Strictly speaking, the news conference wasnât held within the Grass Hut Academy itself but in a dedicated venue adjacent to the academyâs premises.
Although the Extraordinary Era has only arrived for less than a year, academic societies across the country have developed rapidly, with the Grass Hut Academy being a standout among them.
Many members, upon joining the academy, immediately had dedicated caravans allocated by the state around the academy premises, with some even bringing their families to live nearby, gradually forming "academic society residential areas".
The venue for the news conference was about four hundred meters southeast of this academic society area, not particularly large, but easily accommodating seven to eight hundred people.
At this moment, journalists from all over the country swarmed in, gathering at the venue.
Although the average quality of this group is quite good, with so many people, it seemed noisy and chaotic.
The entire venue was packed with people, bustling with activity, the noise so constant that it was hard to hear what those beside you were saying.
"Today, we can finally see the Prophet himself! Iâve heard of him for a long time but never seen him, which Iâve always regretted. Today, I can finally see him!"
"Itâs a pity this work pass only allows one person, or else I couldâve brought my daughter. Sheâs always talking about the Prophet, my ears are almost worn out!"
"Thatâs still good. My sister is truly annoying, going on and on about Brother Ran, short and long. I felt like if I didnât come, Iâd end up giving her a good beating â sheâs like this and thinks sheâs fit to be a fan of the Prophet? Isnât she just bringing bad press to my Ran God?"
"...You siblings have a good relationship. My elder brother is literally a fanboy, always wearing his knock-off, low-budget Prophet Spiritual Armor, trying to cosplay my Ran Baby, not even looking at his own dog-like behavior, ugh! Iâm so grossed out I canât eat! Iâve lost several pounds recently!"
"Hold on! Are you talking about the black coat with silver edges and a flame lining? Does it come with the Prophetâs âMolten Dragonâ saber? Where did you buy it?"
"No, self-produced and self-sold. But... Molten Dragon Saber? The Prophetâs Tang Blade didnât have a name, right?"
"We have to name it something powerful and majestic to befit Ran Godâs title! Otherwise, what? âRan Godâs Exclusive Tang Bladeâ? Feels a bit lacking in style."
"Stop babbling! The Prophet has arrived!"
The entire venue quickly quieted down.
Even though the venue was packed with journalists, the atmosphere was eerily silent.
To be precise, Ma Ran did not actually arrive at the venue.
Only Su Qiangwei arrived at the venue.
However, at this moment, she was holding a large pink balloon in her hand.
Seeing this familiar scene, many quickly realized what was happening.
The venue burst into another uproar.
"I donât see Ran Baby either! Whoâs spreading false information? Bring them out for punishment!"
"Fake fans can leave the group, youâre embarrassing us."
"Hey! Why am I a fake fan? Iâve been following my Ran Baby since the Lotus City Demon Mountain battle! Iâm more qualified than most here!"
"Heard of the A3 District incident? Heard of the perfect Academic Ability test? If not, donât get too excited, you fake fan!"
"Alright... Let me explainâsee that balloon in Martial Godâs hand? Whatâs inside should be the Prophetâs Star Power Incarnation! After the Busan trip and the Chuanke Civilization invasion, Extreme Cold and the Prophet have collaborated like this before."
Su Qiangwei, with a calm expression, walked unhurriedly to the stage and snapped her fingers.
Pop!
The pink balloon popped, and starlight surged forth!
The entire venue seemed to dim for a moment, the ceiling transforming into a brilliant starry sky, mesmerizing everyone.
When everyone came back to their senses, they saw spots of starlight gradually condensing into the form of a human teenager.
With black and white short hair, eyes like jet black jade with a hint of faint purple, dressed in the casual uniform of the Grass Hut Academy, calm demeanorâit was none other than the Prophet Ma Ran.
"Hello everyone, what you see now is my Star Power Incarnation, which you can consider as âa single thought of mineâ."
"Now, please try to remain quiet."
