aircannonsinc Chapter 22 Class Celebration!
Chapter 22 Class Celebration!
After Bai Lingxue uttered those words, her figure drifted away like snowflakes. The audience gradually emptied out, and the arena became deserted, with only a few scattered viewers still scrolling through the virtual stands.
However, Wang Xing did not leave the Beidou Yuan Universe immediately.
He glanced at the scoreboard—9478/10000.
Being just 522 points away from the Gold rank, which would normally be a matter of a few matches, makes the feeling of being so close to the finish line incredibly exciting. It's like a hungry practitioner who has been starving for three days seeing a feast on a table, and they won't give up until they get their hands on it.
"It's still early before afternoon classes, and the battle just now didn't drain my energy too much. I'll play a few more rounds and try to reach Gold rank before moving on."
He re-entered the matching queue.
Unfortunately, the quality of their subsequent competitors plummeted.
The first one was a Silver-ranked noob who looked surprised upon seeing Wang Xing and even asked, "Weren't you just fighting Bai Lingxue?" He turned out to be a spectator from Wang Xing's previous match. Wang Xing finished him off with three strikes, and Wang Xing's score only increased by 80.
The second one was a Silver Four-Star, but he was cowardly from the start, playing defensively the whole time, and was worn down by Wang Xing, resulting in a score increase of 105.
The third one was even more outrageous. He was matched with an engineering-type mech from another school. The mech's movements were as stiff as a rusty tractor. Wang Xing didn't even have to make a single move before the opponent surrendered, and his score increased by a pitiful thirty-odd points.
After three matches, the score is now 9706/10000.
"Just over 200 points short, that's it, the final push..."
Wang Xing scratched his head. If he could just have a few more battles and reach the Gold rank, he could go to the school to register and apply to the government for a 5 yuan bonus.
But when he checked the time, it was already 1:15 PM, and he had 15 minutes left before class started. He couldn't keep scrolling.
He reluctantly withdrew from the metaverse, his consciousness fading away from the virtual pod like a tide.
……
When Wang Xing opened his eyes, he was completely stunned.
The classroom was decorated with lanterns and colorful ribbons hanging from the ceiling.
The blackboard was covered with the words "Congratulations on Xing Ge's triumphant return" written in huge chalk characters, and next to it was a crooked cartoon version of a tiger-style mecha... which looked more like a cat.
The students gathered in small groups, as if they were having a New Year's party.
"Brother Xing is awake!"
Someone shouted something, and the whole class erupted in chaos.
Several boys rushed forward and put paper wreaths around Wang Xing's neck. In addition to the red wreaths, some clever boy also brought out white and yellow ones.
"Brother Xing is awesome! He beat Bai Lingxue!"
"The light of the parallel classes, crushing the Yuanpei Class."
"Brother Xing is treating us to dinner!"
"What invitation? Brother Xing's money is for upgrading his mecha!"
Wang Xing was pleasantly surprised and smiled at everyone, saying, "Thank you all for your kindness, I appreciate it."
Then, Wang Xing's gaze swept across the crowd and landed on Lü Mufei. At that moment, the platinum-blonde girl was leaning against the window, bathed in sunlight, tilting her head, a smile playing on her lips. When her eyes met Wang Xing's, they narrowed into a charming arc.
"Lu Mufei," Wang Xing said, squeezing through the crowd, "thank you for that Tiger Roar module. It was a huge help at the crucial moment. Without that Tiger Roar intimidation, Bai Lingxue's short sword might have been able to be blocked in time, and I might not have won so decisively."
"Pfft..."
Lu Mufei blinked, covered her mouth and chuckled, like a kitten that had just stolen some fish: "Actually, I was lying to you."
"That 'Tiger Roar' resonance module only enhances the aura of the Tiger-type mech; it's basically just a speaker and has no direct impact on actual combat power. But I told my uncle that I'll give you this module for free."
Wang Xing looked at her and remained silent for two seconds.
"So you're just... trying to quench your thirst by looking at plums?"
"Pretty much," Lü Mufei said, brushing a strand of platinum hair from her forehead. "The plums might be fake, but the thirst was definitely quenched. You won, didn't you?"
Wang Xing nodded: "Okay, thank you for the 'speaker'."
Lu Mufei smiled even more sweetly.
……
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the Yuanpei Class teaching building.
Bai Lingxue stood alone at the end of the empty corridor. Outside the window was the playground of Rongcheng No. 2 High School. The sunlight made the track scorching and distorted, but her expression was cold.
But beneath her cool exterior, it seemed as if a flame was burning within her.
She didn't go back to the classroom, but went straight to the principal's office.
"Creak—!"
The door to the principal's office was pushed open.
Bai Lingxue walked in, closed the door, and sat down opposite Li Zhengyuan. "Uncle, I lost."
That's right, Li Zhengyuan, the principal of No. 2 High School, has another identity: he is the maternal uncle of Bai Lingxue, who is ranked first on the list.
At this moment, Li Zhengyuan was brewing tea. When he saw Bai Lingxue, he put down the teapot, not surprised at all.
Bai Lingxue was his sister's daughter, and she had grown up under his watchful eye for three years, from her first year of high school to her third. He knew his niece all too well—she wasn't a sore loser, but she was fiercely competitive.
Li Zhengyuan's voice was gentle: "Xiaoxue, victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Besides, Wang Xing is a very capable kid. It's not shameful for you to lose to him."
"I don't care about losing face." Her voice trembled. "What I care about is—"
"I lost!"
She paused, and the last scene involuntarily replayed in her mind.
