Did the Top-Ranked Girl Get Exposed Today? [HoloVerse] - Chapter 1

The biting gleam of a sword illuminated the high platform, where two figures had been locked in a fierce struggle under the moonlit night.

Feng Xiaoxiao narrowly dodged another lethal strike, spinning mid-air as she unleashed several sword auras that descended from the starry sky, slicing through the arrows the woman had just fired.

Her grip on the sword was already unsteady, and her rapidly pounding heart signaled the strain she was under.

Once again, Di Xiang unfurled her wings beneath the bright moon, her gaze icy and piercing as it locked onto Feng Xiaoxiao. A radiant arrow, like a white rainbow piercing the sun, shot through the darkness.

For a moment, Feng Xiaoxiao faltered. That brief lapse cost her the chance to evade Di Xiang’s full-powered arrow.

Her longsword fell from her grasp, and she plummeted from the platform alongside the arrow, her vision fading like a distant butterfly.

The prolonged battle had finally reached its conclusion.

Di Xiang retrieved her bow, calmly watching as Feng Xiaoxiao tumbled into the sea of flowers. Blue and white petals swirled upward in the moonlight, burying her body beneath their delicate layers.

How could this be…

I actually lost.

…

As the character’s health bar rapidly dropped to zero, the full moon hanging high in the sky began to fade. The dazzling sun of Xihe reclaimed the heavens, its light dispelling the chill of the moonlit night.

From the Star-Gazing Tower, Di Xiang leaped down, landing gracefully before Feng Xiaoxiao. She looked down at the young woman lying amidst the flowers.

Feng Xiaoxiao shielded her eyes from the intensifying sunlight, her voice tinged with frustration. “You’ve won. I’ll honor the terms of the challenge and delete my account.”

“No need.” Di Xiang’s tone was as cold as her perpetually frosty expression, like snow sealed away for millennia, sending a chill down Feng Xiaoxiao’s spine. “I never accepted the challenge, only agreed to the duel.”

In other words, the terms of the challenge could be disregarded.

“No need.” Feng Xiaoxiao echoed, mimicking her tone word by word. “In this world, one must keep their word.”

A woman of integrity and honor like Di Xiang would never demand something as excessive as having the loser delete their account. That condition had been Feng Xiaoxiao’s own addition to the challenge:

If Di Xiang won, she would delete her account.

It was meant to provoke Di Xiang and ignite her fighting spirit.

But Feng Xiaoxiao had overlooked the possibility of her own defeat, rather than her victory over Di Xiang.

She had been too confident, never once considering the outcome of failure. After all, for so long, she had been unstoppable, with few able to rival her.

…

Since the launch of “Tianxia,” the world’s first fully immersive holographic game, Feng Xiaoxiao’s account, under the ID “Shang Xianyue”, had consistently held the top spot in the “Sword Dream” class.

As the game grew into a cultural phenomenon, more and more players flooded into “Tianxia”, countless challengers stepping forward in attempts to dethrone her.

In this era of immersive entertainment and holographic advancements, securing the top rank wasn’t just about the thrill of virtual prestige, it also meant wealth and fame.

When the top player of another class, “String Song”, sold their account for an astronomical sum, even more players swarmed like bees, vying for the top positions across different classes.

Yet, despite the constant shifts in the “Tianxia” leaderboards, Feng Xiaoxiao remained unshaken at the pinnacle. Every challenger who dared to face her had been soundly defeated.

Over time, boredom set in, and Feng Xiaoxiao turned her attention to the other top-ranked players.

Her ambitions burned fiercely, she didn’t just want to be the best in the Sword Dream class; she aimed to become the undisputed number one in all of “Tianxia.”

“The strings of ‘Song of Strings’ snapped and shattered under the moonlight, the plants of ‘Healing World’ withered and stained with blood, and beneath the sturdy armor of ‘Guardian of Light,’ life veins were sealed by frost…”

One by one, the top-ranked players fell, leaving only the last one who had yet to accept the challenge.

