What mildly surprised Ye Tianxie was that second place on the Level Rankings was a name he had never heard before — and plainly a woman’s name at that:
Second Place: Meng Yuyi. Level 11. Class: Assassin.
A most unfamiliar name, one Ye Tianxie had never once heard.
Third Place: Sha Wujin. Level 11. Class: Sword Warrior.
Sha Wujin… the man known as the Heaven-Blade Netherking. That name Ye Tianxie knew all too well. He was nothing like Tian Moxie in his wickedness; in whatever virtual game, the weapon he chose was invariably the blade — the great, outsized kind. And the only class that could wield a greatblade was the Warrior. As far as Ye Tianxie knew, Sha Wujin was a peerless master of the blade in the real world, and in a virtual game world, a person’s memory doesn’t change, nor does their grasp and command of the blade — which made it an enormous advantage for him in virtual gaming. And that, too, was a relative unfairness in virtual games that could never be erased.
Then again, if any virtual game could tamper with human memory and nerves, no one would be willing to touch such a game at all.
Fourth Place: Son of Heaven. Level 11. Class: Spear Warrior.
Son of Heaven… the Son of Heaven. Anyone who knew of Wings That Shroud the Sky would know whose name this was. The Son of Heaven — that arrogant man who possessed the absolute capital for his arrogance. From birth he had stood at the apex of the pyramid, styling himself a born emperor… and everything he did drove him further toward that “emperor.” In the game world he had all players looking up at him; in the real world, there was no telling how many he made tremble… including some who held Huaxia’s core power.
Fifth Place: Sky Shadow. Level 11. Class: Wind Mage.
Another completely unfamiliar name.
Sixth Place: Zangshen. Level 11. Class: Assassin.
Zangshen — an unfamiliar name, but one that took the so-called “god” for its own… Ye Tianxie immediately thought of a certain person. And anyone he could remember was certainly no ordinary man.
The Son of Heaven of the North, the Son of God of the South — the two figures of the younger generation with the highest standing, the greatest strength, and the most formidable methods in all Huaxia. Behind each stood a colossus too vast for ordinary people to touch. Yet their fame came not from their backing, but chiefly from their own extraordinary talent, strength, and methods, supported and buttressed by powerful backgrounds and factions. In the real world, no one dared lightly provoke either of these two. And unlike the Son of Heaven’s arrogant tyranny, the Son of God of the South was far steadier. That he and the Son of Heaven were openly at daggers drawn was known to all — in the real world and the game world alike.
Seventh Place: Cang Chen. Level 11. Class: Summoner.
Another unfamiliar name. What caught Ye Tianxie’s attention was that this person’s class was, of all things, a Summoner… not that he was surprised at the choice, but rather that the Summoner was nearly the weakest class in the early stage of any virtual game. Their means of attack were singular, and their strongest attack still depended on their exclusive prerogative — summoned beasts. And in the early game, a Summoner could call forth only one beast at a time, with strength no greater than a monster of the same level. So in the early game, a Summoner’s leveling speed lagged far behind attacking classes like the Warrior or the Mage; only in the mid-to-late game would the Summoner gradually reveal its power.
Likewise, though the defense-oriented Guardian was the indispensable protective soul of any party, their low attack power meant their leveling speed was destined to fall behind the attacking classes. And scanning the Level Rankings, there wasn’t a single Guardian in the top fifty.
And in the top hundred, there was only one Summoner: this Cang Chen, who had somehow fought his way to seventh place as a Summoner.
This person was anything but simple.
Eighth Place: Sword Soaring the Clouds. Level 11. Class: Sword Warrior.
Ninth Place: Fierce Shadow Star Soul. Level 11. Class: Sword Warrior.
Tenth Place: Zero. Level 11. Class: Assassin.
No Bloodfiend Moon. Why was there no Bloodfiend Moon?
All ten people on the Level Rankings were, without exception, Level 11. One could well imagine that the gaps between them were exceedingly small — perhaps in the next moment, tenth place could reach first. And among these ten, he was absent… That surprised him slightly, but he let it go at once; after all, his daily playtime was less than half that of the gaming fanatics who stayed online twenty-four hours a day. But he couldn’t find Bloodfiend Moon’s name either.
Bloodfiend Moon — that strange woman who at first meeting had been cold almost to the point of inhumanity, and who under his “methods” had finally begun to reveal some “humanity.” She had also been someone who accompanied him for a long while in the virtual gaming world. Given her character, she shouldn’t have changed her name. So with her astonishing talent and strength, why hadn’t she appeared in the top ten of the Level Rankings?
How strong Bloodfiend Moon was, and where her true strength lay — he could confidently believe that not many people understood it better than he did. Though to this day he still didn’t know her true identity, or even what she looked like.
He gave one last glance at the great screen displaying the top ten players of the Huaxia battle zone. As his gaze swept across the topmost name, it turned abruptly cold, then returned to normal at once. Tian Moxie… A false Tian Moxie was unworthy of that position. And in any world where he existed, first place would never belong to another!
Well then — time to level up.
White light flashed here and there across the plaza: new players arriving in the City of Heaven’s Stars from the novice villages after passing their advancement trials. And among those who had already advanced… at a glance, some wore animal-shaped masks on their faces. That reminded Ye Tianxie. He touched his own face, got his bearings, and headed for the City of Heaven’s Stars’ central item shop.
“Boss, give me any mask you’ve got.” Ye Tianxie said to the gaunt old man as he stepped into the shop. Upon arriving in the City of Heaven’s Stars, the original appearance-adjustment effect vanished automatically, and every player fully reverted to their real-world features. And so, to make his future movements easier, Ye Tianxie needed to buy a mask to conceal his face, as he had in previous game worlds.
And on his first day in the game, that system prompt had told him that masks bought in the city were free… given away.
“Hello, young man.” Under the influence of Ye Tianxie’s Charm of 22, the item shop’s proprietor was markedly more courteous to him than to ordinary players, and a kindly smile even appeared on his face as he traded a tiger-head mask to Ye Tianxie, growing talkative besides. “Strictly speaking, a mask isn’t equipment, but merely an item for concealing one’s face — at least, all the masks in my shop are. The city lord instructed us some time ago that for you brave ones from another world, we are to sell you whatever mask you like free of charge. However, young man, as far as I know, there are some exceedingly rare and precious masks that do carry attributes — some even carry very powerful attributes. Ah, how I’d love to lay eyes on such a marvelous mask one day. Ah… wait, young man, on your chest… Oh! If my eyes don’t deceive me, could that be the legendary… Hero’s Badge?”
The shop proprietor’s emotions were visibly slipping out of his control, his eyes fixed in shock on the Hero’s Badge at Ye Tianxie’s chest.
Ye Tianxie lifted the Hero’s Badge, his face all modesty. “Yes. This is indeed the Hero’s Badge.”
(End of Chapter 82)