Chapter 4977 – Small Punishment, Small Reward

Translator: Silavin & June

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

It was not difficult to achieve merits on this Black Ink Battlefield; however, it was difficult to gain large ones. Many might not even be able to obtain one outstanding merit throughout their life.

Yang Kai, on the other hand, had gained two large merits in less than a year after arriving at Blue Sky Pass, which was simply unprecedented.

With this, even if he made any mistakes, his merits were enough to outweigh them.

Lu An stated that he intended to favour Yang Kai, which he did, but the favouritism was reasonable and others could not argue with it because what he said was agreed upon by everyone present.

“He is just a Sixth-Order brat, yet he raced to the frontline of the battle. Though unintended, he accidentally discovered the hiding place of the Royal Lord, which interfered with his recovery and prompted the Black Ink Clan armies from the other three fronts to rush over as reinforcements. This provided an excellent chance for our armies to pursue and slaughter them. In addition, it also established the groundwork for the Old Ancestor to cause great harm to the Royal Lord. It could be said that this huge victory was all due to Yang Kai. The battle Blue Sky Pass faced might not have been as easy if he hadn’t snuck out. This was another huge merit!” Lu An added.

Now, Yang Kai had accomplished three great merits.

In one war, he had gained three great merits. This was never heard nor seen of.

When Zhong Liang heard that, he chuckled, “According to what Brother Lu stated, we have to reward Yang Kai properly. Brother Lu, even if Yang Kai is part of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, your favouritism is too obvious.”

“Of course, after talking about his merits, naturally, he has demerits too. Not to mention that he disobeyed orders on the battlefield and insisted on doing things of his will, because of him, the three fronts had to send out a portion of their men to aid him, putting countless lives at risk,” Lu An said with a slight smile.

Zhong Liang had to endure large risks as well, when he borrowed men from the other three fronts. If the war on the Western Front did not conclude in time, then the battle on the Southern, Northern, and Eastern Fronts would have become unsustainable. In the worst-case scenario, their defence lines would be broken through, resulting in massive casualties.

Although this did not occur, it was highly probable that it would have if the Royal Lord’s location had not been revealed, and his recovery had not been interfered with.

“It’s a big demerit to disobey orders, and it’s another to put others in danger as a result. For the time being, although his merits outweigh his demerits, I’d say we should neither punish nor reward him,” Lu An concluded.

Everyone in the Main Hall was silent. Lu An previously stated that he would side with Yang Kai, but how was this considered favouritism? Three great merits and two big demerits. There was still one great merit to be rewarded, but Lu An suggested not doing so. This obviously was not favouritism, on the contrary, it had the notion of repression.

However, everyone understood that Lu An was from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, and so was Yang Kai. Him only stating this was to avoid suspicion of being too biased. Although they were from the same Sect, that was of little importance on the Black Ink Battlefield; his relationship with those in the Inner Sanctum was far more critical. Only when Blue Sky Pass was one, cohesive force could they continue to repel powerful foes.

“No,” Ding Yao remarked, waving his hand, “If you’ve gained a merit, you will be rewarded, and if you gained a demerit, you will be punished. This is the rule. If merits and demerits can be cancelled out, it would become a mess in the future.”

Zhong Liang glanced at him and said, “Brother Ding, what’s your opinion?”

Ding Yao said softly, “That Brat has indeed accomplished a lot in this battle, so the punishment can’t be too severe. How about this? Since the battlefield needs to be cleaned, we’ll delegate him an area to be responsible for.”

“Can that even be counted as punishment?” Zhong Liang laughed.

Ding Yao replied nonchalantly, “We just need to do it for show. That boy is now extremely popular in the Inner Sanctum, if the punishment is too harsh, even our own subordinates won’t agree to it!”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Yang Kai held the key to purifying and eliminating Black Ink Strength. Who hadn’t heard of his name in the Inner Sanctum? Any one of them might need his help in the future, so it was only natural that they would try to get on his good side.

It was said that people were constantly going to Yang Kai’s residence with fine wine, wanting to pay him a visit.

There were also those that received his help while on the battlefield; in fact, many said at the time that if they were able to return alive, they would invite him to have a drink. They had all come to fulfil their promises now that the battle was over.

It was a pity that Yang Kai seemed to be in retreat and not meeting anyone.

Shen Tu Mo gave a light nod and said, “That’s a good idea. When that kid arrived at Blue Sky Pass for the first time, he was informed of the Inner Sanctum’s rules. Now that his punishment is settled on, what about this reward? He still has some massive accomplishments, so his rewards can’t be ignored, can they?”

Ding Yao responded with a smile, “Since it is a small punishment, the reward should be minimal as well. His Military Merits cannot be erased, so note them down for him for now, and he can exchange them for anything in the War Materials Hall at a later date. As for his position going forward... that’s a bit more complicated.”

When Ding Yao mentioned ‘complicated’, everyone knew what he meant. According to what Yang Kai accomplished, even promoting him to Battalion Commander was less than what he deserved.

However, this boy was only a Sixth-Order Master, so how could he take on the role of Battalion Commander? Which Battalion Commander in Blue Sky Pass was not a peak Seventh-Order Master?

If his ability was insufficient, he would be unable to convince his subordinates.

“I propose that he be promoted to Squad Leader for now!” Ding Yao stated while glancing at the crowd.

Someone instantly objected, saying, “I heard he’s only a Sixth-Order Master. His cultivation isn’t sufficient to be a Squad Leader, right?”

