The girl selling goods at the market had never seen money before.

Wow, so many people...

Looking at the dense crowd around the arena, Bai Jinxuan couldn't help but sigh. No. 2 Middle School is indeed No. 2 Middle School. Its size is at least ten times that of No. 5 Middle School.

Moreover, it's not just that there are many people; the venue is also large. The No. 5 Middle School area is a playground, but the No. 2 Middle School is different. This is a proper competition arena, with the same physical conditions as the union's assessment venue, and its overall area is even larger than the union's.

It must have cost a lot of money.

Bai Jinxuan muttered to herself as she walked to the seat with her name on it, her small hand supporting her weight with a relaxed air.

Going on stage is nothing new to her. She even pulled off a show at an auction with so many big shots in her face; this is just a formality, a piece of cake for her.

Before long, all the contestants from No. 1 Middle School arrived at the designated location, and the host continued the competition as expected.

This time, it was the students from No. 2 Middle School who entered the venue.

Bai Jinxuan didn't care about her competitors' fashion shows; what she cared about was the land beneath her feet.

The arena is somewhat similar to the arena in a science classroom, but the materials are quite different. The arena is soft and bouncy when you step on it, while this place is rock hard.

She tried to stand on her tiptoes and twist a few times, concluding from her senses that the ground beneath her feet was very solid and there was no need to worry about sinking.

After confirming this, Bai Jinxuan looked up and saw a device resembling a mechanical claw floating in mid-air.

Inside, the host and commentator were taking turns hyping up the atmosphere, while behind them, a large crystal ball was placed in the center of the venue.

It is light blue in color and while slowly rotating, it projects eight huge transparent screens in all directions, allowing everyone in the audience to see the details of the game through these big screens.

Could this be the surveillance crystal that those No. 2 Middle School students were talking about...?

Bai Jinxuan couldn't help but feel curious. The images on the big screen were obviously being filmed and transmitted by someone using floating cameras that surrounded the entire arena. So, if they could film, could they also self-destruct?

Just imagine how terrifying it would be if you could command millions of drones to bombard enemy territory with a single click...

Just as she was lost in her fantasy of a technological war, the shouts of the red-haired boy brought her back to her senses.

On the big screen, the familiar red-haired woman was spouting nonsense: "Bai Jinxuan! Did you hear that? I'm going to eliminate you myself!"

"My God! He Qianlu has openly challenged Bai Jinxuan! You can see she's extremely confident!"

The unexpected turn of events during the pre-event phase gave the host an opportunity to fan the flames.

"Let me explain to the audience here. He Qianlu is the only girl in the top ten science students at No. 2 High School, while Bai Jinxuan is also the only girl in the top ten science students at No. 1 High School. However, He Qianlu is fifth, and Bai Jinxuan is first."

The commentator understood the host's meaning and immediately continued.

"According to official data, both of them are near-4th rank. In terms of physical fitness, the difference between them is not that great. However, actual combat is not just about physical fitness. Given Bai Jinxuan's performance at No. 1 Middle School, she and Qianlu will face a considerable challenge."

As soon as the commentator finished speaking, the host heated up the atmosphere again.

"Two girls, one a princess from the new era No. 2 Middle School, the other a young lady from the old-established No. 1 Middle School. Viewers, their performances perfectly reflect the image of No. 1 and No. 2 Middle Schools in everyone's mind. A princess, after all, dares to challenge the established royal power! Everyone has witnessed her courage, so let's hear what the young lady has to say..."

In the air, a floating camera rapidly descended, capturing Bai Jinxuan's face.

Seeing this, Bai Jinxuan was speechless. The red-haired boy had no memory and wasn't very capable, but he was very good at showing off.

No wonder so many guys fawn over her, she's a great actress.

She shrugged and calmly replied, "I respect everyone who challenges me, because they all deserve praise for their courage."

"As expected of the young lady, even her response to the challenge is so elegant."

The host first offered a brief compliment to bring the pre-competition showdown to a close, and then immediately moved on to the main event.

"Who will be crowned champion? Who will emerge victorious in this battle between the two girls? All the answers will be revealed shortly. I hereby declare the competition officially open!"

"呲呲呲——"

Suddenly, a large amount of smoke billowed from beneath the arena floor. This smoke wasn't pungent or smelly; it simply obscured visibility...

Suddenly, the host's voice came from above.

