Ling Xiao

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Ling Xiao is a sophomore at Ning'an University and a childhood sweetheart of Xia Wanwan. They attended kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school, and university together. During a university outing, street thugs targeted Xia Wanwan; Ling Xiao diverted their attention to protect her and was beaten 23 43.

Wang Junjie subsequently used the incident involving the thugs to pressure Xia Wanwan. Her announcement that she would date the first Ning'an University student to reach level 10 in Oracle became Ling Xiao's opportunity to challenge him through gaming. Wang Junjie agreed that, if he lost, he would drop the matter with the thugs and stop pestering her 43.

Previous Timeline

In Lin Mo's previous life, Ling Xiao completed Cloudside Town's hidden quest, became its first level-10 player, and took the top position on the Heaven Ranking. He and Lin Mo later ended up in the same Level 3 Main City 23.

After Oracle swallowed reality, Ling Xiao sacrificed himself to destroy a powerful tier-11 Corpse Emperor and protect his girlfriend. Lin Mo witnessed his death but only understood the role of Mutual Destruction after their encounter in the current timeline 23.

Appearance

• Height: 185 centimeters 4.
• Features: Handsome, refined, and well-defined, with deep eyes 4 7.
• Campus reputation: Known as a university heartthrob and star student 20.

Personality

Ling Xiao is determined to protect Xia Wanwan, even when doing so exposes him to humiliation, injury, or death. He pleads with Wang Junjie for her safety, refuses to abandon the leveling contest, and is willing to sacrifice himself repeatedly to prevent Wang Junjie from winning 16 20 35.

His early conduct toward Lin Mo is possessive and confrontational. Having paid 20,000 yuan for hidden-quest information, he treats the quest as rightfully his and demands boss loot as compensation when Lin Mo obtains it first 4 8.

He also takes repayment and trust seriously. After Lin Mo saves him, he offers to fund the Flame Ring's reputation cost without conditions. He delivers the ring despite Wang Junjie's threats and later voluntarily gives Lin Mo his entire leveling reward 23 24 43.

Threats against Xia Wanwan can override his judgment. At the Shadow Nest, Wang Junjie provokes him into killing deliberately vulnerable players, accumulating Crime Points and exposing him to a much greater experience penalty if killed 35.

Abilities & Skills

Mutual Destruction

An A-rank talent that sacrifices Ling Xiao's life to inflict true damage equal to his maximum health on a target 8.

• Player combat: Deals 160 damage to both himself and Lin Mo during their first confrontation, killing both. He activates it after entering a fifty-yard radius of Lin Mo 8.
• Boss farming: Uses suicide attacks against bosses to obtain substantial experience and reputation, helping him remain among Cloudside Town's top three players 23 24.
• Interdiction strategy: Plans to repeatedly kill Wang Junjie outside the safe zone, accepting his own deaths to prevent Wang Junjie from returning to the Spider Queen 35.
• Targeting limitation: Cannot directly target Wang Junjie through the players surrounding him 35.
• Death-penalty limitation: Several hundred Crime Points make further suicide-based farming impractical because the resulting experience losses would outweigh its benefits 42.
• Previous-timeline feat: Uses the talent to perish together with a tier-11 Corpse Emperor 23.

Sword Combat

• Cuts down multiple Troubled Times players during his attempt to reach Wang Junjie, although their deaths are deliberately arranged to increase his Crime Points 35.
• Finishes Man-Eating Ants that Lin Mo reduces to 1 HP. The last-hit bonus and Cloudside Town's Blessing Aura give him 180 experience per ant during their assisted farming 42.

Knight Build

• Selects Knight, a tank class, to complement Mutual Destruction 43.
• Plans to invest fully in defense and become a “Nuclear Blast Tank”; the supplied chapters do not show the completed build 43.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Novice Sword: Carries it during his first confrontation with Lin Mo, then puts it away before activating Mutual Destruction 8.
• Flame Ring — entrusted item: Arranges the forging of Lin Mo's level-10, tier-2 ring using Lin Mo's materials and gold coin, plus 30 of his own reputation. Receives a blue-quality ring and mails it to Lin Mo rather than surrendering it to Wang Junjie 23 24.
• Leveling Maniac: Title awarded for placing second in Cloudside Town's level-10-and-class-advancement event 43.

