Chapter 1: The Shrine Platform on That Day

Chapter 1: The Shrine Platform on That Day

It was a midsummer morning, and in an ordinary residence, a boy around sixteen or seventeen sat at his computer desk, muttering to himself.

"On the fifteenth day of the lunar calendar, the Gates of Death open, and evil spirits and demons arrive uninvited."

Lu Ran intently stared at the screen, watching a scene of ruins and devastation.

What should have been a bustling night market was now ablaze with fire, and vicious black dogs roamed everywhere.

Their bodies were marked with blood-red patterns, and flames spilled from their mouths, ravaging everything in sight.

The Demon Clan's Blood Plague Dogs!

This wasn't a movie clip but a real news report.

Every fifteenth day of the lunar calendar, various demons would appear and wreak havoc on the world.

"How cruel," Lu Ran muttered to himself.

The video showed only the Demon Clan causing chaos in the city.

In the Demon Caverns and on higher-level battlefields, the war between humans, gods, and demons was even more intense, its severity unimaginable!

If, one day, the demon army truly broke through the defense network and invaded the human realm...

"Lu Ran?" A pleasant female voice suddenly called from outside the window.

Lu Ran's home was on the first floor, so the voice was clear and distinct.

"Hmm?" Lu Ran went to the window and saw a tall and graceful figure under a large tree.

The girl wore a white dress, and her black hair cascaded over her shoulders.

As if the sky was about to rain, the wind blew, causing her hair to dance and her skirt to flutter.

"Wow~"

Lu Ran exclaimed, looking at his classmate and class president, Jiang Ruyi.

Seeing Lu Ran's reaction, Jiang Ruyi's face turned slightly red.

Usually, she wore the blue and white school uniform, and she had never dressed like this with her hair loose and a white dress flowing in the wind.

"Oh no!" Lu Ran leaned on the windowsill, gazing at the gentle and lovely girl under the tree.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Ruyi asked in confusion.

Lu Ran said, "Who can tell the difference between you and Chang'e now?"

Jiang Ruyi's face turned even redder, and she couldn't help but give Lu Ran a playful glare. "You're such a sweet talker."

Lu Ran pursed his lips.

It's as if you've tasted it before.

"Let's go; it's the day to worship the gods. We don't want to be late." Jiang Ruyi gently shook the small booklet in her hand.

"Oh." Lu Ran turned and walked towards the computer.

The disaster report on the video was from half a month ago; he had intentionally searched for it to motivate himself.

Because today was the first day of June in the lunar calendar, the annual day to worship the gods!

On this day, the gods would choose their followers among humans.

These so-called "gods" were actually a group of sculptures, brought forth to suppress evil spirits.

In the early 1980s, on a full moon night, countless demons suddenly appeared and wreaked havoc on the world.

It was a history marked by extreme cruelty and bloodshed.

Three months later, when the world was engulfed in deep despair, dawn finally arrived! Mysterious sculptures descended one after another, spreading across the world, suppressing all kinds of evil spirits.

A war between the gods and demons began and has continued to this day.

With the arrival of the sculptures, humans finally had an effective method of resistance. Those demons that were difficult to destroy with human strength could now be punished by divine power!

Thus, humanity entered the era of "Universal Worship."

When people reached the age of 17 or 18 and met certain physical and mental standards, they had a chance to be chosen as followers of the gods.

As long as one became a follower, they could cultivate divine power and learn divine techniques to fight against the Demon Clan.

"After all these years, it's my turn."

Before turning off the computer, Lu Ran took one last look at the evil Blood Plague Dogs in the video.

For Lu Ran, every fifteenth night of the lunar calendar was an extremely difficult time.

The feeling of fear and helplessness was something he had endured enough of!

"Bring an umbrella; it looks like it's going to rain," the girl's voice called from outside again.

"Oh!"

For some reason, it seemed like it would rain every year on the day of worship.

It was as if it always rained during the few days of the college entrance exams, which was quite mysterious.

Lu Ran took an umbrella and quickly walked out to meet the girl, gesturing at her special attire, "Is this for Sword One?"

"Yes." Jiang Ruyi took a step forward and casually flipped through the booklet.

Inside, square-shaped godly portraits filled the pages, all sculptures of the gods.

