Chapter 210: Shocking News

Chapter 210: Shocking News

Lu Ran advanced to the Second Stage of the River Realm on the eleventh day of the second lunar month, and in the following days, he naturally had to adjust his mindset and prepare well for the battle ahead.

But on the thirteenth day of the lunar month, something unexpected happened.

Early that morning, the official website of "Heaven's Pride" released the second batch of participating students' list.

From this moment on, public opinion was completely ignited.

The popularity of "Heaven's Pride" was astonishing, especially after the first episode aired, where the participating students' formidable strength and displayed talents far exceeded the world's expectations.

It was no exaggeration to say that you could describe the post-war atmosphere as "the whole country rejoicing."

It was an undeniable fact that the demon clan had been growing stronger day by day.

In these years of continuous warfare, it seemed like people only heard bad news.

How many Moon Watchers had sacrificed themselves outside each shelter?

How many casualties had this city suffered, and what kind of economic losses had that city endured?

People lived in fear, spending their nights in trepidation, only to be fortunate enough to witness the sunrise and the war-torn city, as if there was no hope in sight.

The emergence of "Heaven's Pride" became an outlet for people's emotions and an extraordinarily effective morale booster.

The Great Xia government took action, presenting the harsh and cruel battlefield scenes to the public with crystal clarity.

Every sword swung and every demon eliminated by these fifty outstanding young talents from Great Xia seemed like a rebellion against fate!

It also represented humanity's desire to survive.

On television channels and various programs, as well as online, discussions about "Heaven's Pride" dominated the airwaves.

In the midst of their long and gloomy lives, people found a unique spiritual nourishment.

In just one night, this nourishment became a source of hope and even a spiritual pillar for countless individuals.

Some cried tears of joy, as if they had grasped a life-saving straw.

Others' eyes widened with excitement, following the first-person perspective as if they were slaying their enemies themselves.

There were also those who debated fiercely over the strengths and weaknesses of several Heaven's Pride participants.

Regardless, "Heaven's Pride" had already ignited the world.

When the second batch of 50 participants was announced, countless people flooded the official website, meticulously examining the detailed information of the contestants.

People searched for the one who might become their spiritual beacon, and they compared these 50 individuals with the previous batch of participants.

Among them, one person quickly stood out!

It was an extremely unique existence—Lu Ran!

The world was shaken.

Completely shaken.

In a list where most participants were 22 or 23 years old, an 18-year-old brother had sneaked in.

In a list dominated by first, second, and third-rank deity believers, a ninth-rank deity and follower of the Sheep Immortal Sect had infiltrated!

Among the elite students of the Fifth Stage of the River Realm, a novice of the First Stage had snuck in.

Each of the Heaven's Pride participants' names was adorned with the prestigious titles of various universities.

From the capital to Chang'an, from Guangfo to Shanghai, each university was either the best in Great Xia or the top in its province.

Only one person was an exception!

Above his name was a unique line of text—Wulie River Province, Yunshan City, Yuxiang City First Advanced High School!

What! The hell! Mind-blowing!

Any one of the aforementioned points was enough to leave people speechless.

Yet, all these extraordinary qualities were concentrated in one person.

From this moment on, major news media, various programs, and netizens alike were swept up in a grand celebration!

The scene was unprecedented!

Who was Lu Ran?

A high school student, a novice of the First Stage of the River Realm, and a believer of the Sheep Immortal Sect—how could he squeeze into the ranks of the "Great Xia's Top 100 Heaven's Pride"?

People naturally didn't want to question the Heaven's Pride production team, but the problem was that Lu Ran was a flawed candidate.

From head to toe, he was full of flaws!

It was hard to believe.

Ever since the list was announced, Lu Ran's phone had been buzzing non-stop.

He answered several calls one after another, and Deng Yutang, Tian Tian, Chang Ying, and Scarlet Xian all expressed their congratulations.

Lu Ran's participation in "Heaven's Pride" was an extremely honorable matter.

His close friends and family, of course, were all gathered in front of their computers and holding their phones, waiting for the list to be announced.

There were also many other calls, but Lu Ran didn't answer them because they were from unfamiliar numbers.

Lu Ran's grade group chat and class group chat were also buzzing with excitement.

"@Ran, Ran Ge! Ran Ge!!!"

"@Ran, is that you, Lu Ran? Are you going to be on Heaven's Pride?"

"Of course! It clearly states it above, Wulie River Province Yuxiang City First Advanced High School! That's our school, and there's only one Lu Ran in our school!"

"Great Xia only selected a hundred Heaven's Pride participants! Just 100 spots! And my Ran Ge made it in?"

"Holy crap! Ran God! Awesome! You're my idol!"

"What's going on? What happened?"

"So, on the first day of school, I actually saw a Heaven's Pride participant sparring?"

"Damn, I just realized it too. What luck do I have?"

Ma Tianchuan: "I should be the one saying that. What luck do I have, hahaha!"

"Ma, you'll have a lot to brag about for the rest of your life! Fighting back and forth with Great Xia's Heaven's Pride and still managing to come out unscathed!"

"Oh my! I just remembered that Jiang Meiniu beat Lu Ran!"

