Outside Bamboo Village, at the edge of the bamboo forest.

The four-person squad observed for a moment, then plunged into the dense bamboo forest.

Although the Demon Cave was quiet and peaceful, the presence of the Evil Demon Clan in the forest meant they still had to be cautious.

"Rustle, rustle~"

A breeze blew through, gently swaying the bamboo and causing the leaves to rustle.

"Sigh…"

Lu Ran walked alongside the team, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

While the others were carefully searching for Evil Bamboo Demons, Lu Ran was secretly enjoying himself.

The refreshing fragrance of the bamboo was truly soothing to the soul.

"Isn't it too quiet? Could there be something wrong?" Chang Ying whispered quietly.

In this serene environment, she no longer shouted loudly.

"No." Deng Yutang answered honestly.

"Bamboo Demons look so similar to the actual bamboo," Tian Tian said, "But they're not too powerful, so no need to worry too much."

"That's true," Chang Ying nodded, "If anything, we'll just get hit by a stick~"

Deng Yutang snorted coldly, leading the way, "Anyway, I'm walking in front, right?"

Chang Ying chuckled, holding the Mountain Opening Axe, "I'd actually like to clear the way, but Ran won't let me!"

Suddenly, Lu Ran spoke up, "There's one over there."

"What?" Chang Ying quickly asked, "Where is it?"

She swiftly moved next to Lu Ran, followed the direction he was pointing, and after a moment, her eyes lit up.

Evil Bamboo Demon!

This type of demon was humanoid, tall and thin, made up of clumps of bright green bamboo.

It was dressed in a coat of bamboo leaves and wore a hat woven from bamboo leaves.

Under the hat was a bright green face, and the lower half of its face was masked with woven bamboo strips.

Its eyes were peculiar, emitting a bright green glow that was quite startling.

"Those eyes are quite scary, look tough but so dumb," Chang Ying muttered.

"Shh~" Deng Yutang whistled softly, tapping the nearby bamboo with the Heavenly Star Spear, "Hey!"

Chang Ying raised her hand, waving energetically, "This way, this way!"

"Hmm?" The Bamboo Demon turned its head from a distance in the forest.

Upon seeing humans, its green eyes sparkled even brighter.

"Whew~"

Suddenly, a thin bamboo stick appeared in its bamboo-jointed palm.

Evil Technique·Bamboo Stick!

It then hurled the stick like a javelin, throwing it fiercely.

"Crackle, snap, pop…"

It might have been because the bamboo forest was too dense, or perhaps the Bamboo Demon couldn't aim well.

In any case, the thrown stick was solidly blocked by the bamboo, bouncing off wildly before finally falling to the ground.

"Pfft~" The stick shattered into wisps of green smoke as it hit the ground.

The team: "..."

Do they really need to be this realistic?

Hey, you're supposed to be a demon, why are you being so cute with us?

"Hmm!" The Bamboo Demon grunted loudly and strode forward, summoning another bamboo stick in its hand.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

As it advanced, it struck the standing bamboo along the way, producing a crisp sound.

Tian Tian hurriedly said, "This Bamboo Demon must be calling for its companions, the books say this is how the Bamboo Demons communicate!"

Chang Ying nonchalantly said, "Then let it call!

More Bamboo Demons would be good, one isn't enough for us to share."

Tian Tian: "..."

Faced with other demons, the team might have immediately intervened or turned to flee.

At the very least, they would be on high alert.

But faced with the somewhat cute Bamboo Demon...

"Swoosh~ Swoosh~"

The Bamboo Demon got closer, and suddenly smashed its stick downward.

Instantly, two bamboo leaves shot out from the top of the stick, like daggers, flying towards Lu Ran.

Evil Technique·Bamboo Leaf Fly!

While they were likened to flying daggers, the speed and force...

Were truly pitiful to behold.

"Swoosh~ Swoosh~"

Lu Ran picked up the Dawn Blade and swung it in front of him, creating a flourish.

The Black Ice Blade's edge flashed, and the two bamboo leaves were sliced in half, drifting lightly to the ground.

"Tsk tsk~" Chang Ying's eyes sparkled as she sighed lightly.

That little show was too stylish.

She had thought that Lu Ran would easily dodge.

But instead, he stood in place and precisely sliced the slender bamboo leaves.

Especially as Lu Ran, dressed in black, stood amidst the misty bamboo forest.

If he were wearing a bamboo hat, he'd totally look like an ancient swordsman.

"Hmm!" The Bamboo Demon finally burst out of the dense forest, swinging its wooden stick fiercely downward.

Lu Ran immediately raised his blade to block.

But he didn't use the edge, he used the flat of the blade to block.

With a soft "thud," the two, one man and one demon, were locked in a stalemate, weapons pressed against each other.

Such a scene left the team somewhat surprised.

His teammates knew Lu Ran's fighting style well, which was usually to overcome strength with cleverness.

Plus, considering that Lu Ran was rather slim, one would naturally think he was less strong.

But that was not the case!

Regardless of the tall Chang Ying or the burly Deng Yutang, before Lu Ran, they were all "little brothers"...

Only Deng Yutang, invoking the Red Cloth Ancestor, could match Lu Ran's strength when his physical attributes surged.

Lu Ran's Evil Technique·Soul Splitting Power was not for show.

"Hmm!" The Bamboo Demon exerted a lot of force, groaning loudly, determined to push the blade down.

