Chapter 28: A Terrifying Newcomer (Please keep reading)

Red Sky Martial Arts Dojo, Virtual Room

"Damn it, none of the opponents I'm matched with at this level are weak. I lost again."

In less than an hour, Guo Heng emerged from the virtual pod with a frown.

Seeing that there was still plenty of time before the hour was up and neither Lin Qi nor Jiang Tao had come out, he decided to wait.

He wandered around the virtual room. The facility featured a small shop selling drinks and snacks, as well as seating areas. He planned to find some acquaintances to chat with.

Since they were in Tianhai City, only the three top-tier martial arts dojos possessed enough virtual pods. Frequent visitors to the virtual rooms often ran into familiar faces.

At that moment, he spotted a group of people chatting, among whom were his acquaintances.

"I actually lost to a newcomer out of carelessness just now. His proficiency in spear techniques was clearly inferior to mine."

"I'm an Adept; in a little while, I'll be able to reach the Astral Rank."

"I wanted to go back for revenge, but I found that I can't get matched with him again no matter what I do."

A curly-haired man spoke with indignation, recounting his ordeal.

"That's strange. With your strength, Lyu Xiang, losing to a newcomer is unheard of. You're in the top 30 of our grade at No. 1 High School."

"This newcomer must be something else. Maybe he's a high-level expert who just registered for *Red Realm*," someone mused thoughtfully.

"His name is Yang Jian—I don't know if it's his real name. Write it down. If you see him next time, help me get my revenge," Lyu Xiang said resentfully.

"I think you were just too careless, Lyu Xiang, and gave him the opening," a beautiful girl in expensive martial arts attire remarked mockingly.

"Yang Jian? A newcomer?"

"What are you guys talking about?" Guo Heng squeezed into the group to ask.

"Old Guo is here!" the group greeted him.

"We're talking about how Lyu Xiang got beaten by a newcomer."

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

...

Jiang Tao's vision was shrouded in light; the piercing brightness made him feel quite unaccustomed.

"Damn, the opponents are really strong. I can't win at all."

Jiang Tao sat up, feeling a wave of exhaustion and mental fatigue.

The adjacent virtual pod also opened. Lin Qi sat up, his face pale as if he had been hollowed out.

Lin Qi felt as though his brain were a mass of mush, feeling as exhausted as if he had pulled three consecutive all-nighters in his previous life.

"Qi-ge, I feel so tired!" Jiang Tao said, shaking his head.

"Me too. My mental energy is completely drained."

Lin Qi also clutched his head.

"Feeling tired is normal. Staying in the virtual world for a long time causes massive mental consumption. Especially after being killed—the intense pain stimulates the psyche and causes significant damage."

"So, I don't recommend staying in *Red Realm* for too long."

Guo Heng walked over with a smile, handing over two boxes containing blue liquid potions.

"These are Refreshment Potions. They can restore your mental energy."

"Refreshment Potions?"

"I remember one vial costs a thousand Xia Country Yuan!" Jiang Tao's eyes widened, and he didn't dare reach out to take it.

Lin Qi also showed a look of curiosity.

"Don't worry, it's on me. It won't be deducted from your earnings," Guo Heng continued.

"Then we won't be polite!" Jiang Tao chuckled and took them without hesitation.

Lin Qi did the same, opening a potion and drinking it in one gulp.

As the blue liquid entered his mouth, it released a refreshing minty fragrance.

A wave of coolness rapidly spread to his brain, and his mental fatigue was instantly relieved.

The color returned to his face at a visible rate.

"Truly amazing. The effect is so strong; it's worth every penny of that thousand yuan," Jiang Tao marveled, then asked, "By the way, Qi-ge, how many points do you have now?"

"12 points!"

"That many? I only have 6!" Jiang Tao was shocked.

"Getting 12 points on your first use is actually very impressive."

Guo Heng was also quite surprised. That meant at least four wins. To win four matches immediately upon entering the arena was rare.

"By the way, Ah-Heng, I unlocked the ranking function. I'm ranked 458th. Where can I see the overall leaderboard?" Jiang Tao asked curiously.

Guo Heng pointed toward a massive LED screen mounted on a high wall in the distance.

"It's right there!"