Although there were only a dozen or so people in in a Squad, as the Squad Leader, Yang Kai would be responsible for all of their lives. Being in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm was indeed too low.

Ding Yao smiled and replied, “He is indeed in the Sixth-Order, but which of you has seen a Sixth-Order Junior fight on par with a Seventh-Order Master before. His performance on the battlefield this time was more dazzling than many established Seventh-Order Masters. With the cooperation of Feng Ying, they killed no less than a dozen Feudal Lords, and don’t forget that this Brat can also transform into a Grand Dragon. In that form, his strength is comparable to a peak Seventh-Order Master. Strength is also something that can be improved with time. That brat advanced to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm initially and, after taking a Mid-Rank World Fruit, advanced to the Sixth-Order. So, he is also expected to reach the Eighth-Order in the future.”

Hearing what he said, everyone agreed.

“Then, according to what Brother Ding said, we’ll let him be promoted to Squad Leader, but one thing must be made clear. Whose Army will he be joining?” Liang Yu Long remarked.

Zhong Liang replied, “Of course he will belong to my Western Army! Feng Ying brought him here in the first place.”

Shen Tu Mo grinned meaningfully, “He is from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, and Brother Lu An is part of my Northern Army, shouldn’t he join us instead?”

Ding Yao chimed in immediately, “It’s not right for you to put it like that. No matter your background, we’re all one family on the Black Ink Battlefield. There’s no such thing as Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. I’d say that it’s preferable for him to come to the Eastern Army.”

The four Army Commanders glanced at each other; no one wanted to back down, obviously wanting to get Yang Kai to work under them.

Although each Army had a Purifying Black Ink Battleship and could utilize the Purifying Light stored inside of it, every Army still wanted a gifted talent like Yang Kai to join them.

As for the fact that his cultivation was not enough to be a Squad Leader, it was not mentioned anymore.

For a long time in the Main Conference Hall, the four Army Commanders argued back and forth while the many Division Commanders glanced around at each other helplessly.

The four Army Commanders going all out to recruit a single Sixth-Order Junior was unprecedented.

However, everyone knew of Yang Kai’s significance, so they could understand their motivations.

Nevertheless, there was no conclusion following the argument, and in the end, the problem could only be put on hold for the time being, with the decision being made to go back and let Yang Kai decide.

When the meeting finished, everyone left.

The four Army Commanders walked at the back, seemingly as friendly as if they had not just argued.

“Brother Ding, don’t you need to check in on the Eastern Army? Why are you walking in this direction?” Zhong Liang suddenly looked at Ding Yao.

“Just taking a stroll. Why do you care?” Replied Ding Yao, his hands folded behind his back.

Having said so, he indeed strolled off.

“Brother Liang, why are you walking this way too?” Zhong Liang looked at Liang Yu Long with a darkening expression.

Liang Yu Long laughed and said, “I have something to discuss with Brother Ding.” After that, he followed Ding Yao and left.

Then, Zhong Liang turned to Shen Tu Mo, who said with no courtesy, “These legs are attached to my body. Why does it concern you where they’re leading me?”

He then left with the other two.

“Bastards! A bunch of shameless old dogs who want to snatch what’s mine!” Muttered Zhong Liang.

A short while later, four figures arrived one after another at a certain courtyard.

There were a lot of residences in Blue Sky Pass for those in the Inner Sanctum. Blue Sky Pass could accommodate tens of thousands of people easily, and everyone had their own residence.

The higher the position, the better the benefits. This was Feng Ying’s home. As a Battalion Commander, she lived in her own courtyard. Though it wasn’t particularly big, it clean and well kept.

Yang Kai hadn’t had time to register, so he didn’t have a distinct identity in Blue Sky Pass, nor a permanent residence; therefore, he followed Feng Ying here after the battle.

Feng Ying swiftly emerged after sensing someone approaching. When she saw the four Army Commanders though, she couldn’t help but be shocked and greeted hurriedly, “Greetings, Sirs.”

Zhong Liang nodded lightly, cast a wary glance at the other three, and inquired, “Where is Yang Boy?”

“In retreat,” Feng Ying said, glancing in the direction of a private chamber.

Zhong Liang frowned, “How are his injuries?”

He remembered Yang Kai and Feng Ying’s miserable state when he carried them back from the battlefield. Feng Ying was even unconscious at the time.

“His injuries are fine, but…”

“But what?” Zhong Liang anxiously asked.

Feng Ying quickly answered, “But he said that he felt like he had the chance to break through. If his retreat this time is successful, he could advance to the Seventh-Order after leaving seclusion.”

Zhong Liang and the rest were both shocked and pleasantly surprised.

One of the Division Commanders in the conference hall mentioned that Yang Kai’s cultivation was too low for him to be promoted to Squad Leader, but it seemed this was no longer an issue. Since the chance for advancement had been recognised, reaching the Seventh-Order should be a given.

For a Squad Leader, being in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm was the most suitable.

The fact that Yang Kai suddenly entered retreat to advance to the Seventh-Order made Zhong Liang extremely excited.

[This brat could already exert such power while just in the Sixth-Order. If he advances to the Seventh-Order, how strong would he be?]

Thinking about it again, it was no surprise that Yang Kai felt an opportunity to break through.

Yang Kai snuck out of Blue Sky Pass and onto the battlefield this time, hoping to break through while facing death in battle, but events unfolded far differently than he had anticipated.

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