Chapter 9: Nanhua Jianghu Ranking List

“Happy.”
Just after logging out of the game and before even getting out of bed, he saw a large black face appear in front of him, with eyes that resembled those in “Ju-On.” Chen Fan hurriedly dragged the still-shocked person to his computer desk:
“Hurry up! Go to this website, register as a member—it just needs you.”
“Why?”
Happy, uninterested in membership, yawned and wiped his eyes. “I’m not interested in those Asian porn videos you collect. Don’t mention Ai Ai Kojima to me… Ouch!” Before he could finish speaking, he got a hard hit on the head, which made him sober up a bit, and his gaze settled on the glowing screen.
“Nanhua Jianghu Ranking List?”
Memories from his past life rushed to mind, and Happy suddenly understood: So this is it.
Since the release of “Jianghu,” Nanhua University became popular gradually a month later, quickly spreading among students. The three lonely wolves in the dormitory were among the most enthusiastic among them. Realizing the game’s immense impact, they spent several nights creating a website for Nanhua University students to communicate about “Jianghu” easily.
The homepage listed the names and information of notable figures, along with useful tips and task guides for “Jianghu”—very practical and eye-catching!
Sure enough, they managed to create it…
Sitting quietly in front of the computer, Happy felt his thoughts become lively.
He remembered that although the Nanhua Jianghu Ranking List was part of Nanhua University’s community, as it developed, universities around it also joined in. Eventually, some top players appeared, and the website began to generate decent advertising revenue and profits. It even started to post task information from “Jianghu,” though this feature was only available to registered members with real names.
“Not bad, right?”
Seeing his work valued, Chen Fan couldn’t hide his pride. He adjusted his hairstyle in front of the mirror in the corner: “This is the result of three days of work. It was officially launched last night, and we already have over 300 registered members, with the number still rising fast. I thought if I didn’t pull you in, people would say we’re not united.”
Before he could finish speaking, he heard keyboard typing nearby.
After quickly registering as a member—still using the name Happy—he ended up at the last place on the Nanhua Jianghu Ranking List… number 341.
“Fill in your highest martial arts and mental technique levels. Based on the information on the official website, the site will automatically rank you. By the way, Happy, how many martial arts have you learned so far?”

Chen Fan turned his head and asked curiously.
Kai Xin didn’t answer but quickly added “Shaolin Long Fist”: Level 67.7; “Quan Xin Heart Method”: Level 44.5 to his information sheet.
Chen Fan showed a hint of surprise behind him and nodded repeatedly:
“Huh, not bad. Reaching the seventh realm so fast… It’s a shame it’s Shaolin Long Fist. Such a rigid martial art. Never mind. According to Xiao Bai, once a martial art reaches the ninth realm, internal strength begins to improve. I’ll try to master it in these two days—probably enough to make it into the top 30 of the rankings.”
Reaching the ninth realm was required to enter the top 30 of the Nanhua Jianghu Rankings, which was quite astonishing. That meant many people had already reached this level.
Kai Xin wasn’t surprised at all…
After entering his information, his rank jumped from 341 to 297.
Although Shaolin Long Fist improved rapidly, the lack of lightness skills and the significantly lower level of his heart method (spending a week feeding pets) meant he wasted a lot of time along the way, so it was normal for him to be ranked low.
Besides…
In universities where information circulated quickly, many people practiced diligently while communicating with others and gathering information. They were well-informed, and their drive and enthusiasm were astonishing—not much different from professionals. Reaching the ninth realm in just over a month wasn’t unusual at all.
However, Chen Fan was slightly wrong.
Reaching the ninth realm didn’t take as long as he said.
Since the Murong family hadn’t assigned any tasks, he had an entire day to practice… With full effort, he could reach the ninth realm today.
But nothing compared to the excitement of seeing a group of familiar names.
With a smile of anticipation on his face, Kai Xin cursorily scrolled through the names and levels of the top-ranked individuals. As expected, just like in his past life, “Brother Yu Cha,” the quiet vice-class leader of Computer Science Class 01, was first. His Wudang Qing Song Sword Technique had reached Level 89.7 (the peak of the ninth realm), just one step away from the tenth realm. He had been the first at Nanhua to realize that opportunities at night were greater than during the day, and he was also the first to enter and exit!
Little Bottom Wiggling…
Fatty God…
No Bullying…
Phoenix in Colorful Clothes…
Lonely Xiao Qi…
Lonely Xiao Bai…

These people were not only at the top of Nanhua’s rankings but also the pillars of Nanhua University. All of them possessed a martial art at the ninth level and were somewhat famous in the martial arts world. In particular, Feng Wu Cai Yi even founded the Cai Yi Sect. Three years later, ten members of the sect made it into the top thousand participants in the Global Huashan Sword Competition, including him… How delightful!

But as everyone graduated and went on to different jobs and social circles, the original camaraderie vanished, and their ways of handling things became more rational and heartless.

It was at that time that Kai Xin left the Cai Yi Sect due to a certain incident!

It was also then that he was taken advantage of, ambushed, and killed several times at the foot of Shaoshi Mountain, greatly weakening his martial skills—each death equaled a severe injury, allowing him to use only 70% of his strength (losing 30% of his internal energy) and unable to recover quickly unless he had rare herbs or underwent long-term recuperation.

After suffering repeated severe injuries, his strength dropped from the life-and-death realm to the entry-level stage. The Global Huashan Sword Competition ended in an inexplicable failure, and three years of hard work went down the drain. Disheartened, he withdrew from the martial arts world.

Thinking back now, there are still many mysteries…

But!

Kai Xin’s eyes shone with determination:

Since fate had given him a chance to start over, he certainly wouldn’t let the tragedies of his past life repeat!

Huashan Sword Competition!

“Alright, keep watching. I need to go practice my martial arts. Spending too much time on a website—oh right, Kai Xin, if you have any questions, send me a message. You know my name.”

Making a phone-call gesture, Chen Fan quickly got up and went back to bed.

“Okay.”

His gaze returned to the screen, scanning it briefly before he remembered his important strategic goal for quitting the game—having breakfast.