195: Summon Magic Raven

Xu Shian couldn't help but feel fortunate that he had watched many matches from various parties in advance.

The Thief's Stealth ability was practically a gift to those aiming to dominate the arena.

In a certain wild world with a crude architectural style, the Orc [One-Eye] was extremely dissatisfied with the results of the recent battle.

"This crawling bug who only knows how to hide and doesn't dare to fight head-on—why are you even participating in the trials!"

[One-Eye]'s left hand was severed at the wrist and replaced with an iron hook; his right eye was also Blind... He looked incredibly wretched, yet his strength was immensely powerful.

Although Xu Shian was across different planes and couldn't cast [Detection] on him,

He estimated the opponent's strength to be at least on par with Gamor.

Yet such a powerhouse was nearly taken out by a single combo from the dark female elf, [Yongye].

If he hadn't triggered a death-defying ability similar to a 'Famous Blade,' he would have been forced to kneel and sing 'Conquered' on the spot.

Xu Shian guessed that [Yongye] must have used an ability that required a heavy price to deal such instant-kill level damage.

After [Yongye]'s initial assassination attempt failed, she remained in Stealth until the match ended in a mutual draw.

Xu Shian checked another match he had been following, only to find that [Thousand Poison King] had crushingly defeated [White Crane Boy].

This result truly taught Xu Shian a lesson.

It told him that in this game world, elemental or class counters didn't work quite so simply.

Over the next two days, Xu Shian left the urban area and headed out to explore distant lands.

When there were matches, he watched them and took notes.

He discovered that there were truly many [Stealth] skills in the arena; regardless of the class, everyone seemed to know at least one type of invisibility skill!

As expected, no matter which world it was, invisibility was an ability everyone loved to use.

When there were no matches, Xu Shian would go to high-level maps to sweep the area.

He didn't fight trash mobs; he only looked for BOSSes!

He was currently making two sets of preparations.

On one hand, he was planning to see if he could take down [Bankai] before the August settlement;

On the other hand, he wanted to find wild BOSSes on high-level maps to see if he could get a powerful equipment drop to directly seize the number one spot on the equipment ranking list!

The Level 40 to 50 map, [Snow-Topped Plains].

This place was located at the junction of Qixia Town, Feiyun Pass, and Iron Spine Fortress.

This plain was about 400,000 square kilometers in size.

The levels of the wild monsters inside ranged from Level 40 at the edges to Level 50 at the very center, with a relatively even distribution.

Snow-Topped Plains was just its name; while most areas fit the characteristics of a plain, terrain like lakes and mountains could also be seen here.

Sigh... The map was so large that Xu Shian planned to arrange for his two crows to search for any traces of a BOSS.

After summoning the two crows, Xu Shian thought for a moment; they were in urgent need of a super upgrade.

Otherwise, what would he do if he encountered someone like [Yongye] who stayed in Stealth the whole time during an arena match?

Although he believed everyone in the arena wanted to win... when faced with an obvious losing situation, a double loss was definitely better than a single win for the opponent!

Not to mention others, Xu Shian himself had Legendary-tier [Stealth]. If he encountered an unbeatable enemy, he would just let the map kill take them both out—no one would get any benefit!

He looked at his Epic-tier [Summon Crow] skill, then at the [soul sand grains] he had accumulated for over a month.

[soul sand grains: 765,598]

With a thought, the system notification immediately rang out.

[Ding! Do you confirm to spend 100,000 soul sand grains to upgrade the 'Summon Crow' skill?]

"Confirm!"

[You have spent 100,000 soul sand grains to upgrade the skill 'Summon Crow' to 'Summon Magic Raven'! Remaining soul sand grains: 665,598.]

He summoned [Ink Shadow] and [Night Pupil] again, and they had undergone a massive transformation!

[Ink Shadow (Night Pupil), Shi Chuan's Summoned Pet]

[Species: Raven]

[Attack Form / Mount Form (Unlocks at Level 30)]

[Level: 21]

[HP: 52,560]

[Mana: 48,600]

[Magic Attack: 4,860]

[Strength: 210 + 1,164]

[Agility: 210 + 1,156]

[Constitution: 210 + 1,104]

[spirit: 210 + 1,005]

[physical defense: 683 + 60]

[Magic Defense: 683 + 55]

[Skill Level: One]

[Minds Eye]: Once activated, vision can be shared with the Summoner; consumes 2 mana points per second while active.