As soon as he finished speaking, the venue was utterly silent, quiet enough to hear a pin drop.
Ma Ranâs lips curled slightly into a smile, saying, "Thank you for your cooperation."
"Regarding the burning of Pluto and the disappearance of the God of Slaughter..."
"As speculated by many on the Earth Super Forum, it was the work of me and the Martial God."
"Details will be explained later by Extreme Cold Li Xing and Author Dong Huaiming."
"I specifically came today to give you all a heads-up."
At this point, Ma Ranâs tone turned serious: "The God of Slaughter is not a human but a true deity. Even if Iâve shattered its physical body and torn its soul, it can still resurrect."
"When actually battling it, I realized the reality was completely different from what I foresaw with my prophetic ability."
"The God of Slaughter demonstrated even greater power."
At this point, Ma Ran sighed deeply, "It was a life-and-death, dragging-out battle."
"In the end, even Pluto itself ignited and burned."
"Some might wonder why, after several days since Plutoâs extinction, weâre only now holding a news conference?"
"Because during the battle with the God of Slaughter, both the Martial God and I were grievously injured and struggled to recover."
"Even after all these days, weâre not fully healed."
"If at that time on Pluto, it had been only me facing the God of Slaughter, perhaps you wouldnât be seeing me here today."
"Here, I must thank the Martial God."
"It was she who saved me at a critical moment from the God of Slaughter, working together with perfect synergy, unleashing a battle power greater than the sum of its parts, ultimately defeating the God of Slaughter and shattering its divine format."
Hearing this, Su Qiangweiâs eye slightly twitched, yet she tried hard to keep a straight face, expressionless, with a high and cold demeanor.
Ma Ran, this guy...
Has turned bad!
He can spout such nonsense so effortlessly!
What does he mean by âlife-and-death, dragging-out battleâ?
What does he mean by âgrievously injured and struggling to recoverâ?
If the slain God of Slaughter could hear this, it probably wouldnât rest peacefully in the Yellow Springs Netherworld!
Judging by Ma Ranâs tone and expression...
It seemed so convincing!
His wary demeanor, not at all like acting, combined with the mix of lingering fear, determination, and courage in his eyes, was simply perfect!
This alone helps journalists on-site conjure up the image of an immensely powerful deity!
Even...
If not for a superpower known as Myriad Transformations called Horse-Riding Stele Viewing, Su Qiangwei having a photographic memory allowing her to easily recall every detail of her life, she might actually have been swayed.
The young womanâs complex emotions led her to close her eyes slowly, with a bit of existential doubt.
Su Qiangwei suddenly felt a slight sense of guilt, thinking to herself: "Could it be... I led Ma Ran astray?"
Previously, while Ma Ran liked to show off, he didnât lie so blatantly...
However, Master Qiangwei felt responsibility and obligation to keep this secret for her closest comrade.
After all, Ma Xianshengâs globally recognized persona is one who keeps promises and never lies.
Since he said so, he surely had deeper reasons.
As for the specific reasons, Ma Ran didnât say, and she was too lazy to think deeply.
Mental exertion is so exhausting!
Why not eat some snacks instead? Arenât they tasty?
Su Qiangweiâs tightly closed eyes, from the perspective of others, confirmed the strength of the God of Slaughter.
People felt a bit uneasy.
It was the first time in recent memory that people felt "Earthâs combat power is insufficient".
Turns out...
Even top-tier Extraordinary beings like the Prophet and Martial God arenât invincible!
Even facing two against one, they could only barely achieve a hard-won victory!
Fortunately, a moment later, Ma Ran provided an explanation.
"After the battle on Pluto, I realized I shouldnât overly rely on prophecy."
"Some of the truly top-tier strong beings carry countless possibilities for the future."
"One thought from them creates a whole new future."
"Even with my brainpower, I canât account for every intricacy among those trillions of possibilities."
"So..."
"Reflecting on the lessons learned, I finally pushed the âBurning Martialâ system to the twenty-first rank."