Lu Ran then suddenly took a step forward.

"Thud!"

Lu Ran fiercely kicked the Bamboo Demon, sending it flying back into the bamboo forest.

"Aren't we supposed to exterminate demons?" Tian Tian asked curiously, "It might be weak, but it's still a demon, it can kill."

Lu Ran glanced at the Bamboo Demon, "You misunderstood, I want it to bring more companions here."

He spoke quickly, "We're close to Bamboo Village here, and we can retreat at any moment, no worries at all.

With this kind of advantage, why not use this place as a training ground and treat the Bamboo Demons as sparring partners.

What do you think?"

Deng Yutang raised an eyebrow, "Not kill, but use them as sparring partners?"

Lu Ran nodded, "There's no Demon Crystal in killing Bamboo Demons, might as well refine skills."

While speaking, Lu Ran watched the approaching Bamboo Demon and chose to repeat his tactic.

It only took a move or two before the Bamboo Demon was kicked in the chest, flying back again.

"Hmm!!"

The Bamboo Demon was clearly not happy, its tall, thin body smashed into a clump of bamboo, causing the leaves to rustle.

Lu Ran was truly at a loss.

The Bamboo Demon had just gotten up from the ground and was charging again!

Really stubborn.

Come on, call for help, will you? It's been kicked back twice already and still keeps rushing forward?

"That'll do," Tian Tian decisively nodded, "We've just entered the Demon Cave, we have plenty of energy, perfect for training."

The school chose this Demon Cave as a place for students to relax.

But for Lu Ran, improving strength was a moment not to be wasted!

It'd be great if ten or eight Bamboo Demons surrounded him, forming a "Shaolin Stick Monk Formation" to help with his special training!

"Can't we chop them?" Chang Ying, holding the Mountain Opening Axe, felt it was a bit of a shame.

Lu Ran: "Our task is to chop bamboo, a thousand Evil Bamboos, all for you to chop."

"I don't want that!" Chang Ying quickly stepped forward two steps, standing behind Lu Ran, her axe reaching diagonally upwards.

"Thud!"

The Bamboo Demon's stick didn't hit the blade but was blocked by the axe.

Lu Ran: "..."

He turned his head and looked up at the wild woman close by, "What are you doing?"

Chang Ying giggled, "This silly thing, let me play for a while."

Lu Ran: "You... be careful!"

Lu Ran suddenly embraced Chang Ying's waist and pulled her to the side.

"Zing! Zing!"

Right where they had just been standing, several sharp bamboo spikes suddenly shot up.

Evil Technique·Bamboo Ground Stab!

To be honest, even if they hadn't dodged, it wouldn't have been a big issue.

That so-called "ground stab" lacked force, and the bamboo tips weren't sharp, more like bamboo sticks.

This technique would only turn the bamboo tips into sharp spikes after advancing to the River Grade.

Lu Ran's "excessive" reaction was due to his habit of killing ingrained by the age of fifteen.

Any slight disturbance would put Lu Ran on high alert; otherwise, death could easily ensue.

"Ha ha, finally here!" Deng Yutang immediately faced the challenge.

"Lu Ran." Tian Tian whispered, sounding a bit hesitant.

"Hmm?" Lu Ran, with his fine hearing, heard her clearly.

He let Chang Ying go ahead to face the enemy, embedding his twin blades into the ground, pulling a red cloth from his pocket, "What is it?"

Tian Tian gathered her courage, "Could you... give me some pointers?"

"Pointers?"

"Yes, movement techniques and footwork." Tian Tian held her three-foot long sword, looking up at Lu Ran.

"That's right!" Chang Ying enthusiastically agreed, "You move like an eel, teach us, will you?"

As she spoke, she held the Mountain Opening Axe, the head of the axe pressing against the Bamboo Demon's face, pinning it firmly to a clump of bamboo.

"Hmm! Hmm!" The Bamboo Demon was almost bursting with frustration.

But its bamboo body wasn't strong enough to push away the axe, and Chang Ying instead slammed it deeper into the bamboo clump.

Lu Ran tied the red cloth, making a butterfly knot at the back of his head, "Of course, if I can help you!"

Deng Yutang and Chang Ying's style was more forceful, using long poles and heavy weapons, not quite compatible with Lu Ran's combat methods.

But Tian Tian could still learn something.

Although she always held the central position within the team, protected by defensive techniques.

But on the battlefield, anything could happen, and even if it was just a slight increase in survival probability, any effort was worthwhile.

Lu Ran walked over to Tian Tian, patted her head, "Then I guess I'm taking a disciple?"

Tian Tian paused briefly, whispered softly, "Can I?"

In many people's hearts, including Tian Tian's, Lu Ran had already been "deified."

Lu Ran was indeed very approachable, and they were teammates, seemingly equal.

But Tian Tian had always looked up to Lu Ran in an extremely humble manner.

Especially after these past events on the fifteenth night, Lu Ran's extraordinarily powerful performances heightened his image in Tian Tian's heart even more.

This made Tian Tian feel that Lu Ran was getting farther and farther away from her.

"That's settled then." Lu Ran suddenly raised his blade, pointing to the right front, "Go, Tian Tian!

It's decided, it's you!"

Master Ran's class starts today.

First, recruiting martial arts apprentices, and later, taking personal believers!

I must find an opportunity to snatch Xiao Tiantian from the deity, Sword Lotus...

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