Chapter 106 - 105: Final Ranking

Chapter 106: Chapter 105: Final Ranking

"It’s difficult," Ji Zhixing said, shaking his head. "We were trapped underground by that giant snake for far too long. Plus, it took a lot of time for me to refine the aura of the Blood Ginseng. So, our harvest today isn’t that much. It’s basically impossible to take first place."

Beside him, Xiao Mingyue nodded in agreement.

Hearing this, the other three sighed inwardly but tried to comfort him.

"Second place isn’t bad either. At least you pushed that Gu Zheng down."

"Exactly. After all, Cao Zhenxing fused with a Tier 5 gene. There’s no shame in losing to him."

Ji Zhixing smiled but said nothing.

SWISH!

Just then, a massive light screen suddenly appeared at the front of the sports field. The screen was entirely silvery-white, its edges shimmering with a faint glow, and it was densely packed with names and numbers.

The final leaderboard was out.

Everyone looked up, and the noisy field fell silent instantly. Ji Zhixing also raised his head, his gaze quickly sweeping across the rankings.

First Place: Ji Zhixing, Regular Class 21. Points: 686,000.

Second Place: Cao Zhenxing, Genius Class. Points: 685,000.

Third Place: Meng Feiyi, Genius Class...

Fourth Place: Xiang Lin...

Fifth Place: Ye Chutong...

Sixth Place: Gu Zheng...

"First place! Ji Zhixing, you took first place!" Zhou Han shouted the moment he saw the list.

Tie Shan and Su Qing were also stunned before wild joy surged onto their faces.

"It really is first place! Six hundred eighty-six thousand! A thousand more than Cao Zhenxing!" Tie Shan exclaimed in surprise. "Weren’t we teleported out early? Ji Zhixing, didn’t you say your harvest today wasn’t that much?"

Ji Zhixing was equally shocked. He hadn’t expected to take first place, either.

"Six hundred eighty-six thousand..." he muttered under his breath. Staring at his name and points on the light screen, his mind quickly reviewed the number of Blood Crystals he had submitted today.

The points were correct. He remembered the exact value of every single Blood Crystal.

However, Cao Zhenxing’s points didn’t add up.

He thought, "What happened? Cao Zhenxing stole my Blood Wolf, but he only got forty thousand points today? What on earth was he doing?" Ji Zhixing felt somewhat dumbfounded.

He originally assumed that since he had been delayed for so long without hunting any Blood Beasts, it would be impossible for him to take first place. After all, Cao Zhenxing was powerful and had even snatched that Tier 2 Blood Wolf. No matter how you calculated it, he shouldn’t have ended up with so few points.

"Forty thousand points... Cao Zhenxing actually only handed in forty thousand points worth of Blood Crystals today," Xiao Mingyue also realized, a hint of pleasant surprise flashing in her eyes. "He must have had terrible luck today. He probably didn’t get many Blood Crystals from refining Blood Beasts, or perhaps he was delayed by something."

Ji Zhixing nodded.

"Ji Zhixing really took first place!"

At the same time, the Yu City University students on the sports field all revealed expressions of astonishment as they looked at the leaderboard.

"He actually managed to suppress Cao Zhenxing!" a short boy said, looking up at the list with disbelief.

"Six hundred eighty-six thousand against six hundred eighty-five thousand. It’s only a thousand-point difference!" someone nearby immediately added. His voice was loud, carrying the excitement of someone eager for drama.

"A regular class student took first place in the Blood Beast Secret Realm? That’s never happened in the history of Yu City University, right?" Even the upperclassmen watching from outside the field looked surprised.

"Of course it’s never happened. I’ve never even heard of such a thing!" another person beside him laughed.

"It seems this batch of Genius Class students is going to get a hard slap in the face."

Discussions rose and fell, surging from every corner of the field and converging into a buzzing wave of sound. Everyone’s eyes were searching the light screen and the crowd.

"Does anyone know where he is?"

