Chapter 113: The Unrestrained Prodigy

Chapter 113: The Unrestrained Prodigy



"Flap, flap, flap!"

As the two approached Stone City, a black crow descended from the night sky.

"Teacher Dou?" Lu Ran slightly turned his head towards Teacher Dou Zhiqiang.

"This is the fifth Stone City you've reached," Teacher Dou Zhiqiang said.

"Hmm," Lu Ran nodded.

This was his first time coming to Evil Dog Village for training, and it was the farthest and fastest journey he had ever made.

Teacher Dou Zhiqiang suggested, "You can start your return journey from here."

"Is it already halfway through the time limit?" Lu Ran sighed inwardly.

He had arrived at the village later than usual, and now a week had passed. It was already the tenth month of the lunar calendar.

Teacher Dou Zhiqiang explained, "On one hand, there's limited time, and on the other, you can't continue any further."

Lu Ran raised his eyebrows slightly, "So the areas ahead are off-limits to trainees?"

Teacher Dou Zhiqiang: "Yes, no Stream Realm trainees are allowed to enter."

Lu Ran: "..."

"Haha!" Si Xianxian was in a bit of a huff, but upon hearing this, she finally showed a hint of a smile.

Teacher Dou Zhiqiang led the two towards the massive city gate, "Your strength is impressive, and I personally acknowledge it.

But there are rules in Evil Dog Village. Stream Realm trainees are not allowed to go beyond the fifth Stone City.

Beyond this is the city wall."

"The city wall?" Lu Ran's spirits lifted, "Is that the front line over there?"

"No," Teacher Dou Zhiqiang shook his head, "The real battlefield front line is still far away.

The first few city walls are used by us to filter out demons."

"Oh," Lu Ran nodded.

This relatively stable training environment was naturally created by the military.

Teacher Dou Zhiqiang continued, "The area outside the fifth city is a buffer zone, and beyond the sixth city is the selection area.

Only River Realm believers are allowed to enter and train there, and we cannot guarantee the safety of the trainees.

As for the real front line, it lies beyond the ninth city. I believe one day, you will see it with your own eyes."

"Thank you, Teacher Dou, for the encouragement," Lu Ran smiled politely, "Shall we go together when the time comes?"

Teacher Dou Zhiqiang shook his head, "My abilities are insufficient, and I can no longer serve as your accompanying instructor."

"What?"

"You don't have to wait until the ninth city. When you approach the sixth or seventh city, I won't be able to accompany you anymore."

"Not even if I pay you?"

"You can hire me, but there's no need." Teacher Dou Zhiqiang's expression turned serious, and it became somewhat strange, "The team might not even allow me to go."

Lu Ran asked in confusion, "Why?"

Teacher Dou Zhiqiang glanced at Lu Ran, "I'm a new instructor, with a strength at the River Realm First Stage."

Lu Ran: "..."

In Lu Ran's mind, Teacher Dou Zhiqiang, the stoic instructor, had always been a towering figure.

It was only at this moment that Lu Ran suddenly realized the truth!

Teacher Dou Zhiqiang's strength and cultivation realm were not even as high as Si Xianxian's?

He was already around thirty years old, and his talent had probably reached its limit.

Indeed, if Teacher Dou Zhiqiang's talent was high enough, he wouldn't have been recruited by the Seventh Rank Deity, the Crow.

Where was fairness in this world? Si Xianxian was only eighteen years old, yet she had already reached the River Realm Second Stage.

Great Nightmare also had an explosive talent, and at the young age of twenty, she had already attained the River Realm Fifth Stage!

She was on the verge of breaking through to the River Basin Realm and becoming a powerful figure in human society.

Lu Ran followed Teacher Dou Zhiqiang into the city, watching his back as he said softly, "I hope Teacher Dou can break through and advance soon."

"Hehe," unexpectedly, Teacher Dou Zhiqiang laughed.

He turned to look at Lu Ran, his expression not as stern as usual.

For some reason, upon seeing Lu Ran again, Teacher Dou Zhiqiang had a strange feeling that this young man was about to graduate.

Perhaps, Lu Ran's cultivation level on paper was still a bit lacking.

But in terms of mindset, tactical acumen, and personal combat strength, Lu Ran's true abilities had far surpassed the Stream Realm!

Teacher Dou Zhiqiang was self-aware, knowing that Lu Ran, as a prodigy of the heavens, would be beyond his protection if they ventured further.

In fact, what had impacted Teacher Dou Zhiqiang the most during this journey was Lu Ran's companion—Si Xianxian!

This young and powerful Blazing Heaven Follower, who was usually arrogant and unruly, had been tamed by Lu Ran.

Teacher Dou Zhiqiang had been on edge, ready to lend a hand and ensure Lu Ran's safety at all times.

He even worried if Si Xianxian truly lost control, whether he could survive her onslaught.

After all, she was at the River Realm Second Stage.

Her divine techniques were meant for slaughter!

A true fanatic of the Blazing Heaven Technique would be reckless and driven solely by the rage in their heart.

However, this girl had become more and more docile as she followed Lu Ran.

Up until the moment just now, even if the girl felt annoyed, she would only stomp her feet.

This couldn't even be called 'annoyance' for a true Blazing Heaven Follower.

In the seven days they spent together, Teacher Dou Zhiqiang witnessed how Lu Ran gradually tamed this fierce and violent disciple.

Lu Ran's strength and impressive displays of skill played a part in this.

Lu Ran also skillfully used his divine techniques to control the girl's mind and body.

Moreover, Lu Ran repeatedly put aside any grudges and past unpleasantness, showing genuine care and concern for her.