Feng Xiaoxiao, already rising in fame, became even more renowned after these battles. Her silhouette, sword in hand beneath the moon, became an immortal legend in the realm.

Amidst the glory and accolades, the final crown seemed within reach.

Until she stumbled upon the unyielding obstacle, that was Di Xiang.

Di Xiang, the top-ranked player of the “Celestial Feather” class, was a woman who lived in legends, the holder of every achievement record.

Unlike Feng Xiaoxiao, who reveled in wandering around and picking fights, Di Xiang spent her days either breaking dungeon records or competing in PvE battles.

She single-handedly spurred the entire Celestial Feather class into a frenzy of competition.

Few players had ever encountered her in the game’s map, but those who frequented the highest-difficulty dungeons would occasionally cross paths with her.

Feng Xiaoxiao had saved Di Xiang for last not because she believed Di Xiang was the strongest, but simply because she couldn’t locate her.

“If the mountain won’t come to me, I’ll go to the mountain.”

Thus, during that period, Feng Xiaoxiao scoured the world for Di Xiang’s whereabouts, chasing after her relentlessly. Yet, more often than not, she would enter a dungeon just as Di Xiang had left.

Feng Xiaoxiao rarely participated in PvE competitions, making it impossible to match with Di Xiang. Adding to the frustration, Di Xiang ignored private messages and refused to accept challenges. After days of fruitless pursuit, Feng Xiaoxiao decided to make Di Xiang come to her.

…

In “Tianxia” there was a well-known feature: once a player’s cultivation reached a certain level, they could summon a personal domain based on their overall abilities. The stronger the player, the wider and more impactful the domain.

Feng Xiaoxiao’s domain was an almost boundless moonlit night, where prey hiding under the full moon could not escape the eternal moonlight until their health bar hit zero.

As for Di Xiang ‘s domain, Feng Xiaoxiao had complained about it many times, despite her icy demeanor, Di Xiang ‘s domain was the dazzling, radiant sun of Xihe.

Its brilliance spanned thousands of miles, so blinding that none dared face it directly.

The two of them, one representing the sun and the other the moon, seemed destined to clash, like two kings who never met. Throughout their time, they had almost never appeared together, and private communication was nonexistent.

Unable to find Di Xiang anywhere, Feng Xiaoxiao boldly entered the guild territory Di Xiang had built, banishing the daylight and letting the pure moonlight spread across every inch of the visible landscape.

Openly deploying a large-scale domain in another guild’s territory, replacing the original one, was an outright act of provocation.

After Feng Xiaoxiao had beaten Di Xiang’s guild’s left and right guardians, along with the guild elders, several times over, the person she wanted to see finally appeared before her.

And so began the legendary Sun-Moon Conflict, a battle significant enough to be recorded in the annals of “The Realm.” In the end, the sun rose, and the moon set, fading into the night.

“You are too arrogant,” Di Xiang said calmly. “There were several chances for you to evade my killing blows, yet you chose to face them head-on.”

Her usually expressionless face seemed to show a hint of confusion. “Why?”

Di Xiang’s words pulled Feng Xiaoxiao’s thoughts back from the past. Though she was at a disadvantage, she refused to lose face. Her habit of sharp retorts remained unchanged.

“I didn’t dodge because I wanted to test your limits, but it turns out you’re nothing special~”

Feng Xiaoxiao lay provocatively amidst the flower pile, grinning at Di Xiang. “It took you so many hits to finally kick me down.”

Di Xiang lowered her gaze. The girl before her had slightly disheveled robes and loose strands of hair, likely her hair ribbon had been blown away by the wind during the fall. Now buried among clusters of fallen blossoms, she had petals scattered across her head, one even dangling precariously from her eyelashes.

“But in the end, I won.” Di Xiang stated in her usual calm tone.

Feng Xiaoxiao: Damn it!

She’d hit a sore spot.

