Lu Ran had once hoped that Rain Alley City would teach him something.

He looked around his small world, but what he found was failure, day after day.

He had also called Big Nightmare, hoping to review the old to understand the new, wanting her to share some insights with him.

Still, it was a fruitless search with no clue.

Never had he expected!

On this desolate street corner at sunset, he found the answer he was looking for.

And the person who had personally opened the door to his promotion, who had guided and taught him...

turned out to be his former self.

A self with aspirations higher than the heavens.

Arrogant yet resolute!

"Let's go, move forward."

Lu Ran gazed at the fading ghostly image of the girl pausing to look back, continuing in a hushed voice, "I will always be with you."

"What?" A voice came to his ears.

Lu Ran slightly lowered his gaze, seeing her in his arms, now mature and enchantingly elegant.

Because Lu Ran was in the process of being promoted, Jiang Ruyi had been very quiet.

She didn't know what Lu Ran was seeing, just had some guesses in her heart, but never asked out loud.

Including now, she quietly accompanied Lu Ran through his promotion.

However, when Lu Ran said those words, she couldn't help but ask.

"I see us," Lu Ran whispered, "just after we started high school, when we hadn't known each other for long."

Jiang Ruyi smiled and replied, looking down, "Focus on your promotion."

What visions could there be? They were just memories.

Like the memories of the people who had left the stores along the way.

They became vague images in the mind...

Lu Ran looked earnest: "I am focusing on the promotion.

The shadowy young man said, to complete that person's unfinished business, to protect this city for that person."

Jiang Ruyi silently reminisced about that after-school walk home they had taken countless times.

But that one time, she clearly remembered.

Because that day, Jiang Ruyi first heard of the death of Lu Ran's father, and also learned that Lu Ran had returned from Beijing.

In the future, he was prepared to live alone in Rain Alley City.

For there were far too many things he could not part with here.

Lu Ran's voice continued,

"The shadowy young girl stood there, watching us from afar."

Hearing this, Jiang Ruyi wrapped her arms around Lu Ran's body, tightening her embrace involuntarily.

So, that was why Lu Ran had just said, "Move forward, I will always be with you."

He was actually talking to the past her.

"Have they gone far?"

Jiang Ruyi knew it was Lu Ran's memory but was very willing to play along.

Lu Ran narrowed his eyes slightly: "Very far, almost at the end of the road."

The setting sun was still blinding, making it difficult for him to clearly see their figures.

Jiang Ruyi rested her chin on Lu Ran's shoulder, closed her eyes, and smiled gently,

"Hurry and tell that boy for me, before he disappears,

don't be afraid, just move forward.

I will always, always be with him."

Her voice was tender and resolute, soothing to the soul.

Lu Ran felt a palpitation and was somewhat at a loss.

Who could withstand this...

Lu Ran took a deep breath, whispered softly, "He heard you."

Jiang Ruyi playfully responded, "Tell him louder; he can't hear you with my soft voice."

Lu Ran raised his hand, placing it on her head, and gently ruffled it:

"He really heard you, I promise."

"Mhm." Jiang Ruyi buried her head in Lu Ran's shoulder, her hand gently picking up the hem of his clothes, gripping it tighter and tighter.

A breeze began to blow, and her long hair fluttered.

Beside the forming whirlpool of Immortal Fog high above, another faint one appeared, intersecting with it.

The energy fluctuations within her grew more intense.

Until she stood on equal footing with the man before her.

"Huh~"

"Thud!" One after another, figures fell down, stargazing in shock at the couple on the street.

Is this...?

Is this Lu Ran and Jiang Ruyi?

With the appearance of an anomaly in the sky, does that mean Lu Ran is being promoted to Jiang Realm?

Lu Ran, eighteen years old, a college freshman... Jiang Realm?

The phrases "eighteen years old" and "Jiang Realm" were understandable on their own.

But linked together, they seemed very foreign.

"Wang Team!" A Moon Gazer looked up at the sky in utter amazement, "It seems like it's not just Lu Ran?"

"Ah?" A group of Moon Gazers all looked up.

Indeed, there were two vortexes in the sky!

Although some were partially overlapping and intersecting, they showed no sign of merging.

Definitely two!

"Holy crap!" A man clasped his head, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Is Jiang Realm something easily attained?

Of course not!

Look at Rain Alley City!

Every night of the fifteenth, there are only two Jiang Realm Great Powers stationed.

But suddenly, two more appear?

Is that right?

This... This damn sure is!

"Xiao Li, report to the bureau immediately, send more people over!"

"The rest of you, follow me to cordon off this area, no one is allowed in!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

These two Heavenly Prides, they're the treasures of Rain Alley City!

On the occasion of their promotion, not even the slightest mistake can be tolerated.

Thick Immortal Fog descended from the sky, enveloping them both.

Teams of Moon Gazers rushed to the scene, swiftly cordoning off several blocks around.

Although the people couldn't see those within the fog, their faces were unable to conceal their joy; their hearts filled with blessings.

...

In Wu Lie River City, inside Wu Lie River University's Martial Arts Arena.

Under a big tree, the crisp sound of a phone ringing incessantly.

"Who is it, so annoying!" A woman's voice echoed discontentedly from the arena.

Chang Ying put down her giant axe, striding with long legs swiftly toward the edge of the field.

"You?!" Deng Yutang's face changed drastically.

He quickly retracted his move and leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding stabbing Chang Ying with his spear point.

