Chapter 200: Power Boost Once More, XP-Squeezing Princess Bai Fu

Time was tight, and the mission was heavy.

Therefore, upon arriving at Jingu Star, Bai Fu didn’t waste time coordinating with the Players and the Planetary Protagonist like she had on Azure Sky Star. Instead, she took direct action and wiped out all the main quest villains in one go.

If she spent that time on idle talk, the people from the Secret Tower might have launched their attack already.

She wasn’t worried that this approach would displease the Players and the protagonist of Jingu Star.

The situation on Jingu Star was different from that of Origin Star or Azure Sky Star. Most Players here had already joined the righteous faction.

But due to their initial lack of understanding of the game mechanics, and their indifference toward the main quest—preoccupied instead with showing off their Esper Powers in arenas and Communities—when Jingu Star’s Players finally got around to pushing the main storyline, they were shocked to discover the villains on their land had developed like they were using cheat codes.

Relying on their numerical advantage and their fearless tenacity, the Players of Jingu Star did at one point gain the upper hand in their struggle against the villains.

However, it didn’t last long. The villain faction unveiled their trump card—a Super Artificial Human created through the combined efforts of many. This being possessed a terrifyingly strong physique and held over a dozen rare Esper Powers.

Relying on his peak B-rank power, the Artificial Human killed the previous leader of the villain faction as soon as he was born, crowned himself the new boss, and gave himself the flamboyant title: “King of Espers.”

At that point, the Players of Jingu Star were thoroughly doomed.

Compared to the previous leader, the King of Espers was not only stronger but also more cunning. He had one particularly arrogant dream—

To become everyone’s daddy on Jingu Star!

King?

He aimed to be a god!

With grand ambition, the King of Espers launched a fierce campaign, crushing the Players and dragging the main storyline’s progress down to rock bottom.

Amid his resounding victory, the King of Espers rallied numerous criminals on Jingu Star and founded a city called the City of Espers.

If Bai Fu had not arrived in time, while Players on other Newbie Planets completed their main quests and eagerly awaited the arrival of Starsea Version 2.0, those on Jingu Star would still be locked in a battle of wits and brawn against the King of Espers.

Some Players were playing a normal online game; others were in a hardcore, fast-paced ACT nightmare.

Bai Fu’s methods may have been a bit rough, but she had pulled Jingu Star’s Players back from a disastrous future. Any Player with half a brain wouldn’t blame her—on the contrary, they’d praise her.

So what if the main quest ended early? They’d still get the rewards.

What, worried there’d be no more quests?

Don’t be ridiculous.

Fu-fu was here, and the Starsea’s top villain—the Secret Tower—would arrive soon as well. By then, there would be so many quests it would be impossible to finish them all!

【Hurry, hurry, hurry! I don’t want to fight any more Esper criminals. I’m ready to become a Starsea mercenary, punching space pirates and kicking interstellar fugitives!】

【Damn it, we’re all level 35, but compared to those Digging‑Treasure girls decked out in full Starsea gear, we look like broke hillbillies from the sticks.】

【Haha, King of Espers who? Trying to hit me? Fu-fu is number one under the heavens!】

Bai Fu glanced quickly at the public opinion in the Community and, seeing it matched her expectations, began tallying her rewards from taking down the King of Espers.

After completing the main storyline of Azure Sky Star, she had received four rewards. This time, finishing the main quest on Jingu Star only earned her three:

16 million XP, the special title【Esper Equalizer】, and【Esper Upgrade Fragment of Choice*1】.

That’s right—Jingu Star had no special items like【True Spirit Pillar】or【Needle of Sin and Punishment】. Its most unique item was the【Esper Evolution Tree Blueprint】.

Bai Fu had found the Esper Evolution Tree Blueprint in the residence of the King of Espers. It recorded numerous evolution paths and methods for Esper Powers. While it wasn’t useful to her as a Psionic Priest, it was a treasure for Players walking the Esper Power path.

With this blueprint, those who awakened basic Esper Powers could follow the documented methods to evolve them, without wasting time and effort rerolling starter accounts.

