Proofreader&Editor: Howard Wong
Betting odds and such were of no concern to Du Ge; they were not something his current identity could influence. He couldn't even place bets on himself. Even with Bai Long's favorable attitude, he was merely a horse on the racetrack, a cricket in a jar, unable to decide his own fate.
Since Bai Long could promise him something, he could just as easily promise others. Whoever took it seriously was bound to lose.
If there were real rewards, they should have been given in advance!
Empty promises and pie in the sky…
On the Alien Star Battlefield, the main goal was still to survive.
To Du Ge's surprise, Bai Long had never mentioned the two Keywords, seemingly unaware that he wasn't a native of Qi Yuan Star, nor that he had brought skills out from the Simulation Field.
Compared to the arbitrary gifts of mental power from the Pan-Universal Entertainment Company, this should be his real trump card.
***
The next two days.
Du Ge did not see Bai Long again, nor any other warriors.
Of course, within the base, he didn't have the freedom to wander around, but his room lacked nothing. Whatever he needed, he could simply order from his designated intelligent robotic assistant—food, entertainment, they could take care of almost everything.
It could be said that even a person incapable of taking care of themselves could live a lifetime of excitement and joy in this base.
…
Two days later.
Prompted by the assistant, Du Ge lay in the Alien Star Battlefield login device and, with a countdown of five, four, three, two, one, logged onto the Alien Star Battlefield for the first time.
***
Just like the Simulation Field, Du Ge felt weightlessness, and when he reopened his eyes, he had arrived in a strange world.
As with the experiences of predecessors seen in videos, he was all alone, with no other candidates in sight.
He drifted randomly for five minutes.
Du Ge surveyed the world below.
There were rolling green hills, and occasionally, he could see woodcutters in the dense forests, herb gatherers carrying baskets through the wilds, and small villages hidden in the mountain hollows. From their attire and tools, it was clear this was a world with an ancient backdrop.
It was not yet clear whether this was a Wuxia world or a Xianxia world.
But the Alien Star Battlefield was different from the Simulation Field; even if it was a Wuxia world, it was usually the kind with sword qi slashing tens of meters—a high-level martial world not to be taken lightly.
Soon.
Du Ge captured the information he was looking for.
In mid-air.
A man and a woman, one chasing the other—the woman riding a large red bird, the man standing on a flying sword.
Damn!
It was a Xianxia world!
Du Ge cursed his bad luck.
In an instant.
The two flew past him.
Thank goodness for the protective shield from Pan-Universal Entertainment.
Otherwise.
In his soul state, Du Ge would have likely been casually eliminated by those two cultivators.
In a soul state, when encountering high-flying cultivators or high-level demonic beasts, there was almost no chance of resistance.
Keep in mind, in the previous pirate world, even a parrot with spirit communication abilities could see candidates in ghost form, let alone higher-level demonic beasts.
This was also why the Body Possession phase had an elimination rate as high as sixty percent…
…
A Xianxia world!
He couldn't afford to be careless in the early stages.
Du Ge sighed inwardly and scoped out his Body Possession targets.
Typically, in a Xianxia world, the initial Body Possession targets were at least low-level cultivators or children of wealthy families.
Otherwise.
Becoming an ordinary person and seeking a Sect to learn arts would take a lot of time.
In such a world, it was nearly impossible to pass without learning immortal arts. The Keywords' advanced skills rarely helped with travel. Against warriors who could fly with swords, how could you fight if you couldn't even reach them?
The five minutes of protective time flew by.
Du Ge's soul rapidly descended, flying towards the northwest.
During his random drifting, he had seen a dilapidated Sect called "Seven Stars Sect" with very few people inside, all appearing lazy and not very formidable.
After all, when they descended the mountain, they all used Lightness Skill, none flew with swords.
Choosing a Body Possession target from such a Sect should not be difficult; even if the starting point was low, it was still a step into the cultivation world.
Of course.
The main reason was that Seven Stars Sect was the closest to him.
In the wild mountains, after those two sword immortals flew past him, Du Ge felt a strong sense of insecurity. He needed to find a target to possess and save his life first.
Along the way, he didn't see any famous large Sects or densely populated large towns.
In a Xianxia world, famous Sects and large towns were not friendly to candidates; you never knew what kind of monsters were hidden inside…
Safety first on the first battlefield.