The blade flashed like the moon, and the tiger's roar shook the soul. His head armor shattered like glass under the blade, revealing a face he had never shown before. He looked panicked and disheveled, like an ordinary person whose proud porcelain vase had been smashed.
In the rules of the Beidou Metaverse, a broken headgear means being "killed"... equivalent to having one's head split in two in reality!
That guy showed absolutely no mercy, completely trampling on my dignity.
A hint of gritted teeth finally seeped into her voice: "Next time we fight, I'll pierce his head too."
Li Zhengyuan sighed softly on the other end of the phone.
He knew his niece all too well; outwardly, she was as aloof as the moon, but deep down, she burned like a raging fire. From childhood to adulthood, she had never submitted to anyone, nor had she ever lost to anyone of her grade. This defeat today was probably worse than death for her.
"You didn't come to report on the battle situation, did you?"
"Help me contact Instructor Chen from the Shanghai Mecha University," Bai Lingxue said. "The practical instructor my dad found for me teaches too slowly; he's not suitable for me."
"Professor Chen from the Shanghai Mecha University..."
Li Zhengyuan hesitated for a moment: "You mean him? Instructor Chen has a position and can't come to guide you in person. At most, he can only conduct simulated teaching in the Beidou Yuan Universe, which is ultimately not as effective as face-to-face teaching... Besides, your current instructor was arranged by your father. If you change him, this matter will definitely reach your father's ears..."
When her father was mentioned, Bai Lingxue's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Bai Jingshan, the founder of the Bai Group, is currently expanding into new markets in Shanghai and hasn't returned to Chengdu for a year and a half. Money and resources have never stopped, but he... is like a distant symbol... He only makes brief appearances in video calls for her birthday, school opening ceremonies, and even various exams, always with a conference room or airport VIP lounge as the background.
"He's making money in Shanghai, and he's not coming back anyway."
Bai Lingxue's voice softened slightly, "I don't care if he knows or not. All he ever does is give me money and resources anyway..."
The office was quiet for a few seconds. Li Zhengyuan looked at Bai Lingxue's face, which was filled with resentment and stubbornness, and sighed softly.
"Okay, I'll help you get in touch, but you have to promise me one thing."
"What?"
"Next time you fight Wang Xing, don't just think about piercing his head. You value winning and losing too much, and that will only hurt you. Knowing when to let go, accepting defeat, and learning to reconcile is also a form of self-cultivation."
Bai Lingxue's eyelashes trembled, and she turned her head away: "I... I just wanted to win back, it was just something I said in anger."
Li Zhengyuan smiled.
"By the way, take down my poster for the Campus Star," Bai Lingxue said. "Since I lost, I don't deserve the title of Campus Star."
"All right."
When Bai Lingxue came out of the principal's office, the corridor was quiet. She looked at her reflection in the glass. Long hair, oval face, cool and aloof eyes—she looked no different from usual.
But she knew things were different now.
Before today, she was Bai Lingxue, who had never lost to an opponent of the same level, but now she is Wang Xing's defeated opponent.
It was true that she said she would pierce Wang Xing's head in anger, but the fire in her eyes did not go out.
……
In the evening, school is over.
Wang Xing took the No. 182 bus alone. When he got home, Yang Xiaoxia had already returned and was wearing an apron and heating up dishes in the kitchen.
Wang Xing leaned back in his seat, took out his phone, and transferred 50,000 yuan to Yang Xiaoxia.
Yang Xiaoxia came out of the kitchen, saw the phone notification on the dining table, wiped her hands on her apron to remove the water stains, and opened the message.
Upon seeing the string of numbers, Yang Xiaoxia's eyes widened immediately: "Fifty thousand? Ah Xing, where did this money come from?!"
"I played a metaverse battle with my classmate today and won the bet."
Wang Xing briefly explained the whole story, emphasizing the key words "virtual combat," "no injury," and "the other party's consent."
"What?"
"Who...who did you defeat?"
"Bai Lingxue is number one on the list!"
Yang Xiaoxia's breathing quickened suddenly. Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled, but she was still quite surprised.
She looked at Wang Xing's face, then looked down at the transfer on her phone, and the corners of her mouth began to turn up involuntarily.
She wanted to laugh, but was afraid of laughing too exaggeratedly, so she pursed her lips again and again, but in the end she couldn't hold back, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes bloomed into a bright chrysanthemum.
"Good! Good! Good!"
She said "good" three times in a row, her voice trembling slightly, and her eyes were a little red.
"So, Ah Xing, your combat skills are already the strongest in the whole school. I knew my son could do it, my son is destined for greatness... You've always been competitive, just like your dad, just like your dad..."
Looking at his mother's expression, Wang Xing could tell from the genuine joy in her eyes.
Finally, Yang Xiaoxia couldn't help but start repeating:
"Ah Xing, you can fight these kinds of things in the Beidou Yuan Universe from now on, but never fight privately with others... As for the money, keep it for yourself, use it to modify your mecha and buy pills, Mom doesn't want it."
"It's okay, Mom. I'll let you know when I need money. You can use this money to buy yourself some supplements."
Wang Xing put away his phone, ate a couple of bites of rice, and then headed straight for the cultivation room.
In today's battle, his blood and qi surged like rivers and seas, and the remaining medicinal power of the Abyss Blood Pill was fully activated... He could feel that the barrier was as thin as a cicada's wing and could be broken at any moment.
"Level 7.4..."
Wang Xing sat cross-legged, and the Tide Pillar slowly rotated, causing his Qi and blood to surge like an undercurrent in his meridians.
"It should be tonight!"