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

"At this rate, by the time I graduate from the training camp and the holiday ends, my star energy reserves will have a real chance to reach the peak of an advanced professional and touch the threshold of the super level! My understanding of the rules of death must also be put on the agenda at the same time." Li Xingyao's eyes shone with hope, and he was full of clear plans for the future.

The thirteen-hour journey flew by in meditation and contemplation.

The train smoothly pulled into the underground platform of Tianjing Station. Li Xingyao shouldered his bag and stepped off the train. He walked through the familiar and bustling station hall and took the elevator back to the ground. Tianjing City was as lively as ever in the morning; people were hurrying around, huge holographic GG signs were flashing between buildings, and traffic was shuttling along the elevated tracks.

Breathing in the slightly dry air of Tianjing City, carrying the distinctive scent of the north, and looking at the bustling, technologically advanced cityscape before him, Li Xingyao had a strange, almost unsettling, feeling as if he had come home. His mind and body involuntarily relaxed.

"I'm still more used to it here," Li Xingyao murmured to himself, a tired yet satisfied smile playing on his lips.

He took public transportation back to his apartment in the community and swiped his ID card to open the door. The familiar, simple layout, the soft lighting that automatically turned on, and the faint scent in the air that belonged to him all gave him a sense of inexplicable peace.

This holiday was filled with travel between the wilderness, outposts, and cities, experiencing promotions, hunting, becoming stronger, and reunions... It was so fulfilling that it was almost excessive, and so exhausting that I wanted to give up. But all the gains were enough to offset all the hardships.

After putting down his luggage, Li Xingyao didn't go to wash up first. Instead, he went straight to the center of the living room and looked at the large metal equipment storage box that required identity verification.

It's time to unpack his "big toy".

Take a deep breath and point your personal terminal at the sensor area of ​​the storage box.

"Beep—Identity verified. Welcome back, Mr. Li Xingyao." A cold, electronic voice sounded.

Click... hiss...

After a slight mechanical whirring and depressurization sound, the heavy alloy doors of the storage box slowly slid open to the sides and began to fold. The complex internal support structures and cushioning materials unfolded and receded layer by layer, eventually revealing the object in the center completely.

Even though he was mentally prepared, Li Xingyao's breath still caught in his throat slightly.

The streamlined, dark gray composite armor plates cover the entire body, gleaming with a matte metallic sheen under the living room lights. The joints utilize a biomimetic fluid dynamics structure to ensure ultimate support and flexibility. The slightly raised back integrates a micro-reaction engine, a short-range jump jet backpack, and a load-bearing interface.

The overall design is full of power, weight and cold, hard technological aesthetics, like a killing work of art created for the battlefield, which is completely different from the leather armor he wore before.

This is the [Steel Guardian-VI] advanced tactical powered armor that Li Xingyao purchased for a huge sum of four million!

Reaching out, my fingertips touched the cold, hard surface of the armor, and an indescribable sense of security and power welled up within me.

Following the instructions, Li Xingyao stood directly in front of the armor. The center of the armor's breastplate silently split open, folding and unfolding to the sides and rear, revealing a sophisticated and complex internal space. Inside, there was an ergonomically designed flexible support lining, with countless fine sensor contacts and water-cooling circulation pipes distributed like a neural network.

Li Xingyao took a deep breath, took a step back, and carefully stepped inside.

hum…

The moment Li Xingyao's body was fully embedded inside, the armor's various parts began to automatically close, tightly enveloping him. The powered armor began to slowly contract and adjust, perfectly conforming to his body's curves, providing both cushioning and support while ensuring comfort.

A lightweight yet sturdy helmet covered her head, and the screen in front of her lit up, displaying a massive stream of data that cascaded through her like a waterfall, memorizing her clothing data while accompanied by a gentle female voice system prompting her:

"Identity confirmed: Li Xingyao. Vital signs stable. Body data being written. Neural connection being established... Connection successful. Power system self-check... Normal. Weapon system mounted... No external equipment detected. Protective force field generator... Standby. Welcome to the 'Guardian' system, Mr. Li Xingyao."

A strange feeling of "man and armor becoming one" welled up in his heart. Li Xingyao felt as if he had become taller and heavier, and as if everything around him had shrunk. Through neural connections, he could clearly "perceive" the external pressure feedback of every part of the armor, and even "feel" the output power of the reaction engine and the flow of star energy.

Li Xingyao tried carefully to raise his right arm.

The armor's right arm rose smoothly and synchronously, with almost no noticeable delay. The internal power system provided powerful assistance, making him feel no weight at all. Upon receiving the signals from his nerves, he instead had the illusion of surging power, capable of easily tearing through steel.

Li Xingyao tried to slowly take a step out of the living room.

