"Buzzing~" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Clang clang~"

"Buzz buzz buzz~"

"Clang~"

"Splat!"

On the speeding train, Xu Shu, crouching awkwardly in the incredibly cramped bathroom, shook his waist in annoyance. Through the pipe beneath his feet, he could even see the clearly oiled wood ties zipping by at high speed, showing just how retro this train really was.

Sometimes being retro brings a sense of nostalgia, but other times it’s just a massive noise.

Coupled with the endless vibration from the Promotion Drive, it made Xu Shu extremely frustrated.

What the heck is up today?

Why is even taking a dump so annoying?

He cursed, but to avoid missing any important messages, he reluctantly opened the Promotion Drive to check for any messages from familiar people.

Quite unfortunately, there were none.

Bai Sanxiang, Tang Ying, and others who evacuated from the D8B3 District had not replied, whether they were still too busy or if... Xu Shu didn’t want to think too deeply.

Others, like Xie Xiaochan, also remained silent; obviously, the Female Void Palace’s closure wasn’t over.

As for his aunt, there was no news either, but Xu Shu didn’t think anything of it.

Hong Yan’s attitude made him realize that not everyone knew about the issues in his safety zone,

This world is too dangerous; who has time to surf the internet all the time? It’s normal for the other side to not be looking.

But where did all these friend request messages come from? Could it be that my battle achievements got featured again in the server announcement?

Xu Shu glanced at the inexplicable friend verification messages, totaling over ten thousand.

The add notes were mostly similar, either "Gu Pan brother is mighty, add me, little sister, little sister’s purple mood is cloud-patterned" - such overtly suggestive ’Mother Goddess path’ healers - or "Love brother wants brother’s hug" - the ’nun’ path healers.

In the past, Xu Shu would have been quite interested in trying one or two, but currently, given he’s accompanied by a Third Rank "Enchanting Demon" and a backup Snake Mother, he really doesn’t need these "nuns" or "Fallen Nuns" fledgling rookies.

Occasionally, there were one or two slightly serious messages, such as someone feeling Xu Shu is very strong and wanting to become friends to explore the wilderness and sweep the ruins together in the future.

Though it seems normal, are their levels a bit too low?

Xu Shu checked a few messages, most are First Rank, with even a few Second Rank; he couldn’t help but wonder where these people found the courage to want to enter the wilderness and ruins with him, don’t they know the kind of enemies they usually fight?

To protect these ambitious strangers, Xu Shu, of course, wouldn’t add them.

The dense mass of red notifications made his head spin, even made bowel motions less smooth. Fortunately, the Ascension Network is quite considerate, offering a ’batch accept/refuse’ feature.

Xu Shu simply selected all at once and refused, finally clearing all the red dots, and peace returned once more.

After squatting for a bit longer and resolving one of life’s three major urgencies, he leisurely pulled up his pants, washed his hands, and struggled to open the bathroom door, with people behind eagerly wanting to rush in.

Calmly, he returned to his seat, grabbed the cat bag from his sister’s lap, sat down and looked out the window, while discreetly and carefully shrinking the Promotion Drive to coin size and flipping through it.

Upon checking, he indeed confirmed his suspicion.

After the battle at Xinglong Manor, he uploaded a large number of "golden light" battle achievements; Lie Zhenzi processed it promptly, with results in just a few hours.

Hence, his Qingyun List ranking leapt from 99th place to 8th, nickname: Heroic Grass Python.

"Ha, my battle achievements only ranked eighth, there are still seven people ahead of me; indeed, heroes are as plentiful as fish crossing the river, talented people emerge one after another; must remember never to be complacent and think I’m truly invincible now."

"Top ten ranking is quite good, in which case, my weekly ranking reward should be in the first tier, right? By the looks of it, the next payout should be in a few days, but this time it’s for the 99th rank, unfortunate."

Xu Shu shook his head and then his expression stiffened slightly.

Wait a minute...

Did they write the word ’python’ incorrectly?

Goddamn Heroic Grass Python!

Though Lie Zhenzi doesn’t interfere with human matters, it seems to discern right from wrong, recognizing Xinglong Manor’s Snake Cultivation as villains, calling them unruly miscreants, haha...

As Xu Shu internally commented, he sighed with slight relief.

Just then, a burst of noisy broadcast woke up his foster parents and Zhou Shiyu, drowsy from the long train ride.

"Attention passengers, next stop: Jing Wang Mansion!"

"Train stop time is five minutes, all passengers not disembarking must strictly follow the rules, continuously reading page twelve of the ’Passenger Handbook’ aloud if possible, without aimlessly wandering unless necessary; any needs should be assisted by the staff;"

"Please abide by the rules, consequences of violations at your own risk!"

The broadcast repeated, and the train gradually slowed down.

This should be nearing a safety zone, Xu Shu looked out both sides and saw the train approaching an ancient town, pavilions and towers crammed together, with books and scrolls hanging at the entrance and windowsills of many buildings, the air filled with a rich bookish aroma, as if airing books.