Chapter 60: Treat Equally Without Discrimination

Chapter 60: Equal Treatment

The light screen within the martial arts room slowly dissipated.

The execution dossier bearing the Imperial Tribunal’s emblem, along with the blood-red, glaring characters for “execute,” vanished from sight.

Yet the shock it had delivered remained, like a heavy boulder pressing down on every student’s heart.

The entire martial arts room was still shrouded in a heavy silence, a mixture of awe, confusion, and deep contemplation.

Wu Shangfeng did not give them much time to digest or discuss.

He raised his hand and lightly tapped his wrist terminal; a new list materialized before him.

“Now, I will announce the merit point rewards for this practical mission.”

His voice pulled everyone’s thoughts back from the distant Hell-IV planet and the iron-fisted rule of the Imperial Tribunal, grounding them once more in reality.

Merit points.

They were the coldest, most crucial numbers determining how many resources they could obtain at Qiyi High School and how far they could go.

Everyone instinctively held their breath.

“Qin Feng.”

Wu Shangfeng spoke the first name.

He paused, his sharp gaze landing on Qin Feng.

“In battle, you performed outstandingly, slew the leader, and turned the tide. Original reward: 100 merit points.”

At these words, a faint sound of gasps arose from the crowd.

One hundred points—nearly three times the highest reward from the last Gamma-7 mission.

However, Wu Shangfeng’s tone immediately shifted.

“But, due to your wavering resolve at a critical moment, your hesitation caused a tactical disconnect, placing your teammates in danger. This constitutes a major error.”

“According to Article 17 of the Qiming First Advanced Martial Arts High School Practical Combat Regulations, your merit point reward is reduced by 50%. Final reward for this practical mission: Qin Feng receives 50 merit points.”

This result left many students stunned.

From 100 points slashed directly to 50.

The punishment was undeniably severe.

Yet, as the one directly involved, Qin Feng showed no trace of surprise or dissatisfaction.

He stepped forward once more and gave a slight bow toward Wu Shangfeng at the podium.

“Student Qin Feng has no objections.”

His voice was calm.

Merit was merit, fault was fault.

He accepted it cleanly and decisively.

Wu Shangfeng nodded slightly, his gaze shifting to the next name on the list.

“Shi Potian. In battle, you showed courage in taking responsibility, dared to face the strong enemy head-on, and bought precious time for the team. Outstanding performance. Reward: 80 merit points.”

“Chu Lan. As temporary commander, your tactical deployment was clear; you led from the front. Though you were outmatched, your bravery is commendable. Reward: 70 merit points.”

“Qian Duoduo. You held the line, used yourself as a shield, and defused crises for your teammates multiple times, perfectly fulfilling your duties. Reward: 70 merit points.”

“…”

Wu Shangfeng read out each name and corresponding merit points with an expressionless face.

The entire distribution of merit points reflected absolute clarity between merit and fault, and a results-oriented approach.

All students who had dared to charge, dared to draw their blades, and achieved effective results in battle received high merit point rewards.

Those who had hesitated in battle received pitifully few points, some only symbolic.

“These are the merit point results for this mission.”

Wu Shangfeng put away the list and swept his gaze across the room.

“Any questions?”

Qin Feng, Shi Potian, Chu Lan, and the others shook their heads in unison.

“No.”

Though the students with lower points could not hide their disappointment, no one raised any objections.

The bloody battle replay was the best yardstick; they clearly understood that the gap between them and the top students lay not only in strength but also in mental fortitude.

“Good.”

Wu Shangfeng nodded slightly, satisfied with the students’ attitude.

He continued announcing the subsequent arrangements.

“Tomorrow, we will hold this month’s second comprehensive cultural course monthly exam. The results will be directly tied to your merit points. I hope you all prepare well.”

“Additionally, after the monthly exam, students whose vitality index and comprehensive assessment meet the standards may submit promotion applications to me. Upon passing the assessment, you will be promoted to the second year.”

“One last thing.”

His gaze lingered a moment longer on Qin Feng, Shi Potian, and a few other students with generous merit points.

“In twenty days, the annual Qiming Star Inter-School League will be held. This is the highest-standard competition involving all martial arts high schools on Qiming Star, divided into freshman and senior divisions. Students who wish to participate, after upgrading your contracts to C-level, may come to me to register.”

Inter-School League!

These four words, like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, instantly stirred ripples in the students’ hearts.

It was the true stage where genius clashed with genius.

The best shortcut to fame, vast resources, and higher-level attention.

Having announced everything, Wu Shangfeng glanced at the clock on the wall.

“Dismissed.” He left those two words, and his figure, just as it had appeared, vanished silently into a distortion of space.

With the teacher’s departure, the stagnant, oppressive atmosphere in the martial arts room finally loosened.

Students dispersed in twos and threes. Some headed toward the medical pods to treat their injuries;

some silently packed their equipment;

others began discussing everything that had just happened in low voices.

—

Meanwhile.

