The Final Preparations

Chapter 32: Final Preparations

"Hmph!" Celestial snorted, though he refrained from saying anything more. Arguing with this woman in such a public place would only play into her hands, making others view him as petty and potentially scaring off future recruits. He felt a surge of suppressed anger, thinking of how he had meticulously orchestrated this setup, only for it to be ruined by her just as it was about to bear fruit.

Calming himself, Celestial forced a smile and said, "Of course. Although this was something I, Celestial, thought of with great effort, if Miss Phantom wishes to use it as well, I won't say anything. Feel free to use it."

"Heh, Team Leader Celestial is truly generous. Then I shall thank you, Team Leader." Phantom covered her mouth and chuckled. This time, she didn't mock him further; she had already offended him enough, and pushing it any further would burn the bridge entirely, which would only lead to trouble later.

Celestial had no desire to deal with this woman. In his view, it was better to focus on recruiting high-level members first. Once he had them, he would have plenty of opportunities to settle the score, making his current investment worthwhile.

"Everyone, is there anyone else who wants to join my Celestial Team? Teams are quite rare in the Space right now. If you don't join one now, it will be very difficult to do so later. I urge you all to think carefully. There is strength in numbers, and it makes it much easier to earn Source Points and live more comfortably in this Space."

"That's right, Team Leader Celestial is absolutely correct. Those interested in joining a team are welcome to check out my Heavenly Demon Team," the woman known as Phantom added, also attempting to recruit.

Lin Maoxian watched the few people walking forward, shrugged speechlessly, and turned toward the East District to return to his Private Space. He had hoped to watch a good show, but he hadn't expected the man called Celestial to be so patient; he hadn't lost his temper, and thus, the show never happened. As for joining a team? He had never considered it. Even though team members couldn't attack each other and killing one cost 3,000 Source Points, if the greed was great enough, one could easily be framed or sabotaged in ways that were impossible to guard against. Human nature was the most complex thing of all—one moment it was one way, and the next, due to certain reasons, it could change entirely. That was why he never wanted to build or join a team; he was afraid of being backstabbed.

Back in his Private Space, Lin Maoxian asked the Space, "Space, if I return to the real world, can I come back to the Origin Space at any time, rather than waiting until a mission arrives?"

"Adventurers may return to the Space at any time, but they must not do so under the surveillance of any monitoring equipment or human eyes. Otherwise, it will be considered an indirect disclosure of the Space's existence, and the Space will impose severe penalties."

"I want to leave the Space!"

"After leaving the Space, the adventurer must not disclose the existence of the Space through any active or passive means. Adventurer abilities may be used in reality, but apart from basic attributes, all other equipment, skills, and items will have their effects sealed by 80%."

"The method for an adventurer to return to the Space is: find any mirror, face it, and silently recite 'Return to Origin Space' in your mind."

"Restoring adventurer appearance... Teleporting adventurer..."

When Lin Maoxian returned to the real world, he found himself in the exact same spot, having not moved at all. Feeling the powerful strength and physique throughout his body, and noticing that even his thinking and vision were much clearer, he realized these changes were proof that his experiences were real, not just a hallucination.

At the gym, Lin Maoxian tested his current attributes. He found the changes were indeed significant; equipment that had once required great effort to lift could now be handled with ease. As he tested his strength, he realized he didn't have very good control over his increased attributes. Sometimes he wanted to use less force, but he ended up using too much, missing his intended target. This was without even using skills; if he were to use a skill and his strength and stamina suddenly doubled, it would be even harder to control.

Knowing what he needed to do next, Lin Maoxian began targeted training. Through his connections, he acquired a highly advanced infrared system to train his agility and perception. The system allowed for frequency adjustments and could track based on human body temperature, making it perfect for his needs. As for strength and stamina, he used basic skills to train, and the results were quite obvious. He also used his A-rank skill periodically to become more familiar with it, ensuring he wouldn't lose control if he had to use it suddenly.

Time passed in a blur of training for six days. The results were remarkable. He could now perfectly control his increased attributes, and he could manage his A-rank skill well enough to avoid causing collateral damage.

