Chapter 156: Returning from Special Training, Three Pounds Gained?

A torrent of white light flared and then dissolved, and the entire world in Celeste’s vision receded like a tide.

The ethereal scent of moon-laurel and cold, ancient stone that had lingered in her nostrils was violently ripped away. In its place, the smell of sun-scorched bluestone slabs on a summer afternoon rushed in, mingled with the dry, earthy heat of baked soil and wilted grass.

She was back.

Before her, the dreamlike elven architecture of Silvermoon City was gone, replaced by the wide, dazzlingly bright concrete expanse of Tianshu University’s Beidou Plaza.

“Hooo…”

Selene let out a long, shuddering exhale and, with a complete disregard for her image, plopped down onto the ground, her body slumping over like a freshly flipped pancake.

“We’re finally back! If we stayed any longer, I was seriously afraid I would’ve eaten my way into a new weight class in the Elven Royal Palace!”

Su Wan and Xia Lian also visibly relaxed, the tension draining from their shoulders. No matter how magnificent the Elven Royal Palace was, it couldn’t compare to the reassuring solidity of the ground beneath their own feet.

“It’s finally over,” Xia Lian murmured, patting her chest. Her face was a mask of pure satisfaction and relief, the kind that only comes after a grand adventure has reached its end.

Su Wan immediately closed her eyes, her focus turning inward as she carefully assessed the flow of mana surging through her body. A moment later, her elegant brows lifted in surprise.

“My mana has become much purer,” she noted, a hint of wonder in her voice. “A single high-intensity battle in the Domain is more effective than a month of meditating in the training room.”

Just then, the familiar, detached chime of the system echoed simultaneously in all four of their minds.

[Ding! The rewards for repairing the Domain are being distributed…]

[Congratulations to the trial squad. You have obtained the reward “Windwalker Cloak” x4!]

A soft circle of light bloomed around each of them. When it faded, four ink-green cloaks, their fabric as light as a feather and colored like deep forest shadows, now lay quietly in their system inventories.

[Windwalker Cloak]

[Quality: Epic]

[Type: Back]

[Physique +50]

[Equipment Requirement: None]

[Effect 1: Like the Wind. Movement speed +5%.]

[Effect 2: Diligence. Experience gain speed +10%.]

The stats were simple and brutally effective.

Celeste was instantly ecstatic.

‘An XP bonus of 10%? Isn’t this just a permanent VIP experience card? A permabuff!’she thought, her inner gamer squealing with delight.’From now on, every monster I farm puts me one step ahead of everyone else. This is winning at the starting line! Plus, those 50 points of Physique give me five more minutes of transformation time. Perfect!’

She happily equipped the cloak, a pleasant sensation of lightness spreading through her limbs.

“Wow! This is amazing!” Selene exclaimed, having equipped hers as well. She hopped on the spot twice, testing it out. “Sis, I feel like I could kick up a gale when I run now! I’ll definitely be first in line at the cafeteria from now on!”

Su Wan silently equipped the cloak, and even her usually cool lips couldn’t help but curve into a subtle, pleased arc.

Xia Lian was overjoyed. For a Ranger, speed was life itself. This piece of equipment was practically tailor-made for her.

Just then, the sound of frantic, stumbling footsteps approached from the far side of the plaza.

It was Instructor Chen.

She was still dressed in her usual sleek black training suit, but she had none of her typical composure. Strands of damp hair were plastered to her forehead, the dark circles under her eyes were impossible to miss, and her face was etched with raw anxiety.

Before she even reached them, her gaze shot over like a volley of arrows, sweeping over the four of them from head to toe, then back again, as if she were taking inventory of priceless national treasures.

When she finally confirmed that all four were physically intact, full of energy, and without so much as a single hair out of place, Chen Jing’s tense shoulders suddenly sagged. She let out a long, shuddering sigh, her voice carrying an imperceptible tremor, as if the very bones had been pulled from her body.

“Thank goodness… you’re finally back!”

“Instructor, we’re back,” Celeste greeted her with a smile.

“It’s good that you’re back! It’s good that you’re back!” Chen Jing stepped forward quickly, nodding repeatedly. The heartfelt relief was so overwhelming it made her eyes burn. “No missing arms or legs… that’s the best news I could have hoped for!”

She glanced around the empty plaza, then back at the four of them, her tone carrying the weary relief of a disaster survivor. “You’re the last team.”

