MTLNOVEL Chapter 47
Chapter 47
[No.85: Hahaha, OP’s roasting is gold!]
[No.86: Seeing everyone dunk on No.28 puts my mind at ease.]
[…]
[No.145: I mostly agree with OP’s rankings but want to make a non-Ability combat list.
Su Bei > Mu Tieren > Jiang Tianming > Wu Mingbai > Si Zhaohua > Lan Subing > Mo Xiaotian > Qi Huang > Feng Lan > Zhou Renjie > Zhao Xiaoyu > Wu Jin > Baozhu]
[No.146 replying to No.145:
This is interesting too.]
[PracticeMoreIfYouSuckNo.147: Nice, you’re all doing this? I’ll make a looks ranking later.]
[No.148: The non-Ability combat list at 145 feels too subjective. Many characters’ pure fighting skills haven’t been shown in the manga.]
[No.149: Upstairs is right. Qi Huang, Zhou Renjie, Baozhu, and Si Zhaohua haven’t brawled. We can’t just compare looks, right?]
[No.150 replying to No.145:
I agree with the top four. Si Zhaohua’s melee strength is unclear, so excluding him makes sense. Lan Subing in the next spot is fair too (so many haters say she’s weak and a burden, but they should take her season one BOSS-kicking sidekick to the head).
Mo Xiaotian’s ranking is reasonable; he dodged smoothly against Si Zhaohua, though his [Air] Ability likely helped sense attacks from all directions.
No comment on Qi Huang since she wasn’t shown. Feng Lan’s non-Ability combat is indeed weak, but Su Bei’s words suggest high potential.
Zhou Renjie hasn’t brawled either. I think Zhao Xiaoyu and Wu Jin could rank above him; they’ve fought and won real matches.
Baozhu last, fair.]
[No.151: Where’s the looks ranking sister? Waiting.]
[No.152: Waiting +1]
[No.153: Waiting…]
[No.154: I really want to see everyone’s looks rankings. I think Su Bei’s the hottest!]
[…]
[PracticeMoreIfYouSuckNo.222: I’m here! Check my looks ranking! (Highly subjective, with some objective manga character comments)
Boys: Wu Jin (not sure, but feels like a manga trope for a stunning reveal) > Si Zhaohua > Feng Lan (white hair’s my kink) = Su Bei > Jiang Tianming = Wu Mingbai > Mo Xiaotian > Mu Tieren > Zhou Renjie (Quick note: Si Zhaohua’s never explicitly described, but feels like the top-looks archetype. Wu Jin’s eyes in that panel were gorgeous; I suspect a future looks reveal. Feng Lan… I love white hair, sue me. Su Bei, a mysterious hunk. Rest are just ranked in order.)
Girls: Lan Subing > Baozhu > Qi Huang > Zhao Xiaoyu (No manga descriptions, pure subjectivity)]
[No.223: White hair fans strongly suggest Feng Lan first!]
[No.224 replying to PracticeMoreIfYouSuckNo.222:
Wu Jin???]
[No.225: Honestly, among the girls, aside from Lan Subing with my emotional vote, the others are all pretty.]
[No.226: Too few beauties, draw more @author]
[PracticeMoreIfYouSuckNo.227 replying to No.224:
Wu Jin’s face is always hidden. Manga trope says he’s likely a stunner when he lifts his hair.]
[No.228: Damn, upstairs makes sense.]
[No.229: Now I’m curious what Wu Jin looks like with his hair up. Si Zhaohua’s already hot—can the author’s art get better?]
[No.230 replying to No.229:
Sometimes hotness is just a trope, not art skill (lol)]
A single post captured the reader sentiment after the new chapter. Su Bei didn’t care much about others, only himself. Clearly, feedback about him was positive.
The only other thing to note was Wu Jin. Without their mention, Su Bei had forgotten. Many manga love a hair-lift reveal, so Wu Jin might indeed be a heartthrob.
Should he build rapport with him in advance?
