Chapter 88: Ascending to First Place

Wang Hai was teleported out of the Dueling Arena, his expression still somewhat dazed.

“This person… is rather peculiar.”

Eighteen years old… How could someone of that age be involved with the Myriad Realms Ladder? Shouldn’t those who challenge the Myriad Realms Ladder be seasoned veterans like them?

He searched through the Ranking and found Jiang Yan’s name, only to discover that Jiang Yan was currently Live Streaming. Unable to resist, he clicked in.

But when he saw the face of the opponent on the screen, his heart skipped a beat.

“It’s that Luo An!”

Wang Hai felt a wave of disorientation. Over the past six months, his Ranking had fluctuated, hovering around the top ten. He had been second, and he had been tenth, but he had never once touched the first place.

Logically, the throne of the Myriad Realms Ladder’s first place was the ultimate honor for Prodigies like them, something countless people fought tooth and nail to claim.

But half a year ago, that man had shattered their Prodigy dreams, ascending to first place at just twenty-three years old. His AI avatar had since suppressed everyone below, leaving them breathless.

Wang Hai shook his head and smiled bitterly. “In the past six months, I challenged Luo An from half a year ago five times, but I couldn’t last more than three moves before being defeated each time… Sigh~

I hope this young man can succeed.”

Though he said this, deep down, he didn’t hold much hope for Jiang Yan.

He exited the Myriad Realms Ladder, took out his communicator, and dialed a friend’s number.

“Perhaps… the top spot in the warzone is about to change hands. Maybe. If you’re interested, you can log in and take a look.”

…

The Luo An before him was only the Luo An from half a year ago, yet the pressure he exuded was undeniably real.

With a grasp in the Void, a long spear appeared in his hand.

Roar—

A low dragon’s roar emanated from the man’s body, an overwhelming Aura that made even those watching through the screen almost want to kneel.

A silver dragon quietly rose, coiling around Luo An’s body and merging with him in an instant.

As the spear swept through the air, faint dragon roars reverberated.

At this moment, Luo An’s indifferent expression, combined with the exaggerated visual effects, elevated his Aura to its peak.

But in the next instant, endless darkness devoured the light around Luo An. The silver spear no longer shone, and in the deep silence, only the black Saber blade was truly striking.

Jiang Yan took a step forward, his figure instantly appearing behind Luo An.

Yan Thunder Destruction Slash.

Thunder raged, dazzlingly bright in the silent darkness.

Clang!

Luo An didn’t turn around. He blocked with his spear from behind, perfectly parrying the strike, then unleashed a torrential spear momentum, casually shattering the surging thunder.

The first place in the Myriad Realms Ladder was indeed not easy to hold. Luo An’s strength was on an entirely different level compared to previous opponents.

Roar!

Luo An turned sideways, lifting his spear as a colossal silver dragon roared toward Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan retreated slightly, his Saber blade drawing a diagonal line through the air.

With a tearing sound, the silver dragon’s head was split in two. It let out a groan before vanishing from this world.

The moment the silver dragon disappeared, countless spear rays shot forth.

The clashing of metal rang out incessantly, the high frequency dizzying to watch.

In the sky, several silver dragons pierced through the darkness, charging toward Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan paid them no mind, focusing entirely on confronting Luo An head-on.

Flame Incineration: World-Ashing Blaze

Fierce flames blazed in the darkness as two Doppelgangers descended into the Domain.

Luo An, standing atop a silver dragon, Ascended into the air, evading the onrushing flames.

Several fiery tornadoes descended directly towards Luo An.

A silver dragon soared through the sky as Luo An stood upon its back, brandishing his long spear, an invisible force dispersing the tornadoes.

Multiple silver dragons circled overhead, with Luo An leaping between them, evading the overwhelming onslaught.

Jiang Yan remained silent, simply swinging his saber relentlessly.

Wind Erosion: Formless Slash.

Hurricane winds fueled the raging flames, turning the entire Dueling Arena into a sea of fire.

