Chapter 335: Shaking the Great Xia Empire

Chapter 335: Shaking the Great Xia Empire

Bad news: Lu Ran's skills in coaxing others still needed some work.

At least, they were far inferior to his skills in arguing.

Good news: Qiao Yuansi knew how to comfort herself.

Growing up in a single-parent household, her mother was busy with her career, leaving little time to accompany her daughter.

This had shaped some of Qiao Yuansi's unique qualities.

Beneath her mischievous and playful exterior, there was a cautious and independent heart that sought support while remaining strong and self-reliant.

The Lu siblings, seemingly worlds apart, shared this fundamental quality of resilience and self-reliance.

As Lu Ran sat in the kitchen, his thoughts drifting away, Xiao Yuansi returned to the kitchen door.

Her eyes were red, and she stubbornly pouted, staring at the silent young man sitting on the chair.

The more she looked, the more Qiao Yuansi's mood sank.

The person who should have been most worried was Lu Ran.

After all, he was the one who had to risk his life to challenge the Divine Ruins.

And a believer had no right to refuse the orders of the Divine Lord.

So, Lu Ran was also helpless in this matter.

"Brother~"

Qiao Yuansi spoke softly.

"Hmm?" Lu Ran snapped out of his reverie and quickly stood up. "Come and eat, I'll heat up your milk."

"Hmm." Qiao Yuansi's heart relaxed, and it seemed her brother wasn't angry.

She lowered her head and sat back down in the chair.

After a moment later, Qiao Yuansi secretly glanced up, watching Lu Ran's busy figure at the kitchen counter.

She pouted, breaking the silence, "About the Divine Ruins, have you told Mom about it?"

Lu Ran shook his head, "No, Mom is in seclusion for cultivation, and I can't reach her."

"Oh." Qiao Yuansi picked up her chopsticks and poked at the soft-boiled egg in the dish.

It seemed as if she was imagining the egg as Lu Ran's face.

Unknowingly, the topic shifted.

Regarding the matter of leaving, the siblings tacitly agreed not to mention it again.

Over the next two days, the siblings returned to their usual state.

Warmth was the main theme, with occasional bickering as a minor interlude.

Lu Ran could feel that Xiao Yuansi was becoming more clingy.

She pulled him to sit on the sofa, and together they watched 'Tianjiao', reviewing his battles one by one.

Seeing Lu Ran's valiant and heroic appearance, Qiao Yuansi couldn't help but giggle and tightly hold onto his arm.

Her eyes sparkled, and her crescent-shaped smile resembled two beautiful crescent moons.

She was adorable and charming.

On the 18th day of the lunar month, the latest episode of 'Tianjiao' released the rankings.

Lu Ran scored 142 points.

Qiao Yuansi was quite dissatisfied, claiming there was foul play.

Lu Ran, on the other hand, sighed inwardly.

This score was quite harsh, wasn't it? After he advanced to the River Realm, the judges' scoring standards seemed to have changed!

It was common knowledge that Rain Alley City had not only experienced the Night Parade of Demons but also had a Demon Lord among them.

And Lu Ran had participated in the entire battle, playing a crucial role! If he were still at the Fifth Stage of the River Realm, he might have even scored a perfect score.

The fact that a Demon Lord had infiltrated the Night Parade of Demons during that night had truly shocked the world! Since June of last year, the intensity of the demonic invasions had been steadily increasing.

These so-called special events gradually became less extraordinary.

And on this October 15th, the simultaneous occurrence of the Night Parade of Demons and the Demon Lord's descent seemed to have ushered in a new era.

The people's panic was inevitable.

The Great Xia Empire's officials were also deliberately guiding public opinion.

Whenever people associated the "Night Parade of Demons" with the "Descent of the Demon Lord," Lu Ran's name would inevitably be brought up.

People's attention and discussion always seemed to shift towards Lu Ran himself.

This time, Lu Ran didn't just become famous throughout the Great Xia Empire.

He shook the entire empire!

Lu Ran didn't dare to rebel, but his fans had already crowned him as an emperor.

Unfortunately, the 'Emperor of Flames' only secured third place in this episode.

However, he still maintained his top position on the overall leaderboard.

The top two spots on the Tianjiao leaderboard were both occupied by Fifth Stage River Realm believers.

One scored 147 points, and the other 144 points! One was a disciple of Dongting, and the other a disciple of Sword One.

