Chapter 177: Clearance Settlement
The village disappeared before her eyes. After a familiar wave of dizziness, Li Zhi was transported to the safe house.
Unlike before, this time, she was the only one in the safe house. The system's voice echoed in the room:
"Congratulations, Player, for being the first to clear the instance. Please rest in the safe house while waiting for other players to complete their clearance. A popularity settlement will follow."
A delicate spread of tea and pastries sat on the coffee table. Li Zhi ate a little, then reclined on the sofa for a brief nap.
She hadn’t slept well these past few days in the deserted village.
She didn’t know how long she slept, but in her dreams, she instinctively sensed someone watching her.
When she opened her eyes, a lean, muscular young man stood across from her. Dressed in a black windbreaker, he had a scar above his brow, and his sharp eyes radiated ruthlessness.
Li Zhi recognized him—Hou Shao, ranked fifth in total popularity, the leader of the organization Tianwen.
When entering the instance, she had guessed this round’s players would all be top-ranked. A solo competition among high-level players made for better viewing. But she hadn’t expected Hou Shao, ranked fifth, to be among them.
Li Zhi slowly sat up and nodded at him with a faint smile. "Hello."
Hou Shao took a seat on the opposite sofa, studying her for a moment before letting out an indifferent chuckle. "Li Zhi. I’ve heard much about you."
Her presence in the safe house before him meant she had cleared the instance first. This was a solo round, and Hou Shao had assumed he would be the first to finish. At his level and fame, few in the world could rival him.
Yet, the moment he stepped into the safe house, he saw Li Zhi napping on the sofa.
Since they hadn’t been in the same instance, Hou Shao had no idea how she had performed. But her early arrival spoke volumes.
His expression darkened.
He remembered Li Zhi was ranked tenth. While he acknowledged her skills, it was the kind of acknowledgment a superior gives to an inferior.
He never considered her stronger than him. He didn’t even think she matched his subordinate, Shu Xinglan.
But now, her precedence felt like a slap in the face.
Maybe she had taken an unconventional route, using props to pull off thrilling stunts that earned her likes faster. His performance and popularity should still secure him first place and the MVP multiplier.
In the top ten rankings, the gaps between each position were vast. Li Zhi wouldn’t surpass him so easily.
Hou Shao picked up an orange from the coffee table and slowly peeled it, his face unreadable.
The safe house fell silent. After greeting him, Li Zhi lay back down. Hou Shao chewed an orange slice deliberately.
More players appeared in the safe house, all renowned top-ranked veterans. Each had entered believing they were the best, only to realize they were now the smallest fish in a big pond.
The later arrivals didn’t know who had cleared first. With Hou Shao being the highest-ranked among them, they naturally assumed it was him.
Under their scrutinizing gazes, Hou Shao’s expression darkened further. He tossed the orange peel onto the table.
In the end, six players made it to the safe house.
No one knew who had been eliminated. In a competition among elites, even the eliminated were top-tier.
A white wall displayed the round’s rankings, drawing everyone’s attention as the system announced:
—Voting concluded. Popularity statistics as follows:
—1st place: Li Zhi. Total popularity gained: 41,612,014.
—2nd place: Hou Shao. Total popularity gained: 41,612,004.
—3rd place: Teng Siyin. Total popularity gained: 10,403,921.
—4th place: Zhao Chong. Total popularity gained: 10,136,396.
—5th place: Tao Lixiong. Total popularity gained: 8,018,945.
—6th place: Wei Chuying. Total popularity gained: 6,591,373.
Hou Shao’s face turned ashen. He shot to his feet.
Ten votes. He had lost to Li Zhi by ten votes.
The others’ expressions twisted as they saw their own rankings and popularity. In any other instance, their numbers would have secured first place. But here, even six million was dead last.
The eliminated player’s popularity must have been high too.
This round made them realize that being a top player wasn’t enough to survive this game.
As long as you weren’t first, there would always be someone above you. And once you competed against them, you’d lose.
The only way was to keep climbing—to the very top.
But was the top truly safe?
Hou Shao, ranked fifth, had just lost to Li Zhi, ranked tenth.
Meeting his glare, Li Zhi gave him a gracious smile.
