Chapter 246: Final Sprint Before the Exam!

For the next three days, Lu Ran remained at home, engaged in bitter cultivation.

Since Jiangjiang Ruyi might break through and advance at any moment, Lu Ran did not dare to disturb her.

Lu Ran did, however, communicate frequently with the trio of Deng, Tian, and Chang in the group chat; he had already confirmed his return to the squad to complete this month's training mission together with the three of them.

The trio was extremely excited!

Everyone looked forward to this month's training, seemingly eager to show off and let Lu Ran see their progress.

On the nineteenth day of the lunar month, the city lockdown was lifted.

That morning, Lu Ran replenished Little Li Hua's cat food and water before walking out the door.

"Whoosh—"

Standing at the entrance of his apartment building, Lu Ran took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

In the morning after the rain, the air was mixed with the fragrance of grass and trees, refreshing to the heart and soul.

Dressed in a set of black training uniforms and carrying twin blades on his back, Lu Ran looked quite heroic.

Under the gaze of an old man walking his bird, he strode away with great steps.

The population of Rain Alley City was indeed becoming smaller and smaller.

Today, only one old man walking a bird had spawned within the residential compound.

Thinking back to last year, whenever the lockdown lifted on the nineteenth lunar day, Lu Ran would see many elderly men and women out for their strolls.

Along this journey, nearly everyone Lu Ran encountered would stop in their tracks, staring at him in a daze.

Some bolder citizens even chased after him, requesting photos and autographs.

Lu Ran only realized belatedly that he was not wearing Dai Maozi's hat or a face mask.

The plan had changed!

He altered his route to take desolate sections, daring not to visit the bun shop; starving and keeping his head down, he rushed toward the school.

As Lu Ran approached the campus, the number of pedestrians increased.

Shouts of "Ran Mei" and "Ran God" came from all directions, making him feel quite embarrassed.

For a few moments, Lu Ran even wanted to cast the Xie Fa technique, Rouge Paper: Red Veil, to cover his own head.

Young students were far more crazed than ordinary citizens; ultimately, Lu Ran could not hold out.

He drew the Xia Guang Dao, flew straight into the sky, and plummeted down toward the teaching building.

It was worth noting that no students had gathered at the school's main gate.

This was because there was no Grand Ranking today.

Due to the special incident that occurred on February 15th, most students had not been permitted to engage in battle during the night of the 15th that had just passed.

On February 15th, the Divine People Bureau suffered heavy losses, and the Moonwatchers were utterly exhausted.

On March 15th, do not come to be a burden; do not add further strain to the City Defense Legion.

Why were "most students" forbidden from participating in the battle?

Because a small portion of the students within the school had already advanced to the River Realm!

For such students, both the school administration and the Divine People Bureau encouraged them to participate in the city defense missions.

Once your strength reaches a certain standard and you no longer require the full-time protection of a Moonwatcher leader, you have become a qualified city defense soldier!

As long as you participate, you will obtain 15 Believer Points in the capacity of a "social volunteer."

Furthermore, because your identity is special—you are a proper Gao Zhongsheng—the school will also have corresponding incentive policies to grant you an additional 15 points.

Thus, 30 points secured!

The students who had advanced to the River Realm were overjoyed.

With the college entrance examination approaching, every single point was extremely precious.

Meanwhile, those students who were Ka Zai Xi Jing at stages three, four, or five were full of complaints.

The question was, who could be blamed for this?

If your strength was inadequate, you could only stay at home obediently.

"Whoosh~"

Holding the Xia Guang Dao, Lu Ran landed steadily at the entrance of the teaching building.

"Wow, Ran God!"

"It's Lu Ran!"

"Ran Mei has arrived, everyone make way~"

Sounds erupted from inside and outside the building, making Lu Ran's head buzz.

Mist churning beneath his feet, he darted straight into the teaching building.

Behind him, he could still hear bursts of discussion:

"Haha, I've seen the real person!"

"Even running away looks so handsome; I'm so happy."

"Happy again, sis~"

Ignoring the clamor, Lu Ran quickly climbed the stairs and swiftly darted toward his classroom.

