Chapter 449: Chapter 378: Commendation Ceremony

“Qin Tian.”

Dongfang Yue’s gaze fell on Qin Tian, and that look seemed to carry the weight of a mountain, pressing on him invisibly.

Qin Tian felt a tightness in his chest, his breath suddenly became strained, and the muscles on his back instinctively tensed.

“This time, the smooth sealing of the four spatial passages on the first layer of the Demon Suppression Abyss is greatly credited to you.” Dongfang Yue’s tone was calm, “However, I want to know, what exactly is the magic stone you used to seal the spatial passage?”

As expected, he asked.

Qin Tian thought to himself.

When he used the unique stone fragment to seal the passage, he knew this matter would not be easily overlooked by the Military Department, but he didn’t expect it would be Dongfang Yue and General Zhuge, the two big figures, who would personally inquire.

His fingers at his side slightly curled, yet he maintained his composure on the surface.

“Marshal Dongfang, General Zhuge.” Qin Tian raised his eyes to meet the gazes of the two, “This is the magic stone that sealed the passage.”

He took the inconspicuous stone out of his pocket and offered it with both hands, “I discovered it inside the Demon Source of the Infernal Demon Sea. Over the past few days, I have researched some materials and speculated that it is likely a…unique stone fragment.”

Unique stone!

As soon as the words left his mouth, two sharp gazes shot towards the stone in Qin Tian’s hand simultaneously.

The chaos in the void that engulfed the Central Star Realm back then was too tragic, and ultimately, the weapon that suppressed the void was the unique stone.

However, the chaos in the void happened in the Central Star Realm, so why did a fragment of the unique stone appear in the Demon Suppression Abyss of the Azure Wood Star Realm?

Could this newly appeared fourth spatial passage be related to the void?

Dongfang Yue took the unique stone, felt the rough touch with his fingertips, and the stone showed no energy fluctuations, nor any special luster, looking no different from a roadside pebble.

He tentatively injected green Spiritual Energy into it, but the magnificent Power of Holy Blood surged like a river, yet the stone was like a bottomless abyss, unable to stir even a single ripple.

Dongfang Yue’s brow furrowed tighter as he handed the stone to General Zhuge, “Qin Tian, tell us in detail how you obtained the unique stone.”

“Yes.”

Qin Tian responded and began to recount his prepared narrative.

The process of acquiring the unique stone involved some unspeakable details, such as how Blaze had sensed it, and he had transformed into a Silver-winged Demon to kill Yan Song, thus obtaining the Heaven-Burning Purgatory, implicating him in the crime of harming comrades.

Therefore, he merely said that while exploring the Demon Source of the Infernal Demon Sea, he inadvertently witnessed the unique stone absorbing the Power of Earth to nurture the Magma Demon King. So he stealthily took the unique stone using the Power of Space, which then led the Magma Demon King and another Tier Seven Demon, the Black Flame Lord, to kill each other.

The aftermath of the battle between the two Tier Seven Demon Kings destroyed the Demon Source, and ultimately, they both ended up severely injured, allowing him to profit from it.

After listening to Qin Tian’s account, Dongfang Yue’s gaze was as deep as an abyss, his fingertips gently sliding along the edge of the chessboard, as if contemplating something.

Meanwhile, General Zhuge lightly stroked the rough surface of the unique stone, and after a moment, he raised his hand to return the unique stone to Qin Tian.

Qin Tian received the stone with both hands, feeling a sense of joy in his heart.

He had initially feared that the Military Department would hold onto this fragment for research, given its connection to the secrets of the void and the spatial passages of the Demon Suppression Abyss, but he hadn’t expected it to be returned so easily.

“Take good care of the unique stone; it might still be of use in the future.” General Zhuge said with a faint smile, his gaze carrying a hint of meaning.

“Yes!”

Qin Tian straightened his back, his voice resonant.

If someone else had said those words, they might have been mere politeness, but coming from a demigod who could peep into the mysteries of the universe like General Zhuge, it inevitably sparked the imagination.

“That’s all for today.” Dongfang Yue said calmly, “Remember to attend the commendation ceremony this afternoon on time.”

“Yes!”

Qin Tian gave a standard military salute and turned to leave the room.

As the door closed, Dongfang Yue immediately turned to General Zhuge and asked, “What do you think?”

General Zhuge gave a faint smile, “He’s a sly one.”

“Daring to spin lies in front of two demigods—this young man certainly has some guts.” Dongfang Yue’s fingertips lightly touched the white jade piece on the chessboard, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.

“After all, he’s been nurtured by the Seventh Bureau, so his thoughts are naturally more agile than the average soldier.” General Zhuge picked up a black piece, about to place it, when his gaze suddenly focused, and his expression darkened, “Did you exchange the pieces?”

“What exchange? What are you talking about?” Dongfang Yue looked “bewildered,” as if completely unaware.

“The last white piece was clearly placed here.” General Zhuge pointed to a corner of the chessboard with a dark face, his fingertip almost touching the smooth stone surface, “How did it end up over there?”

“Wasn’t it always there?” Dongfang Yue raised an eyebrow, sounding confident, “Forget it, this move is contentious and unclear, let’s start over.”

Before he finished speaking, he quickly swiped his hand across the chessboard, mixing the black and white pieces into a chaotic mess, instantly erasing the original stalemate on the board.

“Dongfang Yue!!!”

The voice of General Zhuge’s anger abruptly echoed in the study, causing the window frames to tremble slightly.

……

“Phew, it’s finally over.”

Standing in front of the Military Department’s office building, Qin Tian looked at the flowing clouds above, his tense shoulders and back completely relaxed for the first time, and even his breath became much smoother.

The heart that had been gripped by an invisible pressure in the study was now slowly unwinding, as if a massive burden had been lifted from him.

The aura of two demigods was truly overwhelming; even though they hadn’t emitted the slightest ripple of Spiritual Energy throughout, just having their gazes sweep over him felt like a cold current climbing up his spine, making his heart involuntarily tremble.

Especially when recounting the origin of the unique stone, even though he had meticulously rehearsed his narrative to be flawless and controlled his breathing rhythm, tightening even the muscles at the corners of his eyes to prevent any hint of panic from showing, there was still an imperceptible sliver of anxiety hidden within him before those two mighty beings.

After all, General Zhuge is a demigod of the Zhuge Family, and with those eyes gazing at him, it felt as if they could pierce through flesh straight to the soul. Qin Tian even suspected that the esteemed general could deduce everything with a mere thought, seeing through his little secrets with absolute clarity.

He shook his head helplessly, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the unique stone in his pocket.

Some things are never meant to be brought to light.

If unspoken, others may suspect some underlying mysteries, but without concrete evidence, they couldn’t possibly resort to interrogation means with a newly commended officer.

But if he spoke, while it might gain him a reputation for honesty now, in the future, such matters could very well turn into hidden arrows aimed at him.

Thus, he could only walk a tightrope between truth and lies, wrapping eight parts truth in two parts fiction, making his narrative sound as seamless as possible.

Whether or not others believed it, he had to believe it himself first.

Qin Tian tugged at the corner of his mouth, smiling wryly as he temporarily cast aside his miscellaneous thoughts.

Sunlight glinted on the military emblem, reflecting a dazzling light, and he straightened his collar—the commendation ceremony in the afternoon was the main event.

And he was undoubtedly one of the stars of the show.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep