"Hehe... This roast duck is really delicious!"

The young girl tore off a duck leg and handed it to Ma Ran.

"Not hungry."

"Tch! It's just the two of us here, and you're still pretending! After the battle with the Nightmare Mother in A3 District, I remember you sitting on the ground and even writing with your hand! Look at yourself, then look at me. You've actually overcome your cleanliness obsession long ago, right!"

Su Qiangwei was indeed absolutely clean, except for the grease on her lips and hands, she was as pristine as a character straight out of an anime.

In terms of cleanliness, she was slightly ahead of Ma Ran.

"..."

Ma Ran twitched his eyelids, not wanting to argue with her.

This fellow had copied three cleansing abilities via [Myriad Transformations], being able to remove bloodstains, grease, and dust with a single thought.

Although Ma Ran could achieve something similar with his Inner Qi, he had just broken through to the Thirteenth Rank in his Inner Qi cultivation today, and while testing the liquified Inner Qi's effects, he wrinkled his clothes a bit.

In terms of cleanliness at this moment, Su Qiangwei indeed had the upper hand.

Unwilling to dwell on it, Ma Ran casually said, "Roast duck paired with plum sauce tastes a bit better and won't be greasy."

As expected, when Su Qiangwei heard this, stars sparkled in her eyes, and she fished out a small notebook from somewhere, scribbled quickly to jot it down.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

The girl hurriedly tucked the notebook into her fingernails and rushed to catch up.

During tonight's little interlude, she hadn't benefited, but...

Master Qiangwei never gets discouraged!

With Ma Ran, there's no need to fuss too much.

In her view, she spends her days eating and drinking, training in superpowers and Inner Qi cultivation, and it doesn't require much heart or brain power—such a leisurely life is possible because of Ma Ran's presence.

Though she never mentioned it, Su Qiangwei's mind was as clear as a mirror.

She remembers everything!

Otherwise, with Ma Ran's annoying personality, always provoking others for no reason, Master Qiangwei would have hammered him a long time ago!

Hmm!

This is the only reason they're able to coexist peacefully until now!

It's definitely not because she can't beat him!

...

The next day.

At Grass Hut Academy, as the debate at the Extraordinary Exchange Seminar was about to conclude.

Beijing.

The elite members of Zhiyuan Academy had already gathered together, actively coordinating with the military warriors.

Every city has a few deserted alleyways.

Even the famously well-known alleys of Beijing are the same.

"Are you sure this is the right location?"

"It's the Prophet's information, it can't be wrong."

"Using [Limited Foreknowledge] to change the future depletes one's lifespan... Every time I think of this, I feel a sense of self-abasement."

"Don't belittle yourself! If it were you, after some mental struggle, you would probably make the same choice, right?"

"I heard that other academic societies have also been notified. Those White Manes, they are appearing too frequently these days!"

"They are not White Manes, it's been corrected above, they should be called Longevity Star People."

"What kind of riffraff are the Longevity Star People? We have the Prophet in literature, the Martial God in combat, we're fearless!"

"I heard that Senior Su Qiangwei sometimes goes out of the province to cultivate superpowers. I don't know when she'll come to the Capital City, I'd really like to get her autograph..."

"Senior? Didn't you join the academic society earlier than her?"

"In learning, there's no priority, those who achieve more come first!"

"Forget it, arguing over this is pointless."

"Ma Ran, truly a remarkable person... I wonder if I could ever become as excellent as him..."

"Stop dreaming, it's impossible in this lifetime! He's already Thirteenth Rank in Inner Qi, and you're just at the Second Rank, not even close to a fraction of his level!"

"Master Ye said people should have dreams! Without dreams, what difference is there between a person and a salted fish? I've already decided, I just need to push a bit more to reach the Third Rank in Inner Qi to meet the Prophet's promised standard!"

"No way! Is that legend true?"

"Reaching the Third Rank in Inner Qi means you get the [Adventurous Ticket] distributed by the Prophet, a ticket to directly ascend to the Fourth Rank or even the Fifth Rank!"

"It sounds incredible, but I believe it's true!"

"It's too late for you to start working hard now!"

"???

"There are only ten spots! Whether it's the Third Rank in Inner Qi or the Second Realm in Sword Dao, there are only ten spots! I suggest you switch to cultivating the Seven Vortex Swordsmanship, there's a slight chance there! There are only a few spots left for Inner Qi!"

"I don't believe it! I want to count! Our academic society's Captain Peng counts as one, besides him, who else is there?"

"Liu Huadie, Song Chu, He Nanguang from Fulan Academy, Su Qiangwei, Wu Di from Grass Hut Academy, Zhu Hanyi from Qinglian Academy, and a few others you can check for yourself. Do you think you still have hope?"

"Damn! Do people like [Blood Flame], [Martial God], and [Rain Boiling Sword] also count? They have participant qualifications too? That's too unfair to the others!"

"Why shouldn't they qualify? Just because they multitask and still progress faster than you? Wake up, brother, life is that harsh. It's estimated that Zhu Hanyi from Sichuan, a [Sword Master's Direct Lineage], has long reached the Third Rank in Inner Qi, so even if he's stopped Inner Qi cultivation, he still takes up two tickets."

Hearing this, Peng Hanqing couldn't help but raise his hand and rub his slightly swollen temples.

Ma Ran promised a chance to directly ascend to the Fourth or even Fifth Rank in Inner Qi...

The authenticity is unquestionable.

What he truly cared about was Ma Ran's cultivation realm at the Thirteenth Rank in Inner Qi.

Last night when he heard this news, Peng Hanqing's reaction was so calm it surprised even himself.

Perhaps it was because Ma Ran's performance on the eve of the Lotus City Demon Mountain battle completely reshaped his worldview?

At that time, Ma Ran was the first to discover the presence of the "Eye-Stealing Monster."

And most likely was the only Earthling, aside from Sword Master Lin Qiubai, capable of observing the Eye-Stealing Monster's existence.

Since then, Peng Hanqing had placed the Prophet and the Sword Master on an equal footing.

The capable are omnipotent!

A figure like Ma Ran, who surpasses the realm of "excellence", even if he announced he transformed the Inner Qi Martial Arts System into a Cultivation Immortality System, Peng Hanqing wouldn't be the least bit surprised, only thinking it natural.

Peng Hanqing believes that all Extraordinary Ones who have had close contact with Ma Ran mostly share his thoughts.

Being born in the same era as Ma Ran is unfortunate.

Because no matter how hard one tries, how talented one is, or how many fortuitous encounters one has, it's destined they won't claim the position of the strongest human being; even giving it their all, they'll only be able to look up at his back.

As a Ran Chui, Peng Hanqing hides it deeply, never discussing trivial topics about whether Su Qiangwei or Ma Ran is stronger.

In his mind, Ma Ran is resourceful and determines victory from afar, holding grand plans in his heart, and each of his actions achieves his goals.

If news suddenly broke of a battle between the "Prophet" and the "Martial God", Peng Hanqing wouldn't doubt Ma Ran's victory.

If Ma Ran were to fail, it would surely be that he considered the defeat part of the plan, with more profound strategies and layouts, sacrificing his reputation for the future of mankind and Earth civilization.

However...

Thinking of Ma Ran's current realm still makes Peng Hanqing feel a bit ashamed.

He is currently only at the Third Rank of Inner Qi, just a fraction of what Ma Ran is. Even with medicinal aids and focusing solely on refining Inner Qi without being distracted by superpowers and the Seven Vortex Swordsmanship, he's still a bit short of the Fourth Rank of Inner Qi.

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