The Second-Best Solution: Shared Thoughts
Yellow sand filled the sky.
The wind whipped up sand and gravel, which scraped across the earth like sharp blades, stinging the skin.
The world was shrouded in a dim yellow light, with only the broken stone pillars faintly visible in the wind and sand.
This is a newly discovered area in the Ground Roar Continent: the Ancient Sand Road.
At this moment, a hunt is unfolding on the sandy ground.
Thirty-two figures were scattered in various places, forming a fan shape to surround the huge snake swarm.
At the very front of the fan-shaped formation, Duan Xing, shirtless, faces the horde of monsters.
As he clenched his fist, crimson Gāng Qì surged around him like raging flames, blowing away all the incoming sand grains.
After 20 consecutive days of intense training, his physical fitness improved significantly, which was also reflected in his appearance.
His muscles became even more defined, each one as if sculpted by a knife and axe, containing a terrifying power that could be unleashed at any moment.
Directly ahead, there was a group of over a hundred monsters gathered together.
These monsters resemble snakes, with bodies four meters long, three heads, and their entire bodies covered in dark yellow scales. Their tails are embedded in the sand, ready to pounce and launch a fatal attack at any moment.
Hiss!
The three-headed serpent leading the attack was the first to launch an offensive.
The three heads lunged forward simultaneously, and three streams of venom shot out like arrows.
Duan Xing did not dodge.
His Gāng Qì surged, and a crimson aura completely enveloped him.
The venom landed on the crimson airflow, hissing and corroding, and white smoke rose, but it couldn't penetrate even a fraction of the airflow.
He leaped into the air, activated his Sluggish Domain mid-air, and crashed into the monster horde.
Instantly, a dark gray ripple spread outwards from him.
Where the ripples passed, the sand grains flying in the air seemed to be slowed down.
The swarming monsters, which were moving about, became stiff, and their once swift attacks turned into clumsy shuffling.
Even the venom they spewed condensed into slowly moving droplets in the air.
Time slows down at this moment.
"Shooter, 11 o'clock, look at my mark."
9
"Support, ice-type crowd control, keep Rejuvenation."
"Assassin, flank and open up a new battle line, look for an opportunity to finish off weakened enemies."
"Mage, apply area-of-effect damage—" Duan Xing's voice rang out in the team voice channel.
Upon hearing the order, all 31 teammates set off.
Arrows rained down, spells surged, and assassins' figures appeared and disappeared in the Sand Dust —they were hunting the serpent monster horde according to Duan Xing's orders.
At this moment, Duan Xing transforms into an anchor on the battlefield.
Dozens of serpent monsters nearby attacked simultaneously, their tails kicking up yellow sand as they lashed out in a dense barrage.
Instead of retreating, Duan Xing advanced, taking a step forward, and the yellow sand beneath his feet collapsed with a roar.
The skin was instantly coated with a layer of black.
Thud! Thud!! Thud!
The damage reduction effect in his Petrification form allowed him to withstand the Berserk beatings.
As his health bar plummeted, his teammates' "Rejuvenation" abilities kept coming back up, pulling his health back up.
During this process, Duan Xing's eyes turned bloodshot, and crimson Gāng Qì surged around him like smoke, showing no fear whatsoever.
Just then, his gaze locked onto one of the three-headed snakes, which suddenly burrowed into the sand, seemingly trying to escape.
Duan Xing decisively dispelled his Petrification form and swung his right hand sharply in the direction of the snake monster.
Sizzle!
His Qi and Blood rapidly gathered in his palm, and following his movement, he suddenly unleashed a chain of Qi and Blood that pierced through the yellow sand and precisely wrapped around the snake's tail.
"Return."
With a soft shout, he suddenly pulled.
Boom!
The three-headed snake was pulled out of the sand and flew into the air in front of Duan Xing, only to be met with a powerful punch from Duan Xing, which left it dizzy and disoriented.
The crimson chains remained, coiled around the snake's body, pulled back again, and delivered another punch.
"The monks built the pagoda to guard the sides."
"No need to hold back on the rest of the output."
The words had barely left his mouth.