Lu Ran specifically watched the highlight reel of the Dongting disciple, and he was like the Flash!

His entire body was wrapped in purple electricity, fearlessly confronting a River Realm Demon Lord.

Two words: Badass! In any battle, having an absolute advantage in speed always creates miracles.

This was true for the Dongting believer, and it was also true for the Lord Sheep believer.

"Brother, you're currently at 583 points on the leaderboard!" Qiao Yuansi sat at the computer desk, overjoyed. "You're leading the second place by 17 points! Yay~"

Lu Ran, however, looked at the second-place contestant.

Poor He Qifeng, the Warrior Monk lady.

She had advanced to the River Realm earlier and was also the first to be given a lower score by the judges.

Despite being a formidable and accomplished fighter, she couldn't break into the 140s.

It was too difficult~

"Just one more match left!" Qiao Yuansi was full of excitement. "You're undoubtedly the number one Tianjiao of the Great Xia Empire!"

Lu Ran patted Qiao Yuansi's head, "You're not supposed to say that!"

"AUV~" The Capital City girl spoke with a strong accent.

She transformed into a quick learner, shaking her little head, "You're not supposed to say that~"

Lu Ran pressed her head down, "Do you want to reveal your true form?"

Qiao Yuansi giggled, "Then tell me, what am I?"

"You, you're a person." Lu Ran lost his temper.

After all, they were siblings, connected by blood.

"Hmph." Qiao Yuansi won another round and turned to look at the computer.

Lu Ran also looked at her and opened the prize page.

The rewards for the top ten on the Tianjiao leaderboard were quite impressive.

There were seven divine weapons and three magical artifacts to choose from.

After the 'Tianjiao' program ended, the students would select their prizes according to their rankings.

The prizes for ranks 11 to 30 were all divine weapon embryos, similar to the black ice sword that Jiang Ruyi had just obtained.

These weapons had been cultivated by their previous owners for a long time, and they were full of spiritual energy.

Unfortunately, their owners had sacrificed themselves in battle.

The weapons they left behind were collected by 'Tianjiao' and offered as prizes.

The subsequent rewards were diverse.

They included weapons made from various materials, high-grade divine power beads, rare minerals and plants from various demon caves, and more.

Qiao Yuansi's gaze was naturally focused on the top ten rankings.

"Artifacts are rarer, bro. Let's choose an artifact!"

Qiao Yuansi was full of confidence, as if the powerful artifact was already within his grasp.

"Let's hope so," Lu Ran said, scanning through the images of the three artifacts.

"Pride Celestial" was really good at teasing people's appetites.

The images of the seven divine weapons were displayed, clearly showing swords and blades.

Only the three artifacts had no introduction, and their images were shrouded in mist.

There were many speculations online, and the discussion was intense.

One of the artifacts seemed to be a treasure pearl.

Another one looked like a wine gourd.

At least the part exposed outside the mist resembled the spout of a gourd.

As for the last artifact, the mist on the image was too dense, and there were various discussions online, but no overwhelming answer had been reached yet.

According to the information released by the "Pride Celestial" official website, the three artifacts would be announced along with the year-end overall ranking list.

This made Lu Ran feel itchy with anticipation. He couldn't wait for tomorrow to be the 15th day of the last lunar month, the final battle of "Pride Celestial"! He hoped that the unique spirit of the reward he chose would have a better temperament.

Lu Ran wasn't worried about the spirits of these divine weapons and artifacts causing any trouble or refusing to acknowledge their master.

After all, they were offered by "Pride Celestial", and the officials should have communicated with the spirits.

Filled with anticipation, Lu Ran received many congratulatory messages.

He replied to each one and then received a call from the "Pride Celestial" officials.

This time, Lu Ran didn't have the excuse of cultivating in the River Realm, so he accepted their invitation for the outing activity.

After all, it would only take two or three days, and he wouldn't miss out on much.

Moreover, Lu Ran was also eyeing the rewards.

Most importantly, Lu Ran genuinely wanted to do something for this land and for the people of Daxia who were in dire straits.

He wanted to go to some remote areas to spread warmth.

To bring encouragement to the local people and inspire the students, which seemed quite meaningful.

And there was also money to be earned.

In the blink of an eye, the time had come to the 19th day of the lunar month.

That morning, a large G-class vehicle stopped in front of the residential building.

