Free Web NovelChapter 268: Chapter 268: Graduation Ceremony and Graduation Party
The next morning, Ning Xuan went to the graduation ceremony, accompanied by Nine-tailed. She wore the black and red-accented gown, looking absolutely dazzling.
The graduation ceremony was held in the grand auditorium of the Central Star Military Academy. When Ning Xuan arrived, she saw a dozen or so blue screens set up at the entrance. Every time someone passed through, the screens would let out a BEEP.
"What are these devices? Why are they here?" a curious student asked one of the staff members supervising the area.
"It’s a special material detector. This is for everyone’s safety, so there’s no need to be nervous," the staff member explained.
Following a tip from Ying Yaoshi, Ning Xuan had left the Space Artifact she obtained on the New Star Body back at her villa. She and Nine-tailed passed through the blue screens smoothly, but just as she was about to enter the main doors, a man in a silver uniform stopped her.
"Miss Ning, your performance on the final graduation exams was outstanding. As one of this year’s top graduates, please use the VIP entrance over here," the man said respectfully.
Ning Xuan glanced in the direction he indicated. It was a corridor over ten meters long, lined with a dense array of blue screens. ’Looks like I’m a primary surveillance target,’ she thought.
’It’s understandable. After all, her team had reported information and clues about the Primitive Civilization Ruins, and most Space Artifacts on the New Star Body originated from there. When it came to the odds of obtaining a Space Artifact, she was indeed a more likely candidate than anyone else.’
Although Ning Xuan guessed their true intentions, the official reason they gave was difficult to refuse. Besides, she really didn’t have a Space Artifact on her, so she wasn’t afraid of the extra scrutiny.
After walking smoothly through the corridor lined with blue screens, Ning Xuan saw a flicker of disappointment on the face of the uniformed staff member who had led her there.
Just as Ning Xuan was about to enter the auditorium, a piercing alarm blared from outside.
The uniformed staff member’s expression changed instantly at the sound. Without so much as a word to Ning Xuan, he took off running toward the source of the alarm.
Ning Xuan, no longer in a hurry to enter, turned back to watch the commotion.
"Let go of me! What do you think you’re doing?" a well-dressed young man shouted, angrily shaking off a staff member.
"Sir, a dangerous item was detected on your person. Please cooperate with our inspection," the man in the silver uniform told him, his expression stern.
Students who had been entering through the various entrances stopped to watch, curious about the commotion.
"If you have passed inspection, please proceed inside! Do not congregate here!" Noticing the crowd forming, someone immediately came over to direct traffic.
The staff member in the silver uniform said something to the young man, who nodded and followed him toward a reception room next to the auditorium.
After they left, order was quickly restored.
Once Ning Xuan entered the auditorium, an usher recognized her and enthusiastically guided her to a seat in the front row.
The outstanding graduates, who would be called on stage to receive their awards, were all seated in the front row. Each seat was marked with a name. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
"Xuanyuan, you’re here! Hey, did you see those blue screens outside? Do you know what they’re for? Just now, one of them went off on the student in front of me, and they were taken away immediately." Tang Xue’s seat was diagonally behind Ning Xuan’s. Since the rows weren’t full yet, she leaned over to chat.
"I don’t know, but I saw someone being led away just now, too." Ning Xuan put on an equally curious expression.
"Hey, I have some inside info," the girl sitting directly behind Ning Xuan chimed in excitedly. "I heard the alarms go off if you were infected with a certain virus on the New Star Body. It means you’re a carrier and need treatment."
"What virus? It’s treasure!" a boy also in the front row, not far from Ning Xuan, immediately countered. "I heard some people found incredibly rare treasures on the New Star Body. That kind of stuff has huge research value for the entire Federation, so of course the higher-ups are keeping an eye out for it."
"If someone really found a valuable treasure, they should turn it over to the Federation. It’s not like the Federation would shortchange them," someone else added to the conversation.
"Miss Ning, may I have the pleasure of a dance with you at the gala this evening?" Ji Wuchen, dressed in the robes of an Astrologer and wearing a Star Trace Facecloth, approached and asked Ning Xuan.
Ji Wuchen had placed third in the individual rankings for the final graduation exams, so he was also seated in the front row, not far from Ning Xuan.
The moment Ji Wuchen spoke, the beautiful girl beside him paled. She shot Ning Xuan a hostile glare while simultaneously unleashing Spiritual Power Threads to attack her.
Ning Xuan arched an eyebrow, effortlessly snapping the Spiritual Power Threads attacking her and launching a vicious counterattack.
"AHH!" The girl shrieked, crouching on the ground and clutching her head. After a moment, she recovered and returned to her seat without another word.
The brief exchange was enough for the girl to realize the vast difference in strength between herself and Ning Xuan. Her jealousy vanished, replaced by a flicker of envy. She, too, wished she could be that powerful.
"My apologies. She is a young lady from the Zhu Family of the Four Spirit Clan. I’m not actually well-acquainted with her. Still, I am deeply sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you, Miss Ning." Ji Wuchen gave Ning Xuan a gentlemanly bow.
"It’s fine," Ning Xuan said with a smile, her words utterly blunt. "As long as you stay away from me, Mr. Ji."
Ji Wuchen nearly lost his composure. His face twisted slightly as he struggled to keep his expression neutral.
Mo Yu, who was backed by Zone 13, had ranked first in the individual results for the final graduation exams.
He had noticed the commotion earlier and, seeing Ji Wuchen get shot down, couldn’t resist coming over. "Ning Xuan, you patted me down and took everything I had on the New Star Body. All my treasures are gone. I want to buy my things back. Name your price."
It wasn’t that Mo Yu hadn’t thought about ambushing Ning Xuan to get his things back by force, but after looking into her, he discovered she almost never left Central Star—she rarely even left her villa. Setting a trap for her would be too difficult.
"Sure," Ning Xuan said with a smile. "In ten days, I’ll be putting the items up for sale at the Black Rose Auction House. Feel free to bid on them there."
Mo Yu gritted his teeth, so furious he could barely contain it.
"But they charge a commission at the auction house. That’s not a good deal. How about we make a direct trade?" Mo Yu said, suppressing his anger as he tried to negotiate.
"That’s fine," Ning Xuan said, looking right at him. "I’m willing to pay the commission."