Yan Feishu had told her that Hou Shao, leader of Tianwen, was a venomous schemer. The blood feud between Kongque and Tianwen had claimed thousands of lives—it was a fight to the death.
By allying with Yan Feishu, Li Zhi would inevitably clash with Tianwen.
She just hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.
And she hadn’t even exposed her alliance yet. If Hou Shao already looked at her like this, what would he do if he found out?
Still, whether she secured MVP was uncertain. She had abandoned the final decryption, which might affect the system’s evaluation.
Hou Shao clearly pinned his hopes on MVP to turn the tables.
The atmosphere grew tense. The system, as if savoring their rivalry, delayed before finally announcing:
"Based on comprehensive player performance evaluation, the S-rank rating for this instance goes to Li Zhi. Reward: 1.5x coefficient. Adjusted instance popularity: 62,418,021. Ranking unchanged. Total popularity adjusted to 124,721,065, placing 7th in the global rankings. Keep up the good work."
Hou Shao’s face darkened further.
Though Li Zhi’s total ranking remained below his, he had lost to her in both popularity and performance this round.
It was a clear signal to the audience: he was inferior to her. His rank was built on grinding instances for points.
Li Zhi had only entered eight instances and already surpassed 100 million popularity.
Where had he been after eight instances? Not even in the top 100!
He had founded Tianwen. It made him, and he made it.
A saying had long circulated in the industry: Grinders win by quantity.
Hou Shao had scoffed, dismissing it as jealousy. Quantity did matter—but each instance added danger. Their repeated successes proved their skill.
Yet now, competing against Li Zhi, who prioritized quality, Hou Shao felt the mountain beneath him crumble.
Before he could wallow further, the system spoke again:
"Popularity settlement complete. Rewards will now be distributed based on each player’s deepest desires."
Hou Shao’s gaze locked onto Li Zhi, a strange light flashing in his eyes. Then, each player was pulled into their reward space.
Before Li Zhi, a transparent panel materialized. On it rested a gleaming silver curved blade.
She reached out and claimed it. The moment the blade touched her hand, a chilling energy surged into her body. Its instructions flooded her mind:
A weapon bound solely to you. As long as its master lives, the blade will never perish. Its power scales with your mental strength—the stronger your mind, the deadlier its strikes. But each swing drains your stamina. Overuse risks unconsciousness. Wield with caution.
As the cold energy settled, Li Zhi felt a resonance with the blade.
She tested its weight with a few swings—perfectly balanced.
Satisfied, she stored it away.
The panel now displayed four exchangeable items.
The system announced: "Congratulations on surpassing 100 million popularity. New privilege unlocked: post-clearance exchange for four items."
From two items initially to now four—not only had the quantity increased, but so had the quality.
A thought flickered in Li Zhi’s mind. She steadied herself and examined the options:
Shape-Shifting Mask (One-time use, works in reality and instances): Wear to assume any imagined form for five minutes. Cost: 899 points.
Wakefulness Coffee (Works in reality and instances): Drink to stay alert without sleep for ten days and nights (mental only; physical fatigue still applies). Cost: 499 points.
Obedience Perfume (Works in reality and instances): Spray to make the target obey any command for ten minutes (effective on humans and ghosts). Cost: 599 points.
Exorcism Talisman (One-time use, works in reality and instances): Activates a 100-meter radius where evil entities cannot approach (lasts one hour). Cost: 499 points.
Each item was more overpowered than the last. Li Zhi felt like she’d have to try to die in future instances.
She exchanged 2.5 million popularity for 2,500 points and claimed all four items.
The system updated: "Player total popularity adjusted to 122,221,065. Global ranking unchanged. Keep striving."
When she returned from the reward space, Hou Shao’s eyes burned with a frenzied excitement.
Li Zhi studied him, making a mental note to warn Yan Feishu later.
The man looked ready to nuke the planet.
The safe house began its countdown. With all players being high-profile veterans, there was little to discuss. They waited in silence until the timer ended, and they were transported away.
Before Li Zhi even opened her eyes, she heard the sound of party poppers.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Pink confetti rained down, covering the entire living room.
Li Zhi caught a piece and glanced at her excited teammates. "Did I ever say I liked pink?"
Chi Yi grinned. "No! But I knew you did!"
Li Zhi laughed.