Chapter 1398

The star curtain descended, and Island F-001 bathed in soft starlight.

The Eternal Day Archipelago had no night, but it did have a dimmer phase called the Star Curtain period.

Inside the villa at the island's center, Xu Jingming had just finished his bath.

He put on a comfortable black casual outfit and sat on the living room sofa.

"Master, please enjoy your tea."

A short-haired high school girl appeared as a hologram beside him.

A small flying robot emerged from the kitchen and placed a cup of spiritual tea, emitting a faint, fragrant aroma, on the table.

The tea was crystal clear, with several emerald-green spiritual leaves floating on its surface.

Xu Jingming took the teacup and took a light sip.

Instantly, a warm flow slid from his throat into his dantian, immediately dispelling the fatigue from a month of constant combat in the Beast Trial Zone.

This was the advantage of having an intelligent butler—nothing required his own effort; upon returning, he could enjoy the most comfortable service.

"Bring up the Academy Shangcheng."

Setting down the teacup, Xu Jingming spoke.

"Yes, Master."

With a crisp reply from No. 1,

a pale blue holographic projection unfolded before Xu Jingming, displaying the vast Shangcheng interface of Star穹 Academy.

Although Senior Sister Lan Li wouldn't teach until tomorrow, Xu Jingming planned to prepare in advance for the mission he'd undertake with Yueying the day after.

"Though it's only a C-rank mission, and demons up to Star Level Three pose no real challenge to me,

better safe than sorry—before executing the mission, I must be thoroughly prepared."

Xu Jingming's cold, piercing eyes, sharply divided between black and white, held a trace of caution.

As for battle armor and weapons, no explanation was needed—he was already using the best available at his current stage.

The most critical item, however, was pills.

"If I could obtain a pill with strong effects, it could instantly reverse the tide of battle."

Xu Jingming's gaze swept rapidly across the Shangcheng interface.

The Shangcheng's pill category was dazzling, offering everything from basic healing pills to divine pills capable of reviving the dead.

Naturally, prices ranged from a few dozen credits to several million credits.

After careful selection, Xu Jingming ultimately spent over ten thousand credits to purchase three types of pills.

The first was an A4-grade Yuan Pill, capable of rapidly restoring Yuan energy—he bought four pills.

With his Star Level Two Yuan energy reserves, consuming one pill would fully restore his energy in a short time.

However, this highly efficient pill had usage restrictions.

Only one could be used within twelve hours; otherwise, it would cause irreversible damage to the user.

The second was an A1-grade Detoxification Pill—he also bought four.

An enemy's attack wouldn't always come from the front.

Poisoning was a common tactic; one must always be prepared.

This detoxification pill could neutralize most known toxins, including some demonic species' special venoms.

The third was an S1-grade Healing Pill.

This pill was the most expensive, costing him eight thousand credits.

But its effect was the most astonishing.

Once ingested, as long as the user still had a breath left,

no matter how severe the injuries—even severed limbs—would rapidly heal, effectively granting an extra life.

"Pills are ready. Now I need a mental combat technique."

Xu Jingming silently pondered.

Based on his experience from Blue Star,

such reconnaissance missions would be far easier with a mental technique as an aid.

The Slave Heart Seal he previously mastered was too low-grade—it was no longer sufficient for him now.

"No. 1, search for enslavement-type mental combat techniques compatible with my current mental strength."

"Filtering for Master…"

The holographic display rapidly changed, finally showing dozens of T4-level mental combat techniques.

Xu Jingming carefully reviewed each technique's description, his gaze eventually settling on one named "Mind Control."

【Mind Control (T5-level): Use mental energy as an attack. Upon successful release, the target will obey the user completely for a set duration.

Control duration depends on the user's mental strength; base requirement: 70 billion Hertz mental energy.】

"A base requirement of 70 billion Hertz mental energy—perfect for me."

Xu Jingming decisively spent ten thousand credits to purchase it.

T5-level mental combat techniques were extremely complex.

Even with a teacher's guidance, ordinary students needed decades or even centuries to master them.

But for him, only initial comprehension was needed—then he could directly use the system to allocate points.

Soon, he received the technique's manuscript through the Virtual Universe.

"Interesting—this Mind Control works like this."

After briefly scanning the manuscript, Xu Jingming's eyes gleamed with insight.

As a mental arts master, he instantly recognized the brilliance within this technique's manuscript.

"With full dedication, you should be able to understand it well enough to allocate points before reaching Ironfall Star."

Focusing intently, Xu Jingming soon sank into the study of the secret manual...

At dawn the next day, the star's light had just spilled over the Eternal Day Archipelago.

Xu Jingming, who had studied the manual all night, was already practicing spear techniques on the training ground.

Dark golden lightning circled his body; each spear thrust carried the force of thundering might.

Suddenly, Xu Jingming's mind stirred; he retracted his spear and stood still, turning toward the edge of the training ground.

There, space rippled like water, and a tall, slender black silhouette appeared out of thin air—it was Ye Li.

Today she wore a form-fitting black battle suit that accentuated her elegant, statuesque figure.

Her long black hair fell naturally to the curve of her hips; her cold, exquisite face still carried that aura of aloofness.

"Senior sister."

Xu Jingming bowed respectfully.

Ye Li gave a slight nod; her cold, clear eyes swept over Xu Jingming, then flickered with surprise:

"You've broken through to Star Stage Two?"

Xu Jingming nodded calmly: "I broke through a few days ago."

"Good."

Ye Li showed a rare hint of approval: "It seems you haven't slacked off lately."

She walked slowly toward the center of the training ground; her black battle boots made no sound as they touched the ground:

"Now that your rank has broken through, how is your progress in understanding the Source Core Secret Scripture?"

Xu Jingming immediately reported his cultivation achievements over this period.

After listening, Ye Li subtly furrowed her brows.

Indeed, compared to his innate talent for weapon intent,

Xu Jingming had extremely low compatibility with the Source Core Secret Scripture.

Yet she did not point this out; instead, she shifted the topic:

"Did you sign up for the Beast Hunt Competition?"

"How did you know?"

Xu Jingming paused, slightly puzzled.

He had signed up months ago; only Yue Ying, Beth, and a few others knew.

He didn't think Senior Sister Ye Li would bother asking others about such a minor matter.

"Because I'm the team leader for this Star穹 Academy Beast Hunt Competition—I can see the registration list of everyone from Star穹 Academy," Ye Li said coolly.

Xu Jingming instantly understood—no wonder Ye Li knew about his movements.