. No matter how arrogant he was, or how powerful his family was, he wouldn't dare to repeatedly test the boundaries of life and death.
He had spoken out earlier because he felt he was in the right and had the courage.
But now it was different. Publicly insulting a councilor was a matter that could be blown out of proportion.
Weighing the pros and cons, he released Lu Fei and said reluctantly, "I'm sorry, Councilor Di Wuhe."
"Heh..." Di Wuhe let out a hollow laugh, his smile not reaching his eyes.
"Let's clear up everyone's doubts."
Tu Tian's already resentful heart felt even more aggrieved. To be suspected without cause, and now to be forced to provide a reasonable explanation. Although encountering those mission targets involved an element of luck, completing the missions was a matter of pure skill!
He glared at Lu Fei as if he wanted to kill him. This guy should be the one facing public condemnation, so why was he the one being targeted?
What made him even more furious was that Di Wuhe was inexplicably biased towards the other party!
After a long period of hesitation, Tu Tian knew that if he couldn't provide a convincing explanation today, it would be difficult to resolve the situation. Even with his powerful family, many of the students participating in the trial came from prestigious backgrounds as well.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and said word for word, "We discovered those mission targets by chance!"
The moment these words were spoken, a wave of murmurs swept through the crowd.
Discovered by chance?
Doesn't that imply that he relied on luck?
At this point, the expressions of the cadets who had been lightly scoffing at Lu Fei, thinking he was joking, turned to admiration.
They were now starting to believe that Lu Fei had completed the S-rank mission through sheer luck.
Someone whispered, "No wonder the organizing committee didn't release the specific details of the S-rank mission. It was a hidden mission!"
"Yeah... If only I had encountered it!"
Lu Fei remained noncommittal, listening to the scattered voices around him.
The key points he had brought up earlier for the trial journey were all fabricated on the spot. But upon careful reflection, they did hold some logic. Take his accidental completion of the S-rank mission, for instance. He was still confused about it now. For example, how he entered that alternate space, and why Huangfu Chenyi didn't take the mysterious black egg that he ended up with.
As he lost himself in thought, Chen Fei's voice rang out from in front of the podium.
"Since no one has any objections, I hereby declare this ranking list effective!"
"First place, from the team of Cang Town Beast Taming Academy, captain Ke Xin!"
As the announcement ended, there were no cheers from the crowd. Although Lu Fei had provided a somewhat passable reason, they were still unconvinced in their hearts. Why should their superior strength be overshadowed by others who seemed to have stumbled into victory?
"We're first place?" Tang Ao asked his companions with a blank expression.
Huang Huang swallowed hard, "I... I guess so."
Ke Xin frowned, "But we didn't complete any relevant missions..." She was more level-headed, worried that if the organizing committee made a mistake, it could cause considerable trouble.
Zhou Shuyi, as if she knew the whole story, folded her arms and said smugly, "Why do you care so much? Since they've given first place to us, we'll accept it. If the organizing committee made a mistake, I'll have my father take people to protest!"
She gestured towards Lu Fei, "Look at how smug Lu Fei looks. This mission completion must have something to do with him!"
All eyes turned to where Lu Fei and Tu Tian stood side by side, hands in their pockets, their expressions calm, a stark contrast to Tu Tian's flushed face. In terms of aura, Lu Fei did not yield at all.
They stopped dwelling on the result, deciding to ask Lu Fei for a clear explanation when he returned.
In front of the podium, after Chen Fei announced the results again, it meant that this ranking list could no longer be changed.
Tu Tian laughed in extreme anger.
He walked up to Lu Fei and whispered menacingly in his ear, "I'll come find you in Cang Town in a few days."
Lu Fei naturally understood the meaning behind his words. It was like a schoolyard bully's threat: "Stay after school!"
But such threats had no effect on him anymore. He said teasingly, "What for? I don't have money to treat you."
Lu Fei casually placed his hand on Tu Tian's shoulder and said in a friendly tone, "We don't really have any major grudges. If you care that much about this first place, should I return it to you? Consider it making a friend."
Tu Tian flung Lu Fei's arm away and sneered.
"I'm not interested in the rankings right now, but I am very interested in making you a cripple!"
With that, he turned around sharply.
"Sigh..."
Lu Fei rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
If someone else were threatened by Tu Tian like this, they would have likely fallen to their knees begging for mercy, because he always followed through on his threats. What could a noble do if they crippled a commoner? If caught, they could just blame their subordinates and pay some money.
But Lu Fei wasn't worried at all. After all, the most influential people in Cang Town treated him like a father...
Tu Tian suddenly turned back, his expression fierce, his fingers tapping in the air towards Lu Fei.
"Are you some kind of gangster?" Lu Fei thought to himself, seeing the typical gangster threat gesture.
On the square, the crowd slowly began to disperse.
This trial journey was destined to end with this less-than-satisfactory conclusion.
Lu Fei returned to his team, and his companions immediately swarmed around him.
"Old Lu! What's going on with this mission?"
"Yeah? Where did these points come from!"
They all spoke at once.
As expected, he couldn't escape being questioned. Lu Fei pressed his temples.
After careful consideration, he omitted many details, only telling his companions that he had fallen into a crack, but fortunately, he found something inside. Later, he encountered Councilor Di Wuhe, who told him that it was the deliverable for the S-rank mission, and that's what led to everything that happened afterward.
Upon hearing this, the companions wore expressions of bewilderment.
That works?... They were utterly dumbfounded.
"Alright, let's go back. We've been out for a few days, and it's tiring," Lu Fei said, stretching.
Everyone nodded in agreement, and the group headed towards the parking lot.
Just then, an urgent and angry voice called out!
"Stop right there!"