The scenery along the way was as beautiful as a painting, and it was truly refreshing and uplifting.
Lu Chen was steering the wheel with one hand, while his other hand rested outside the window, feeling the “texture” of the wind as it flowed past.
In the passenger seat, Sun Yourong was lounging lazily, sinking comfortably into the seat. She sighed contentedly and said, “This is so much more comfortable than walking. You keep driving, little brother. I’m going to take a quick nap.”
Lu Chen shot her a helpless glance. From this angle, the curves of Sun Yourong’s figure stood out especially clearly, and her waist—so slender it looked like you could wrap your hand around it—was particularly unforgettable.
It suddenly hit him that this woman’s figure seemed even more stunning than he remembered.
With a face like that, a body like that, and a voice and personality that were both top-notch,
how could she also be a “Mighty Spirit God” who wielded a pair of broadaxes?
Whenever I think of her heroic figure wielding a battle axe, the image always carries a strong contrast and impact.
“Don’t fall asleep just yet, sis. We’ve barely been in the car for ten minutes.”
Sun Yourong let out a string of light, bell-like laughter. “Alright, alright. Then I’ll keep you company for a bit longer?”
“Sure. With such a beautiful view, it’d be nice to chat,” Lu Chen said with a smile.
Sun Yourong’s smile faded, and her tone suddenly turned serious. “To be honest, Lu Chen, I didn’t actually expect you to pull off this mission. Before we came, my expectations for you were pretty much zero.”
Lu Chen raised an eyebrow. “So, are you completely blown away by my abilities now?”
Sun Yourong shifted in her seat and fixed him with a meaningful gaze. Speaking slowly, she said, “You really are something else. Over the past few days, I’ve been observing you, and I’ve noticed that you really like taking unconventional paths. Take worshipping deities, for example. Everyone knows you should pick the popular ones to pray to, but not you. From the God of Wealth to the King of Hell, and now to the Dragon King of the Well, every single one you’ve chosen is an obscure, almost downright peculiar deity. But somehow, you keep getting surprisingly good results.”
Lu Chen chuckled. “Thanks for the compliment.”
Sun Yourong leaned in a little closer, curious. “Does worshipping lesser-known deities actually work better?”
“Why don’t you give it a try and find out?”
Sun Yourong looked thoughtful. “You know what? I just might.”
Lu Chen responded with a faint smile, but inside, he thought to himself: The lesser-known deities I worship—can they really be the same as the ones you’d worship?
What I’m doing is investing in unproven prospects. It’s not just about praying sincerely; it’s about mutual benefit and working together.
What do you have?
Nothing at all.
Even if you wanted to find an unproven prospect,
whether you could even get the fire started would be a problem…
Still, Lu Chen couldn’t help but marvel at just how incredible the returns on these “unproven prospects” had been.
Take this rainmaking mission in Longhu County alone—he had gained a ton.
First, completing an S-rank mission meant he’d receive a bonus and military merits, and he was very likely to become the first student to enter the special advanced class.
Back during the last Spirit Servant Competition, the school had deliberately kept everyone guessing about the extra benefits of the special advanced class, but he was sure it would be even more mind-blowing than just doubling the bonus.
Second, he had subdued the Four Marchmount Dragon Gods, gaining a full set of stat buffs on top of advancing to the Second Rank.
Third, there were the Qilin Blade and the Tongxuan Divine Canon.
These two things might not mean much to others,
but for Lu Chen, their value was no less than that of the Four Marchmount Dragon Gods.
With them, except for a few special deities, Lu Chen could basically invite whoever he wanted from now on.
After all, the four major temples in Jiangdu City only had a limited number of deity slots, and many deities, such as the Thunder Ancestor, the God of Longevity, and the God of Culture, were already enshrined multiple times.
When you actually counted them, the total number of deities across the whole city probably came to less than a hundred, leaving very little room to maneuver.
So, for Lu Chen, the significance of the Qilin Blade and the Tongxuan Divine Canon went without saying!
And these were just the obvious gains. The hidden benefits were even greater.
For example, the God of Wealth had received a huge amount of incense offerings, which might seem unrelated to Lu Chen, but it was actually a very big deal.
That meant his Spirit Servant level could still go up, and when it did, his “big brother” would probably cough up quite a few more gold coins.
Also, the Well Dragon King’s power had skyrocketed, potentially becoming an important hidden asset in the future.
