Xu Xi tentatively touched the panel and discovered that "Hua Nation Ranking" and "Global Ranking" could be clicked to view detailed lists.
He first looked at the Hua Nation ranking.
[Hua Nation Player Ranking (Real-time)]
[Rank: 1] [Name: Liang Bu] [Instances Cleared: 19] [Ladder Steps Climbed: 699]
[Rank: 2] [Name: Xie Simin] [Instances Cleared: 18] [Ladder Steps Climbed: 681]
[Rank: 3] [Name: Zhang Tian] [Instances Cleared: 18] [Ladder Steps Climbed: 672]
...
[Rank: 70] [Name: Hang Ze] [Instances Cleared: 11] [Ladder Steps Climbed: 500]
[Rank: 71] [Name: Xu Xi] [Instances Cleared: 6] [Ladder Steps Climbed: 498]
[Rank: 72] [Name: Yu Hao] [Instances Cleared: 11] [Ladder Steps Climbed: 488]
...
Xu Xi casually scrolled a bit, found no familiar names, and gave up.
He still remembered the names of the other three teammates from the second instance, which was also the only time he and his teammates had exchanged names.
It was just that Xu Xi forgot to compare his own clearing speed.
Based on normal progress, those three should have cleared around 3 to 4 instances by now, likely ranking beyond the ten thousand mark.
Scrolling back to his own row, Xu Xi stared at the data for a few more seconds and suddenly realized something was off.
In the [Instances Cleared] column for the top one hundred players, it uniformly displayed double-digit numbers. Only in his own column, a solitary "6" was quietly stuck in the middle, appearing exceptionally conspicuous.
Information previously given by God Hunt mentioned that the number of ladder steps was determined by the difficulty of the instance. The higher the difficulty, the more ladder steps climbed upon clearing.
"..."
Recalling his experiences of dying over and over, Xu Xi subconsciously scratched his head.
So, was he really being targeted by God Hunt?
Suppressing the subtle feeling of absurdity in his heart, Xu Xi closed the Hua Nation ranking and opened the global ranking.
[Global Player Ranking (Real-time)]
[Rank: 1] [Name: Hege Nuodisen] [Nationality: Mi Nation] [Instances Cleared: 19] [Ladder Steps Climbed: 701]
[Rank: 2] [Name: Liang Bu] [Nationality: Hua Nation] [Instances Cleared: 19] [Ladder Steps Climbed: 699]
[Rank: 3] [Name: Beilisi Kelifulake] [Nationality: Boot Nation] [Instances Cleared: 19] [Ladder Steps Climbed: 696]
...
[Rank: 1262] [Name: Bari] [Nationality: Rice Nation] [Instances Cleared: 10] [Ladder Steps Climbed: 498]
[Rank: 1263] [Name: Xu Xi] [Instances Cleared: 6] [Ladder Steps Climbed: 498]
[Rank: 1264] [Name: Boyier Kuke] [Nationality: Coffee Nation] [Instances Cleared: 9] [Ladder Steps Climbed: 498]
...
Xu Xi stroked his chin.
The nation of the player ranked first wasn't a major power he recognized or had any impression of. He had never heard of it at all.
He slowly scrolled down, shifting his gaze to his own ranking.
Seeing his record of 6 cleared instances standing on the same ladder step level as players with 10 and 9 cleared instances further convinced him that the difficulty of the instances he experienced was different from that of ordinary players.
Closing the global ranking, Xu Xi's gaze fell on the very bottom of his personal information panel. There, a minimalist icon was flickering with a faint glow, with two clear characters labeled below it—[Forum].
Xu Xi's heartbeat quickened for a moment.
...Was it the kind of forum he was thinking of?!
He immediately reached out a finger and decisively tapped the flickering icon.
The moment his fingertip touched the icon, the faint glow rippled outwards like a wave.
The interface before his eyes rapidly switched, and a simply styled page loaded.
The top of the page was a clear national section navigation bar, but he could only click on the Hua Nation section.
Without the slightest hesitation, Xu Xi clicked directly into it.
In the next second, a massive flood of constantly refreshing posts unfolded before his eyes, scrolling so fast it was dizzying.
Almost every second, several new posts appeared or were bumped up, with the numbers for replies and views jumping frequently and actively.
[HAHAHAHAHAHAHA damn it, I was about to suffocate, finally can talk!] [HOT]
[Holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit]
[I can tell whether those present are human or ghosts]
[[Discussion] Forget what to discuss, just come in first]
[People people people, turns out everyone's human, all alive hehehehehehe]
Seeing these post titles, Xu Xi fell into silence.
He casually clicked into the most boisterous post, the one with the [HOT] tag following it.
1L (OP): I've had enough!!! Damn had enough of staying in this damn space where you can't even fart!!!
The replies below were even more varied.
2L: This goddamn God Hunt finally did something decent for once
3L: Fart? Can't even pick your nose
4L: Tears in my eyes, thought I'd never get a chance to talk to fellow countrymen again (those in instances don't count, they only elbow me in the back)
5L: Rational reminder, excitement is fine, but remember to keep personal info confidential. Guard against others, you can never be too careful.
6L (OP): Understood, just been holding it in for too long, gotta howl a couple times to vent first. Everyone remember to be careful where needed, pay attention to screening.
...
The atmosphere in the post was fervent and blunt, with almost no attempt to conceal the excitement and catharsis within.
Clearly, the opening of this forum was nothing short of a long-awaited downpour for players who had long been confined to a sealed space and had to be wary of teammates' backstabs in instances.
Xu Xi's mood was naturally extremely excited as well.
He randomly clicked into several more posts. Most were just players venting their emotions.
But gradually, players began exchanging information about instances and rankings.
Xu Xi also studied some of the patterns and techniques players had summarized and shared.
Until, while browsing, one particular post suddenly caught his attention.
[[Discussion] What's the deal with that player ranked 71?]
"?"
Xu Xi's movements paused, and he clicked in with some bewilderment.
1L (OP): Is this data really not a bug? It's a bit outrageous, 6 cleared instances and ladder steps got him to rank 71??
2L: Also shocked, I refreshed several times over
3L: What bug, just an unlucky bastard who ran into high-difficulty instances every time
Seeing this reply, Xu Xi: "..."
Damn it.
He was just being targeted by God Hunt!
Xu Xi continued reading downwards.
4L: That's even more badass, okay? If all 6 instances were high difficulty and he still managed to clear them alive, his mental fortitude and strength are definitely not ordinary
5L: Agree with the above, I'm just lying low in the space right now, surviving day by day
6L: Who isn't?
...
Being described as "badass" for the first time, a faint sense of unreality washed over Xu Xi's heart.
