https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-187-Bitter-and-Long-lasting-Passion/12947600/
Chapter 186: Exam or Life?
Chapter 186: Exam or Life?
On the morning of the 24th day of the first lunar month, the day before school reopened.
A buzzing vibration disturbed Lu Ran's intense cultivation.
"Ugh~~~"
Lu Ran stretched lazily and walked to the bedside table to pick up his phone.
The caller ID surprised him.
He answered, "Teacher Li?"
On the other end, Teacher Li's voice came through, "Lu Ran, are you in Rain Alley City?"
"Yes."
"Yeah, school starts tomorrow."
"I know," Lu Ran thought for a moment and added, "I won't be late."
Teacher Li couldn't help but smile, "What's your current cultivation level?"
Lu Ran replied honestly, "First Stage River Realm."
"Good!" Teacher Li exclaimed, "Following the usual practice, at the beginning of the second semester of senior year, the school will tally the number of students who have advanced to the River Realm.
And on the first day of school, there will be a school-wide martial arts tournament.
All River Realm students who have learned the Water Armor Technique can sign up."
"Oh, that's the thing," Lu Ran understood.
Months ago, on the day Lu Ran's team had cold drinks, they had discussed this matter.
At that time, Chang Ying had fantasized that only Lu Ran would advance to the River Realm and win without a fight, directly claiming the prize.
"You meet the requirements, do you want to sign up?" Teacher Li asked.
"Yes!" Lu Ran agreed without hesitation and then asked, "Teacher Li, how many students in our school have advanced to the River Realm?"
"Not many," Teacher Li didn't hide the truth, "But compared to previous years, it's quite a few."
"Oh?" Lu Ran was quite surprised.
Teacher Li sighed lightly, "This batch of students has a generally higher growth rate, which is indeed commendable."
Lu Ran: "..."
Has my homeroom teacher been possessed?
Aren't we the worst batch of students you've taught?
This is impossible!
Teacher Li: "Including you, there should be around 4 to 6 River Realm students."
"Oh, that's quite a few," Lu Ran nodded.
He vaguely remembered that in the previous year, there were only 3 River Realm students at the beginning of the second semester of senior year.
Teacher Li continued, "The number of Stream Realm students at the Fourth and Fifth Stages is also significantly higher than in previous years."
Lu Ran was curious, what had caused this phenomenon? Was it the high-pressure environment of Rain Alley City that made students grow faster by being constantly on edge?
Or was there another reason?
Teacher Li reminded him, "Whether it's cultivation or martial arts, you must work hard and never slack off! Your opponents are catching up!
Every 15th of the month, the demons invading the mortal realm are getting stronger, so you must stay humble and vigilant."
It's always the homeroom teacher.
Once she starts talking, she can't stop!
Lu Ran kept agreeing, and at a pause, he interjected, "Teacher, what are the prizes for the school martial arts tournament?"
Teacher Li: "..."
Lu Ran: "..."
The homeroom teacher was clearly taken aback, and after a few seconds, she replied irritably, "The first-place prize is a River-grade Power Orb and 30 Follower Points."
"Received!" Lu Ran's mind became active.
Currently, he wore two Power Orbs around his neck, both of River-grade.
But such treasures that ensure longevity are never too many!
Lu Ran's level kept rising, and the grade of his techniques also kept improving.
More importantly, his casting frequency was extremely high! Just with the Celestial Hoof technique, Lu Ran kept using it continuously on the battlefield.
It was foreseeable that after every battle, the total amount of divine energy he consumed was astonishing.
And Lu Ran's ability to cast spells so freely was thanks to the two River-grade Power Orbs.
Lu Ran clenched his fist, his heart filled with fighting spirit!
The first-place prize in the school martial arts tournament must be his!
With that,
He could be even more carefree in using his techniques.
"By the way, congratulations on your excellent performance in the final exam." When it came to points, Teacher Li associated it with the final exam from the last semester.
"Oh?" Lu Ran became alert, "What was my score?"
However, Teacher Li had only mentioned it in passing, and since she was taken aback, she didn't plan to say more. She directly said, "You'll see it tomorrow!"
With that, the call was hung up.
"Tsk~" Lu Ran seemed to have caught Xiao Yuansi's pronunciation.
Lu Ran put down his phone, returned to the shrine, and sat cross-legged again.
He quickly calmed his mind and resumed his intense cultivation mode.
In the days after returning home, Lu Ran wanted to make progress in his cultivation level.
However, since advancing to the River Realm, Lu Ran could clearly sense that the path of cultivation had become increasingly challenging!
Lu Ran had advanced to the First Stage River Realm on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month last year.
Now, a month and a half had passed, and he hadn't even touched the bottleneck for breakthrough.
Hmm... I must redouble my efforts.
The next day, in the early morning.
Lu Ran fed Xiao Li Hua, changed her cat litter, and carried the trash out of the house.
Today was March 1st on the solar calendar, and although the sky was still gloomy, the temperature had warmed up considerably.
It seemed like the ice and snow were melting, and everything was coming back to life.
Unfortunately, the atmosphere in Rain Alley City was not part of this revival.
