17: Chapter 17: How to Advance Your Talents? Let's Fight!

The system seemed to be collecting life energy;

The system was withholding the life energy he obtained;

His talent was stealing energy from the system;

Laya seemed to come from a high-magic world;

Was Laya loyal to him or to the Lord of Light?

His talent seemed capable of leveling up;

There seemed to be other possible applications for his talent;

...

The matters hidden beneath the undercurrents—one after another, piece by piece—were growing more numerous, entangling together and becoming increasingly chaotic. Li Yuan felt he needed to quiet down and slowly sort through them to think clearly. Just then—

“Master, what are you thinking about?” Laya had woken up at some point, but she had no intention of getting up. She rubbed against Li Yuan's chest, finding a more comfortable position to lean against. Her long golden hair shimmered with a soft luster, looking very lazy.

In the Angel Legion, Laya was famous for being “lazy.” If not for that, with her exceptional talent, she should have long ago been promoted to a Power (Fourth Order Angel) in some combat sequence, rather than remaining a low-tier angel of the Hope Sequence.

Li Yuan lowered his head, looking at the flawless, beautiful face inches away from him, a very complex emotion flickering through his heart. Laya was his first (though she was a Light Guardian then) and most loyal companion after arriving in this strange and dangerous world.

It was she who appeared when he was at his weakest, using holy light and tankiness to dispel danger and fear; it was she who had saved him from Zerg claws multiple times; and it was also she who gave him the purest companionship when he was lonely.

It could be said that deep in Li Yuan's heart, his closeness and reliance on Laya had long since surpassed a simple master-servant relationship.

However, an unavoidable fact was that Laya's faith lay in the “Lord of Light” class he possessed, but that came from the mysterious and unfathomable “system.”

And this system, after his first use, had left him with a mere three days of lifespan, and it was already confirmed that the system had been withholding energy! Was this action part of some established rule? Or was it a form of malicious exploitation? Or... did it hide a deeper plot? He had no way of knowing, and this uncertainty was like a thorn stuck in his heart.

Ultimately, Li Yuan decided to set these conjectures aside for now. Regardless, he and the Lord of Light were one for now, so Laya's own loyalty was beyond doubt and had been tested through life and death.

Even if there came a day in the future when he truly had to break ties with the system, that was a very distant matter. For now, Laya was the only person he could consult.

“I just need to be careful myself,” Li Yuan cautioned himself again in his heart.

He composed himself, his fingers gently combing through Laya's soft golden hair, and asked in a tone that he tried to make sound casual, “Laya, have you heard of ‘Talents’?”

“I’ve heard of them!” Laya blurted out almost instantly, completely without guile. She even narrowed her eyes comfortably like a cat being groomed. “Laya has a talent too.”

“You have a talent too?” Li Yuan showed just the right amount of surprise, guiding the conversation. He needed to use this “ignorant” inquiry to rationalize his subsequent probing.

“Of course!” Laya’s tone carried a hint of small pride, as if sharing a great secret. “Basically every living organism has a talent; it’s just that the strength and types are different. My talent is the S-rank ‘Hope Dust Sound’!”

S-rank! Li Yuan’s heart jolted with surprise. Back when tens of thousands were tested, only one S-rank appeared—the image of that Frost War Goddess flashed through his mind.

The first angel he summoned also had an S-rank talent!!!

“S-rank? Are S-rank talents common among angels?” Li Yuan felt that S-rank shouldn't be a dime a dozen.

“Hmm, not many. In the Hope Sequence, it seems I’m the only natural S-rank. There’s also the Commander, but she rose up from A-rank.” Laya became even more proud.

“Talents can upgrade? How many levels can they go up? Or rather, is there a kind of talent that can continuously grow?” Li Yuan followed up, his tone inadvertently carrying a hint of urgency. This was the question he truly cared about, as it concerned the foundation of his survival.

“Of course they can!” Laya answered affirmatively, considering it common knowledge. “Like my ‘Hope Dust Sound,’ it can further evolve into the even more powerful ‘Fate Sonata,’ or even ‘Genesis Echo’!”

She spoke of her talent's potential advancement paths without reservation. This unguarded trust warmed Li Yuan's heart slightly.

“Then what needs to be done to advance?” Li Yuan’s breathing couldn't help but quicken, and his body leaned forward slightly. The key! The key to the problem was right here!

Laya felt her master’s urgency. Although she didn't quite understand why he was so interested in talent advancement, she still seriously recalled and explained: “Generally speaking, combat-type talents need to advance through battle. Whereas support-type and law-type talents usually need to find a ‘Resonance Object’ that resonates with them, promoting advancement by absorbing the Power of the Resonance Object or comprehending the laws within it.”

She paused and added, “However, the more times a talent has advanced and the higher its initial rank, the greater the difficulty of advancement and the more demanding the conditions. Like my ‘Hope Dust Sound,’ wanting to evolve it is very, very difficult!”

Laya’s words were like a sudden enlightenment, instantly illuminating a small path through the mist ahead for Li Yuan!

Battle? Resonance Objects?

The core characteristics of his ‘Intent of the Northern Darkness’ were ‘Devour, Absorb, Assimilate.’ It was like a combat type, yet also like a support type.

However, high-quality energy!

This thought flashed through Li Yuan’s mind like lightning! Yes, it was very likely this! Intent of the Northern Darkness itself was one of the energy-related talents; its advancement likely couldn't do without the nourishment and stimulation of energy! And it very likely had requirements for the ‘quality’ of that energy!

Previously, he had mostly absorbed the life essence of low-tier Zerg like Zerglings and Drones, so the effect wasn't obvious. To trigger a more distinct change in his talent, he probably needed ‘higher quality’ and ‘higher level’ fuel!

His train of thought became clear instantly, and his goal became definite. No sooner said than done!

“Laya,” Li Yuan’s voice carried a hint of eagerness to try, “let’s go to battle!”

“Eh!? Battle?” Laya was clearly stunned for a moment, not quite keeping up with Li Yuan’s jumping logic. They were just discussing talent theory; why the sudden move to battle? And hadn't her master always tried to avoid personal danger as much as possible?

However, the word “battle” seemed to be a magical switch. Her instincts as an angel warrior made her enter a combat state in an instant.

“But speaking of battle...” The laziness and reliance on Laya’s face did not fade, but she gently rose from Li Yuan’s embrace and stood tall. Although her light wings had not yet fully unfurled, a faint, stern aura already swirled around her.

“Master, I am ready.” Her voice was crisp and devoid of any impurities.