Chapter 71: Number One on the Ranking List

Shanghai, Di Huang Hotel.
A pretty-looking waitress gently knocked on the door of Room 2109, only to see someone standing with their back to her by the floor-to-ceiling window. Through the reflection in the glass, she could faintly make out the lingering anger and fierce gaze on their face. Trembling, she quickly bent down to pick up the shattered silver-white helmet pieces on the floor.
The Sensing Virtual Helmet from “Jianghu” had a market price of over 5,000 yuan, and it took a long time to get one through the waiting list. Yet here it was, crushed underfoot…
The waitress didn’t dare ask further questions. She silently cleaned up the mess and redid the room before bowing and leaving, behaving impeccably throughout.
It wasn’t until the door was closed that the man by the window slowly exhaled. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths to calm himself down. A hint of determination shone in his narrow, dark eyes.
“Happy.”
“I’ll find you.”
With that, he took out his phone and quickly dialed a number:
“It’s Wan She! Put down whatever you’re doing and order a virtual helmet for me right away—the same one you ordered last time. Yes, deliver it to 2109 as soon as possible…”
After hanging up, Wan She opened the stylish and colorful notebook on his desk, entered the official “Jianghu” website, and found the entry for “Nan Hua Jiang Hu Ranking List” among the partner websites at the bottom. He clicked to enter it.
The website had been updated again.
Right after his defeat, a new page had appeared on the Nan Hua Jiang Hu Ranking List…
The List of Strongest!
It listed the strongest individuals from Nan Hua University, ranked according to their performance in this tournament.
Even Wan She had to admit that the lonely three wolves who created this website were definitely not those who stumbled upon “Jianghu” and tried to gain fame through shortcuts. Their ability to update and redesign the site so quickly showed excellent computer maintenance and planning skills.
When he clicked on the List of Strongest, his name—“Orochimaru”—was clearly listed…
Second!
The person who occupied first place on the list was “Happy,” the one who had defeated him. She had given him a glimmer of hope to turn the tide at the last moment, only to easily ruin his plans and crush his confidence. To this day, he still didn’t understand how she knew about the sky-silk thread connected to the handles of his twin swords—a secret weapon he had never used before. It seemed she had anticipated it all along, forcing him to suffer humiliation as he fell from the arena with his twin swords. Thinking about it now still filled him with rage.
“…”

The details of this battle had already appeared on the forums of the Nanhua Jianghu Ranking, and it was even included in the “Classic REP Collection” as a legendary fight. On the forums, countless Nanhua students cursed Orochimaru for his appearance and actions. Wan She simply glanced at them indifferently before continuing to read, hoping to uncover the true identity of “Kai Xin.” To his disappointment, the people on the forums were also trying to figure out Kai Xin’s identity, just like him. Unfortunately, after the battle, Kai Xin showed no intention of revealing himself and disappeared just like Orochimaru.
“It’s fine not to show up in reality…”
Wan She murmured thoughtfully, “One day I’ll find you. By then, huh… don’t blame me for being ruthless. If anyone deserves blame, it’s you for offending the wrong person.”
…
While Wan She was actively searching for any information about Kai Xin on the Nanhua Jianghu Ranking, he had no idea that Kai Xin had quit the game as soon as he received the system’s announcement that he had officially become the champion of Nanhua University and qualified for recommendations.
Taking off his helmet, the slight noise immediately attracted the attention of the Lonely Three Wolves. With a rush, the three rushed to the window, their eyes gleaming like those of perverts who had seen naked women, their expressions lustful, accompanied by strange, mocking laughter. Kai Xin felt a chill run down his spine.
“Kid, confess! Did you have some lucky encounter in the game?”
“You’ve become so strong in just over a month—there must be some secret! Confess quickly!”
“Truthful confession gets leniency; resistance gets harsh punishment!”
Kai Xin was speechless.
“Does joining the Murong family count as a lucky encounter?”
“No.”
“Then, having trained in hidden weapons and lightness skills to the master level—does that count as a secret?”
“That’s debatable.”
Qi Ci keenly sensed there was more to it.
“What’s there to say?”
Rolling his eyes, Kai Xin replied, “Buy a hidden weapons manual, fill a bag with them, and practice against an NPC at the border for three days and nights—guaranteed to reach the master level… Lightness skills are even easier. With advanced mental techniques, keep running—also three days and nights…” Seeing the three look stunned, he reluctantly pushed them away:
“I don’t know if there are shortcuts in the jianghu, but I haven’t encountered any.”
Then he recounted in detail how he had luckily killed the third tomb raider during a mission, obtained a manual, a Qiankun Bag, and plenty of silver, and how he used that money to master hidden weapons skills. The three suddenly understood.

With hidden weapons at hand, the lethality increases significantly, putting almost no pressure on the incoming NPCs… It’s not impossible to take down the Black Wind Fort using a few tricks.
The three were distracted by Happy and forgot about their superb sword and fist techniques, focusing instead on what seemed even more impressive—winged knives and light-footed skills. After his explanation, they somewhat understood it, though it still seemed incredible, and the awe they felt earlier had faded.
“By the way, the champion gets a prize of three thousand bucks this time, right?”
Happy shifted their attention again.
“Mm.”
Bai Lang adjusted his glasses and looked over.
“What do you plan to do with it?”
“What else can I do?” Happy knew exactly what those three wolves were thinking. With a sigh, he resignedly said, “For secrecy’s sake, I’ll obviously silence you first.”
Still, Happy was well aware that his identity would eventually be noticed or guessed by someone interested. He could only delay things for as long as possible; it was impossible to keep it secret forever.
“Smart.”
The Three Lonely Wolves raised their thumbs in unison.
“Let’s go to a nicer hotel for dinner tonight. Bring Xu Xin along—ask me for the money for a room.”
Chen Fan raised an eyebrow at Happy with a mischievous smile.
“Get lost!”
Happy rolled his eyes irritably.
Xu Xin was now, after all, a revolutionary comrade, and their relationship was that of pure comrades-in-arms. Only this kid kept thinking about such nonsense.
And…
What worried Happy even more now was whether she might connect him with Happy and come after him.
If she did…
What should he do?
Follow the script?
Or…
His thoughts grew chaotic as he delved deeper.
He immediately set the Three Lonely Wolves aside, left the dormitory, and went to the balcony near the college road. As soon as he showed up, he regretted it—the scorching noon sun made the flame in his heart burn even brighter. Frustrated, he prepared to turn around when suddenly a voice from below called out:
“Chen Kaixin!”
Xu Xin stood gracefully in the scorching sun below, her little face red, either from the sun or excitement. She stared at Happy on the balcony, drawing jealous and envious glances from several boys passing by.