"Over there! The one surrounded by a few people!"

Someone sharp-eyed spotted the figure surrounded by Zhou Han, Tie Shan, and the others, immediately pointing a finger in that direction.

Instantly, countless gazes simultaneously shifted over. Those eyes held curiosity, amazement, jealousy, and somewhat complex, indescribable emotions.

Standing together with Ji Zhixing, Zhou Han, Tie Shan, and the others felt a sense of shared glory and disgrace under the scrutiny of so many people. After all, they could be considered the helpers who aided Ji Zhixing in claiming the top spot on the leaderboard.

Ji Zhixing felt the stares coming from all directions, but his expression remained calm and completely normal.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

The dozen or so Genius Class students standing at the very front of the sports field stared at the leaderboard with peculiar expressions. This was especially true when they looked at the burly young man not far away—their eyes carried sympathy, schadenfreude, and a hint of disbelief.

Cao Zhenxing had always been a top-tier existence in the Genius Class, to the point where he even looked down on some of them on a regular basis. Yet this time, he was actually suppressed by a regular class student. The contrast was far too dramatic.

Feeling the gazes of those around him, Cao Zhenxing’s face turned terrifyingly gloomy.

"Six hundred eighty-five thousand... second place..." he gritted his teeth, his fists clenching so tightly that his knuckles popped.

He never imagined his luck today would be that atrocious. He had even shamelessly snatched Blood Beasts from others, yet consecutively, so many Blood Beasts hadn’t yielded a single Blood Crystal upon refinement.

He thought, "My luck has hit absolute rock bottom!"

A ball of fire was pent up in his chest, but he had nowhere to vent it. He couldn’t blame the Blood Beasts for failing him, nor could he blame the Secret Realm’s rules for being unfair. He could only blame his own misfortune.

"Who is Ji Zhixing?" Cao Zhenxing turned his head and looked at Gu Zheng not far away. His voice was deep, carrying a suppressed fury.

Before entering the Blood Beast Secret Realm, he had heard someone mention that a self-recommended student had offended the Genius Class’s Gu Zheng. And that person’s name was Ji Zhixing.

At the time, he hadn’t taken Ji Zhixing seriously at all. A regular class student who had only fused with a Tier 2 gene—what was there to care about? He even felt that Gu Zheng holding a grudge against such a person was quite beneath his status.

He never expected that Ji Zhixing would actually surpass him on the leaderboard.

"How ridiculous... Someone who fused with a Tier 5 gene was suppressed by someone with a Tier 2 gene." He gave a self-deprecating laugh, though his eyes remained devoid of mirth.

Gu Zheng’s expression was equally ugly, and his face was even somewhat pale. He still hadn’t fully recovered from the strike of Ji Zhixing’s staff. That blow had fractured his sternum. Even after taking healing potions, it would still take two or three days to heal completely.

Standing on the sports field at this moment, his chest still ached dully. Every breath felt like needles piercing him. Pulling a long face upon hearing Cao Zhenxing’s question, he took a deep breath and said, "Just wait a moment. The school should be handing out rewards to the top ten soon. You should be able to see him then."

Hearing this, Cao Zhenxing’s face darkened even further. Because when the rewards were distributed, he would definitely be standing behind Ji Zhixing. As a Genius Class student, he was actually going to be awarded after a regular class student.

He thought, "This is a massive humiliation."

Upon hearing their exchange, the other Genius Class students on the field also revealed peculiar expressions.

One of them spoke up. "That Ji Zhixing... I saw him in the Blood Beast Secret Realm. At the time, I was fighting with over a dozen others for the Weapon Orders distributed by the school. In the end, he snatched away two of the five Weapon Orders."

"That happened?" Cao Zhenxing and a few others who hadn’t gone to that underground space at the time looked stunned.

They hadn’t expected that in addition to suppressing Cao Zhenxing in points, Ji Zhixing had actually accomplished such a feat.