Relationships

• Xia Wanwan — Childhood sweetheart and romantic partner. Protecting her motivates his competition with Wang Junjie. She pays 200,000 yuan for Lin Mo's leveling assistance, and the pair embrace after completing their class advancements 42 43.
• Lin Mo / Mo Shou Cheng Gui — Initially an enemy over the hidden quest and boss loot. Their relationship improves after Lin Mo saves him, Ling Xiao honors the Flame Ring arrangement, and Lin Mo helps him win the leveling contest. Lin Mo later offers further assistance if Wang Junjie causes trouble 8 22 24 25 43 44.
• Wang Junjie / Hero of Troubled Times — Romantic rival and principal antagonist. Uses wealth, guild members, and threats against Xia Wanwan to obstruct Ling Xiao's progress 20 24 35 43.
• Skinny Monkey — Loyal friend and leveling companion. Ling Xiao previously pulled him out from under a truck; Skinny Monkey considers himself indebted to him for saving his life 16 35 42.
• Pang Dahai — Friend and party member who helps him level and joins his attempt to stop Wang Junjie at the Shadow Nest 16 35 42.
• Calm and Unruffled and the university students — Campus supporters. Initially defend him against Lin Mo; later rally against Wang Junjie's forces after seeing Ling Xiao and Xia Wanwan restrained 7 8 39.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Hidden Quest and Boss-Loot Dispute

Ling Xiao borrows 20,000 yuan to purchase information about Auntie Li's unique hidden quest from a friend involved in Oracle's game design. Lin Mo secures the quest first, disrupting the route that made Ling Xiao Cloudside Town's leading player in the previous timeline 4 23.

After Lin Mo defeats the Man-Eating Flower boss, Ling Xiao's group demands its drops. When ordinary combat proves hopeless, Ling Xiao uses Mutual Destruction to kill himself and Lin Mo. His companions obtain the dropped Venomous Ring, but Troubled Times members kill them and take it before it can aid his leveling 7 8.

Cooperation with Lin Mo

Wang Junjie and his guild assault Ling Xiao's group during a dispute over a Tree Demon boss. Lin Mo intervenes, kills Wang Junjie, and leaves Ling Xiao unharmed. Ling Xiao rebukes the students who continue insulting their rescuer 20 22.

To repay Lin Mo, he handles the Flame Ring's forging cost. His refusal to hand the finished ring to Wang Junjie earns Lin Mo's respect and turns their earlier hostility into cooperation 23 24 25.

Shadow Nest Confrontation

Ling Xiao attempts to stop Wang Junjie from claiming the Spider Queen and accelerating toward level 10. Troubled Times kills his companions, blocks his access to Wang Junjie, and manipulates him into gaining a Red Name 34 35.

Xia Wanwan shields him when he is critically wounded. Wang Junjie attempts to coerce her in exchange for sparing him, but the Spider Queen's emergence interrupts the confrontation. University students later attack Wang Junjie's forces after seeing the couple pinned down 35 36 39.

Winning the Leveling Contest

Unable to continue suicide-based farming safely, Ling Xiao accepts Lin Mo's paid assistance. At the Ant Nest, Lin Mo weakens monsters with Health Lock while Ling Xiao lands the finishing blows; Skinny Monkey and Pang Dahai lure additional ants 42.

Ling Xiao reaches level 10 and advances into a Knight before Wang Junjie, finishing second behind Lin Mo in Cloudside Town. He and Xia Wanwan give Lin Mo all their leveling rewards rather than only the agreed 70%. Although the immediate contest is won, Ling Xiao accepts that they may still need Lin Mo's protection from further retaliation 43 44.

Notable Quotes

“No conditions. I'll help you make it for free.” 23

“If Wanwan falls into the hands of that scumbag Wang Junjie, her life will be ruined! I will never let that happen!” 23

“Gaming is what I'm good at. This is my only chance to beat Wang Junjie!” 43