Chapter 362: The Pinnacle of the Heavenly Prodigies!

The twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, nightfall.

Inside a courtyard of a house in Lady Luo Sister Xian Village, a middle-aged man stood alone, a cigarette still clamped between his fingers.

"Huff."

The man slowly exhaled a wisp of smoke, closing his eyes as if savoring the moment.

Stars filled the sky, and the night breeze rustled gently.

The village was utterly silent.

Everything was so perfect, until a voice broke the stillness:

"Dad."

"Ah?" The middle-aged man instinctively turned his head.

He saw a tall figure standing before the house door.

The young woman wore a flowing white gown, looking as ethereal as a fairy.

Her beautiful eyes were like the deep night sky, seemingly capable of drawing one into a universe of brilliant stars and boundless vastness.

Seeing her father somewhat dazed, Jiangjiang Ruyi said softly, "The award ceremony is more than halfway through; Lu Ran's turn is coming soon."

"Ah, ah!" Jiang Zheng snapped back to his senses and quickly turned his back.

Though he was the father, he acted like a child caught doing something wrong, using his broad frame to shield the tiny, glowing cigarette butt.

Jiangjiang Ruyi smiled and shook her head, then turned and entered the house.

Jiang Zheng quickly took another drag, the heavy smoke sinking into his lungs and soothing his spirit, gradually calming him down.

Since his daughter advanced to Jiang Jing until now, nearly three months had passed.

Jiang Zheng had never been able to adapt to his daughter's transformation.

Upon arriving at Xianshan this time and seeing Jiangjiang Ruyi, who had undergone a further metamorphosis, he felt even more at a loss.

During those first few days, Jiang Zheng hardly dared to look directly at this fairy of the mortal world.

In truth, both husband and wife knew clearly that the moment their daughter achieved Jing Shen Cheng Gong, the three of them had become people of two different worlds.

It was only that, before Jiangjiang Ruyi reached River Realm, the Jiang couple could still deceive themselves.

But Jiang Jing was like a watershed.

It completely separated the two groups.

Lu Ran had even expanded this gap to its extreme, having secured a divine blessing from the gods for Jiangjiang Ruyi.

From this point on,

Jiangjiang Ruyi, a flower atop a high peak looking down upon the mortal world, had completely detached herself from the mundane and stepped onto the cloud peaks.

"Huff."

Jiang Zheng exhaled another wisp of smoke and smiled faintly, looking down.

This is for the best.

The journey of life is, by nature, a process where parents and children gradually drift further apart.

The unique historical backdrop made entire families sever ties cleanly and decisively.

Even after the first day of the sixth lunar month that year, Jiang Zheng had lost the ability to protect his daughter.

He could not accompany her to the battlefield.

He could not block the sharp fangs and claws of evil spirits for her, nor did he have the power to shield her as she moved forward.

Having someone like Lu Ran always by his daughter's side, protecting her, was undoubtedly a great fortune.

He only hoped that the young man would remain constant.

At the very least, he would always treat his daughter well.

"Dad." A slightly reproachful voice came again.

"Coming, coming!" Jiang Zheng took one last drag and quickly extinguished the cigarette butt.

With her arms crossed in front of her, Jiangjiang Ruyi watched her flustered father, a faint smile appearing on her face.

This time, Jiangjiang Ruyi did not enter the house first; she waited for him to join her.

Lu Ran was about to go on stage to receive his award; her father certainly wanted to see it.

The young woman remained gentle.

She lowered her eyelids to avoid her gaze from imposing an even greater pressure on her father.

Within Xianshan,

she borrowed the afterglow of the setting sun and the sunset clouds on the horizon to bring peace and tranquility to her heart.

Within the starlit Silver River Bay,

she also borrowed the stars of the night sky, imitating Lu Ran's manner, and integrated them into her eyes.

Unfortunately, at this point in time, this was the limit of what Jiangjiang Ruyi could achieve.

She still could not "coexist peacefully" with the world.

"Jiang Ruyi?"

"Mm." Jiangjiang Ruyi smelled the tobacco, her brows furrowing slightly.

Jiang Zheng looked embarrassed and hurried inside.

