Chapter 28: The Terrifying Newcomer (Please Follow)

Chiqiong Martial Arts Gym, Virtual Room

“Damn it, all the opponents matched against me at my level are strong—I lost again.”

Guo Heng exited the virtual pod less than an hour later, frowning.

Since there was still time before the hour ended, Lin Qi and Jiang Tao did not emerge, so he decided to wait.

He wandered around the virtual room, where there was a convenience store selling drinks and snacks, along with seating—he planned to find someone he knew to chat with.

In Tianhai City, only the three top martial arts gyms possessed enough virtual pods; frequent visitors to the virtual room often ran into acquaintances.

At that moment, he spotted a group chatting, among whom was someone he knew.

“I just carelessly lost to a newbie—his spear technique is clearly inferior to mine.”

“I’m a seasoned practitioner; in a little while, I’ll be ready to compete for Star Rank.”

“I wanted revenge, but I can’t get matched with him again.”

One curly-haired man passionately recounted his experience.

“That’s strange—how could someone like Lu Xiang, with your strength, lose to a newbie? You’re in the top 30 of our first-year class.”

“This newbie must be no ordinary person—maybe a master who just registered for ‘Chijie.’”

Someone mused seriously.

“His name is Yang Jian—I don’t know if it’s real—remember it, and help me get revenge next time I meet him,” Lu Xiang growled.

“I think you just got careless, letting him seize the opening.”

A beautiful girl, tall and slender, dressed in an expensive martial arts uniform, sneered.

“Yang Jian? A newbie?”

“What are you talking about?” Guo Heng squeezed in and asked.

“Old Guo’s here?” Everyone greeted him.

“We’re talking about how Lu Xiang got beaten by a newbie.”

“Oh? Tell me more.” Guo Heng’s eyes lit up.

…

Jiang Tao’s vision was flooded with light—the blinding illumination made him uncomfortable.

“Damn, that opponent was incredibly strong—I couldn’t win at all.”

Jiang Tao sat up, feeling exhausted, his spirit drained.

The virtual pod beside him also opened; Lin Qi sat up, pale as if hollowed out.

Lin Qi felt his mind was a blur of mush, as weary as if he’d stayed awake for three days and nights in his past life.

“Big Brother Qi, I’m so tired!” Jiang Tao shook his head.

“Me too—I’m completely mentally drained.”

Lin Qi also clutched his head.

“Feeling tired is normal—the longer you stay in the virtual world, the greater the mental strain, especially after being killed; intense pain severely damages the spirit.”

“So it’s not recommended to stay in Chijie too long.”

Guo Heng walked over smiling and handed them two boxes containing blue liquid.

“These are stimulant potions—they restore mental energy.”

“Stimulant potions?”

“I remember each vial costs a thousand Xiaoguo yuan,” Jiang Tao exclaimed, eyes wide, hesitant to take them.

Lin Qi also looked curious.

“Don’t worry—I’m treating you; it won’t cut into your pay,” Guo Heng added.

“Then we won’t be polite,” Jiang Tao chuckled, taking his without hesitation.

Lin Qi did the same, opening his stimulant potion and draining it in one gulp.

The blue liquid entered his mouth, releasing a minty freshness.

A chilling sensation rapidly spread through his brain, instantly relieving his mental fatigue.

His complexion regained its color visibly.

“Truly amazing—such a powerful effect; no wonder it costs a thousand per bottle.”

Jiang Tao sighed, then asked:

“By the way, Big Brother Qi, how many points do you have now?”

“Twelve points!”

“That much? I only have six!” Jiang Tao was stunned.

“Getting twelve points on your first try is very impressive.”

Guo Heng was also surprised—this meant at least four wins; winning four matches in your first entry into the arena was rare.

“By the way, Ah Heng, I unlocked the ranking system—I’m ranked 458th. Where can I see the overall leaderboard?” Jiang Tao asked curiously.

Guo Heng pointed to a massive LED screen mounted high on the far wall:

“Right in front of you!”

Jiang Tao and Lin Qi turned to look at the screen; data appeared before them.