The scene resembled a game interface for choosing heroes.

There were nearly a hundred gods in Daxia, divided into nine rows, equivalent to nine tiers.

The first in the first row was none other than the Godly Sword One!

This was a female sculpture.

Her dress fluttered in the wind, her hair danced, and she held a sword behind her back, while her other hand formed a seal in front of her.

Despite being a stone sculpture, her celestial beauty and transcendent aura couldn't be concealed.

"You'll succeed," Lu Ran encouraged her at the right moment.

Don't be fooled by Jiang Ruyi's gentle and quiet appearance; her comprehensive scores in physical tests and martial arts were among the top in the entire school!

"Sword One is a cold and aloof fairy," Jiang Ruyi said with some distress.

When the gods selected followers, they considered not only the human's qualifications but also their personality as a reference.

Countless examples showed that the closer a person's personality was to a god's, the more likely they were to be chosen as a disciple.

And Jiang Ruyi was of the gentle and quiet type.

Suddenly, the girl straightened her face, trying to put on a cold and distant act.

Lu Ran was puzzled, curiously watching the white-robed girl.

Jiang Ruyi slightly lifted her chin, assuming an aloof posture, and said indifferently, "How's this?"

Lu Ran: "."

Women indeed!

Her mood changed faster than readers flipping through novel pages!

"Hehe~" Jiang Ruyi's act didn't last long, and she turned her attention back to the godly booklet.

A faint smile appeared on her face, but it gradually turned into a worried frown.

Lu Ran comforted her, "Personality is just a reference, it's not a decisive factor.

With your exceptional talent and sincere heart, success is guaranteed!"

Jiang Ruyi looked at the illustration of the majestic Sword One in the book and listened to Lu Ran's reassuring words.

Gradually, a smile reappeared on her face, "Yes, you will succeed too."

Lu Ran turned his gaze to the third row of deities in the book, where a statue of a stern-looking man in a long cloak, holding a spirit talisman, caught his attention—Jade Talisman! The very deity that her late father, Lu Xing, had worshipped.

As the drizzle continued, the two of them, holding an umbrella, arrived at the entrance of First High School in Rain Alley City.

The school was bustling with people both inside and out, and the rainy weather couldn't dampen their enthusiasm for the divine worship ceremony.

Lu Ran and Jiang Ruyi made their way through the crowd, amid the well-wishes of the citizens, and entered the school gate.

On the playground, the students of Grade 10 had already lined up neatly, awaiting the start of the ceremony.

There were also many seniors who had failed the selection the previous year, hoping to try their luck again under the school's organization.

Every year, approximately 30% of the students failed the selection, and the success rate for those who tried again the following year was almost zero!

Faced with the cruel reality of being without divine protection, many students couldn't bear it, and scenes of crying and chaos were everywhere.

Lu Ran didn't want to be like them; he had trained rigorously all this time.

All of it was for this very day!

"Tsk tsk~ These two are really brave! The class teacher is right in front, and they're getting so close?"

As soon as Lu Ran and Jiang Ruyi entered their class line, they heard a buzz of discussion.

"Damn, what's so great about Lu Ran? He's just a bit taller, fairer, and more handsome than me... Ugh, it's painful, I feel like crying."

"It's you who has impure thoughts. Can't you see that Class Monitor Jiang didn't bring an umbrella?"

"You did! Your umbrella is the biggest in the class; you could even set up a stall to sell lamb skewers, yet you didn't see the monitor coming under your umbrella?"

"Of course not! I haven't started selling yet. Wait till I set up the grill, then you'll see if she comes over or not?"

"Huh?"

Amid the chatter, Jiang Ruyi's face turned red, and she retorted, "Don't talk nonsense."

Lu Ran stopped and handed his umbrella to his deskmate.

Jiang Ruyi refused, "No need, you keep it."

Lu Ran insisted, "It's fine, I'll just squeeze in with the lamb skewer seller."

"Hmph." Jiang Ruyi, who was initially a bit embarrassed and annoyed, couldn't help but laugh at Lu Ran's words.

Despite her refusal, she eventually took the umbrella and made her way toward the team.

The rain gradually lessened, a blessing from the heavens.

At 9 a.m., the divine worship ceremony commenced in the light drizzle.