His aura suddenly changed.
The previously disabled sluggish domain feature has been reactivated.
The hundred or so snake-like monsters that were frantically attacking suddenly stopped moving.
As if stuck in sticky mud, its speed dropped by more than half, and its attacks, bites, and burrowing became sluggish and clumsy.
The mage and archer seized the opportunity and acted decisively.
Arrows rained down like locusts, spells Roar, waves of fire and ice shards swept across the yellow sand, and swarms of snakes let out mournful hisses as they fell in droves.
However, many basilisks still tried to escape.
Duan Xing, and he added a layer of Taunt to his already dull domain.
An overbearing will to govern Sweeping out.
All the basilisks were instantly consumed by hatred, their eyes fixed on the naked, Bloodbath- soaked figure standing there.
Roar!
All the snake heads turned at once, lunging at Duan Xing without regard for anything else.
Duan Xing stood tall, unmoved by the swarm of snakes, his body as steady as Mount Tai.
He applied the Petrification property only to his arms, constantly blocking various attacks and reducing the consumption of his Qi and Blood.
However, the offensive was too intense.
His skin was torn and blood was flowing freely, but he seemed oblivious.
With each breath, rich spiritual energy flowed into the body, nourishing the physique. The Rejuvenation properties circulated rapidly at the wound site, allowing the body to heal itself frantically while enduring the damage.
During this process, the four Monster Soul characteristics seamlessly switched within him.
The Sluggish Domain suppresses the snake monster's attack speed.
The realm of Taunt effectively locks in hatred.
Blood Soul Pull chains to drag the fleeing serpent monster.
Its Petrification property makes it resistant to damage.
The stronger the physical body and the more complete the Astral Veins, the more combat techniques can be unlocked by the Duan Xing.
Now, he can control the rhythm of the entire battlefield single-handedly.
A swarm of snakes attacks, resembling raging waves crashing against a mountain.
But the mountain stands firm.
With each swing of his fists, his Qi and Blood and qi condensed into a powerful fist aura. Every punch sent sprays of blood onto his resolute face, adding to his fierce expression.
The team of 32 people worked together perfectly under his command.
Each class has its own role: support for sustain, mage for bombardment, archer for single-target kills, and assassin for harassment and finishing off enemies.
All the teammates understood.
As long as their captain doesn't fall, they will never collapse.
He was the absolute core of this 32-man squad, an impenetrable shield of steel.
The earliest players who followed Duan Xing had never even been to the Xiao Hei's Room" to experience the feeling of Soul Return the Di Zhao.
Yellow sand rolled and roared.
The last serpent monster collapsed amidst a hail of spells and arrows.
The flames around Duan Xing dissipated, and the blood-red chains binding his hands also retracted into his body.
The Rejuvenation effect cast by his teammates continued, and the hideous wounds on his body were healing at a visible speed.
Having finished the battle, Duan Xing immediately said, "Let's rest for a moment and continue deeper."
After speaking, he brought up the leaderboard for the newbie leveling-up event.
He is currently ranked 852nd. As long as he maintains his current efficiency in hunting higher-level opponents, it shouldn't be too difficult for him to break into the top 100 before the event ends.
If you encounter some unexpected events during the later stages of exploration, you may have a chance to make it into the top ten.
Duan Xing's gaze then swept to the rising chart on the right side of the list.
That's a list of players whose rankings have risen the fastest in recent times.
Duan Xing's gaze was fixed on the first place.
The player ID at the top of the trending list is a string of numbers: 11111.
Surge: 497,832,441 places; Current ranking: 847; Time taken: 9 days (less than 10 days); From outside the top 4.9 billion, it has surged into the top 1,000.
The speed at which he climbed the charts was unbelievable.
He continued reading.
The second and third place players, and so on, all seem to be in a team with the "five 1s".
The total Evolution Points (experience points) gained from the increases below are roughly the same.
Clicking on the details brings up their Astral Veins indicators.
The players on these trending lists all have the exact same template for their Monster Soul.
These are: Eagle Head Demon, Reflection, Spirit Wave, Eat Qi, and Brain Overclocking.
