Okay, here’s the translation of the provided Traditional Chinese text into English:

**Scene: Holy City. Holy Alliance Assembly Hall. Ten Days Later.**

The sixty-one members of the ten newly promoted Demon Hunter Squads sat quietly in their respective Squads.

Compared to when they left the Holy City, they had undergone a noticeable change. Including travel time, it had been three months. In these three months, their faces had lost some of their youthful innocence and gained a bit more determination and the marks of hardship.

They had arrived in the Holy City last night and were summoned here early this morning.

The completion of the three-month trial also meant that the Demon Hunter Squad Selection Competition had ended. Today should be their last gathering. They would soon part ways and begin their respective Demon Hunter Squad journeys.

The ten leaders of the newly promoted Demon Hunter Squads entered the Assembly Hall in single file from a side door. Following them were the leaders of the six Great Temples stationed in the Holy City.

Grand Knight Commander Han Qian of the Knight Temple, Hall Master Ying Suifeng of the Rogue Hall of the Assassin Temple, Hall Master Ren Wokuang of the Berserker Hall of the Warrior Temple, Hall Master Ruo Shui of the Priest Hall of the Priest Temple, Grand Magister Lin Chen of the Mage Corps of the Mage Temple, and Hall Master San Shui of the Spirit Hall of the Soul Temple.

The six Vice-Temple Masters wore gentle expressions. They took their seats one after the other. The ten leaders, except for Gao Yingjie, sat in the row behind them.

Gao Yingjie stood in front of the platform. After the six Vice-Temple Masters were seated, he stood at attention and opened the meeting with a standard Knight salute.

Han Qian nodded to him.

Gao Yingjie said in a deep voice: “Knight-level Demon Hunter Squad One Leader Gao Yingjie, reporting under orders. The trial mission of the ten newly promoted Demon Hunter Squads has been successfully completed, with full affirmation from the military in Devil’s Pass, and a higher rating. The newly promoted Demon Hunter Squads performed exceptionally and are approved to complete the trial.”

Han Qian nodded to him and said, “You ten leaders have worked hard. Please return to your seats.”

Gao Yingjie struck his chest with his right hand, executed another Knight salute, and returned to the second row to sit down.

Han Qian smiled slightly, looked at the sixty-one members of the newly promoted Demon Hunter Squads, and said: “I am very satisfied. You have proven your abilities to the Alliance through your abilities and actions. You are the pride of the Alliance, and the pride of your respective Temples. Compared to the achievements you have made, I am even happier to see you all return to me unharmed.”

“The end of this trial also means that you have completed the entire process of the Demon Hunter Squad Selection Competition. Your performance has been exceptional. Because military merits on the battlefield are difficult to determine, the Alliance has decided that your final score in the team competition will be calculated based on the total number of merits of each Demon Hunter Squad. Last night, your leaders reported the merit values of your respective Demon Hunter Squads. Now, I will announce the final rankings. From low to high.”

“Knight-level Demon Hunter Squad Eight, total team merits, one thousand two hundred and eighty. Knight-level Demon Hunter Squad Nine, total team merits, one thousand three hundred and forty-six. Knight-level Demon Hunter Squad Six, total team merits, one thousand four hundred and fifty-one… Knight-level Demon Hunter Squad Five, total team merits, two thousand and forty-one. Knight-level Demon Hunter Squad Three, total team merits, two thousand and sixty-two.”

Han Qian paused here. He had announced the total merits of the last seven Demon Hunter Squads.

Before today, all the newly promoted Demon Hunter Squads didn’t know how many merits other teams could achieve. When Duan Yi heard that the Knight-level Demon Hunter Squad Three he led was actually fourth place and didn’t make the top three, the faces of his entire team became very ugly. Not being in the top three meant no team competition rewards.

At this time, only Squads One, Two, and Four had not been announced.

Han Qian glanced at the slightly discouraged seven Demon Hunter Squads below and said: “The final top three merits are very close. Although team competition rewards are considerable, they are only a drop in the bucket compared to what you can earn in the future. Continue, Demon Hunter Squad Two, total merits, two thousand one hundred and fifteen, winning the final third place. Each person will receive a reward of three hundred merits.”

Hearing Han Qian’s announcement, Yang Wenzhao’s pupils contracted almost instantly, and his fists clenched unconsciously. He lost, he lost again, and this time he only got third place. His eyes subconsciously looked at Long Haochen beside him, and he was secretly amazed, how could it be possible, they hadn’t participated in follow-up tasks for about fifty days!

At this moment, the most nervous were Squads One and Four. The leaders, Long Haochen and Lu Xi, couldn’t help but sit up straight.

“Second place, Demon Hunter Squad Four, total merits, two thousand one hundred and fifty-eight. Each person will receive a reward of five hundred merits.”

Hearing this announcement, Lu Xi almost collapsed back into his chair. His shock was even greater than Yang Wenzhao’s. That’s right, he asked himself he couldn’t match Duan Yi and Yang Wenzhao in terms of leader capabilities, but Demon Hunter Squad Four was the most balanced in all professions. They tried their best and finally achieved such excellent results. However, they defeated Squads Two and Three, but still lost in the end.

