35: Chapter 35 A Different Kind of Raider

The thick fog gradually dispersed, revealing a scene of devastation on the battlefield.

Brother Feng and the other prodigies scrambled up from the ground, looking utterly despondent. As they gazed at their empty army rosters and the looted temporary warehouse, all color drained from their faces.

Jiang Xun's cold warning echoed in their minds like a curse.

"Tell everyone: whoever bullies the weak, I will surely pay them a visit."

"This time, it's just a warning."

"Next time, your civilization will belong to Jiang."

Fear—an unprecedented fear—gripped their hearts. They had no doubt that the madman would absolutely follow through on his words.

Supporting each other, they didn't dare stay for even another second, scrambling and fleeing this nightmare land they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

On a high ground in the distance, Xu Qingran stood quietly until the last trace of the battle vanished from her sight.

The hand she had pressed tightly against her chest finally relaxed, but the pounding within refused to subside for a long time.

Jiang Xun's army—those "abominations" that fused traits from different civilizations—was powerful, efficient, and uncanny.

Jiang Xun's tactics were precise and lethal, like the calmest surgeon, slicing open the enemy's most vulnerable weak points one by one.

But what shocked her most was not these things.

It was everything Jiang Xun did after achieving such an overwhelming victory.

He did not slaughter, did not humiliate, and did not even destroy the core of their Divine Kingdoms, which would have severed their future hopes. He simply took back what originally belonged to Lin Hao, plus a "compensation" that wasn't excessive.

Punishment, not destruction.

Order, not tyranny.

At that moment, all the doubts she had held about Jiang Xun in the library collapsed in the face of this cruel yet restrained reality.

She suddenly understood Jiang Xun's words.

"I am merely a porter."

He had truly just "transported" the tragedy that Brother Feng and the others intended to inflict upon Lin Hao right back to them.

Xu Qingran took a deep breath and turned to run toward the school. She knew she had to apologize to Jiang Xun for her previous prejudice.

...

At the bottom of the canyon.

Lin Hao knelt on the ground, looking at the mountain of resources before him and the amount of Faith Points sufficient to bring his Divine Kingdom back from the brink of collapse. His body trembled like a leaf in the wind.

He suddenly lifted his head, looked toward the direction of Jiang Xun's Divine Kingdom, and kowtowed with all his might.

"Lord Jiang Xun! This kindness and virtue, Lin Hao will never forget for as long as I live! From this day forward, I, Lin Hao, and my civilization are willing to go through fire and water for you, without hesitation!!"

Behind him, those miner believers who had survived the disaster also knelt down in unison, their eyes shining with the light of a new beginning.

Soon, the news that Jiang Xun had set an ambush in the Mist Canyon, beaten up Brother Feng's group, and saved Lin Hao spread like wildfire through the black market channels, quickly circulating among all the low-level gods in Jiang City.

When Jiang Xun returned to school, he was greeted by countless gazes mixed with awe, gratitude, and worship.

In the twilight of the campus, Lin Hao, along with over a dozen other low-level gods who had also been bullied by the sons of prestigious families, waited on the path Jiang Xun had to take.

Upon seeing Jiang Xun, they bowed in unison.

"Lord Jiang Xun!"

Jiang Xun paused and looked at them. In their eyes, he saw long-suppressed humiliation and the hope that was now bursting forth.

"Everyone, get up," he said in a flat tone.

Lin Hao raised his head, his eyes reddening, and said excitedly, "Lord Jiang Xun, we... we also want to join the Civilization Mutual Aid Association! We want to follow you and resist those prodigies who bully us!"

"Resist?" Jiang Xun adjusted his glasses. "Passion alone is not enough."

He walked up to Lin Hao and glanced at his Divine Kingdom, which was on the verge of collapse.

"Your miner civilization only knows how to mine; it doesn't know how to fight. Your troop types are monotonous, your equipment is inferior, and it's no wonder you're treated like wild monsters to be farmed."

Lin Hao's face flushed red instantly, and he lowered his head in shame.

"However," Jiang Xun changed the subject, "your civilization is not without its merits. The physique and endurance of miners far exceed those of ordinary believers. What you lack is not the foundation, but the method."

He brought up his Divine Kingdom terminal and sent a blueprint he had modified to Lin Hao.

"This is the blueprint for heavy infantry armor of the Dwarf race. I have simplified the crafting process so that you can forge it using your own ore. Also, learn this primary Divine Art, 'Rock Skin'; it can significantly increase your defense."

"Don't always think about attacking; first, make your turtle shell hard. If you can't beat them, wear them down. This is your path."

Lin Hao stared blankly at the blueprint and the Divine Art model on the terminal, his eyes erupting with an unprecedented radiance.

Jiang Xun turned to another person. "For your plant civilization, don't try to accelerate the growth of flashy but impractical attack vines. Learn from the Elf race and specialize in one thing: 'Entangling Spores' to restrict enemy movement and create opportunities for your teammates."

"And you, for your beast civilization, give up on raising those large, fierce beasts. Learn from wolf packs and specialize in speed and biting..."

With just a few words, Jiang Xun acted like a key, opening a brand-new door for these low-level gods who had been groping in the dark for so long.

He did not give them powerful troop types directly, but instead pointed out the development direction best suited for them based on the characteristics of their respective civilizations.

Giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him how to fish.

Everyone listened, mesmerized, and the way they looked at Jiang Xun changed from simple gratitude to a fanatical, master-like worship.

Just then, a crisp voice came from not far away.

"Jiang Xun."

Jiang Xun turned back and saw Xu Qingran standing in the sunset not far away.

She watched Jiang Xun, who was surrounded by the crowd, and saw the rekindled flames in the eyes of those low-level gods. In her clear eyes, a light called "admiration" flickered.

Jiang Xun told the others to go organize their gains first, while he walked toward Xu Qingran.

The sunset stretched their shadows long.

"I apologize for what I said in the library earlier," Xu Qingran said, meeting his gaze with absolute sincerity. "I admit, I was too presumptuous. You... are different from them."

Jiang Xun looked at her; the young girl's face seemed to be veiled in a holy halo under the reflection of the sunset.

He smiled. "I accept your apology."

Seeing his candid smile, Xu Qingran felt relieved, and for the first time, she gave him a smile from the heart, one without any guard.

That smile was like winter snow beginning to melt, making the surrounding twilight brighten a little.

However, this moment of tranquility was rudely interrupted by a furious roar.

"Jiang Xun!!"

The two turned around simultaneously to see Teacher Wu Jingguo, their homeroom teacher, striding over furiously. Behind him followed a few students from the Key Class, who were looking at Jiang Xun with schadenfreude.

Teacher Wu Jingguo's face was twisted in anger. He rushed to Jiang Xun in a few strides, pointed at his nose, and spat with rage.

"Very well! You are becoming more and more lawless!"

"How dare you openly attack classmates outside of school and cripple their armies! Do you have any regard for school rules? Do you have any regard for the law!"

"Jiang Xun! Come with me to the office!"