After thinking, Su Bei decided against it. Wu Jin’s manga Ability raised some concerns, so keeping distance was safer.
As the looks debate heated up, he exited the thread and browsed other posts.
Many hot posts involved him, but filtering out CP and fangirl squeals left few.
Suddenly, Su Bei’s eyes lit up: “This looks interesting.”
He clicked in.
《Am I Imagining Things, or Did Su Bei Lose to Si Zhaohua Too Casually?》
[LittleMatchGirlNo.0: As the title says, anyone who saw Su Bei’s match knows Si Zhaohua barely won. His ultimate is near-invincible, but before using it, Su Bei pulled a killer move.
He almost won, but a bit of “luck” let Si Zhaohua dodge a neck hit, leading to his loss. But is this “luck” the author’s design, or Su Bei’s own scheme?]
[No.1: Huh? It’s obviously the author’s design. What plot isn’t?]
[No.2: Re: title, how’s it casual? Wasn’t that fight epic?]
[No.3: Su Bei scheming what? To lose?]
[No.4: I think I get the OP’s point…]
[LittleMatchGirlNo.5 (OP): My main post wasn’t clear; let me clarify.
It’s the author’s design because we know Jiang Tianming and Si Zhaohua are fated final opponents. It’s normal for the author to make Su Bei lose narrowly.
But I think it might be Su Bei’s scheme because of his performance. Notice his meticulous prep for the killer move.
He first used Gear attacks to distract Si Zhaohua (grazing shots, not meant to harm), letting the “undercover” Gear hide under a feather. Then he attacked seriously, forcing Si Zhaohua to close his wings, enabling the undercover Gear’s ambush.
This shows his precise Gear control. With a target as big as a neck, how could he miss?
So, I feel the loss was too casual. The author isn’t that sloppy. Either it’s a forced plot armor, or there’s more to it.]
[No.6: So many words, ababa…]
[No.7: Let me read.]
[No.8: Suddenly, OP’s logic makes sense?]
[No.9: Yeah, it’s casual. Si Zhaohua’s win was pure luck.]
[No.10: OP means Su Bei threw the match?]
[LittleMatchGirlNo.11 (OP) replying to No.10:
I feel that way; otherwise, it’s hard to explain the miss.]
[No.12: Now that OP mentions it, there’s definitely something fishy.]
[…]
[No.47: I think OP’s right. Look at the context! Su Bei always predicts winners correctly, showing he can foresee match outcomes.
Later, Jiang Tianming’s group concluded Su Bei doesn’t want to change his fate, not that he can’t.
So, either Su Bei threw the match, or he knew he’d lose and didn’t care.
Based on OP, I speculate he threw it, motive unknown.]
[No.48: Upstairs, you’re brilliant!]
[No.49: I can’t compete with you analysis freaks!]
[No.50: I’m convinced Su Bei threw it. No way he’d lose.]
[No.51: So, without his ultimate, Si Zhaohua might not beat Su Bei.]
[No.52: Su Bei really threw it? But why?]
[No.53: Given he said Jiang Tianming’s unlucky, I bet he didn’t want to fight him.]
[No.54 replying to No.53:
Hahahaha, makes sense!]
[No.55 replying to No.53:
Scared of catching bad luck?]
[No.56: Could the finals have real consequences, so he avoided it?]
[No.57 replying to No.56:
Gotta say…]
[No.58 replying to No.56:
Whoa!]
[No.59 replying to No.56:
No evidence, but oddly plausible!]
[…]
[No.106: Seriously, stop wild guessing. Su Bei’s been a riddle forever; you won’t guess right.]
[No.107: Upstairs has a point.]
[No.108: Whatever! I’m calling Su Bei the hidden top freshman. Who’s with me, who’s against?]
“These readers… quite the theorists?” [Manga Consciousness], observing the forum with Su Bei, couldn’t help but comment.
It could see everything in the manga world and knew the truth. Su Bei’s Mental Energy-controlled Gears were indeed precise, hitting exactly where aimed.
