This villain is too popular.

Chapter 361 The Cruel 'Starry Sky' 'Sky Ladder' 'Ranking Match'

Under the curious gazes of the dimensional audience, everyone approached by Caroline...

Despite being extremely unwilling, they ultimately handed over a portion of the Tianwu Coins according to the 'contract terms'.

Although these Tianwu coins are nothing compared to the '1000 Tianwu coins' newbie bonus.

But let's not even mention that this 'tax' is long-term.

And such 'newbie perks' will certainly not last forever.

At the same time, some people also considered a very crucial issue.

That is, 'It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.'

Once they've experienced what it's like to have a huge sum of money, will they still tolerate having 'low savings'?
However, these issues are too far in the future for them, and many people believe that as long as they remain restrained, they will definitely be able to resist the temptation.

[Tianwu Qilin Tower Heaven Level Area Entrance]

"Heavenly Dao, how many of those people do you think will still be left in a month?"

After collecting all the debts from the borrowers, Caroline calmly looked at the crowd and asked, while organizing the information at hand.

In response, Tiandao smiled and said, "There should be quite a few left, after all, there are quite a few smart people among them."

After saying that, Tiandao waved his hand and said, "Let's go, let's pick a better dormitory first, and then we can go out and look around."

Caroline nodded, and then followed Tiandao into the largest and most luxurious area of ​​the entire Tianwu Base: the Heavenly-level Zone.

[Tianwu Qilin Tower Yellow Level Area]

On the other hand, the anime's camera follows the protagonist, Chen Kong, as they arrive at the Yellow-level training area.

Chen Kong stood at the entrance to the Yellow-level area, looking quite bewildered.

He had assumed the Yellow Zone would be a simple training ground.

But he didn't expect that the liveliness here would resemble a bustling small city, and not at all like a 'training area'.

In the distance, neat white dormitory buildings stand at the far end of the area.

Nearby, colorful signs hang from the shops along the street.

Among these shops, some sell star energy potions, while others rent out training equipment and star energy props.

Others are marked with the words "Star Beast Barbecue," and the shops are filled with the enticing aroma of food.

Besides, the people who live here also piqued Chen Kong's curiosity.

Most of the pedestrians on the street had unique characteristics.

Some of them had cat ears on their heads, while others had fox tails trailing behind them; they were clearly 'alien beings'.

They were wearing uniform gray uniforms and gray wristwatches similar to those worn by Chen Kong, but much simpler, suggesting they were permanent residents of the Yellow-level zone.

"Newbie?"

Just as Chen Kong was curiously looking around at everything, a clear voice suddenly came from the side.

Chen Kong turned his head and saw a girl wearing a gray short skirt.

She had fluffy, light brown wolf ears, her wolf tail swaying gently behind her, and her eyes, as bright as amber, were curiously observing him.

"Yes, I'm a new student."

Chen Kong nodded.

The alien girl's eyes lit up, and just as she was about to speak, a group of aliens suddenly surrounded her and roughly pushed her aside.

"Sir! Please choose me as your guide! I've lived in the Yellow-level zone for three years, and I've memorized all the tower-climbing strategies!"

A middle-aged man with a goatee squeezed to the front, holding a yellowed notebook in his hand.

"Sir, don't believe him! He fell off the tower last year!"

A girl with rabbit ears stood on tiptoe, holding up a price list.

"I only need 7 Tianwu Coins, and I can even help you bargain for the potions!"

Amidst the chaotic crowd, Chen Kong was momentarily confused about the situation.

Similar situations have occurred with other students as well.

It was as if these trainees were some rare 'benefactors' in the eyes of these alien beings.

Just as Chen Kong was thinking about whether to randomly choose one of these people as a guide, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the 'alien girl' who had just been pushed aside.

She kept her head down, her wolf ears drooping, as if she were a little aggrieved.

Out of kindness, Chen Kong politely persuaded the people around him to leave.

