Chapter 40: Red List Updated, Top 50 in Tianhai City (Requesting Follows)

【Yang Jian, congratulations on your victory, you have successfully advanced through the qualifying match!】

【Points +3】

【Congratulations, you have successfully advanced to the Star Rank】

【Total Points: 151】

【Rank (Red Dome): 9】

……

Lin Qi stood in his personal space, expression calm, exhaling a slow breath of stale qi.

“After nearly a month of effort, I’ve finally advanced to the Star Rank today.”

“The 500,000 Xia Nation yuan prize is now in my hands.”

Lin Qi’s lips curled slightly—500,000 Xia Nation yuan was a substantial sum he could not afford to ignore.

After steadying his emotions, he thought again of Wu Feng from earlier.

Whether it was Lu Xiang or Wu Feng, neither failed to live up to their reputation as elite class geniuses from No. 1 High—they were incredibly strong.

Especially Wu Feng—his blade technique was nearly at the second tier, and he had already mastered the first killing move.

If not for his incomplete mastery of the move, leaving an opening I exploited with a single spear thrust, defeating him would not have been so easy.

“I’m still not strong enough. I need to keep refining my spear technique.”

Lin Qi thought to himself.

Finally, he turned his gaze to the ranking list, especially the number nine.

“The Red List calculates rankings based on win rate and number of matches.”

“Rank nine on the Red List means I’m the ninth best within the Red Dome Martial Arts Gym’s scope.”

Lin Qi mused, but this ninth place meant little—the Red Dome’s scope was too narrow; once expanded to the entire Tianhai City, his rank would plummet drastically.

“It’s still early. I can keep matching.”

Checking the time, Lin Qi chose to continue matching.

……

One hour later

【Yang Jian, unfortunately, you have been defeated!】

【Rank: Star】

【Win Rate: 93%】

【Points: 160】

【Rank: 9】

【Through combat with a strong opponent, your proficiency in the ‘Crushing Mountain Spear Technique’ has increased—Spear +1%】

【Through combat with a strong opponent, your proficiency in your body movement has increased—Body Movement +1%】

【Spear: First Tier 92% → 93%】

【Body Movement: First Tier 87% → 88%】

……

Lin Qi silently studied his personal information.

“I’ve matched for two hours since winning the qualifying match and advancing to the Star Rank.”

“I haven’t faced a single weak opponent—every win was barely scraped by.”

“The last opponent I faced was simply too strong. I couldn’t beat him.”

“My spear and body movement have improved, but even after several high-quality battles, I’ve only gained 1%—breaking into the second tier won’t be easy.”

Lin Qi pondered inwardly, then chose to exit the Red Realm.

“Hum!”

“Qi Ge, you’re out!”

Jiang Tao’s voice sounded beside him.

“Taozi, you’re out so early?”

Lin Qi asked, watching Jiang Tao drink a beverage beside the virtual pod.

“I just got out. By the way, Qi Ge—you’ve advanced to the Star Rank too, right?” Jiang Tao asked.

“Of course!” Lin Qi laughed.

“Me too!”

The two exchanged a knowing smile and bumped fists, after which Lin Qi took out a stimulant from his backpack and drank it.

He gave his spot to others and followed Jiang Tao to find Guo Heng.

In a corner of the virtual room, several spots were occupied by people resting and chatting.

Guo Heng sat among them, along with his three friends.

Two of them were familiar to Lin Qi.

“Wu Feng, you lost to that Yang Jian?” Guo Heng blurted out with no restraint, mocking.

Wu Feng sat sullenly sipping bubble tea, unwillingly saying, “I was careless. If I meet him again, I’ll win.”

Qiu Siying covered her mouth and laughed: “Lu Xiang said the same thing—and he lost too.”

Lu Xiang’s face darkened: “I think he’s genuinely strong. Look—he’s already ranked ninth on the Red List.”

Guo Heng spotted Lin Qi and Jiang Tao, handed them each a bubble tea, then all turned to the Red List screen.

