Credits, World Ranking

"Rankings?"

"That's right, Mingzhu University ranks students' academic credits into two lists: the Heavenly List and the Earthly List."

Guo Miaomiao explained crisply.

Before long, she led Lin Xuan to a plaza.

In the center of the plaza, three stone tablets stood side by side.

Light shimmered around the stone tablets, which were adorned with names.

"Those are Mingzhu University's three major lists."

"From left to right, they are the Earthly List, the Heavenly List, and the Trial Tower ranking."

"Trial Tower..." Lin Xuan murmured to himself.

Before coming, when he checked Mingzhu University's information, he had seen many introductions about the Trial Tower.

The Trial Tower is a monster training ground created by Mingzhu University, and it is the core of its educational model.

The First Level of the Underground Palace contains level 10 monsters, and for each level higher, the monster level increases by five.

After entering, students begin their challenge from the First Level of the Underground Palace.

They can only exit the tower after clearing each level.

Inside the tower, they can gain experience, and after exiting, they can also settle for items.

It can be said that each level is a small secret realm.

However, unlike a secret realm, dying in the Trial Tower does not mean true death!

"This is a large training ground for professionals to hone their strength!"

"I know about the Trial Tower, but what are the Heavenly List and the Earthly List?" Lin Xuan asked.

"It's indeed harder to understand the Heavenly List and the Earthly List; you can think of them as the academic credit rankings for the inner and outer academies."

"The Earthly List corresponds to the outer academy, and the Heavenly List corresponds to the inner academy."

"However, each list only takes the top one thousand, and the top one hundred on the list automatically receive academic credits as long as they remain on the list for a day!"

"They receive academic credits every day?" Lin Xuan was a bit surprised.

As Guo Miaomiao just explained, academic credits are almost a panacea within Mingzhu University.

But if one can obtain them just by being on the list, then wouldn't the competition for this ranking be extremely fierce?

"Yes, that's why this ranking is also a testament to one's strength."

"Because anyone can challenge students on the ranking list."

"As long as you succeed in the challenge, you can take half of the opponent's academic credits and occupy their ranking!"

"Half of the academic credits, then why do the top ten still have so many credits?"

Lin Xuan noticed that the tenth-ranked person on the Earthly List actually had over a million academic credits.

While the eleventh-ranked person only had hundreds of thousands.

"Those... they're all big bad guys." Guo Miaomiao explained with some indignation.

"The top ten automatically acquire several times more points daily than those outside the top ten."

"So those people deliberately hold back their levels and don't go to the inner academy."

"There are people like that? Are they High School League players?"

"How could that be? Professional players could beat ten of them with one hand. They're just... just the outer academy's campus bullies!"

Lin Xuan frowned.

To make the socially anxious and quiet Guo Miaomiao say something like that.

It seems the outer academy of Mingzhu University is not peaceful.

However, he wasn't afraid of trouble.

From the academic credits and rankings, it could be seen that Mingzhu University advocates competition among students.

This was different from what he learned in Jianghai City.

There, the focus was more on how to deal with monsters.

"Such an arrangement must have some profound meaning."

Lin Xuan thought of the Puppet Master from the Black Church he encountered after the college entrance examination.

In this world, humanity's enemies are not just monsters.

There are also humans themselves.

"What about the Heavenly List then? The Heavenly List is the inner academy's academic credit ranking. The academic credits obtained automatically every day should be more than the Earthly List, right?"

"If the top ten on the Earthly List go to the inner academy, wouldn't it be even better to enter the Heavenly List?"

"Heavenly List? You're thinking too much. If they entered the inner academy, they wouldn't even make it into the top one thousand on the Heavenly List!"

"They wouldn't even make it into the top one thousand!" Lin Xuan was somewhat astonished to hear that.

Mingzhu University's annual enrollment quota is at least several thousand people.

Over a four-year system, there would be tens of thousands of students in the inner and outer academies.

Even if it's divided into inner and outer academies, the top ten of the outer academy can't even get into the top one thousand of the inner and outer academies.

