Butcher Dog Vanguard

"Lu Ran?"

Jiang Ruyi, lacking night vision, could only call out in the direction Lu Ran had disappeared.

It wasn't surprising she was so anxious. The scene from Fifteen Rainy Nights, where Lu Ran was carried away by the Paper Man, was still vivid in her mind.

However, the pitch-black wilderness was silent, with no response.

"Brother Lu?" Deng Yutang also sensed something was wrong and immediately shouted.

"I'm here, I'm here."

Finally, Lu Ran's response came from afar.

Jiang Ruyi immediately ordered, "Yutang, go meet him."

"Okay." Deng Yutang moved towards the sound, gun in hand.

Jiang Ruyi also started walking, her fingertips tracing something lightly.

"Whoa?" Suddenly, Deng Yutang's surprised voice came from the darkness.

Jiang Ruyi: "What is it?"

Deng Yutang: "Brother Lu is advancing!"

"Oh?" Jiang Ruyi was both surprised and delighted. Lu Ran was about to advance to Mist Realm, Fourth Stage? Such terrifying advancement speed, truly gifted!

"Sister Ruyi?" Tian Tian couldn't hide the admiration in her eyes. She looked up at Jiang Ruyi with her dirty little face, "Are you advancing too?"

Jiang Ruyi felt for a moment and replied, "I still need a few days."

"Mmm, Sister Ruyi, use the divine power beads to absorb the dog corpses. Eat more divine power," Tian Tian whispered.

"Heh." Jiang Ruyi smiled and tapped Tian Tian's head with her finger. You're looking after me now?

On this trip to Evil Dog Village, none of them had slacked off on their cultivation. In fact, their cultivation speed had been faster than usual. After all, energy was relatively abundant in the Demon Lair. Although they were reluctant to absorb the magic crystals, the dog corpses could be completely absorbed by the divine power beads, eventually turning into nourishment for their growth.

"Class Monitor." A voice called out.

The two women looked over and saw Deng Yutang supporting a trembling Lu Ran as he walked back towards the torchlit path.

"You two go deal with the evil dog corpses," Jiang Ruyi said softly. "I'll watch him."

"Oh."

"Okay." Deng Yutang helped Lu Ran sit down and immediately went to collect the bodies.

As the believers' realms continuously improved, each breakthrough and advancement took longer. Jiang Ruyi walked slowly forward, standing quietly beside Lu Ran, watching her two teammates work.

Suddenly, Lu Ran's body tilted, and his shoulder leaned gently against Jiang Ruyi's leg. Jiang Ruyi's expression froze, and she looked down at him. She found Lu Ran still had his eyes closed, seemingly concentrating on his advancement?

"You rascal." Jiang Ruyi hesitated. After a moment of deliberation, she still didn't push him away. After all, Lu Ran was advancing. It was best not to disturb him. Jiang Ruyi thought to herself, but for some reason, a faint blush crept onto her pretty face, illuminated by the firelight.

Lu Ran was completely comfortable! The feeling of advancing was already intoxicating, and now he had Beauty Jiang's long legs as a backrest? Being a believer was truly great! I'll be a believer again in the next life!

"Flap flap flap~"

A black crow slowly flew down and landed in front of them. Seeing Instructor Dou arrive, Jiang Ruyi's expression became a little unnatural, and she turned her head away.

"Just a reminder, today is the fifth day of the seventh lunar month," the black crow spoke human words. "You are currently outside Southern No. 2 Stone City. I suggest you return now and leave the Demon Lair before the tenth day of the lunar month."

Jiang Ruyi: "Understood, Instructor. Let Lu Ran finish advancing first, and we'll discuss it later."

Dou Zhiqiang: "..." Fine, I talked too much.

A strange sound suddenly came from the side, as if something heavy was being dragged.

Jiang Ruyi turned her head to look, and the scene she saw made her unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Tian Tian, this usually gentle, even somewhat timid girl, was now dragging the corpse of an evil dog?

Her dirty little hands gripped the dog's tail, and she walked forward step by step, the dog's corpse dragging a long bloodstain on the ground.

Bloody and horrifying!

"Just use your divine power bead to absorb it," Jiang Ruyi said.

Tian Tian stopped in her tracks, opened her mouth, but dared not object, which prevented her from speaking.

Jiang Ruyi said softly, "Be good."

"Okay." Tian Tian then let go of the dog's tail and crouched down towards the corpse.

Cruel training indeed made people grow.

At first, even Lu Ran couldn't help but feel nauseous when facing the bones of evil dogs.

Now, the weakest member of the team dared to face the bloody corpse of an evil creature.

Jiang Ruyi looked at Tian Tian's petite figure, a hint of tenderness flashing in her eyes.

She had always believed that as long as Tian Tian was given enough respect and encouragement, the girl would surely gain confidence.

