Chapter 21: The Novice Hall

She raised her hand to scan her wrist-mounted optical computer, successfully logging into her profile.

[Respected Mr. Xiao, welcome to the holographic world. Please edit your external appearance.]

A pearlescent white silhouette appeared, accompanied by various data points and customization options. Of course, there were also default system templates available for players to choose from. Xiao Ningxue hesitated for a moment, then selected a system template and fine-tuned some of the parameters. This way, she wouldn't have to expend much effort, nor would she have to worry about running into someone with the exact same look.

Xiao Ningxue looked at her edited "noble young master" appearance with satisfaction. Not bad at all.

[Appearance confirmed. Next step: Entering the Novice Lobby.]

Xiao Ningxue tapped confirm. Her vision blurred, and in an instant, the void space was packed with people. The sounds of conversation, combat, and shouting filled her ears. Looking closely at the attire of the crowd, Xiao Ningxue realized her own appearance was somewhat abrupt... There was no other reason than the fact that everyone here preferred appearances close to their original forms—such as ears, hands, or tails. Those like her, who chose a completely human form, were few and far between. Feeling the lingering gazes around her, Xiao Ningxue was speechless. As an old-fashioned person, she clearly couldn't keep up with interstellar trends.

[Ding! Ding!]

The alert sound of her optical computer rang out. A light screen appeared before Xiao Ningxue. Glancing around, she noticed many people tapping away; some had screens in front of them, while others didn't. Perhaps they were there as well, just invisible to others. After thinking for a moment, Xiao Ningxue searched the screen before her and found a "Privacy Mode." She clicked it. That should make it invisible to others, right? Only then did she open her messages. There were two in total, one each from Zang Zexin and Feng Jingxuan, both asking for her location.

Xiao Ningxue created a group chat and sent her coordinates.

[Federation’s First Hunk: Wait, you actually know how to make a group chat??] This was Feng Jingxuan’s screen nickname.

[My Fate is in My Hands, Not Heaven’s: Wait right there.]

Looking at Zang Zexin’s nickname, Xiao Ningxue’s mouth twitched. She hadn't expected the "cool guy" to have the most explosive nickname of all.

[Snow: @Federation’s First Hunk What, want to fight?]
[Snow: @My Fate is in My Hands, Not Heaven’s Understood.]

Neither replied; they were likely on their way to her location. Xiao Ningxue had just tucked away her screen when she saw the two of them approaching.

"You two got here fast!"

Feng Jingxuan looked at Xiao Ningxue in surprise: "You actually want to challenge me to a fight?"

Xiao Ningxue hummed: "I believe that for the sake of my dignity, sometimes fighting is a perfectly valid solution."

Don’t let Feng Jingxuan’s easygoing nature fool you; in reality, this guy only respected strength. You had to show him what you were capable of to earn his respect. If he pegged you as a loser, no matter how hard you tried, he would always think you were incompetent.

Zang Zexin continued to play the peacemaker: "We agreed to come here to play games, let's just get started."

Feng Jingxuan looked at Xiao Ningxue provocatively: "Since we can't fight, how about we have a competition?"

Zang Zexin helplessly covered his forehead. He didn't understand what there was to compete about for Feng Jingxuan; win or lose, it was his own reputation on the line! Clearly, Feng Jingxuan hadn't considered this. He was immersed in the joy of finally being able to test his skills against Xiao Ningxue.

A mysterious smile curled the corners of Xiao Ningxue's lips. Zang Zexin, who had intended to talk her out of it, saw her smile and, for some reason, swallowed the words he had been about to say. Could it be...?

The three of them successfully registered for "God’s Battlefield" and arrived at the staging area. Xiao Ningxue had always liked to be prepared; on the way, she had not only looked up the rules of the game but also read through quite a few strategy guides. While she couldn't claim to know the game inside and out, she wouldn't be completely blind once the match started. Feng Jingxuan, on the other hand, knew even less than she did.

"Where should we jump later? These ancient games are actually quite interesting, though the transport is a bit low-tech—having to parachute yourself..."

"The 'real ancient person'" Xiao Ningxue: ... Could someone please sew Feng Jingxuan’s mouth shut? If you’re going to compliment it, why do you have to belittle it at the same time?

"Because the technology is different, just like people hundreds of years in the future will think our current transport is low-tech," Xiao Ningxue shrugged. She had heard of this game back on Blue Star; it must have been quite popular a few decades ago. She was young at the time, and since she wasn't interested in gaming, she had never played it. She hadn't expected to be playing a holographic version in the interstellar era. Life is full of surprises.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the distance. It seemed some big shot had appeared.

The attention of the three was immediately drawn over. Xiao Ningxue and Feng Jingxuan stretched their necks as far as they could.

"Shall we go take a look?" Zang Zexin wasn't as exaggerated as the other two, but the curiosity in his eyes couldn't be faked.

There were two minutes left until the start, and while everyone was supposed to be warming up, the commotion over there had clearly affected the players' focus. Without knowing who started it, everyone except for a few with strong self-control or genuine lack of interest began to drift toward the source of the disturbance. The three of them didn't stand out too much by following suit. Conformity existed in every era.

As they got closer, the surrounding voices became more excited, with words like "female" and "match" popping up from time to time. The three exchanged glances, all finding it hard to believe.

"It wouldn't be what I think it is, would it?" Feng Jingxuan swallowed, feeling a sense of disbelief. It was their first time here, and they had actually run into a female participant?!

Unlike Feng Jingxuan’s excitement, Xiao Ningxue wasn't quite as surprised, though she was curious to see what a female's holographic avatar looked like. Zang Zexin didn't know why, but despite having the same reason to be excited as Feng Jingxuan, his heart felt much calmer when he accidentally caught a glimpse of Xiao Ningxue’s clear, calm eyes. There was also a hint of something indescribable... strange? Zang Zexin couldn't put his finger on it; he just knew his reaction felt wrong.

"Get away! I don't want so many people crowding me!"

As soon as the three approached the wall of people forming a circle, they heard a female voice from within. Xiao Ningxue froze. Fortunately, she hadn't exposed her identity earlier; otherwise, she might find herself in the same situation as this female in the future—viewed by others like some rare specimen whenever she stepped outside. As someone who had struggled to survive in the apocalypse, she hated that feeling. Being the center of attention would only make her die faster.

"So cute!" was the reaction of the beastmen in the inner circle who could actually see.

"Is this a female? Her voice is so lovely." This was the reaction of the beastmen in the outer circle who could only hear the voice.

"Tang Chengjun! Jiang Zhiyi! Did you not hear me?! Get me out of here!" The female’s voice turned impatient.

Xiao Ningxue was dazed. So, even some females didn't like being stared at like this?

"Everyone, please make way!"

A male voice boomed. The crowd grew restless, gradually opening up a path.