Chapter 17: Sword Lotus and the Red Scarf

The cold-faced instructor began outlining the squad's problems, showing absolutely no mercy.

After such a harsh dressing-down, Lu Ran nearly thought his team had taken last place.

Only after thoroughly crushing their spirits did Dou Dou Zhiqiang turn and depart.

"The instructor is so strict," Lu Ran said, watching the instructor's retreating back and helplessly placing his hands on his hips.

"Brother Lu," Deng Yutang looked at Lu Ran and voiced what he had been holding back, "do you really intend to score full marks?"

"I was just saying that," Lu Ran replied with a smile.

Jiang and Deng exchanged a glance, neither exposing Lu Ran's true thoughts.

After yesterday's scene on the rooftop, both teammates were certain that Lu Ran was harboring a fierce determination!

To make Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang's name famous, and to shatter the world's mockery and doubts.

"Jiang Ruyi," suddenly came a man's voice from nearby.

The group turned to look; through the wire fence, they saw a middle-aged man approaching with a young girl.

"Teacher Zhao," Jiangjiang Ruyi greeted politely.

Lu Ran also recognized this teacher; he was the homeroom teacher of Class 7, and the girl following behind him seemed somewhat familiar to Lu Ran as well.

"This is my student, Tian Tian," Teacher Zhao said, smiling at the three prominent figures. "She will train with you this morning."

Had the first trial trainee arrived?

"Tian Tian," Lu Ran murmured.

Wasn't she Ma Ma Tianchuan's teammate?

In this assessment, she had achieved second place in the team rankings alongside her group.

"Hello," Tian Tian said in a very soft voice, bowing slightly to the group.

Such an action caught the others by surprise.

Generally, when people meet, a verbal greeting suffices; why bow?

Lu Ran's expression turned peculiar as he looked at Jiangjiang Ruyi beside him: "Have we truly become evaluating teachers?"

Jiangjiang Ruyi shot Lu Ran an amused glance and stepped forward to meet the girl.

Tian Tian was petite, with ear-length short hair, appearing very well-behaved.

Teacher Zhao spoke: "She is rather introverted; please take care of her, Jiang Ruyi."

"Rest assured, Teacher," Jiangjiang Ruyi replied gracefully with a smile. "We will train diligently."

The teacher nodded in satisfaction, gave Tian Tian a few more words of advice, and then turned to leave.

After Teacher Zhao departed, Jiangjiang Ruyi looked down at Tian Tian, only to find the girl lowering her head even further.

So shy?

Jiangjiang Ruyi spoke very gently: "Your team achieved second place; why the need for a change?"

Tian Tian whispered: "They feel... they feel I am not quite suited for that team."

"They?" Deng Yutang interjected. "Who? The teachers? Or family members?"

Tian Tian silently shook her head.

Deng Yutang frowned slightly: "Your teammates feel you are unsuited?"

This time, Tian Tian did not shake her head, but remained silent, saying nothing.

Deng Yutang's frown deepened: "And you? Do you also feel you are unsuited for that team?"

Tian Tian opened her mouth, hesitating: "I... I don't know."

Jiangjiang Ruyi sighed inwardly and said softly: "Suitability must be judged by oneself."

Deng Yutang's words were far more direct: "If you are being ostracized or bullied, you must speak up!"

Tian Tian remained silent, though her eyes grew slightly red.

"Alright, alright," Jiangjiang Ruyi stopped Deng Yutang, gently wiping Tian Tian's eyes.

Though they were all the same age, Jiangjiang Ruyi seemed more like a gentle senior sister comforting a wronged junior.

Lu Ran watched this scene quietly, feeling that Tian Tian had prayed to the wrong deity.

In the eyes of the world, Lu Ran, this devotee of Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang, should be the one appearing so fragile and timid, shouldn't he?

"I recall you are a devotee of the Sword Lotus?" Jiangjiang Ruyi asked softly.

"Y-yes," Tian Tian replied, overwhelmed with honor and nodding hastily.

The young girl had never imagined that someone as radiant as Jiangjiang Ruyi would actually notice her.

"Lord Sword Lotus is soft on the outside but strong within," Jiangjiang Ruyi comforted her. "As long as you are diligent and devout enough, you will become more and more like Lord Sword Lotus."

"Thank you," Tian Tian whispered.

In the sequence of deities, Sword Lotus and Sword One differed by only a single character, yet their rankings were worlds apart.

Sword Lotus ranked fourth; its divine statue took the form of a lotus bud about to bloom, seemingly a plant-type deity.

But one must absolutely not be deceived by its appearance!

Within that tender flower bud, above the lotus heart, hovered a sharp precious sword!

Initially, no one knew there was a sword within the lotus, after all, the divine statue was made of stone, not transparent material.

It was not until a certain day that the deity Sword Lotus began recruiting devotees, appearing before the public in the form of a phantom.

Only then did people understand why the Lord Deity called himself "Sword Lotus"!

It turned out that hidden within those tender petals lay a fierce weapon!

As Jiangjiang Ruyi had said, devotees of the Sword Lotus sect were mostly of the soft-outside-strong-inside type, whereas the Tian Tian before them clearly possessed excessive softness and insufficient inner strength.

No wonder the homeroom teacher had personally delivered the student and specifically entrusted Jiangjiang Ruyi to take care of her.

"What was the basic divine technique of the Sword Lotus sect again?" Lu Ran finally spoke.

"Lotus Shield." This time, Tian Tian's response was crisp.

She did not believe Lu Ran was unaware of this basic knowledge; he was clearly giving her a chance to show herself.

Tian Tian extended her small hands, and as divine power surged, a lotus petal immediately materialized before her.

Divine Art: Lotus Shield!

