Chapter 255

On the ninth day of the fourth lunar month, Lu Ran and his group walked out of Ghost Moon Mountain.

This training journey had been a bountiful harvest for everyone!

Jiang Ruyi had completed her advancement, becoming a River Realm, Third Stage powerhouse.

Lu Ran had severed a karmic tie and faced his inner demons head-on; for the rest of his life, he would likely no longer be troubled by similar techniques.

He had also gained enlightenment on the blade while on the cliff, combining it with his own unique skills to master a blade technique—Asking the Moon!

This realization allowed Lu Ran to stop obsessing over absolute speed and instead delve deeper into controlling the changes in rhythm.

Such a move would surely help Lu Ran shine brilliantly on the battlefield!

At the same time, everyone had properly completed the assignments set by the school as well as the special tasks entrusted by the military.

If all went well, a full 40 believer points would be credited to their accounts.

Lu Ran's score should reach 529.6 points.

With this, even if Lu Ran did nothing before the college entrance exam, his final score should still be able to break the 600-point barrier!

After all, the college entrance exam (the final grand exam) was based on a 100-point scale.

Would Lu Ran lie down and rest on his laurels?

Of course not!

As a Great Xia prodigy, and the only high school student among the prodigies, Lu Ran naturally had to turn in a shocking report card.

Thereby achieving a special accomplishment and becoming the "child of someone else" in the mouths of every parent.

This title...

Just thinking about it was enough to make people hate him, right?

That afternoon, Lu Ran and the others returned to Yu Xiang City.

When they walked out of the station, it happened to be drizzling.

The familiar overcast sky and familiar streetscape gave Lu Ran a strong sense of belonging.

"Wait a while, the car will be here soon." Deng Yutang hid under the eaves of the station exit, gazing at the street in the distance.

"Ah~" Chang Ying rushed into the rain, not caring about getting wet, her face instead full of enjoyment.

The group had stayed in Ghost Moon Mountain for a full twenty days.

When they first entered the mountain, everything within sight was flowers and moonlight.

But after staying inside for a long time, even the most beautiful scenery couldn't compare to the cycle of the sun and moon, the wind, rain, and sunny days in the ordinary world.

Lu Ran watched Chang Ying frolicking in the rain with a smile and teased:

"You're soaked all over; what will you do if Young Master Deng doesn't let you in the car later?"

Chang Ying wiped her wet hair with one hand, revealing a face of wild beauty, and said indifferently:

"Then I'll just walk back myself; I happen to be thirsty anyway."

Everyone: "..."

It has to be you, Chang Ying; you're certainly wild enough!

Lu Ran's expression was strange: "If you're hungry, will you catch a kid on the way and eat them?"

Chang Ying turned her head to look at Lu Ran, her face full of question marks.

I'm just drinking rainwater; does the next step have to be eating a kid?

"Mm." Tian Tian moved sideways, hiding behind Jiang Ruyi.

"You little Tian Tian!" Chang Ying strode over, a pair of large hands reaching out, "Following Ran Bao to make fun of me!"

"Ya!" Tian Tian let out a cry of surprise and started circling around Jiang Ruyi.

The group was playing and bickering, the atmosphere very warm.

Lu Ran's playful mood, however, gradually faded.

He silently watched this scene, truly wishing that this small team could always be like this.

Jiang Ruyi seemed to notice something; she came to Lu Ran's side and whispered: "What's wrong with you?"

"Ah?" Lu Ran came back to his senses.

He had only been a little silent and distracted, yet Jiang Ruyi had noticed.

Little Ruyi,

How is it, are your eyes filled with only me now?

Lu Ran couldn't help but reach out and wrap his arms around her waist.

Deng Yutang froze for a moment, then immediately looked away, appearing as if he shouldn't see such indecency.

In contrast, Tian Tian widened her eyes, her face full of anticipation.

"Little kid, you're not allowed to look." Chang Ying wrapped one arm around Tian Tian and covered the girl's eyes with her other large hand.

Jiang Ruyi gently broke free from Lu Ran's embrace, her face slightly red, and glared at Lu Ran:

"There are so many people here."

Lu Ran watched her blushing face with a smile, appreciated it for a moment, then turned his head to enjoy the rain.

He didn't say anything.

This inevitably made Jiang Ruyi a little curious; after all, he was usually sharp-tongued.

How could she know that Lu Ran's thoughts were very complicated.

This trip to Ghost Moon Mountain made Lu Ran realize one thing even more profoundly:

For the rest of his life, it would be her.

The Ghost Moon Evil Technique, Pupil of Moon Chasing, was very special; it was an illusion woven jointly by the caster and the victim.

When Lu Ran was dragged into the illusion world, even that thousand-fold beautiful and ten-thousand-fold charming Ghost Moon Fox had to use Jiang Ruyi as a template to penetrate Lu Ran's heart step by step...

Why say more?

The white fox adds to the sorrow of parting, the bright moon mirrors my heart.

In fact, that illusion world had another major impact on Lu Ran.

It came from the final scene:

The taste of loss.

Especially the taste of death and separation; it was just too painful.

This heavy blow, Lu Ran had been holding in his heart, silently digesting it.

Work harder, cherish more...

Lu Ran didn't want to experience it a second time no matter what.

Although the person who died in the illusion wasn't the real her, for Lu Ran who was caught in it, the feeling was real.

"Beep beep~"

The business car arrived, waking Lu Ran from his deep thoughts.

Lu Ran walked toward the vehicle, faintly hearing Tian Tian anxiously asking Chang Ying something in his ear:

"Did they kiss? Did they kiss?"