The top-ranked "11111" was changed from "Spirit Wave" to "San Shi Monster Soul" and "Brain Overclocking" to "Spirit Eye Monster Soul".
This discovery made Duan Xing frown.
What does this combination mean?
It's all about boosting mental strength, and its only means of output is a Spirit Wave.
A magic-based build is less powerful than elemental Monster Soul like Inkflame, Raging Thunder, Fire Lamp, Ice Mist, and Earth Dragon, while a support build lacks team buffs.
It appears to be a hybrid support/damage dealer, but it doesn't excel in either area.
It's a mediocre combination that looks like a haphazard mix.
But these players relied on this set of Monster Soul to rise rapidly, almost dominating the entire leaderboard.
Duan Xing remained silent for a few seconds, then opened the Forum.
Sure enough, the trending topics list was flooded with the topic of these "rising players".
[Hey Detailed Study Faction enthusiasts, can anyone tell me what kind of monsters these 11111 and the other 12 players are, and how did they manage to do that?!]
Is it reasonable for a company to go from the bottom to the top 1000 in just nine days?
[In-depth analysis: Eagle Head Demon + Reflection + Spirit Wave + Eat Qi + Brain Overclocking, what makes this combination so powerful?]
[Please, experts, stop analyzing this. I copied it exactly, and it's so weak I suspect the other person is cheating.]
Duan Xing into one of the in-depth analysis posts.
The author wrote a lengthy 3,000-word article, covering everything from the logic of matching Monster Soul to practical combat techniques.
The final conclusion is: this combination has an extremely low theoretical ceiling, making it impossible to achieve this effect; it's suspected to be cheating.
The comments section downstairs is in an uproar. "So why is that?!"
"If it's because experienced players are carrying the team, why doesn't the Guidance indicate they failed, allowing them to remain on the leaderboard? That doesn't make sense."
"Is it possible that all the Monster Soul are of the mental amplification type, but they're actually playing with telekinesis that comes with a mental impact effect, just like those Eagles Party at the top of the leaderboard?"
"It feels different from the Eagles Party. The Eagles Party uses the eagle as its core Monster Soul, and the other Monster Soul are paired with elemental Monster Soul. It's not the same thing at all."
"When I see people praising your amazing skills, I don't even want to criticize you. This build only has one damage output: Spirit Wave. What amazing skills can you possibly pull off?"
Duan Xing exited the thread.
He stared at the Monster Soul Combinations on the rising leaderboard, equally puzzled.
This Monster Soul configuration seems illogical, so why does it perform so powerfully?
The only reasonable explanation is that these players used the high spirit attribute boost from their Monster Soul to engage in a telekinetic damage output mode.
However, the Monster Soul Pairing and the Eagles Party's pairings also differ.
The three Monster Soul, Reflection, San Shi, and Brain Overclocking, can be completely replaced with Monster Soul that provide higher spiritual attribute boosts, such as Raging Thunder and Inkflame.
So, why is that?
On the other side.
Deeper still, along the ancient road through the raging sands.
Twelve figures hovered in mid-air.
--
Their eyes were closed, and even their breathing was synchronized.
The wind and sand howled past, but could not get within three meters of them.
The monster roared and pounced, but suddenly collapsed ten meters away, its body crushed and dissipated inch by inch.
From beginning to end, no player opened their eyes.
Because it's not necessary.
Deep within their consciousness flows the same river.
At the source of the river, a small figure, appearing to be only seven or eight years old with porcelain-white skin, stands suspended in mid-air at the head of the river.
He is Star Network.
In his Perception, twelve images were playing simultaneously.
Teammate #2's vision: Three sand scorpions are approaching, their stingers glowing with venom.
Number 3's view: Twenty meters below, a lurking sandworm is rising to the surface.
Teammate #4's Perception: Increased sandstorm in the environment, adjusted telekinetic release angle.
Teammate #5's vision: --
Twelve streams of information, twelve dimensions of Perception, and twelve real-time states simultaneously flooded into his consciousness.
In this state, ordinary players will experience mental overload.
But Star Network won't.
