Chapter 247: Ghost Moon Mountain

In the late morning, under the school's organization, Lu Ran and the others boarded the train heading east.

The destination of this journey was Ningyue City, located at the border between Wu Lie River Province and Liaodong Province, not too far from Deng Yuxiang City.

On the train, the students chattered excitedly, clearly holding great expectations for the Demon Lair·Ghost Moon Mountain.

It was no wonder they were so excited.

The scenery of Ghost Moon Mountain was beautiful.

The white foxes within the mountains were even more beautiful!

Those beautiful fox eyes were enough to make anyone lose their soul.

There was such a jest circulating among the folks of Great Xia:

"If you do not believe in love, go to Ghost Moon Mountain.

The white fox under the moon will tell you what love at first sight is, and what it means to be forever etched into one's heart and soul.

Ghost Moon Mountain was an extremely special Demon Lair.

Those who went there included not only proper trainees, but also cultivators seeking mental rest, and ascetics tempering their wills.

Hmm... perhaps there were also reckless, love-struck men and women seeking love at the cost of their lives.

"Ah?" Lu Ran, holding his mobile phone while sitting in a window seat, asked, "You're not coming?"

"I've been there already, so I won't go; it's not that interesting," Si Si Xianxian said awkwardly from the other end of the line.

Lu Ran frowned slightly, filled with confusion.

Sister Sister Xian's desire for "sightseeing" was obvious to all.

Ghost Moon Mountain had picturesque scenery, and the Ghost Moon Foxes were utterly captivating.

So why wasn't she coming?

Lu Ran hesitated for a moment, then ventured cautiously, "Could it be that you've developed feelings for the Ghost Moon Fox clan..."

"Beep... beep... beep..."

Before Lu Ran could finish his sentence, the other party hung up the phone.

He looked at his phone with a strange expression.

Jiangjiang Ruyi, sitting opposite Lu Ran and gazing out the window, said, "Most believers of Divine Lie Tian have unstable emotions; the spiritual aspect is their weakness.

Sister Sister Xian fell for the Ghost Moon Fox's tricks and was bewitched before; it is only normal that she cannot bear to harm the Ghost Moon clan."

Lu Ran smiled and shook his head. "Alright then."

Jiangjiang Ruyi curled the corners of her mouth and teased, "You be careful too; don't fall in love with some white fox."

Lu Ran: "..."

Tian Tian, sitting beside Jiangjiang Ruyi, hugged Jiangjiang Ruyi's arm with her small hands and whispered, "I will definitely protect you all well."

That Tian Tian could make such a statement was naturally because she had confidence in her heart.

The Sword Lotus Divine Art·Precious Lotus Flower could release pollen with a peculiar fragrance; within the range of this pollen, all abnormal spiritual states would be purified completely.

As for the Ghost Moon Fox clan's method of eliciting pity and love, it was released through their pair of beautiful fox eyes via illusions.

In the face of the Precious Lotus Flower, illusions naturally had no room to survive.

"Good," Jiangjiang Ruyi said with a nod and a smile.

Seeing Tian Tian's delicate and pretty appearance, Jiangjiang Ruyi couldn't help but extend her finger to affectionately flick the girl's small nose.

Tian Tian's gaze became even more determined, and she hugged Jiangjiang Ruyi's arm even tighter.

Master's and Sister Jiang Ruyi's love will be guarded by me!

No one is allowed to break them up.

That's what I say!

"I can help too," Chang Ying, sitting on the aisle side, spoke up weakly.

Believers of the Spirit Talisman were jack-of-all-trades, earning the reputation of a "Divine Art General Store."

At the River Realm·First Stage, the Pei De Shen Fa adapted by Chang Ying was the Eight Treasures Talisman; among its auxiliary talismans, there was one that could clear the mind.

However, drawing an auxiliary talisman from the eight talismans required luck.

"After entering the Demon Lair, just draw talismans directly," Deng Yutang said rather heroically. "With Brother Lu and Class Monitor Jiang following us, you can draw boldly without worry!"

"Right, right, right!" Chang Ying nodded repeatedly, understanding the other's meaning.