Jiang Tao and Lin Qi both looked toward the screen, and the data on it appeared before them.

"This is the leaderboard compiled based on combat records in the *Red Realm* Arena. It's abbreviated as the 'Red List'."

"However, currently, the statistics only cover our Red Sky Martial Arts Dojo, Tianhai Branch. Anyone logged in via an IP within this dojo is included," Guo Heng explained, pointing at the screen.

Meanwhile, Lin Qi and Jiang Tao were already studying the rankings.

[1st Place: Battle-Axe Bear, Rank: Astral] [2nd Place: General Guo of the Balanced Blade, Rank: Astral] [3rd Place: Myriad Swords, Rank: Astral] [...]

...

"The first place is Battle-Axe Bear. Could that be Li Zhou from our class?"

"It must be him!"

"Ah-Heng, is the second place you? An Astral Rank! That's incredible!" Jiang Tao exclaimed.

Guo Heng tilted his head back, a modest smile playing on his lips.

"It's only temporary. As time passes, other experts will gradually enter *Red Realm*, and the rankings will shift."

"As far as I know, there are several experts in our No. 1 High School who are ranked higher than me. They have full-holographic virtual pods in their own homes."

"If they log in here at the Red Sky Dojo, they might instantly take the top spot."

"The Red List also has another name: the 'Genius Youth List.' It only targets martial artists aged eighteen and below."

"College students are excluded. Generally, the statistics are reset after the college entrance exams."

"The scope of the rankings expands periodically. Right now, we can only see the rankings for our Tianhai Red Sky Dojo."

"Next, it will expand to all of Tianhai, then the entire Cang Province, and eventually the whole country."

"Don't be fooled by my second-place position. Once the scope expands, my rank will likely drop."

"What I need to do is stabilize my position."

Listening to Guo Heng's explanation, Lin Qi and Jiang Tao gained a wealth of knowledge. This wasn't exactly a secret, but figuring it out on their own would have taken time.

Guo Heng's answers saved them a lot of trouble.

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

Guo Heng explained

"Ranks represent your strength."

"If you pass the AI tests in the arena, you are a Novice. After ten matches, you become an Elite."

"In matchmaking, you earn 3 points for every opponent you defeat, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss."

"Once your points exceed 150, you can promote to the Astral Rank."

"The *Red Realm* Arena divides ranks into four tiers: Astral, Radiant Moon, Blazing Sun, and the strongest—God Tier."

"I am currently in the Astral Rank!"

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao exchanged a look, internally stunned.

"You need 150 points to reach Astral? Doesn't that mean you have to win at least 50 matches?"

"The opponents I just faced were already strong—all geniuses. Winning 50 matches sounds incredibly difficult," Jiang Tao marveled.

Lin Qi felt a sense of trepidation. After only five matches, he had already felt the strength of his opponents; everyone who could enter *Red Realm* was a genius.

These geniuses were stronger and stronger with each one. Winning 50 matches would be an immense challenge.

And since Guo Heng had managed to win 50 matches, it was easy to imagine just how powerful he was.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. The *Red Realm* officials have launched an event."

"Anyone who can reach the Astral Rank before October 10th—which is before the Tianhai monthly exams—will receive a reward of 500,000 Xia Country Yuan," Guo Heng said, as if suddenly remembering.

"500,000?"

Lin Qi's eyes lit up. Reaching the Astral Rank actually yielded 500,000 Yuan.

One had to realize that even a Second-Class Genius Loan was only 500,000 Yuan.

Lin Qi calculated silently: if he could get both the event reward and the Second-Class Genius Loan, he would have 1,000,000 Yuan.

He and Jiang Tao exchanged a look, reaching a silent understanding.

They had to get that 500,000. They were both desperately short on cash.

"I just heard some students from the elite class at our school chatting. One of my classmates, who is in the top thirty of his grade, was actually defeated by a newcomer named Yang Jian."

"This newcomer is something else. You two are also newcomers; you might get matched with him. Be careful," Guo Heng reminded them with a smile.

"Yang Jian... daring to take the name of the Erlang Shen. He must be quite confident in his strength," Jiang Tao quipped.

Lin Qi froze. He hadn't expected to be the subject of the gossip.

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

...

(End of Chapter)