"Is he that strong?" asked a rather sharp-looking young man. His name was Xiang Lin, the Genius Class student who placed fourth on the leaderboard this time.

The Genius Class student who had spoken earlier shook his head. "His strength is probably decent, but I wouldn’t call it overwhelming.

"It’s just that he was hiding underwater and appeared abruptly, which was why he managed to snatch two Weapon Orders at once. Plus, he had someone else assisting him from afar, so we ended up letting him escape.

"But regardless, for him to pull something like that off, he definitely has some tricks up his sleeve."

After listening, Xiang Lin nodded slightly and didn’t say anything else. However, his gaze drifted toward the crowd over there, as if wanting to see for himself exactly what this Ji Zhixing looked like. But because the distance was too great and Ji Zhixing was surrounded by people, he didn’t catch a glimpse.

"Alright!"

Right at this moment, a resonant voice suddenly boomed from the high platform at the front of the sports field. It instantly drowned out all the discussions in the crowd, ringing in everyone’s ears like an exploding bell.

The crowd looked up toward the front, only to see that the person speaking was none other than the principal of Yu City University, Luo Hongtao. With his graying hair and dignified visage, Luo Hongtao stood on the high platform, exuding a natural aura of unyielding authority.

"Students, please quiet down." His gaze slowly swept across the venue. His voice wasn’t loud, yet it transmitted clearly into everyone’s ears. It carried a steadfast power that quickly silenced the noisy sports field.

"This trial in the Blood Beast Secret Realm has come to an end. Next, I invite the top ten students on the leaderboard to come up to the stage."

As soon as his words fell, murmurs immediately broke out below again. This time, however, their voices were kept low, sounding like quiet whispers. No one dared to be as loud as before.

"Ji Zhixing is going on stage!" someone whispered, their tone full of anticipation.

"I haven’t even seen what he looks like yet," a girl said, standing on her tiptoes to get a better look.

"It’s truly unbelievable that a regular class student could surpass the Genius Class students. I’m afraid nothing like this has happened since our Yu City University was founded."

"Who says otherwise?"

Amidst the crowd’s discussions, the nine Genius Class students who placed in the top ten made their way toward the stage one by one. As they walked, they surveyed their surroundings, wanting to see exactly what Ji Zhixing looked like.

Cao Zhenxing walked at the very front, his face gloomy.

Meng Feiyi followed behind him with an indifferent expression.

Xiang Lin and Ye Chutong walked shoulder to shoulder, their gazes also searching the crowd.

Meanwhile, at the back of the crowd.

Ji Zhixing nodded to Xiao Mingyue, Zhou Han, and the others beside him before stepping forward and walking toward the high platform as well. His steps were steady and his expression composed, showing not the slightest hint of nervousness or smugness.

He thought, "Rewards?" He shifted his gaze slightly upward, looking at Principal Luo Hongtao standing on the high platform. "I wonder what the school will reward us with this time? According to past situations, every time the school opened the Blood Beast Secret Realm, they would publish the leaderboard while we were still inside. This time, they actually waited until we returned to school to announce it. I wonder if the rewards will be somewhat special."

Thinking of this, a trace of anticipation welled up in his heart. He hoped the rewards would be on the generous side because he was severely lacking in resources. His two genes were on the verge of evolving. Once this evolution was complete, he would likely become a true resource-guzzling monster.

Taking a deep breath, he quickened his pace and headed toward the high platform.

Up on the high platform, nine people were already standing. Cao Zhenxing stood on the far left, followed by Meng Feiyi, Xiang Lin, Ye Chutong... lining up in sequence.

They were all Genius Class students. Each of them had fused with a Tier 4 gene or higher; they were the most elite geniuses of this batch in Yu City University. At this moment, their gazes were all fixed in the direction of the stairs, waiting for that tenth person to come up.

Right at this moment, the sound of footsteps echoed as a figure slowly emerged from the crowd.

It was none other than Ji Zhixing.