148. Enjoying the Odds, Watch My Resolve
For the players, only three days had passed, but for Li Aozi, it had been three months of focused training and honing his skills.
After submitting his final assignments for his makeup courses, Li Aozi closed his notebook. By then, he had cleared his academic credits to zero.
At first glance, it seemed like starting from scratch, but he was no longer the same as before.
In Faithkeep Village, players were making constant progress. After successfully clearing the Goblin Nest, they began happily farming. The 25 warriors of Faithkeep Village were the first in the Yanxia Region to reach the level cap. Not only were their levels high, but with career adjustments, they all reached the Alpha tier, equipped with technology and magical tools from dual civilizations.
Taking some time, Li Aozi purchased resources for Faithkeep Village's magical workshops. He planned to build his magical workshop there eventually. For now, he set up signal receivers so players could watch White Candle Star's news and entertainment shows to familiarize themselves with the features of interstellar civilization.
Next, he planned to gradually connect players to the Crystal Tower network. Once players reached Gamma tier, they could seamlessly integrate into White Candle Star's society.
Over the three in-game months, Li Aozi was far from idle. He patrolled the area, using [Eye of Truth] and the White Obelisk to strike decisively against impostors. Not a single infiltrator remained in the Red Arrow Empire's western coast.
Johann's terrorist attack on Melva was ultimately thwarted by Li Aozi's intervention. He had Kadan Frolich, the White Obelisk's caretaker, report it to the authorities early, drawing the attention of the Red Arrow Empire. Initially, they suspected the White Obelisk of having its own intelligence network, but no matter how they interrogated or investigated, nothing was found.
The matter even reached the emperor. After reviewing the case, Crown Prince Regent Rudolf summoned the pope of the nation's largest religion, Nelsonism.
When the pope arrived nervously, Rudolf pushed the dossier toward him and asked, "The Empire grants Nelsonism tax exemptions, funding, event subsidies, and law enforcement support every year, totaling approximately 14.02 billion Jaluns. When will your god provide us with warnings and intelligence?"
Hearing this, the pope felt chills run down his spine.
Days later, thanks to Rudolf's endorsement, the White Obelisk was officially registered as a religious church: the Church of the Sacred Obelisk.
Its teachings and creation myths were straightforward; Li Aozi simply transplanted the mythos from Star Abyss. However, like all religions, the Church couldn't just worship a sacred relic. To solidify its ideology, it needed a central mythological deity.
"Since this is a [Domination] pathway, it makes sense to revere [Will of Domination]—Morphidria…"
Li Aozi thought so at first but then recalled:
「You, born of chaos, descend here—10752, you are today's 10,752nd god. Now, take up your sword and die for Lord Morphidria.」
The memory soured his impression of Morphidria.
"—Then let's revere the last Outer Abyss Warrior, [God of Reality] Leoz."
Achieving official religious status significantly boosted immigrant settlement, and Li Aozi's earlier projections largely came true.
Although Johann wasn't eradicated, his next resurrection was nine months away. By then, his organization would be in ruins. One player ally had been forced to quit, and another had become a content farm tool for Li Aozi.
Surely, Johann would be thrilled.
"Let's check the baseline attributes of the player character."
He opened his info panel:
[Name]: Isaac Maxim
[In-game Nickname]: True
[Title]: None
[Race]: Carbon-based Lifeform—Neo Sapien—Red Arrow Ethnicity
[Gender]: Biological Male
[Age]: 21
[Template]: Standard Descender (No Bonuses)
[Faction]: Abyss Layer—Galaxian Nebula—Fenesis Federation—Azure Star—Red Arrow Empire
[Total Level]: lv.30 (MAX)
——[Main Profession]: [Martial Artist] lv.30 (MAX)
——[Secondary Profession]: None
[Health Points]: 200/200 (Healthy)
[Energy Points]: 210/210
[Experience]: 1.19 Million
[Attributes]:
Strength—21
Dexterity—16
Constitution—20
Charisma—6
Willpower—7
[Background]: Retired Soldier
[Talents]:
Racial Talent: Team Collaboration
[Retired Soldier] Background Talent: War Instinct
Professional Talent: Path of Energy
[Specialties]:
[Well-Trained]—You excel at operating military-grade weapons and vehicles. Even when encountering unfamiliar equipment, you can quickly master it.
[Dragon School: Qi Returns to the Ocean]—A master of internal energy. Killing techniques like kicks and punches are mere tricks to you. True masters harness energy from the world, making their power inexhaustible. Restoring energy also restores health.
[Qi Source Severance]—You've mastered the flow of energy within the human body and incorporated it into your martial arts. Every four successful energy attacks against humanoid targets reduce their maximum mana by 10%.
[Martial Path]: Dragon School
The Dragon School focuses on the essence and application of energy to kill enemies or heal oneself. Its teachings emphasize transforming innate physicality through acquired energy, forging unique martial techniques and profound philosophies—Dao.
Focus Branches: Qi Destruction, Qi Condensation, Qi Infusion.
[Skills]:
"Qi Burst", "Buff's Extinction Qi Refinement", "Gathering Qi Fist", "Magic Spirit Wave", "Worldview—Daoism", "Dragon School: Energy Cannon", "Dragon School: Transformation Force", "Dragon School: Qi Shield", "Dragon School: Bone-Shattering Claw", "Dragon School: Shadow Step"
[Tier]: Alpha Tier
[Lian-Ding Medical Protocol]: Remaining Revivals—3
——————————
An incredibly luxurious setup, this was the ultimate Alpha-tier [Martial Artist] build based on guides from Li Aozi's past life.
As Li Aozi lacked skill in intricate martial operations, he avoided the Crane School's combo-reliant invincibility playstyle and chose the Dragon School's energy cannon for primary damage output.
With his specialties, he could effectively counter melee units and deal with [Mediums].
Fully mastered and ready, it was time to make his move.
Li Aozi opened his forum backend, which was flooded with challenge requests and accusations of cheating. These only boosted his popularity.
Li Aozi updated his post with a simple message:
"Triangle Town Arena, 1v1, anyone is welcome."
The second phase of his publicity plan had officially begun.