King of Assassins-Chapter 863 - 624: Placing Bets

The Holy Hall's main chamber was packed with people.

This was a recognition ceremony by the Holy Hall, attended by most of the paladins from Cloud Light Star. Those who couldn't attend physically participated through virtual projection.

The entire hall held tens of thousands of paladins. Everyone was dressed in standard white robes, fostering an atmosphere that was solemn and sacred.

Standing at the front was Huang Tingdao, wearing a round golden badge on his chest, with a golden ribbon attached to it, draped over his shoulder. This was the only decoration on the white robe.

The badge and golden ribbon signified Huang Tingdao's identity as a Golden Belt Saint.

Behind Huang Tingdao, the Divine Emperor Statue emitted divine light rising up to the sky. The powerful divine light added a touch of sacred majesty to Huang Tingdao.

Huang Tingdao slowly gazed around the crowd. Everyone who met his gaze instinctively lowered their heads and eyes slightly as a gesture of respect.

At this moment, Huang Tingdao was not just a Golden Belt Saint, but also the Holy Hall Master, an envoy of the Divine Emperor.

He said in a deep voice, "Given Black Tiger's outstanding performance in the trial, the headquarters has specially approved the promotion of Black Tiger to become a Bronze Fifth-Level Warrior. Moreover, Black Tiger will be awarded the Medal of Courage and rewarded with a Seventh-Grade Thunder and Lightning Electromagnetic Saint Armor set and a Seventh-Grade Thunder Light Blade…"

Gao Xuan strode forward, placing his hand on his chest as a salute to Huang Tingdao. Huang Tingdao personally adorned Gao Xuan with the Medal of Courage, handing over both the holy armor and the sword to him.

Nearly a hundred thousand people from the Cloud Light Star Sanctuary witnessed Gao Xuan being decorated and rewarded.

When Gao Xuan accepted the sword and armor, tens of thousands below began to applaud, the applause thunderous.

Especially members of the Golden Orchid Association like Qin Fei, who were exceptionally thrilled, feeling honored.

Zhao Ying, Cao Jinyun, and others pursed their lips, each with a complex expression.

Especially those from the Cao Family, their gazes were all unfriendly.

After a round of investigation, they unanimously identified Gao Xuan as the main suspect.

According to the Cao Family's thinking, they wouldn't have presented any decorations or awards to Gao Xuan. At the very least, they wanted to uncover the truth first; if Cao Ye wasn't killed by Gao Xuan, then decoration and awards could still be granted later.

However, this opinion was firmly vetoed by Huang Tingdao.

Huang Tingdao's reason was simple: even if Gao Xuan was the one who killed Cao Ye, he still deserved the reward. These were two separate matters.

Merit is merit, fault is fault; they cannot be confused.

According to the Cao Family's perspective, if Gao Xuan was indeed the murderer, should his heroic acts offset his crime?

Of course, the Cao Family disagreed. The logic was evident: since merit and fault cannot offset each other, why should Gao Xuan be deprived of his reward?

Huang Tingdao wasn't specifically protecting Gao Xuan; he simply didn't like the Cao Family. On the other hand, the matter had been reported to headquarters, and he couldn't undermine himself.

Among the crowd, Yuan Youyuan and Yanzi were filled with envy.

Gao Xuan had just passed the trial and already received such significant rewards and attention from above, ensuring a promising future.

In contrast, they had been in the Holy Hall for several years, yet remained unknown. The difference was stark.

Yanzi couldn't help but proudly message Yuan Youyuan, "Impressive friend, right?"

Yuan Youyuan: "Impressive, but what's it got to do with you?"

"How not? Black Tiger is loyal; with his success, he could take us along…"

Yanzi's thinking was simple: if Gao Xuan did well, they could benefit too.

With a chuckle, Yuan Youyuan mused at Yanzi's innocence despite her age.

Someone like Gao Xuan, evidently mature and calm, discerned the pros and cons readily. Ordinary friends wouldn't likely influence him.

Yanzi excitedly added, "Thunder and Lightning Electromagnetic Armor, Thunder Light Blade, these are the top-tier equipment of the seventh grade. Black Tiger sure hit the jackpot this time!"

The Thunder and Lightning series were the top-tier magical artifacts among their grade, immensely powerful. Moreover, acquiring such equipment required high exchange conditions.

Cloud Light Sanctuary had many experts, yet no one seemed able to assemble a complete set of sword and armor from the Thunder and Lightning series, which had a full upgrade path from seventh to fourth grade.

Even if Gao Xuan reached the Golden Core stage, this sword and armor set would suffice.

When combat power was equal, equipment played an exceedingly vital role. With the seventh-grade Thunder Light series sword and armor, Gao Xuan instantly stood at the forefront of Cloud Light Sanctuary.

Moreover, these were rewards granted by headquarters. Cloud Light Sanctuary would inevitably offer Gao Xuan a significant position. Gao Xuan could be said to have reached new heights in one step.

After this trial, his status would far surpass Yuan Ping'an.

Yanzi was exceptionally envious, yet also couldn't suppress her excitement.

Uninterested in the conversation about this, Yuan Youyuan said, "I heard that the Cao Family intends to cause trouble; who knows if he can get past it."

She had previously given Gao Xuan a heads-up, but such things couldn't be easily managed even with preparation.

Relaxed, Yanzi speculated, "Don't worry; Black Tiger wouldn't dare kill Cao Ye. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't!"

Yanzi thought simply; she didn't believe that Gao Xuan could or dared to kill Cao Ye!

Yuan Youyuan didn't counter; her view was just the opposite. A skilled individual like Gao Xuan, if enraged, would certainly act decisively.

Now it seemed Gao Xuan was indeed the most suspicious.

What puzzled Yuan Youyuan was why, despite Gao Xuan's evident suspicion, he was awarded so prominently.

Indeed, many couldn't understand this maneuver. To most, it signaled that Huang Tingdao intended to support Gao Xuan strongly.

Even Yuan Ping'an felt that Huang Tingdao would protect Gao Xuan. At this point, he found some relief.

After Gao Xuan received his awards, young warriors who excelled in the blood battle, like Qin Fei, Yuan Hai, and Huang Linyin also received commendations.