Chapter 2: The Altar of Reverence That Day

In the height of summer, at dawn.

Inside an ordinary home, a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy sat before his computer, muttering under his breath:

“On the fifteenth day of the lunar month, the gates of darkness open; demons and malevolent spirits come of their own accord.”

The boy, Lu Ran, stared intently at the screen, watching footage of ruins and rubble.

The once-bustling night market street was now engulfed in flames, swarming with vicious black dogs.

Their bodies bore crimson patterns, spewing fire from their mouths, destroying everything within sight.

Demon Clan: Blood Plague Hounds!

This was not a movie clip—it was real news footage.

Every lunar fifteenth, all manner of demons appeared, bringing chaos to the world.

“So fierce,” Lu Ran muttered to himself.

The video showed only the demons’ rampage within the city.

In the demonic lairs and higher battlefields, the war between humans and gods against the demons was far more horrific beyond measure!

If one day the demon army truly broke through the defense network and invaded the human world—

“Lu Ran?” A melodious female voice suddenly came from outside the window.

Lu Ran’s home was on the first floor; the voice was clear.

“Hm?” Lu Ran walked to the window and saw a tall, graceful figure beneath a large tree.

The girl wore a long white dress, her jet-black hair falling over her shoulders.

Just as the sky threatened rain, gusts of wind blew, making her hair flutter and her dress sway.

“Whoa~~~”

Lu Ran sighed, gazing at his desk partner and class monitor.

Seeing Lu Ran’s reaction, Jiang Ruyi’s cheeks flushed.

She usually wore the blue-and-white school uniform; she had never before appeared with her hair loose and her white dress flowing like this.

“Oh no,” Lu Ran leaned his elbow on the windowsill, smiling at the gentle, lovely girl below.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Ruyi asked, puzzled.

Lu Ran: “Who could tell you apart from Chang’e?”

Jiang Ruyi’s cheeks turned even redder; she shot him a glance: “You’re just sweet-talking.”

Lu Ran pressed his lips together.

Like you’ve ever tasted her.

“Let’s go. Today’s the Day of Revering the Gods—don’t be late.” Jiang Ruyi held up a small booklet, gently shaking it.

“Oh.” Lu Ran turned toward his computer.

The disaster footage had been from half a month ago—he dug it out specifically to pump himself up.

Because today was the first day of the sixth lunar month—the annual Day of Revering the Gods!

On this day, the Gods would choose believers from among humans.

The so-called “Gods” were actually statues, sent to suppress malevolent spirits.

In the early 1980s, on a full-moon night, a horde of demons suddenly emerged and brought chaos to the world.

It was an unimaginably cruel and bloody era.

Until three months later, when the entire world sank into utter despair, dawn finally broke!

One by one, mysterious statues descended across the globe, suppressing all manner of evil spirits.

Thus began the war between Gods and demons—a war that continues to this day.

With the statues’ arrival, humanity finally gained an effective means of resistance: demons impervious to human force could now be punished by divine power!

From then on, humanity entered the “Universal Reverence of the Gods” era.

When humans reach ages seventeen to eighteen and meet certain physical and spiritual standards, they may be chosen as believers by the Gods.

Those who become believers can cultivate divine power and learn divine arts to fight the demon clan.

“After all these years, it’s finally my turn.”

Before shutting down his computer, Lu Ran took one last long look at the Blood Plague Hounds wreaking havoc on screen.

For Lu Ran, every lunar fifteenth night was excruciating.

The fear, the helplessness—he was done with it!

“Take an umbrella. It looks like rain,” came the girl’s voice again from outside.

“Oh!”

For some reason, it always rained on the Day of Revering the Gods.

Like how it always rained during the college entrance exams—strange, but true.

Lu Ran grabbed his umbrella and stepped out, hurrying to the girl’s side, gesturing at her unusual attire: “For Jian Yi?”

“Mm.” Jiang Ruyi took a step forward and opened the booklet.