However, at the classroom doorway, he came to a halt.

This was because, in the fourth row, Lu Ran saw his desk mate.

The young girl wore a light-colored shirt and jeans, her jet-black long hair cascading over her shoulders.

Rarely did Lu Ran detect a hint of laziness in her demeanor.

Seeming somewhat bored, she was propping her chin with one hand, gazing out the window in a trance.

Coinciding with the beautiful spring scenery, sunlight spilled upon her figure, bright and serene.

"God Ran!"

"Brother Ran is here! Quick, quick, give me an autograph!" There weren't many classmates in the classroom, but the commotion they made was considerable.

Jiangjiang Ruyi snapped out of her thoughts and turned to look.

She saw Lu Ran standing at the classroom door, smiling at her.

Jiangjiang Ruyi couldn't help but feel a stir in her heart; she did not avert her gaze, only memories surged within her mind.

During those two years of Gao Yi and Gao Er, she didn't know how many times she had seen Lu Ran's figure appear at the classroom door.

Occasionally, just like now, he would secretly look at her.

Ever since everyone became believers, throughout the entire Gao San year, such scenes had been rare, nearly vanished.

Now, with the college entrance examination approaching, the students were about to leave this classroom.

Such a scene would probably never happen again in this lifetime.

"At the time, I only thought it was ordinary."

Jiangjiang Ruyi whispered softly.

"We've been classmates for two or three years; what need is there for an autograph? Don't make a scene!" Lu Ran walked into the classroom, repeatedly declining, "How about you go ask the homeroom teacher instead?"

"In Gao Yi and Gao Er, how much homework did I write, how many exam papers did I hand in? Wasn't my name on all of them!"

"Brother Ran, over here!"

"Huh?"

"Click~" Qian Hao held up his phone to take a selfie; on his chubby face was nothing but a brilliant smile.

On the phone screen, behind Qian Hao, was Lu Ran's appearance, surrounded by classmates and looking utterly flustered.

"Click! Click!"

Another round of shutter sounds rang out; Lu Ran hadn't given any autographs, but he had been forced to take quite a few photos.

After a good while, he finally reached his seat and plopped down: "Did the promotion succeed?"

Jiangjiang Ruyi shook her head gently.

Lu Ran's heart sank.

As believer ranks increased, failures to break through bottlenecks were also common occurrences.

Seeing Lu Ran's expression, Jiangjiang Ruyi explained with a light smile: "I haven't attempted the breakthrough yet."

Only then did Lu Ran breathe a sigh of relief: "Oh, you're still in the preparation stage."

"Mm, I want to be more secure, so I plan to kill more demons in the Demon Abyss to collect demon crystals."

"Good!" Lu Ran nodded heavily.

For high-ranking believers, no amount of preliminary preparation was ever excessive.

The matter of promotion required striking while the iron was hot!

Once an attempt to break through a bottleneck failed, it would inevitably have a certain degree of negative impact, both on your morale and on your body.

At that point, the delay wouldn't be just three or five days.

"What did you eat this morning?" Jiangjiang Ruyi propped her chin on one hand, looking out the window casually as she spoke offhandedly.

"Didn't get to eat." Lu Ran looked quite helpless.

"Didn't get to eat?" Jiangjiang Ruyi seemed somewhat puzzled.

Was eating such a difficult thing?

Lu Ran shrugged: "I forgot to wear my hat, so I didn't dare go where there were many people."

Jiangjiang Ruyi was utterly speechless; she took a chocolate bar from her desk drawer and placed it on the table: "Here."

Lu Ran, however, didn't move, staring straight at the chocolate.

Jiangjiang Ruyi looked at Lu Ran with a mix of exasperation and amusement, lowering her voice: "Eat it yourself! Many classmates are watching."

"Brother Lu!" Deng Yutang strode in with long steps, bursting into the classroom.

Behind him followed Chang Ying, equally energetic: "Baby Ran. Hey, chocolate!"

Compared to the great summer prodigy, Chang Ying seemed more concerned with delicious food.