If the trio of Deng, Tian, and Chang were training alone, Chang Ying would most likely use the Five Treasures Talisman continuously, because among those five talismans, there were no bad ones.

No matter what was drawn, the effect would at least be positive.

Now, with Lu Ran and Jiangjiang Ruyi present, Chang Ying's margin for error when drawing talismans was incredibly high!

To put it bluntly, even if she kept drawing bad talismans, it wouldn't matter.

After all, Lu Ran would cover for her~

At ten fifteen, everyone arrived in Ningyue City, and under the teachers' guidance, boarded buses driving south toward the suburbs.

As the bus approached the military camp, Lu Ran once again saw the figure of the Sixth-Rank God·Huang Gu.

Previously, when Lu Ran went to Heifen Ridge (Black Lamp Demon Lair) for training, he had also seen the avatar statue of my lord Huang Gu.

After getting off the bus, Lu Ran, as per custom, paid respect to the god's majestic presence.

The god·Huang Gu stood towering between heaven and earth, bare-chested with knotted muscles, his long hair tied high at the back of his head, appearing exceptionally heroic.

He held a drumstick in hand, poised as if about to strike the large drum placed before him.

A thick aura of martial valor filled the space between heaven and earth, surging passionately!

Was there even a need to strike the drum?

Lu Ran was already boiling with hot blood!

Speaking of which, on this trip to Ghost Moon Mountain, those squads possessing believers of Huang Gu could rest easy.

Illusion?

Ridiculous!

The Illusion Drum believers have maxed out their mental defense attributes; they simply aren't susceptible to your tricks.

One strike from my drumstick, and all that lovey-dovey nonsense gets smashed to pieces!

Wake up, friend!

Where in this damn world is there such a thing as true love?!

"Line up to collect weapons, no disorder!" the teacher stood beside the bus, calling out loudly.

"Hold my weapon for me." Lu Ran patted Deng Yutang's shoulder and whispered, "I'm going to ask if we can upgrade our trial mission."

"Alright." Deng Yutang nodded heavily, a trace of anticipation rising in his heart.

Regarding the matter of "upgrading trial missions," it was indeed something that could be encountered but not sought.

But that was for ordinary students!

What status did Lu Ran hold?

A Great Xia Prodigy!

If he pulled some strings, maybe this could actually happen?

As Deng Yutang waited in line, he watched Lu Ran head toward the central building.

He immediately noticed that the soldiers standing guard within the military camp were all turning their heads to look at Lu Ran, their expressions varying.

"Hello." Lu Ran quickly approached the registration desk and nodded respectfully to a female soldier.

"You are... you, Lu Ran?!" The female soldier's eyes instantly widened, her face filled with shock.

"The school organized us to come here for a trial," Lu Ran said with a smile. "I wanted to ask if it's possible to upgrade our mission."

"Oh my goodness, he really came!" The young female soldier's eyes sparkled; she hadn't heard a word Lu Ran said.

She continued talking to herself: "High command notified us that Rain Alley No. 1 High School would be coming here for a trial..."

"Mm-hmm." Lu Ran nodded repeatedly, stating his request once again.

"Mission upgrade." Only then did the female soldier react; her face turned difficult, and she subconsciously wanted to refuse.

But just as the words reached her lips, the female soldier changed her phrasing: "Y-you wait a moment; let me consult my superiors."

"Trouble you." Lu Ran nodded in thanks.

The female soldier stared blankly at Lu Ran for a full two or three seconds before finally picking up her walkie-talkie.

For this famously renowned Great Xia Prodigy, people's deepest impression of him stemmed mostly from the battlefield.

His gaze was cold and piercing, his attacks fierce, and he was exceptionally valiant.

Yet at this moment, Lu Ran displayed not a shred of arrogance or hostility; his demeanor was gentle, and his smile was sunny.

It was simply... hmm, isn't this too much like Xiang Xiang Xianyang?

Lu Ran didn't wait long before several soldiers walked over.