Inside, the teasing voice of his wife, Zhuang Zhuang Jingyi, came through: "You really know how to put on airs.

We, Lady Luo Sister Xian, had to come twice to invite you before you finally sauntered in?"

Jiang Zheng smiled awkwardly.

"Mom~" Jiangjiang Ruyi protested.

"Come, come!" On the sofa, Si Si Xianxian waved repeatedly, "Once this song ends, it will be Lu Ran's turn!"

Jiangjiang Ruyi walked over and sat between her mother and Sister Sister Xian'er.

There sat Without Si Si Xianxian, fully equipped; not only was she watching TV with the family of three, but she also held a phone in her hands, specifically reading the bullet comments.

Inside a Great Xia online livestream room, the atmosphere was blazing hot:

"Why is this song taking so long to sing? Can't you be sensible? I'm about to lose my temper!"

"Exactly! My Ran Bao clears a street in three seconds and kills evil spirits back and forth eight times in five seconds; isn't this delaying things?"

"As expected, we shall meet again, haha! Seeing you soon, Ran Dog!!"

"So looking forward to what God Ran will say!"

"Screen recording ready; tonight I'll fall asleep listening to Bao Ran's voice√"

Without Si Si Xianxian watched the bullet comments with a beaming smile, stole a glance at Jiangjiang Ruyi beside her, and then typed rapidly:

"Love Bao Ran the most~"

To one side, Jiangjiang Ruyi elegantly crossed her legs and watched the television.

Amid rounds of applause, the singer finally exited the stage.

A glamorous female host walked onto the stage, beaming: "Up to this point in the program, nine prodigies have taken the stage to share their insights on growth."

"And this final one..."

As the host spoke, thunderous applause erupted within the vast auditorium, accompanied by cheers and whistles from all directions.

The female host's smile did not fade as her voice grew even more high-pitched: "Next, please welcome the first-place winner of the Great Xia Prodigy Overall Rankings for the year 2019, the Year of the Earth Pig in the lunar calendar..."

The two characters 'Lu Ran' were completely drowned out by the cheers.

Inside the splendid and magnificent grand auditorium, thousands of spectators seemed ready to flip the roof over.

On the gorgeous and imposing stage, a young man emerged from backstage under the guidance of staff members.

"Wow!" Without Si Si Xianxian's eyes immediately lit up.

Leaning against her husband's shoulder, Zhuang Zhuang Jingyi grew happier the more she looked, feeling increasingly satisfied in her heart.

Bright lights of admiration also flashed in Jiangjiang Ruyi's eyes.

All along, Lu Ran had never dressed so formally.

She was accustomed to seeing Lu Ran in school uniforms, combat gear, and casual wear.

But she had never seen Lu Ran looking so sharp in a suit.

His posture was equally upright, his figure tall and slender, his eyes deep and tranquil, and a gentle smile graced his face.

A refined gentleman, warm as jade.

He perfectly matched the tone of the Xianyangyi Sect.

This was completely different from Prodigy Lu, who slaughtered in all directions on the battlefield.

Inside the livestream room, it was as if an explosion had occurred; layer upon layer of bullet comments obscured the scene of Lu Ran accepting the trophy.

"What the hell! What the hell, is this my Ran Dog?"

"Big brother-in-law—no, Husband! Husband~~~"

"Boohoo, my Ran Bao! My Ran Bao!!"

"@Jiangjiang Ruyi, don't get cocky; there will surely be times when you aren't home, right?"

"Sigh, a bunch of people who've never seen the world! Back when I was young, I was about the same age as Lu Ran."

"Are you pulling that 'here and there' nonsense?"

"Baa~!"

In the center of the stage, Lu Ran held the trophy symbolizing first place and weighed it in his hand.

This trophy is quite exquisite.

Above the base sat a shining golden five-pointed star.

The applause continued; Lu Ran looked down at the rows of fervent eyes and gently pressed his hand down.

It took quite a while before the grand auditorium quieted down.

Lu Ran leaned close to the microphone and said, "The directorate told me to say something inspirational and uplifting."

"I think my attitude has been presented in every episode of 'Prodigy'."

"Every battle, every swing of the blade..."

"Whoosh~~~"

A whistle suddenly sounded, interrupting Lu Ran's words.