Because this information is not a burden for him at all.
At this moment, he has activated Star Network mode.
The mind operates at a speed Transcendence the limits of the current player's physical capabilities, rapidly analyzing, judging, deducing, and optimizing all incoming information flows.
The stinger of the three-headed sand scorpion below is venomous, and the scales at its joints are the thinnest. With a cutting angle of 37 degrees, it can deliver 13% of your psychic power and kill instantly.
The sandworm has 3.7 seconds left before it floats to the surface, just in time to fall into the optimal attack range of teammate #3.
Teammate #6 can save another 12 points from energy release, so let him lead the attack in the next wave, while teammate #8 can rest for a round.
All information was processed in 0.01 seconds.
Optimize instruction generation in 0.02 seconds.
Then, the message is conveyed directly to the teammates through Reflection, letting them know what to do next.
This is a two-way channel constructed by Star Network through Reflection and San Shi, where 12 commands simultaneously fall into the depths of the consciousness of 12 teammates.
The next moment.
The twelve teammates activated simultaneously, releasing their telekinetic powers.
Even the release method was executed according to Star Network's plan, making the originally unfamiliar release incredibly smooth.
With the power of thought, Wind Blade arise.
Where the wind passed, the sand scorpions, sand wolves, and snake monsters that were charging and attacking were all sliced apart.
The whole process resembled a meticulously performed surgery to remove defects.
Joint gaps, weak points in the scales, energy flow nodes—every Wind Blade lands in the most critical locations.
At that moment, a three-meter-tall sandstone behemoth suddenly pounced.
A wisp of psychic energy gently swirled around.
Three extremely fine wind marks cut into the joints of the limbs.
The giant's charge came to an abrupt halt; its massive body lost its support and crashed onto the sand.
The next moment, with a twist of his mental power, the life core within his body shattered, and his body turned into mist as it was extracted and rose.
Zero delay and zero errors throughout the entire process.
Every bit of power released is precisely calculated.
This is the second advantage Star Network designed for itself: the lack of resources.
He had already simulated it countless times.
The mainstream command mode for players has a fatal flaw.
The most powerful war command mode currently is the combined command mode of Reflection and pressure invented by the God King.
Its key feature is that it transmits the commander's emotions to teammates, allowing allied players to instantly understand the commander's thoughts and then act accordingly.
This model eliminates command delays and can be considered the pinnacle of contemporary command art.
However, no matter how strong it is, it can only output in one direction.
The God King issued the order, and the teammates carried it out.
But he couldn't Perception whether his teammates were in pain, tired, or scared at that moment.
The number, strength, and weakness of the monsters surrounding your teammates can only be roughly observed by the Eagle Head Demon; a true understanding is impossible.
There's always a veil separating the commander and his teammates.
This model can only provide macro-level command and cannot handle the details of warfare.
The command mode he's currently using perfectly solves this problem.
Through two-way Reflection, a complete and seamless connection is achieved.
The method is very simple.
The first seat is flanked by 12 teammates who, through Reflection their Monster Soul, establish a one-way channel with him, feeding back their perspectives, Perception, states, and fortunes to him in real time.
In the second seat, he used his Star Network body to receive 12 streams of information, instantly performing analysis, judgment, and optimal calculation without any omissions.
Where are the monsters? Where are their weaknesses? What's the best angle to attack? What's the minimum energy consumption?—all the data is at your fingertips.
The third seat, through his own Reflection and the San Shi of his Monster Soul, transmitted the calculated action instructions back to the 12th seat.
Teammate, teammate activates Brain Overclocking to deepen misunderstanding.
This differs from voice commands; it involves directly giving ideas.
Once teammates receive Reflection idea, they can work together to take action.
Twelve players share the same mindset on the Star Network.
This setup uses spirit-attribute-enhancing Monster Soul, which can significantly boost the destructive power of telekinesis.
The most compelling advantage of the early-stage telekinetic system was its versatility.
No need for other classes such as tank, support, marksman, or assassin.
Telekinesis itself possesses the characteristics of both a shield and a spear.