Even if two normal believers teamed up for training, friction was inevitable.

What more with a volatile person like Si Xianxian in the team?

And Lu Ran, with his tolerance and forbearance, calmly handled everything.

It was only at this moment that Teacher Dou could see the qualities that a Celestial Ram Believer should possess in Lu Ran.

Now, a week had passed, and the team had become stable.

The result of this male and female pair's adjustment left Teacher Dou sighing in his heart.

Celestial Ram Believers, Blazing Heaven Followers.

These two despised existences could actually be together! And they even looked quite compatible? It was as if they were seeing ghosts.

"Teacher Dou?" Lu Ran looked at the stunned instructor and said, "I hope that next time we meet, Teacher Dou will be able to enter the Second Stage of the River Realm."

"Thank you." Teacher Dou snapped out of his daze and turned to continue on his way.

This was Lu Ran's first time arriving at the fifth stone city.

He looked around, only to find that it wasn't much different from the previous stone cities.

Led by Teacher Dou, the two arrived at the Stone Inn.

After booking two rooms, they agreed to meet for dinner in an hour and then returned to their respective rooms.

Lu Ran quickly took a shower, washed his clothes, and prayed to the Great Deity while bathing.

The general idea was something like, "Divine Sheep, please hold your tongue and stop being greedy. Wait until the evil sculptures are cultivated to the River Realm before eating."

Of course, this was the main point, and the words Lu Ran spoke were quite tactful.

An hour later, at the inn's first-floor restaurant.

Lu Ran, wearing slippers and the inn's camouflage shorts and t-shirt, walked into the restaurant.

As soon as he entered, Lu Ran was stunned.

At a square table, Lu Ran saw several familiar figures.

Ma Tianchuan, Wu Shanshan?

They were also here. Well, it made sense, as Rain Alley City was just such a demon cave.

As expected of the team led by Ma Tianchuan, they had ventured so deep into the demon cave! Knowing this, one could encounter the Second Stage of the River Realm.

"Oh?" Lu Ran's voice was light, and he raised his eyebrows slightly.

Lu Ran had forgotten the name of the other girl in the team.

But that last boy, Kou Yingquan?

How did he manage to join this team?

Lu Ran stood at the entrance, and Ma Tianchuan, who was seated at the restaurant door, also saw Lu Ran's figure.

"Lu Ran?" Ma Tianchuan was a little surprised and waved his hand.

"Huh?" Wu Shanshan suddenly turned her head and looked towards the restaurant entrance.

As expected, she saw that familiar figure again.

Unwillingly, Wu Shanshan's face turned sour.

After their last parting, Lu Ran was still the one shining brightly.

He had consistently ranked first and had even participated in the Divine Citizen Bureau's supplementary exam.

As for Wu Shanshan, who had tried her best to leave the team, she finally found her desired teammates, but her results were not ideal.

She put in all her effort, wanting to prove her choice.

Unfortunately, Rain Alley had experienced two special incidents consecutively, and the school did not allow students to participate in the Fifteenth Examination.

Everyone's scores soared, which was equivalent to no one's scores increasing.

This time, when the old teammates met privately, Wu Shanshan indeed felt a little embarrassed.

"What a coincidence." Lu Ran smiled and nodded.

"It's not that coincidental." Ma Tianchuan also smiled and nodded, "Anyone who reaches this point will eventually meet."

Hearing this, Lu Ran nodded in agreement.

This time, Evil Dog Village only opened one direction, the West Gate, and although there were many paths of swaying lanterns, they all converged at each stone city.

Kou Yingquan turned to glance at Lu Ran, and after several months, the two of them stared at each other once again.

Lu Ran's tone carried a hint of teasing, "Changed teammates again?"

Wu Shanshan's sour face finally turned gloomy.

Because she had forced her way into the team, squeezing out Tian Tian, these words sounded particularly harsh to her.

Ma Tianchuan, however, remained calm, pushing up his rimless glasses, "My previous teammate transferred schools."

"Transferred schools?" This response was unexpected to Lu Ran.

Ma Tianchuan sighed lightly, "His family moved away from Rain Alley City."

Lu Ran fell silent.

Rain Alley City was indeed like a cursed city.

He had also witnessed with his own eyes the crowd carrying large and small packages, hurrying away from the train station.

"What are you doing blocking the door?" Behind him, a pleasant female voice sounded.

Xian Xian came to Lu Ran's side and followed his gaze, seeing a table of young people.

She examined them and casually said, "Your classmates?"

Regarding this newly appeared girl, Ma Tianchuan and the others were all surprised and a little puzzled.

According to their impressions, there was no such student in the school.

The girl's physical appearance was exceptionally outstanding, and she could definitely compete with Jiang Ruyi in terms of beauty.

Speaking of which, for martial artists, fair skin and good looks couldn't fill their stomachs, and everyone could afford to ignore it.

But her arrogant and domineering aura was almost like the words "Heavenly Pride" were written on her face.

Obviously, this girl couldn't be a mere vase!

"Had a falling out?" Xian Xian suddenly spoke up.

"Huh?" Lu Ran looked at the girl in surprise.

"Heh." Xian Xian let out a cold laugh, "I'm a Blazing Heaven Follower.

In my life, everywhere is filled with hostility."

As she spoke, she turned to look at Lu Ran's profile, "Maybe I'll need a long time to confirm that someone is genuinely releasing kindness towards me from their heart.

But I can tell at a glance who has ill intentions."

Lu Ran: "..."

Xian Xian turned to look at the group, her gaze unreserved as she sized them up one by one:

"Speak, which one."

One more chapter at 10 PM, please vote!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end