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

He spent the rest of the night experimenting relentlessly. He eventually discovered his limit: he could meditate a maximum of five times a day!

Each additional meditation session consumes soul power to recover, and the burden on his meridians is substantial. After five sessions, even if the soul power is still effective, the intense soreness in his meridians will remind him to stop, otherwise, he will face the situation his teacher warned him about.

"Five times a day...that's two and a half times faster than others!" Li Xingyao's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Soul power...this energy has a huge effect, and its capabilities should extend far beyond this!"

In the days that followed, Li Xingyao trained relentlessly, as if trying to make up for lost time. After all, for the previous ten years or so, he had been unable to cultivate, as he had no star energy within his body.

Li Xingyao slowly dispersed the Death Arrow that was halfway condensed at his fingertips. The gray-black energy flowed out into the air, leaving a faint aura. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, his chest rose and fell slightly, and a deep sense of exhaustion spread from the depths of his spirit like a tide.

For the entire morning, he was almost obsessively immersed in forging the "Arrow of Death." Each mobilization of star energy, each guidance of mental power, from the initial awkwardness and sluggishness, the arrow's condensation time exceeding three seconds and its flight trajectory erratic.

Now, he can compress the casting time of this basic skill to nearly one second, and the shape of the arrow has become much more stable and solid, with a qualitative leap in penetration and accuracy.

However, the cost was enormous. The intense output and recovery of mental energy brought with it a continuous, needle-like pain. This kind of mental exhaustion was far more taxing on the will than muscle soreness. He raised his hand to rub his throbbing temples, his throat dry and tight, wanting nothing more than to find a place to sit down and meditate to recover immediately.

"Starlight!"

A slightly hurried voice sounded from behind him. It was Zhang Wei, his classmate, the girl who had awakened as a Nature Summoner. She quickly walked to Li Xingyao's side, her face showing a hint of worry and reminder: "You were too engrossed in your practice just now, weren't you? Your smartwatch seemed to vibrate several times."

"Really?" Li Xingyao was taken aback and looked down at his wrist. Sure enough, the dark black watch screen displayed several unread message icons, as well as a striking red notification—from Dean of Students Zhao Zhenguo.

"Li Xingyao, please come to the Academic Affairs Office immediately after the morning classes. Zhao Zhenguo."

The message was sent half an hour ago. It was followed by a supplementary message: "If the course is not over, you can submit a leave request in the system first; I have already set it to be automatically approved."

Li Xingyao's heart skipped a beat. Director Zhao? The younger brother of his father's comrade-in-arms, a high-ranking soldier… What could he possibly want with this sudden request? Combining his A-level potential and 100 points of star energy evaluation, as well as the special profession of necromancer, several thoughts flashed through Li Xingyao's mind—was it special attention following his potential assessment? Or did he sense something amiss during his first summoning at the training ground yesterday?

"Could it be that the monitoring system reported those two summons as abnormal events?" Li Xingyao wondered.

He didn't dare to delay and immediately used the virtual interface that popped up on his watch to submit his application to leave for reporting to the Academic Affairs Office. The system approved it almost instantly, and a temporary green pass icon lit up in the permission column.

"Thanks, Zhang Wei." Li Xingyao nodded to the girl, his voice slightly hoarse.

"It's alright, you go ahead, don't keep Director Zhao waiting." Zhang Wei quickly waved her hand, and looking at Li Xingyao's slightly pale face, she couldn't help but add, "You... don't push yourself too hard, take care of yourself. Although you're a necromancer, you're not an undead."

Li Xingyao gave a slight smirk in response. He turned and left the training ground, walking briskly through the empty corridor, his footsteps standing out clearly in the silence. The fatigue from the intense training had been replaced by a sense of seriousness and curiosity.

The Academic Affairs Office was located on the top floor of the administration building. The heavy alloy doors slid open silently, revealing a simple yet solemn environment. A faint scent of tobacco and metal filled the air. Director Zhao Zhenguo wasn't seated behind his large desk, but rather stood with his hands behind his back in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the school's playground below. His tall figure was like a silent iron tower; the refined and imposing aura unique to high-ranking soldiers was clearly perceptible even from behind.

"It's just like my sister described." Because of his age, Li Xingyao had never met this Teacher Zhao in person, but his sister had mentioned him to him.

Hearing footsteps, Zhao Zhenguo turned around. His face, with its hard lines, showed little expression, but his sharp gaze softened slightly when it fell on Li Xingyao.

"You're here? Have a seat." He gestured to a chair in front of his desk, his voice loud and deep, carrying the straightforwardness characteristic of a soldier.

Li Xingyao sat down as instructed, straightening his back: "Director Zhao, you wanted to see me?"

