Chapter 54: The First Heretical Art!

The 10th day of the seventh lunar month.

In front of the central building in the camp beneath the Divine Being · Wu Ya.

A group of men and women, dusty and ragged, like refugees, were driven out.

“Huh~” Lu Ran blended in, exhaling deeply, gazing up at the bright midday sun, his heart filled with countless emotions.

In the Demon Den · Evil Dog Village, there was no such thing as dawn; the longer one stayed inside, the more one longed for light.

Fortune smiled—the perpetually rainy Rain Alley City was today clear and boundless.

Beside him, Jiang Ruyi slowly closed her beautiful eyes, tilting her face slightly to feel the sun’s warmth.

After twenty-one days of slaughter, it finally came to an end here.

“Feels like all this was for nothing?” Lu Ran suddenly said.

“Hm?” Jiang Ruyi didn’t open her eyes, still savoring the warm sunlight.

Lu Ran said: “We killed for twenty-one days and didn’t get a single demon crystal—came back empty-handed.”

“I I.” Tian Tian pulled a Mist Realm demon crystal from her pocket and held it out to Lu Ran, “I still have one.”

Lu Ran immediately smiled: “Keep it. As a memento.”

“Mm-hmm.” Tian Tian’s heart leapt; she carefully tucked the crystal away.

A mere Mist Realm demon crystal wasn’t worth much.

But the time it represented meant a great deal to Tian Tian.

“How could it be for nothing?” Jiang Ruyi spoke slowly, “We all advanced. The mission was completed perfectly.”

Upgrading gear wasn’t the main point.

The key was the surge in combat power, the tactical coordination, the seamless teamwork—it could truly be called a transformation!

“Class leader Jiang?” A voice came from behind.

Jiang Ruyi turned to see a figure in tattered clothes, looking utterly worn down.

Third-Rank Divine · Greedy Wolf Follower · Gao Zhonglin?

Gao Zhonglin adjusted his rimless glasses; the only clean thing on him was the glasses: “You stayed in Evil Dog Village that long?”

They weren’t close; Jiang Ruyi merely nodded politely.

Seeing the Goddess of the Class wasn’t inclined to speak, Gao Zhonglin turned to Lu Ran and grinned, extending his hand:

“Big Brother Ran, I’ve admired you for a long time!”

Funny enough, ever since the exam results were announced, Lu Ran had also been called “Big Brother Ran.”

Out in the world,

face is earned by oneself.

“No no no.” Lu Ran shook hands with him, shaking his head humbly.

Gao Zhonglin chuckled: “Big Brother Ran, when are you going to let up a little so I can taste first place?”

“The throne rotates; next year it’ll be your turn!” Lu Ran’s eyes sparkled with encouragement.

“Hahaha!” Gao Zhonglin laughed heartily, “Next year? We’ll all graduate by then!”

“Oops.” Lu Ran glanced at Jiang Ruyi beside him, “He caught on.”

Jiang Ruyi gave Lu Ran a playful side-eye.

A few bystanders who’d been eavesdropping were utterly speechless.

They’d genuinely thought Lu Ran was encouraging Gao Zhonglin—at least being polite.

Only after this exchange did everyone realize what Lu Ran had actually meant.

“A true master!” Lu Ran wore an expression of mutual admiration.

“Oh, not at all.” Gao Zhonglin released his hand with a smile, “Did you complete your gear upgrade mission?”

“Completed.” Lu Ran nodded.

“Completed?” Gao Zhonglin was stunned, his gaze darting between Lu Ran and Jiang Ruyi.

Lu Ran was joking around, maybe not saying anything serious—but Jiang Ruyi nodded too. Gao Zhonglin was truly shocked.

Gao Zhonglin licked his dry lips, his eyes flickering slightly: “You two ranked first in both exams—you’re not like us.

To complete your mission, you had to kill at least two thousand Mist Realm Evil Dogs?”

His words caused those around them to glance over in silent surprise.

Social trainees knew these student followers were absolute beginners.

Yet hearing such a feat, even they couldn’t help but be stunned.

Two thousand Evil Dogs?

Two thousand??

Are these students? They’re all butchers!

“We took a shortcut.” Lu Ran studied Gao Zhonglin.

That little expression, that little look—

little wolf cub,

finally showed his tail, didn’t he?

Honestly, it’s no wonder outsiders viewed Lu Ran, a “Xiang Xianyang Follower,” with prejudice.

A human follower really can grow to resemble his Divine Being more and more.

After all, teenagers aged seventeen or eighteen are in a critical phase of shaping and perfecting their personality. At this stage, a Divine Being’s strong influence inevitably affects every aspect of the follower’s growth.

Not to mention that Divine Beings themselves prefer recruiting followers whose temperaments mirror their own.

“Big Brother Ran, teach me!”

Gao Zhonglin’s face turned urgent; he grabbed Lu Ran’s hand tightly.

Lu Ran put on a magnanimous air, revealing everything without reservation: “We went to hunt Stream Realm Evil Dogs.”

Gao Zhonglin: ???

