Chapter 143: Chapter 46 Nanming Huo Wu
“Sister Xi.”
“Instructor.” Several people spoke one after another.
Seeing that everyone was there, Lin Xi knew they were waiting for her; it was clear they had agreed to meet.
“Instructor, I’ve found a nice restaurant, and since everyone is free today, how about the seven of us go and try it out?” Li Man proposed to Lin Xi.
She deliberately said seven people.
The six of them, plus Lin Xi, made exactly seven.
“Yeah, we’ve been there before; the food is quite good.” Jiang Tong also chimed in, “After the last trial, we six haven’t had the chance to treat Sister Xi to a meal.”
Lin Xi was quite touched.
Knowing her situation, they all wanted to comfort her.
But seven people?
“Sister Xi, then we’ll head out first,” Xu Mo understood Li Man’s intention quite clearly.
“Let’s go together,” Su Rou said.
“Yeah, since we’re all good friends, let’s go together,” Sun Xiaoxiao added.
Benjamin and Hughes didn’t have any objections; they had no prejudices against Xu Mo’s group.
Seeing Su Rou and Sun Xiaoxiao inviting Xu Mo, Li Man was clearly not pleased. What were they thinking?
“I appreciate your kindness,” Lin Xi said with a smile, “but I’m not that fragile. You all still have to study; let’s do it together next time.”
Being with Xu Mo and the others helped Lin Xi see some things in a different light.
Without the constraints of family, perhaps, she could be herself in the future.
As for money, she didn’t care about that too much.
Lin Xi wasn’t after a high standard of living, and besides, the academy paid well.
Hearing Lin Xi’s words, everyone nodded in agreement, not insisting any further.
“Let’s get moving…”
“The Nanming Goddess is first now, breaking the historical record of the Eight Extraordinary Colleges.”
“She reached the top of the Eight Extraordinary Colleges’ points leaderboard shortly after starting the third grade, that must be the fastest in history.”
At that moment, many students started running towards a certain direction.
Lin Xi and her group looked around, noticing that something big was happening in the academy.
“She’s first?” Benjamin pondered with a slight ripple in his heart.
That was the first place in the Eight Extraordinary Colleges.
Not just among new students.
Li Man and the others realized what was going on as well.
“Wow, that’s so impressive, she really is my idol,” Sun Xiaoxiao said excitedly after hearing the voices around her, “I’m going to check it out.”
With that, she turned and ran towards a place.
The others quickly followed.
Only Xu Mo and his companions were clueless.
First place, leaderboard top?
“Seems really impressive,” Xiao Qi mumbled, then chased after the others.
Curiosity.
“Let’s go have a look too,” Lin Xi felt a stir in her heart. The distinguished daughter from the Nanming Family had reached the top in the third grade?
Truly a freak of nature worthy of the S rank.
Thinking this, she glanced at Xu Mo beside her.
The one beside her, he’s a freak of nature too.
In the future, there will probably be a place for him on the leaderboard.
“Sister Xi, what are we going to see?” Xu Mo asked.
He had not been at the academy for many days, and aside from attending one class, he had also unwittingly gotten into a fight with the Mech Department of the World Noble Academy.
As for many other things, he was not very clear.
“The Ruins World leaderboard,” Lin Xi said to Xu Mo. “It’s a virtual reality game from Byron Star that can fully upload human data into the game world, indistinguishable from reality. There, the setting is the ruins of a world invaded on Byron Star.”
“Sword Art Online??” Xu Mo thought to himself.
The mecha technology made Xu Mo realize that this world could achieve this kind of game technology.
They arrived in front of a steel building.
There was a huge screen mounted on the building.
Displayed on it were a series of avatars and names.
At this moment, the students of Noah Academy were all watching.
Their gazes were fixed on the avatar at the very top.
The avatar depicted a woman wearing a helmet with a valiant air, and though it was vague, they could still make out her stunning visage.
The second place was taken by a young man, handsome and extraordinary, wearing armor.
“This building is the Noah Academy Ruins World building. You haven’t been there yet, right? It’s the perfect opportunity to experience it,” Lin Xi said to Xu Mo.
“The entire building is for that?” Xu Mo asked.
“Yes,” Lin Xi nodded. “We can’t go to the actual ruins for trials very often; there are certain risks, and it requires substantial manpower and resources. The Ruins World is an excellent platform for trials—not only can you gauge your own strength, but you can also experience the process of battling monsters, and even experience death.”
“The Eight Extraordinary Colleges are always competing on the leaderboard. The list above is the top hundred of the Eight Extraordinary Colleges’ general leaderboard, while the list below is the top hundred newcomers from the Eight Extraordinary Colleges. Chen Qiuxue and Reynolds have already climbed onto it.”
Xu Mo looked and indeed found the names of Chen Qiuxue and Reynolds, although they were towards the bottom.
He also saw Lin Jue’s name.
Ranked fifth among the newcomers.
“Since the newcomers have only started school not long ago, the newcomer leaderboard is still unstable, with many not yet embarking on the Ruins World trial by combat. But the overall leaderboard is relatively stable, with points accumulating over time.”
Xu Mo nodded, now understanding the general idea.
The top-ranked individual was from Nanming Academy.
The second place was from World Noble Academy.
Within the top ten, there was one from Noah Academy, ranked fourth.
“Her surname is Nanming?” Xu Mo was a bit surprised to see the name at the top.
Wasn’t it Nanming Academy?
“Nanming Academy was founded by the Nanming Family, one of Steel Dome City’s top-tier families, known for producing generations of outstanding individuals. During the era when Steel Dome City was established, the Nanming Family was considered a heroic lineage that made significant contributions, and the first family head of the Nanming Family died in battle protecting Steel Dome City,” she explained.
