"Has the battle ended? Xu Ran wouldn't have…" Zi Yan and Su Qian saw the phenomenon in the sky disappear, and the oppressive feeling brought by those experts also vanished, and they couldn't help feeling somewhat disappointed.
Xu Ran really had, in the end…
"No, Xu Ran definitely won't die. I don't believe that guy Xu Ran would die here," Zi Yan's eyes were full of determination. Xu Ran was mysterious and very powerful, he even knew about her father's situation.
And although she believed what Xu Ran said was true.
Her own father had disappeared, trapped in a place unknown to the world.
If she wanted to save her father, she would have to rely on Xu Ran, or at the very least, she needed to learn from Xu Ran where her father was trapped.
There were so many questions on her mind that needed Xu Ran's help to answer; how could Xu Ran die before making things clear?
Moreover, Xu Ran was certainly no ordinary person.
Even a Dou Saint Expert couldn't possibly know her situation in such detail.
Xu Ran knew full well that he had offended the Soul Hall to death yet never once worried. If Xu Ran weren't a match for the Soul Hall, he would likely be hiding somewhere unknown by now. Xu Ran was such an intelligent person, he couldn't possibly foolishly expose himself under the noses of the Soul Hall if he couldn't match them.
"Let's hope so. We should hurry. If anything happened to Elder Xu Ran, it would truly be a great loss to Canaan Academy," Elder Su Qian sighed.
In his eyes, the importance of Xu Ran was no less than that of the Dean of Canaan Academy.
If Xu Ran were still here, he could help Canaan Academy build two more Cultivation Towers. He might even be able to help repair the Burning Heaven Qi Refining Tower.
Xu Ran was a prodigy of his age. His miraculous Alchemy, it was feared, had already created a legend in the Alchemy world.
...
Su Qian and Zi Yan sped toward Maple City, while Xu Ran was leisurely making his way from Maple City towards Canaan Academy.
When the three met, Xu Ran had in his hand a roast chicken and a jug of strong wine, looking very relaxed.
"You, you, you…"
"Are you a person or a ghost?"
Zi Yan, the little loli, widened her Cardiline eyes staring dead at Xu Ran and felt like it was an illusion. She rubbed her large eyes vigorously. But Xu Ran was still there, eating his succulent roast chicken in big bites, completely unharmed.
"Zi Yan? Elder Su Qian? What brings you here?" Xu Ran looked at the two of them.
"What do you think? Of course, we were worried about you, so we came to check on you. How come you're unharmed? Didn't the Soul Hall experts find you? That shouldn't be. Those experts have very keen Soul Power, they couldn't have missed you," Zi Yan murmured to herself.
Su Qian also couldn't believe his eyes, Xu Ran was actually alive?
But more than shock, he was happy. Now the entire Canaan Academy was depending on Xu Ran, and he didn't want anything to happen to him.
"I'm saying, Little Sister Zi Yan, do you really want me to get caught by the people of the Soul Hall? How do I feel like you seem a bit disappointed to see me unharmed?" Xu Ran teased.
Zi Yan wore a cyan-green dress, her purple hair flowing behind her, and her long legs were as uncovered and unadorned as ever, her delicate feet pale with a rosy hue, incredibly enticing.
But if that long purple hair were to be tied into twin ponytails and a lollipop placed in her mouth. Wouldn't that almost feel like a déjà vu of a scene from a piano picture?
"There's no such thing. I'm happy," she replied.
Zi Yan stood with her hands defiantly on her hips.
"Yeah, if I died, there would be no sucker to bring you elixirs. You should be praying for my safety instead." Xu Ran couldn't help but tease.
"Who? Me, Zi Yan, being someone who gets excited by money? I truly care about you as a friend, not because of the elixirs you have. I'm not that kind of selfish and greedy person!" Zi Yan said indignantly, though her confidence waned as she spoke. She was never good at lying, and even though she considered Xu Ran a friend, her craving for his elixirs was also true.
"Xu Ran, by the way, we're friends now, right?" Zi Yan took a step forward and was immediately at Xu Ran's side, hugging his arm.
"Friends? Sorry, we aren't that familiar yet." Xu Ran dodged a little.
Zi Yan's enthusiasm was definitely not genuine, she surely had some ulterior motive, probably eyeing some benefits she could squeeze out of him.
Zi Yan sure had a talent for mooching off others. Who would dare to befriend her?
No matter how wealthy your family is, spend too much time with Zi Yan and you'll end up bankrupt.
"You! Xu Ran! I'm already giving you a lot of face. There are many people who want to be friends with me, Zi Yan." Zi Yan glared at Xu Ran, hands on her hips, her chest heaving with anger.
"Hmph. Forget it. Were the people from the Soul Hall here before? You haven't told me how you managed to escape."
"Such an aura couldn't possibly have been reached by an ordinary Dou Zun," she stated with conviction.
Traveling from Canaan Academy, the closer they got to Maple City, the stronger the sense of oppression they felt.
Yet Xu Ran had encountered such a powerful expert and returned unscathed.
"What's there to say about that, isn't it obvious?"
"People from the Soul Hall came to kill me, but I didn't die; instead, I'm alive and well. So, what do you think is the reason?" Xu Ran said with a smile.
"Did you kill the people from the Soul Hall?" Zi Yan asked indirectly?
"Do you even need to ask? The people that the Soul Hall sent this time were too weak; I barely lifted a finger and they were wiped out. Really, they underestimate me too much. It would have been a bit more interesting if the Lord of the Soul Hall had come, but anyone else is just coming to deliver their heads to me," Xu Ran shrugged, boasting obnoxiously.
"Pfft."
"The Lord of the Soul Hall is just someone for you to toy with? You're blowing your own trumpet way too much."
"Plus, the Soul Hall expert that came this time was clearly very strong, so how did they become so weak in your story?" Zi Yan couldn't help but roll her eyes. Even though she believed Xu Ran was not weak, he was bragging a bit too much.
She had read about the Soul Hall in the archives of Canaan Academy. Soul Hall was reputed to be the strongest power on the continent. The Lord of the Soul Hall is a super-strong expert who has broken through the Dou Sheng level a long time ago; in the realm of Dou Shengs, he is one of the preeminent figures.
Yet Xu Ran suggested such a being was merely someone to play with, implying that the Lord of the Soul Hall was inferior to Xu Ran. How could that be possible?
The Lord of the Soul Hall is a person who can command wind and rain across the continent; even if Xu Ran is somewhat stronger, he couldn't possibly be stronger than the Lord of the Soul Hall.
"I bet it's because the Soul Hall expert thought you were too weak to bother with and spared you out of disdain," Zi Yan pouted, unwilling to admit that Xu Ran could be that powerful. Even if Xu Ran had really killed a Soul Hall expert, she wouldn't acknowledge it.
"As long as you're safe, that's good. Lord Xu Ran is indeed fortunate," Elder Su Qian said, looking intently at Xu Ran. He believed Xu Ran's words without a doubt. Those two experts are probably really dead by now.
For someone who can kill a Heavenly Venerate from the Soul Hall, killing a few more doesn't seem too difficult for Xu Ran.