She would surely become a sword lotus believer, capable of both offense and defense, a loyal and reliable powerful teammate.

In this team, Lu Ran might be the strongest.

But Tian Tian had definitely made the most progress. Compared to others, she had overcome so much.

"Instructor Dou," Deng Yutang returned with two blood-stained magic crystals in his hand, looking at the black crow standing on the ground.

Deng Yutang had also made a comeback in this trial.

His divine technique, Red Turban Soul, allowed him to cast aside his past gloom and return to his spirited self as a rich young master.

The Red Turban Ancestor was extraordinary!

The only drawback of this divine technique was that it consumed too much divine power and stamina.

Even Deng Yutang, full of vigor, couldn't constantly summon the ancestor, or he would easily become weak-kneed.

The black crow did not respond, so Deng Yutang didn't continue. He faced north and became vigilant.

After a full seven or eight minutes, Lu Ran's energy fluctuations became increasingly intense.

A sound of extreme satisfaction came from his nose:

"Mmm~"

Jiang Ruyi was still a bit thin-skinned and shifted her position.

The instructor was still watching!

She endured without moving, which was already considerate of Lu Ran, but then...

What kind of strange noise was that?

"Huh?" Lu Ran propped himself up with one hand on the ground and looked up at Beauty Jiang through the wisps of mist.

Why did my reclining chair grow legs and run away?

"Congratulations," Jiang Ruyi didn't look at Lu Ran but casually took the magic crystal handed over by Tian Tian.

"Congratulations, Brother Lu!" Deng Yutang stepped forward with a smile and pulled Lu Ran up.

"Just lucky, lucky~"

Lu Ran, who had just been pulled up, squatted down again and looked at the black crow: "Instructor Dou, are you saying we should head back now?"

The black crow said, "After the tenth, the demon lair will be sealed, and you won't be able to get out."

"Understood." Lu Ran turned to Jiang Ruyi, "Our mission is almost complete, right?"

Jiang Ruyi replied, "Including this harvest, we now have 133 Stream Realm magic crystals and 326 Mist Realm magic crystals."

You don't know until you hear it, and you'll be shocked when you do!

The four-person squad had already harmed so many skinny dogs.

12 days ago, Tian Tian and Deng Yutang had both completed their advancement. Since then, the squad had headed straight for Southern No. 2 Stone City, focusing entirely on fighting Stream Realm evil dogs.

The process of obtaining these 133 Stream Realm magic crystals wasn't an average amount per day, but rather a tiered increase.

The further back in time they went, the more proficient the group became at killing Stream Realm evil dogs, and the more they harvested!

Naturally, they wouldn't carry so many magic crystals on them. Every time they went to Stone City No. 2 for rest, they would hand over their harvest.

"Let me calculate," Lu Ran fiddled with his fingers. "It's enough to exchange for a River Grade divine power bead. To upgrade weapons, we still need..."

Jiang Ruyi said calmly, "34 Stream Realm magic crystals and 4 Mist Realm magic crystals."

The summer vacation homework assigned by the school didn't need to be calculated; it could be included in the equipment upgrade mission.

"As expected of a top student!" Lu Ran patted his forehead. "I've been killing for over half a month, and I still remember basic arithmetic."

Jiang Ruyi: "."

The black crow flapped its wings and flew high, a voice drifting from afar: "Don't forget to deduct the room and board fees for these days."

Lu Ran smiled at the top student: "I knew it. Anyone who kills day and night for half a month would get confused."

Jiang Ruyi watched the black crow fly away until the instructor disappeared into the darkness. Only then did she softly say, "It's already been deducted. Room and board, two people per room, five Mist Realm magic crystals per day."

Hearing this, Lu Ran didn't even have time to feel the pain in his face.

Because his heart ached!

Even though the room and board fees were student prices, four people could actually share one stone room.

But due to the difference between men and women, it wasn't convenient for sleeping, bathing, etc., so they had to reluctantly pay.

Speaking of which, the "bathing" alone was worth five Mist Realm magic crystals.

Otherwise, with the smell of blood on them, they would probably be scared even by themselves.

"We still have 5 days," Deng Yutang said confidently. "Slaughter thirty-four or thirty-five Stream Realm evil dogs, and with a little effort, it'll be fine!"

"Mhm." Jiang Ruyi placed a hand on her neck, her fingertips gently rubbing the divine power bead. After converting it to a River Grade divine power bead, she wouldn't have to worry about lacking divine power for a long time to come.

What about weapons?

Jiang Ruyi lowered her head and looked at the Banjushi sword in her hand. Although she often cast spells from a distance and rarely engaged in close combat, the battlefield was constantly changing, and close combat was inevitable at times.

The next upgrade for Banjushi involved two relatively precious and uncommon Demon Lair ores. One was Baihong Stone, and the other was Caiduan Stone.

Which one should she choose?