Night fell, and the streets of Jiangnan City's Lower District were illuminated by colorful neon signs. Unlike the cold, technological feel of the skyscrapers in the Upper District, this place was filled with the hustle and bustle of ordinary life, mixed, of course, with the smell of cheap nutrient pastes and low-quality engine oil.
Lin Zhiran didn't go straight to the internet cafe. Instead, he went to the vegetable market first and bought some fresh greens and half a pound of synthetic meat.
When he returned to the cramped rental apartment, his sister, Lin Qingyu, was sitting at a small desk reviewing her homework. Although her body was weak, she was very diligent, and her academic grades had always been in the top three of her grade. Seeing her brother return, a smile immediately blossomed on her pale little face, and she tried to get up to help.
"Sit still." Lin Zhiran walked over quickly and held her shoulders. His tone allowed no refusal, but his eyes were very gentle. "I made a small fortune today. I'll cook you something good tonight to nourish your body."
Lin Qingyu looked at the meat and vegetables in her brother's hand, a bit surprised and distressed. She knew her brother didn't have it easy at school, and every penny was hard-earned.
"Brother, you're in your third year of high school too. You're the one who needs nutrition. Don't always worry about me," Lin Qingyu whispered.
Lin Zhiran smiled and didn't explain much. He just skillfully put on an apron and went into the kitchen.
Before long, two dishes and one soup were served on the folding table. Stir-fried meat with greens and tomato egg soup. Although simple, it was considered a luxurious dinner in the slums.
At the dinner table, watching his sister eat heartily, the tight string in Lin Zhiran's heart loosened slightly. Fighting desperately in the sewers and enduring eye-rolls at school—wasn't it all for this moment of peace?
"Qingyu, the Ladder System has been very popular in school recently. I plan to give it a try," Lin Zhiran said seemingly casually while putting vegetables in his sister's bowl. "I heard that high rankings come with prize money. I want to try my luck."
"Really?" Lin Qingyu's eyes lit up, but then she looked worried. "But Brother, I heard there are many powerful people in that system, and those children from big families have advanced equipment... Will you get hurt? Although it's virtual, the mental consumption is also great, right?"
"Don't worry, I know my limits." Lin Zhiran took a mouthful of rice, his expression calm. "I'm just going to practice, I won't mess around. Besides, although your brother lacks talent, my brain works fine. If I can't beat them, I'll run."
Seeing her brother's confident and steady appearance, Lin Qingyu nodded and didn't ask anymore. She always felt that although her brother didn't talk much, he possessed a strength that made people feel reassured.
After dinner and washing the dishes, Lin Zhiran settled his sister down to sleep. Then, he changed into a dark hoodie, put on the hood, and quietly left the house.
He didn't have the spare money to buy an expensive home VR capsule, and the school helmets weren't allowed to be taken home. His destination was a cheap internet cafe named "Lightyear Speed" two streets away.
Pushing open the heavy soundproof curtains of the internet cafe, a smell mixed with sweat, instant noodles, and cigarette smoke hit him in the face.
There was no high-end environment here, only rows of old-style VR reclining chairs flashing with blue light. Most people who came here were bottom-tier martial artists who couldn't afford equipment or unemployed vagrants addicted to virtual games.
"Boss, open a machine for four hours." Lin Zhiran walked to the counter and laid out a few crumpled bills.
"ID card." The greasy-faced boss didn't even look up, staring at a beauty livestream on his screen.
Lin Zhiran handed over his ID card.
The boss glanced at it and looked up in surprise at the teenager hiding his face in the hood. "Student? Year 3? Coming out to surf the net so late, aren't you afraid of your family scolding you?"
"No one at home to care," Lin Zhiran replied indifferently.
The boss shrugged and didn't ask further, tossing him a magnetic card. "Area C, Number 44. That machine just had its sensor pads replaced, so it's a bit more sensitive."
"Thanks."
Holding the card, Lin Zhiran skillfully navigated through the smoke-filled hall and found machine Number 44 in the corner.
He carefully wiped the inner lining of the helmet with a wet wipe, then lay down, took a deep breath, and put on the helmet.