“What a great item!”

Bai Fu perked up.

With the Esper Evolution Tree Blueprint in hand, she only had to sit there, wiggle it between her toes, and Esper Players would come running joyfully to work for her.

“Psionic Class has me holding down the fort, Mental Force has Anya and Vic keeping watch, and now the Esper path has this evolution guide. All that’s left is to train Xia Shi and recruit a Martial Master as a class mentor—then Sovereign of the Shadowed Night can fulfill the needs of most Players.”

Bai Fu chuckled.

Her official role was Psionic Class mentor, but how could such a modest position ever satisfy her?

Her appetite was far from ordinary. Her ultimate goal was to lure all Players into her Secret Garden—to work for her.

Clearly, being a mentor for just one class would never be enough to accomplish that.

Only by establishing a comprehensive "university" that could accommodate all classes—and having her serve as the "principal"—could this goal be realized.

“Let all Players under heaven fall within my grasp!”

Bai Fu closed the item description for the Esper Evolution Tree Blueprint and opened the newly acquired title.

Just like【Ender of Demon Gods】and【Truth’s Bane】,【Esper Equalizer】also granted her an additional 5% to all base stats.

However, that wasn’t the point. The point was that with these three similar titles collected, she could now synthesize them into a brand-new title!

“Synthesize!”

Bai Fu tapped her finger.

【You have obtained a new title [Mentor of the Initial Land]】

The effect of【Mentor of the Initial Land】was straightforward and brutal—it granted her an additional +20% to all base stats.

This boost was enormous, but considering how difficult it was to obtain this title, Bai Fu felt it was perfectly justified.

To get this title, one had to complete three major main quests, each with a relatively high contribution value.

Under normal circumstances, it was hard enough for Players to obtain a title like【Truth’s Bane】, let alone collect all three.

Bai Fu was able to get this title because she was truly special. As an NPC with a Player Interface, she couldn't resurrect like Players, but unlike them, she wasn’t bound by level caps. She could raise her level freely and use her high level to grind Player main quests for her own benefit.

Once she equipped the【Mentor of the Initial Land】title, Bai Fu’s stats changed dramatically—

【HP】: 34152/34152

【Psionic Value】: 57010/57010

【Qi】: 4550/4550

【Stats】: Strength 195, Agility 377, Constitution 564, Intelligence 400, Spirit 445, Inspiration 1295

Her base Inspiration stat had increased by 105 points compared to before. Now, if she fused with Yulia again and used【Blessing of the Mind】, she could boost her Inspiration stat to 1808 in one go—a number that already surpassed Cersia’s massive Constitution of 1764.

“Now it’s getting interesting. If Cersia happens to be in the Secret Tower fleet again this time, I wonder how she’ll feel seeing how much stronger I’ve gotten in just over ten days?”

Bai Fu didn’t know what Cersia would think—she only knew that she was very happy.

This new title had rapidly boosted her power, and it came with a hidden perk: if any Player discovered that she had a title called【Mentor of the Initial Land】, wouldn’t they immediately recall how Digging‑Treasure referred to her as a Player Mentor in the 1.4 preview video?

With the two corroborating each other, she’d be able to stir up quite a wave of hype again.

Alright, keep pushing forward.

Bai Fu clenched her fist.

Sooner or later, she’d crush Cersia with ease, even without relying on Yulia or Blessing of the Mind!

After a short flight, Bai Fu brought the Planetary Protagonist of Jingu Star to the docking point of the spaceship.

The area was bustling with activity.

Players nearby saw the spaceship and quickly gathered around. After sending the King of Espers’ underlings on their way, Manu, Anya, and the others had also brought along some high-status NPCs from Jingu Star.

At this moment, the contrast between Jingu Star’s Players and its NPCs was striking.

Players circled the ship, marveling at its size and occasionally reaching out to touch it. The NPCs, however, weren’t in such a mood—they were downright terrified.

The fact that the terrifying King of Espers and the City of Espers had been wiped out should have been good news.

