That night, Lu Ran had spent a long time replying to messages and had a lengthy phone call with Little Yuanxi before finally pacifying his sister.

In the following two days, Lu Ran received even more calls and text messages.

Among them were calls from various top institutions of higher learning in Da Xia.

When Lu Ran first received such a call and heard that the caller was a teacher from a prestigious university in Shanghai, he was quite taken aback.

Then, invitations from various universities came flooding in.

There were also those who sought out Lu Ran through connections with Rain Alley City's high school and city leaders...

Who needs to appear on "Heavenly Pride" several more times?

Just this once, on the night of the fifteenth, Lu Ran had transformed himself, a senior high school student, into a college freshman...

And why hesitate? His performance was dazzling enough, and with the official endorsement of Da Xia, what was there to doubt?

Now, Lu Ran himself was the one hesitating.

He expressed that he needed to think it over and discuss it with his family before hanging up the phone on the various schools.

Lu Ran suddenly realized, could he make demands?

He's the sought-after bachelor, and so many are vying for him—he should see who's offering the most generous dowry…

Of course, as for money, he didn't care for it.

If a university could offer a Divine Weapon or a Magic Artifact, now that would be something~

During these two days, public opinion also exploded.

Lu Ran's name was mentioned repeatedly, and his performance on the night of February fifteenth was turned into various animated GIFs that spread to every corner of the internet.

Within the prestigious list of hundred "Heavenly Pride" participants, each one was an elite among elites, a constellation of shining stars.

Even among such a group, Lu Ran was the standout, with incredible popularity!

Until the eighteenth day of the second lunar month, when "Heavenly Pride" published the results of the participants in the second round.

Lu Ran was at the top of the list!

In an exam out of 150 points, he had scored a whopping 143 points!

That's no small feat!

He had fiercely snatched the fourth place from the tight grips of the elites at River Realm·Fifth Rank and the powerful believers.

Fourth place, of course, was something to celebrate.

After all, the fellow participants you're competing with are all top-notch students in their respective regions.

But...

Was Lu Ran's outstanding performance only worthy of fourth place?

Some cried foul on Lu Ran's behalf.

Others felt that "Heavenly Pride" should relax their grading standards a bit and give more consideration to this young, lower-realm Immortal Sheep Believer.

In other words, this group didn't think Lu Ran was hard done by.

Lu Ran was one of them.

After watching the top three's battles, he couldn't help but be inwardly amazed.

What the hell...

Are they all beasts?

Especially the first-place winner, also a figure of legend.

She was from Guangdong and possessed a Divine Weapon!

Though she was a girl, she had become a disciple of a First-class God·Monk.

In the hierarchy of Da Xia's divine beings, there were two deities that were quite peculiar.

Lord Jian Yi would hardly ever take male disciples.

The Monk's faction would hardly ever accept female disciples.

Yet this girl had become a disciple of Lord Monk, embarking on a demon-slaying path.

How high was her talent, and how compatible was her temperament, for a First-class God·Monk to break his own rules and accept a female disciple?

Lu Ran watched this girl's fight, which truly exhibited "Golden Body Protection and Three Heads and Six Arms"!

Stationed in Guangdong's Wan City, she too faced a special event—the Night of Ghosts.

One by one, the powerful Prison Sky Demons created unrest in Wan City.

And this female Martial Monk, wielding several weapons with her Three Heads and Six Arms, fought from south to north, from west to east!

Just considering her enemy-slaying efficiency, as well as her effectiveness in helping and rescuing the Moon Gazers, she was indeed far ahead of Lu Ran.

Another point, Rain Alley City was just too small.

Even with a Night of Ghosts and Evil Demon invasions, it's hard to compare to a typical night of the fifteenth in a larger city.

Lu Ran's high score was definitely mostly due to his personal performance!

If one were to consider "battle achievements," Lu Ran's score would necessarily be inferior to the other top-ranked students.

The second-ranked student was a Tianluan Believer.

A Second-class God·Tianluan!

Known for support and Healing.

This Tianluan Believer had a Magic Artifact which matched extremely well with his sect's Divine Technique.

He didn't slay enemies like the "female Martial Monk" before him.

But, this Tianluan Believer saved so many lives and redeemed countless families.

Stationed at Qiantang River's Hang City, he also faced a special event and encountered the rarer "Descent of a Demon Lord."

That huge Tree Shadow Witch spread her branches far and wide, snatching countless lives from the Human Clan.

The Tianluan Disciple, risking his own life, provided salvation for many, casting his ultimate ability!

That bright, shining light turned night into day, bringing hope for "life" to countless Moon Gazers.

How exhilarating!

Third place was a Sword One Believer.

This girl from Sichuan's Jingguan City went completely berserk on the Night of Ghosts...

Her battle style met the public expectations and was chilling to the core!

Often, just one cold glance from her made the viewers beyond the screen feel like they were falling into an icy cave.

Sword Cultivators, straightforward and without any frills.

There's nothing unexpected, only raw power!

No fancy tricks, just lethal efficiency!

Ranked fourth was Lu Ran from the small city of Rain Alley.

His impressive performance amazed the world and earned unanimous praise from the judges.

On the scoring interface, there were a few comments left by judges that stirred people's emotions:

"This is a knife that has just been sharpened, stained with blood and tears, sharp and distinct."

