Chapter 87: Top of the Heavenly Ladder

Jiang Yan also looked at the other’s Character Panel.

【Name】: Wang Hai

【Age】: 25

【Ranking】: 8

Yet another competitor lingering at the edge of the Myriad Realms Ladder, pushing the age limit.

Once this year passes, this Leaderboard is likely to see some changes.

The top ten of the ladder have been the same ten people, unchanged for a long time.

Wang Hai sighed, “A newcomer has arrived on the Myriad Realms Ladder~”

As he spoke, he took a step forward, his body enveloped in a soft, elegant white radiance that gave him an ethereal, transcendent aura, as if he were floating like an immortal.

Though not human, Wang Hai possessed a face that any race would consider handsome, paired with an otherworldly grace that made it clear from the moment he appeared—this was no ordinary individual.

Some people, even without doing anything, make others feel they are extraordinary.

Eighth on the ladder—Wang Hai!

“Purifying World Lotus.”

Wang Hai spoke softly, and a blue lotus rose beneath his feet.

The lotus rotated, detached from his body, and flew toward Jiang Yan at an extremely steady pace.

The lotus moved slowly but consistently, as if unconcerned about missing its target.

Jiang Yan soared into the air, and sure enough, the blue lotus followed him. Beneath its gentle appearance likely lay hidden mysteries, with a faint aura of destruction emanating from its blooming, delicate petals.

Wang Hai’s attack seemed to be locked on, with no room for evasion.

So Jiang Yan stopped dodging, abandoning his sharp mind to trust in his absolute Physical Body.

The lotus merged with Jiang Yan.

Wang Hai closed his eyes, clasped his hands together, his expression filled with compassion.

“Friend, you’ve overestimated yourself.”

The next second.

An extreme surge of energy erupted from the lotus, filling the entire Dueling Arena with a massive mushroom cloud. A dazzling firework bloomed across the vast stage.

Jiang Yan’s figure was lost within the magnificent spectacle.

Wang Hai remained motionless, his brow gradually furrowing.

No notification came from the Myriad Realms Ladder.

“It seems this eighteen-year-old newcomer… is no ordinary person.”

He smiled warmly, raised his palm, and in an instant, hundreds of blue lotuses rose.

The lotuses bloomed and flew together toward the center of the explosion.

Boom! Boom! Boom!…

…

The Dueling Arena echoed with the sound of dense explosions, and the pungent smell of gunpowder filled the air.

Just as Wang Hai awaited the outcome, a low voice emerged from the white smoke.

“Wind Erosion: Formless Slash!”

A hurricane descended from the sky, sweeping away the dense white mist and clearing the heavy smoke. An unstoppable Blade Momentum, carrying a colossal wind dragon, roared toward him.

Wang Hai’s expression shifted slightly. He took a step back, swiftly retreating, while countless blue lotuses flew toward the wind dragon.

Roar!

The wind dragon, ferocious and clawing, effortlessly devoured the lotuses one by one. Wang Hai’s attacks seemed like child’s play in its presence.

Thud!

The wind dragon crashed into Wang Hai’s body.

However, the eighth-ranked on the ladder was no pushover.

A blue light enveloped Wang Hai’s body, helping him withstand the fatal blow.

A close call.

And now, what came next.

Chaos Imprint: Myriad Tribulation Body!

“Frozen Prison!”

“You triggered Dual Casting!”

“Your Doppelganger One triggered Dual Casting.”

“Frozen Prison!”

“You triggered Dual Casting!”

“Your Doppelganger One and Two triggered Dual Casting!”

“Frozen Prison!”

“Fro…”

Jiang Yan unleashed ten consecutive saber strikes. With the enhancement of [Above the Saber Saint], his attack recovery time became extremely short, allowing him to deliver relentless strikes in a brief span. Dual Casting made his onslaught impenetrable.

Wang Hai’s vision was engulfed by a sky full of pure white snow. The calm in his eyes shifted first to wariness, then finally to resignation.

“You deserve to win.”

“Ding, congratulations on triggering [Instant Kill Law] + [Four-Leaf Clover]. You have successfully slain Wang Hai.”

After barely holding on for a second, the defensive green lotus protecting Wang Hai’s body shattered under the strain, and he was mercilessly taken by the Instant Kill Law.

Of course, even without triggering the Instant Kill Law, the outcome would have been the same.

As long as the opponent wasn’t overwhelmingly stronger than Jiang Yan—enough to instantly defeat him—they would face a barrage of “10.1% will take you out” combos.

I’ve struck so many times. Guess which blow will send you from this world?

“Victory achieved. Congratulations, player ranking has risen to eighth place.”

“Matching in progress.”

“No players currently online in the Myriad Realms Ladder rank higher than you. Would you like to initiate a simulated duel?”

Jiang Yan: “What is a simulated duel?”

“The Myriad Realms Ladder retains the data from a player’s most recent entry into the Dueling Arena and uses advanced AI to closely simulate that player’s combat habits.”

“When a player remains offline for an extended period, other opponents may choose to challenge that player’s simulated version.”

Jiang Yan understood now. The simulated duel was a forced matching mechanism designed to prevent players who had climbed the rankings but feared losing their position from staying offline indefinitely.

The current number one in the Myriad Realms Ladder hadn’t logged in for nearly half a year, for reasons unknown.

Back then, that genius had emerged out of nowhere. At the age of 23, he fought his way through countless challenges, defeating prodigies from various planets, and ascended to the top spot with absolute dominance.

Since then, that genius had never logged into the Myriad Realms Ladder again.

Over the past six months, countless challengers had chosen to face the AI that inherited that genius’s game data.

Unfortunately, none succeeded.

That genius, whose origin planet remained unknown, seemed to have merely paused in this world for a moment before departing forever.

What remained was that despair-inducing game data entity.

The Myriad Realms Ladder’s AI had replicated that genius’s fighting style to the greatest extent possible.

The AI preserved his final glory.

In these six months, other challengers had thoroughly analyzed the AI’s attack patterns, but under its overwhelming character stats, they were all mercilessly defeated, never reaching the throne of the Ladder’s number one.

The top spot on the Ladder represented boundless glory, yet it had been monopolized for half a year by someone who hadn’t logged in during that time.

“Can I challenge the number one’s AI now?”

Jiang Yan asked the Myriad Realms Ladder.

“Yes.”

The next moment, a slender figure appeared before Jiang Yan.

Dressed in white casual wear, with short black hair, wheat-colored skin, firm but not exaggerated muscles, a well-proportioned build, and fairly decent features…

Jiang Yan: ?

“Isn’t this just a human appearance?”

“Did experts from our Blue Star already break into the Myriad Realms Ladder long ago?”

Jiang Yan was completely bewildered by the other’s face.

[Name]: Luo An (AI)

[Age]: 23 (not updated)

[Home Planet]: Not Visible

The opponent, like Jiang Yan, had concealed their home planet, so Jiang Yan was unable to determine their true race.

However, if this face wasn’t disguised, it could be said with near certainty that they were human.

The bullet comments were also bewildered.

“Could it be that we, the Human Race, are actually the real powerhouses? Is there a hidden hand behind our nation all along?”

“Three years have passed, welcome back, Dragon King!”

“On How Our Human Race’s Prodigy Quietly Became First on the Myriad Realms Ladder”

“On Myriad Races’ Invasion, I Smirked Contemptuously from the Throne”

“To the two above, don’t smash the bookstore with your books.”