Conquering the Stars and My Haters’ Hearts - Chapter 9

The Arena is technically a branch of the ranking system, but it only opens periodically. Due to the limited size of the combat zone, players are forced into direct, close-quarters confrontations. It is a pure test of raw skill, offering significantly higher point rewards and attracting far more elite players.

Had the Arena been open earlier, a pilot of Ferdinand’s caliber would never have been slumming it in the standard queues where he accidentally matched with a “noob” like Xie Anning.

Xie Anning naturally chose the Arena as his new training ground. However, his account was as fresh as they come. Even after days of grinding, he had only climbed to the second-to-last tier. The goal of reaching #1 in the sector within three months still felt like a distant dream—after all, a single “sector” encompassed an entire star system’s worth of players.

While everyone else believed it was impossible, Xie Anning refused to quit. To back down now would be an indelible stain on his reputation.

He had sent a polite message to Ferdinand to express his gratitude and offer a friendly greeting. Ferdinand was online, but he didn’t reply for ages. Assuming the man was simply cold and distant, Xie Anning figured he had fulfilled his social obligation and put the matter out of his mind.

In reality, Ferdinand had spent hours agonizing over Xie Anning’s message. He had even summoned his subordinates for an emergency meeting to brainstorm the perfect response. By the time he actually hit “send,” Xie Anning had long since moved on to other things.

A few days passed in a blur of activity. Xie Anning streamed daily and submitted another short story to The Galaxy. His banked popularity had surged to nearly 800,000 points. If the task was based on cumulative points, he’d be safe—but the requirement to hit one million concurrent viewers in a single session still felt like an insurmountable wall.

However, before he could tackle the million-viewer milestone, he had a more immediate crisis: the makeup exams.

He held onto his popularity points as a safety net, hoping the system might offer a last-minute “remedy” if the exams went south. When he arrived at the examination hall on the morning of the tests, he was baffled to find the area swarming with people.

“What’s going on?” Xie Anning muttered. Including him, there were only four or five students failing badly enough to need a makeup.

He tapped a nearby student on the shoulder. The boy looked annoyed at the interruption, but his attitude softened instantly upon seeing Xie Anning’s face. “You don’t know? Word is Young Master Anders is coming here today for a challenge match. Everyone’s here to watch.”

Anders was a top-tier student in the Mecha Department. His matches were legendary, and students flocked to them in hopes of picking up advanced combat techniques.

Xie Anning: “…” This can’t be a coincidence.

Though he hadn’t met Anders in person since transmigrating, the original owner’s memories were saturated with the man’s contempt and mockery. Anders was the type who bullied simply because he enjoyed it, and the original Xie Anning had been an easy target. Xie Anning suspected that the thugs who had beaten him into the hospital were likely connected to Anders as well.

But dwelling on it wouldn’t help. He had an exam to pass.

He ran into some classmates who had ostensibly come to cheer him out. Yu Hongfeng pulled him aside, awkwardly trying to comfort him by suggesting he could help Xie Anning find a decent trade school after he was expelled.

Even though their opinion of Xie Anning had skyrocketed, it didn’t change the hard fact: the boy was a weakling. In their minds, helping him find a soft landing was the best they could do.

“I appreciate the gesture,” Xie Anning said calmly. “But I don’t think your help will be necessary.”

Yu Hongfeng blinked, confused, as Xie Anning walked into the hall. He found himself wavering. Was Xie Anning implying he wouldn’t fail? Where did that confidence come from? The boy only had Level E Mental Strength. By all logic, he was doomed. Yet, looking at how much Xie Anning had changed recently, Yu Hongfeng felt a nagging suspicion that he might actually pull it off.

As Xie Anning entered the room, the whispers followed him.

“That’s really him? The rumors were true.”

“I can’t believe he looked like that under all that hair. Why would he hide a face like that?”

“What a waste. He’s definitely getting expelled today.”

His new look was now common knowledge, but so was the fact that his Mental Strength was “trash.” The onlookers felt a pang of regret; it was a shame that such a beautiful person was about to be kicked out. Even if they couldn’t be with him, just having such a masterpiece on campus was a visual treat.

However, no one dared to intervene. The person pulling the strings against Xie Anning was Anders—a man with a background so powerful that none of them could afford to lift a finger against him.

