An Astonishing Challenger
Bai Xiaowen is indeed busy.
In the two days since he returned, he has finished upgrading the shop's merchandise, helped the guild recruit Han Xu, and formulated a training plan for the University Team. Now, he also has to squeeze in time to make potions whenever he can.
On one hand, it's to supply the Super God Potion Shop. Perfect-grade potions are always in short supply, and the Super God Potion Shop's reputation for Perfect Potion is growing, attracting more and more buyers from all sides, including many prominent figures who can't wait for the auction and want to buy a few bottles.
This is also a way for the Super God Guild to expand its network. If they insist on not selling, they will undoubtedly offend some influential figures.
Another important reason is that Bai Xiaowen wants to upgrade his Alchemist level.
In Bai Xiaowen's Storage Space, there was another trophy: a recipe he obtained from the Alchemist Norton: Frost Potion. This recipe could only be learned by Alchemist at level 7.
Bai Xiaowen's current Alchemist level is only 4th level, 76%.
For other Alchemist, even with all the materials and working tirelessly 24/7 to level up from 4 to 7, it would still take one or two years. Of course, this ideal scenario is practically nonexistent...
Alchemist have strict working hour requirements, as well as requirements for success rate and product yield. They cannot work around the clock like machines. Working overtime will only result in wasted materials and the production of defective products.
However, Bai Xiaowen's leveling up Alchemist was much easier than that of ordinary Alchemist, entirely thanks to his Insight skill.
It can accurately measure the active ingredients in psionic herbs. As long as the prescribed process is followed, the production is 100% successful. Bai Xiaowen does not need to spend too much effort calculating parameters or observing the reaction state of the medicine. He can just stew it in one pot step by step.
More importantly, Bai Xiaowen's success rate in crafting perfect-grade potions is almost 100%, and a perfect-grade potion provides a far greater proficiency bonus to the Alchemist than a high-quality or good-quality potion.
The skill boost that Bai Xiaowen gains from crafting a perfect-grade potion is often something other Alchemist struggle to achieve even when crafting ten or twenty potions.
After returning to Taoran Residence, Bai Xiaowen worked until late at night before resting. Having produced this new batch of potions, his proficiency had increased to around level 4, 83%.
He had only slept for three hours when Bai Xiaowen woke up at dawn. As an Awakened, two or three hours of sleep was enough to keep him full of energy.
"Get up. After breakfast, it's time to go to the University Team training." Bai Xiaowen gently patted Li Shuyi beside her pillow.
With Bai Xiaowen, a diligent boyfriend, by her side, Li Shuyi didn't slack off either. Last night, she spent the whole night playing matches on Virtual Battle Platform to hone her combat skills.
For the next three days, Bai Xiaowen led the University Team in training during the day and made potions at night. His Alchemist level finally reached level 5. And after the Super God Potion Shop received a new batch of supplies, the previously strained supply could finally be relieved.
Sales of Bai Xiaowen's Spirit Channeling Prince character on Player Platform have shown a slight decline. On the charts, newer characters such as the Navy Marshal and the Silent Philosopher, which were previously ranked lower, are making a strong comeback. Among them, the Navy Marshal is the most aggressive, as he is a violent warrior and easy to play.
In the past two days, a post appeared on the Virtual Community titled "Who is the strongest newcomer king? A battle of new characters on the Player Platform".
The post proclaimed in a very high-profile manner:
"Among the new characters on the Player Platform in '97, the strongest Hero Tier among Intermediate Awakened is undoubtedly the Navy Marshal!"
"The model for the Admiral is Ouyang Heng, the captain of the Yenching University sports team. Everyone must be very familiar with this name. Yenching University was the CUAA league champion last year, and Ouyang Heng was the main offensive force, the epitome of a brute force player!"
"I've always liked playing the violent warrior class, and seeing the Navy Marshal Hero Tier character this time really felt like it was my main Hero Tier! After unlocking this Hero Tier, I tried him out a bit, and he's really good..."
"In my opinion, the Spirit Channeling Prince one new character on the sales chart is ridiculously overpriced. The number of buyers is more than double that of the Navy Marshal. Isn't that just blind? I've encountered the Spirit Channeling Prince a few times in the arena, and he's utterly trash, completely vulnerable, and doesn't deserve 99 yuan at all!"