"I knew it was a fixed match! You guys didn't believe me."

The grade group chat was abuzz with discussions, but Lu Ran didn't have time to read them.

Because he received another phone call.

"Brother!!!" The girl's voice screamed with joy through the receiver, causing Lu Ran's eardrums to ache.

"Keep it down, keep it down," Lu Ran said, wincing.

"I saw the list!" Qiao Yuansi couldn't contain her excitement, "The day after tomorrow, you're going to Heaven's Pride, going to the battlefield!"

Lu Ran put his phone on speaker and placed it on the computer desk: "Didn't I tell you already?"

Qiao Yuansi complained, "My stinky brother!

Can't you be happy, why are you acting so serious?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm happy," Lu Ran's response sounded perfunctory, but his lips curled slightly with a smile, as he kept scrolling the mouse wheel.

At this moment, he was sitting in front of the computer, looking through the information of the fellow participating students.

Qiao Yuansi: "You look so out of place among all the older brothers and sisters."

"What do you mean?"

"They all have such an imposing presence, and their makeup photos are so full of spirit. But you look like a little brother~"

Lu Ran: "."

Qiao Yuansi pouted: "Don't you have a better photo? Why are you using an ID photo?"

Lu Ran replied irritably: "When do I have time to take photos? The student ID photo is good enough, isn't it?"

"No! Change it, come on, my dear brother~"

"I'll change it, next time!" Lu Ran hurriedly said, feeling his head spinning.

"Hehe~" Qiao Yuansi suddenly showed a sweet smile, "You've got a deal."

With just a few words, the girl's voice became softer and softer.

Lu Ran asked in confusion: "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing." Qiao Yuansi's voice lost all trace of a smile, and her mood seemed a little down.

Lu Ran, sensing her mood, asked with concern: "What happened?"

"Hmm, someone mentioned you." Qiao Yuansi held the phone on speaker, talking to Lu Ran while scrolling through the comments on the official website.

The forum section of Heaven's Pride was flooded with posts, and all sorts of people came out of the woodwork.

Little Yuansi wasn't good at hiding her emotions.

When she saw someone praising Lu Ran, her heart felt sweet.

When she saw someone curious, doubtful, and full of anticipation, Qiao Yuansi felt confident, believing that her brother would surely win over these viewers.

Inevitably, Qiao Yuansi also saw some skeptical comments, some of which were filled with malice.

"What's this? The first season was okay, but suddenly it's gone?"

"They brought in a high school student from the River Realm, and he's a Sacred Sheep Believer! Are they joking?"

"What about giving the people confidence? This is nonsense!"

"What's so special about Sacred Sheep Believers? Don't they know what they're doing? Let's see how he'll cry and beg for mercy, and how he'll be humiliated."

"Whose young master is this? He comes from an influential family, and he's here to show off? I can't believe my eyes."

Qiao Yuansi's face turned red with anger, and she couldn't even hear Lu Ran's voice.

"Are you guys stupid? This is Heaven's Pride. If you don't have real skills, coming here is no different from public execution."

"Yeah, who would be stupid enough to come here to show off? Do you even have brains?"

Seeing this, Qiao Yuansi felt a little better, but the comments below made her even angrier.

"How dare you! The decisions of the powerful, how can we commoners question them?"

"Breaking news! Someone revealed that Lu Ran paid respects to the Demon Clan's Crimson Paper Figure at the Divine Reverence Platform!"

"Huh?"

"Crimson Paper Figure? This is so rare, in the past forty years, only a few in the Great Xia have paid respects to the Demons."

"No wonder he could break into Heaven's Pride, he's a genius blessed by heaven!"

"Go to hell, who are you fooling? If he could pay respects to the Crimson Paper Figure, he must be a believer of a first or second-rank deity!

If he really paid respects to the Crimson Paper Figure, even Great Sword One might make an exception and accept him as a male disciple!

There must have been many powerful deities at the Divine Reverence Platform, why would he go and pay respects to the Sacred Sheep?"

Lu Ran: "Yuansi! Yuansi?"

"Oh, brother, I finally came to my senses," Qiao Yuansi said, "I'm hanging up, I have to go online!"

"Qiao Yuansi!" Lu Ran suddenly called out his sister's full name.

"What's wrong, why so serious, it's scary," Qiao Yuansi said softly, feeling a little aggrieved.

Lu Ran said in a deep voice: "Don't pay attention to those people, you're only making yourself angry."

Qiao Yuansi reluctantly replied: "Hmm."

Lu Ran's tone softened as he said: "Yuansi, no matter how much you explain, it won't help.

Trust me, after the Fifteenth Night, everything will be fine."

"Yeah, yeah!" Qiao Yuansi suddenly became spirited, gritting her teeth, "Brother, you have to make me proud!

I'll keep an eye on them, and after the Fifteenth Night, I'll dig up their graves one by one!

I'll dig up all their posts and beat their dead horses!"

"Wow~" Lu Ran was indeed a little stunned.

My mischievous and adorable sister,

Does she also have a little demon living in her heart? Qiao Yuansi muttered: "Brother, you must perform well.

My sister's face is so tender, it would hurt so much if someone slapped her~"

Lu Ran: "."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end