https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-39-Shattered-Gold-Blade-Techniques/13500226/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-41-The-Three-Martial-Arts-Pavilions/13506772/
Chapter 40: Scarlet List Update – Top 50 in Tianhai City
Chapter 40: Scarlet List Update – Top 50 in Tianhai City (Please Continue Reading)
[Yang Jian, congratulations on victory! You’ve successfully passed the Promotion Match!]
[Points: +3]
[Congratulations! You’ve advanced to Star Rank!]
[Total Points: 151]
[Scarlet List Rank (Chihong Pavilion): 9]
...
Lin Qi stood in his personal space, his expression calm as he exhaled slowly.
"After working hard for nearly a month, I’ve finally reached Star Rank today."
"The 500,000 Xia Kingdom Currency reward is finally secured."
A faint smile touched Lin Qi’s lips. For him, 500,000 was a life-changing sum.
Composing himself, he thought of Wu Feng’s match earlier.
"Both Lü Xiang and Wu Feng are true prodigies from the Elite Class of No.1 High. Their strength is immense."
"Wu Feng’s Blade Techniques are nearly at the Second Stage, and he’s already mastered the first killing move."
"If he hadn’t been clumsy with his finishing strike, allowing me to exploit the opening and kill him with one spear thrust, defeating him wouldn’t have been easy."
"I’m still not strong enough. I need to refine my Spear Techniques further."
He mused inwardly.
Finally, he focused on his rank—ninth place.
"The Scarlet List ranks are calculated based on win rate and total matches."
"Ranking ninth means I’m the ninth strongest in the Chihong Martial Arts Pavilion."
But this ranking wasn’t meaningful. The Chihong Pavilion was too small. If the scope expanded to the entire Tianhai City, his rank would plummet.
"There’s still time. I’ll keep matching."
He glanced at the clock and selected another match.
...
An hour later
[Yang Jian, you’ve been defeated!]
[Rank: Star]
[Win Rate: 93%]
[Points: 160]
[Rank: 9]
[From battling strong opponents, your proficiency in the Mountain-Shattering Spear Method has improved. Spear Techniques +1%]
[From battling strong opponents, your proficiency in Body Techniques has improved. Body Techniques +1%]
[Spear Techniques: First Stage 92% → 93%]
[Body Techniques: First Stage 87% → 88%]
...
Lin Qi stared at his stats.
"After two hours of matches, I’ve maintained Star Rank since my Promotion Match victory."
"But none of my opponents were weak. Every win was too close."
"The last opponent was too strong. I couldn’t beat him."
"My Spear and Body Techniques improved slightly, but after several high-quality battles, they only rose 1%. Breaking into the Second Stage won’t be easy."
He pondered, then exited the Scarlet Realm.
"Buzz!"
"Qi, you’re out!"
Jiang Tao’s voice greeted him.
"Tao, you’re done already?"
Lin Qi saw Jiang Tao drinking a beverage beside the Neural Pod, surprised.
"Just finished a moment ago. Qi, you’ve advanced to Star Rank too, right?"
"Of course!" Lin Qi grinned.
"Same here!"
They fist-bumped, then Lin Qi took a Revitalizing Elixir from his bag.
After yielding the pod to others, they found Guo Heng.
In the Virtual Chamber’s corner, many gathered to rest and chat.
Guo Heng sat with his three friends—two of whom Lin Qi recognized.
"Wu Feng, you lost to Yang Jian too?" Guo Heng mocked openly.
Wu Feng sulked, sipping milk tea. "I was careless. Next time, I’ll definitely win."
Qiu Siying giggled. "Lü Xiang said the same thing before losing."
Lü Xiang’s face darkened.
"I think he’s genuinely strong. Look—he’s already ninth on the Scarlet List."
Spotting Jiang Tao and Lin Qi, Guo Heng handed them milk tea. Together, they turned to the Scarlet List screen.
Lin Qi accepted the drink casually. This scene had repeated often—Guo Heng always treated them.
He studied the Scarlet List.
First place remained [Axe Bear] Li Zhou. Second was [Sword General Heng] Guo Heng. Third, [Ten Thousand Swords]. The top three hadn’t changed, but ninth place now bore his name.
"Yang Jian is strong. His combat talent is exceptional. Even if his cultivation is lower, it doesn’t matter."
"He’s mastered the Mountain-Shattering Spear Method’s killing moves better than me."
Wu Feng, now twelfth, said grimly.
"Mountain-Shattering Spear Method?" Jiang Tao blinked, startled. The name sounded familiar. He glanced at Lin Qi.
"Qi’s also practicing the Mountain-Shattering Spear Method..."
Could Qi be Yang Jian?
He didn’t ask. He knew Lin Qi wouldn’t reveal it unless he chose to.
He kept the thought to himself, deciding to watch longer.
"It changed!" Lü Xiang suddenly said.
Beep!
The screen flickered, rebooting.
When it reloaded, the rankings had completely shifted. The familiar names vanished.
The top three were unrecognizable.
[Scarlet List (Tianhai City)]
[1st: Feng Shen, Rank: Star]
[2nd: Li Ke, Rank: Star]
[3rd: Da Yin Xi Sheng, Rank: Star]
...
"The Scarlet List updated!"
Crowds gathered, checking their ranks.
"This time, it’s expanded to cover all Tianhai City Neural Pod Ips."
"Now, the Scarlet List includes all the city’s prodigies", someone said, earning nods.
"My rank dropped! From 39th to 289th!" someone wailed.
"Mine too! Where did all these stronger people come from?"
"Aheng dropped from 2nd to 13th!" Qiu Siying exclaimed.
"Expected. Now all Tianhai’s prodigies are included—no one’s missing", Guo Heng shrugged.
Lin Qi saw his own rank plummet—50th in Tianhai.
In the Scarlet Realm, relying solely on martial arts, he’d barely cracked the top 50.
"My Vital Energy stat dragged me down", he concluded.
"Earlier, only 15 reached Star Rank on the Scarlet List. Now, including Chihong, Chongming, Heiyao Pavilions, and independent Ips across Tianhai..."
"There are 98 Star Ranks now. After midnight, it’ll exceed 100", Jiang Tao mused.
He’d been 8th, now 38th. Thirty-seven stronger players ahead.
"The new Points leader looks familiar. Could it be Wang Qiufeng?" Lü Xiang guessed.
"Must be. His nickname is Feng Shen. He’s Tianhai’s Monthly Assessment champion—first in the city. First on the Scarlet List? Deserved", Qiu Siying said, awed.
"Wang Qiufeng? I can’t beat him", Guo Heng admitted.
"I faced Feng Shen right after advancing to Star Rank. He killed me in one sword strike."
"With equal Vital Energy stats, I couldn’t even see his Blade Techniques. The gap’s too wide", Wu Feng sighed.
Lin Qi listened, stunned. He’d barely beaten Wu Feng, yet Wu Feng had been instantly defeated. If he faced Wang Qiufeng...
Same result.
"The power of my innate talent blueprint is just starting to unfold. One day, I’ll become Tianhai’s strongest."
He drank his milk tea, heading home, anticipating tomorrow’s 500,000 Xia Kingdom Currency reward.
(End of Chapter)
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