“In Steel Dome City, only a few families are prestigious enough to be called ‘noble families,’ and the Nanming Family is one of them, with a very high reputation.”
“Nanming Huo Wu, the one they call the ‘Nanming Goddess,’ is the daughter of the current family head. Her enrollment in the academy caused quite a stir, with her Source Power Fusion Degree being S grade,” Lin Xi introduced.
“What Source Power Level has the one at the top of the leaderboard reached?” Xu Mo curiously asked.
The leaderboard was essentially an indicator of the combat power of the Eight Extraordinary Colleges, with not too much margin for error.
Of course, there was also the possibility that some people were hiding their true strength.
But the Source Power Level of the one at the top of the leaderboard would give an idea of the level at which the top fighters from the Eight Extraordinary Colleges were.
“Source Power Level B+, close to A grade. With equipment, combat power could even reach A level. In the eyes of Steel Dome City, this is also top-tier individual combat power,” Lin Xi said.
The names at the top of the scoreboard were to be looked up to not just by the instructors but also many teachers from the Eight Extraordinary Colleges.
Those people were truly the favored children of the heavens, and they had already realized their talents.
“Xu Mo.” Lin Xi said softly.
Xu Mo looked at her profile, seeing Lin Xi’s bright eyes especially spirited at this moment, gazing at the very top of the scoreboard, she whispered, “One day, you’ll be up there.”
When that day really came, it would capture the attention of thousands.
The entire Steel Dome City would know his name.
Xu Mo looked at the very top.
He had no doubts about it either.
“Sister Xi, can you make money from the scoreboard?” Xu Mo suddenly asked.
“????”
Lin Xi gave him a look.
Xu Mo gave a wry smile, you couldn’t blame him.
He really needed money right now.
He had to repay Su Rou’s favor.
And to buy clothes for Sister Butterfly.
It wouldn’t do for sister Butterfly to always wear the same few pieces.
He had promised, after all.
“You can,” Lin Xi finally said. “Participate in the events at Ruins City.”
Xu Mo’s eyes lit up.
With this, he had much more motivation.
As for the scoreboard, he wasn’t too interested.
Sun Xiaoxiao was very excited.
The Nanming sister was not only beautiful but also powerful.
She had finally surpassed that guy from the World Noble College.
She turned her head to look, saw Lin Xi and Xu Mo chatting, and perked up her ears to eavesdrop quietly.
Although she didn’t quite understand her dad’s intentions.
But since her dad told her to be friends with Sister Xi and Xu Mo, there must be a reason.
Could it be, was there some secret hidden?
Being so smart, she had to dig it out.
“Have you not gone there yet? Shall I take you to experience it?” Lin Xi asked Xu Mo.
“Sure.” Xu Mo nodded.
A group of people walked towards the Ruins World building.
Benjamin and the others happened to want to go there as well.
Not just them, but many students from Noah Academy headed towards the Ruins World building, ignited by the craze of Nanming Huowu becoming the existence to top the scoreboard in the shortest time in history.
If they were lucky, they might even see someone from the top of the scoreboard.
Inside the steel building were rows of machines, many with people on them, fully immersed in their own worlds.
“These machines are expensive, right?” Xu Mo said.
“Hmm.” Lin Xi nodded, “The company that developed Ruins World is a top company from Byron Star, and as soon as Ruins World appeared, it became a global phenomenon.”
In the world of Byron Star, the entertainment gaming industry was not well-developed.
But Ruins World was the exception, it transcended beyond mere games.
It could enhance human strength.
The first floor was already full.
They went up to the third floor before finally finding some open spots.
“Insert your student card, it will generate your unique data, which can be used to tally the scores for the rankings,” Lin Xi said, while people outside the academy used their identity cards.
Xu Mo and the others all had their student cards.
The device was a circular chair, Xu Mo inserted his student card, lay down, and started the device.
The helmet enveloped his head, the neural interaction system activated, and he was entirely enclosed within the sealed device.
“Data generation in progress, please wait.”
A voice echoed in his mind, followed by beeping sounds.
At that moment, a panel appeared before Xu Mo, and the system prompted, “First-time entry, please enter your name.”
“Can I use a code name?” Xu Mo thought for a moment, then entered, “Hunter!”
“Welcome to Ruins World.”
“Boom…”
His head shook violently, and Xu Mo found himself standing in Noah Academy.
Around him were many other students.
He was somewhat unable to tell whether this was the real world or virtual.
In the distance, monsters could be seen rampaging in the sky, destroying buildings after buildings.
Humans were locked in battle with the monsters.
Several figures appeared beside Xu Mo, all showing their real faces, wearing the clothes they had on, with no weapons.
They had no equipment.
“Brother Mo, Sister Butterfly, this is too realistic.” said Xiao Qi, looking around at the many students walking around the academy with gear.
It was exactly like the real world.
“Silly boy.” A voice came through, Sun Xiaoxiao appeared, but she was wearing pink battle armor and held firearms in her hands.
“Xiao Xiao, why aren’t you operating a mecha?” Xiao Qi asked.
Sun Xiaoxiao glared at Xiao Qi.
This silly boy could talk one to death.
Not enough points!!!
Mechas are very expensive.
Benjamin, Li Man, and Jiang Tong appeared one after another, though Benjamin’s equipment was clearly much stronger.
“Although this is not the real Ruins, the sensory system is exactly the same. The feeling of death is very unpleasant; you all should be careful.” Su Rou appeared, in battle armor and fully armed with firearms.
“Let’s go.” Li Man moved forward, ignoring Xu Mo and the others.
“And,” Su Rou cautioned, “inside here, sometimes humans aren’t friendly either.”
“Got it.” Xu Mo nodded.
This was a world where crime was possible!