Deep within Qiming First Advanced Martial Arts High School, in a larger, more solemn martial arts room.

The principal, Professor Gu Yue, and dozens of core instructors from Qiyi High, their auras profound and imposing, stood quietly.

Before them, a massive holographic screen displayed nearly three hundred different images simultaneously, like a mosaic wall.

That was the complete recording of the second practical combat class for all first-year classes, which had just concluded.

Some classes, when facing the enemy, advanced and retreated with discipline, decisive in their strikes.

Other classes descended into chaos, with students gravely injured, scenes so dire that mentors had to intervene urgently.

But most classes, like Class Three of the First Year, fell into a long, oppressive silence after completing their mission.

“The data is out.”

A mentor responsible for information aggregation reported in a low voice.

“In the first year, there are a total of two hundred and ninety-three classes. During the post-battle review, seven classes explicitly questioned the mission’s background and the enemy’s motives to their lead mentors.”

“Another two hundred and sixty-one classes, though no student stepped forward to question, showed through emotional fluctuation and psychological activity monitoring that over eighty percent of students experienced significant, similar ideological fluctuations.”

“The remaining twenty-five classes had students with stable emotions, raising no doubts about the mission.”

“The classes that raised questions are: Class Three of the First Year, Class Seven of the First Year, Class One Hundred and Twenty-Three of the First Year, Class One Hundred and Seventy-Nine of the First Year…”

“Snap.”

The principal raised his hand, shutting down all holographic projections.

The martial arts hall returned to brightness.

Professor Gu Yue, with his goatee, stroked his beard, a trace of worry on his face. He sighed and looked toward the principal beside him, whose form was as imposing as a mountain.

“Principal, for these freshmen who have been enrolled for less than two months, conducting practical lessons of this level—isn’t the impact too great for them now? In previous years, we only started gradually exposing students to this in their sophomore year, when their minds were more mature.”

The other mentors present said nothing, but their expressions largely echoed Gu Yue’s view.

This time, the school’s “torment” of the new students seemed… a bit excessive.

Every meticulously chosen mission was like a sharp scalpel, ruthlessly exposing the bloody, brutal side beneath the empire’s glorious facade before these freshmen.

“It’s precisely this great impact that we need!”

The principal’s voice was steady and resonant, like a great bell tolling through the martial arts hall.

He turned, his gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping over every mentor present.

“Ladies and gentlemen, as meditation deepens, the freshmen’s spiritual power will grow day by day. Their thinking will become increasingly clear and expansive.”

“And a clear-thinking person will inevitably begin to ponder. They will think about who we are, why we fight, and the empire’s past, present, and future.”

“At that point, they will possess the ability to discern right from wrong, to distinguish truth from falsehood.”

“Our Qiming First Martial Arts Senior High School does not aim to cultivate killing machines, nor traitors…”

The principal’s voice suddenly rose, filled with an unyielding authority.

“What we aim to cultivate are future military strategists capable of standing alone and guarding a domain, philosophers who fathom the universe’s truths and pass on the torch of civilization, martial artists who break their own shackles and pursue the pinnacle of martial arts…”

He paused, his tone now laced with a cold, undisguised sarcasm.

“Forcing students to praise the empire ten thousand times, to glorify the emperor ten thousand times—none of that compares to letting them, in the midst of blood and fire, see with their own eyes, hear with their own ears, feel with their own bodies, and then figure out for themselves what is right and what is wrong! What is glory and what is shame!”

“The former only breeds ignorant fanatics and hypocritical opportunists, with severe side effects!”

“The latter, though cruel and painful, can forge, amidst blood and fire, true warriors with independent personalities and unwavering convictions!”

“I do not want my students from Qiming First High to be easily swayed by those filthy things in the Warp with a few words. Nor do I want them to be seduced by the beasts within the empire—those who enjoy the peace and comfort bought by their fathers’ lives while hiding under the shade of their family trees, slandering the emperor and the empire!”

His words struck like thunder, ringing with clarity.

The mentors, who had harbored doubts, now showed expressions of realization and agreement.

They understood the principal’s profound intent.

This was a preemptive “vaccination” of the mind.

Using controlled, brutal reality to stimulate the students’ own “ideological immunity.”

“Principal, we understand.”

Professor Gu Yue nodded first, his expression turning solemn.

“Good.”

The principal nodded, his face returning to calm.

“Since you understand, the next steps require your implementation.”

“Handle the follow-up ideological education well. Engage in one-on-one communication with students, especially those with significant emotional fluctuations during the missions. Ensure no psychological issues arise.”

“From today onward, the practical lessons for the first year will only become harsher and more painful. Let them adapt to the true nature of this universe as early as possible.”

A mentor stepped forward and asked, “What about the second and third-year students?”

“Equal treatment.”

The principal gave an answer with no room for negotiation.

“Understood.”

“Good.”

The dozens of mentors present responded in unison, their voices filled with resolve.

(End of chapter)