"The pride of Divine Sect, the fortune of Da Xia!"

"For forty years, the Immortal Sheep sect has been full of refined scholars.

You have embarked on an unknown path, with an uncertain future and without predecessors to guide you.

I hope that you will proceed with determination, step by step, to be the leading sheep that breaks new ground."

The judges' comments were indeed interesting and made Lu Ran read them over and over.

Breaking new ground?

The leading sheep?

Lu Ran shook his head inwardly.

He didn't think he could influence the Immortal Sheep Believers or lead the faction on a path of battle.

But Lu Ran did think he might be able to break new ground.

Someday in the future, he might lead some Servants and powerful Believers to destroy the Stone Sculptures of the Evil Demons and eliminate calamities from the world.

Yeah... One day!

After two rounds of "Heavenly Pride," the overall ranking was also released.

With an excellent score of 143, Lu Ran ranked seventh out of a hundred on the leaderboards.

Only 0.2 points behind the sixth-ranked lady, an East Thunder Believer.

Of course, this wasn't the final list; everyone still had four more rounds of "Heavenly Pride" to participate in.

On the day the overall rankings were released, Lu Ran also received a call from Jiang Ruyi.

"Uh?" Lu Ran picked up the phone while looking at the computer screen.

"Congratulations!" Jiang Ruyi's tone was light, betraying a hint of amusement.

"What's there to congratulate?" Lu Ran was happy but grumbled, "Didn't even make the top three."

Jiang Ruyi shook her head with a laugh, softly comforting:

"You're already very impressive."

Lu Ran: "..."

Nice words.

But why did it feel a bit off?

Sensing Lu Ran's silence, Jiang Ruyi misunderstood his mood.

After thinking for a moment, she suggested, "Don't worry, just perform even more outstandingly in the next 'Heavenly Pride.'"

"Uh..." Lu Ran pondered for a moment.

Lu Ran knew that his performance on the night of the fifteenth was good enough.

But it was undeniable that once Captain Fang had studied the team's configuration and traits and developed a battle plan, the patrol team became an efficiently running machine.

And Lu Ran was just one part of that machine.

Important and indispensable.

But he wasn't as dazzling as before when he took on the Night Charm and saved the Red Scarf Believers all by himself.

But that was how it had to be.

When lives hung in the balance and the city was in peril, Lu Ran couldn't disrupt the team's tactics for his own gain.

His love for the city couldn't be expressed in just a few words.

Just as before the fifteenth, Lu Ran had hoped that no special events would occur.

"Lu Ran?"

"Ah, listening." Lu Ran snapped back to reality and changed the subject, "By the way, have your aunt and uncle agreed to let you come to Beijing with me?"

On the other end of the phone, Jiang Ruyi lowered her eyes, her cheeks tinged with color.

The thought of going to Beijing to meet Lu Ran's mother made Jiang Ruyi nervous.

"Little Ruyi, speak up?" A certain annoying voice came through the phone.

"Uh-huh," Jiang Ruyi replied softly.

"What?"

"What do you 'what'?" Jiang Ruyi was a little annoyed, "Your ears are so sharp, how could you not hear?"

Lu Ran: "..."

That makes sense!

Lu Ran said, "Then I'll ask the homeroom teacher for leave. No morning classes for us tomorrow.

Saves us going to school and being gawked at like animals."

"Okay." Jiang Ruyi agreed readily.

In recent days, her phone had been bombarded to the point of annoyance.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ruyi spoke up again, "These past few days, Sister Xian'er has been contacting me non-stop, begging us to take her out.

I did promise her last month at Evil Dog Village..."

Lu Ran said indifferently, "Take her along. You two seem to get along well, and she listens to you.

Wouldn't it be nice to have her by your side to serve tea and pour water?"

"Go." Jiang Ruyi spat at Lu Ran with a laugh.

Hard to tell how Lu Ran's mind worked.

She didn't know that Lu Ran had long considered Si Xianxian a potential disciple.

Jiang Ruyi: "Then this month, the homework assignment for our field training from school..."

Lu Ran: "Let Mr. Deng and the others finish it. Oh, I have something else to tell you."

"Yeah?"

"After visiting my mother, I want to train in the off-limits Demon Cave, to practice and gain experience."

"The Night Charm Demon Cave?" Jiang Ruyi knew about Lu Ran's previous intensive training there.

"Not sure yet, I have to discuss it with my mom." Lu Ran paused, then asked, "Will you go with me?"

The girl's response was without hesitation: "Of course."

Hearing this, Lu Ran's face broke into a smile.

With the change in situation, Lu Ran's mindset shifted as well.

Both he and Jiang Ruyi were from River Realm and had participated in "Heavenly Pride." With a Night of Ghosts event, the two of them wouldn't be taken into a shelter to safely get through the night.

No one wants to see a loved one risk their life.

But Rain Alley City doesn't coddle anyone during the night of the fifteenth!

It's much better to train and strengthen oneself proactively with some assurance than to face powerful Evil Demons passively during a Night of Ghosts.

Lu Ran pursed his lips, saying he wasn't sure where to go yet, though he had a target in mind.

Yan Zhi!

Long time no see.

Wondering how you've been doing lately.

And that little paper mache man, still useful?

Lend it to me for a play...

...

Asking for some monthly tickets.

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