The pages displayed square portraits—each one a statue of a God.

The scene resembled the hero-selection screen of a game.

Within Great Xia, nearly a hundred Gods existed, arranged in nine rows—equivalent to nine tiers.

At the very top of the first row, first position, was the God: Jian Yi!

She was a female statue.

Her long robe fluttered, her hair danced in the wind, one hand held a sword behind her back, the other formed a seal before her chest.

Though carved from stone, her divine beauty and transcendent aura could not be concealed.

“You’ll succeed,” Lu Ran offered timely encouragement.

Though Jiang Ruyi appeared gentle and quiet, her physical test scores and martial arts performance ranked among the top three in the entire grade.

“Jian Yi is a cold, aloof immortal,” Jiang Ruyi sighed.

When selecting believers, the Gods considered not only human potential but also personality.

Countless cases proved: the more similar a human’s personality was to a God’s, the more likely they were to be chosen.

And Jiang Ruyi was the gentle, quiet type.

Suddenly, the girl stiffened her face, forcing herself to look cold and distant.

Lu Ran stared, puzzled, at the white-dressed girl.

She lifted her chin slightly, adopting a haughty posture, and said coolly: “Well?”

Lu Ran: “...”

No wonder women!

Her mood shift was faster than netizens flipping through a novel!

“Hehe~” Jiang Ruyi broke her act easily, turning back to the God album.

Her smile faded again into worry.

Lu Ran comforted her: “Personality is just a reference—not decisive.

Your potential is solid, your heart is sincere—you’ll succeed!”

Jiang Ruyi gazed at the peerless figure of Jian Yi in the book, listening to Lu Ran’s words.

Slowly, her smile returned: “Yes. You’ll succeed too.”

Lu Ran looked at the third row, fifth position in the book.

There stood a stern male statue, draped in a great cloak, holding a divine talisman—Yu Fu!

He was the God worshipped by Lu Ran’s late father, Lu Xing.

Light rain drizzled; the two held their umbrella and arrived at the front gate of Rain Alley City High School.

Crowds filled the campus—rain had not dampened the people’s fervor to worship the Gods.

Amid the citizens’ blessings, Lu Ran and Jiang Ruyi struggled through the throng and entered the school.

On the playground, second-year students stood in neat formation, awaiting the Reverence Ceremony.

Many third-year students who had failed last year had also come, organized by the school, hoping for luck.

Each year, roughly thirty percent of students failed to be chosen; the success rate for those who tried again the next year—

Was nearly zero!

Faced with the cruel reality of having no divine protection, many students broke down; crying and screaming were common.

Lu Ran refused to become one of them—he had trained relentlessly, all along.

Everything was for today!

“Tsk tsk~ These two really dare to! The homeroom teacher’s right up front, and they’re still this close?”

As Lu Ran and Jiang Ruyi joined their class line, whispers erupted.

“Damn, what’s so great about Lu Ran? He’s just taller, paler, handsomer… ugh, I feel like crying.”

“You’re just jealous. Didn’t you see Jiang’s monitor didn’t bring an umbrella?”

“You brought one! Your umbrella’s the biggest in class—you could set up a kebab stall with it, yet she never came under yours?”

“Obviously! I haven’t set up yet. Wait till I get the grill going—you’ll see if she comes over!”

“Wait, what?”

Amid the chatter, Jiang Ruyi blushed and protested: “Stop talking nonsense.”

“Here.” Lu Ran stopped and handed his umbrella to his desk partner.

Jiang Ruyi refused: “No need, go ahead and pray.”

Lu Ran: “It’s fine—I’ll just squeeze in with the skewer vendor.”

“Hah.” Jiang Ruyi had been slightly annoyed, but Lu Ran’s remark made her laugh.

Under Lu Ran’s insistence, she took the umbrella and walked toward the line.

The heavens were kind—the rain grew lighter and lighter.

At nine in the morning, the deity-worship ceremony began amid a light drizzle.