A female student from Class 2-1 was the first to step onto the lectern, and amidst the crowd's eager anticipation, she summoned a deity.

"Oh ho, a fortune teller?"

"Spirit Oracle!" a student shouted, recognizing the deity.

In the sky, a towering figure over ten meters tall appeared, smiling down at the crowd.

He had a slender build, donned a gray cloth robe, held a bell in one hand, and a cloth flag in the other.

However, the words on the fortune-telling banner were somewhat blurry, making it hard to decipher.

"This is a deity from the fourth row! It's said that the followers of the Spirit Oracle can help people with matters of love and fortune-telling."

"No way! For fortune-telling, you should go to a temple. The followers of the Spirit Oracle are too unreliable."

"That's right! Especially during battles, they randomly draw lots and use skills!"

"They're just a bunch of gamblers."

"And you're complaining? This is a fourth-row deity! You'd be lucky to get an eighth-row deity!"

The students below the stage whispered among themselves, while the female student on the stage was overjoyed and knelt before the deity.

The Spirit Oracle deity continued to smile, and the fortune-telling banner in his hand swayed lightly, releasing wisps of mist that descended from the sky and flowed towards the lectern.

In an instant, the white mist filled the students' bodies, and the figure of the Spirit Oracle deity gradually dissipated.

"Success?"

"Congratulations! Congratulations!" Cheers and applause erupted inside and outside the school.

Amid the cheers, there were also murmurs like "Another gambler" and other idle gossip.

Next, a male student was pushed onto the lectern.

The deity he summoned was the seventh-row deity, Nine Bamboo.

This deity's figure was rather blurry, making it hard to discern its gender, but the bamboo whip in its hand was clear and beautifully crafted.

Despite the deity's lower ranking, the student dared not be negligent and immediately knelt in reverence.

And from this deity onwards, the situation took a turn for the worse!

Among the 120 students from Classes 1, 2, and 3, the summoned deities were all from the fifth tier and below.

Most of them were from the sixth, seventh, and eighth tiers.

The students were dazzled by the diverse array of human, animal, and plant deities, and their hearts sighed in secret.

They had thought that the fourth-tier deity, Spirit Oracle, was just the beginning.

Who would've expected it to be the pinnacle? But then again, having a deity's protection was better than having none at all.

After the three classes finished their worship, over ten students had already failed.

"Only ten students failed?" Lu Ran observed everything, and doubts began to stir in his mind.

This year, the proportion of believers accepted by the deities seemed unusually high.

Could it be that the Demon Clan had grown stronger, prompting the deities to lower their standards for accepting disciples?

"Focus!" Class teacher Li Yanzhu shouted, snapping Lu Ran out of his thoughts.

Finally, it was the turn of his class, Grade 10-4! At the front of the line, Li Yanzhu led Jiang Ruyi towards the lectern, "Show your deepest respect."

Jiang Ruyi nodded lightly and quickly made her way to the center of the lectern, following the teacher's instructions.

"Students, prepare and begin," a male teacher commanded from the side.

Jiang Ruyi bowed her head and closed her eyes, her hands clasped together with her fingertips touching her lips.

The girl's life was like a candle in the wind.

The sky was overcast, and a fine rain shrouded the world.

The girl in a white dress stood out like a vibrant color in this dreary world.

Lu Ran's heart skipped a beat as he watched her.

He had found his true love!

High above, a giant male phantom appeared.

He wore a snow-white cloak, and four white jade plaques encircled him, each engraved with strange runes.

Strangely, each plaque was wrapped in fine sand, frost, electricity, and sparks.

"Jade Talisman, Male?"

"Wow! Is this for real?"

"Holy crap, a Third Rank Deity?" A cry of surprise echoed across the playground.

Since the Divine Worship Ceremony began, the highest-ranked deity people had seen was the Fourth Row Spirit Oracle, Male.

It was no wonder that the deities in the first three rows were so difficult to summon, and the standards for the gods to accept disciples were so high!

"And there's more! Wait, there's another deity coming?"

"Huh?"

At that moment, the playground was almost boiling with excitement.

Among the over a hundred students, most could only summon one deity to appear, and occasionally, there were instances of two deities vying for the same person, but those were usually sixth or seventh-tier deities.