Lu Ran raised his fist and bumped it against Deng Yutang's.

Deng Yutang plopped down in the seat in front of Lu Ran and asked: "By the way, Brother Lu, do you know where my sister went?"

Lu Ran:?

You're asking me about this?

Between the two of us, who exactly is her biological brother?

Deng Yutang sized up Lu Ran with a suspicious gaze: "I just heard from Mom and Dad that my sister went to Lord Bei Feng City a while ago."

"You didn't know about this?"

"I..." Lu Ran opened his mouth, then still said, "I know."

"I knew you did!" Deng Yutang looked as if he had expected nothing less, and pressed on, "What did she go to Lord Bei Feng City to do?"

Lu Ran: "Didn't your parents tell you either?"

Deng Yutang frowned tightly: "They said my sister went to Lord Bei Feng City for further studies, but I always feel something isn't quite right."

Deng Deng Yuxiang had long had the opportunity to stay in Lord Bei Feng City; why would she change her mind now?

Moreover, this beloved Rain Alley City of hers had helped her successfully break through and become a Jiang Jing expert.

Deng Deng Yuxiang had even less reason to leave!

Deng Yutang lowered his voice: "Brother Lu, she didn't lie to my parents, did she? She's not going to the battlefield or the front lines or anything like that, is she?"

Lu Ran immediately shook his head: "No, she did go to Lord Bei Feng City."

"That's good." Deng Yutang nodded, "How long will my sister be gone? Is it just for further studies, or will she be serving by the god's side indefinitely?"

"Will she come back?"

One question left Lu Ran silent.

Will she come back?

Deng Deng Yuxiang... can she still come back?

She should be able to; I will go pick her up myself, no matter what her fate turns out to be.

"Brother Lu?" Deng Yutang observed Lu Ran's reaction closely, feeling increasingly that something was amiss.

Jiangjiang Ruyi reached down, resting her hand on Lu Ran's thigh, her fingertip tapping lightly.

"It's just further studies," Lu Ran finally spoke. "As for when she'll return..."

"Your sister is a Great Expert of Jiang Jing; once she enters secluded cultivation, it could be several months, or even several years, right?"

"Mm." Deng Yutang felt slightly relieved and nodded.

Lu Ran sighed inwardly.

Deng Deng Yuxiang apparently hadn't told her family about the divine weapon; presumably, she feared worrying them.

He also didn't know whether her colleagues were aware.

Fortunately, when he had mentioned this to Jiangjiang Ruyi yesterday, his voice had been very low, and there was considerable distance between them and Sun Sun Zhengfang sitting behind.

"Everyone return to your seats and sit properly." Suddenly, the homeroom teacher's voice came from the podium.

Tian Tian, who had leaned over waiting for a chance to greet them, found no opportunity and could only sit back in her rear seat, disappointed.

Fortunately, Sister Jiang Ruyi was gentle enough; she turned her head and smiled at Tian Tian.

Tian Tian immediately became happy, as if the entire world had brightened slightly.

On the podium, Li Li Yanzhu swept her gaze across everyone: "Today is April 23rd on the solar calendar; there are less than two months left until the College Entrance Examination."

"Today, the practical training assignment arranged by the school is also the second-to-last assignment of your high school lives."

"You don't have many chances left to raise your scores; you must secure these 20 points. Do you understand?"

"Understood!"

"Yes!" Though there were only twenty-some students in the class, their voices were very loud.

Li Li Yanzhu nodded satisfactorily, glancing toward Lu and Jiang:

"Capable students can try communicating with the military forces stationed at Ghost Moon Mountain to apply for an upgrade to their practical training missions and test their luck."

"Ghost Moon Mountain?"

"Are we going to Ghost Moon Mountain this time?" Instantly, the students were both excited and nervous, and discussions erupted throughout the classroom.

Thanks to Sect Master Lingxi for the 20,000 reward for the character card · Lu Ran! Boss, you're generous; thanks for the support!

May you live long~ Hooray!

(`) Finger heart.

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(End of Chapter)