Chapter 28: The Terrifying Newcomer (Please Keep Reading)

Chi Qiong Martial Arts Hall, Virtual Reality Room.

"Damn it, there isn't a single weak opponent at my matchmaking level. I lost again."

Less than an hour had passed before Guo Heng frowned and exited the virtual pod. Seeing that there was still plenty of time before the hour was up and that Lin Qi and Jiang Tao had not yet emerged, he decided to wait. He wandered around the virtual room, which featured a small shop selling drinks and snacks, as well as seating areas, and headed over to chat with some acquaintances.

Because only the top three martial arts halls in Tianhai City possessed enough virtual pods, frequent visitors to the virtual room often ran into familiar faces. He soon spotted a group of people chatting, among them some of his acquaintances.

"I actually lost to a rookie out of carelessness just now. His mastery of spear techniques was clearly inferior to mine."

"I'm a seasoned practitioner! In a little while, I'll be able to reach the Star rank in the arena."

"I wanted to seek revenge, but I couldn't seem to match with him again."

A curly-haired young man was expressing his indignation, recounting his experience.

"That's truly strange. Given your strength, Lu Xiang, to lose to a rookie? You're in the top 30 of our first-year class."

"It seems this rookie is no simple character. Perhaps it's some expert who just registered for 'The Red Realm'," someone mused thoughtfully.

"His name is Yang Jian. I don't know if it's his real name, but remember it. If you run into him, help me get revenge," Lu Xiang said bitterly.

"I think it's just that you were too careless, Lu Xiang, and let him seize the opportunity," a beautiful girl with a slender figure, dressed in an expensive martial arts uniform, remarked mockingly.

"Yang Jian? A rookie?"

"What are you all talking about?" Guo Heng asked as he squeezed into the group.

"Old Guo's here?" everyone greeted him.

"We're talking about Lu Xiang getting defeated by a rookie."

"Oh? Tell me more," Guo Heng's eyes lit up.

...

Jiang Tao’s vision was enveloped by light, and the glare of the lamps made him feel quite disoriented.

"Damn, the opponent was really strong. I couldn't beat him at all."

Jiang Tao sat up, feeling a wave of exhaustion and mental fatigue. The virtual pod next to him opened as well; Lin Qi sat up, his face pale, as if he had been drained of all energy. Lin Qi felt as though his brain were a puddle of mush, as exhausted as if he had pulled three consecutive all-nighters in his previous life.

"Brother Qi, I feel so tired!" Jiang Tao shook his head.

"Me too. My mental energy is severely depleted," Lin Qi said, clutching his head.

"Feeling tired is normal. Spending a long time in the virtual world consumes a massive amount of mental energy, especially after being killed; the intense pain stimulates the mind and causes significant damage. That's why it's not recommended to stay in The Red Realm for too long."

Guo Heng walked over with a smile, handing them two vials containing a blue liquid. "This is a mental stimulant. It can restore your mental energy."

"A mental stimulant?" Jiang Tao’s eyes widened, and he hesitated to take it. "I remember a single vial of this costs a thousand Xia currency."

Lin Qi also looked on with curiosity.

"Don't worry, it's my treat. It won't be deducted from your payment," Guo Heng continued.

"Then we won't stand on ceremony," Jiang Tao chuckled and took it without further hesitation.

Lin Qi did the same, opened the stimulant, and drank it in one gulp. The blue liquid entered his mouth, releasing the refreshing fragrance of mint. A wave of icy coolness quickly spread through his brain, and his mental fatigue was instantly restored. The color returned to his face at a visible rate.

"That’s truly miraculous. The effect is so strong—it’s worthy of being a thousand-dollar potion." Jiang Tao sighed in wonder, then asked, "By the way, Brother Qi, how many points do you have now?"

"Twelve points!"

"That many? I only have six!" Jiang Tao was surprised.

"Twelve points on your first time is very impressive," Guo Heng said, clearly surprised as well. That meant he had won at least four matches; entering the arena for the first time and winning four matches was quite rare.

"Right, Ah Heng, I unlocked the ranking feature. I'm ranked 458th. Where can you see the overall leaderboard?" Jiang Tao asked curiously.

Guo Heng pointed to a massive LED screen mounted on the high wall in the distance: "Right in front of you!"

