Lu Ran had advanced to the Second Rank of the River Realm on the eleventh day of the second lunar month, and naturally, he was going to adjust his mentality and prepare for battle in the following days.

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

On that clear morning, the official website of "Heavenly Pride" announced the second batch of participating students.

Thereafter, public opinion was completely exploded.

The popularity of "Heavenly Pride" was soaring to an infuriating extent!

Especially after the first episode of "Heavenly Pride" aired, the powerful abilities and charisma displayed by the participating students far exceeded everyone's expectations!

No exaggeration to say, you could even describe the post-battle atmosphere as "the nation rejoicing."

The Evil Demon Clan had been growing stronger all along, that was an indisputable fact.

During these years of ongoing warfare, all people seemed to see and hear were nothing but bad news.

Which shelter had seen Moon Gazers sacrificing themselves.

How many casualties this city had suffered, what economic losses that city had endured.

People lived in terror and unease, passing nights with bated breath, only lucky enough to witness the sunrise, to see the post-battle damaged city quarters, as if they could see no hope anywhere.

However, the appearance of "Heavenly Pride" had become an outlet for people's emotions, and it was also an extraordinarily effective tonic for the heart.

Da Xia officials stepped in to present the real and cruel battlefield scenes clearly before the eyes of the world.

These fifty young talents of Da Xia, every thrust of their swords, every Evil Demon they eliminated...

Were all like a defiance of fate!

They also represented the Human Clan's longing to live on.

TV channels, various programs, and online, everywhere were discussions about "Heavenly Pride."

In the long, dark journey of life, people found a special kind of spiritual sustenance.

In just one night, this sustenance became a refuge, and even became the spiritual pillar for many.

Some wept for joy as if clinging to a lifesaving straw.

Some were flushed with excitement, experiencing the battles in the first-person perspective as if they were personally slaying their enemies.

Others debated red-faced over which Heavenly Pride was stronger or weaker.

Regardless, "Heavenly Pride" had set the world on fire.

And when the second batch of 50 names was announced, countless people rushed to the official website, meticulously examining the detailed profiles of the participating students.

People were looking for someone who could become their emotional anchor, and they compared these fifty individuals with the previous batch of participants.

And among these fifty, one person quickly stood out!

That was an extremely special individual—Lu Ran!

The world exploded.

Completely exploded...

In a list of participants generally 22 or 23 years old, a freshly 18-year-old younger brother snuck in.

In a list filled with Believers of second and third-class gods, a Believer of the Nine-level God·Immortal Goat Sect slipped in!

In a list of elite students who were all at the Fifth Rank of the River Realm, a rookie at the First Rank of the River Realm showed up.

Each Heavenly Pride's name came with a prestigious university title.

From Beijing to Chang'an, from Guang-Fo to the banks of the Wu Lie River...

Each university was either the top in Da Xia or the very best within the province.

Only one person was the exception!

Above his name, there was a special line of text—Wu Lie River Province, Yunshan City, Rain Alley City First High School!

What the hell! Mind-blowing!

Any one of those points would be enough to astonish people.

And yet, so many points were all found in one person.

From that moment on, all major news outlets, various programs, and netizens globally plunged into a grand carnival!

A spectacle like no other!

Who is Lu Ran?

A high school student, a First Rank River Realm Immortal Sheep Believer, how could he squeeze into the ranks of "Da Xia's Top Hundred Heavenly Prides"?

Of course, people were reluctant to question the "Heavenly Pride" program team, but the problem was, Lu Ran was like a flawed egg.

Flawed all over!

Completely unsightly...

Since the release of the list, Lu Ran's phone had been buzzing nonstop.

He connected several calls, and Deng Yutang, Tian Tian, Chang Ying, Si Xianxian, and others all expressed their congratulations.

It was an extremely honorable thing for Lu Ran to participate in "Heavenly Pride."

Naturally, everyone close to him was glued to their computers and clutching their phones, waiting for the list to be revealed.

There were also many other calls, but since they were from unknown numbers, Lu Ran did not answer.

His grade's group chat and class group chat likewise exploded into chaos.

"@Ran, Ran bro! Ran bro!!!"

"@Ran, it's you, right, Lu Ran? You... you're going on 'Heavenly Pride'?"

"Are you kidding? It's clearly written there, Wu Lie River Province Rain Alley City First High School! That's our school, our school only has one Lu Ran!"

"There are only a hundred Heavenly Prides chosen in the whole Da Xia! Just 100 spots! My Ran bro just... just stormed in there?"

"Damn, Ran God! Awesome! You are my god!"

"What's going on, what happened?"

"Then that means, on the opening day of school, I personally witnessed a Heavenly Pride duel?"

"Damn, I've only just realized it now, how am I so fortunate..."

Ma Tianchuan: "That's what I should be saying, haha! How am I so fortunate!"

"Ma academic prodigy, you'll have something to brag about for a lifetime! You fought back and forth with a Da Xia genius and even managed to return in one piece!"

"Ei, now I remember, Jiang the beauty even beat Lu Ran!"

"I told you it was a fake match! You guys didn't believe it..."