Deng Yutang was truly angered, too furious to speak, pointing at the black-hooded girl, "You, you, you!"

"Chang Ying! You've got to change that impetuous temper of yours!"

A young woman came forward, her words chiding gently as she lightly patted Deng Yutang's arm.

Her manner was somewhat affectionate.

The young woman was tall and slender, with delicate features, and her uniquely pale skin.

Bai Manni!

"Humph!" Deng Yutang turned to look aside.

"After she's done with her phone call, I'll talk to her," Bai Manni assured with a smile.

In her eyes, the young man's exceptionally heroic face looked rather amusing when annoyed.

To others, the two appeared a striking match in appearance.

"Hehe~" Tian Tian stood on the other half of the field, snickering to herself.

Chang Ying picked up her phone from under the tree, initially somewhat impatient.

But upon seeing the caller ID, she was first delighted, then her heart tightened, and she quickly answered,

"Dad? What's happened at home?"

"Heh, my girl is sharp. You know when there's trouble at home, huh?"

Chang Ying blinked in confusion: "Eh?"

You're so cheerful even when there's trouble at home?

No wonder I'm so carefree, I got it from you~

Her teammates overheard Chang Ying's words and gathered around.

Continuing on the phone, her father said, "We've got another anomaly over here!

There's a huge vortex in the sky covering our auto repair shop!

But the fog that's coming down is going southward, I think it's converging toward that street by Wu Lie River.

Do you think it could be..."

"Ran Bao?!" Chang Ying's eyes shone brightly.

Deng Tian Bai, the trio, were equally hopeful.

They all knew that Lu Ran was River Realm·Fifth Rank and was not attending school because he was working on advancing to Jiang Realm.

Deng Yutang knew even better that the Wu Lie River bank was Lu Ran's secret base!

"It might be, I don't know, they've blocked off several streets nearby, not allowing anyone in," her father said.

Chang Ying hurriedly replied, "You must not go in and look!

It takes several days to advance to Jiang Realm.

With such dense fog over there, what if you get lost and starve to death inside?"

Her father: "..."

I've lived in Rain Alley City my whole life, and now I can't make it out of two streets?

He paused and then said, "Yingying, how is it going at school recently? Are you eating okay?"

It was clear that Chang's father was just looking for a pretext to call, mainly to check on his daughter.

Deng Tian Bai, the trio, each took out their phones, looking for news about Rain Alley City.

What they saw was astonishing!

Although the anomaly over Rain Alley City had not yet reached the news outlets, there were small videos circulating online.

Bai Manni was the first to find a video, and she realized that there were not just one, but two vortexes in the sky!

"Oh?" Bai Manni's expression turned increasingly shocked as she looked at her phone.

Deng Yutang immediately leaned in to look at her phone.

They stood close, but Bai Manni did not move away.

"Two vortexes?" Deng Yutang's face was startled.

Bai Manni speculated, "Could it be Lu Ran and Silent Night Blade?"

Deng Yutang: "One advancing to Jiang Realm, the other unlocking the Divine Weapon Domain?"

To anyone, such talk would sound like nonsense.

The difficulty of reaching Jiang Realm was undeniable.

Unlocking a Divine Weapon Domain was even rarer and harder to come by.

And yet, this was Lu Ran!

And yet, on the night of the fifteenth of August, he had just unlocked the Domain of a Divine Weapon!

With Lu Ran, what couldn't happen?

Tian Tian's small head peeked over, staring at the phone, "It could also be Sister Ruyi, you know?"

Bai Manni's heart stirred, turning to look at Deng Yutang.

Not Silent Night Blade, but Lu Ran and Jiang Ruyi together advancing to Jiang Realm?

It seemed... possible?!

As they pondered, waves crashed in their hearts.

Jiang Ruyi was only slightly behind Lu Ran.

To others, she was also a figure to be admired!

"Ey, Dad~ I know!" Chang Ying's slightly coquettish voice came from afar, "Two boys are chasing me!

But they're all skinny, even skinnier than Ran Bao... cough cough, anyway, I refused them.

What's the rush! Never mind that, hanging up..."

Chang Ying quickly ended the call, turning to look at the others.

Noticing them all watching and snickering, Chang Ying raised an eyebrow, ignored her female peers, and went straight to confront Deng Yutang:

"Ran Bao is about to be promoted again! And to Jiang Realm Great Power! What about you?"

Deng Yutang's smile instantly froze.

Then, Tian Tian whispered, "Almost, almost~"

Deng Yutang: ???

"Whoops... hehe~" Bai Manni couldn't help but laugh, quickly catching Deng Yutang's wrist and stepping aside.

Tian Tian playfully stuck out her tongue and swiftly ran behind Chang Ying.

She peeked out again, acting frightened and quietly looking at Deng Yutang.

Deng Yutang's face flushed red, ignoring Tian Tian, his spear pointed at Chang Ying:

"Duels! I want a duel with you!"

"Rustle rustle~"

Chang Ying gripped the fortune sticks canister, already shaking it.

One might assume a battle was imminent.

Instead, a wooden stick flew out gently, non-lethal.

It hung in the air, slowly spinning, with two characters inscribed — Excellent!

An excellent fortune?

"Wow!"

"Yingying, what did you calculate?" They all gasped at the wooden stick in surprise.

Was it the elusive excellent fortune?

"Ha ha!" Chang Ying laughed heartily, thrilled, "I just knew!"

This matter with my Ran Bao,

is a success!

...

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