Another World: When a Necromancer Possesses the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls

As dawn broke and the bright blue sky shone, a slightly slender figure stood in front of the bus stop.

As the electric bus pulled into the station, Li Xingyao followed the flow of people and boarded the bus parked in front of his house. The bus silently drove through the city streets, its electric engine emitting a faint sound in the morning light.

Li Xingyao rested his head against the cold glass window, his gaze piercing through the window as the outline of Tianjing City, 2500 years ago, awoke in the morning light.

outside the window.

On the skyscrapers, adaptive solar panels are poised to capture the first rays of morning sunlight, their facades reflecting a cold, metallic sheen. Further away, the towering steel walls at the city's edge stand like the boundary of a world, a stark reminder that the world beyond is not safe.

Today is September 1st, 2500 in the Blue Star Calendar, the start of the senior year at the Third Advanced Professional Training Camp in Tianjing City. It is also a day of professional awakening.

Li Xingyao withdrew his gaze. The boy's reflection in the window was tall and slender, wearing the dark blue school uniform issued by the government. He had black hair, black eyes, and features with the refined handsomeness typical of Easterners, but deep in his eyes was a maturity beyond his years.

"Finally, I'll soon find out if I can become a professional."

Raise your hand, your fingertips unconsciously tracing lines in the air. The phantom of an ancient banner flashes through your mind. The banner's hexagonal surface is made of some kind of dark, unknown fabric, with delicate tassels along the edges that seem to be formed from starlight. Countless twisted dark patterns wander across the surface, exuding a sense of antiquity.

"The Ten Thousand Souls Banner."

This was a cheap handicraft that Li Xingyao casually bought at a street stall during his travels in his previous life. The stall owner said it was a replica of an ancient magical artifact, and he bought it on a whim to collect it.

Later, on the highway on his way back, Li Xingyao was suddenly struck by a piercing screech of tires that tore through the night, followed by the blinding glare of high beams on his retina, and then the terrifying sounds of twisting steel and shattering glass. The immense impact threw him violently from his seat, and the world was instantly torn apart, flipped, and compressed into a chaotic darkness and excruciating pain. Before his consciousness faded, his last sensation was the cold touch of the cheap little banner on his chest, and a strange suction force, as if the dark patterns on the banner had come alive, greedily sucking up his dissipating life force and shattered soul.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw a small, childlike hand with distinct knuckles. Overwhelmed by shock and panic, he realized this wasn't his body!

Chaotic fragments of memory flooded in like a tide: the horrific end of his past life, and information forcibly shoved into his mind belonging to a five-year-old boy. Li Xingyao… that was the boy's name. He instantly understood that he had transmigrated, arriving in this world called "Blue Star" by the help of that strange little banner.

Li Xingyao's childhood was spent in a government-established "public home." He was a child of a "public family," a term used after the cataclysm to refer to the orphans of professionals whose parents had sacrificed themselves in the fight against the alien war or the mutated beast tide on Earth. The government provided standardized housing, food, education, and basic medical care, but it could not provide the warmth of a parent's embrace.

Li Xingyao has lived in this world for over ten years. At first, he tried hard to understand it. As his understanding deepened, he discovered that this world was very different from his previous one.

In the past, the "big shots" were those who wielded "power" and "money," while the ruling class of this world also possesses "strength," which indirectly protects the power or money they hold. Therefore, while ordinary people in this world generally have enough to eat and wear, the class gap between people is quite pronounced.

Ever since learning about the existence of superpower systems in this world, he desperately wanted to acquire such power. Li Xingyao knew that here, neither money nor freedom could exist without the support of power.

"Star Energy" is the cornerstone of this world's power system. After experiencing a cataclysmic event known as "Cataclysm," human civilization, like tenacious weeds, has risen again on the ruins where technology and star energy intertwine.

"Xingyao! Over here!" A clear shout pierced through the noise inside the bus and interrupted Li Xingyao's thoughts.

Chen Hao, his best friend from this life, squeezed through the crowd and plopped down in the empty seat next to him. His face was filled with barely suppressed excitement. "How's it going? Nervous? I heard that this year's Awakening Ceremony's guiding crystal is the latest model, 'Enlightenment Generation VII,' with an energy resonance efficiency 15 percent higher than last year! The accuracy of the detection has improved a lot."

Li Xingyao's lips twitched slightly as he glanced at Chen Hao's face, which was flushed with excitement. "Not bad." His tone was calm, but his heart was far from being as calm as it appeared.

How could he not be excited? Awakening extraordinary power was every boy's dream in his past life. Chen Hao was somewhat skeptical of his answer.

Suddenly, a dull ache began to throb deep within Li Xingyao's mind. The small banner, dormant for seventeen years, had stirred again. It had been subtly agitated since last night, as if it had triggered some kind of setting. This morning, it seemed particularly "active," and at the same time, a chilling aura spread out like a spider web, seeping into his mind and bringing a strange, icy sensation that kept his mind in turmoil.