But they had no idea what these odd-looking beings arriving from the stars aboard a spaceship actually wanted. What if these strange folks planned to wipe them out too...?

Sigh.

The NPCs sighed repeatedly.

When facing the King of Espers and the City of Espers, they still had some will to resist. But when it came to these aliens, they couldn’t muster the slightest bit of resistance.

There was just too vast a gap in power.

They had thought the King of Espers had already ascended to godhood, but who’d have thought this “god” couldn’t even take a single kick from one of the aliens—how were they supposed to deal with that?

As despair filled their hearts, cheers suddenly erupted around them.

“Fu-fu’s back!”

“Fu-fu, I’ve been your fan for ten years!”

Fu-fu?

They quickly turned their heads. The first thing they saw was white hair dancing gracefully beneath the clear sky. In that instant, it felt as if they had been transported to a snow-covered plain. But before the chill could reach their lungs, the youthful smile on the white-haired girl’s face melted winter into a radiant spring.

“Alright, now that everyone’s here, let’s get down to business. Xia Shi, sync the meeting contents to the global livestream.”

Bai Fu nodded at Xia Shi, who immediately complied.

Seconds later, everyone sitting in front of a TV on Jingu Star noticed that their program had changed.

“What’s this...?”

They stared in shock at the spaceship on-screen, the white-haired girl, and the familiar faces standing at her sides.

【Today I’ve invited you all here to discuss the future of Jingu Star】

【Unfortunately, Jingu Star has attracted the attention of a fearsome organization known across the Initial Gate Galaxy Cluster】

Bai Fu began explaining the crisis Jingu Star was facing, and why she had come.

The crisis had already arrived, and it concerned every resident of Jingu Star. This time, the danger was far worse than anyone had imagined.

No matter how wild the King of Espers had gotten, he would never have committed full planetary genocide—but the Secret Tower absolutely would. Formed by a group of avengers, the Secret Tower’s members were known for extremism.

During their conflicts with other civilizations in the Initial Gate Galaxy Cluster, they had, on more than one occasion, slaughtered every living being on an entire planet.

Facing such savagery, caution was always warranted.

Through the TV broadcast, Bai Fu urged all residents of Jingu Star to avoid wandering about for the time being. If they happened to encounter any members of the Secret Tower, they were to stay calm and not provoke them in any way.

【We will do everything in our power to stop the Secret Tower!】

The livestream ended with those words from Bai Fu.

After watching, the people of Jingu Star looked at each other—was this real?

Bai Fu looked so harmless—just one glance at her made people instinctively want to trust her—but to the folks of Jingu Star, what she’d just said sounded way too outrageous.

You're sitting at home eating hot pot and singing songs, and suddenly someone shows up telling you your planet is about to be invaded by evil aliens—would you believe them?

Many were thinking—

Might as well believe the “Light” is real!

Bai Fu had anticipated this reaction, so after the broadcast ended, she showed the NPCs she’d invited just a glimpse of her side’s power.

“With our strength, if we really wanted to make a move on your Jingu Star, there’d be no need to go through the trouble of putting on a show. We’d just take it by force.”

Makes sense.

“Alright, time waits for no one. Leave the Secret Tower to us. As for calming the public and organizing evacuations, I’m counting on you.”

Bai Fu sent off the group of NPCs, including Jingu Star’s Planetary Protagonist.

Next on the agenda was harvesting Player XP.

This situation was completely different from what she encountered on Origin Star or Azure Sky Star. There was no way she could run a celebration event to squeeze the Players this time.

But if she couldn’t throw a celebration, she could always organize a pre-battle rally.

Jingu Star’s Players—faced with the ruthless Secret Tower—it was time to pick up your weapons and fight to protect your second homeland, Jingu Star!

What’s that? You say your weapons are outdated and no match for the Secret Tower?

Hey now, don’t panic! I just so happen to have a massive stockpile of weapons, gear, items, skills, and advanced class knowledge!

Don’t miss out as you pass by! Players who perform outstandingly in battle might just be selected to be part of the first wave headed to the Starsea!