"Connecting start."
"Iris verification passed... Brainwave synchronization rate 98%... Welcome back, Cold Light."
After the familiar feeling of weightlessness, Lin Zhiran stood once again in that pure white virtual space.
At this moment, his appearance had undergone some changes. To avoid attention, he adjusted his facial parameters to look more ordinary and common. He also put on a half-face mask gifted by the system, revealing only a pair of overly calm eyes.
In his hand, he still held that most basic novice Black Iron Long Spear.
Although he had eight thousand bucks, he didn't recharge to buy any virtual equipment. For him, the worse the weapon, the more it honed his technique. If he could use a fire poker to the effect of a divine artifact, that would be a true Spear God.
"Start matching."
Lin Zhiran thought.
Ding! Match successful! Rank: Bronze Tier 3. Opponent ID: Berserk Axe.
The scene changed. This time it was a dilapidated factory ruin. Rusty pipes and broken concrete walls constructed a complex urban warfare terrain.
His opponent was a burly man carrying a pair of obviously paid-for Fine-Grade Dual Axes, with red light effects flowing on the axe blades.
"Ha! Met a rookie with a novice spear?" The burly man named Berserk Axe was instantly amused seeing the plain weapon in Lin Zhiran's hand. "Hey, kid, are you here to give away points? People still use this kind of trash weapon nowadays?"
Lin Zhiran didn't speak, just silently adjusted his grip on the spear.
His feet stood apart firmly, his body sinking slightly, looking like a fully drawn bow.
Seeing Lin Zhiran ignore him, the burly man got annoyed. "Playing mute? I hate people who pretend to be cool the most! Lie down for me!"
Boom!
The burly man stomped the ground hard, kicking up a cloud of dust. Although he looked clumsy, his speed wasn't slow; he had obviously added a lot of points to Strength and Agility. The battle axe in his hand carried a howling wind, borrowing the inertia of the charge to chop down at Lin Zhiran's head with a "Mountain Splitting" strike!
This axe strike was heavy and powerful. If it were an ordinary novice, they would likely be scared witless by this momentum and could only raise their spear to block.
But as long as one blocked, they would have their weapon knocked away due to the gap in Strength attributes, falling into a passive situation of getting beaten.
This was a typical stat-suppression tactic.
However, Lin Zhiran's eyes didn't waver in the slightest.
In his eyes, although the burly man's movements were fierce, there were simply too many flaws. Exerting too much force caused his center of gravity to lean forward; lifting his arms too high exposed his armpits; his pace was fast but left no way of retreat.
Too rough.
Just as the battle axe was about to hit him, Lin Zhiran moved.
He didn't retreat, nor did he block. He merely slid half a step to the left.
This half-step was just right, as if precisely calculated. The battle axe slashed empty air, almost brushing against the corner of his clothes.
At the same time, the long spear in Lin Zhiran's hand moved.
There were no flashy light effects, only a plain, unadorned black afterimage.
Basic Spear Technique—Mid-Level Thrust!
Pfft!
A soft sound.
The spear tip pierced the soft spot under the burly man's armpit with incomparable precision. Then, with a shake of the wrist, the spear shaft oscillated.
Vital Spot Critical Hit!
The burly man only felt half his body go numb, and the movement he intended to change instantly deformed.
Before he could react, Lin Zhiran had already retracted the spear, stepped forward, and thrust again!
This time, it was the throat.
"Impossible!" The burly man's eyes widened in horror. He wanted to swing his axe to block, but that black long spear seemed to have eyes, always drilling in at that node where his old force was exhausted and new force had not yet generated.
Puchi.
Throat pierced.
The burly man's massive body turned into white light and dissipated.
Battle ended. Time taken: 3.5 seconds.
Lin Zhiran stood with his spear retracted, gently exhaling a breath.
"Too slow." He shook his head. If he hadn't held back force on the second spear thrust just now, he could have actually pierced the opponent's heart directly, saving 0.5 seconds.
"Continue."
Without stopping at all, Lin Zhiran started matching again.