Gao Zhonglin’s face, once full of anticipation, twisted in disbelief: “This is your shortcut?”

“Exactly!” Lu Ran confirmed, “Two thousand Mist Realm Evil Dogs became just two hundred Stream Realm ones, didn’t they?”

Gao Zhonglin nearly choked!

He snorted: “Then by your logic, you’d only need twenty River Realm Evil Dogs!”

“Brother, you’re brilliant—I see why you’re a master!” Lu Ran’s eyes lit up, nodding vigorously, “Next time I’ll try it!”

Gao Zhonglin was completely speechless!

Is this even human speech?

“Class leader, all the info’s registered. Instructor Dou said we should go to school after reopening to exchange our gear.” Deng Yu walked over, “The vehicle’s arranged—it’ll be here soon.”

As he spoke, Deng Yu glanced curiously at Lu Ran and Gao Zhonglin still shaking hands.

To those in the know, this scene was peculiar.

After all, the two stood first and second.

One a sheep, the other a wolf.

“Thanks for the lesson, Big Brother Ran—I’m off to submit my mission!” Gao Zhonglin released his hand, nodded to Deng Tian and Deng Yu, then turned away.

What a ridiculous day—not worth talking about!

I wanted to extract some intel, learn some dog-killing secrets, ask about Team 98’s tactics.

Instead,

I got played hard by him?!

It’s so frustrating~

“Damn it.” Lu Ran muttered under his breath, watching Gao Zhonglin’s back, “I just pulled off another act.”

A hand suddenly landed on Lu Ran’s back.

Lu Ran turned to see Jiang Ruyi, still watching Gao Zhonglin’s retreating figure, whispering:

“He’s chasing hard, full of momentum, and a Greedy Wolf Follower—he’ll likely grow even fiercer.”

“Of course.” Lu Ran nodded immediately.

Whether from a team or personal standpoint, they were each other’s most direct rivals!

Right now, Lu Ran was ahead—but he couldn’t afford the slightest slack.

The cold truth lay before them: ranking meant resources; resources meant potential for growth.

“You’re going to take another exam. Be careful on the fifteenth night.” Jiang Ruyi spoke softly, “Follow the Moonwatcher’s instructions. Don’t be reckless.”

The worry in the girl’s eyes was impossible to hide.

Lu Ran dropped his smile, nodding solemnly: “Don’t worry.

This time, no other woman will carry me off again.”

“Slap!”

Jiang Ruyi gave Lu Ran’s shoulder a light, scolding tap.

This guy really—

has never stayed serious for more than three seconds!

At ten-thirty in the morning, Lu Ran dragged his weary body and opened his front door.

He didn’t even bother taking off his shoes, walking straight into the bathroom.

His ragged clothes were beyond washing.

Back in Evil Dog Village, every time he entered Shitoucheng to recuperate, he would wash his clothes while bathing.

The clothes, often stained with blood, had long lost their original color.

Only after a full half-hour did Lu Ran emerge, refreshed, carrying the clean Radiant Blade.

He changed into dry clothes, came before the shrine, and bowed properly: “Greetings, Elder Xiang Xianyang. Your disciple will now rest.”

Exhausted, Lu Ran offered a brief greeting to his patron deity, then rummaged through a drawer for his phone, plugged it in, and collapsed onto the small bed.

Lu Ran dreamed of sleeping until the world turned dark.

Yet the moment he fell asleep, he stood within a mist-shrouded garden of demonic statues.

“Elder Xiang Xianyang, let your disciple rest just a little longer!”

Lu Ran was utterly defeated.

Being a devotee meant even sleep wouldn’t leave him in peace?

Lu Ran: “I really can’t take it anymore. I’ll go?”

Strange phenomena erupted within the statue garden, nearly jolting Lu Ran awake!

The Evil Dog statue had been perfectly still, but suddenly, its dog eyes glowed with a faint, eerie light.

As if it had come to life!

The demonic statue stared directly at Lu Ran, sending chills down his spine.

“You often close your eyes, trying to sense battlefield movements through other senses,” came a low, hoarse voice from behind.

Lu Ran turned and looked up, seeing a massive, jet-black ram’s head floating in midair.

Black flames drifted above the ram’s head.

Those lifeless ram eyes gazed gently upon the tiny human.

“Yes,” Lu Ran said, forcing down his fear and nodding firmly.

Those horizontal pupils—no matter how many times he saw them, he could never grow accustomed.

“This demonic art will aid you greatly.”

The black ram’s head did not speak, yet the voice rang clearly in Lu Ran’s ears.

The next instant, Lu Ran’s body trembled!

Behind him, the demonic statues suddenly emitted a thick thread of mist, like a slender stream descending from above.

The mist-thread finally connected to the tiny human’s body.

Hss~

Lu Ran suddenly sniffed—the air reeked of death.

He also seemed to hear the faint rustle of the black flames drifting atop the ram’s head.

Demonic Art: Evil Dog Clan’s Demonic Perception—Xie Shi!

Please support with monthly votes.

(End of Chapter)