98: Chapter 98 Attribute: Taiyin
Lin Fan withdrew his hand from Xiao Zhuang and fell into deep thought.
The Moonshadow Wood-Dragon coiled on the rock had a slender, agile physique; moonlight spilled over those silver-edged, dark green scales, casting a hazy halo.
Most striking were its vertical pupils—a deep green base with silver radiance flowing through them—already possessing the early majesty of a Dragon-kin creature.
It quietly inhaled and exhaled moonlight, and the surrounding shadows seemed to pulse gently in rhythm.
"Nighttime... combat power doubled..."
Lin Fan quickly processed and integrated the information that appeared in his left eye.
The dual attributes of Wood and Darkness, combined with the enhancement of moonlight, made Xiao Zhuang feel like a fish in water in the dark of night.
Under moonlight, its Armor Skill nearly doubled in power.
From fierce attacks to stealth, and then to bursts of power, it had almost no weaknesses at night; moonlight was its most powerful source of strength and the battlefield Dominator.
His gaze then fell on the [Subsequent Evolution Routes], especially those two hidden routes.
Moon-Radiance Dragon-Jiao... Heavenly Spirit High-Grade Aptitude, requiring True Dragon Blood to strengthen the combination of moonlight and the Dragon Clan Bloodline; it was undoubtedly an extremely strong route that could elevate the frontal offensive power of moonlight to a higher level.
Taiyin Dragon-Jiao... also Heavenly Spirit High-Grade, but required the even more demanding 'Moon Fall' celestial phenomenon, as well as treasures like the Moon-Radiance Dragon Pearl, True Dragon Reverse Scale, and Taiyin Fruit—treasures one could tell were rare wonders of heaven and earth just by their names.
The cost was huge, but the gain...
Lin Fan's gaze was locked firmly on the last sentence of the description.
"Forsake Wood-type abilities, gain the Power of Taiyin, and possess the ability to control lunar phases and influence tides."
"The Power of Taiyin..."
Lin Fan's eyes burned with fervor.
Taiyin was not ordinary darkness, but 'Ultimate Darkness', the highest and purest variant of the Darkness-type attribute, opposing the 'Sun'.
It was not just darkness, but the embodiment of the rules of darkness.
Controlling lunar phases, influencing tides...
This was already touching the edge of the authority of heaven and earth.
He weighed the options.
Giving up the existing Wood-type abilities meant losing a portion of vitality and control, turning instead toward a more extreme and pure path of power.
This path was undoubtedly narrower, more dangerous, and demanded resources and environments to an extreme degree.
But what Lin Fan valued was precisely this "ultimacy".
Xiao Zhuang's original Wood attribute, while providing a decent foundation for survival and control.
However, it did not perfectly align with its Dark attribute and the newly acquired Moonlight characteristic in terms of 'purity' and 'ultimacy'.
The Wood-type leaned more toward endless vitality and binding control, while the Dark-type and moonlight leaned toward stealth and bursts of power.
The Power of Taiyin was the ultimate sublimation of Darkness and Moon, the path toward the Peak of attributes.
More importantly, as an extremely rare attribute, the potential and upper limits of 'Taiyin' likely far exceeded conventional understanding.
Controlling lunar phases, influencing tides...
This kind of ability had already transcended the scope of ordinary combat skills, involving the level of environment and rules.
The value of a power that touched upon rules was self-evident.
But the most difficult part was the need to complete the evolution in a 'Moon Fall' environment.
Such a celestial phenomenon wasn't something that just happened; it was rare and hard to come by.
But Lin Fan's Golden Finger clearly recorded how to artificially simulate the conditions for the 'Moon Fall' celestial phenomenon.
[(Pseudo) Moon Fall: Requires collecting three spiritual items—Moon-Erosion Stone, Star-Fall Sand, and Heart of Tides—and setting up the 'Reverse Moon Array' on a full moon night; it can trigger the celestial phenomenon, lasting for the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn.]
