Chapter 45 - 39 Senior Brother Divine Sculpture Hero_1
Chapter 45 - 39 Senior Brother Divine Sculpture Hero_1
"Back again."
Jinling High Speed Rail Station bustled with activity.
Lu Ran, dressed in a black hoodie, white shorts, and sporting a sun hat, squeezed his way out of the crowd.
"Glad I didn't cause any trouble!"
Lu Ran poked the King of Sudden Death in his pocket, having brought it along for this trip to Jinling,
After its extraordinary evolution, the King of Sudden Death had greatly improved its adaptability.
Even in unsuitable environments, it no longer suffered from discomfort.
At that moment, looking at the familiar ancient capital of Jinling City, Lu Ran felt wistful.
He had lived here for a while when he was a child, with many memories. After years, he finally returned.
Following the navigation, Lu Ran left the high-speed train station and got into a taxi he had called in advance, headed straight for the Prism Arena.
Located in a remote area, far from the city center, it took Lu Ran a long time to reach the familiar Arena.
Observing the quaint arena with hardly any modern traces, Lu Ran smiled.
He stretched out his hand, and a handheld gift box appeared out of thin air; obviously, he didn't come empty-handed.
Inside… were all good things.
Unable to think of a better gift for a visit, Lu Ran packaged some of the resources he bought from the Secret Realm as a present.
It wasn't dog food. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
He wasn't disrespectful enough to offer dog food to an elder; it was enough for his own consumption.
These were advanced nutritional products Lu Ran intended to eat himself, including Bright God Tea, so it was full of sincerity!
After all, even he was in great need of crystal coins.
Besides the gift box, Lu Ran also took out the Wind Cutting Sword and hung it coolly behind his back.
Having done all this, he pushed open the doors of the Arena and entered.
The main hall of the Arena was quiet, with only a young girl in Sword Dao attire playing with her phone.
Seeing this, Lu Ran sighed; indeed, mobile phones were more attractive than Sword Dao.
"Who are you?" The girl looked up as the sword-bearing Lu Ran entered. He hadn't told his master about his visit and intended to surprise him.
"Here to challenge," said Lu Ran.
The Sword Dao girl stood up suddenly: ???
What, a challenge?
She showed a fierce expression…
"Just kidding…" Lu Ran was about to say he was just kidding, don't get excited, but then he saw the girl firmly press a certain button beside her. Instantly, a familiar alarm blared throughout the Arena.
Lu Ran's vision darkened; the heroine was quick to act.
He recognized the alarm. When he was learning at the Arena as a child, if someone came to challenge, the person in charge would press it to notify the disciples in training.
Sure enough, as soon as the girl pressed the button, the inside of the Arena erupted into noise, with excited shouts resounding.
"Who's the blind one coming to challenge."
"Been an apprentice here for six months, and finally encountered a challenge."
In an instant, a dozen teenagers of various ages, all donned in Sword Dao attire, rushed out from inside.
Each held a wooden sword, looking at Lu Ran in the center of the hall with considerable momentum.
"Which school are you from? State your name," someone in the crowd called out.
"Dog Shaped Sword… No, wait, it's a misunderstanding… Actually, I came to visit Master Jiang Dou, look, here's the gift box, here's the gift box. Is the old man around?" Lu Ran laughed, pointing at the gift box he was carrying.
Err…
The crowd paused, but at that moment, watching the group of energetic young Sword Dao disciples, Lu Ran felt a little itch in his hands. His eyes shifted as he said, "However, a match isn't such a bad idea. Let me see the current strength of the Prism Arena."
The Prism Arena had a flourishing martial spirit, very different from those modernized Sword Path Arenas. The students often got injured, resulting in several complaints... Only the brave dared study here.
As he spoke, Lu Ran walked to a corner of the main hall and drew a wooden sword from a storage barrel. With a familiar swing, he then looked intently at the Arena disciples!
Boom!
With that look from Lu Ran, a fierce aura burst forth from him; he was akin to a beast eyeing its prey. This terrifying presence nearly materialized, hitting every disciple who met Lu Ran's gaze, causing their faces to go pale instantly, and those who didn't understand the reason fell weak.
Some even nearly collapsed just locking eyes with Lu Ran, as if reminiscing about being chased by stray dogs when wearing split-pants as toddlers.
"Anyone coming?"
Facing Lu Ran's challenge, for a moment, not a single person could speak completely, all showing expressions of fear.
"Sword Momentum... Who are you?" At this point, a middle-aged man happened to come out from inside. He noticed the situation in the hall and his expression changed, especially struck by the beast-like aura emanating from Lu Ran.
However…
"Senior Brother He?" Lu Ran, holding the wooden sword, suddenly brightened up at the sight of the middle-aged man, delighted to see a familiar face!
He didn't recognize any of the disciples, but he certainly knew this man who just emerged.
A veteran gold medal employee of the dojo.
"Lu Ran?" At this moment, the man known as Senior Brother He, seeing the changed appearance of Lu Ran, guessed as he spoke, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"Are you Lu Ran?"
"It's me."
"Damn, it's you." Senior Brother He was shocked, while the surrounding Sword Dao apprentices looked on in confusion. What was happening... and why did they feel like they were looking at a monster when they met his gaze? It was frightening.
"I came to see Master Jiang Dou; is the old gentleman here?" Lu Ran asked.
"Yes, how come you're here? I'll take you to him!" Senior Brother He's emotions were far from calm as he took a deep breath and addressed the apprentices, "This is Lu Ran, who studied here at Prism Arena when he was younger. He's your senior brother; it must be a misunderstanding. Alright, you all go back to your training."