Staring at Di Xiang, who resembled an ice sculpture, Feng Xiaoxiao felt speechless inside. The game didn’t even have a setting for a poker face, but ever since she’d met Di Xiang, the most expression she’d ever seen from her was opening and closing her eyes. If Di Xiang had a real-life poker face, the game should have cured it by now, yet she kept wearing that icy expression as if someone owed her a fortune.

Unaware of her opponent’s rich inner monologue and the torrent of complaints directed at her, Di Xiang extended a hand toward Feng Xiaoxiao.

Feng Xiaoxiao immediately grew wary, shuffling backward. “What do you want? I’m warning you, if you really provoke me, I’ll drag you down with me!”

Di Xiang remained silent, a bottle of elixir materializing in her palm. The system’s prompt echoed between them.

“Player Di Xiang has gifted you a bottle of Soul Revival Pill (Supreme). Will you accept?”

Feng Xiaoxiao coldly selected “Decline.”

Di Xiang didn’t press the matter, retracting her hand with equal indifference.

Neither spoke further, and a heavy silence began to spread, broken only by the soft whisper of the breeze.

At last, the delayed system announcement shattered the quiet, a server-wide notice appearing in the sky.

“The challenge between players Shang Xianyue and Di Xiang has concluded, with Di Xiang emerging victorious by superior skill!”

The crowd of spectators, who had been waiting eagerly for the battle’s outcome, erupted in excitement.

[World Channel]
[Sword Dream] Fei Zhang: Shang Xianyue actually lost!
[Sword Dream] Wei Cha: Shang Xianyue actually lost!!!
[Sword Dream] Fei Zhang: Lady Yue, how could you be so foolish!!!!
[Healer’s Realm] Shen Yi: Meng Zhongren, did you see that! Boss Di Xiang has avenged us!!
[Healer’s Realm Top Rank] Meng Zhongren: I saw it… I saw it… crying cat emoji
[String Song] Chang Ge: All String Song players, rise!
[Guardian Light] Zhen Xin: All Guardian Light players, rise!
[String Song] Chang Ge: We’ve been avenged! Even if it wasn’t our own top ranker who did it… from now on, String Song and Celestial Feather are one family~
[Guardian Light] Zhen Xin: From now on, Guardian Light and Celestial Feather are one family~

…

After several rounds of meaningless chatter flooded the screen, a few players finally snapped to attention.

[Celestial Feather] Wang Mo: Wait.
[Healer’s Realm] Chi Mei: Wait.
[Healer’s Realm] Xue Mei: Wait… Stop copying each other! If Lady Yue lost, doesn’t that mean she really has to delete her account?

The World Channel fell silent for a moment before an even more frenzied wave of messages erupted.

[World Channel]
[Sword Dream] Fei Zhang: Lady Yue, how could you be so foolish!!!!
[String Song] Guo Ying: Lady Yue, how could you be so foolish!!!!
[Guardian Light] Hua Zhou: Lady Yue, how could you be so foolish!!!!

…

Ding-dong notifications from world @mentions and friend messages chimed incessantly. Feng Xiaoxiao’s head throbbed from the noise. Opening the World Channel and seeing the endless stream of “Lady Yue” made her headache even worse.

Her ID was Shang Xianyue. After she became the top-ranked player in the Sword Dream class, other players, out of reverence, gave her the nickname “Lady Yue.”

As the name spread, many players who loved stirring up trouble gradually started calling her “Old Yue” in their chatter, and over time, it stuck just like that.

Feng Xiaoxiao had resisted and tried to stop the name, but she was outnumbered and couldn’t do anything about it. It wasn’t as if she could go knocking on doors with her sword, demanding they stop.

Feng Xiaoxiao: I know your intentions are good, but please don’t act on them.

[World Channel]

[Sword Dream Top Rank] Shang Xianyue: Shut up.

The flood of messages that had been scrolling at lightning speed came to an abrupt halt. Feng Xiaoxiao continued typing, word by deliberate word.

[World Channel]

[Sword Dream Top Rank] Shang Xianyue: I’m not dead yet.

Still, there were bold players who dared to face her authority head-on.

