**Chapter 48: Fiery Conflict Across the Sky Is the Best Buddy!**
Xu Xiaofeng quickly logged off and went home.
Little did she know, even at this ungodly hour of 5 AM, the news of her leveling up ten times had exploded online.
And on the other side of Blue Star, the internet was in even more of a frenzy.
This announcement wasn’t just sent to Huaxia Server players; it reached every single player online across all servers, and there were way more players on that side.
As they looked at their own server’s leaderboard, they saw only a handful of level 9s—some servers had players barely hitting level 9 today, while others had their top players still languishing at level 8.
And now, you suddenly tell me someone hit level 10?
Are you kidding me?!
Who! Who is this?!
3 mins, I need all the information on this player!
Ichkannesnicht glauben.
Axi ba! No way, Simida!
Why be why be? Why be babab!
Even though they were dying to know this player’s info, their searches yielded nothing.
First off, Huaxia’s data is notoriously hard to come by, and secondly, Xu Xiaofeng hadn’t revealed a single thing online.
And trying to query through the game’s official channels?
Ha! They couldn’t even find out where the official headquarters was; all they had were a few online forums.
Meanwhile, even at this ridiculous hour, the onlookers in the Huaxia Server were still present and accounted for.
These onlookers are a bizarre species; they appear everywhere, all the time, yet you can never find them when you need to.
But as soon as you’re in need, poof! They magically appear.
“Shocking! Holy Liver Emperor breaks through to the Ascended level at 5 AM and starts his ascension trials!”
“Men stayed silent; women cried. Level 10 big shot born at Beginner’s Village 66, officially drawing a line between him and us mere fish!”
“Where’s the morality? Where’s the baseline? Where’s the cheating tool? Get me one too!”
“Brother Feng, take me with you! I can be cute and tough, and I can carry big guns, and my skills? Oh boy!”
Even the ever-dreamy Fiery Conflict Across the Sky was jolted awake by his subordinates calling him, staring blankly at the constant influx of information online.
What’s going on? Weren’t I supposed to be first? I’m still a quarter away from leveling up! How did I get leapfrogged?
He was lost and frustrated.
After a long moment of contemplation, he came to a realization.
He just wasn’t putting in enough effort! He hadn’t been harsh enough on himself. From today onwards, it’s all-nighters!
No, that’s not enough! This merely levels the playing field; if I want to overtake, I need a plan.
Light bulb moment! Nuclear Bomb Little Sister!
You can’t catch wolves without letting go of the cubs—bring me the money!
As the instigator of this incident, Xu Xiaofeng had already logged off and started snoozing.
Not that she was tired or sleepy; she just felt her body flowed differently now.
It felt like… after a hearty meal, time to hit the hay.
Who knows how long passed before a loud knocking broke the silence.
Xu Xiaofeng, still a bit dazed, hadn’t even had time to respond when she felt a chill; the little blanket had been whisked away.
“Huh? Brother… what’s wrong with you?”
Xu Xiaofeng opened her eyes and yawned, “Nothing much.”
“Nothing much? That state you’re in doesn’t look too good.” Xu Xiaoyue gently dropped the blanket back over her.
“Bro, you’re on fire! Level 10 at 5 AM, huh? Aren’t you worried about dropping dead?!”
Xu Xiaofeng scratched her head, “Haha, actually, I’m fine.”
“Fine, huh? You look like you’re running on fumes! Just lie down. Got cravings for breakfast?”
Xu Xiaofeng shook her head, “Nah, I’ve got no appetite.”
“Alright then, you rest up. I’ll cover for you in class this morning.”
After thinking it over, Xu Xiaoyue walked out and returned with a glass of milk and a few slices of bread.
“I’ll leave this here; grab it if you want.”
“Mm-mm, thanks, sis.”
Though she said that, she didn’t move to grab any.
She really felt okay. Just a bit dazed and with a slight bellyache.
When she opened her eyes, sometimes she saw a white ceiling, and sometimes it looked like wood and tiles, reminiscent of her home in the Otherworld.
Xu Xiaofeng gave her cheeks a pat.
Suddenly, she felt a bit too hyped.
“Ura!” she raised both her hands high.
Xu Xiaoyue promptly slapped her hands down, “What are you doing?”
“Just feeling cute and cuddly!”
“Huh?”
Xu Xiaoyue looked at Xu Xiaofeng with a face full of question marks, but Xu had already gone silent.
A little while later, the sound of steady breathing filled the room; Xu Xiaofeng had fallen back asleep.
Xu Xiaoyue shook her head, helplessly got up, and quietly closed the door behind her.
…
When Xu Xiaofeng woke up again, it was already noon.
She shook her head and her thoughts gradually cleared up.
The feeling in her stomach had mostly subsided, and her spirit was much better.
She carefully replayed her series of actions in her head, then looked at her hands, “Ura?”
What the heck did I just do?!
Ahhhhh!!
Oh no, this is it—my social life is officially over.
Xu Xiaofeng buried her face in her hands and rolled around on the bed.
Finally, she smacked the back of her head hard and lay back down with her eyes closed.
Three seconds later, she opened her eyes again.
Great, I’ve lost my memory.
She picked up her phone, planning to scroll through forum posts, only to have her arm brush against her hair.
Whoa, did my hair grow longer again?
Eh, no matter, I’ll cut it tomorrow.
She started looking at the messages.
Sure enough, the news of her hitting level 10 was trending.
And the comment section was surprisingly peaceful, with a chorus of admiration.
What level-up king? What big shot? A wave of glowing compliments.
“Wow, no hate? Color me surprised!”
Typically, in scenarios like this, you’d expect a horde of salty players and hired trolls to bombard the comments section.
But this time, it was all calm and zen-like.
Before long, she understood why.
Because the second trending topic—Fiery Conflict Across the Sky spoke out, vowing he wouldn’t concede and would reclaim his throne.
Initially, this was a pretty positive discussion. Fiery Conflict’s statements weren’t out of line—just some grandiose declarations to express a bit of rivalry.
But then, the highest-voted reply in the comments section sent it spiraling downhill.
[Anonymous Player]: “Tian Ge was always recognized as the first; how did some random dude suddenly surpass him? Is there cheating going on?”
At first glance, this makes sense—reasonable skepticism, right?
But who told you he was the recognized first? Just who gets to claim that?
By this logic, “Wind” could also be considered the recognized first, right? So can we reverse-accuse “Fiery Conflict Across the Sky” of cheating before?
Not everyone understood it this way, but the comments section is a wild thing, especially the nested replies.
Many responses headed in this direction, and as more people saw those comments, naturally, they began interpreting the entire thread that way. The chaos unfolded.
Thus, the comment section of this post erupted into a battle of words. In terms of comment section heat, this was where the real action was.
Xu Xiaofeng watched this nonsensical scene, blinking rapidly.
Wait a minute! Isn’t this classic troll manipulation?
Wow, I was wondering where you all went; turns out you’ve been busy organizing a club here.
With this realization, Xu Xiaofeng finally understood.
Those influential, high-level players all viewed Fiery Conflict Across the Sky as their biggest rival.
As for “Wind”? Just a lucky newbie, destined to not stay ahead for long.
In her heart, Xu Xiaofeng could only silently pray for Fiery Conflict Across the Sky.
You know, Fiery Conflict has always been my bro; we’ve teamed up to slay bosses and exchanged gear and skills. But now, all I can do is wish him good luck.
Hmmn… She slowly becoming a girl by system right?