At the same time, he had also secured the absolute friendship of the Chen family.
If he ever established his own temple and needed custom statues in the future, he would have to go to Chen Tiansheng.
With their connection, asking for a twenty percent discount wouldn’t be too much, would it?
When you added it all up, this trip to Longhu County was like Qin Shi Huang touching a live wire—he couldn’t have won any harder!
“Oh, by the way…” After a brief silence, Sun Yourong suddenly asked again, “That ceremonial procession of yours was so amazing. Was that a divine power taught to you by the God of Wealth, or did the King of Hell teach it?”
Lu Chen chuckled. “Guess?”
“Fine, don’t tell me then.” Sun Yourong tactfully dropped the subject, then frowned. “Although things turned out okay this time, I have a feeling that between you and the Four Seas Dragon Kings… you’ve probably created quite a bit of bad karma. Weren’t you scared at all at the time?”
She looked at Lu Chen, only to see that same damnably calm and composed expression on his face again.
“It would be a lie to say I wasn’t scared at all. Anyone would feel intimidated when a few top-tier divine dragons are staring them down. But…” Lu Chen suddenly shifted his tone. “When it comes down to the wire… even if you’re scared, you still have to do it!”
Whoosh.
Sun Yourong’s mind buzzed.
“Even if you’re scared, you still have to do it…”
“Even if you’re scared, you still have to do it…”
These words echoed back and forth in her heart.
She stared intently at Lu Chen, trying to find any trace of forced calm in his eyes.
But those clear, honest eyes clearly told her: this was no bluff.
Sun Yourong took a deep, quiet breath.
Thinking back to the terrifying atmosphere on that high platform, only someone who had been there could truly understand the immense weight of those words.
“I feel like… there’s also a deity living inside this guy’s body.”
Even as Sun Yourong’s heart inadvertently started beating faster, the sheer corniness of this unspoken thought made her feel a bit embarrassed and speechless.
“Lu Chen, I—”
She was just about to continue.
Suddenly, she saw Lu Chen’s body tense up violently, like a startled animal!
“Hang on!!”
The next second, Lu Chen let out an inexplicable shout.
Then, she saw him yank the steering wheel hard!
Instantly, the world spun before Sun Yourong’s eyes, and the car, like a runaway horse, careened out of control and crashed into the woods by the side of the road.
After a loud crash and the screech of tires, the car jolted violently and finally came to a stop.
“What’s going on?!” Sun Yourong immediately went on high alert.
Lu Chen pointed toward the road, his face dark.
Sun Yourong quickly followed his finger, and there, embedded right in the middle of the road, was a huge wolf-tooth mace, which had completely torn the road in half!
“An ambush?!”
Sun Yourong’s pupils contracted sharply, and a wave of fear washed over her.
If Lu Chen hadn’t swerved just in time, that single blow would have been enough to kill or cripple them for sure!
“Bam!”
The two pushed open the doors and got out, walking toward the road.
Suddenly, the sound of clapping came from deep within the shady trees.
Then, a pair of “old acquaintances” strolled out.
“You’ve got some skills, kid,” said Lingshui Shangren, still sitting on the shoulders of the red-spotted woman, flashing a creepy smile. “I thought I could take you both out with that surprise attack, but you managed to dodge it.”
The red-spotted woman also wore a sinister grin.
At that moment, neither of them was hiding their magical power fluctuations.
Third-rank spirit users!
They were both at the Third Rank!
“Shing!”
Sun Yourong immediately summoned her broadaxes, and a fierce wind arose as a cold gleam flickered across their blades.
She stepped forward and, without hesitation, placed herself protectively in front of Lu Chen, her eyes burning with murderous intent.
Her own Third-Rank strength was suddenly on full display as well.
“Heh, you little brat. Weren’t you pretty impressive back at the Great Dragon Pool?” Lingshui Shangren taunted. “What’s the matter? Now you can only hide behind a woman?”
As the two of them laughed derisively, Lu Chen tried to step forward, but Sun Yourong blocked him again.
“Don’t fall for it! You’re only First Rank. You’re no match for them. Stay behind me!”
“It’s okay, Sister Sun.”
But Lu Chen gently pushed her aside.
He opened his mouth slightly, a crimson light gleaming in his eyes, and his face now wore an excitement that Sun Yourong couldn’t understand.
“Damn it, I knew it! There was going to be a fight today!”