With that, he led Lu Ran inside the dojo.
"Little Ran, is it really you? What's going on with you? Just now, that was... Sword Momentum? But how is that possible?"
Senior Brother He asked in astonishment while leading Lu Ran further inside. To his knowledge, no one in the entire Prism Arena had comprehended Sword Momentum, except for Master Jiang Dou.
How could Lu Ran, who was only in his teens, comprehend such a profound realm of the Sword Dao that even decades of dedication found difficult to grasp?
"Luck, luck. We'll talk about it later." Lu Ran chuckled.
At that moment, in a room deep within the Prism Arena, a bald old man with white eyebrows was meditating on the floor, undisturbed by the recent alarm, displaying the demeanor of a true master.
Only when a knock came did the old man jolt awake, muttering, "Fell asleep again..."
"Who is it? Come in..."
After he finished speaking, he looked towards the door, only to see Senior Brother He bringing Lu Ran into the room.
"Master Jiang Dou, look who's here, haha, it's Lu Ran." Senior Brother He said with a smile, knowing that Master Jiang Dou was very fond of Lu Ran. He was sure that the old man would be happy to see him, especially since... Lu Ran had come with frightening growth in his Sword Dao prowess.
"Lu Ran?!" The old man started, rising to his feet to look at the familiar face of Lu Ran.
"Master Jiang Dou," Lu Ran said sheepishly, "I planned to visit for your sixtieth birthday a few days ago, but I was delayed by some matters. I'm very sorry."
"But! I've brought you a very rare gift, you'll never guess what it is!"
The King of Sudden Death in his pocket turned over. It couldn't be dog food, could it? It had seen that these gifts and Mr. Husky's dog food were all taken out of the same card...
"Heh, it's fine," Jiang Dou laughed. "Your thoughtfulness alone makes me content. How come..."
He then looked at the Wind Cutting Sword on Lu Ran's back, catching the unusual aura of the sword.
"You've taken up the sword again?"
"Master Jiang Dou, don't be shocked, but just now... Lu Ran showed Sword Momentum, and he had such an imposing presence that none of the disciples outside could move an inch!" Senior Brother He interjected at that moment.
"What?" Jiang Dou looked incredulous, and quickly turned to Lu Ran: "Show me!"
"Alright." Lu Ran nodded, aware of the old man's mood and expectations. He drew the Wind Cutting Sword, focused his mind, and earnestly faced his teacher.
Boom!
The Sword Momentum that resembled the aura of a ferocious beast emerged once again, turning into an invisible wild wind that pressured the space ahead. At this moment, Jiang Dou's gaze sharpened as he felt the remarkable change in Lu Ran's aura. The once tender youth had, in that moment of drawing his sword, seemed to turn into a fierce beast, with an exceptionally violent aura.
It was as if Jiang Dou could see the phantom of a king wolf roaring and issuing a warning at him.
However, oddly, he didn't show any other reaction like those apprentices, nor did he seem extremely comforted. Instead, he appeared somewhat melancholic, "Kid, tell me you haven't... also become a Beast Trainer?"
"Ah?" Lu Ran, holding the sword, was taken aback, "You guessed it, huh? But what do you mean by 'also'? Could it be that you've been chosen too? Wait, you're not one of those first-generation masters or a reclusive expert, are you?"
Lu Ran's eyes suddenly lit up. Wouldn't it be great if that were true? He'd have a strong leg to lean on then.
He might not trust anyone else, but his old master was definitely worthy of trust.
"I'm afraid I haven't been chosen, given my age," Master Jiang Dou said. "However, your fellow disciple Jiang Man was among the first to be chosen to become a Beast Trainer. The reason I made such an assumption was that he too, with the extraordinary power of a Beast Trainer, came to comprehend Sword Momentum at a young age."
"Senior Brother Jiang..." Lu Ran remembered there was such a person, who seemed to be Jiang Dou's adopted son. Since Jiang Dou had accumulated serious injuries from fighting in his early years and had no children, the only child he had was an adopted one...
"Where is Senior Brother Jiang?" Lu Ran asked, feeling that his trip had not been in vain. It seemed he might have a leg to lean on after all; if Mr. Jiang Dou Sr. wasn't a first-generation master, his son could be... which might also be good.
Mention of his adoptive son made Master Jiang Dou sigh, and Senior Brother He bowed his head as well.
"Your Senior Brother Jiang passed away long ago, killed in a Secret Realm. It's surprising that you've become a Beast Trainer too, but when I think about it, it makes sense considering the family you come from..." Jiang Dou looked at Lu Ran.
"This profession is very dangerous. Although I haven't experienced it firsthand, I've learned about some things from Jiang Man. Seeing you now, I feel like you're about to walk down his old path. So even though I saw that you've comprehended Sword Momentum, I couldn't be happy."
Lu Ran was slightly stunned, not having anticipated such a turn of events, and felt a complex mix of emotions. Master Jiang Dou's only adopted son... had actually died in a Secret Realm?
"Ah, I'm getting old. Why bring up such matters? He had his path, and you have yours." Jiang Dou shook his head and said, "Hold on for a moment."
With that, he turned as if to fetch something.
After a little while, Master Jiang Dou returned with a diary.
He handed it to Lu Ran and said, "This is the diary your fellow disciple Jiang Man used to record his growth after becoming a Beast Trainer. Take a look. I don't know much about the Beast Trainer profession, but this might help you, and serve as a warning."
Lu Ran quietly took the diary.
He flipped to the first page.
"I'm so lucky to have been chosen as a Beast Trainer. I've contracted the Eagle I adore and named myself Senior Brother Divine Sculpture Hero."