Thump… The heavy alloy feet landed with a steady sound, but through the internal cushioning system, the vibration transmitted to him was negligible.

Li Xingyao dared not make any big movements, for fear of damaging anything in the apartment. But this initial experience had already filled him with excitement and immense satisfaction! The money was well spent! He could already imagine himself wielding a heavy sword and slashing down star beasts.

"It seems that relying on equipment to part-time as a Death Knight is not impossible. Becoming the Lich King was my childhood dream in my previous life." Li Xingyao's chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) began to stir.

After familiarizing himself with the basic operations, he deactivated his armor and emerged from the inner chamber of his battlesuit. The next crucial step was embedding the star core!

Li Xingyao took out the high-grade star core he had obtained from the Crystal Armored Earth Dragon from his personal safe. The star core was earthy yellow in color, with fine crystalline veins flowing inside. Following the instructions, he opened the outer armor and precisely inserted it into the specially designed slot in the center of the armor's breastplate, which had precision latches and energy channels.

Click.

The star core was perfectly embedded, and the outer armor slowly closed.

Om-! ! !

A deep and powerful hum of energy instantly emanated from inside the armor! Strands of yellow energy light suddenly lit up from the gaps in the armor plates on the surface of the breastplate, spreading rapidly like lava throughout the entire armor and outlining complex energy circuits!

The crystal-armored dragon star core seemed to be activated, its internal crystalline veins emitting a bright light, and a thick, hard energy field instantly enveloped the entire armor!

The personal terminal immediately received the latest data from the armor system:

[Highly compatible advanced Earth and Crystallized Star Cores Detected!]

[Energy shield strength increased by 100%! Physical structure defense strength increased by 20%!]

[Gain temporary active skill 'Crystal Armor Resilience': Upon activation, defense is increased by 50% for 300 seconds, and one fatal blow is ignored, with a strength equivalent to 4 times the armor's defense. (Cooldown: 2 hours)]

Energy consumption efficiency optimized by 40%.

"Perfect!" Li Xingyao couldn't help but exclaim. The effect was even better than described in the product manual! The compatibility between this Crystal Armor Earth Dragon Star Core and the Fortified Armor was extremely high; it was a match made in heaven! At this moment, the armor's defensive capabilities greatly increased his margin for error in combat!

Suppressing the urge to immediately don the armor and get beaten up, he put the armor back into the storage box.

Eat your food one bite at a time, don't rush it.

Finally, Li Xingyao took out the other half of his net worth, a super-powered one-star necromancer class weapon that Lin Wei had prepaid for.

【Gris's Whispering Skull】

Li Xingyao held the skull, no bigger than an adult's fist, seemingly carved from some kind of dark gray bone, in his palm. The bone was warm and smooth like jade, yet it exuded a deathly chill. Deep within the eye sockets were two extremely tiny, yet shimmering, unknown crystals with a profound, eerie purple light, like two eyes gazing into an abyss.

The skull's jawbone was not fixed; it could open and close, and its surface was engraved with countless intricate, dark gold runes that flowed slowly like living things. Embedded within the skull was a star core of some unknown star beast, radiating stellar energy fluctuations.

Simply by holding it in his hand, he could feel the immense power contained within, which was highly compatible with his own star energy.

Li Xingyao took a deep breath and slowly injected star energy into it.

hum…

The dark golden runes on the skull's surface suddenly lit up, and the purplish-purple eye sockets emitted a faint glow. An energy cycle began to circulate between the entire skull and its internal star core. Then, an invisible energy cycle instantly formed between Li Xingyao and the skull, as if the skull had become an extension of his body, an additional energy resonance and spell amplifier!

A thought flickered in his mind, and the idea of ​​casting "Arrow of Death" flashed through his thoughts—

call out!call out!call out!

No incantations, gestures, or channeling time were needed at all! Three incredibly condensed, jet-black arrows, their edges wreathed in enhanced death-corrosion energy, instantly coalesced in the air before Li Xingyao, hovering there silently! The skill's casting speed was unbelievably fast!

A glint of light flashed in Li Xingyao's eyes! This casting speed was at least several times faster than when he cast it with his bare hands! Moreover, the star energy consumed was reduced by nearly 20%!

He became playful and continued to inject star energy.

One, two, five, ten, fifty...

Within seconds, nearly half of the training room was filled with countless, silently floating black death arrows! The eerie energy fluctuations caused the room temperature to plummet, and the light seemed to be swallowed and distorted! There were definitely more than a hundred of them!

Li Xingyao only consumed about 400 points of star energy! This means that he can now use Death Arrow to provide firepower coverage!

The increased casting speed from this equipment is equivalent to an additional increase in his attack cap. Furthermore, the reduced skill cost increases the number of attacks, indirectly increasing his attack power.