Second match, the opponent was an Agility-type Assassin using dual daggers. Lin Zhiran utilized the spear's attack range advantage, keeping the opponent three meters away at all times. No matter how the opponent changed direction to rush in, that long spear always appeared on their path in advance. Finally, a sweeping strike sent the opponent flying into a wall, followed by a finishing thrust.
Third match, the opponent was a Fire Elementalist. Lin Zhiran used the terrain for cover. In the gap while the opponent chanted a skill, he threw a precise projectile, the long spear piercing the opponent's chest like a javelin.
Fourth match... Fifth match... Tenth match...
In the corner of the Lightyear Speed Internet Cafe, the teenager wearing the helmet remained motionless, as if asleep.
But in the virtual Ladder World, a newcomer with the ID "Cold Light" was climbing at a terrifying speed.
Bronze Tier 3... Bronze Tier 2... Bronze Tier 1!
Ten consecutive wins!
And in every battle, no matter what type of opponent he faced, no matter how good their equipment was, his battle time never exceeded one minute.
He was like a precise killing machine—calm, efficient, zero errors.
At this moment, several hundred people had already gathered in a spectator channel for low-tier matches in the Ladder System.
Originally, these onlookers were just watching casually, but as Lin Zhiran's winning streak grew, the number of people paying attention to him began to multiply.
"Holy crap! Who is this Cold Light? Another insta-kill?" "I've seen his stat panel; it's all starting novice gear! He doesn't even have a decent weapon!" "This spearmanship is too wicked. I practice spear too, but those moves he uses look like the radio gymnastics taught in school? Basic Thrust, Basic Lift, Basic Collapse... Why are they so powerful in his hands?" "It must be a smurf account of a big shot! This kind of prediction and distance control is definitely not something a novice can achieve!" "Look, look, he's in his promotion match! If he wins this one, he goes straight to Silver Tier!"
Lin Zhiran was unaware of the discussions outside. Although his body wouldn't get tired from continuous high-intensity battles, the mental consumption was real.
He felt a trace of fatigue, but his eyes became brighter.
This feeling of concentrating his entire spirit on the tip of the spear fascinated him. With every thrust, he could feel his comprehension of the Heart of the Spear God deepening, that state of unity between man and spear slowly stabilizing.
"Last match."
Lin Zhiran took a deep breath and selected start.
Ding! Promotion match found. Opponent ID: Thunder-Zhao Feng. Rank: Silver Tier 5 (Gatekeeper).
Seeing this ID, the spectator channel exploded instantly.
"It's Zhao Feng from the Thunder Dojo? I heard he's a collateral disciple of the Zhao family. Although not as famous as that Zhao Tai, he has the strength of a Tier 1 Warrior!" "There's a good show to watch now. Zhao Feng is famous for his equipment flow, a full set of top-grade Black Iron armor. His defense is scary high." "With Cold Light's broken spear, I'm afraid he can't even break the guy's defense, right?" "It's risky. The win streak is probably going to break this time."
In the virtual battlefield, a desolate desert map.
Zhao Feng, clad in a set of bright silver heavy armor, held a tower shield and a one-handed hammer, looking like a mobile fortress. Seeing Lin Zhiran opposite him, he grunted disdainfully.
"Heard you won ten in a row? Interesting. But meeting me, your luck has run out. This armor of mine can't even be pierced by armor-piercing bullets. You better save that fire poker of yours for roasting sweet potatoes!"
Lin Zhiran still didn't speak.
He quietly looked at Zhao Feng's thick armor, his gaze finally resting on an imperceptible gap at the armor's joint.
Can't break defense?
The corner of Lin Zhiran's mouth curled up in an imperceptible arc.
Possessing the SSS-Rank Talent [Absolute Armor Break], the thing he feared least was a tortoise shell.
Moreover, a true martial artist never relies on external objects.
"Please enlighten me."
Lin Zhiran spoke his first sentence of the night lightly. Then, he held the long spear level. The spear tip no longer trembled but was as steady as Mount Tai.
An invisible momentum slowly rose in this desert.
At that moment, even the audience across the screens felt an inexplicable chill, as if a sharp blade was pressing against their throats.
This battle would be the beginning of the name "Cold Light" resounding on the Nova List.