[Magic Cloak] (Passive): The Magic Raven is in a state of permanent Stealth and will not reveal its form except when attacking; there is a minimal probability of being detected by ordinary skills.

[Absolute Insight] (Passive): 100% chance to see through [Stealth] below Dark Gold Grade, illusions, magical disguises, and traps; has an 80% probability to see through Legendary-tier skills.

[Weakness Mark]: Every 30 seconds, a Weakness Mark can be applied to a target; your next attack will deal an additional 15% true damage to the marked target.

[Transposition]: Instantly swap positions with a summoned unit; maximum distance of 1,000 meters, cooldown of 2 minutes.

[Feather Raid: Silent Dark Feather]: Shoots dark feathers at a target location, applying a silence effect to all units within a two-meter radius and interrupting their spellcasting. Cooldown of 30 seconds.

Other skills like [Scout Ward], [Blind], and [Alert] were still there, but the skill set as a whole had been extremely enhanced.

In fact, if it weren't for Xu Shian's own attributes being so abnormal,

This [Summon Magic Raven] skill would be a jack-of-all-trades level auxiliary summon.

Especially for countering Stealth units.

It remains permanently invisible while preventing opponents from hiding... truly a master of double standards!

What surprised Xu Shian even more was that this thing actually had a mount form, though it wouldn't be unlocked until Level 30.

A raven mount, and a flying one at that... surely by then, Xu Shian would have a dedicated mount!

Although there were two ravens, their appearances were identical, so there was no difference between two and one... wait... Xu Shian suddenly noticed a small problem!

These ravens are permanently invisible. When I ride one to fly, will they make me invisible too, or will I just be floating in the void with my legs spread, bobbing up and down?

That image was too much; Xu Shian felt a sense of social death just thinking about it... With their current strength, the two ravens now met the basic requirements for scouting the [Snow-Topped Plains].

Xu Shian didn't want to fight trash mobs right now; he only wanted to fight BOSSes, Level 40 or 50 BOSSes. It would be best if he could directly secure a piece of super equipment!

After all, killing [Bankai] was no easy task.

Among the NPCs, there were surely all sorts of hidden experts.

[Ink Shadow] and [Night Pupil] went off to find the BOSS of this area.

With nothing else to do, Xu Shian decided to start his first official arena battle.

[Ding! You have signed up for the Ladder Match. Your current rank is Bronze Tier 1, Zero Stars. You can be matched up to Bronze Tier 3 strength. Do you confirm paying 100 life spirit crystals to enter the competition?]

"Confirm!"

[100 life spirit crystals deducted. 780 remaining.]

[Ding! Your opponent has been matched: Prince Xin Mǎkèěr (Void Ethereal Race), current rank Bronze Tier 2, Three Stars.]

[The battle will begin in ten minutes. Please remain out of combat during the summons and find a safe place to wait!]

[Ding! Your opponent has requested to raise the bet by 500 points. Do you agree to the raise?]

Xu Shian frowned.

He understood the rules for raising the bet.

It was a wager between both parties... Of the 100 life spirit crystals for registration, only ten were actually the entry fee, while the rest were the stake... The opponent clearly saw him as a green newbie in his first battle and wanted to bully him... As for why he only added five hundred... while most people in the arena were arrogant, no one would agree if the bet was raised too high!

Agree!

Nine minutes later, Xu Shian was teleported into a small five-meter-square room to wait.

[Please select the combat map!]

Xu Shian looked at the options and, after a brief thought, chose the jungle terrain.

Although this terrain wasn't ideal for a Boar-man to perform, he still had many underlings like snakes, insects, rats, and ants!

[Ding! The terrain choices of both parties do not match. A random terrain will be used!]

With a flash of light, Xu Shian was teleported onto a vast, boundless desert.

Three hundred meters away, the searching gaze of a player wrapped entirely in bandages also swept over!