Chapter 1079: Commendation Ceremony! Is He Really Ninth-Rank Invincible?

"Wait until after the commendation ceremony, don't worry, we won't sideline you."

Zhou Yuanwu laughed heartily.

With Xu Jingming's ninth-rank invincible strength, he was nearly an invincible presence on the frontlines.

Even so, the frontline locations still needed careful selection.

They definitely couldn't be near the ocean, or the Beast Gods on the other side might capture him.

At 8:49 PM, in the virtual world, within a magnificent palace.

This commendation ceremony would be held here, and the vast majority of Xia's ninth-rank councilors had already arrived.

Even some ninth-rank experts who had long been absent from the Xia National Council appeared unusually at the banquet.

As the big shots gathered and exchanged pleasantries, the biggest topic naturally centered on the frontline battles.

"We've had a ninth-rank Beast Emperor intervene on our Senbai Gorge front, but the combat intensity is still manageable."

"What's your Senbai Gorge? My southern border already has two Beast Emperors!"

"Heh, the Crimson Fortress is the worst—reports say five Beast Emperors appeared just this afternoon, three of them ninth-rank upper-tier!"

At these words, all the ninth-rank councilors present were stunned.

Five Beast Emperors?

How could the Crimson Fortress still exist?

The ninth-rank councilor who had spoken earlier, enjoying the drama, continued to spill the news:

"It's absolutely true. If not for Xu Jingming, the Crimson Fortress would have fallen long ago."

I heard from the eighth-rank Grand Master stationed there that Xu Jingming personally killed a King-tier ninth-rank upper-tier Bloodthirsty Demon Ape!"

And he scared off the remaining Beast Emperors! After this report reached the Council President, this commendation ceremony was arranged."

As his words ended, the ninth-rank councilors exchanged glances, feeling their worldview shaken.

In their minds, Xu Jingming's rank still lingered at ninth-rank lower-tier.

Even with an SSS-class ability, it was impossible to defy logic and kill a King-tier ninth-rank upper-tier in the midst of five Beast Emperors!

"Damn! Is this even real or not?"

"Cao Jun isn't here, Jiang isn't here—we can't even find someone to ask!"

The ninth-rank councilors present went wild.

If this were true, it would be a sensation shaking all of Xia, even the entire Blue Planet!

But Cao Jun wasn't here, nor were Jiang Liwei and the other ninth-rank officers stationed at the Crimson Fortress.

They couldn't even verify the truth of the rumor.

As they spoke, a figure was teleported into the palace.

It was oddly convenient—the arrival was Jiang Liwei.

"Old Jiang, you finally showed up! Did five Beast Emperors really appear at the Crimson Fortress? And did Xu Jingming really kill the Bloodthirsty Demon Ape?"

As soon as Jiang Liwei appeared, he was immediately surrounded by curious ninth-rank councilors.

"All of it is true."

Jiang Liwei had anticipated this, nodding with a smile, "Ambassador Xu has broken through to ninth-rank mid-tier. His true strength is terrifyingly powerful."

You'll see for yourselves when the commendation ceremony begins."

He deliberately held back, not revealing Xu Jingming's ninth-rank invincible status.

Even so, this news was explosive enough.

"Ninth-rank mid-tier! It's really true!"

The ninth-rank councilors present felt profoundly shaken.

Three months ago, Xu Jingming had just broken through to eighth-rank lower-tier.

Yet today, just over three months later, he had already broken through to ninth-rank mid-tier!

For these councilors, who had spent decades, even centuries, to reach ninth-rank,

it was nothing short of legendary.

"Ambassador Xu has arrived!"

Suddenly, a voice rang out, drawing all eyes.

At the front of the hall, a man and two women were teleported in.

These three were naturally Xu Jingming, Su Qingli, and Ling Shuang.

Since this was a commendation ceremony, Su Qingli and Ling Shuang had dressed in formal attire.

One wore a green ceremonial gown, the other a red one.

The high-end custom gowns perfectly accentuated their tall, curvaceous figures and breathtakingly beautiful faces.

To be fair, both women's looks and figures ranked among the absolute top in the entire Blue Planet's ninth-rank population.

They could charm anyone, regardless of gender.

Yet now, everyone's gaze was not on the two women, but fixed on Xu Jingming in the center.

Dressed in a simple black combat suit, Xu Jingming looked utterly extraordinary.

In a momentary haze, the crowd seemed to sense a aura of supreme dominion, like that of Council President Zhou.

It was absolute confidence—unshakable confidence in his own strength!

If the ninth-rank councilors had still doubted Jiang Liwei's words moments ago,

now they could be certain: Xu Jingming had indeed broken through to ninth-rank mid-tier and accomplished the feat of slaying the Bloodthirsty Demon Ape.

"This is what a true child of heaven looks like!"

Gazing at Xu Jingming's impossibly youthful, handsome face, one councilor murmured in awe.

To be able to break through to the ninth rank, was anyone present not once hailed as a prodigy?

Yet before Xu Jingming, they couldn't help feeling utterly inferior.

Compared with Xu Jingming, what kind of prodigies could they even count as?

"Hall Master Xu."

Someone took the lead in bowing, and as if by chain reaction, the remaining ninth-rank councilors followed suit.

Among them were ninth-rank councilors already over a hundred years old.

But on the path of martial arts, the accomplished come first; they did not feel ashamed on that account.

In an instant, most of the ninth-rank members in the hall had gathered around Xu Jingming.

Except for the father and son of the Li family in the corner.

"Mid ninth-rank! How did Xu Jingming break through so fast?!" Li Changfeng felt he was about to lose his mind.

Back then, Grand Master Wu had promised him that the Tianming Sect would eliminate Xu Jingming.

But instead of news of Xu Jingming's fall, what arrived was the news that Xu Jingming had broken through to mid ninth-rank!

"I knew the Tianming Sect couldn't be relied on!" The Li family's old ancestor Li Chen gave a cold snort, his face terrifyingly dark.

Judging from Xu Jingming's current strength, even if the Tianming Sect kept striking, it would be impossible to eliminate him.

Time slipped by slowly, and soon it was exactly nine o'clock in the evening.

Zhou Yuanwu appeared punctually in the banquet hall, and under Cao Jun's hosting, the commendation ceremony officially began.

The first half hour was spent commending the ninth-rank councilors who had performed well on the front-line battlefield; once all those ninth-rank councilors had been commended—

Cao Jun's smile grew ever more brilliant, and his resonant voice echoed throughout the entire banquet hall:

"Next we will commend the very last person, and also the one who performed most outstandingly on the front-line battlefield recently — a true savior who turned the tide!

But before we announce who this person is, let us first watch a video."

As his words fell, a holographic projection appeared before everyone's eyes and began to play slowly.

It was unmistakably the very moment when the five Beast Sovereigns appeared at the Crimson Fortress.

As the video played, there had initially been some stir in the hall.

But when they saw Xu Jingming instantly kill the Bloodthirsty Demon Ape, including Blood Sword—

The ninth-rank councilors present all widened their eyes, and the hall fell utterly silent.

As ninth-rank councilors, they knew perfectly well that killing a king-tier upper ninth-rank Beast Sovereign and instantly killing a king-tier upper ninth-rank Beast Sovereign were entirely different concepts.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a ninth-rank councilor stammered, "This is... ninth-rank invincible?!"

"That's right! Ninth-rank invincible!"

Cao Jun's resonant and impassioned voice rang out:

"After a gap of 32 years, a new ninth-rank invincible powerhouse has once again appeared in our Great Xia! That is the Hall Master of Lei Ting Martial Hall, Xu Jingming — let us congratulate him!"