The middle-aged male soldier leading them extended his hand toward Lu Ran: "Mr. Lu, pleased to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you, pleased to meet you." Lu Ran, cloaked in the guise of a Xiang Xiang Xianyang believer, was extremely humble.

"The situation is this: our side currently has no suitable missions available for you to complete."

"Ah, alright then, trouble you." Lu Ran secretly felt a pang of regret.

The middle-aged male soldier suddenly changed tack: "However, whenever you return to the city stronghold, you can inquire at the hotel front desk."

"Once our side selects a suitable mission, we will notify the hotel staff immediately."

"Thank you!" Lu Ran's heart leaped with joy.

So, pulling strings really does work?

Judging by how difficult it was for the other party, if he weren't Lu Ran, they would have definitely refused outright!

"No need for courtesy." The middle-aged male soldier smiled. "In advance, I wish you good results on the fifteenth of next month."

"Abso-lute-ly~" Lu Ran, adapting to local customs, uttered a phrase he had learned from Without Si Si Xianxian.

The middle-aged male soldier: "..."

The soldiers nearby wore strange expressions, barely holding back, not daring to laugh out loud.

Lu Ran lowered his head and walked away quickly.

At this moment, the classmates had already begun lining up to enter, naturally witnessing the scene of Lu Ran chatting and laughing with the military soldiers.

"He probably went to apply for a mission upgrade," Ma Ma Tianchuan pushed his rimless glasses, his eyes full of envy.

As for jealousy, there wasn't much of that.

People might feel envious toward those who are roughly on par with themselves.

But for those who far exceed them...

It is mostly admiration.

Back during the Grand Tournament at the start of Gao San, Ma Ma Tianchuan had lost with complete conviction.

Ever since "Prodigy" aired, Ma Ma Tianchuan had been thoroughly convinced by Lu Ran, feeling nothing but worship in his heart.

Wu Wu Shanshan whispered softly: "Should we go try as well?"

Behind them, Kou Kou Yingquan's expression was not very pleasant; he didn't dare to respond.

He was unclear about what the content of an upgraded mission would be within this Demon Lair.

But Kou Kou Yingquan knew that upgrading the trial mission at Evil Dog Village meant carrying out operations within the Buffer Zone.

For the few of them at their current stage, that was purely risking their lives!

Presumably, the upgraded mission for Ghost Moon Mountain should be equally perilous.

Kou Kou Yingquan did not respond, and neither did Ma Ma Tianchuan.

The other female member of the team, seeing no one speak up, pretended to be an ostrich as well.

Everyone wants the points.

But you have to have a life to take them.

Seeing no one respond, Wu Wu Shanshan did not persist.

In fact, she also possessed purification techniques, which were equally effective at suppressing the Ghost Moon Fox clan.

But the team members...

Wu Wu Shanshan silently turned her head, watching Lu Ran standing beside Jiangjiang Ruyi.

If back then,

I hadn't insisted on leaving, if I were still together with Lu Ran...

This entire year, and the future too, would be so very different.

Suddenly, her mind recalled the words Lu Ran had spoken during the opening grand martial tournament:

"You are excellent; I am not worthy.

Forget me; on to the next."

"Sigh," Wu Wu Shanshan let out a heavy sigh in her heart.

At the same time, in the rear of the formation, Chang Ying asked softly, "Ran Bao, what's the verdict?"

Amidst the crowd's expectant gazes, Lu Ran shook his head: "There are no special missions right now."

Deng Yutang frowned slightly: "You can't do it either?"

"What kind of talk is that!" Lu Ran said irritably, "Just wait."

"Wait?" A spark of hope rose again in Deng Yutang's heart.

These were twenty points, not something to joke about!

Lu Ran nodded: "Mm, just wait; they're arranging something for us."

Tian Tian parted her lips slightly: "Ar-ranging?"

"Wow!" Chang Ying's eyes sparkled as she made to cheer, but one glare from Lu Ran silenced her immediately.

"Awesome!" Deng Yutang threw an arm around Lu Ran's shoulders and shook him excitedly.

With this, their chances of getting into Wu Lie River University were even greater!

(End of Chapter)