Chen Hao, oblivious to everything, continued rambling on: "I don't ask for much, I'd be grateful if I could awaken an elemental one! Fire mages are so cool! At the very least, being a heavy armored warrior would be fine, tough and durable! It's better than... my dad's 'Windwalker.' Every time he goes on a mission, he goes deep into the mountains and forests."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his gaze drifted to the corner of the carriage. There, a few students sat, wearing faded old school uniforms, their expressions blank. Chen Hao's meaning was clear. "They all failed to awaken," Chen Hao said softly.

He looked away. Like Li Xingyao, they were children from "public families." Their failed awakening meant they couldn't follow in their parents' footsteps, and they didn't come from wealthy families. They could only become cogs in the city's machine, and with the current social division of labor, their lives were already predictable.

Upon hearing Chen Hao's words, Li Xingyao couldn't help but think that although based on his sister's and brother's experience with awakening, his chances of awakening were high, the data was still too limited to guarantee success.

Li Xingyao didn't reply, continuing to gaze out the window. The bus happened to pass a huge video GG billboard. The screen showed warriors in silver-white power armor wielding energy blades battling a ferocious star beast covered in crystalline armor. The interplay of light and shadow created a powerful and imposing scene. A dazzling red GG message read: "Glory belongs to the brave! Join the 'Pioneer Legion,' explore the Central Continent, and gain respect and wealth!"

"Kinetic armor, huh? I really want to try it out." This thought flashed through Li Xingyao's mind as he saw the GG (Ghost) image. Due to historical reasons, the social atmosphere of this world is martial. Changes in the living environment and the connection to other worlds have made 'resources' very abundant, and there are also many powerful creatures, so these GGs are everywhere.

Power and wealth. These are the most naked and real pursuits of our time. Professional awakening is the first and most important threshold to reach these two goals.

The Awakening Hall of the Third Advanced Training Camp in Tianshui City.

The enormous dome simulates a deep starry sky, with countless "stars" casting a soft yet cold glow. Twelve star-energy crystal pillars are arranged in a ring in the center of the hall, their interiors flowing with a liquid, ghostly light. Each crystal pillar is equipped with sophisticated instruments, and a huge display screen sits in the center of the hall.

The students from the ten classes of the same year lined up in rows according to their student ID numbers. The atmosphere was solemn, with suppressed excitement and heavy trepidation intertwined, creating a noisy buzzing sound.

"Silence!" The Dean of Students, Zhao Zhenguo's voice boomed like a bell, echoing throughout the hall through the loudspeaker. He was a burly man, dressed in a crisp black uniform, the three silver stars on his epaulets signifying his status as a high-ranking soldier, his eyes sharp. "Professional awakening is the starting point for humanity's ascent into the extraordinary, and also the beginning of your responsibility for the rise of civilization! Maintain reverence, concentrate! Now, in order of your student ID numbers, step forward to receive your awakening!"

The ceremony began. The crystal pillars glowed faintly, and cold, synthesized electronic voices rang out repeatedly, announcing the watershed moment of destiny.

"Zhang Wei, Junior Warrior, Star Energy Level: 21. Potential Rating: D."

"Wang Li, Elemental Mage (Water), Star Energy Strength: 38. Potential Rating: C+."

"Liu Ming, awakening failed."

……

Hope and despair, ecstasy and helplessness, played out silently in the hall. Li Xingyao stood in the queue, his gaze calmly sweeping over the faces that were either trembling with excitement or ashen-faced. His palms were slightly sweaty, not from nervousness, but from the increasingly intense agitation of the Ten Thousand Soul Banner in his mind, its icy aura crashing against his brain like ocean waves.

"Next, Li Xingyao!" Zhao Zhenguo's voice rang out, carrying a hint of scrutiny.

"It's my turn."

Li Xingyao took a deep breath and stepped forward. He could feel countless gazes instantly focusing on him. He walked to the designated crystal pillar number three and picked up the cold energy connection device. It felt like a heavy down jacket, which he then put on.

A technician in a white coat beside him gave a formulaic instruction: "Place both hands on the energy sensing area of ​​the crystal pillar base."

Li Xingyao did as instructed. He wondered what kind of job it would be. At the same time, he felt the cool, hard texture of crystal in his palm.

"Now we'll begin injecting guiding star energy. Relax and try to sense the energy resonance within your body." The technician's voice seemed to come through a veil of water.

Om-!

A gentle yet powerful flow of energy surged into his body instantly! Like a flood bursting its banks, it washed over Li Xingyao's limbs and bones, every cell rejoicing as it was awakened and activated by this pure star energy from the crystal!