When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 238: Trending Topics

Chapter 238: Trending Topics

Gu Luoxin found himself momentarily frozen when faced with the question.

Come to think of it, Shen Nianzu had truly been watching over him all along – whether it was in the Temple of Anubis or the City of Atlantis.

In Atlantis, had Shen Nianzu not dragged him toward the ship in time – even in his severely infected state – Gu Luoxin would have been caught by the cocoon and become the queen’s nutrition. And let’s not mention the Temple of Anubis; when he was grappling with his personal task and consumed by fear, it was thanks to Shen Nianzu’s reassurance and support that he could survive past the Cycle.

Yet in the upcoming Cycle, it was Shen Nianzu’s turn to face his own personal task...

Every three Cycles, players would receive a personal task from the Nightmare that was tailor-made for them. This was also called an advancement test, as success was necessary for a player to progress to the next rank. Currently, the player hierarchy consisted of five levels: Newbie, Intermediate, Veteran, Elite and Legendary.

Shen Nianzu was a veteran player now, and the next Cycle would play a pivotal role to determine whether he could advance into the Elite rank or not. Success would guarantee a rise in rank and a huge boost of power, but failure only warranted death. It was only natural for Shen Nianzu to focus on his own survival, leaving him little time to care for Gu Luoxin’s safety.

As for Jin Jiuchi... did it even need to be asked? Of course, he would tag along with Shen Nianzu. After all, this was the player who had fought with the Nightmare itself and survived to tell the tale! He was more than capable of holding his own... unlike Gu Luoxin.

The dreadful realization struck him like a meteor, causing his entire person to be stunned.

Observing his reaction, Shen Nianzu chose not to press him for an immediate answer, but instead, he suggested, "Well, we still have three months ahead of us, so take your time to consider it carefully. Let’s take a look at our rewards from Atlantis. Perhaps it will help you make up your mind."

Rewards!

The mere mention of that word caused Jin Jiuchi and Gu Luoxin’s eyes to gleam in excitement, and just like that, the previous topic was thrown to the back of their mind.

"Those gold bars..." Gu Luoxin wiped off the nonexistent drool on the corner of his lips. "Did we actually manage to bring them out?"

"That means a lot of money, right?" Jin Jiuchi asked excitedly. "Will I finally become rich enough to upgrade my skill card and buy lots of expensive props?!"

"We will only know after we check," Shen Nianzu’s response was pragmatic. "Take out your phones and report your rewards."

Without delay, Jin Jiuchi and Gu Luoxin eagerly pulled out their phones and checked their own profiles. For a while, the private room was filled with audible gasps and loud exclamations.

"Holy shit..." Gu Luoxin’s eyes were glued to his phone screen as if fearing that something would change if he blinked. "How many zeros is that? One, two, three, four... ah ah ah! I got twenty thousand points from this Cycle! Twenty thousand!" Gu Luoxin was so moved that he was on the verge of bursting into tears. This was the highest number he had ever seen, and before this he did not even dare to dream that he could reach such a milestone. Atlantis was really a beloved land full of treasures! It was worthwhile for him to keep digging around for more gold bars until the very last second before they departed!

His calculative kicked into gear— one point was equivalent to 500 RMB, so if he obtained twenty thousand points this time...

Oh dear God in Heaven, that would mean ten million RMB! He had truly hit the jackpot this time!

"Yesss, I’m rich!" Jin Jiuchi cried out, punching the air with elation. "I can finally upgrade my skill card! Not only that, I have become a veteran player as well!" He scrolled through the screen until his gaze landed on the very last column of his profile. A satisfied grin curved his lips. "Look at that, my total rank is 55th this time! Nian’er—" he turned to Shen Nianzu, wanting to boast about his achievements, only to find the jade doll staring at his phone screen in shock.

Curious, Jin Jiuchi leaned over to peer into his phone screen. "What is it? What are you looking at?"

"I..." Shen Nianzu raised his head to meet Jin Jiuchi’s gaze, his purple eyes shimmering in the mixture of disbelief and exhilaration. "My skill card... has changed..."

Two seconds of thick silence crawled by, before Jin Jiuchi and Gu Luoxin reacted in unison.

"WHAT?!"

Three heads converged around Shen Nianzu’s phone screen.

Skill Card: The Sea God’s Domain

Skill Type: Illusion

Skill Level: Queen

Skill Description: Behold the maestro’s invocation, where the Sea God’s hymn intertwines with the ebb and flow of dimensions. Threads of reality unfurl, birthing a realm of kaleidoscopic illusions that cascade like tidal crescendos. Amid this symphony of ephemeral wonders, the boundary between Illusion and space dissolves, inviting those who dare to dance upon the waters of the divine sea.

"This... this..." Gu Luoxin’s jaws dropped in sheer astonishment and awe. He stammered, "Xiao Shen, you... you can create your own domain? Does it mean you have gained the queen’s space distortion ability?!"

Shen Nianzu clenched his fists, trying to keep his excitement at bay. He took a deep inhale before replying, "Seems like it. Perhaps this is an effect of the divine prop I acquired. Though I have never heard of a case where someone’s skill card changes midway before..."

Alongside the divine prop, Shen Nianzu’s total rank surged like a rocket, soaring from the 36th position to the 12th, a mere two spots away from breaking into the top ten!

Unbeknownst to the three of them who were down with fever, the forum had ignited into a frenzy the instant they returned to the real world. A keen-eyed player had spotted the shift in the leaderboard, snapped a screenshot, and created a new thread with the title—

[After creating his own organization, Nian suddenly shots up in ranking?! Exactly what sort of godly teammates has he gathered?!]

The thread had quickly become a hot discussion with a speed even faster than when Shen Nianzu listed his own organization for the first time. Players swarmed to his profile, only to be disappointed when they noticed that his organization was still not available for open recruitment. Hence they could only squat inside the thread and shout out loud with a megaphone.

[Who has entered the same Cycle as Nian and his teammates this time?! Come out and share your experience with us!]

[Fuck fuck fuck! From 36th to 12th, is he a fucking immortal? This is not like climbing lower ranks that can change in a blink of an eye, this is the top 50, for fuck’s sake! The higher you go, the harder it gets to rise!]

[Ahhh, I really want to join SJG!!! *bite handkerchief* Nian, if you see this, please accept me. I am willing to do anything, whether it’s carrying your shoes, massaging your shoulders, or being your personal bedwarmer!]

[Upstairs, I can sense your ulterior motives. But count me in too.]

[No one knows who Nian’s teammates are?! The suspense is killing me!!]

[Oh my God, SJG only has three members, and it’s already sitting at the 5th rank out of hundreds of organizations out there! How could they be so powerful? Could it be that every single member is on the leaderboard?!]

[Let’s go and check, everyone! Whose ranking has shot up a lot alongside Nian’s?!]

[I don’t know if anyone noticed this but [picture][picture][picture] JJ went from being 100th, to 87th, and now 55th? And the timing of his jumps in rank is...]

[*shock* oh my God, it lines up with Nian’s!]

[...]

[...]

[Are you guys thinking what I’m thinking?]

For the second time within twenty four hours, the forum exploded in a chaotic frenzy yet again.

While the theories about Nian and JJ’s relationship dominated the trending topics, another thread quietly clawed its way to the top.

[Everyone, look! A new player has entered the leaderboard!]