357: The crowd's amazement

"Oh my god... don't tell me, this was actually caused by Xiao Ran..."

After the pillar of light vanished like a meteor, everyone’s eyes widened, and they murmured in disbelief.

The Armored Bear, enveloped by the pillar of light, now showed no signs of life. Its once majestic and massive body was now charred black like wood scorched by a great fire for a long time, emitting a pungent smell of burning.

Looking at the ground, a huge deep pit appeared before everyone’s eyes, as if the earth had been torn open by a hideous wound.

The Armored Bear's disfigured corpse, almost unrecognizably mangled, lay quietly at the bottom of the pit, as if narrating the terrifying destruction it had just experienced.

"Holy crap... is this the power of the system?"

Xiao Ran collapsed onto the ground, feeling all his strength drain away, gasping for breath as if he had just returned from the gates of hell.

His face was filled with exhaustion and shock, and his eyes still held the lingering fear of having narrowly escaped death.

After a brief moment of astonishment, Hua Mulian and the others hurriedly gathered around Xiao Ran.

"Big brother, from now on, you are my big brother!"

Adi's face was full of excitement as he rushed to Xiao Ran's front.

He knelt heavily on the ground with a "thud," cupped his hands, his eyes filled with reverence and eagerness.

"Big brother, that scene just now was too shocking. Please accept me. From now on, I, Adi, will follow you!"

He hoped to acknowledge Xiao Ran as his big brother. In his heart, Xiao Ran had now become a legendary figure with extraordinary power.

"Ah?"

Xiao Ran was a bit stunned by Adi's sudden request. His face still showed the daze of having survived a calamity, and he instinctively waved his hands repeatedly.

"Forget it, forget it. I don't have a habit of taking on younger brothers."

At this moment, his thoughts were still immersed in the thrilling scene he had just witnessed, and he was still shaken, so he had no mind to consider Adi's request.

Besides, Xiao Ran knew perfectly well that the immense power capable of instantly killing the Armored Bear was not his own, but originated from the mysterious system.

He deeply understood that this secret must not be easily exposed, otherwise he didn't know what kind of trouble it would bring him.

"Xiao Ran, when did you become so powerful?"

Hua Mulian leaned over curiously, her eyes full of doubt.

"I remember during the exam, weren't you only at Body Tempering Third Layer? But that strike just now, its power was simply terrifying, probably much stronger than even a Ningzhen Realm expert!"

Hua Mulian's gaze was fixed on Xiao Ran, trying to find a clue in his expression.

"To be honest with you all."

Xiao Ran blinked, deliberately putting on a simple and innocent look, scratched his head, and pretended to be confused as he explained.

"I thought I definitely couldn't escape at the time, and I thought if I die, I die. It's up to fate. Who would have thought that at that critical moment, such a terrifying attack suddenly descended from the sky. I still haven't recovered from it, and I really don't know what's going on."

As Xiao Ran spoke, he secretly observed everyone's reactions, silently praying that his explanation would pass muster.

Seeing this, a hint of embarrassment flashed across Adi's face, and he quickly stood up from the ground.

He patted the dust off his knees, pouted, and muttered softly.

"Tch... you should have said so earlier. I knelt for nothing..."

Before he could finish speaking, a cry of "Ouch!" was heard, and Adi clutched his head, grimacing in pain.

It turned out that Hua Mulian couldn't stand Adi's behavior, so she raised her hand and punched him on the head.

"Whether it was caused by Xiao Ran or not, this Armored Bear was brought out by you! You still have the nerve to act like this!"

Hua Mulian's eyebrows shot up, her almond eyes wide, and she angrily pointed at Adi's nose and scolded him.

She was already brimming with anger, and Adi's flippant attitude only made her furious.

"Forget it, forget it, Mulian, he's not very bright to begin with. You're hitting him without restraint, don't really make him stupid."

A female student quickly stepped forward, pulled Hua Mulian's arm, and gently advised her.

Her face wore a gentle smile, and her eyes were full of concern, fearing that the two might get into a bigger conflict over this matter.

"So, that strike just now really wasn't made by you?"

Hua Mulian took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in her heart, then turned her head again, staring at Xiao Ran, with a hint of suspicion in her eyes, and asked again.

She found it hard to believe that with Xiao Ran's previously demonstrated strength, he could unleash such a powerful attack, but everything that had just happened was too strange, forcing her to confirm again.

"It really wasn't me. After all, I'm only at Body Tempering Third Layer. You know my strength, don't you?"

Xiao Ran looked innocent, quickly waved his hand, and explained sincerely and eagerly.

His eyes were full of sincerity, as if he was trying his best to prove that what he said was true.

Seeing this, the others listened to Xiao Ran's words and, combining them with their usual understanding of him, gradually believed his explanation.

However, the meticulous Hua Mulian always felt that something was not quite right.

She secretly pondered, how could such a coincidence happen? As soon as Xiao Ran pointed his hand and shouted "Attack," an astonishing pillar of light just happened to descend from the sky to protect him. This was too incredible.

Could it be that he was the son of the heavens, capable of summoning wind and rain like this? The more Hua Mulian thought about it, the more suspicious she became, and her gaze towards Xiao Ran couldn't help but carry a few more hints of doubt.

And just as everyone was lost in their own thoughts, three black dots appeared on the horizon. The black dots rapidly grew larger, accompanied by faint sounds of wind, and the three of them flew towards them like meteors.

Their postures were agile, their clothes fluttering, and in the blink of an eye, they slowly landed in front of everyone.

These three exuded a powerful aura, making people not dare to underestimate them. For a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat tense.

When they finally saw the faces of the three, everyone's eyes instantly widened, their faces filled with shock, as if they had seen something incredible.

"City Lord!"

Everyone exclaimed in unison.

It turned out that the arrivals were precisely the City Lord of Jiang City, the Deputy City Lord, and the General Commander of the City Defense Team.

These three were influential figures in Jiang City, all being the strongest combat forces of Jiang City. Each possessed the formidable strength of the Ningzhen Realm, capable of summoning wind and rain and widely renowned in Jiang City.

"Isn't that Hua Mulian? What are you doing here?"

The only female among the three, the Deputy City Lord, keenly spotted Hua Mulian in the crowd and couldn't help but show some surprise, asking.

After all, Hua Mulian was the pride of Jiang City; she was the only student from Jiang City who had been admitted to the Imperial Martial Academy in the Capital.

What kind of place was the Imperial Martial Academy in the Capital? Those who came out of there were without exception exceptionally talented individuals, at least geniuses of the Void Breaking Realm in the future.

"It's like this, we..."

Seeing the Deputy City Lord ask, Hua Mulian understood that this matter could not be concealed, so she quickly and calmly stepped forward.

She took a deep breath and clearly and detailedly recounted the entire sequence of events, from Adi provoking the Armored Bear, to everyone being pursued, and then to Mo Ming inexplicably triggering that powerful attack, without any concealment during the narration.

She knew that facing these three important figures of Jiang City, she had to tell the truth, otherwise, if any concealment were discovered, it might bring unnecessary trouble to herself and her companions.