But that required visibility.
In his final gambit against Si Zhaohua, when the wings closed, Su Bei was blind to the interior. Not knowing Si Zhaohua’s position, a blind shot had a high chance of missing.
There was some author influence, though. Normally, Su Bei’s miss chance was 30%, but in a manga destined for a Jiang Tianming-Si Zhaohua final, it was 100%.
Forum readers, unaware of this, lacked key info, leading to wildly off-base conclusions.
But clearly, this suited Su Bei, who smirked: “Their theorizing’s brilliant, isn’t it?”
Compared to “Su Bei can’t beat Si Zhaohua,” “Su Bei threw the match” was far more beneficial.
Seeing the forum’s favorable tide, [Manga Consciousness] asked: “So, are you still posting?”
“Of course,” Su Bei replied with a smile. Sure, as [Manga Consciousness] noted, the forum was going well, needing no tweaks.
But no tweaks didn’t mean no additions. He started a new post.
《Analyzing Su Bei’s Hidden Secrets》
He planned to highlight “Su Bei’s hidden strength,” “why Su Bei’s Mental Energy is so high,” and “Su Bei’s strong fate control.”
The post aimed to draw reader attention to these points, encouraging them to notice his setups in the manga rather than letting them go unnoticed.
Looking at the title, Su Bei paused, deleted it, and changed it.
《Analyzing the Author’s Setups for Each Character》
Focusing only on himself risked exposing bias, making it seem partial. A neutral perspective would convince fans of all characters.
Su Bei rarely had favorite characters, reading manga for plot over people, which kept him clear-headed on forums.
[ProphetNo.0: With individual battles over, the author’s planting setups. Summarizing them today to see if we can spot answers in the plot.
Jiang Tianming: Setups include the three shadows’ identities (season one BOSS, Jiang Tianming’s relative, unknown) and their Abilities (Object Control, Burst, unknown). Also, his backstory, possibly tied to the relative shadow.
Wu Mingbai: Season one mentioned his Ability feeling blocked, suggesting a seal.
Lan Subing: No clear setups yet? But in protagonist groups, the happiest early on often… well…
Mo Xiaotian: Same as above.
Mu Tieren: His Ability’s rapid improvement feels like a setup.
Su Bei: Unknown reason for high Mental Energy. Why he’s in Class F, possibly tied to the protagonist group. What main-plot-related predictions he’s made, unknown. Why he threw the match against Si Zhaohua, unknown.
Feng Lan: Why he’s in Class F, possibly tied to Su Bei or the protagonist group.
Meng Huai: Former Class S teacher now teaching Class F.]
He covered eight people, sneaking in plenty about himself, second only to Jiang Tianming. Given his persona, it was reasonable.
After posting, Su Bei set down his phone to study the Destiny Compass.
He used his own head’s compass for research, playing ten rounds of mobile Landlord against the AI.
The large pointer never moved, but the small one shifted before each round, sometimes left, sometimes right.
Soon, Su Bei noticed a pattern: left meant a win, right meant a loss.
Interestingly, the pointer’s tilt correlated with the outcome’s margin. Extreme left meant a royal flush with bombs, earning heaps of beans. Extreme right was the opposite.
This function, though not the attack ability Su Bei craved, was powerful and perfectly suited him.
He’d never need to guess match outcomes again; he could foresee them. Too bad the academy’s exams weren’t heavy on multiple-choice, or he’d ace them with this.
Cough, that was just his mortal thinking. As an Ability user, it had greater uses. For instance, he could predict the team battles’ outcomes in two days.
But Su Bei noticed something curious—the small pointer never reached the compass’s lower half.
Whether left or right, it stopped at the neutral point, never crossing below, as if it were a forbidden zone.
Was the lower half useless, or did it hold other meanings?
Unable to explore this yet, Su Bei focused on the upper half. He started another Landlord round.