The second deity about to appear was at least a third-tier deity!

Why was this so?

After all, who would dare compete with a Third Rank Deity Jade Talisman for a follower?

"It seems to be a beast deity... Heavenly Phoenix! Oh my, the Heavenly Phoenix?!"

"A second-tier deity? It's a Second Rank Deity?"

"This is such a waste! Why not give one to me? I'm not picky; I'll accept whatever I get!"

High above, the phantom of a phoenix quietly emerged.

It was pure white, with a graceful figure, and in the hazy sky, it radiated a sacred light, dazzling and brilliant.

On the lectern, Jiang Ruyi gently bit her lower lip, gazing up at the sky.

Sword One,

Do you still not find me worthy?

"Ruyi, be decisive!" The Class Teacher was excited but had no time to celebrate. "Make your choice within 10 seconds!"

Hesitation is disrespectful to the deities.

If you're not decisive, both deities will leave you!

Jiang Ruyi didn't hesitate for long. Her gaze lingered on the two deities for a moment before she bowed apologetically to the Second Rank Deity Heavenly Phoenix.

Then, the girl turned towards the Third Rank Deity Jade Talisman.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, the girl lifted her skirt and slowly knelt down:

"Ruyi wishes to become a disciple of Jade Talisman, Male. I will worship day and night, diligently cultivate divine techniques, and eradicate the malevolent spirits in the world."

Jade Talisman nodded in satisfaction, and the mist in his palm enveloped the girl kneeling on the stage.

Upon seeing this, the Heavenly Phoenix's figure gradually dissipated.

After a full 20 seconds, Jade Talisman also slowly disappeared, and Jiang Ruyi, who had absorbed the divine mist, opened her eyes.

Her eyes were clear and bright, with a hint of divine charm.

"Yoohoo~~"

"As expected of Goddess Jiang! Amazing!"

"I'm so impressed! Choosing to worship a Third Rank Deity instead of a Second Rank Deity."

"Jiang Ruyi! Jiang Ruyi!"

The playground erupted in applause, and discussions and cheers rose from all sides.

Below the lectern, Li Yanzhu hurriedly called out to Lu Ran, "Lu Ran, quick! While Jade Talisman is still here, hurry!"

The Class Teacher was well aware of the goals of each student in the class.

"Lu Ran?"

"Lu Ran, the teacher is calling you!"

"Coming!" Lu Ran strode forward but heard a mutter from behind.

"Stop dawdling, quickly worship the deity, and show your true form! Stop pestering Class Leader Jiang every day; you're all talk and no action."

Lu Ran frowned slightly and turned around.

There were many students behind him, but Lu Ran immediately locked eyes with a tall male student.

Kou Yingquan stared coldly at Lu Ran, his gaze unwavering.

"Lu Ran," Li Yanzhu pulled Lu Ran's arm as she walked, constantly reminding him, "Focus, show your most sincere attitude!"

"Yes," Lu Ran quickly calmed his mind and strode onto the stage.

When it came to worshipping deities, he was extremely serious.

Lu Ran had had enough of feeling weak and incompetent!

"Students, prepare and begin," the male teacher commanded again from the side of the lectern.

Lu Ran followed the instructions, bowing his head and closing his eyes, silently praying.

1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds...

"I want to see what deity you can summon!" Below the lectern, Kou Yingquan scoffed, "Don't summon anything, or I'll..."

Kou Yingquan's face froze, and he felt a chill down his spine as a gust of cold wind blew past!

In an instant, the temperature dropped drastically!

"What kind of deity is this?"

"Something's wrong! This is crazy! Isn't this a malevolent spirit?"

"Demon Clan Crimson Paper People!"

"Huh?"

The playground erupted in chaos, and screams filled the air.

Not only were the students in a panic, but the teachers present also looked terrified, feeling a chill down their spines!

The first day of the sixth lunar month was the day of the year when deities were worshipped!

On this day, deities chose their followers within the Daxia Realm, and demons and malevolent spirits were at their most restrained.

But Lu Ran, on this very day, on the worship platform in front of everyone, had summoned a demon!

Long time no see, I'm back! (￣▽￣)



Two chapters daily, one at noon and one at 6 PM.

Let's go, brothers!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end