This lotus petal was about one meter in size, white with a hint of red, exuding a fragrant aroma.

Lu Ran clicked his tongue in wonder, stepped forward, and twitched the tip of his nose.

Sniff~

So fragrant!

It was worth noting that the lotus petal was assembled from divine power, appearing semi-transparent.

Thus, Tian Tian could see Lu Ran sniffing around wildly by her hand through the petal.

Tian Tian grew quite shy and hastily withdrew her small hands.

"It seems the school feels our squad lacks defense." Lu Ran looked at Tian Tian. "You think so too, which is why you came for the trial?"

"I..." Tian Tian stalled again.

Jiangjiang Ruyi placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and encouraged her, "Whatever you have to say, speak it out bravely."

"For a squad to achieve good results, it needs smooth communication within the team."

Tian Tian hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "I don't know; my homeroom teacher applied to the school on my behalf."

Everyone: "."

Realizing the three big shots were somewhat speechless, Tian Tian lowered her head again.

After all, in her previous team, she had been despised; how would she dare apply for a trial with the school's number one squad?

Yesterday, after receiving feedback from the three squad members of Class Seven, the homeroom teacher repeatedly confirmed their desire for an adjustment before registering Tian Tian, who had been "adjusted" out.

Fortunately, the deity Tian Tian revered was extremely powerful.

The school, valuing the balanced offensive and defensive capabilities of Sword Lotus believers, gave her a chance to meet the First Squad.

Upon hearing this news, Tian Tian had come with great trepidation.

Having experienced being part of the second-ranked squad, she knew what kind of people these gifted elites were.

Therefore, she held little hope.

The arena fell silent.

Tian Tian hung her head, knowing she had misspoken, yet lacking the courage to say anything more.

A gentle voice broke the silence: "From now on, you can stay by my side and protect me."

"Hm?" Tian Tian lifted her small face to look at Jiangjiang Ruyi.

That humble demeanor was as if she were facing a saint!

It was like gazing upon a radiant goddess statue.

"You must perform well," Jiangjiang Ruyi said softly. "After all, you still have three competitors."

"I will." Tian Tian nodded hurriedly. "I, I will definitely work hard."

Jiangjiang Ruyi did not know what kind of existence she was in Tian Tian's heart.

Academics, martial arts, beauty, temperament...

Including this time on the Deity Reverence Platform, where Jiangjiang Ruyi had summoned no fewer than two powerful deities.

For two years, Tian Tian had silently witnessed Goddess Jiang shining brilliantly, never thinking she would ever have any interaction with such a figure.

She never expected that after being kicked out of her team, through a strange twist of fate, she would now be standing before her.

"Go get a weapon." Jiangjiang Ruyi gestured toward the weapon rack at the side of the field. "Let's first familiarize ourselves with each other's combat styles, and then we'll spar with another squad."

"Yes." Tian Tian was very obedient; she turned and quickly walked toward the side of the field.

Jiangjiang Ruyi watched the girl's retreating figure and sighed inwardly.

No wonder she was ostracized; this girl was too "obedient."

Lu Ran then looked at Deng Yutang beside him and asked, "What's with that expression? Don't you like it?"

"Like or dislike, what does it matter?" Deng Yutang acted indifferent.

Lu Ran chuckled, "Doesn't the domineering young master from a wealthy family prefer this kind of soft and weak girl?"

"Wrong!" Deng Yutang waved his hand. "This young master likes the type that charges forward without hesitation, full of vigor and courage."

Lu Ran's expression turned peculiar: "Deng Shao likes someone like Chang Ying?"

"Huh?" Deng Yutang subconsciously wanted to refute, but the more he thought about it, the brighter his eyes became, as if a door to a new world had been opened for him.

Don't say it... actually, don't say it!

That female buddy really does fit the bill?

Swinging a massive mountain-splitting axe, she's even braver than this young master!

Jiangjiang Ruyi glanced at the two of them and scolded, "Keep your voices down; don't let Tian Tian hear."

"Besides, don't you already know what kind of person your 'Deng Shao' likes?"

Lu Ran hurriedly said, "How would I know what he likes?"

Whose 'Deng Shao'?

It sounds kinda weird...

Deng Yutang suddenly spoke up: "Brother Lu, have you watched 'Drawing Sword'?"

"Watched a few episodes; why?"

Deng Yutang raised his voice: "Cavalry Company!"

Lu Ran paused for a second, then replied uncertainly, "Charge?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Deng Yutang clenched his fists, his face full of agreement and longing. "I like this kind of thing!"

"No wonder you could become a Red Scarf believer," Lu Ran said with a smile.

If the labels for Sword Lotus believers were "soft outside, hard inside" and "balanced in attack and defense," then the label for Red Scarf believers was "Master of Fighting Spirit"!

Among the profound divine arts of the Red Scarf sect, there existed one similar to a "spiritual duel."

Once the duel began, no matter what your cultivation realm or rank, nor how powerful your martial arts or divine arts were, all of that would be cast aside.

Within the duel arena, the only thing both sides competed in was willpower.

Who lived and who died depended entirely on personal will!

Judging solely from this aspect, even an ordinary person could defeat a powerful believer.

A saying circulated among the folks of Great Xia:

"Among the gods filling the sky, there are distinctions of high and low; among human believers, there are divisions of noble and base."

But the Red Scarf makes all beings equal!

A truly pure Red Scarf believer dares to fight anything and can fight anything!

Even when facing the group of gods representing the very words "authority," or even when facing extremely powerful evil demons and monstrous spirits...

Duel Arena, open!

Cavalry company...

Fix bayonets, charge!

Asking for some monthly ticket support~

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(End of Chapter)