Chapter Forty: The Second Main Quest

At last, Chen Bo understood the situation and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief—at least his chastity was intact. Still, being a grown man with a foppish cross-dresser lying atop him felt undeniably strange.

He shoved Bai Ge, who was still fast asleep, aside; but underestimated his own strength and sent him tumbling off the bed, landing hard on the floor.

"Seems I overdid it," Chen Bo looked at his hands with embarrassment.

"Ouch!"

"Aiya!"

Two cries of pain rang out—Bai Ge had landed atop Guo Zi'ang, who was sprawled on the floor. Meanwhile, Du Gu Yi Xiao lay draped across a table, clutching his sword tightly—a swordsman obsessed with his blade, though after drinking, all sense of dignity was lost.

Feigning innocence, Chen Bo put on a caring face. "Brother Bai, Brother Guo, why are you sleeping on the floor? It's cold down there, you'll catch a chill!"

He acted as if nothing had happened.

"Right! How did we end up on the floor?" Guo Zi'ang and Bai Ge were similarly blackout drunk, unable to remember anything from last night, save the vague knowledge they'd had too much to drink.

"Who would have expected such cheap wine to have such a powerful aftereffect? Back in the day, I was renowned for holding my liquor—never toppled after a hundred cups. Now look at me, brought down by a few jugs," Guo Zi'ang reminisced, mourning the days when he dominated the drinking table.

"And you dare to talk!" Bai Ge massaged his aching head. "This wine was abysmal—the aftereffects are brutal, my head feels as though it's being pierced through. No quality wine would do this."

The three woke Du Gu Yi Xiao, handed the innkeeper a silver ingot, and strode out. But the stench of alcohol clung to them so fiercely that a thorough bath would be needed upon their return.

If Chen Bo hadn't known he was at an academy, he would have thought he'd arrived in a bustling metropolis—for Tianyang Academy was astonishingly lively.

Beyond students and instructors, merchants and commoners thronged the grounds, making it feel like a small city.

"Hot buns for sale! Fragrant, delicious buns! If they aren't tasty, I'll refund your money!"

"Rock candy hawthorn skewers! Large, sweet, only five coins a stick!"

"Li's steamed buns! Pure white, fluffy buns right here!"

"Breaking news! Jingjing Chen, Tianyang Academy's former top prodigy, has surged into the top five hundred of the Continental Dragon-Phoenix List! Her strength is unfathomable!"

"Hmm?" The name Jingjing Chen caught Chen Bo's attention, but what was this Dragon-Phoenix List? He searched his memories, but found nothing.

"Brother Bai, what is the Dragon-Phoenix List?" As Confucius said, if you don't know, ask boldly—so Chen Bo did just that.

But Bai Ge gave him a "are you kidding me?" look. "Brother Chen, don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not joking, Brother Bai, I truly don't know," Chen Bo smiled wryly. The original Chen Bo had been a recluse, ignorant of such matters, and so he himself knew nothing.

"You really don't know? Then you’re as blank as a sheet of paper," Bai Ge said, pulling out a green bamboo folding fan from who knows where, waving it as he spoke—instantly attracting the adoring gaze of countless young women.

"Is this Dragon-Phoenix List really so famous?" Chen Bo frowned, sensing from Bai Ge's tone the list was something remarkable.

"Famous? The words 'Dragon-Phoenix List' resound like thunder," Bai Ge paused, then continued, "The Dragon-Phoenix List traces back eight thousand years."

"Eight thousand years?!" Chen Bo was astounded—that was older than Chinese civilization itself!

"Legend has it, eight thousand years ago, two monstrous beasts invaded the Barbarian Continent—one a malevolent dragon, the other an evil phoenix. Their power was boundless, and in an instant, mountains crumbled, disasters spread, and humanity was plunged into wailing and carnage."

"The strongest of that era stepped forward to resist, but none could stand against the two beasts. Many mighty humans perished. Since all sides loathed these monsters, humans and elemental beasts united for the first time—but even then, they failed."

"At that moment, shouldn't a host of heroes appear to save the world?" Chen Bo couldn't help but interrupt.

"Brother Chen, you are truly extraordinary—you've guessed it," Bai Ge praised.

What did being extraordinary have to do with it? Chen Bo thought, but kept silent. The plot was so clichéd that, given the setup, he could predict the ending. He’d simply watched too many melodramatic dramas, novels, and anime back on Earth.

Bai Ge continued, "At that time, the old generation of human experts had fallen, and the burden fell upon the young talents."

"Millions of young geniuses sacrificed all their life force, channeling every ounce of energy into a single elemental artifact, which they used to annihilate the two monstrous beasts. That artifact is now the legendary Blood Radiance Shuttle, the divine weapon of the Barbarian Continent!"

"Every one of those millions of young geniuses perished from the effort. As a result, barely a tenth of humanity's cultivators survived."

"In commemoration, the Continental Dragon-Phoenix List was established, with ten thousand places. Only the most outstanding ten thousand young heroes of the Barbarian Continent can make the list. Who would have thought your sister could surge into the top five hundred—congratulations!"

So that's what it was. Enlightenment dawned on Chen Bo. Though the story was melodramatic, the Dragon-Phoenix List was far from simple. The Barbarian Continent had at least tens of billions of people; for Jingjing Chen to enter the top five hundred was truly remarkable.

Perhaps her strength now surpassed all of Flame Town, and if she returned to Tianyang Academy, she'd be an invincible force. That meant Chen Bo had a formidable backer! His impression was that Jingjing Chen and Chen Bo got along well.

And surely she would know many stunningly talented beauties—should he ask her to introduce some?

As Chen Bo's mind wandered, the system, silent for ages, suddenly popped up.

"Ding! Host has unintentionally triggered the second main quest: Enter the Dragon-Phoenix List. Before the three-year deadline, you must rank among the top ten thousand on the Barbarian Continent's Dragon-Phoenix List. Reward for completion: unknown. Punishment for failure: All blood relatives, past and present, will be erased!"

"Cough, cough, cough!" Chen Bo was so shocked by the word "erased" he couldn't catch his breath, coughing violently.

"Brother Chen, what's wrong?" Bai Ge asked.

"Nothing, nothing!" Chen Bo forced a smile. The system’s terms were brutal—erasure, no less.

The previous main quest's punishment for failure was his own death. Now, it was the death of his family—this was outright coercion!

"Damn, the streamer is doomed—this Dragon-Phoenix List sounds terrifying."

"Don't be afraid, streamer—keep going!"

"Keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going!"

"Don't worry, streamer, you still have us!"

"Hao An Yi tip streamer 9999 gold coins, hurry and draw a prize to boost your strength!"