To Ye Tianxie’s slight surprise, the second name on the level rankings was completely unfamiliar to him. It was a name he had never heard before—clearly a woman’s name:
2nd Place: Dream Feather Robe
Level: 11
Class: Assassin
A completely unfamiliar name, one that Ye Tianxie had never encountered before.
3rd Place: Kill Without End
Level: 11
Class: Sword Warrior
Kill Without End… that man known as the “Heavenly Blade Underworld King.” Ye Tianxie was all too familiar with him. Unlike his own brand of devilishness, this man had a singular obsession—blades. No matter which virtual game he played, he always wielded a blade, and not just any blade, but massive, overwhelming ones. Among all combat classes, only warriors could wield such weapons.
In reality, Kill Without End was an undisputed master of the blade. Since memory and comprehension of weapons remained intact in virtual games, his expertise gave him a massive edge—an inherent advantage that made virtual worlds fundamentally unfair.
Then again, if any virtual game could interfere with human memory or neural functions, no one would dare play it.
4th Place: Son of Heaven
Level: 11
Class: Gun Warrior
Son of Heaven… Emperor. Anyone familiar with Wings of the Shrouded Sky would know exactly who that name belonged to. The Emperor—a man of arrogance backed by the power to justify it. From birth, he stood at the pinnacle, calling himself a natural-born ruler. And his actions only served to prove that claim.
In the gaming world, he commanded the admiration of all players. In reality, he struck fear into countless individuals—including those who held the core power of Huaxia.
5th Place: Shadow of Heaven
Level: 11
Class: Wind Mage
Another completely unfamiliar name.
6th Place: God’s Burial
Level: 11
Class: Assassin
God’s Burial. Though unfamiliar, anyone who dared use "God" in their name was bound to be someone extraordinary. Ye Tianxie immediately thought of a person. And anyone who could make it into his memory was never ordinary.
The Northern Emperor and the Southern Divine Son—two young figures wielding unmatched power and influence in Huaxia. Backed by forces so immense that ordinary people couldn’t even dream of approaching them, they weren’t known for their connections alone. They had earned their status through sheer talent, strength, and cunning, with their backgrounds merely serving as formidable support.
No one in reality dared to provoke these two. Yet, unlike the Emperor’s arrogance and dominance, the Southern Divine Son was calm and composed. The two were notorious rivals—both in the real world and in the gaming world.
7th Place: Cangchen
Level: 11
Class: Summoner
Another unfamiliar name. But what caught Ye Tianxie’s attention was this person’s class—Summoner.
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It wasn’t the class choice itself that surprised him, but the fact that summoners were notoriously weak in the early stages of any virtual game. Their offensive abilities were limited, relying entirely on their signature summons. And in the beginning, a summoner could only call forth a single creature, which, at best, was on par with a monster of the same level.
As a result, summoners typically leveled up far slower than warriors or mages, only becoming formidable in the mid-to-late game. The same held true for Shield Guardians—indispensable defensive anchors in any team, yet cursed with painfully slow leveling due to their low attack power.
Scanning the rankings, there wasn’t a single Shield Guardian in the top fifty. And among the top hundred, only one Summoner had made it—this very Cangchen, ranked seventh.
This person was anything but ordinary.
8th Place: One Sword Reaching the Clouds
Level: 11
Class: Sword Warrior
9th Place: Defiant Shadow Star Soul
Level: 11
Class: Sword Warrior
10th Place: Zero
Level: 11
Class: Assassin
No Blood Fiend Moon… Why wasn’t Blood Fiend Moon on the list?
All ten players in the rankings were at Level 11, meaning the difference between them was razor-thin. A single moment could see the tenth place rising to first. Yet among these names, he wasn’t there.
Ye Tianxie was slightly surprised but quickly dismissed it. After all, compared to those who spent 24 hours a day in the game, his playtime was barely half that.
But what truly puzzled him was Blood Fiend Moon’s absence.
Blood Fiend Moon—the enigmatic woman he had first met as an ice-cold, almost inhuman figure. Yet, under his influence, she had finally begun to show traces of humanity. She had spent a long time by his side in the virtual world.
With her personality, she wouldn’t have changed her name. And with her astonishing talent and strength, how was she not in the top ten?
Ye Tianxie knew just how powerful she was. Few people could claim to understand her true strength better than he did. Yet, even now, he knew nothing of her real identity—not even her face.
His gaze lingered on the giant screen displaying the top ten rankings. When his eyes passed over the very top name, they turned cold for a fleeting second before returning to normal.
Tian Moye…
That false Tian Moye did not deserve that position.
As long as he existed in this world—first place would never belong to anyone else.
Time to level up.
All across the plaza, white lights flickered as new players arrived from the beginner villages, having completed their class advancement trials. Among the already-advanced players, some wore various animal-themed masks.
That reminded Ye Tianxie of something. He touched his face, confirmed his direction, and headed towards the central item shop of Tianchen City.
“Shopkeeper, just give me a mask—any one will do.”
Upon entering the shop, Ye Tianxie addressed the thin old man behind the counter. After arriving in Tianchen City, the system’s face-adjustment effect had automatically worn off, restoring all players’ real-world appearances.
To keep a low profile, it was necessary to do as he had in previous games—buy a mask.
And on his first day in the game, the system had conveniently informed him that masks sold in the city were completely free.
“Ah, welcome, young man.”
The shopkeeper, affected by Ye Tianxie’s Charm stat of 22, was noticeably more polite than he was to regular players. With a kindly smile, he retrieved a tiger-faced mask and handed it over.
“Strictly speaking, masks aren’t equipment—they’re just appearance-altering accessories. At least, the ones in my shop are. The city lord ordered us to provide free masks to you brave warriors from another world.”
“But, young man, let me tell you something…” the old man’s eyes gleamed with curiosity. “Some masks—exceedingly rare and precious ones—are said to grant powerful attributes, even extraordinary abilities. Ah, how I wish I could witness such a legendary mask myself someday…”
He suddenly paused, his gaze locking onto Ye Tianxie’s chest. His expression changed drastically.
“Oh! Young man—if my eyes aren’t deceiving me, could that be the legendary… Braveheart Emblem?”
The shopkeeper’s voice trembled in disbelief as he stared at the badge on Ye Tianxie’s chest.
Ye Tianxie picked up the Braveheart Emblem, his tone calm yet firm.
“Yes, it is.”