"Welcome to the 'Misty Forest', fellow contestants! Here, you will not only face terrifying monsters, but also be wary of ambushes from other contestants. Protect your score tokens and survive to the end in the ever-shrinking poisonous fog!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the smoke dissipated slightly, and she found herself still sitting in her seat, with a pure white magic circle flashing on the table in front of her.

What Misty Forest? Has the competition started?

Bai Jinxuan was stunned. She quickly looked around and saw that her classmates were unconscious in their chairs through the smoke.

Is smoke a mandatory means to get players into the competition?

Bai Jinxuan quickly realized what was happening and looked at the magic circle on the table with her scarlet eyes.

The smoke wouldn't last long, and it would be awkward if the audience saw that she was the only one still sitting there, conscious.

So she quickly reached out and touched the magic circle, actively connecting to the magic circuit.

Instantly, Bai Jinxuan clearly felt that she had entered an illusion space. Although she could immediately sever the connection and return to her original body, she dared not be an exception under the watchful eyes of everyone.

As she delved deeper into the illusion, she felt as if she had emerged from a well, and the whole world suddenly opened up before her.

Well, it wasn't very cheerful. There was fog everywhere, and I couldn't see anything. But if I took a sniff, I could smell the green grass and mud, so the place must be a forest.

Phew—thank goodness, I'm in.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, a window pops up in front of you, showing the details of the competition rules and your choice of initial equipment.

The initial equipment must be selected from [weapon], [armor], [item], and [potion]. Bai Jinxuan calmed herself down and chose a weapon and an item—a level 2 scythe to carry on her body and 3 cherry bombs.

The reason for choosing these two is that there was absolutely no other way; they seem like multiple-choice questions, but in reality, they are mandatory.

However, this cherry bomb isn't entirely useless; at least it can injure a level 3 martial artist at point-blank range.

After selecting her equipment, she carefully reviewed the competition rules.

Simply put, this is a ranking competition. The organizers will use this method to conduct preliminary selections and select the best participants based on their actual skills in real-world competitions.

The operating principle is to protect one's own points token. This token is actually a projection device that can project their consciousness from reality into the illusion. Therefore, death here is not real death, but rather the projection disappears, forcibly exiting the illusion.

"No wonder I felt strange. It turns out I kept all the players at the early stage of Tier 3."

With 20 seconds left before the start of the match, Bai Jinxuan was trapped inside the square barrier and unable to move, but she could still make preparations for the match.

The reason why No. 2 Middle School gathered all the contestants in the square was probably to use this large-scale illusion to project each contestant to different locations in the misty forest.

In other words, the Misty Forest should be exceptionally large, possibly even larger than the entire Second Middle School, which would better test the players' survival skills in the dungeon and their encounters with other players in actual combat...

The Second Middle School has really put in the effort.

Bai Jinxuan untied the points token from her waist and put it into her shirt pocket, while using the rope that tied the token to tie three cherry bombs around her waist.

Since the cherry bomb is held in place by a green branch, there's no need to worry about it falling off. To use it, simply connect it to the magic circuit, pull it off, and toss it to detonate.

Very useful.

With everything ready, the countdown to the match reached zero.

In an instant, the square barrier beside him disappeared.

"The show has begun."

With her left hand wrapped around the long handle of the sickle, her grip close to her lower back, and her right hand resting on the handle on the other side of her body, she slid it to the end, and with a slight flick of her wrist, adjusted the direction of the blade behind her. Then, maintaining this posture, she quickly moved through the forest.

Although her physical abilities were reduced in the illusionary world, her five senses were not weakened. Even though the forest was full of fog and everything was blurry beyond 5 meters, she was still able to maintain a good running speed.

The reason is simple: I've experienced this kind of situation countless times before, in the undeveloped area of ​​the first level of the dungeon, where I'd been killing snakes in the dark.

The cave was full of pebbles, and the ground was uneven. If you didn't react quickly enough, you would fall at any moment.

It’s all experience!

Bai Jinxuan curled her lips into a smile, turned around, and the blade of the sickle behind her pierced directly into the tree trunk that suddenly appeared in front of her. Then she jumped lightly, using her momentum to push the handle of the sickle around half a circle around the tree until she was behind it. Then she clapped her hands together to shake the sickle out, dragged it to the ground, and continued running forward.

-------------------------------------

Off-screen, behind the screen.

Seeing Bai Jinxuan's outrageous actions, all the audience members were stunned and turned their gazes toward the girl sitting in seat number 1 in the arena, with a lazy expression and her head tilted to the side, her hand supporting her cheek.

"Is she really a near-Tier 4...?"

"No... I want to ask, is she really human?"