A female student from Class 2 (1) stepped onto the podium first and, amid the crowd’s expectant gazes, summoned a deity.

“Oh? A fortune-teller?”

“Spiritual lots! It’s Master Spiritual Lots!” a sharp-eyed student shouted.

High above, a male phantom over ten meters tall appeared silently, smiling down at the crowd.

He was tall and slender, dressed in a gray linen robe, one hand holding a bell, the other gripping a cloth banner.

But the characters on the fortune-telling banner were blurred, unreadable.

“That’s a fourth-rank deity! Supposedly, followers of Spiritual Lots can ask about romance and fortune.”

“Get real! If you want fortune-telling, go to a temple. Spiritual Lots’ followers are unreliable.”

“Exactly! Especially in battle—they draw lots randomly and cast skills haphazardly!”

“Pure gamblers, all of them.”

“You’re complaining? That’s a fourth-rank deity! You’re lucky if you even get an eighth-rank one!”

Below the podium, students chattered; on it, the girl beamed with delight and knelt before the deity.

Master Spiritual Lots still smiled, his fortune-telling banner swaying gently as wisps of mist descended from the sky, flowing toward the podium.

In moments, the white mist flooded entirely into the students’ bodies, and the deity’s figure faded gradually.

“Did it work?”

“Congratulations!” Cheers and applause erupted across campus.

But amid the noise, whispers of “another gambler” drifted through.

Then, the second student was pushed onto the podium.

This male student summoned Ninth Bamboo, a seventh-rank deity.

The deity’s phantom was faint, gender indistinct, but the bamboo whip he held was clear and exquisitely crafted.

Though the deity’s rank was low, the student dared not be careless—he immediately bowed respectfully.

And from this deity onward, things took a sharp turn for the worse!

Over a hundred and twenty students from Classes 1, 2, and 3 summoned only fifth-rank or lower deities.

Most were sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-rank deities.

Human, beast, and plant deities of all kinds filled the scene, leaving the crowd dazzled and quietly sighing.

They’d thought Fourth-Rank Spiritual Lots was just the beginning.

Turns out it was the peak?

Still, having a deity’s protection was better than none at all.

After the three classes finished their worship, over ten students had failed to summon any deity.

“Only a dozen failed?” Lu Ran watched it all, his mind turning over the numbers.

This year, the deities’ acceptance rate seemed unusually high?

Was it because the demon race had grown stronger, forcing deities to lower their standards?

“Snap out of it!” Teacher Li Yan called out sharply, jolting Lu Ran from his thoughts.

Finally, it was his class—Class 2 (4)—turn!

At the front of the line, Li Yan led Jiang Ruyi toward the podium: “Show your deepest reverence.”

Jiang Ruyi nodded lightly and, under her teacher’s urging, stepped swiftly to the center of the podium.

“Candidate ready. Begin,” said a male teacher beside them.

Jiang Ruyi lowered her head, closed her eyes, and clasped her hands together, fingertips pressed to her lips.

The girl bowed in prayer.

The sky was gloomy, the drizzle misty.

The girl in her white dress was the only vivid color in this gray world.

Watching her, Lu Ran’s heart leapt.

For he saw his white moonlight.

High above, a towering male phantom appeared.

He wore a snow-white cloak, surrounded by four white jade tablets, each inscribed with strange runes.

Strangely, each tablet was wrapped in fine sand, frost, lightning, and sparks.

“Master Yu Fu?!”

“Whoa! Is that real?”

“Holy shit—a third-rank deity?!” The courtyard erupted in gasps.

Since the ceremony began, the highest-ranked deity anyone had seen was Fourth-Rank Spiritual Lots.

Imagine how hard it was to summon a top-three deity—and how strict the gods’ standards must be!

“Wait! Another deity’s coming?”

“Huh?!”

In that moment, the courtyard nearly boiled over!

Of the first hundred students, most summoned only one deity; even when two deities competed, they were always sixth- or seventh-rank rivals.