Moon-Erosion Stone, Star-Fall Sand, Heart of Tides.
These three items, while rare, at least provided a direction, so he didn't have to passively wait for an ethereal celestial phenomenon.
Lin Fan took a deep breath, his decision made.
He gently patted Xiao Zhuang's back, and the dark green scales transmitted a gentle, cool sensation.
"It seems we are about to begin a long period of preparation."
...
On the weekend, Lin Fan managed to sleep in for once.
But his phone suddenly rang.
Lin Fan reached over to look: Ye Wushuang.
He answered, and there was no pleasantry on the other end, only one sentence.
"Two o'clock in the afternoon, South City gate."
Then he hung up.
Lin Fan stared at his phone screen, stunned for two seconds.
"Does this person not know how to write the words 'discuss'?"
Lin Fan sighed and got up to wash.
Two o'clock in the afternoon, South City gate.
When Lin Fan arrived, Ye Qing was already there.
Seeing Lin Fan, she waved. "Did you receive the message too?"
Lin Fan walked over. "Did he call you over too?"
Ye Qing rolled her eyes. "Otherwise what? He didn't even say goodbye."
The two looked at each other and sighed in unison.
At this moment, Ye Wushuang also walked over, wearing a dark gray outdoor jacket.
He glanced at the two. "Let's go."
He turned and walked away.
Lin Fan and Ye Qing followed.
"Where are we going?" Lin Fan asked.
Ye Wushuang didn't look back. "Secret Realm."
Lin Fan raised an eyebrow. "Have you found your third Armor Spirit?"
Ye Wushuang was silent for a moment. "No."
Ye Qing was stunned for a moment. "Then why are you going to the Secret Realm?"
Ye Wushuang's steps paused, as if he were choosing his words.
"The Family can't find a suitable Armor Spirit in the short term. I don't like the ones currently available."
His tone was very flat, as if he were stating something obvious.
"So I'm going to the Secret Realm to try my luck."
Lin Fan glanced at him.
Ye Wushuang, on the surface, didn't care about anything, but in reality, he was pickier than anyone.
High-Aptitude Armor Spirits were impossible to buy on the open market, and they weren't necessarily in the Family's inventory.
Rather than waiting, it was better to go find one himself.
"Which Secret Realm?" Lin Fan asked.
Ye Wushuang took a map from his pocket and unfolded it. Several red dots were marked on the map, one of which was circled.
"Canglan Secret Realm. Intermediate Secret Realm, located deep in the Dongyun Mountains; the entrance opens once at the beginning of every month and lasts for seven days."
Ye Qing leaned over to look at the map, her gaze falling on the circled red dot.
"Canglan Secret Realm?"
She raised an eyebrow. "You want to go there to find an Armor Spirit?"
Ye Wushuang nodded.
Lin Fan also leaned over to look.
Canglan Secret Realm, Intermediate Secret Realm, deep in the Dongyun Mountains.
He had heard of this place; there were many types of Armor Beasts inside.
And because of the special environment, many Armor Beasts possessed rare attribute mutations.
"What did you set your eyes on?" Lin Fan asked.
Ye Wushuang was silent for a moment. "Cloud-Maned Flowing Light Rabbit."
Ye Qing laughed.
"You really know how to pick."
She clapped her hands, as if opening a floodgate of conversation.
"Cloud-Maned Flowing Light Rabbit; this little rabbit is no simple creature; it can be considered the overlord of the Canglan Secret Realm. Heavenly Spirit Lower-Grade Aptitude, dual Lightning and Light attributes. It has a naturally high affinity for lightning and light."
Ye Wushuang nodded.
"That's right. Most importantly, it is currently their breeding season. If we are lucky, we might be able to find a good cub."
Lin Fan's eyes lit up.
Cloud-Maned Flowing Light Rabbit; if it were an Armor Spirit, the Armorization part would be the legs, which was just right for him.