Soon.
Du Ge felt a difference in his soul.
Under the direct sunlight, his dissipation rate was at least half slower than before.
And his speed had increased a lot.
When he flew over a river, he even felt comfortably warm, as if the water vapor was nourishing his soul.
Du Ge tried to dive into the water, and sure enough, the discomfort from the sunlight vanished immediately.
The Power of Poseidon!
He had indeed brought the Power of Poseidon with him.
Moreover, the soul enhancement Selma had given him must have been more than just a boost in mental power; it truly strengthened his soul.
He had struck it rich!
Du Ge emerged from the river and continued towards the Seven Stars Sect he had set his sights on. No matter how strong the soul, having a body with attack and defense capabilities was more reassuring.
The soul's flying speed was extremely fast.
In no time.
Du Ge arrived at the outskirts of Seven Stars Sect, cautiously circling the Sect to check for any soul-targeting artifacts, ready to descend and possess a farmer if necessary.
After all.
He had seen firsthand how a totem pole almost obliterated Bai Yanshou; it was best to be cautious.
But until he sneaked into the Sect, he encountered no attacks. The Bagua embedded above the main hall's door was just for show; he even loitered under the Bagua, but it had no reaction.
Alright!
This was just a rundown small Sect, not a place where hidden experts secluded themselves.
Du Ge relaxed and circled Seven Stars Sect, then discovered that the Sect really had just a handful of cats—five or six outer disciples were muttering about switching to another Sect.
In the inner courtyard, two young men were packing up their belongings, clearly planning to flee.
In the central Seven Stars Hall, a girl about seventeen or eighteen years old knelt in front of a spirit tablet, crying her eyes out: "Father, what should I do? The eldest senior brother went mad from cultivation, the second senior brother and fifth senior brother ran away, and the third senior brother and seventh junior brother don't want to stay in the Sect anymore. Father, tell me, what should I do? Your daughter really can't hold on any longer…"
Uh!
Du Ge was stunned.
He peeked around the back and, sure enough, saw a young man on a sickbed, his breath as thin as a thread, with a dark stain of blood on his chest, barely breathing in.
Was it really this dire?
But, at this point.
He couldn't choose another place; the risk was too great.
Du Ge sighed, a rundown Sect was still a Sect, better than possessing a farmer down the mountain.
But whom to possess?
The sickly figure on the bed was definitely not an option; he couldn't even speak, not even as good as the original Feng Qi, useless with any Keywords, choosing him was waiting for death.
The outer disciples were also not an option; with 3200 mental power, starting as a menial worker was too demeaning.
The Sect Leader's daughter was even less of an option; if he could choose a male, who would want to be a female, especially if he encountered ill-intentioned people with low cultivation?
That left only two targets, the third senior brother and the seventh junior brother planning to run away.
Du Ge hesitated no longer, swiftly passing through the room and plunging into the third senior brother's body.
Although seven might be his lucky number, after all, the first Feng Qi had helped him win his first first-place, but the third senior brother's cultivation should be higher than the seventh junior brother's, right?
Having to choose among the least, of course, he would pick the more formidable one!
The third senior brother's body shook, and a new soul had quietly taken residence, causing a momentary pause in his packing.
"Third senior brother, what's wrong?" The seventh junior brother, oblivious, saw the third senior brother stop and asked curiously.
"Seventh junior brother, I plan to take one last look at Master's spirit tablet. After all, he taught us our skills," Du Ge said after a moment of silence, looking at the seventh junior brother.
His expression was sorrowful, but his heart was joyful.
Because at the moment of possession, he received some fragmented memories of the third senior brother, including memories of cultivation.
This had never happened before and was likely due to the soul enhancement.
He finally had memories of his own.
Selma was amazing.
"Third senior brother, if you want to go, then go! I don't want to see the little junior sister's face of despair. I'll wait for you outside the Sect," the seventh junior brother paused, quickly packed his belongings, slung them on his back, picked up the sword beside him, and headed out first.
Du Ge ignored him and opened his personal interface to check his Keywords:
Name: Du Ge;
Number: 48699527;
Mental Power: 3200;
Current Ranking: 871/1305;
Battlefield Keyword: Plunder;
Battlefield Keyword: Nobility;
Advanced Skills: None;
Derivative Items: None;