“The last team?” Selene asked, a little surprised. “Everyone else is back already?”

Chen Jing nodded, her expression turning somewhat complex. “Starting a week ago, students began activating their emergency talismans and getting teleported back one after another. Yesterday afternoon, the second-to-last team returned.”

She raised a hand to press against her chest, as if trying to calm her wildly thumping heart, but her eyes were unnervingly intense as she stared at Celeste and the others. It was the look of a farmer staring at four prize-winning hens that had just laid solid gold eggs.

“Just ten minutes ago,” she said, her voice dropping, “the crystal that opened the ‘Shattered Covenant’ Domain turned completely gray. It’s become inert!”

“Inert?” Selene echoed, stunned.

“Yes! It completely lost all its energy and turned into a useless piece of rock!” Chen Jing’s eyes were practically glowing now, and she pumped her fist in a burst of excited energy. “There is only one possible explanation for that—the Domain has been completely purified and repaired!”

Her voice rose with incredulity and pride. “Do you know what this means? Every year, the special training camps at universities across the country open hundreds of Domains, and less than twenty percent are ever successfully purified! You… you actually did it!”

The four of them exchanged glances. On each of their faces, the exact same expression of baffled confusion appeared: ‘Wait, are we really that awesome?’

Then again, thinking back to Celeste’s star-fall that had instantly obliterated the Domain’s core, and the Jade Shield that had effortlessly blocked the aftershocks of a mountain collapsing… it seemed, well, maybe not so surprising after all.

Chen Jing watched their blank, uncomprehending expressions, and her carefully constructed mask of professional composure threatened to shatter on the spot. She knew these four freshmen possessed impressive combat power, but purifying an entire Domain? She hadn’t dared to entertain such a wild hope from the very beginning.

When she saw the Domain crystal go inert, her initial theory was that these four kids, relying on their monstrous combat abilities and a bit of heaven-defying luck, had somehow managed to stumble their way into purifying the core.

But as her gaze fell upon them again, that theory was violently shaken.

She looked at the four little rookies in front of her. Each one was radiating vitality, with rosy complexions and bright eyes. They even seemed… a little chubbier?

Everyone else had been fighting for their lives in the Domain, playing a brutal game of survival of the fittest.

These four, on the other hand, looked like they’d been filming a wilderness cooking show.

To be able to treat a hellish place like the “Shattered Covenant” as a vacation resort, and to just happen to purify the Domain while they were at it…

This couldn’t be explained by luck anymore.

These four… they were simply monsters wearing the skins of freshmen!

“Alright, stop standing there looking like idiots,” Chen Jing waved a hand, the smile on her face finally breaking free. The grin stretched so wide it made her expression look almost manic.

Whatever the process, the result was spectacular. The batch of special training students she was leading this year had not only survived with a perfect record but had also produced a team that delivered this monumental surprise. This was already the best group she had ever led.

“Come with me to the office.” Chen Jing turned to lead the way. Her tone had returned to its usual clipped efficiency, but her light, almost floating steps completely betrayed her true mood. “I need a detailed report on your experiences in the Domain. That includes your initial landing point, the environment you encountered, and how you purified and repaired it.”

“Alright, Instructor,” Celeste replied obediently.

Selene, Su Wan, and Xia Lian exchanged another look. This time, they all saw a glint of shared anticipation and the barely suppressed excitement of an inside joke in each other’s eyes.

They could hardly wait to see the glorious, mind-shattering expression on their instructor’s face after they gave her a detailed report of their “Elven Royal Palace Luxury Vacation and Gourmet Tour.”

The four of them followed behind Chen Jing, walking through the quiet afternoon campus. Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the trees, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow on the path. The air was thick with the vibrant, buzzing energy of summer.

Everything was exactly the same as it had been before they left.

But Celeste felt that something, somewhere, had fundamentally changed.

She subconsciously touched the small `Embrace of Moonlight` earring on her lobe and thought of the `as i have written` grimoire that could summon Mimi. She thought of Her Majesty, the Elf Queen, who had given her the promise of a “home.”

This special training… the rewards had been truly immense.

Under the brilliant sunlight, the corners of Celeste’s lips quietly curved into a wide, satisfied smile.

[Elysian’s Note: Having a good time with the story? Every single bit helps immensely: