While Lin Xu was studying the rankings, many nobles on the giant island were also observing the rankings.
"Young Master Xiao is indeed number one! Our plan is now secure. There aren't many instances in history where we've formed an alliance and jointly constructed a leaderboard before the beginner phase. Young Master Xiao's methods are truly remarkable!"
Some nobles sighed.
The others nodded in agreement:
“That’s right. Now, apart from the 29th place, everyone else on the leaderboard is one of our people. Moreover, we have no conflicts among ourselves, so there will be absolutely no problems with this power-forging process!”
Everyone looked quite confident as they began to study the division of responsibilities after the successful forging of the authority.
However, at this moment, the crowd suddenly paused and turned to look to one side.
A handsome young man was slowly walking over there; it was Xiao Xing.
"Young Master Xiao!"
"Hello, Mr. Xiao!"
Many nobles gathered around, their faces beaming.
Xiao Xing also smiled and greeted many of his classmates.
However, after dealing with everyone, Xiao Xing also started checking the rankings, but his expression wasn't particularly excited.
A nobleman's son who had been observing Xiao Xing's expression came over:
"Young Master Xiao, you seem worried. Is there something wrong with our plan?"
Xiao Xing glanced at the man, then his face returned to that gentle, refined smile:
"While there are some issues, they don't seem to be major problems at the moment. Everyone, do you see number 29 on the leaderboard?"
The nobles came to their senses:
"Is Young Master Xiao referring to Lin Xu?"
Xiao Xing nodded:
"Throughout the history of nobles forging their power, only a handful of commoners have been able to enter the rankings. This time, we changed the tradition, eliminating internal competition and instead fostering sincere cooperation. Yet, even so, a commoner has still managed to occupy a position on the rankings. This Lin Xu is quite extraordinary!"
"not simple?"
The group of noble youths exchanged glances.
Although they held Xiao Xing in great awe, it was rather difficult for them to care about a commoner.
One of the boys looked slightly indignant.
"It must be that Lin Xu who happened to pass by a golden ruin and used some underhanded means to obtain the Golden Robe. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to get such a high score. Among commoners, all sorts of underhanded methods are prevalent, but they have absolutely no real strength or courage."
Some of the other nobles nodded slightly upon hearing this.
Although many people had heard of Lin Xu's reputation, some of these nobles knew that Lin Xu was indeed a talented person and not as bad as he seemed.
But when asked how Lin Xu acquired his strength to directly defeat the guardian of the Golden Ruins and obtain the final reward, they couldn't figure it out at all.
Common sense dictates that even a peerless genius would have no chance of overcoming a problem of the level of difficulty posed by the Golden Ruins without the support of nobles.
"Could it be that someone is secretly helping Lin Xu in an attempt to sabotage our plans?"
A nobleman spoke up, then glanced indifferently at the white bluebird standing aloof to the side.
Many nobles knew about the relationship between Bai Qingniao and Lin Xu, so this noble's behavior naturally made him suspicious of Bai Qingniao.
"You'd better watch your words! All our communications and soldiers are restricted to this area. If anyone is willing to sponsor Lin Xu, it'll be one of those people operating outside. Why are you looking at me like that!"
The white bluebird also noticed the person's actions. At this moment, her pretty eyebrows furrowed, and she rebuked him mercilessly.
The noble boy's face turned pale, but when he opened his mouth, he couldn't refute Bai Qingniao.
"What happened? Even if Lin Xu, a commoner, is said to have great talent, there's no way he could defeat a golden soldier, right?"
"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? If you can't even use your own brain, don't pretend to be smart and spout nonsense. Now you're trying to shift the blame onto others, which just makes you look like you have no class at all!"
The white bird still wouldn't let the nobleman who doubted her off the hook, and gave him a few more sharp retorts.
The other nobles immediately stopped looking at the white bluebird.
This woman has a notorious reputation and an extremely wicked personality; they don't want to provoke her again.
Xiao Xing frowned slightly when he saw Bai Qingniao lose her temper.
But he maintained his aristocratic demeanor, waiting for the white bluebird to finish venting.
After the scene quieted down again, Xiao Xingcai spoke again:
"We can discuss how Lin Xu acquired his strength later, but we need to know if he could be a threat to us?"
The group of noble youths exchanged glances, then all showed a hint of relief.
"Young Master Xiao, you're overthinking it."
“That’s right. Even if we send out a knight, let alone take action ourselves, we can easily deal with that kid.”
"He's just an ordinary person, nothing special. He's lucky, but he can't be this lucky forever."
Xiao Xing calmly looked at the group of nobles and spoke, waiting for them to finish before continuing:
"Perhaps your reasoning is correct. But you should all have heard about the conflict between Lin Xu and Chen Shaojie, right?"
The nobles looked alarmed.
So far, Chen Shaojie is the only nobleman in their batch to be eliminated.
Logically speaking, since Xiao Xing unified these nobles before the novice stage through his skill, and there was no infighting, none of these nobles should have been eliminated.
However, Chen Shaojie was still defeated, and even killed, and left the island world.
The matter has not yet been fully investigated, but all the nobles are very concerned about it.
Xiao Xing:
"Chen Shaojie once specifically reported to me that he had a grudge against Lin Xu and wanted to send a team to hunt him down. But now, Lin Xu is still alive and ranked 29th on the leaderboard. Chen Shaojie, on the other hand, has died once. What are your thoughts on this?"
The nobles all frowned.
One of the nobles, incredulous, tentatively asked:
"Does Young Master Xiao think that Lin Xu killed Chen Shaojie?"
The other nobles immediately cried out.
"impossible!"
"That's impossible!"
"How could a mere commoner possibly fight back against a nobleman!"
"Chen Shaojie must have encountered some special trouble. Maybe he failed while exploring other ruins."
"Yes, I heard that Chen Shaojie's family has been searching for a black goat relic. Maybe he's trapped inside that relic."
All the nobles shook their heads, disbelieving that Lin Xu possessed such strength.
Seeing everyone's reaction, Xiao Xing didn't continue to speculate, but simply said:
"Perhaps Lin Xuzhen isn't that strong, or perhaps he's just an ordinary commoner. But so far, he is indeed the only variable in our plan. If Chen Shaojie's elimination has nothing to do with him, that would be for the best. But if he really has some unwarranted ambitions and wants to turn against the nobility, we must be prepared."
The other nobles were invigorated upon hearing Xiao Xing's words.
"What are your thoughts, Young Master Xiao?"
"I've disliked this commoner for a long time. Is Young Master Xiao going to take care of him?"
A smile appeared on Xiao Xing's lips:
"It's too early for these questions. We need to observe Lin Xu's performance. If his ranking doesn't improve, or even drops out of the top 30, then we don't need to pay him any attention for the time being. But if he doesn't behave properly, we'll continue exploring the Golden Ruins..."
"Then let's take him in!"
The nobles spoke up, their expressions excited, and began to discuss the matter.
Only the white bluebird beside him frowned slightly, its expression a little irritated.
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