The grade group was abuzz with discussions. Lu Ran didn't have time to look.

Because he had just received another call.

"Bro!!" The screeching and cheering of the young girl on the phone made Lu Ran's eardrums hurt.

"Quieter, be quieter," Lu Ran said, visibly uncomfortable.

"I saw the list!" Qiao Yuansi could not suppress her joy, "In two days, you are going to be on 'Heavenly Pride', on the battlefield!"

Lu Ran turned on the loudspeaker and put the phone on his desk: "Didn't I tell you already?"

Qiao Yuansi complained, "You smug brother, be happier can't you? Stop pretending to be so profound."

"Mm, happy, happy." Lu Ran's response seemed perfunctory, but in fact, his mouth curved into a smile as he kept scrolling with his mouse.

At this moment, he was sitting in front of the computer, looking at the details of the students who would be fighting alongside him.

Qiao Yuansi: "You look so out of place among all the older brothers and sisters, don't you?"

"Out of place where?"

"Everyone else looks so majestic, their promo pictures one more spirited than the next, and there you are like my little brother~"

Lu Ran: "..."

Qiao Yuansi pouted: "Don't you have any better photos? Why did you use your ID photo?"

Lu Ran said irritably, "Where do I have the time to take photos, my student ID photo is pretty good, isn't it?"

"No! Change it, oh my dear big brother~"

"I'll change it, I'll change it next time!" Lu Ran quickly replied, feeling overwhelmed.

"Hehe~" Qiao Yuansi immediately revealed a sweet smile, "Promise?..."

After a few more words, the girl's voice grew softer.

Lu Ran was puzzled: "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing." Qiao Yuansi's voice lost its cheer, seemingly downcast.

Lu Ran, quite perceptive, asked with concern, "What happened?"

"Um, someone's talking about you." Qiao Yuansi was holding her phone and scrolling through comments on the official website while speaking with Lu Ran on loudspeaker.

The forum section of "Heavenly Pride" exploded with the number of threads, and all sorts of creatures emerged.

Little Yuansi was not good at hiding her emotions.

Seeing someone praise Lu Ran, Qiao Yuansi's heart swelled with sweetness.

Seeing others curious, puzzled, full of expectations, Qiao Yuansi was confident that her brother would win over these viewers.

Inevitably, Qiao Yuansi also saw some questioning remarks, among which there was no shortage of comments filled with malice.

"What's this? The first episode did well and now they get cocky?"

"Plugging in a high school student who's just at the River Realm First Rank, and also an Immortal Sheep Believer! Is this a joke?"

"What happened to giving the people confidence? Nonsense!"

"Everyone knows what Immortal Sheep Believers look like, right? Want to see him cry and wail on the battlefield, to flee in panic, don't you?"

"Whose noble young master is this, with quite the powerful family background, coming here to gild himself? My eyes have truly been opened..."

Qiao Yuansi's small face grew red with anger, even failing to hear Lu Ran's voice.

"Are you idiots? This is 'Heavenly Pride'. Without true skills, coming here is no different from public execution, right?"

"Right, who would be so foolish as to come here to gild themselves, do you have brains?"

Having read this, Qiao Yuansi felt slightly better, but the comments below made her even more infuriated.

"How dare you! The decisions of the upper echelons are not for us lowly folks to question?"

"Explosive news! Someone leaked that Lu Ran, back on the God Worship Platform, had summoned a member of the Evil Demon Clan, the Yan Zhi!"

"What??"

"Yan Zhi? That's so rare, it's been forty years, and only a few Believers in the whole Da Xia summoned Evil Demons?"

"No wonder he made it into 'Heavenly Pride', truly gifted!"

"Go to hell, who would believe that! If he really did summon a Yan Zhi, then Lord Jian Yi might even make an exception and take this male disciple!

On the God Worship Platform, where strong gods are plentiful, why would he go and worship Immortal Sheep?"

Lu Ran: "Yuansi! Yuansi?"

"Ah, bro." Qiao Yuansi finally snapped out of it, "I'm hanging up, I'm gonna go clash with them online!"

"Qiao Yuansi!" Lu Ran suddenly called his sister by her full name.

"What, so serious, it's kind of scary..." Qiao Yuansi whispered, feeling slightly aggrieved.

Lu Ran said sternly, "Don't bother with those people, you'll just upset yourself."

Qiao Yuansi replied reluctantly, "Mhm."

Lu Ran's tone softened, "Yuansi, no matter how much you explain, it's useless.

Trust your brother, after the night of the fifteenth, everything will be better."

"Yep, yep!" Qiao Yuansi suddenly revived, gritting her teeth and said, "Brother, you better impress me!

I'll keep an eye out now, and after the fifteenth, I'll dig up their graves one by one!

I'll exhume all their posts and whip their corpses!"

"Good Lord~" Lu Ran was genuinely puzzled.

My mischievous, lovely sister,

Inside her heart, there lived such a little devil?

Qiao Yuansi muttered, "Bro, you must achieve great results.

My sister's face is tender, if someone slaps it, it'll hurt so much~"

Lu Ran: "..."

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