[World Channel]

[Healer’s Realm] Xue Mei: So, Old Yue, are you really going to delete your account?

[Sword Dream Top Rank] Shang Xianyue: I always keep my word.

Feng Xiaoxiao closed the World Channel, ignoring the players who had started buzzing again after her statement. She was now calmly making arrangements for her “afterlife.”

“Made up your mind?” Di Xiang’s expression remained unreadable.

“I’m tired of Sword Dream. This is a good chance to try a different class.”

She sat up straight, petals rustling off her clothes.

Feng Xiaoxiao selected a few friends from her list whom she got along with and gifted them her in-game assets.

“It’s lonely at the top~” she drawled playfully. “It’s time to give the younger generation a chance.”

Di Xiang gave her a surprised look. “Are you that old?”

Feng Xiaoxiao: …Is this person being deliberately obtuse?

“It’s seniority! Seniority!”

Ignoring Di Xiang, who hadn’t left her side, Feng Xiaoxiao opened the system interface and selected “Account Deletion.” A transparent screen popped up in front of her.

“Account deletion is irreversible. You have selected to delete the account: Shang Xianyue. Proceed with deletion?”

Feng Xiaoxiao selected “Yes.”

“Verifying identity… Identity verified. Confirmed.”

The bold text on the screen disappeared, replaced by an hourglass counting down. “You have five minutes to cancel your selection.”

As time ticked away, Feng Xiaoxiao lazily lay back down in the flower field, which had already taken the shape of her body, and closed her eyes to listen to the wind.

Di Xiang fell silent. From the moment Feng Xiaoxiao made her choice, she had remained quiet, like a snowflake melting into the earth, blending seamlessly with the surroundings.

“Countdown: Ten seconds.”

The girl, lounging comfortably among the flowers, suddenly opened her eyes. Without looking at Di Xiang, she said, “Next time, I will surpass you.”

“…Five, four, three, two, one.”

With a crisp chime, Feng Xiaoxiao’s body gradually dissolved into streams of blue light made of numbers and code. As the final countdown ended, she vanished like a bubble evaporating in the sunlight.

“Shang Xianyue, the top-ranked Sword Dream player, has chosen to retire from the world. A legend has come to an end. With the top position now vacant, the world is set to be swept into another storm of chaos!”

A sudden gust of wind swept across the endless sea of flowers, sending blue and white petals swirling into the sky, drifting down like a dreamlike rain.

A crescent-shaped petal happened to land on Di Xiang’s fingertip. Her slender fingers gently closed around it, only to release it again in the end.

“I’ll be waiting.” Whether these words reached the girl who had vanished with the wind, Di Xiang did not know.

Di Xiang stood quietly in place for a moment, paying silent tribute to this unforgettable opponent.

Just as she turned to leave, a glimmer of light from the corner where Feng Xiaoxiao had lain caught her eye.

After a brief hesitation, she walked toward the corner.

When she was only a few steps away from the source of the light, she suddenly realized something and quickly stepped back but it was already too late.

“Surprise!” Colorful ribbons and candies burst from a gift box, filling the air with glittering confetti for several meters around her, covering her from head to toe.

Out of nowhere, a small bird flew over, carrying a flower wreath. It circled her before clumsily placing the wreath, adorned with green leaves and red flowers, askew on her head, then flew away triumphantly.

She crouched down expressionlessly, picked up the gift box that was emitting a cacophony of celebratory noise, and promptly pressed the button to shut it off.

A description of the item appeared before her:

[Surprise Fun Box]

Introduction: Created by its previous owner, Shang Xianyue. A perfect prop for celebrations, guaranteed to bring immense joy to whoever receives it (∩_∩).

For the first time, Di Xiang understood what it felt like to be so angry that she laughed. As she crouched and then stood up, the confetti on her fluttered down like snow, and the already crooked wreath tilted even more precariously.

“I’ll… be… waiting.”

This time, her usually unshakable tone finally carried a hint of emotion, spoken to someone who was no longer there.