During this time, Lin Maoxian purchased a batch of food, water, and other supplies to store in his inventory, just in case he ever got trapped somewhere without resources. Feeling that everything was taken care of, even though it wasn't time for the next mission, he found a mirror and returned to the Origin Space.

"Adventurer No. 258 returning to the Space. Teleporting..."

Back in his Private Space, Lin Maoxian asked the Space a question: "Is there a place in the Space where I can train? It's still hard to perfectly control my suddenly increased attributes. Is there a way to solve this?"

"Adventurer clearance is sufficient. Answer: When an adventurer upgrades their clearance to Level 8, they may temporarily open a training ground within their Private Space. In the training ground, the adventurer can train their increased attributes or skills to gain better control."

"Training in the training ground only increases the adventurer's control; it does not increase character attributes or skill levels. All character enhancements, except for certain special items, require Source Points and cannot be increased independently."

"It seems I need to upgrade my clearance to Level 8 as soon as possible. With my current attributes, training in the real world is already becoming difficult, and I fear it will be ineffective as my attributes continue to grow. But why can't all enhancements be increased through training? Is this the Space's way of controlling adventurers?" Lin Maoxian muttered to himself after hearing the answer, then posed the question to the Space.

"Adventurer clearance is sufficient. Answer: In terms the adventurer can understand, it is because of spiritual energy. The Space's Source Points act as a form of spiritual energy; when enhancing, it is equivalent to infusing spiritual energy into the adventurer's body to strengthen them. Independent training lacks this spiritual energy, so it cannot increase attributes or raise skill levels."

"Does spiritual energy exist in the plot mission worlds?" Lin Maoxian asked. He wanted to know if spiritual energy existed in those worlds; if it did, he could train during his spare time in missions. Finding a way to increase attributes and level up skills without spending Source Points was a rare opportunity.

"Adventurer clearance is insufficient. Answer denied."

"Ugh..." Lin Maoxian shook his head speechlessly. It was that damn clearance again. It seemed he couldn't waste his contributions next time; he had to save them to upgrade his clearance. If he had time in the next plot world, he could try training. It would be best to focus on one thing so he could clearly notice any changes.

After failing to get an answer from the Space, Lin Maoxian realized the next plot mission was approaching. Looking at his remaining 1,200 Source Points, he knew he couldn't afford good equipment, so he went to the Space Shop and spent 950 Source Points on two potions that could restore 100 HP during combat. With the remaining 250 Source Points, he spent 190 on an Entanglement Trap. It required a 30-second setup time, and its effect could bind a target for 1 to 5 seconds depending on their strength; it would be ineffective if the target's strength exceeded 30 points.

Although he wasn't sure if he would need it, with so few Source Points left, it was the best he could buy. As for saving them for after the next world, Lin Maoxian believed in using everything he had; what happened after the next world was a problem for then. If he ended up needing it, it would be a win. Seeing he had 60 Source Points left and finding nothing else useful, Lin Maoxian left the Space Shop, intending to get a good night's sleep to recharge his energy for the next adventure.

Waking up, Lin Maoxian checked the time and saw he had half an hour before the next mission, so he decided to stroll through the Adventurer Zone.

Upon arriving, he noticed that while there were still many stalls, it wasn't as lively as his last visit. He checked a random stall, but the items were all common grade. These weren't his targets, and he didn't have enough Source Points to buy anything anyway.

Lin Maoxian asked the stall owner casually, "Hey, friend, can you tell me about the recruitment situation with the Celestial Team and the Heavenly Demon Team a few days ago? I watched for a bit, but then I had to leave."

Mentioning that day, the stall owner said excitedly, "Hey, you missed what happened later! It was a real shame. More people wanted to join, and quite a few met the requirements. In the end, they had no choice but to use the arena's sparring mode to fight it out. I'm telling you, it was a great show—at least better than watching monkeys!"

Lin Maoxian felt sorry for those people, being compared to monkeys. If they knew, he wondered what their expressions would be. "They fought in the arena, how were you able to watch?"

The stall owner said with a gloating tone, "Of course, we used the spectator mode! At first, they didn't want to allow it, but after everyone complained, they turned it on. It's just a pity that none of them used their skills; they mostly just used their equipment. I don't know if they didn't have skills or if they were just saving them as trump cards."