"Hmm." Zhao Zhenguo also walked behind the desk and sat down, placing his hands on the table. He got straight to the point, "Two things. First, about your future academic direction."

He tapped the holographic projection on the desktop, and the logos of several universities, each with a distinct style and imposing presence, floated in the air, along with corresponding descriptions:

Eastern Military Academy: Its emblem is a crossed sword and shield against a backdrop of the Great Wall. The academy boasts a rigorous academic atmosphere and resources heavily weighted towards practical combat, possessing top-tier military-grade training grounds and otherworldly combat bases. The academy promises: upon enrollment, students will be provided with a set of "superpowered" standard equipment, priority access to military otherworldly exploration resources and spoils, and those who excel in graduation assessments will be directly appointed to core positions in the Emergency Hazard Prevention Administration (EAD) or the Pioneer Legion.

Huaxia United Higher Academy: Its emblem is an ancient tripod-shaped pattern, surrounded by a stream of particles representing stellar energy. This is Huaxia's top comprehensive university, boasting a strong academic atmosphere and a balanced development of theory, research, and practical application. It possesses the largest library (containing a vast amount of cutting-edge information on otherworldly civilizations, professional systems, energy research, etc.), and its credit exchange system is extremely sophisticated, offering exchangeable resources including various rare skills, advanced meditation potions, and even "superior" amplification star core fragments.

The school promises that all students will receive an A-level potential scholarship upon enrollment and will have access to some advanced databases.

Tianjing Higher Vocational University: Its emblem features a gear encircling a star energy crystal. It is backed by the Tianjing Municipal Government and local giants "Starlight Heavy Industry" and "Global Biotechnology". Its teaching style is pragmatic and deeply integrated with local industries.

The university and its affiliated companies promise that signing the "Future Talent Agreement" will grant the student the initial right to use an "Excellent-level" augmented star core (students must serve the company for ten years after graduation) and will provide the company's laboratory resources.

Li Xingyao glanced at the information and knew about the three schools beforehand, but he didn't expect each school to prepare an "enrollment gift package".

Oriental University primarily provides resources for combat and otherworldly development, Huaxia University provides resources for research and high-level development, and Tianjing University mainly provides local resources. After all, it's the local power and has the most cooperation with large local enterprises.

"However, students from these three universities should have no shortage of demand, right?" These thoughts flashed through Li Xingyao's mind.

"Your situation—A-level potential, 100 star energy—has already caught the attention of these top universities' special talent channels. As is customary, they will contact outstanding students in advance and offer generous conditions to attract them."

Zhao Zhenguo's gaze calmly swept over these tempting conditions. "The Eastern Military Government gives you an iron-blooded forge and a military background; the United High Court gives you an ocean of knowledge and a profound foundation; Tianjing Vocational University is tied to a local giant, giving you a real 'Outstanding Star Core'."

He paused, his sharp gaze refocusing on Li Xingyao: "This is the first thing, to give you a heads-up. Their recruitment pitch will be delivered to you through official channels in the next few days."

Li Xingyao was deeply shaken. Each of these conditions was enough to drive an ordinary student crazy. Military background, a treasure trove of knowledge, precious exceptional star cores... each represented a shortcut to a higher level.

He subconsciously pursed his lips. The secret of the Myriad Soul Banner was his greatest trump card. These resources were good, but accepting them meant entering a certain "system" and receiving much more attention. Was it worth it? It seemed he needed to think about it carefully.

"The second thing," Zhao Zhenguo continued in a deep voice before Li Xingyao could finish processing it, "is about the 'advance investment' of some large groups and conglomerates."

The projection changed, displaying the names and brief introductions of the three giants:

Longteng Group: Its business spans interdimensional resource extraction, star energy weapon manufacturing, and star core processing. It offers a "targeted training contract": all cultivation resources during university (including specific meditation potions, star energy crystals, and customized equipment) are provided by the group, along with an additional set of "Superpower Tier 2" protective equipment.

Requirements: Graduates must work for Longteng Group for at least fifteen years after graduation and participate in its interdimensional expansion projects.

Titan Heavy Industries: Primarily manufactures powered armor, large-scale defensive fortifications, and civilian/military vehicles. It offers a "technology sharing agreement": granting access to some advanced exoskeleton armor labs for practical learning, and committing to providing internship positions and resource support in its "basic melee combat armor" development project;

Requirements: Graduates must join Titan Heavy Industries' R&D or Security Department for ten years, during which time R&D results will be shared.

Life Tree Technology: Focuses on gene therapy, bioengineering, and stellar energy medicine. Offers a "Potential Development Program": In addition to basic resource support, it primarily provides "cell activity enhancement agents" and customized "mental energy guidance devices."

Requirements: Sign a long-term service contract and cooperate in relevant research on "compatibility between biological potential and necromantic energy" (involving some non-public experiments).