Lin Qi took the bubble tea without hesitation—he’d received it this way many times before; Guo Heng always paid, and he was used to it.

He also looked at the large screen’s Red List.

First place remained 【Axe Bear】 Li Zhou, second 【Heng Dao Li Ma Guo General】 Guo Heng, third 【Ten Thousand Swords】

The top three remained unchanged, but his name now appeared at ninth.

“That Yang Jian is strong—he has exceptional combat talent. Even with a lower realm, it doesn’t hinder him.”

“His spear technique—‘Crushing Mountain Spear Technique’—is even more refined than mine.”

Wu Feng, seeing his own rank at twelfth, said seriously.

“Spear technique? ‘Crushing Mountain Spear Technique’?”

Jiang Tao paused, struck by familiarity, then turned to Lin Qi.

!

Qi Ge also trains the ‘Crushing Mountain Spear Technique’…

Could Qi Ge be ‘Yang Jian’?

He had never asked Lin Qi’s nickname, knowing his nature—if Lin Qi didn’t want to say, he wouldn’t.

So he buried the thought for now, deciding to observe further.

“It changed!”

Lu Xiang suddenly said.

“Ding!”

The large screen suddenly went black, then rebooted.

When it reappeared, the entire ranking had undergone massive change.

The Red List had been fully updated—all familiar nicknames vanished.

Everyone looked—the top three were now different.

【Red List (Tianhai City)】

【First: Wind God, Rank: Star】

【Second: Li Ke, Rank: Star】

【Third: Great Sound Is Silent, Rank: Star】

……

“The Red List has been updated!”

Countless people stared at the screen, checking their rankings.

“This ranking now covers all Tianhai City virtual pod IPs.”

“The Red List now includes every genius in Tianhai City,” someone said; those nearby nodded in agreement.

“My rank dropped hard—I went from 39th to 289th!” someone groaned.

“Mine too! Where did all these stronger people come from?”

“Ah Heng, you dropped from second to thirteenth,” Qiu Siying suddenly said.

“It’s normal—the entire Tianhai City’s geniuses are now included, almost none missed,” Guo Heng shook his head.

Lin Qi also saw his rank drop—significantly, down to fiftieth.

His overall score placed him 288th in Tianhai City, but in the Red Realm, purely by martial skill, he had entered the top fifty.

“It seems my blood qi is still holding me back.”

Lin Qi concluded, thinking inwardly.

“Previously, only fifteen people in the Red List had advanced to Star Rank. Now, with Tianhai City fully scanned—covering Red Dome, Chong Ming, Hei Yao’s top martial gyms, all smaller gyms, and individual IPs—”

“There are ninety-eight Star Rank cultivators. After 12 p.m., it’ll exceed a hundred,” Jiang Tao remarked.

He had been eighth before; now he was thirty-eighth, with thirty-seven people ahead of him.

“The top points holder looks familiar—could it be Wang Qiufeng?”

Lu Xiang suddenly spoke.

“It must be him—he’s known as the Wind God, and he ranked first overall in the Tianhai Monthly Exam, top of the Red List. He deserves it; in Tianhai City, he’s the strongest.” Qiu Siying said with reverence.

“Wang Qiufeng—I can’t beat him,” Guo Heng also nodded in agreement.

“Wang Qiufeng is truly strong. Just after I advanced to Star Level, I was matched against the Wind God—and he killed me with a single slash.”

“We all had the same blood value, yet I couldn’t even see his blade technique—the gap is too great,” Wu Feng sighed.

Lin Qi listened beside them, stunned—he knew well Wu Feng’s strength, and he himself had barely bested him.

Yet Wu Feng, with such strength, was instantly killed—so if he stepped in, wouldn’t he be wiped out too?

The gap is too huge!

“My template’s talent has only just begun to awaken—I’ll become Tianhai City’s number one eventually.”

Lin Qi silently set himself this goal, sipping his milk tea, preparing to head home, eager for the 500,000 Xiaguo coins in rewards to arrive tomorrow.

…

(End of Chapter)