Bai Fu gave impassioned speeches and tossed around “flirtatious glances,” successfully drawing hordes of Jingu Star Players to join Sovereign of the Shadowed Night and start spending in Anya’s Mysterious Shop and the Faction Store.

Before arriving, she had deliberately spent time acquiring a large stockpile of goods. Now, these had become the perfect bait to harvest Player XP.

“This skill’s expensive... but it can boost my damage... whatever, buy buy buy! If I don’t, and someone else does better in combat than me, I won’t be able to follow Fu-fu to the Starsea first!”

“These special Prayer Cards require Psionic Power to use... no choice, I’ll just take Psionic Priest as a secondary class.”

The thought of heading to the Starsea pushed even the most hoarding-prone Players to grit their teeth, open up their “Scripture Vaults,” and let Bai Fu feast.

Unfortunately, although Bai Fu was still feasting with her mouth dripping in XP, it didn’t compare to the feast she had on Azure Sky Star.

It wasn’t that her appetite had grown too large for the Players to satisfy.

Nor was it that the Players of Jingu Star weren’t “loyal” enough. In fact, they were trying harder than those on Azure Sky Star. Most Jingu Star Players walked out of the Faction Store with their inventories cleaned out, and all their XP had turned into Bai Fu’s meal.

The real issue was the average reserve in the Jingu Star Players’ “Scripture Vaults” was far lower than that of Azure Sky Star Players.

When Bai Fu visited Azure Sky Star, it was the end of Version 1.3. Players had reached the version level cap, and some had been saving XP for ten days or even a month or two. With nowhere to spend it, it all piled up in their Scripture Vaults. All Bai Fu had to do was push a little, and she could squeeze massive amounts of XP out of them.

But her arrival on Jingu Star was at the beginning of Version 1.4. Since the official cap had just been raised, the Players had already spent most of their stored XP before she got there. Even if she used all eighteen combat arts to wring them dry, she’d only get what was left.

“It’s all the Developer’s fault! If 1.4 had launched a bit later, would I be going hungry now?”

Bai Fu pouted.

But complaints aside, after harvesting this wave of XP, she still netted 610 million XP. Counting her previous stash, she now had a total of 1.5 billion XP.

1.5 billion—there was no way she could spend it all, not in the current stage～

That much XP was more than enough to raise her main class to level 110, max out all newly unlocked skills, unlock multiple advanced blueprints, and even bring her secondary class up to peak A-rank.

“All that’s left now is one piece of advanced class knowledge!”

A gleam of anticipation shone in Bai Fu’s eyes.

After closing the Attribute Panel, she immediately found【Feng Youjing】and got straight to the point—she wanted his help finding some trustworthy Players to stage a performance. Once the Secret Tower arrived, these Players would infiltrate them as undercover agents.

“Like Tai’er Zhenren?” Feng Youjing’s eyes lit up.

Bai Fu nodded. “Exactly.”

“Can I go too?”

“You can’t. That long-range signal was sent in your name. If you show up, the Secret Tower will be suspicious of your motives.”

“I see.”

Feng Youjing was visibly disappointed. Oh well, if he couldn’t be a spy, so be it. Staying close to Fu-fu was still his top priority.

He quickly contacted other Players, and in just half a day, several thousand signed up. Bai Fu handpicked a few hundred and had them get ready.

“My side’s fully prepped. Now it’s up to the Secret Tower—will it be orbital bombardment, ground assault, or a Flood Disaster like the one they unleashed on Tianhu Star?”

Just thinking about the Flood Disaster made Bai Fu want to laugh.

Flood Disaster?

If the Secret Tower really tried that, then this time it’d be their turn to learn—

The real Flood Disaster was a flood of Players gathered together!

……

Time flew by. Two days later—

Aboard the Secret Tower’s fleet—

Foster gazed at the large screen in the cockpit and gave the order: “Exit warp mode. All ships to level-one combat readiness. All Hives begin warm-up sequence!”

At the cockpit entrance, Cersia, parasitically attached to a janitor, couldn’t contain her excitement.

Bai Fu, I’ve come again—and this time, I’m going to devour you alive!