The gap is too big!

"The two lowest standards to enter the inner academy are for a professional to advance to the second tier, and for a professional to pass the one hundred twentieth level of the Trial Tower."

"Because of this, the inner academy is where the core geniuses of Mingzhu University gather."

"The top ten students on the Heavenly List are even stronger than some of the school's instructors."

"Every time there's a change in the top ten of the Heavenly List, it's almost a major event that shakes Mingzhu University and even Jianghai City."

As she spoke, Lin Xuan noticed that the quiet, socially anxious Guo Miaomiao, who disliked fighting,

Her words even carried a hint of excitement and fanaticism.

"It seems this senior sister has a bit of a hidden side to her." Lin Xuan thought with a smile, looking at the Heavenly List rankings.

"Heavenly List Tenth, Luo Xiaohei, Senior."

"Heavenly List Ninth, Doflamingo, Senior."

"Heavenly List Eighth, Ultimate ID, Senior."

"Heavenly List Seventh..."

"..."

"Heavenly List Third, Lan Shan, Junior."

"Heavenly List Second, Xiao Ruo Fu Feng, Senior."

At this moment.

In front of the stone tablet, there were many students, either visiting or having pre-registered.

Upon seeing the name of the Heavenly List's second-ranked, many gasped.

It was clear that Mingzhu University's rankings almost all used aliases.

Everyone called them professional IDs.

They didn't recognize the student ranked second on the Heavenly List.

But the name Xiao Ruo Fu Feng was not unfamiliar to many.

The team he led.

Currently held the top spot in almost all dungeon speedrun rankings between levels 20 and 50.

Such an extraordinary person.

Yet he was only ranked second on the Heavenly List?

"Then who is first?"

Everyone couldn't help but ask, their gazes moving upwards to the very top line.

"Heavenly List First, Practice More If You're Bad, Junior."

"..."

"How... how incredibly arrogant that name is."

Someone who saw this ID muttered in a low voice.

Some even struggled to keep their lips tightly sealed, afraid of laughing out loud.

"Isn't he afraid of getting beaten up with an ID like that?"

"This is too funny. The Heavenly List's top rank should have a domineering name."

"I'm not thinking about him getting beaten up; I'm afraid he's going to be ganged up on."

"He's not afraid of being ganged up on at all."

Hearing someone discussing the Heavenly List's top rank, Guo Miaomiao pouted, her face full of indignation.

"Brother Cai is the Heavenly List's top rank, and he's also a hidden class Mechanic. How could he be afraid of being ganged up on?"

"Heh, 'Brother Cai,' as if you know him."

"Exactly, just visit, why are you acting like you study here yourself?"

"Heh heh, so the Heavenly List's top rank is a Mechanic."

Beside Lin Xuan and Guo Miaomiao were a male and female professional.

Both were tall and wore expressions of disdain.

However, judging by their attire and age.

They were most likely new professionals this year, similar to Lin Xuan.

"Probably like Lin Xuan, that top scorer in the college entrance exam this year."

"He got lucky, his skill level was high before the exam, and he only got the top spot by relying on the massive number of summons from his high level."

The male was explaining, and the female, after listening, also retorted disdainfully.

"The Heavenly List's top rank in Mingzhu University, who took the top spot using a human wave tactic, must have ordinary personal strength."

"You're not allowed to talk about Brother Cai like that!"

"Brother Cai is the pride of us new students! Mechanical creations are not cheating! That's a professional characteristic!"

Guo Miaomiao's face turned red as she pointed at the two.

"Heh heh, you're getting agitated, acting as if you're really a university student at Mingzhu University."

The female professional wore sunglasses and a sun hat.

She looked like a rich young lady.

But her words were truly venomous.

"I am a student of Mingzhu University!"

"You say you are, so you are? Just with you, a little country bumpkin?"

"If you're a Mingzhu student, where's your school badge?"

Guo Miaomiao's argument with the two quickly drew the attention of those around them.

Many people turned their gazes towards them.