July 10th, lunar calendar.

Before the central building of the military camp beneath the feet of Divine·Witch Crow,

a group of men and women with grimy faces and tattered clothes, appearing like refugees, were driven out.

"Whew~" Lu Ran, blending in among them, took a deep breath, gazing up at the clear sky and blazing sun with a world of emotions in his heart.

There was no such thing as daylight within the Demon Cave·Evil Dog Village; the longer one stayed, the more they craved the light.

The weather gods were kind, for Rain Alley City, usually drenched in endless rain, was today clear and cloudless.

Beside him, Jiang Ruyi slowly closed her beautiful eyes and slightly tilted her face, basking in the sunlight.

A full 21 days of slaughter had finally come to an end here.

"It feels like a lot of wasted effort, doesn't it?" Lu Ran suddenly said.

"Hm?" Jiang Ruyi didn't open her eyes, still luxuriating in the warm sunshine.

Lu Ran continued, "Twenty-one days of killing, and not a single Demon Crystal left to show for it, empty-handed."

"I... I have one here." Tian Tian pulled out a Mist Realm Demon Crystal from his pocket and handed it to Lu Ran. "I've got one."

Lu Ran burst into laughter, "You keep it, as a memento."

"Mm-hmm." Tian Tian felt a surge of joy, carefully tucking away the Demon Crystal.

A mere Mist Realm Demon Crystal wasn't very valuable.

But the time it represented was precious to Tian Tian.

"How could it have been wasted effort?" Jiang Ruyi slowly spoke, "We all advanced in rank, and the mission was successfully completed."

An equipment upgrade wasn't the most important thing.

The key was the improvement in each person's combat strength, the tactical execution of the team, the unspoken understanding in their coordination—all of which could indeed be described as "transforming."

"Jiang?" A voice called from behind.

Jiang Ruyi turned to look, only to see a shabbily-dressed and bedraggled figure.

Third-class Divinity·Greedy Wolf believers·Gao Zhonglin?

Gao Zhonglin pushed up his rimless glasses, the cleanest part of him, "You've been staying in Evil Dog Village for quite some time."

They weren't close, so Jiang Ruyi merely nodded politely.

Seeing that the goddess Jiang wasn't interested in speaking, Gao Zhonglin turned to look at Lu Ran, stretching out his hand with a smile:

"Brother Ran, I've long admired you!"

It was interesting; since the assessment results were published, Lu Ran had also come to be called "Brother Ran."

Out in the world,

one's face is indeed earned.

"Don't, don't, don't." Lu Ran shook hands with him, shaking his head modestly with many refusals.

Gao Zhonglin laughed and said, "When will Brother Ran let me taste victory, just once?"

"Emperors take turns, next year to your house!" Lu Ran's eyes were full of encouragement.

"Haha!" Gao Zhonglin laughed heartily, "Next year? By next year, we'll all have graduated!"

"Oops." Lu Ran looked at Jiang Ruyi next to him, "I let him hear that."

Jiang Ruyi smiled and gave Lu Ran a white look.

Several people eavesdropping nearby were also rather speechless.

They really thought Lu Ran was encouraging Gao Zhonglin or at least being polite.

But after their conversation, everyone finally caught on to what Lu Ran meant.

"A true talent!" Lu Ran put on a look of camaraderie.

"Hardly." Gao Zhonglin smiled and let go of his hand, "Have you completed your equipment upgrade task?"

"We did," replied Lu Ran with a nod.

"It's finished?" Gao Zhonglin was very surprised, his eyes sweeping between Lu Ran and Jiang Ruyi's faces.

Lu Ran was all chuckles, perhaps not telling the whole truth, but Jiang Ruyi also nodded, which genuinely shocked Gao Zhonglin.

Gao Zhonglin licked his dry lips, his eyes flickering slightly: "You two have been first in both assessments, unlike us.

You had to kill at least two thousand Mist Realm Evil Dogs to complete the mission, right?"

His words dropped, and even the people around cast covert glances.

Trainees naturally understood that these student believers were novices among novices.

But hearing of such a record, they couldn't help but marvel in silence.

Two thousand Evil Dogs?

Two thousand??

Are these students or butchers?!

"We took a shortcut," Lu Ran eyed Gao Zhonglin.

Those little expressions, those little glances...

Little wolf cub,

finally showing your tail, huh?

Truly, it's no wonder others look at a "Immortal Sheep Believer" like Lu Ran with a tinge of skepticism.

A Human Clan believer could increasingly resemble their own divine being!

After all, young people at the age of seventeen or eighteen are in the critical period of character formation and personality development. If a divine being were to strongly intervene at this stage, it would naturally shape all aspects of the believer's growth.

Not to mention, divine beings do prefer recruiting believers who share similar temperaments.

"Teach me, Brother Ran!"

Gao Zhonglin, eager, grabbed Lu Ran's hand firmly.

Lu Ran, with a generous bearing, didn't guard his secrets: "We went to kill Stream Realm·Evil Dogs."

Gao Zhonglin: ???

