The Smoke and Mirrors of the Mortal World

The days at home passed quickly.

Time had come to the nineteenth day of the sixth lunar month, in the early morning.

Inside the Rain Alley Home Community, a tall figure emerged from a residential building.

"Finally, a sunny day."

Lu Ran tilted his head, gazing at the bright sun in the clear sky, and couldn't help but squint.

Today was the day of the unsealing, meaning the disaster was over.

However, the impact of the demon invasion still lingered in this world and wouldn't disappear immediately.

Visibly, everyone who had survived was trying their best to dispel the gloom.

Lu Ran, just standing at the entrance of the building, saw several people out for a walk, walking their dogs, and playing with birds.

When he walked out of the community and arrived at the breakfast shop, he saw a bustling and lively scene.

Rain Alley City, This small county town, with its not-so-large population, was radiating a special vitality in these post-disaster days.

In front of this small steamed bun shop, People who were trying hard to live greeted each other with smiles.

The sounds of children playing, the chatter and banter of diners, and the calls of the shopkeepers serving food

Paired with the steaming baskets, they formed a unique and warm picture.

The hustle and bustle of the human world is the most comforting thing.

The Night of the Fifteenth seemed like it had never happened.

And these people who were trying hard to live, even those who were trying a bit too hard, were conveying a message:

The Fifteenth had come, The Fifteenth had passed.

"Boss, two baskets of xiaolongbao, one cup of soy milk, to go," Lu Ran said, walking up to the steamer baskets.

"Coming right up~"

The steamer baskets were steaming, with mist swirling, almost causing Lu Ran to have a natural reaction and enter cultivation mode on the spot.

He couldn't help it; the pervasive mist was too similar to divine power.

"Two baskets of xiaolongbao, one cup of soy milk, and here's a tea egg on the house. Here you go, young man." The boss, a middle-aged uncle who was a bit overweight, handed him a plastic bag with a smile.

"No, no, I'll pay." Lu Ran scanned the QR code with his phone.

"It's on the house, take it," the boss said with a simple, honest smile. "Next month on the fifteenth, kill a few more demons."

Lu Ran hesitated for a moment, then smiled and accepted the breakfast.

His identity as a believer wasn't actually hard to guess.

Statistically, among the human population over 17 years old, 7 out of 10 were believers.

Not to mention the wisps of mist swirling around Lu Ran's body.

No one would think Lu Ran was showing off, because there were countless believers diligently cultivating!

This was the prevailing social atmosphere; everyone was desperately trying to survive.

Ordinary people were like this, And believers of gods had to go all out.

"Thank you," Lu Ran said goodbye and left. He took out a xiaolongbao from the plastic bag and stuffed it into his mouth.

People came and went in the streets and alleys, and the small shop behind him remained lively and noisy.

This scene was perhaps a microcosm of the entire Rain Alley City.

Regarding his hometown, Lu Ran could find many flaws.

For example, it was small and old, not prosperous enough, and it was often rainy, making people feel gloomy.

And the reason Lu Ran loved it here was very simple.

It could be the unique memories of his childhood.

It could be the Wulie River that flowed through the small town.

Or it could be a steaming hot tea egg in the early morning.

"It's just a bit dry." Lu Ran quickly picked up the soy milk cup and took a big gulp.

Ah, that's better~

"Buzz!"

His pocket vibrated, and Lu Ran immediately took out his phone.

He opened the group chat of four people and found a message from Beauty Jiang.

"8 AM report to school, don't forget," Jiang said.

Lu Ran looked at Jiang Meiren's pretty avatar, a smile unconsciously appearing on his face.

Beautiful things truly can lift one's mood.

"Sister Ruyi, I've finished eating and am on my way to school," Tian Tian said.

"Jiang" patted "Tian Tian."

Lu Ran raised an eyebrow slightly and immediately tapped his screen repeatedly, replying.

"Oh."

Lu Ran stared at his phone screen, waiting for a long time, but saw no response from Jiang Meiren.

Just as he was about to type again, his phone suddenly vibrated.

"Deng Yutang" patted "Ran."

Lu Ran: "."

This was clearly a WeChat group, but why did it suddenly feel like browsing a forum?

There were even people helping to save face!

"Tian Tian" patted "Ran."

Seeing this, Lu Ran couldn't help but chuckle.

You little loli are patting me now, can you even reach my head?

Lu Ran patted both their avatars in succession, then put away his phone and continued eating his steamed buns.

Today was the back to school day. The school would release the rankings and also adjust the teams based on the overall performance of each team and the characteristics of the students.

Team 98, which Lu Ran was a part of, should not have any changes.

After all, none of the four members wanted to change teammates. They cooperated well and got along harmoniously.

Half an hour later, Lu Ran, having finished his breakfast, arrived at the entrance of No. 1 High School.

As expected, the sides of the school gate were once again crowded with people.

Coincidentally, Lu Ran's eyes immediately fell on a familiar figure—Tian Tian.

She was petite and stood outside the crowd, seemingly wanting to see the rankings but unable to squeeze in.

As Lu Ran walked over, he saw Tian Tian standing on tiptoe, holding her phone in her small hand, raising it high, and trying hard to photograph the big announcement board.

"I'll help you."

The sudden voice startled Tian Tian.

She turned her head, and just as she saw who it was, Lu Ran had already taken her phone.

Lu Ran was 1.77m tall, not particularly tall, but he could still reach the announcement board by raising his phone.

"Click~"

With the sound of the shutter, Lu Ran lowered his phone and looked at the photo, his eyes lighting up!

"Let me see," Tian Tian said softly, tugging at Lu Ran's clothes with her small hand.

"Haha, we made it!"