Lu Ran smiled, looking toward the front left, and said, "After the program ends, remember to go backstage to collect your payment."

"Haha!"

"Hehehe." Amid bursts of laughter, Lu Ran's expression became slightly more serious.

"The human world is bitter; all living beings suffer."

"Whether poor or rich, powerful or weak, no matter where you are, without exception."

"It is as if birth itself is a sin."

Inside the grand auditorium, the atmosphere gradually turned solemn.

"My hometown is a small and old city."

"A place known as the Cursed Land."

"There, dark clouds hover year-round, and wind and rain toss everything about."

"Ghosts often roam at night, and Demon Lords frequently appear."

"I once wondered why my hometown had to suffer such hardships."

"Only later did I discover that...

"Not just Rain Alley; so this is what the human world is like."

"My father, Lu Xing, was a glorious soldier."

"He fought in Rain Alley and died in Rain Alley."

"I once wondered why it was young me who had to endure such separation of life and death."

"Later I realized,"

"it wasn't just me; the human world is simply like this."

Lu Ran's gaze swept over row after row of solemn faces as he said softly, "Will it always be like this?"

"I don't know."

"Then... will everything get better?"

The great hall fell utterly silent.

Lu Ran remained silent for a moment before speaking: "Perhaps."

"I believe in you!"

"It definitely will! I believe it! I believe in you!" Suddenly, voices erupted from below.

Emotions ran high, voices hoarse from shouting.

Against this extremely special historical backdrop, Lu Ran's influence and power to rally people were beyond imagination.

Lu Ran smiled: "Looks like a few more people will be heading backstage to collect their money."

Yet this time, no laughter echoed within the hall.

Most remained solemn and silent; only a handful shouted and cheered.

Lu Ran spoke, quelling the cries: "I am striving, and fortunately, countless others who share my ideals are striving as well."

"I believe my performance in 'Heavenly Prodigy' is convincing enough."

"Even if my head breaks and blood flows, even if my body is crushed to dust..."

"Perhaps I will ultimately fail, but right now I tell you: I will strive with all my might!"

"Clap, clap, clap!"

"Lu Ran!"

"Lu Ran!! Lu Ran!!"

"Clap, clap, clap"—the applause grew, louder and louder.

Lu Ran, however, pressed his hand down and continued: "I endorse one saying."

"Life,"

"is absolutely not about waiting passively for the storm to pass."

"It is about learning to dance in the rain."

Lu Ran once again looked out at the crowd, his gaze sweeping across faces that were silent, contemplative, or filled with eager expectation.

Finally, Lu Ran turned to the camera, his eyes meeting countless others through the screen.

"Rain Alley City has much rain; I have already learned. Now it is your turn."

"Live a little longer."

"Be a little more carefree in the rain."

Lu Ran nodded with a smile and said softly, "What if?"

These three words seemed disjointed and abrupt.

Yet people understood what Lu Ran was saying.

Perhaps they could not reach a deeper level of understanding, but following Lu Ran's theme, they clearly grasped one meaning:

What if this world could become better?

Boom!!

The great hall exploded into chaos.

Applause thundered; cheers rose like a mountain cry and a tidal wave!

The top ten Heavenly Prodigies had all taken the stage to receive their awards, and the top nine had shared their growth experiences and insights.

All nine Heavenly Prodigies had comforted the people and encouraged them to live well.

But no one would have expected,"

"that the young man standing at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Prodigies would speak such words!"

People seemed to suddenly understand something.

Compared to the title of "First Heavenly Prodigy" bestowed upon Lu Ran by scores and leaderboard rankings,"

"perhaps what truly allowed Lu Ran to ascend to the pinnacle of the Heavenly Prodigies"

"was his dream,"

"his soaring ambition!"

Inside the live stream, bullet comments piled up, surging outward wildly:

"What if?"

"What if?"

"What if?"

Thanks to bosses Southside Wandering Soul and Smiling Kun for the ten-thousand-coin gifts! Bosses, you're generous! Handsome! Invincibly tough!

Thank you for your continued support! Wish you long life~ Hooray!

(⁎˃ ꇴ ˂⁎) Finger heart

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(End of Chapter)