At the entrance of the Lu family's home.

Qiao Yuansi pouted, put on her Martin boots, and stubbornly stared at Lu Ran.

Lu Ran sighed and said, "Tie your shoelaces yourself!"

Qiao Yuansi stubbornly looked at her brother, her lips pouting so much that they could almost hold an oil bottle.

"I really owe you!"

Lu Ran gave in, kneeling on one knee to tie his sister's shoelaces.

A flash of joy passed through Qiao Yuansi's eyes, only to be replaced by the sorrow of parting.

But there was no other way; she had to return to the capital for university.

"It's tied. Let's go." Lu Ran stood up, gripping the suitcase handle.

"Hmph." Qiao Yuansi stomped her feet and turned to push open the door, walking out.

Lu Ran followed behind his sister, suddenly feeling the urge to call out "one, two, one."

Hmm. Forget it, let's not provoke her.

As soon as the building door was pushed open, several voices could be heard.

"Brother Ran!"

"Brother Ran!" Niu Zhengzheng and Wang Ling greeted him with smiles from the off-road vehicle.

Guan Yiren looked at Qiao Yuansi, who was walking out with a pout, and reached out to support the girl.

But unexpectedly, Qiao Yuansi directly threw herself into Guan Yiren's embrace.

Guan Yiren rarely showed a smile, gently patting Qiao Yuansi's back.

Wang Ling: "Brother Ran, do you need me to send you back to the capital?"

"No need, you guys go ahead." Lu Ran, still wearing his mask, shook his head.

Lu Ran did need to fly from the capital, but he had to wait for Sister Xian to arrive before leaving together.

"Wang Ling." Guan Yiren called out softly.

"Ah." Wang Ling opened the backseat door, took out a Tang Hengdao sword, and walked towards Lu Ran.

Lu Ran: "What's this?"

Wang Ling smiled: "Brother Ran, this is our team's token of appreciation for your help on the night of the full moon."

The Tang sword was unsheathed, and at first glance, it looked like ordinary steel.

But Lu Ran was quite certain that it should be Heavenstar Steel! After all, the gift-givers were a group of young masters and young ladies.

"No, it's too precious." Lu Ran waved his hand.

Guan Yiren spoke softly: "Compared to what you've done for us, this is nothing."

Lu Ran had indeed taken good care of the team.

He had helped Wang Ling out of a difficult situation and even saved Guan Yiren's life.

But this couldn't be calculated like that!

That night, they were a team, fighting side by side as comrades.

Their friendship was deep enough to risk their lives for each other; how could they accept gifts?

Niu Zhengzheng spoke up, "Brother Ran, just take it. I see that you like swords!

You'll definitely have more than two divine weapons in your lifetime, haha!"

Guan Yiren's gaze shifted downward, focusing on Lu Ran's black mask, her voice gentle:

"It's an honor for this sword to follow you."

Wang Ling: "Yes, Brother Ran! In your hands..."

Lu Ran waved his hand: "If you insist on giving it to me, then don't come on the 15th of next month."

Wang Ling's expression became troubled, and he turned to look at Guan Yiren.

Guan Yiren hesitated for a moment, until the girl in her arms whispered something, and then she nodded, indicating for Wang Ling to take the sword back.

Lu Ran also felt helpless.

Brother Ran's ears were so sensitive that he naturally heard Qiao Yuansi whispering, "My brother's birthday is coming up."

Lu Ran handed the suitcase to Wang Ling: "Go quickly, don't be late for school."

Qiao Yuansi turned to look at Lu Ran, her face puffed up, and then she glared at him again.

After that, she got into the car, her ponytail swinging back and forth.

Lu Ran looked at them helplessly, shrugging his shoulders: "Go quickly, I'm feeling cold."

It was early winter, and the withered grass was covered with a thin layer of frost.

Lu Ran was in a hurry to see them off, still wearing a single layer of clothing.

"Okay, let's go."

"Then we'll be off, Brother Ran. See you on the 15th of next month!"

"Drive carefully." Lu Ran watched as they got into the car and gradually drove away.

Just as the vehicle was about to turn the corner and disappear, a small head suddenly popped out of the window, shouting:

"Goodbye, brother~~~"

The early winter morning was a bit chilly.

The residential area was quiet and deserted.

The girl's voice echoed from a distance, breaking the cold and silence.

Lu Ran smiled gently, waving his hand.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end