The proctor nodded to Xie Anning with surprising warmth and announced the start of the exam. Anders had already bribed the man to ensure Xie Anning failed, but with a specific cruel twist: “Give him a bit of hope first. Make it hurt more when he fails.” If the proctor succeeded, there would be a massive bonus.

The proctor figured failing a loser like Xie Anning would be easy, but stringing him along was more work. He adopted a gentle, instructional tone, pretending to guide Xie Anning through the process.

Meanwhile, Anders was waiting in the wings, planning to make a grand entrance at Xie Anning’s most humiliated moment to crush him in front of the entire school.

In the Literature Department, the Mental Strength exam didn’t involve mechas. Instead, it focused on Calligraphy and Painting. It wasn’t just a test of artistic skill; a practitioner had to focus their entire being to infuse their Mental Strength into the work.

Depending on the creator’s intent, these works could have tangible effects. The most coveted were “Mental Healing” pieces that could soothe neurological trauma, but those were rare treasures produced only by master artists. The more exquisite the technique and the stronger the intent, the more astronomical the auction price.

In the streaming world, Master Artists drew massive audiences and staggering donations. For an ordinary student like Xie Anning, however, the goal was simply to demonstrate basic proficiency. Actually, manifesting a “special effect” was considered a pipe dream.

Xie Anning had some basic sketching skills from his previous life. While not a master, he was competent. He planned to manifest the Level C Mental Strength his current physique supported, which should be more than enough to pass.

The students around him watched with pity.

“I heard he barely attended any classes.”

“His drawing skills used to be on the level of stick figures.”

“Forget the art; he basically has zero Mental Strength. It’s hopeless.”

Xie Anning tuned them out. He stared at the paper, pen in hand. He centered his mind, channeled his energy, and made a single, steady stroke.

The movement was effortless—not the fumbling of a novice, but the fluid grace of a natural. His Level S potential made the process intuitive.

The proctor’s eyes widened in shock. How is he actually channeling Mental Strength? And at this rate, that’s at least a Level C! If this continued, the boy would pass. The proctor realized he had to find a loophole elsewhere to fail him. He forced himself to stay calm while the other students, buried in their own work, remained oblivious. They simply assumed Xie Anning would be at the bottom of the curve. In this world, the strong ate the weak, and only results mattered.

On the other side of the room, Xie Anning was approaching the finish line at a breakneck pace. For a man of his talent, producing a Level C work was trivial. But just as he was about to submit the piece—

[Random Task Triggered]: Earn 1,000 Popularity Points during this makeup exam.

[Reward]: Unlock the System Mall.

(Note: Standard unlocking of the Mall requires a flat cost of 1,000,000 Popularity Points.)

[Condition]: Any strong emotions directed at the Host such as admiration or shock will contribute to the point total.

Xie Anning went still. My entire net worth is less than a million right now. I cannot let this opportunity slip through my fingers.

However, hitting a thousand points in a single makeup exam was a tall order. To generate that much shock, he would likely need to produce a Level A masterpiece—a feat that would send shockwaves through the entire school.

The problem was his current physique. His body simply couldn’t handle the strain; he’d be drained bone-dry and collapse into a coma before the painting was even half-finished. If he passed out, he’d gain nothing.

Then, he remembered the Stamina Potion he had earned from his previous over-performance. Its effect was instantaneous: a full restoration of physical energy. He had kept it in the system space for a rainy day. Well, the storm had arrived.

Nearby, the proctor approached Xie Anning’s desk. When he saw the surprisingly competent Level C work, his heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t expected the “loser” to actually step up. However, it was only Level C; he knew a dozen ways to fail a student at that level.

The proctor steadied his nerves. But just as he opened his mouth to speak, Xie Anning grabbed the painting. Without a moment’s hesitation, he tore it to shreds.

“What are you?” The proctor froze, utterly baffled by the move. From his perspective, producing that work must have cost Xie Anning an immense amount of effort. Was the boy simply giving up? Was his job going to be this easy?

The next second, Xie Anning gripped his brush again. His aura exploded. Because his Level S Mental Strength so vastly outmatched his physical shell, he could no longer suppress the overflow. The sheer pressure of his will radiated outward, raw and undisguised.

Every student in the room stopped their work and stared in horror. The proctor, being the closest to the blast zone, felt as though he were dreaming.

“I, I must be seeing things,” the proctor stammered, his voice trembling. “That pressure, that Mental Strength is coming from Xie Anning?”

“Isn’t he an E-class waste? How is this happening?!”