Then he heard Tian Tian's soft whimpering; it seemed she had been given a small lesson by Jiang Ruyi...

The eldest young master of the Deng family sent his teammates home one by one; on the way, several people wished Lu Ran an early advancement and wished him good results in the fourth issue of "Prodigy".

Lu Ran participated in "Prodigy" every even-numbered month; in a few days, the fifteenth of the fourth lunar month would arrive.

Lu Ran was very confident about the upcoming night of the fifteenth!

He couldn't wait to use that move, "Asking the Moon", to slaughter the four directions.

What made Lu Ran even more confident was that three days ago, he had already touched the bottleneck of his cultivation!

Lu Ran had advanced to River Realm, Second Stage on the eleventh day of the second lunar month.

Today was the ninth day of the fourth lunar month; counting it up, it had been almost two months.

After going back, he had to beg Lord Xianyang properly and let it help bestow a blessing...

Lu Ran was full of anticipation, carrying a backpack of Ghost Moon Fox magic crystals gifted by his teammates, and opened his own door.

"Click~"

The door opened, and a sound entered Lu Ran's ears.

"Meow?"

Little Li Hua ran over curiously, looking up at its master.

"Did you miss me?" Lu Ran quickly closed the door to prevent the little guy from slipping out.

Little Li Hua watched Lu Ran for a moment, then quickly turned and ran away.

In Ghost Moon Mountain, Lu Ran had indeed killed many, and after the Ghost Moon Fox clan died, their bodies wouldn't shatter into mist.

Like the vicious dogs and soul-splitting demons, they possessed flesh and blood, and the blood spilled on Lu Ran naturally wouldn't dissipate.

Even though Lu Ran often washed his clothes when returning to the village, the bloody scent was really hard to remove.

"Baa~"

Lu Ran was naturally used to this scene; he headed straight for the bathroom, calling out constantly.

The poor little Li Hua was once again played in the palm of the succubus sheep.

From a vigilant escape to a loving chase, it was just a blink of an eye...

Little Li Hua meowed and chased Lu Ran into the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, little Li Hua was still meowing, being held in Lu Ran's arms while cursing.

"Behave." Lu Ran muttered softly.

He wrapped little Li Hua in a large bath towel, rolled it into a "cat stick", and threw it on the small bed in the bedroom.

"Lord Xianyang!"

Lu Ran came to the shrine, put his hands together, and bowed.

The small shrine was quiet, and the white sheep jade carving was silent.

Lu Ran didn't mind and began to recount his training journey.

From cultivation progress to blade technique enlightenment, and then to growth on the inner level.

Except for the believer points that the secular world cared about, Lu Ran told the God everything he had experienced and achieved.

Lu Ran had originally thought this was a one-sided report.

But he didn't expect Lord Xianyang to be merciful and give him a very high evaluation:

"Good!"

A short word, shaking Lu Ran's head until it buzzed.

"Lord Xianyang, the Ghost Moon Fox clan is incredible." Lu Ran said immediately, "They have illusions, healing, and can even predict danger."

White sheep jade carving: "Do you intend to open the evil sculpture of this clan?"

Lu Ran pondered for a moment and said: "The Ghost Moon Fox clan is indeed a rare good helper; we can prepare it first."

Calculated by the number of enemies killed, Lu Ran's trip to Ghost Moon Mountain should allow the Ghost Moon Fox evil sculpture in the God-Demon Sculpture Garden to be cultivated to the middle stage of the River Realm.

Lu Ran thought for a while and continued: "With the evil sculpture configuration I have currently opened...

What I lack now should be purification-type techniques and mental defense-type techniques?"

White sheep jade carving: "You can judge for yourself."

Lu Ran opened his mouth but didn't make a sound in the end.

When Lu Ran first became a believer, Lord Xianyang clearly pointed the way for him, letting him open the evil sculpture of the Vicious Dog clan.

Subsequently, Lord Xianyang ordered Lu Ran to activate the evil sculpture of the Yan Zhi clan.

The Vicious Dog evil sculpture had indeed shown incomparable value; this clan's evil sculpture helped Lu Ran rise and accompanied him in battle to this day.

And the Yan Zhi clan represented a life-saving method, which could be considered Lord Xianyang providing a safety net for Lu Ran.

Except for these two evil sculptures, Lord Xianyang didn't interfere too much with Lu Ran's decisions anymore.

The God, Xianyang, had already led Lu Ran through the door and onto the path.

It had also repeatedly stated that Lu Ran should walk the future path himself.

Or it should be expressed in another way: Lu Ran should walk the path that belonged to himself!

Instead of following Xianyang's train of thought and walking the path it wanted.

"Yes!" Lu Ran bowed to Xianyang with heartfelt respect.

The shrine was silent, and the white sheep jade carving returned to silence again.

Lu Ran was silent for a long time, then spoke again: "Lord Xianyang, I seem to have touched a bottleneck and will soon be able to learn the Divine Technique, Body of Scapegoating.

I just don't know if I can advance before the fifteenth of the fourth lunar month.

This time, I brought back a bag of Ghost Moon Fox magic crystals; if it's not enough..."

Lu Ran had originally wanted to ask the God for help, if he was just a bit short, to ask Lord Xianyang to bestow a blessing.

However, before he finished speaking, a low and hoarse voice was imprinted in his mind:

"Cultivate."

Lu Ran was immediately overjoyed: "Yes."

What the world says is true!

Lord Xianyang really loves me~

(End of chapter)