The Eagle Head Demon's full-map Perception, Spirit Eye' ability to lock onto weaknesses, and the teammate's Spirit Wave as an amplification of psychic damage are mainly to counter any psychic life forms it might encounter. Finally, all players are equipped with Reflection Monster Soul to create a two-way feedback bridge.
There were five Monster Soul, none of them superfluous.
To outsiders, this combination of Astral Veins looks like a haphazard patchwork.
But in Star Network, this combination allows teammates to become extensions of their own power.
This is also reflected in the mastery of skills.
How to release telekinesis and how to condense evil winds? The Forum has detailed tutorial videos by Reborn Bro and Life Throat God of Magic.
What ordinary players need countless practice sessions to barely master, he only needs one calculation.
The core principle of telekinesis can be understood by doing it once.
The optimal balance can be determined by calculating the condensation method, cutting efficiency, and energy consumption of the killing wind.
Once he learns it, his teammates will learn it too through Reflection.
His calculations were so accurate that he immediately shared them with his teammates.
It was through this model that his ranking on the list soared.
From outside the top 4.9 billion, to the top 10,000, and then to the top 1,000.
It only took nine cities.
The speed at which it surged left countless players on the Forum stunned, with no trace left to be found.
His extremely long path cannot be replicated.
Because he possesses a cheat code bestowed upon him by High-Dimensional God: Star Network Mode.
He now possesses two bodies, one inside and one outside the game, perfectly coexisting without delay.
This means that all the information he receives in the Monster World can be instantly processed by his Star Network body and then fed back to his player body with zero delay.
It's equivalent to having a super-powerful brain installed externally.
The player's body is responsible for combat and action, while the Star Network body is responsible for thinking.
One is fighting on the front lines, while the other is conducting simulations on the back end.
In the absolute rationality mode (Star Network mode), every seat he takes is the optimal one at the moment.
When the last sandstone behemoth collapsed in the psychic whirlwind, the battlefield returned to calm.
The Star Network hovered in mid-air and glanced at the rankings.
799.
They have risen another forty-eight places since the end of the last battle.
This speed perfectly matches his predictions.
But at this moment, his Star Network body had already completed the calculations, and this "teammate coordination" mode was already incomplete. Continuing to maintain it would not conform to the optimal principle.
He blinked.
Then, the Reflection link was omitted.
--
The 12 Moon Eclipse Clan teammates opened their eyes at the same time, looking at him with some confusion.
"The team needs to disband; thank you for accompanying us on this journey."
"Team leader----?"
"Long?"
Some people instinctively wanted to ask questions or try to persuade them to stay, but before they could utter a word, the Star Network's figure had already become transparent.
The Star Network has no debts to repay; it initiates self-debt, Soul Return the Di Zhao.
They opened their mouths, but ultimately couldn't utter a single word; they had never truly owed this mysterious captain anything.
Jing was already used to following the captain's lead.
Now that the connection between the Reflection has been severed and the captain has vowed to leave, they are at a loss as to where to go next.
An hour later, a flash of white light appeared.
Star Network appeared at the Emperor's Family Village Teleportation Point.
After being revived, Star Network brings up the Astral Veins interface in the Function Panel.
Above the light screen, five Monster Soul floated silently: Eagle Head Demon, Reflection, Spirit Eye, San Shi, and Eat Qi.
These five Monster Soul are the core of his ability to build two-way connections and quickly climb the rankings.
But at this moment, in Star Network, this combination was already doomed.
With a thought, he kept only the Eagle Head Demon and the Spirit Eye, and exchanged the other three Monster Soul for Sacrificial Power points.
The numbers in the balance column jumped rapidly, eventually settling at 320,000 Sacrificial Power.
The Star Network mode is still operating at high speed.
The fusion mode, accumulating enough Sacrificial Power, dispersing the team, arriving at Emperor's Tomb Village, and distributing the Monster Soul —each seat is a process he had already planned out for climbing the rankings.
I glanced at my remaining Sacrificial Power.
That's enough.
Star Network looked up and gazed in one direction from Emperor's Family Village.
Next, switch to: First optimal deficit mode.