Han Qian revealed a hint of a smile on his face, and said: “The final first place naturally belongs to Knight-level Demon Hunter Squad One. It’s a pity for Squad Four, you only lost by two points of merits. The total merits of Knight-level Demon Hunter Squad One is two thousand one hundred and sixty. They will receive the final reward of one thousand merits per person. The reward does not include the squire knight.”

“Lord Grand Knight Commander.” Lu Xi stood up. Although his emotions were obviously a little agitated at this time, he still gave Han Qian a salute first.

Han Qian smiled and said: “Lu Xi, do you have any questions?”

Lu Xi took a deep breath, barely calmed down his mood, glanced at Long Haochen not far away, and said: “Lord Grand Knight Commander, I do have two questions. Our Demon Hunter Squad Selection Competition has always been based on the principle of fairness and justice. I am not questioning the final decision of the Alliance, but as the leader of Demon Hunter Squad Four, I hope to lose clearly.”

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“Okay, state your questions.” Han Qian seemed very calm and composed, with a smile on his face.

Lu Xi’s face was a little flushed due to emotional excitement, and he said loudly: “Lord Grand Knight Commander, in this trial, my partners and I have tried our best in Devil’s Pass and worked hard to obtain a total value of two thousand one hundred and fifty-eight merits in more than two months. My first question is, although Knight-level Demon Hunter Squad One is excellent, even more powerful than us, how can they obtain a total merit value of two thousand one hundred and sixty when they have not participated in any missions for a full forty-nine days? I believe this is also a doubt that exists for the other Demon Hunter Squads present.”

As soon as he said this, most of the Demon Hunter Squad leaders couldn’t help but nod. The only ones who didn’t express their opinions were Yang Wenzhao and Duan Yi. Although they also lost, compared to letting Demon Hunter Squad Four win the final championship, they naturally hoped to see Knight-level Demon Hunter Squad One, led by Long Haochen, also from the Knight Temple, win this honor. After all, Long Haochen also won the final victory in the individual competition.

“The second question comes from Long Haochen’s squire knight. Lord Grand Knight Commander, according to the Alliance regulations, the squire knight’s merits cannot be included in the total team merits. However, merits can be transferred through merit tokens according to personal wishes. How can the Alliance ensure that Long Haochen’s squire knight did not transfer his merits to Long Haochen? Even if he only transferred two merits to Long Haochen, it would be enough to change the final team competition results.”

Speaking of the last point, Lu Xi’s emotions were obviously agitated. The difference between first and second place was a total reward difference of three thousand merits! What’s more, there were more important honors.

At this time, even Li Xin, who had the best relationship with Long Haochen, couldn’t stop Lu Xi. Because what Lu Xi said was entirely for the team’s sake and had no personal motives.

Han Qian nodded slightly after hearing Lu Xi’s words and said: “Squad Leader Lu Xi, please sit down. As you said, the Demon Hunter Squad Selection Competition has always been based on the principles of fairness and justice. Since there are questions, the Alliance will definitely give everyone an explanation. Squad Leader Gao Yingjie, please explain these two questions from Squad Leader Lu Xi.”

“Yes.” Gao Yingjie stood up and returned to the front row from his seat.

He gave another Knight salute to the six people on the platform and said in a deep voice: “I swear on the honor of a knight, every word I say is true.”

The six Vice-Temple Masters nodded to him at the same time.

Gao Yingjie is an extremely famous figure in the Knight Temple. Back then, he was also a Demon Hunter Squad leader, and in the same team with the parents of Shi Xiaoxue, the little girl who was always following him. In one operation, they encountered an ambush by the demons. Gao Yingjie tried his best to protect his companions and break through the encirclement. But unfortunately, the enemy was led by a demon god, and their strength far exceeded them. In the end, Gao Yingjie burned his own life with the fire of light, and even used the sacrifice skill, plus Shi Xiaoxue’s parents burned their lives. Only then did the other three companions escape.

Gao Yingjie was originally bound to die. Just when the demons were about to deal with his “corpse,” another powerful Demon Hunter Squad arrived after receiving the news and finally pulled him back from the brink of death. After returning, Gao Yingjie felt deeply guilty for the death of Shi Xiaoxue’s parents, and never wanted to form a Demon Hunter Squad again. He even spent three years recuperating before gradually recovering. However, his spirit of sacrificing his life for his companions was recognized by everyone. In the future, he has a good chance to become a refined gold foundation knight.

Therefore, even the six Vice-Temple Masters present must show him some respect.

Gao Yingjie turned around, looked at Lu Xi, and said in a deep voice: “I will first explain your first question. The reason why Knight-level Demon Hunter Squad One has more than two thousand merits is due to a combination of strength and luck. Long Haochen once received an order from the military chief of Devil’s Pass, Saint Lingxin, to participate in an important battle alone with him outside the city. Relying on the True Sight released by his mount, he avoided the crisis of the annihilation of the Bright Angel Knight Corps.”

Wish everyone a happy weekend.

(To be continued)
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