The compass pointer swung left, signaling a win. Sure enough, with a royal flush, two bombs, and a 3-10 straight as the landlord, Su Bei couldn’t see how he’d lose.
He took a deep breath, conjured a Gear, and used Mental Energy to attach it to his compass, turning the small pointer right until it tilted that way.
The moment he let go, Mental Energy surged out like a tide, his face paling instantly.
Pressing his temple, he assessed. This small change cost nearly two-thirds of his Mental Energy. Changing fate was tough, even for something trivial.
And this was with his enhanced Mental Energy from tricking out an advanced level. With his original Mental Energy, he probably couldn’t budge the small pointer.
After recovering slightly, Su Bei played his cards, curious how fate would make him lose despite trying hard.
He started with the straight, then small cards, progressing smoothly. Soon, he had a pair of 2s and a pair of 5s left, with his turn.
Was he going to win? He moved to play the pair of 5s, but his pinky accidentally tapped a single 5.
Su Bei: “Hiss!”
He sucked in a breath but calmed down. He still had a 5 and a pair of 2s. With one bomb left in play, he’d chosen the 5s over the 2s for a reason.
Theoretically, he could still win.
Though he reasoned this, Su Bei knew after that slip, winning was impossible. A sure win fumbled—how could he triumph with lower odds?
Sure enough, he lost.
Leaning back, Su Bei reviewed the loss. He’d oversimplified. Even with great cards, there were many ways to lose.
But curiously, among countless ways to fail, fate chose a comical one, making him lose via a slip just shy of victory.
Su Bei wasn’t angry; instead, he gained insight.
People often say, “Fate played a huge joke on me.” Was this fate’s joke?
Lying on his bed, recovering Mental Energy, he pondered his new Ability.
With his current Mental Energy, altering minor outcomes was manageable, but only once a day, and only for trivial matters. He had no doubt that changing something major—like yesterday’s arena match—would knock him out on the spot.
After resting, Su Bei reopened his post. After some time, it had garnered many replies.
[No.1: Didn’t notice till OP pointed it out—so many setups already.]
[No.2: So much… dazed.jpg]
[No.3: Jiang Jiang’s backstory is indeed a mystery.]
[No.4: Why’s everyone summarizing? You’d think it’s ending.]
[No.5 replying to No.4:
Because individual battles ended? A mini-wrap-up?]
[No.6 replying to No.5:
Team battles or the full monthly exam ending would be the wrap-up.]
[No.7: Honestly, team battles might not reveal as much as individual ones. I bet they’re for team spirit.]
[No.8: ↑ Truth.]
[…]
[No.33: No one’s talking about OP’s points?]
[No.34 replying to No.33:
Feels like OP’s all correct, nothing to discuss.]
[No.35: About Lan Subing and Mo Xiaotian’s entries—please no! I don’t want them to suffer!]
[No.36: Upstairs +1]
[No.37: Too much worrying. OP’s just guessing.]
[No.38 replying to No.37:
But OP’s Prophet…]
[No.39 replying to No.38:
Didn’t notice till you said!]
[No.40: What’s Prophet? Did I miss a meme?]
[No.41 replying to No.40:
Search Prophet’s posts to catch up.]
[No.42: Save me, author, don’t mess with my emotions!]
[…]
[No.71: There’s a riddle in the main post, but I won’t say who.]
[No.72 replying to No.71:
Riddles deserve death—so many unknowns.]
[No.73: Su Bei’s a walking enigma. He’s got his own arc for sure.]
[No.74: Y’all think too much. I read manga brain-off.]
[No.75: Has Su Bei’s Mental Energy been used much? Except when Jiang Jiang noticed, and right after upgrading for testing.]
[No.76 replying to No.75:
I think he’s been using it. Changing or glimpsing fate can’t be easy. Must burn tons of Mental Energy.]
[No.77: Upstairs is right. I bet Su Bei’s Mental Energy goes to that.]
[No.78: Hope OP unravels these. Storing my brain here.]