Within the Domain formed by the Chaotic Void Ancestral Spirit, Luo An’s extraordinary evasive speed now left discernible traces.

Luo An thrust his spear once more, barely carving out an opening amidst the fiery inferno.

Yet in an instant, Jiang Yan had already descended before him.

In the Void, an invisible saber hung suspended above Luo An’s head.

But Luo An reacted too swiftly, relying on instinct to evade the lethal strike, then seizing the momentum to thrust toward Jiang Yan.

Clang!

The ferocious assault did not yield the expected outcome; the dense protective barrier around Jiang Yan’s surface was despairingly resilient.

Unfortunately, the Luo An before him was merely an AI, devoid of such emotions.

Expressionless, he swiftly retreated with algorithmic precision, but the earlier sea of fire had already arrived as promised.

Luo An swept his spear outward once more, silver dragons coalescing and charging in all directions.

Thunderstrike: Nine Heavens Shatter.

Lightning descended from the heavens, and upon closer inspection, each bolt carried pure Saber Intent.

Thunder and fire intertwined, and the silver dragons scattered as soon as they appeared.

Jiang Yan advanced on the momentum of thunder and fire, with Doppelgangers flanking from both sides.

Under this relentless pressure, Luo An inevitably sustained injuries.

He fled swiftly, but Jiang Yan pursued relentlessly. Within the Chaos space, no enemy could escape Jiang Yan’s grasp.

Soon, Jiang Yan emerged from another space—precisely where Luo An had dodged, nearly causing them to collide head-on.

This prediction was nothing short of perfect.

Luo An had no choice but to counterattack, but this time, his luck had run out.

Moreover, his body had been afflicted with a layer of deceleration from 【Pandora’s Box】 due to previous grazes, drastically reducing his reaction speed.

As Jiang Yan’s saber severed Luo An’s thigh, the latter suddenly faltered, as if struck by a devastating blow.

【System Log Updated】

“Congratulations, you have triggered the Instant Kill Law + Four-Leaf Clover, successfully defeating Luo An.”

Luo An’s figure gradually faded away.

Jiang Yan stood alone in the vast Dueling Arena, soon to be teleported to the matchmaking lobby.

Simultaneously, all online players of the Myriad Realms Ladder in the 【158369】 theater received an electronic announcement.

“Congratulations to player Jiang Yan for ascending to first place in the Myriad Realms Ladder theater 【158369】.”

“Congratulations to player Jiang Yan for ascending to first place in the Myriad Realms Ladder theater 【158369】.”

…

Instantly, the ten billion online players were utterly astir.

The last time they had heard such an announcement was half a year ago. They had assumed the top position would remain dominated by that man for a long time, never expecting someone could defeat that prodigy today!

A theater-wide announcement—this was a natural advertisement. Soon, countless races flooded into Jiang Yan’s Live Stream Room.

“Excuse me, is this the Live Stream Room of the Ladder’s top player?”

“Streamer, Streamer, can you tell us how you defeated that Luo An?”

“Holy crap, everyone, look at this Streamer’s stats panel!”

Prompted by this Bullet Comment, the newly arrived crowd quickly noticed something unusual.

【Name】: Jiang Yan

【Age】: 18

???

Bullet comments filled the screen with question marks.

“User [Jiligulu] sent a Spaceship ×1”

“User [xxxx] sent a Salute ×1”

…

Countless gifts scrolled through the bullet comments, pushing Jiang Yan’s popularity to the peak of the entire warzone.

Outside, a large crowd of reporters had gathered at the entrance of Divine Capital Martial University. If not for the decent strength of the university’s security guards, the gate would likely have been trampled down by these journalists.

Not only that, even the Peak Martial Saint in Blue Star’s highest conference room could no longer sit still.

Elder Zheng, seated at the head of the table, flushed bright red. His hands trembling, he gripped the armrests of his chair and stood up. In the next second, his figure vanished from his seat, leaving the high-level officials of Blue Star exchanging bewildered glances.

Since when has our chief been so unsteady?