"I said the Navy Marshal is the number one rookie Hero Tier, I don't think anyone can disagree, right? Even if someone disagrees, I'll give you a chance. I've opened a duel room on the Player Platform, number E1095. If you're not convinced, just DM me. Remember to use your rookie Hero Tier to challenge me, I'll accept all challenges..."
"Finally, I've attached a few battle videos to prove their worth to you guys!"
There were five battle videos in total, which Bai Xiaowen also watched. They were all 1v1 duels between rookie Hero Tier characters, or more precisely, duels between the Navy Marshal and other rookie Hero Tier.
What left Bai Xiaowen speechless was that three of them involved torturing the Spirit Channeling Prince...
"This guy's crazy!" Li Shuyi said indignantly. "There's definitely something fishy going on here. This guy doesn't seem like an ordinary player. Is he targeting you? Why is it that he's fighting the Spirit Channeling Prince in three out of five matches?"
"Well, it's normal that I was just a background character in three out of five matches. After all, my current sales figures are higher than all the other new Hero Tier combined..." Bai Xiaowen shrugged and said, "You're right about another point, this shouldn't be an ordinary person, but an Awakened One."
After a pause, Bai Xiaowen explained, "Did you notice the Navy Marshal's combat movements in those five matches? They were concise, efficient, and without any unnecessary hesitation. If we're talking about Advanced Specialty, the pilot's Advanced Combat Specialty and Advanced Two-Handed Swordsmanship must have reached at least level 5..."
"Ah!" Li Shuyi realized, "That's right, I was wondering why something felt off... This is an Awakened One controlling Navy Marshal, against an Ordinary Person controlling Spirit Channeling Prince, of course he has the upper hand."
The biggest difference between awakened individuals and ordinary people when controlling the same Hero Tier character lies in their Battle Specialty.
Ordinary people do not have advanced Battle Specialty; the highest they can achieve is the basic level 5.
As mentioned before, Battle Specialty are equivalent to martial arts moves, and attributes are equivalent to internal energy... If two martial artists have the same internal energy, one with mediocre moves and the other who has mastered the Nine Swords of Dugu, it is obvious who will win and who will lose.
For an ordinary person controlling the character of Spirit Channeling Prince, it would be quite an achievement to even hit the target with Spell Talisman. As for the ranged shooting ability of an ordinary person, the hit rate would be even more predictable in the face of a battle-hardened Awakened expert.
"Do you think it might be that Ouyang Heng who's stirring up trouble?" Li Shuyi clicked on the poster's information. The poster's ID was "Holy Light Striptease Slash," and the real name was "Wu Chaojie," not Ouyang Heng.
The requirement for real-name registration on the internet basically confirms that this ID does not belong to Ouyang Heng. However, the possibility that Ouyang Heng logged in and posted using the ID "Wu Chaojie," or had Wu Chaojie post on his behalf, cannot be ruled out.
"Regardless of who's stirring things up, this post is already quite popular, which gives me an opportunity," Bai Xiaowen said with a smile. "What's his duel arena room number again?"
"Are you going to accept the challenge?" Li Shuyi, a little excited.
"Yes. On the Awakened Battle Platform, my personal record is certainly important, but on the Player Platform, achieving good results with the Spirit Channeling Prince character is also crucial... Originally, I wasn't willing to go to the Player Platform Player Platform —it would definitely be a waste of time to reach a high rank there. But now that I have an opportunity to make a name for myself, of course I have to seize it."
Just then, Bai Xiaowen suddenly received a call from Sister Zheng.
"Both Cat Tooth and Panda TV rejected the six-month contracts. They stated that they wanted at least a two-year contract. As for Shark Platform, I haven't contacted them since."
"I understand. I definitely won't sign a two-year contract," Bai Xiaowen said.
"However, things aren't entirely hopeless," Sister Zheng said. "Besides these three industry giants, several small and medium-sized live streaming platforms have also been in talks with me. They've all agreed to a six-month contract."
"Just tell me which platform is suitable," Bai Xiaowen said.
"After careful consideration, I think 'Starlight' live streaming is the most suitable. It has a good reputation in the industry and has never had a record of defaulting on wages or other breaches of contract. Starlight's traffic is also good, ranking among the top in second-tier platforms. However, the signing bonus is relatively low, only four million."
"No problem, this platform will do," Bai Xiaowen said.