"Sorry, I've already chosen a guide."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Kong pushed through the crowd and walked up to the wolf-eared girl.

"Hello, could you show me around here?"

The wolf-eared girl suddenly looked up, her amber eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously.

"Yes, that's fine! But it will cost 5 Heavenly Martial Coins."

Her voice trailed off, as if afraid Chen Kong would think it was too expensive. "No problem."

Chen Kong said with a smile.

The wolf-eared girl paused for a moment, then excitedly raised her right hand.

Soon, a faint light flashed on her gray wristwatch.

At the same time, a transaction request popped up on Chenkong's student watch.

[Transaction counterparty: Lena, a resident of Huangji District]

[Transaction Details: 1-day Yellow-level zone guide service (including zone introduction, basic tower climbing Q&A, and all questions within her authorized scope)]

[Transaction Price: 5 Days of Martial Coins]

【agree or not? 】

Chen Kong decisively clicked 'Agree'.

The balance of Tianwu coins on the wristwatch instantly changed from 1007 to 1002.

Seeing the Tianwu Coins arrive in her account, the wolf-eared girl's wolf tail swayed even more enthusiastically.

She looked up and immediately prepared to explain the situation here to Chen Kong.

But a long cry that suddenly came from afar interrupted her.

It turned out to be a Star Train arriving at the station.

In an instant, the once bustling street became mostly empty as everyone rushed toward the platform, their faces full of anticipation.

At the same time, a message was displayed on the electronic screen above the central platform.

[Explorers return from the outer tower of the Starry Sky Train].

"What are they doing?"

Chen Kong looked at the people getting off the train and asked curiously.

These people were dressed in black exploration suits, each with a cold expression and a capable demeanor, clearly the result of being tempered through numerous life-or-death crises.

Lena responded with an envious look.

“Sir, they are explorers who have returned from exploring the ‘Tower’.”

"A tower? Isn't that a building?"

Chen Kong was taken aback, after all, he had always thought that the Qilin Tower was an ordinary tall tower.

Lena shook her head, pulled Chen Kong to the map next to the platform, and pointed to the holographic model on it.

The Heavenly Martial Qilin Tower in the holographic model was not a 'tower' at all, but rather a series of special regions separated by vast distances.

The role of the Heavenly Martial Qilin Tower is to act as a transit point, responsible for transporting them to the corresponding locations.

Seeing this, Chen Kong finally understood.

Lower tower levels are low-risk areas, while higher tower levels are high-risk areas.

The top tower levels correspond to the 'Occupied Zone' and the 'Forbidden Land'.

The higher the level, the more precious the resources can be found in the corresponding area, but it is also more dangerous.

The condition for 'reaching the summit' is to survive and explore back from an 'occupied area'.

Reina nodded.

Upon receiving this answer, Chen Kong suddenly understood.

He had previously thought that the words "Starry Sky Ladder Ranking Tournament" were connected.

Unexpectedly, 'Starry Sky' refers to the train, and 'Sky Ladder' refers to the difficulty levels of different areas.

Only the term 'ranking competition' refers to the competition between trainees.

But after understanding all this, Chen Kong suddenly had a question.

"Since climbing the tower is exploring risky areas, then after each climb, there should be some people who never come back, right?"

After hearing these words, Lena remained silent for a moment before giving her answer.

"Yes, sir, and for 'newcomers,' the 'mortality rate' and 'dropout rate' are often the highest in the first year."

After a long silence, Chen Kong finally understood the meaningful expression on the otter manager's face when he looked at everyone not long ago.

I also understand why he said that 'elimination' is basically not based on 'ranking' but on 'number of floors climbed'.

After all, not everyone can guarantee that they will come back alive after entering a 'risk zone for exploration'.
Thinking of this, Chen Kong looked again at the people who came out of the Starry Sky Train Station.

If he wasn't mistaken, these people should be the previous batch of 'students'.

These are what we call senior students.

PS: That's all for today's update. I'll start adding more chapters tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)