Chapter 1: Li Mingxing's First Team

With Raymond’s warning, Li Mingxing gained a deeper understanding of the dangers lurking in the Inner World. He no longer treated it as a place for idle amusement; instead, he studied the composition of the troops he could bring with him with utmost seriousness.

Though there was technically no limit to the number of units Li Mingxing could carry, he only had one thousand spirit coins and a single follower at his disposal. If he were the type to disregard the safety of his followers, he could have bought a massive army in one go. But if he expected his follower to play a role, he needed to allocate some forces to him as well, which left him with far fewer options.

After much deliberation, Li Mingxing finally settled on his troop selection. Fortune smiled on him this time: he stumbled upon a bargain—Dark Beast Combat Panthers selling at the low price of twenty-five spirit coins each, with a “buy ten, get three free” promotion.

He had tested these creatures before. Tamed by the dark elves, they served as hunting and patrol companions. As their description stated, these beasts—only two-thirds the size of a normal panther—usually lurked in shadowy underground burrows. When prey or an intruder appeared, they would launch swift and ferocious attacks from the rear or flanks.

Should they advance to become War Demon Panthers, they could wield venomous fangs and claws. Even if an enemy survived an initial assault, they would succumb to poison and blood loss, inevitably meeting their end.

Without hesitation, Li Mingxing bought thirty Combat Panthers. With the remaining two hundred and fifty spirit coins, he procured five elite thieves for Yin Haitao, his follower, to help him hone his command skills.

Once he handed over all his spirit coins to the gatekeepers, both guardians pushed open the doors to another world with concerted effort.

The moment he stepped through, Li Mingxing found himself standing among a host of panther statues—thirty-nine identical black panthers. Not only were they all the same size, but every facial feature was perfectly replicated. Each was two-thirds the size of a normal panther, their black coats gleaming with an oily sheen, and a purple glint shimmered in their yellow eyes. Their limbs were robust and powerful. On their left forelimb, two purple emblems stood out: one signifying the panther’s origin, the other its allegiance.

As Li Mingxing had not yet established his own crest, the symbol of allegiance remained a simple purple dot. However, the emblem of origin—a fractured, still-bleeding elven ear—clearly marked these as attack panthers trained by dark elves.

From their identical appearance, it was apparent to Li Mingxing that these were not actual panthers but standard projections of Combat Panthers within the Inner World. No matter how many he summoned, their attributes, appearance, and combat style would be fixed—never deviating in the slightest.

Such was the hallmark of fixed-type units among the three categories of soldiers found in the Inner World; it was the most efficient method for mass deployment. As long as the projection chamber could support it and spirit coins sufficed, one could summon unlimited numbers, unlike breedable units—which required time to raise and train—or virtual units, which needed to be individually exchanged upon entry.

Of course, such troops had their drawbacks—most notably in terms of progression. No matter how many battles they fought, they would never grow stronger; at best, upgrading the projection chamber would allow one to exchange for a higher-tier equivalent. Thus, while they offered some strategic edge, their potential on other levels was limited.

Still, with no money and no city of his own, Li Mingxing was more than grateful for what he had. He turned his attention to the formation of thirty-nine Combat Panthers, and beside them stood five thieves clad in black leather armor, twin daggers at their waists, their faces veiled in purple cloth.

Like the panthers, these five thieves were identical in stature and appearance—each standing at one meter eighty, slender, bodies slightly crouched, hands resting on their daggers, eyes fixed straight ahead, poised to spring into attack at any moment. Their black skin, pointed ears, and silvery hair unmistakably marked their race: dark elves.

After a brief inspection, Li Mingxing strode to the front of the formation. As he walked, his form gradually lowered to the ground, and by the time he reached the panthers, he had once again assumed the shape of a juvenile scorpion-lion.

In this form, he circled the Combat Panthers. He clearly saw a flicker of excitement in their eyes. It seemed Raymond had been right: creatures of the same lineage shared a hidden morale boost. Yet, this was not necessarily good news—if things continued this way, would Li Mingxing be confined to commanding only feline units in the future?

As for the elite thieves, they were only affected by his imperial aura; apart from a faint circle of light at their feet—visible only to Li Mingxing—and a hint of submission when they saw Yin Haitao, they showed little reaction.

Although slightly dissatisfied, Li Mingxing did not forget where he was. He surveyed his surroundings and realized he was in an underground realm. As the great doors behind him closed, darkness engulfed everything. Fortunately, this was not the real world: he could access all the instincts of a scorpion-lion, not just three paltry skills.

Thanks to the creature’s dark vision, the world around him appeared in shades of red, though it took some getting used to. After adjusting, he glanced back at his troops. Without his orders, they remained perfectly still, as if frozen in place.

Standing before these new subordinates, Li Mingxing felt a touch of nervousness. It was his first time commanding so many obedient followers. The sight of the panthers had initially startled him into numbness, but now, with a calm mind, he realized how much he still had to learn.

He hesitated, then opened his mouth. Fluent words in the common tongue of darkness spilled out—rousing speeches meant to encourage morale. Yet, as he spoke, he noticed that aside from his follower Yin Haitao, the rest of the troops gave no response.

Upon reflection, Li Mingxing realized that without having learned a leadership skill, the only way he could boost his soldiers’ morale was through his imperial aura.

After this failed attempt, Li Mingxing abandoned his antics and began issuing commands as Raymond had instructed.

He soon found the Combat Panthers to be remarkably obedient and intelligent. At his command, twelve of them split into six teams and set out to scout ahead. The rest automatically formed four groups, positioning themselves around Li Mingxing to guard against ambushes.

The elite thieves assigned to Yin Haitao led him to the front, where he diligently studied their movements and tactics.

As the unit advanced, Li Mingxing felt his understanding of his two troop types deepening. Data and details about the forces appeared unbidden in his mind:

Combat Panther: Dark-type, first-tier, lower-class unit. Average intelligence. Weak attack, high attack speed, high mobility. Special abilities: stealth, bite, claw attacks. Cannot use weapons or equipment.

Elite Thief: Dark-type, first-tier, upper-class unit. Average intelligence. Moderate attack, high attack speed, high mobility. Special abilities: stealth, theft, trap disarming, dagger mastery. Can equip daggers and leather armor.

Of course, Li Mingxing knew this information was just what he could perceive for now; who knew what surprises these units might bring in battle?

Yet this knowledge eased his fears of the strange and dangerous environment. After a while, one of the scouting thieves returned with news: not far ahead, they had discovered a nest of about thirty goblins.

At this, Li Mingxing’s eyes lit up. The last trace of fear vanished from his heart. He muttered to himself, “What Inner World? I’ll just treat this as a game. If I’ve found the enemy, it’s time to get some loot.”

With newfound determination, Li Mingxing probed for more details about the goblins—their equipment, level, whether they had patrols—and then, making a show of planning, led his troops in pursuit, following the reporting thief into battle.