Four million in signing fees may seem like a small amount, but considering that Bai Xiaowen was only willing to sign a six-month contract, it's understandable. Proportionally, a two-year contract would mean a sixteen million signing fee, and a three-year contract would mean twenty-four million... Compared to the three major live-streaming giants, although there is a gap, it's not far off.
After hanging up the phone, Bai Xiaowen stretched and said, "I'm going to be even busier from now on... But let's deal with Wu Chaojie first."
"Wait, Xiao Wen ..." Li Shuyi suddenly said, "Someone has challenged Wu Chaojie in the comments, and even specifically asked to use your Spirit Channeling Prince. The ID is ' Verdant ', and it's a girl."
"Um?"
"This person's profile picture looks familiar... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before." Li Shuyi rubbed her temples.
"I have indeed seen her," Bai Xiaowen's Super Brain recalled, "Last summer, that teacher from the admissions office of Yanjing University, Qiao Wei ... However, the avatar on Virtual Community ID isn't necessarily the real person's picture, is it?"
"Let me see her real name..." Li Shuyi clicked on "Verdant's" personal information.
As expected, the real name listed was Qiao Wei.
"Xiao Wen, there's a question... Why did Qiao Wei stand up for you?" Li Shuyi drawled, "You two... have a special relationship."
Bai Xiaowen felt deeply wronged. He hadn't seen this teacher named Qiao Wei since last summer vacation.
"Let's log into the Player Platform first and see the results of their battle. Wu Chaojie even has a spectator mode set up, let's go watch the battle." Bai Xiaowen used a topic-avoidance technique.
Li Shuyi's attention was indeed diverted; she was also eager to know the outcome.
The two quickly logged into the Player Platform and entered the room number.
Suddenly the scene changed, and the two found themselves above a grassland battlefield, sitting on the clouds overlooking the battlefield, which spanned about one kilometer in radius.
By this time, there were already quite a few spectators on the cloud. Considering the short time the post appeared, the fact that it attracted so many viewers in such a short time shows that the post's popularity is indeed astonishing, and it's certainly intriguing to see who the strongest rookie king is.
The battle has not yet begun; both sides are making preparations.
More and more people appeared out of thin air in the clouds above the grassland battlefield.
The spectator system is quite unique. Spectators do not have a physical form; they appear as phantoms in the sky above the battlefield. Spectators can zoom in and out at any time to observe the subtle Transformation in every corner of the battlefield.
Of course, while spectating, one cannot make any moves, and any sounds made cannot be heard by the duelists; communication is only possible between spectators.
However, the audience can hear the conversation between the duelists.
"The battle is about to begin; both Hero Tier characters are loading."
Who do you think will win?
"Of course, it's the Navy Marshal. The Spirit Channeling Prince always seems a bit flashy and impractical."
"I'm rooting for Spirit Channeling Prince! He's just so cool, even if he's not practical, he's perfectly fine as a character collector's item," a female audience member said.
Bai Xiaowen's face darkened as she listened to these comments...
"I think the Navy Marshal will win... It's not that the Hero Tier, the Spirit Channeling Prince, is weak, but rather that the players are different. That guy named 'Holy Light Striptease Slash ' is really good, at least at the Diamond Tier."
Bai Xiaowen glanced sideways; this comment was quite fair.
At that moment, a loud voice rang out:
"Both Hero Tier have entered the arena. The duel begins!"
On the grassland, two figures faced each other.
The Navy Marshal, tall and imposing, carried a two-handed greatsword and said with a hint of displeasure, "Is it really you, Teacher Qiao? This is a bit much."
The Spirit Channeling Prince opposite him gently stroked the smooth fur of the giant wolf 'Rageclaw: "I advise you not to say too much... There are many people watching right now."
The Navy Marshal snapped to attention and nodded, "That's right, let's begin!" He strode forward, his feet flashing with light, clearly having activated the speed-boosting skill on his shoes.
The spectator channel is in an uproar.
"Do these two people know each other?"
"Who is that challenger, the one who manipulates the Spirit Channeling Prince? And who is Teacher Qiao?"
"Although I don't know the specifics, I have a strange feeling..."
Bai Xiaowen frowned.
"It seems quite interesting... We can basically conclude that this Wu Chaojie is a member of Yanda University, and it's even possible that Ouyang Heng himself is using this account... And Teacher Qiao Wei is even stranger. From any perspective, there's no reason for her to stand up for me, especially since she offended the captain of her own University Team..."