Lu Ran was full of excitement. He returned the phone to the girl. Perhaps due to being too happy, he couldn't help but rub Tian Tian's head.

Honestly, if it were Jiang Meiren next to him instead of Tian Tian.

Lu Ran might have taken the opportunity to hug her and lift her high.

"Wow!" Tian Tian exclaimed, forgetting to be shy, her face full of joy.

On the fifteenth day of the sixth lunar month, Yuxiang No. 1 High School's first city defense mission, the team performance ranking list is as follows:

"First place, Team Number 98!

Team members: Jiang Ruyi, Grade 11 (Class 4); Lu Ran, Grade 11 (Class 4); Deng Yutang, Grade 11 (Class 4); Tian Tian, Grade 11 (Class 7).

Mission comprehensive score: 80.5 points.

All members gain +10 Believer points!"

While the two were rejoicing, the surrounding discussions did not stop.

"It's them again, Team 98 again!"

"Of course, with Jiang Meiren leading, how could they not be amazing? And they even have a lambkin hidden in their team!"

"What are you saying about Brother Ran? Is he a lambkin? Brother Ran is a biiig. biiig. biiig lamb leg!"

"Huh? Didn't Team 98 also have Squad Leader Wu? Why is it someone else now?"

"That's right! Squad Leader Wu is in Ma Tianchuan's team, Team 17, and they ranked fourth!"

"Hahahaha! Being first isn't scary, but it's awkward when someone is missing!"

Amidst the buzzing discussions, Tian Tian clenched her small fists and looked up at Lu Ran.

She didn't think her performance was that outstanding. The squad's achievements were entirely thanks to the person beside her.

Lu Ran looked at the phone screen with a strange expression, staring at the team ranked fourth on the leaderboard.

Wu Shanshan was listed there!

However, Lu Ran's emotions didn't fluctuate much.

After all, during the city defense mission, the location and strength of the evil creatures were highly uncertain.

For novice believers, simply surviving was already considered a success.

Performance in a single mission meant nothing, so.

Lu Ran pursed his lips.

So, being in the lead just once was far from enough.

It had to be done again and again!

Heh heh, it's decided!

Lu Ran walked towards the other side of the school gate with his head down. Tian Tian followed closely without a word.

Compared to the left side of the main entrance, the noise was louder here.

"Damn, they all said the rankings would change drastically after becoming believers, but this is a complete mess!"

"Gao Zhonglin is ranked second? Greedy Wolf Believers are really fierce, they really know how to hoard points!"

"The first place is still Lambkin! What, are sheep greedier than wolves?"

"This is unbelievable! Is the Immortal Sheep Sect really that powerful? The first time was luck, but this time it can't be, right?"

"Powerful my ass! Have you seen any Lambkin make a name for themselves? It's purely because that kid Lu Ran is so weird!"

"Yeah, I came back on the same bus as him. His clothes and pants were all torn, and he was almost tortured to death by the evil creatures!"

"Holy crap! Is that true? Didn't he change his pants if they were torn?"

Behind the slightly chaotic crowd, Lu Ran held up his phone, looking at the red list on the screen, and didn't press the shutter button for a long time.

Tian Tian was anxiously tiptoeing, while Lu Ran stared blankly at his phone, his heart blooming with joy.

On the fifteenth day of the sixth lunar month, Yuxiang No. 1 High School's first city defense mission, the individual performance leaderboard is as follows:

First place, Grade 2 Class 4, Lu Ran—91.2 points, Celestial Goat Believer. Believer points +10!

Second place, Grade 2 Class 11, Gao Zhonglin—73.7 points, Greedy Wolf Believer. Believer points +8!

Third place, Grade 2 Class 4, Jiang Ruyi—72.1 points, Jade Talisman Believer. Believer points +8!

"Everyone, quiet down for a moment. Congratulations to Beauty Jiang for returning to the top three in the grade!"

"Stop blabbering! Lapdogs, move aside! Stand behind Warm Man!"

"You're a girl, why are you talking like that? Is that Lu Ran behind you?"

"Lu Ran? Where?"

The crowd turned their heads in unison.

Lu Ran, immersed in his joy, hadn't realized the seriousness of the situation.

"Ran Ge is awesome!"

"First place again, two consecutive championships!"

"Congratulations, congratulations!" A wave of congratulatory voices reached him, making Lu Ran grin.

They called me Lambkin just now, and now they're calling me Ran Ge after seeing me?

"What's with this score? How many evil creatures did you kill?"

"I heard your pants were torn by the evil creatures?"

Lu Ran: "..."

"Say something!"

"You don't understand, true experts don't talk! Ran Ge, are you adjusting your team again this time? Do you need anyone?"

"How did you even get this score? No one has ever broken 90 points in previous years!"

"Yeah." Lu Ran finally spoke, "It's weird."

Hearing this, everyone's spirits immediately lifted.

Could the score be wrong?

"I knew it, there must be a problem with this score. Was it registered incorrectly?"

"Right, this is the Night of the Fifteenth. What kind of performance can a Mist Realm believer achieve? How could they get such a high score?"

"Lu Ran, are you sure the score is wrong?"

Under the expectant gazes of everyone, Lu Ran nodded:

"It's indeed not quite right. Where did my 8.8 points get deducted?"

Double Bloom

In an instant, the crowd fell silent.

Looking around, the same expression filled every face.

They were all dumbfounded!

After a brief silence, someone shouted, "Beat him!"

Lu Ran turned and ran!

Tian Tian's small mouth hung open as she watched the divine mist swirl around Lu Ran's feet. He zipped through the school gates.

Only after Lu Ran had disappeared did Tian Tian softly whisper, "My phone."