Jiang Tao and Lin Qi looked toward the big screen, and the data displayed there appeared before them.

"This is the leaderboard calculated based on performance in The Red Realm arena, abbreviated as the 'Red Ranking'."

"However, the current scope of the statistics only covers our Tianhai branch of the Chi Qiong Martial Arts Hall; anyone whose login IP is at the Chi Qiong Martial Arts Hall is counted," Guo Heng explained while pointing at the screen.

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao were already studying the rankings.

[1st Place: War-Axe Bear, Rank: Star]
[2nd Place: General Guo of the Blade, Rank: Star]
[3rd Place: Ten-Thousand Sword, Rank: Star]
[...]

"The first place is War-Axe Bear—that wouldn't happen to be Li Zhou from our class, would it?"

"It must be him!"

"Ah Heng, this second place wouldn't be you, would it? And a Star rank, that's amazing!" Jiang Tao exclaimed.

Guo Heng tilted his head and smiled modestly. "This is only temporary. As time goes on, other experts will gradually enter The Red Realm, and the rankings will change."

"As far as I know, there are several experts in our First High School ranked ahead of me who have holographic virtual pods in their own homes. If they were to log in at the Chi Qiong Martial Arts Hall, they might reach the top spot instantly."

"The Red Ranking is also known as the 'Talented Youth Ranking'; it only applies to martial artists aged eighteen and under. University students are excluded, and after the college entrance exams, the rankings are usually recalculated."

"The scope of the ranking expands every so often. Right now, we can only see the rankings for our Tianhai Chi Qiong Martial Arts Hall."

"Next, it will expand to the entire city of Tianhai, then the entire Cang Province, and eventually the national ranking."

"Don't look at me as being in second place now; once the statistical range expands, my ranking will drop. My goal is to stabilize my position."

Listening to Guo Heng’s explanation, Lin Qi and Jiang Tao gained a great deal of insight. These weren't exactly secrets, but it would have taken them some time to figure them out on their own. Having Guo Heng explain it saved them a lot of trouble.

"By the way, what’s the deal with the ranks?" Jiang Tao asked, pointing at the "Star" rank on the screen.

Guo Heng explained, "The rank represents your strength."

"You pass the man-machine test in the arena as a novice. After ten matches, you become an 'Elite'."

"In matchmaking, you gain 3 points for every win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss."

"When your points exceed 150, you can advance to the Star rank."

"The Red Realm arena divides ranks into four tiers: Star, Bright Moon, Radiant Sun, and the strongest, God-level. I am currently at the Star rank!"

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao exchanged surprised glances.

"150 points to advance to the Star rank? Doesn't that mean you need to win at least 50 matches?"

"The opponents I faced just now were already strong enough—they were all geniuses. Winning 50 matches is really hard," Jiang Tao exclaimed.

Lin Qi felt a sense of trepidation. He had already felt the strength of his opponents after only 5 matches; everyone who could enter The Red Realm was a genius. These geniuses were getting stronger and stronger, and winning 50 matches would be an immense challenge. The fact that Guo Heng could win 50 matches showed just how strong he was.

"By the way, I forgot to tell you that the official organizers of The Red Realm have released an event."

"Anyone who can advance to the Star rank before October 10th—that is, before the Tianhai monthly exams—will receive a reward of 500,000 Xia currency," Guo Heng said as if suddenly remembering.

"500,000?"

Lin Qi’s eyes lit up. He hadn't realized that advancing to the Star rank could net him 500,000 Xia currency. One had to realize that even a second-tier genius loan was only 500,000. Lin Qi did some quick mental math: if he could obtain both the event reward and the second-tier genius loan, he would have 1,000,000 Xia currency.

He and Jiang Tao exchanged a look, reaching a silent understanding. They had to get that 500,000; they were both in desperate need of money.

"I just heard the students in our elite class at First High chatting—one of my classmates, who is in the top 30 of the grade, was actually defeated by a rookie named Yang Jian."

"This rookie is no simple character. You two are also rookies, so you might get matched with him. Be careful," Guo Heng warned with a smile.

"Yang Jian? To take the name of Erlang Shen—he must be quite confident in his strength," Jiang Tao joked.

Lin Qi froze, not expecting to become the subject of the gossip himself.

"Don't worry, we'll be careful," he said, feeling a bit guilty.