Volume 1: Chapter 149: The Girl Who Ran #1 on the Trending Search

In Shangcheng District, the competition has become the number one trending topic thanks to the hype from various media outlets.

Naturally, Bai Jinxuan, as a preliminary contender for the championship in the competition, has attracted a lot of attention.

At this moment, her outstanding performance has been forwarded and praised by countless people in the entertainment industry. The prestigious status of No. 1 Middle School, coupled with the lavish scene created by No. 2 Middle School with its lavish spending, has caused the number of viewers of this live broadcast to rise sharply.

Even Yao's mom, who was trying to learn new recipes on her phone in the kitchen, came across this live stream through automatic notifications.

However, when she saw Bai Jinxuan appear on her phone screen, her eyes were filled with fear.

The sound of the porcelain bowl falling to the ground startled Yao's father. He rushed out of the room to ask what was going on. Soon, he learned what had happened from his wife's few words, picked up his phone, and looked serious.

"Is Xiaoxuan... ultimately destined for the underworld...?"

He murmured and closed his eyes.

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On the phone, a silver-haired girl sits on a tree branch, counting the points in her hand.

She just killed 3 Shadow Fiends and 1 contestant. The Shadow Fiends are worth 10 points, and the contestant is worth 50 points, for a total of 80 points.

Once she accumulates a certain number of points, she can purchase equipment. To be specific, she can now buy an extra cherry bomb by earning another 20 points.

Therefore, before the poisonous fog arrives, she needs to accumulate as many points as possible to reach the final round.

"But I never expected it to be Shadow Fiend..."

Bai Jinxuan looked down at the tree and saw a black, lizard-like shadow demon rapidly climbing through the grass, attempting to circle the tree trunk and attack her from behind.

Unlike the real Shadow Fiend, the Shadow Fiend in the illusion doesn't burrow into shadows; it only has stats and no mechanics, making it relatively easy to deal with.

He dodged the clumsy bite by sidestepping, then flicked his wrist, a flash of black light, and the lizard, the size of his arm, was pinned to the tree, instantly turning into a phantom and disappearing.

Another 10 points.

While Shadow Fiends that can't burrow into shadows are easy to deal with, they're not easy to find, and their score is low. If you really want to rack up points, you should look for other contestants, whose scores are much higher than Shadow Fiends'.

The rules state that after eliminating other contestants, you can steal their points.

This plundering feature not only involves stealing the opponent's remaining points, but also allows you to steal their remaining equipment and items and convert them into points, which you can then use to buy more items. It's very user-friendly.

In other words, in the Misty Forest, the most valuable thing is the contestant.

Although the ranking is calculated based on the total historical points, the existence of the plunder mechanism makes farming jungle monsters less important.

After all, if you play too much jungle and expose your position, you'll be ambushed by other contestants, and their points will be stolen, which will all go to them.

Therefore, Bai Jinxuan decided to act as a hunter in this battle royale. Although she didn't know what the points ranking was for, since No. 2 Middle School had organized this selection, getting a ranking was better than not getting one.

Furthermore, being eliminated here should still count as elimination, and I can apply for extra credits from Teacher Chen later.

Those are all full credits!

With that thought, she pushed off with her legs and leaped into the air, moving rapidly toward the center of the misty forest.

Just then, a sudden burst of noise caught her attention.

She stopped, and after confirming it was safe, she listened intently: the clanging of metal, shouts, and the sound of trees falling...

There's a fight going on nearby!

Bai Jinxuan looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the location was to her right front, not particularly far away.

As a hunter, she decided to go and join in the fun; if she was lucky, she could take down two low-health enemies this time.

Because of the many uncertainties in the fog, even though Bai Jinxuan was able to move quickly through the forest with her superb reflexes, her vision remained completely obscured throughout the process.

Therefore, in order to avoid bumping into the two contestants when approaching the battlefield, she chose to sneak close to the ground as she got closer.

In this way, she can conceal herself at any time.

After running for a while after landing, Bai Jinxuan disappeared into a patch of grass over a meter tall. She reached forward with her hands and saw two armored warriors...

The soldiers are fighting in the open.

One of them was armed with a lightly armored spear, and the other with a heavily armored hammer. The spearman was clearly stronger than the hammerman. After dodging the hammer's blows one after another, he flicked his spear upwards, aiming at the hammer handle, trying to knock the hammerman's hand off.

Unexpectedly, as he was about to strike upwards, Da Chui unleashed his martial arts skills, his wrist strength increased dramatically, and he reached out to grab the gun handle.