But the second deity appearing now? At least third-rank!

Why so certain?

After all, who would dare challenge a third-rank deity like Yu Fu?

“Looks like a beast deity… Tian Luan! My god, Tian Luan?!”

“A second-rank deity? It’s a second-rank?!”

“What a waste! Give me one! I’m not picky—I’ll take any assignment!”

High above, the phantom of a luán bird appeared silently.

Its entire body was snow-white, graceful, radiating sacred light in the gloomy sky, dazzling and brilliant.

On the podium, Jiang Ruyi bit her lower lip, gazing upward.

Master Jian Yi,

you still don’t want me, do you?

“Ruyi, make your choice!” Teacher Li Yan was excited but had no time to celebrate. “Ten seconds!”

Hesitation was an insult to the deities.

If you delay, both will abandon you!

Jiang Ruyi did not hesitate long. After a brief glance between the two deities, she bowed apologetically to the second-rank Tian Luan.

Then, the girl turned toward the third-rank Yu Fu.

Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, she lifted her skirt and knelt slowly:

“I, Ruyi, vow to join Master Yu Fu’s fold. I shall serve day and night, cultivate divine arts, and eradicate all evil in the world.”

Yu Fu nodded in approval; mist surged from his palm, flowing toward the kneeling girl.

Seeing this, Tian Luan’s figure faded gradually.

After twenty seconds, Yu Fu also vanished. Jiang Ruyi, now filled with divine mist, opened her eyes.

Her gaze was clear and bright, carrying a faint divine aura.

“Yooohoo~~~”

“No wonder she’s Goddess Jiang! Amazing!!”

“I’m speechless—turning down a second-rank for a third-rank?”

“Jiang Ruyi! Jiang Ruyi!”

Cheers and applause thundered across the courtyard.

Below the podium, Li Yan hurriedly beckoned Lu Ran: “Lu Ran, quick! Before Master Yu Fu’s mist is gone—hurry!”

The teacher knew every student’s goal by heart.

“Where’s Lu Ran?”

“Lu Ran! Teacher’s calling you!”

“Coming!” Lu Ran strode forward, but heard a muttered insult behind him.

“Stop dawdling—just pray already! Get your true colors out and stop pestering Class Rep Jiang. What else you got besides your mouth?”

Lu Ran frowned slightly and turned.

Many students stood behind him, but his eyes locked instantly on a tall male student.

Kou Yingquan met his gaze coldly, unflinching.

“Lu Ran,” Li Yan pulled his arm, urging him forward. “Focus! Show your utmost sincerity!”

“Yes.” Lu Ran instantly calmed his mind and stepped onto the podium.

He took deity-worship with absolute seriousness.

Lu Ran had truly had enough of this weakness and incompetence!

From the side of the podium, the male instructor gave the command again: “Trainees are ready; begin.”

Lu Ran bowed his head obediently, closed his eyes, and silently prayed.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

“I’d like to see what kind of god you can summon!” sneered Kou Yingquan from beneath the podium. “Don’t tell me you can’t summon anything at all. I—what the—?”

Kou Yingquan’s face froze; he felt a cold wind sweep past, sending a chill down his spine!

In an instant, the temperature of heaven and earth plummeted!

“What… what kind of god is this?”

“This is wrong! What the hell! Isn’t this a malevolent spirit?!”

“Evil Clan: Yanzhi Person!”

“Huh?!”

The playground erupted in chaos, screams rising everywhere.

Not only were the students panicking—the instructors present were pale with terror, their hairs standing on end!

The first day of the sixth lunar month was the annual day of honoring the gods!

On this day, the gods chose their believers across the Xia realm, and evil spirits and demons remained utterly still.

But this kid Lu Ran—

On the first day of the month, on the sacred altar of worship before all eyes, he summoned a demon?!

Long time no see, Yu Hui’s back (￣▽￣)

Two updates daily, at noon 12:00 and evening 6:00.

Guys, let’s go~

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(End of Chapter)