Upon seeing the so-called [Present World Hundred Sages List], Huang Xiu’s first reaction was that web novels had come true. After all, just as a certain district couldn’t lose Tifa, fantasy novels simply couldn’t exist without rankings.
‘Let me see what this is all about.’
While one might scoff at rankings in novels, a real-world list made her eager to follow updates every day. She right-clicked her mouse, disregarded the risk, and insisted on accessing it.
‘Cough, cough, wrong channel.’
Instead, she ignored the price and paid directly! ‘This Void Web is truly ridiculously user-friendly. Besides Alipay and bank cards, it even supports foreign payment methods.’
Huang Xiu grumbled as she pulled out her phone, paying ten yuan and making her first transaction on the platform. The content within the post was incredibly detailed, and after a brief read, she felt the ten yuan was well spent.
The so-called Present World Hundred Sages List compiled the strongest one hundred Awakened individuals in the Present World. Rankings were based on battles publicly witnessed by the masses and the corresponding number of Void Realms they had suppressed.
However, only the bottom ninety had specific rankings and battle records. The top ten were not ranked by order.
According to [Jingge], the private organization responsible for publishing this list:
The top ten were all humanoid walking nuclear deterrents, strategic deterrents for various nations or organizations. Furthermore, once they reached that realm, simple combat power and battle achievements could no longer accurately measure their rankings.
Often, the counter-abilities between Awakened individuals were the most crucial factor. Therefore, to ensure the impartiality of the list, Jingge refrained from giving specific rankings to the top ten.
Yet, Huang Xiu believed all these reasons were utter nonsense. The most likely scenario was that Jingge simply didn’t dare to rank them.
‘Eh, Teacher actually has a ranking too,’ Huang Xiu exclaimed in surprise.
The rankings in the post were ordered from lowest to highest. She began scrolling up from the hundredth spot, and when she reached the latter half, specifically the fortieth position, she discovered a familiar name.
Yuan Fei, ‘Mountain-Toppling, Ocean-Splitting’, Star-Edge Tier. Specific achievements:…
The ‘Mountain-Toppling, Ocean-Splitting’ preceding his name was his moniker, a publicly recognized alias. Generally, only well-known Awakened individuals earned such titles.
To some extent, these monikers could even reflect their combat style. However, some Awakened individuals chose their own.
One shouldn’t ask Huang Xiu how she knew this, because she had seen someone with the alias ‘Peerless Fierce Tiger’. Such an exceedingly chuunibyou name could only be chosen by those with over-the-top chuunibyou syndrome from the Evil Nation, or no one else at all.
‘But is Teacher really that strong?’ Huang Xiu clicked her tongue in wonder.
She knew her teacher was formidable, but she hadn’t realized he was *this* formidable. He was a top forty expert on a global scale. While the list might not be entirely accurate, its placement as the top trending post on the Void Web indicated it held considerable credibility, at least within the Awakened community of the Great Xia Nation.
Many experts were listed in the post, but Huang Xiu recognized no one except Professor Yuan. She quickly scanned the bottom ninety names before directly skipping to the top ten.
It was then that she understood why only the Great Xia Nation, the Eagle Nation, and the Bear Nation were referred to as the three major nations of the Present World. Across the entire list, not only did the three major nations boast the highest number of Awakened individuals within the bottom ninety, but their representation in the top ten was also significantly higher, totaling a remarkable seven individuals!
The Great Xia Nation had three, known as the Great Xia Three Divine Generals, each possessing a striking moniker:
[Di Yiyuan, ‘Water and Sky as One’]
[Yuan Xiao, ‘Nature’s Splendor’]
[Shuilexian, ‘No One Knows the Joy of Water’]
The Eagle Nation and the Bear Nation were slightly inferior, each contributing only two individuals. They were respectfully known by titles such as ‘Scourge of God’ (Shield), ‘Extreme Winter’, and ‘Overlord’.
Aside from these seven from the three major nations, two of the remaining three individuals hailed from smaller countries. The last person, surprisingly, shared a slight connection with Huang Xiu.
This was none other than the leader of the Black Tower, the mastermind behind the simultaneous descent of three Void Realms in Song City not long ago. Though he was also listed among the top ten, his name and realm remained unknown; even his title was a simple ‘Black Tower Leader’.
‘I wonder when I’ll be able to make it onto the list.’ Huang Xiu sighed softly.
While she had great confidence in her own talent, this world was never short of geniuses. She herself didn’t know how far she could truly go.
****
After finishing the post, Huang Xiu exited the forum and then glanced at the ‘Tasks’ and ‘Agencies’ modules. The ‘Tasks’ module was an officially managed platform, akin to that of bounty hunters.
Both institutional Awakened individuals and unaffiliated Awakened individuals could issue and accept tasks. In comparison, the ‘Agencies’ module was much simpler. Its sole function was to provide direct access to various agency official websites, essentially acting as a navigation hub.
Huang Xiu clicked into Tiandu University’s official website. Tiandu University actually had two official websites. One could be found directly through search engines, while the other was only accessible via the Void Web.
Although both were genuine, only the one accessed through the Void Web was primarily for their Exploration Department, meaning their Awakened students. At first glance, Tiandu University’s official website was no different from the one Huang Xiu had previously found through a search engine.
However, there was a key difference. The moment she clicked in, before she even had a chance to register or log in, a new message popped up directly:
[Specific Guidelines for Exploration Department New Student Registration]
‘Ugh, this is also the main reason I came here.’
It was quite interesting; Tiandu University, despite being the most renowned university in the nation and the dream school for countless individuals, was shrouded in mystery. Everyone knew the school was located in the suburbs of Tiandu City, the capital of the Great Xia Nation, but nothing else.
Its specific address, campus environment, or even how many cafeterias it had and whether the food was good—even such simple information was unavailable. The only things one could find online were the official website and scammers selling courses under the guise of Tiandu University.
It was as if an invisible, colossal hand had erased all genuine information about Tiandu University from the internet. Of course, Huang Xiu wasn’t the only one who found this strange; she was among them.
However, she now understood the truth. She knew this must be the doing of the AI system. Only this intelligent system, which monitored the entire Great Xia Nation, could accomplish such a feat.
‘But I wonder, who exactly created such a powerful intelligent system?’ Huang Xiu mused, a hint of curiosity in her voice. The so-called ‘intelligence’ of other companies on the internet now… was basically just mentally challenged.
No, it was even worse than being mentally challenged. At least a mentally challenged person could still engage in smooth, seamless conversations with people. The gap between them and the AI system was apparent, even to Huang Xiu, who was not an expert in the field.
Huang Xiu first took a photo of the new student registration guide on the official website, saving a copy on her phone. Then, she checked the time in the bottom right corner of her computer screen.
It was eleven o’clock. It was getting late, and she still needed to go home for dinner. She abandoned the thought of browsing the forum further. After scanning a QR code to download the Void Web’s mobile app, she immediately logged off and hurried home.