Chapter 1184: Locking Platinum Rank! Jiesi

The first match of the ranking tournament is about to begin!

Your opponent is Yaso, from the Dragon Nest Universe, Starlight Stage Four!

To ensure fairness, both combatants are equipped with E1-class gear.

Accompanied by a majestic voice.

Xu Jingming was instantly teleported away, arriving on a vast, desolate grassland.

Around him in the void, countless spectator seats existed—but they were empty.

The Abyss Arena, at every moment, saw endless new entrants flooding in to begin their ranking matches.

Naturally, no one cared to watch these beginner matches.

"Physical strength, abilities, and Dharma Forms are identical to reality."

Above the grassland, Xu Jingming stood midair, gripping a long spear.

With a thought, pitch-black Doushen Shenlei instantly encircled his body, forming a thick lightning barrier.

In his cold, sharply divided black-and-white eyes, a faint tinge of purple flickered.

The Ziwei Eye had been activated!

"Here he comes!"

Through his spiritual force, he easily sensed the scene far away.

About six kilometers off, a young man riding a gale, wielding a long sword, was racing toward him.

"Wind Domain, sixth tier—seems he only mastered a single-element domain and hasn't formed a Dharma Form. Too weak."

Xu Jingming shook his head, and with a thought—

A pitch-black lightning bolt suddenly split from the sky!

Crack—!!

Before Yaso even saw him, he was obliterated by the lightning.

"Mm! Instant kill! Perfect battle!

Your opponent was too weak—I'll adjust the difficulty for your next match.

Now, the second ranking match is about to begin..."

The majestic voice rang out again, and match after match began in succession.

But...

Instant kill!

Instant kill!

Still instant kill!

All were Starlight Stage Four—but later opponents grew stronger.

Yet even so, in ten ranking matches, Xu Jingming never lost a single bout; most were instant kills.

"Ten wins out of ten! Your ranking match is flawless! Your final rank is Platinum!"

The majestic voice rang out, and a delicate badge appeared above Xu Jingming's head.

Below it were a few small lines: "0 Victory Points."

Xu Jingming had already learned from the majestic voice's explanation how Victory Points were earned and used.

He gained Victory Points for each win, and lost them for each loss.

When Victory Points accumulated to 100, the Promotion Tournament would unlock.

The Promotion Tournament consisted of three matches; winning two would promote him to the next rank.

Conversely, losing two would mean promotion failure—he'd remain at his current rank and lose a set number of Victory Points.

"Xue Sha! Ten wins in ten ranking matches.

Your strength won't stop at Platinum Rank. Do you wish to continue with ranked battles?"

The majestic voice spoke again, but Xu Jingming chose to exit.

He needed to return to reality and ask his senior, Jiesi, when he'd find opponents worthy of him.

If he kept fighting trash, he might as well go straight to the Simulation Arena and generate opponents matched to his strength.

"S-Class: Several calls came in just now.

Most were from factions within the Sacred Ground—thirteen princes, Ye Lan, all leaving messages offering help. Should I call them back?"

As soon as Xu Jingming left the Abyss Arena, the tiny sprite Eva on his shoulder spoke up.

To her, these were trivial matters, so she hadn't interrupted his ranking match.

"They're all trying to court me through this."

Xu Jingming understood this clearly.

He just hadn't expected one of them to be a prince.

"Looks like the imperial family isn't entirely united."

Xu Jingming shook his head, "Ignore them. Just send Ye Lan a message: 'I don't want to join any other faction.'"

Ye Lan—he'd only met her twice.

But he could sense her sincerity toward him, so replying to her was enough.

As for everyone else, he had no interest whatsoever.

"Got it!" Eva giggled.

After replying to Ye Lan, Xu Jingming removed his virtual helmet and exited the virtual universe.

"How was your experience in the Abyss Arena?"

Across from him, Senior Jiesi wore the virtual helmet but could multitask, conversing with Xu Jingming at the same time.

"I played ten ranking matches and was ranked Platinum, but all my opponents were too weak."

Xu Jingming shook his head.

"The Abyss Arena starts like this at first; once your rank rises, it'll be about the same."

Senior Brother Jies laughed heartily, speaking with experience: "Your final rank should be around Master Class."

"By then, the opponents you face will all be extremely strong."

"I can only reach Master Class?" Xu Jingming was surprised.

He had thought that even if he couldn't reach King Class, he should at least make it to Grandmaster Class.

"The Abyss Arena gathers the prodigies of the entire human race across the universe."

"That's the endless prodigies of all humanity!"

"Though your Thunder Abyss Devouring Sun Phase is strong, there are still beings more monstrous than you."

"Reaching Master Class is already quite impressive!"

Jies shook his head, a look of reminiscence appearing on his face:

"When I was at Starlight Class, I competed in the Abyss Arena."

"I once faced a prodigy from my race's top faction, the Eternal Star Alliance."

"He was only at the peak of Starlight Class, yet he already controlled a T4-level Phase."

"At that time, my strength wasn't weak at all, but before him, I was still defeated in a single blow..."

"T4-level Phase? Isn't that something only Star Class cultivators can train?" Xu Jingming asked, puzzled.

"Not Star Class—anyone who has entered the Law stage from their Domain can train T6 to T4-level Phases."

Jies shook his head. "Most Star Class cultivators haven't even broken through from Domain to Law."

"But he, a Starlight Class cultivator, had already mastered Law—upper-tier Law at that. You should understand how insane that is."

"Upper-tier Law at Starlight Class..." Xu Jingming's face also showed shock.

His Destruction Domain was only at the fifth level.

Even with the Blue System's boost, he had no idea how long it would take to reach the eighteenth level of Domain and enter the Law stage.

"The universe is too vast, and humanity's prodigies are too many."

"Some people's talents are probably even more terrifying than mine with a cheat system."

Xu Jingming thought silently to himself.

"Take it slow. Spend two hours each day in the Abyss Arena."

"In eight days, you should reach Master Rank and face opponents matching your strength."

Senior Brother Jies smiled.

"Alright."

Xu Jingming nodded, then looked curiously at the virtual helmet on his head:

"Senior Brother, are you currently fighting inside the Abyss Arena?"

"Me? No, I'm playing a game." Jies shook his head.

"Playing a game?" This was a response Xu Jingming had never expected.

"I've been stuck at Universe Rank Six for over a thousand years."

"My strength has long been solidified, and I've grown tired of the Abyss Arena."

"My rank won't rise anymore; better to spend time on entertainment."

Jies smiled. "The Virtual Universe simulates reality at nearly 100% fidelity."

"Things impossible in reality can be easily done in games."

"Right now, I'm the sovereign of a high-civilization cosmic nation in a game."

"I command endless planets and countless immortal deities, slaughtering alien races and expanding territory across the universe."

He paused, as if realizing this description might be inappropriate.

He removed the virtual helmet, looked at Xu Jingming, and warned:

"But virtual universe games are dangerous."

"I'm able to immerse myself because I have self-control and my strength advances slowly."

"You're currently in the golden period of your strength growth—don't waste your time on virtual games."

As a mentor of the Noa Sacred Land, he had seen many prodigies from native planets.

Originally possessing astonishing talent, they became addicted to virtual universe games and drowned in them daily.

In the end, they wasted their extraordinary gifts.

"Understood." Xu Jingming nodded seriously.

He had never been interested in games.

Besides, illusory gains could never match the satisfaction of leveling up through the system.