“This is the leaderboard compiled from Chijie Arena match records, abbreviated as the ‘Chi List.’ Currently, it only covers our Chiqiong Martial Arts Gym Tianhai Branch—anyone logging in with a Tianhai Chiqiong IP is included.”

Guo Heng explained, pointing at the screen.

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao were already studying the leaderboard.

【#1: Battleaxe Bear, Rank: Star】

【#2: Heng Dao Li Ma Guo General, Rank: Star】

【#3: Ten Thousand Swords, Rank: Star】

【……】

…

“Number one is Battleaxe Bear—is that Li Zhou from our class?”

“It must be him!”

!

“Ah Heng, is number two you? Star Rank? Impressive!” Jiang Tao exclaimed.

Guo Heng tilted his head, smiling modestly:

“This is only temporary—over time, other masters will enter Chijie, and rankings will shift.”

“I know several top players from our first high school who are ranked above me—they have full-holographic virtual pods at home.”

“If they log in at Chiqiong Martial Arts Gym, they could instantly climb to number one.”

“The Chi List is also called the Teenage Genius Ranking—it only includes martial artists eighteen and under.”

“College students are excluded; after the Gaokao, rankings are usually reset.”

“The ranking scope expands periodically—right now, you can only see the Tianhai Chiqiong Martial Arts Gym rankings.”

“Next, it will expand to all of Tianhai, then all of Cang Province, even nationwide.”

“Don’t be fooled by my current second place—once the scope expands, my rank will drop.”

“My goal is to hold onto my current position.”

Listening to Guo Heng’s explanation, Lin Qi and Jiang Tao gained much insight—this wasn’t secret knowledge, but learning it themselves would’ve taken time.

With Guo Heng answering, they saved considerable time.

“By the way, what’s this rank system about?” Jiang Tao pointed to the Star Rank on the screen.

Guo Heng explained:

“Rank reflects your strength.”

“After passing the AI test in the arena, you’re a novice; after ten matches, you become an elite.”

“In matches, each win gives you three points, a draw gives one point, and a loss gives nothing.”

“When your points exceed 150, you advance to Star Rank.”

“Chijie Arena divides ranks into four tiers: Star, Bright Moon, Radiant Sun, and the highest, Divine Rank.”

“I’m currently at Star Rank!”

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao exchanged glances, astonished.

“150 points to reach Star Rank? That means at least fifty wins?”

“The opponents I just faced were already strong—geniuses. Fifty wins? That’s incredibly hard,” Jiang Tao marveled.

Lin Qi felt a chill—he’d only fought five matches and already sensed how strong the opponents were; everyone in Chijie was a genius.

These geniuses grew stronger with each match; winning fifty was extremely difficult.

That Guo Heng had won fifty matches showed just how powerful he was.

“By the way, I forgot to tell you—the Chijie official team has launched an event.”

“Anyone who reaches Star Rank before October 10th—before the Tianhai monthly exam—will receive a reward of five hundred thousand Xiaoguo yuan.”

Guo Heng suddenly remembered and added.

“Five hundred thousand?”

Lin Qi’s eyes lit up—reaching Star Rank could earn him five hundred thousand Xiaoguo yuan.

Remember, even a second-tier Genius Loan was only five hundred thousand.

Lin Qi silently calculated—if he could get both the event reward and the second-tier Genius Loan, he’d earn one million Xiaoguo yuan.

He and Jiang Tao exchanged a glance and reached an unspoken understanding.

They absolutely had to get that 500,000 yuan—they were both desperately short on cash.

“I just heard some kids from our elite class chatting—my classmate, ranked in the top thirty of the grade, got beaten by a new student named Yang Jian.”

“This new student isn’t ordinary. You two are new too—you might get matched against him. Be careful,” Guo Heng said with a smile.

“Yang Jian? Daring to take the name of Erlang Shen—he must be confident in his strength,” Jiang Tao scoffed.

Lin Qi froze, surprised to find himself the subject of the gossip.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be careful.”

He spoke up, a hint of guilt in his voice.

…

(End of Chapter)