Along the way, Lu Ran only encountered a few people at the baozi shop; the streets were eerily quiet.
As Lu Ran approached the street where his school was located, he finally felt a bit of liveliness.
"Lu Ran!"
Suddenly, a familiar female voice called out from behind.
Lu Ran turned around and saw a tall, dark-skinned girl striding towards him.
"Ha!" Chang Ying placed her hand on Lu Ran's shoulder, "Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year," Lu Ran replied, his expression odd as he looked up at the girl, "Did you grow taller again?"
"Hey~" Chang Ying waved her hand, "It's the New Year, don't say such gloomy things!"
Lu Ran: ". "
Firstly, the first month is almost over!
Secondly, is this considered gloomy talk?
Chang Ying's face suddenly came closer, her big eyes staring into Lu Ran's.
The girl's beautiful yet wild face was so close that Lu Ran's expression became a little unnatural.
He tilted his head back, "What are you doing?"
Chang Ying asked seriously, "Is it that the stronger people become, the further away they get?"
Hearing such words from the carefree Chang Ying made Lu Ran feel a bit emotional.
Lu Ran, holding two swords wrapped in cloth, used the hilts to push her face away, "What do you mean?"
"I feel like it's been a long time since I heard from you," Chang Ying shrugged.
Lu Ran: "During the New Year, didn't I greet everyone in the group? You even snatched the red envelope!"
"Huh?" Chang Ying was taken aback for a moment, then thought for a while, "Oh, that's right!"
Lu Ran glanced at the girl and continued walking.
Chang Ying caught up and whispered, "Besides the New Year's Day, you haven't given any news at all, not even a word.
I feel like you're getting more and more distant, further away."
"Don't overthink it, it's just been a month and a half," Lu Ran raised his swords and knocked on Chang Ying's head through the cloth.
"Alright~" Chang Ying pouted and rubbed her head.
Lu Ran continued walking, "I saw you saying in the group that you've reached the Fifth Stage of the Stream Realm?"
"Huh? You, why didn't you congratulate me when you saw it?"
"I'm waiting for you to advance to the River Realm so we can celebrate together!"
"You..."
The two of them bantered as they reached the school's entrance.
Lu Ran had already noticed the large notice boards posted on both sides of the school gate, with many students and parents gathered around, most of them taking photos with their phones.
The two of them came to the back of the crowd, Chang Ying leaning on Lu Ran's shoulder, tiptoeing to get a better view.
The next moment, her mouth formed an 'O' shape: "Wow!"
Lu Ran: "What's wrong?"
"First place, we're first!" Chang Ying lowered her voice, but couldn't hide her excitement, quickly taking out her phone.
"Here," she handed Lu Ran her phone after taking a photo.
On the red notice board were large black characters.
On the 15th day of the 12th lunar month, Rain Alley No. 1 High School's senior year, end-of-term exam, team results are as follows:
"First place, team number 98!
Team members: Senior Class 4's Tian Tian, Senior Class 4's Lu Ran, Senior Class 4's Deng Yutang, Senior Class 4's Chang Ying.
Overall team score: 92.7 points."
As Lu Ran looked at the results, he also heard the crowd's discussions:
"No way? Isn't there a special event on the 15th of the 12th lunar month? Everyone should have gotten full marks, right?"
"Hey, this time it's out of 100 points, you want to eat up all the points?"
"The gambler is so lucky, getting into Brother Ran's team, she's really hit the jackpot!"
"Of course! This is really worth it, even if Jiang Meiren comes back and kicks Chang Ying out of the team, she'd have no regrets."
Chang Ying, who was all smiles, suddenly turned pale at these words.
"Damn! Lu Ran's team scored over 90 points! How did they do it? Did they save the world?"
"Yeah, the second place only got 76 points, this..."
"Because after the Night of Many Ghosts, Lu Ran's team didn't even enter the shelter."
"Huh?"
"What are you saying? It's just a straw demon, I also want to fight outside!"
"You just talk, if the Moonwatchers let you go, would you dare to go out?"
"What do you mean? Say that again?"
Lu Ran ignored the chaotic crowd and pushed Chang Ying towards the other side of the school gate.
But as he walked, he noticed Chang Ying's strangeness: "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Chang Ying replied unhappily, taking the phone from Lu Ran.
"You're not satisfied even with such good results?" Lu Ran was curious.
The crowd was in an uproar, with many people talking at once, so he couldn't hear everything.
"I'm satisfied," Chang Ying replied perfunctorily, tiptoeing and looking over the crowd on the right side of the school gate.
As the individual rankings came into view, Chang Ying's eyes suddenly widened:
"Holy shit?!"
Lu Ran's expression was odd, "How come after the New Year, you've learned to swear?"
Chang Ying was shocked, looking at Lu Ran, "You..."
Lu Ran was puzzled, "What's wrong with me?"
After a full two seconds, Chang Ying finally spoke, "Your score is off the charts!"
"Huh?" Lu Ran was also a bit dazed, "Off the charts?"
Chang Ying nodded foolishly, "Yeah, it overflowed, you aced it!"
Lu Ran: ". "
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