Expectation on his face turned bizarre, "Is that what you call taking a shortcut?"

"Yes!" Lu Ran confirmed, "Two thousand Mist Realm Evil Dogs just turn into two hundred Stream Realm Evil Dogs, right?"

Gao Zhonglin almost choked!

He huffed, saying, "By your logic, then if you go kill River Realm Evil Dogs, just 20 would suffice!"

"Brother, you're a genius, no wonder you're a master!" Lu Ran's eyes shone as he nodded vigorously, "Next time I'll give it a try!"

Gao Zhonglin was completely dumbstruck!

Is this... is this even human speech?

"Boss, all the information has been registered. Instructor Doug says that after the start of the semester, we can go to the school to exchange for new equipment." Deng Yutang walked over, "The car has also been arranged, it'll be here soon."

While speaking, Deng Yutang also curiously watched Lu and Gao shake hands.

To those in the know, this scene was quite peculiar.

After all, they were ranked first and second respectively.

And one was a sheep, the other a wolf.

"Thanks for the advice, Brother Ran, I'm off to report for my mission!" Gao Zhonglin released his hand, nodding to Deng and Tian as a farewell, then walked away.

That B daylight, not worth talking anyway!

He'd hoped to trap some intelligence, to discuss some secret techniques of killing dogs, ask about the tactics of Team 98.

He hadn't expected,

to be played by the other party!

It's truly vexing~

"Damn." Lu Ran watched Gao Zhonglin's departing back, murmuring softly, "I put on another act~"

A palm suddenly landed on Lu Ran's back.

Lu Ran turned to look, only to see Jiang Ruyi also watching Gao Zhonglin leave, softly saying:

"He's aggressive, and as a Greedy Wolf believer, he'll likely become more ferocious."

"Definitely." Lu Ran nodded without hesitation.

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

Currently, Lu Ran was indeed one step ahead, but he couldn't afford to slack off in the slightest.

The cold reality was this: ranking meant resources, and resources meant the possibility for development.

"You're going to have another exam soon, be careful on the night of the 15th." Jiang Ruyi spoke softly, "Listen to the arrangements of the Moon Gazer, don't be too reckless."

The concern in the girl's eyes could not be hidden.

Lu Ran put on a serious face, nodding solemnly, "Don't worry!

This time, I won't be carried away by another woman again."

"Smack!"

Jiang Ruyi gave Lu Ran a teasing look, lightly hitting his shoulder.

This guy, truly...

never serious for more than three seconds!

...

At half-past ten in the morning, Lu Ran, dragging his tired body, opened the door to his home.

Without even changing his shoes, he walked straight into the bathroom.

The ragged clothes on his body were no longer in need of washing.

Previously, whenever he rested in Stone City, he would take the opportunity to wash his bloodstained clothes while bathing.

But those often bloodied garments could no longer retain their original color.

After a full half-hour, Lu Ran emerged refreshed, carrying the clean Dawn Blade, and walked out.

He changed into fresh clothing and came before the shrine, bowing respectfully: "Greetings, Lord Immortal Goat, your Disciple is off to sleep."

The truly weary Lu Ran greeted his deity, then pulled out his phone from a drawer to charge it, before collapsing onto the small bed.

Lu Ran had hoped for a long sleep, but as soon as he drifted off, he found himself standing amid the fog-shrouded Evil Demon Sculpture Garden.

"Lord Immortal Goat, let your Disciple sleep for a bit longer!"

Lu Ran was utterly resigned.

Being a believer, he couldn't even catch a break in his sleep?

Lu Ran: "I really can't hold on... shall I go?"

An anomaly suddenly arose in the Sculpture Garden, nearly startling Lu Ran awake!

The Evil Dog sculptures were normally quiet, but the eyes of one began to glow with a ghostly light.

As if they were coming to life!

The Evil Demon Sculptures gazed directly at Lu Ran, sending a chill down his spine!

"You often close your eyes, attempting to use other senses to discern the battlefield," a deep and hoarse voice sounded from behind.

Lu Ran turned around and looked up to see a huge black Sheep Head also floating mid-air.

Black Fire flickered above the Black Sheep Head.

Those Dead Sheep Eyes gently observed the tiny Human Clan member.

"Yes." Lu Ran suppressed the terror in his heart, nodding firmly.

No matter how many times Lu Ran saw those horizontal pupils, he could never grow accustomed to them.

"This Evil Technique can assist you greatly."

The voice of the Black Fire Sheep Head didn't move, yet the sounds clearly fell into Lu Ran's ears.

The next moment, Lu Ran's body trembled!

The Evil Demon Sculpture behind him emitted a dense mist, like a thin stream of water, cascading from heaven above.

Ultimately, the mist connected with the small Human Clan member.

Sniff~

Lu Ran suddenly sniffed and smelled a thick scent of death.

And he seemed to hear the faint sounds of Black Fire flickering atop the Black Sheep Head...

The Evil Technique of the Evil Demon·Evil Dog Clan—Evil Sense!

...

I seek some monthly tickets.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.