174: Chapter 175 Elena's New Skill

At dinner time, the spacious and bright dining room on the first floor of the villa was filled with the tempting aroma of food. the young ladies took their seats one by one around the long dining table. The head seat was naturally occupied by Lin Muyang. To his left sat Alice, quietly enjoying her thick soup, and to his right was Elabess, dining elegantly. Elena brought the final dish to the table, took off her apron, and sat down opposite Lin Muyang. Seraphina, Ao Qingyan, Chiba Ruri, Su Daji, Feng Ling, Gui Wanwan, and Lilia were also present. Su Qingyue did not come; she had already returned to her own place, as she was only a temporary team member after all.

Alice appeared somewhat reserved, her fingers gripping the silver spoon with slight force as she took small sips of the special thick soup in front of her, which had been infused with high-energy demonic beast blood. For her, the energy provided by ordinary food was negligible; this special thick soup was her staple diet. However, being able to sit with everyone and feel this lively and warm atmosphere brought a faint, satisfied smile to her pale cheeks. After spending the afternoon together, combined with the confidence brought by her skyrocketing level, she felt much less timid and a bit closer to these "older sisters" around her.

While dining, Lin Muyang diverted a portion of his mind to reopen Alice's attribute panel, carefully checking the new skills she had awakened that afternoon. He had only caught a brief glimpse before, and only now did he have the time to look closely.

Soaring from Level 1 to Level 62, Alice had not only received a transformative boost to her basic attributes, but more importantly, she automatically awakened a powerful skill originating from the depths of her bloodline roughly every 10 levels. As her level increased, the bloodline talent of a Vampire truly began to reveal its ancient and formidable power.

Among a series of new skills that improved output, mobility, or survivability, two skills in particular caught Lin Muyang's attention. Their descriptions and effects were of a strategic level.

[Skill 8: Body of Blood]

Active Skill. Upon activation, the user completely elementalizes, transforming into a pure liquid blood form for 6 seconds. In this form, the user is immune to all physical damage, magic damage, true damage, and the vast majority of control, debuff, and abnormal status effects (i.e., in an "Invincible" state). While in the Body of Blood form, all other skills can be cast normally, and skill casting does not consume Mana, but instead consumes Blood Energy (Blood Energy is settled at the end of the form; if insufficient, the user suffers a backlash). Cooldown: 3600 seconds.

[Skill 9: Blood Reversal]

Active Skill. Select one or more hostile targets and attempt to manipulate the blood within their bodies to flow in reverse. If the target's Spirit attribute is lower than the caster's, the "Blood Reversal" status is applied. In this state, all healing effects received by the target will be 100% converted into an equivalent amount of damage; simultaneously, all damage received by the target (including direct damage, damage over time, true damage, etc.) will be 100% converted into an equivalent amount of healing. Cooldown: 300 seconds. Cost: Large amount of Spirit Power.

Lin Muyang's gaze lingered on these two skill descriptions for a long time, secretly marveling in his heart.

"Body of Blood" provides 6 seconds of invincibility—an invincibility that ignores all damage and control! That was already monstrous enough. More importantly, during these 6 seconds, she can release other skills at will without consuming Mana! What did this mean? It meant that if Alice accumulated enough "Blood Energy," she could transform into a tireless, defense-ignoring, fire-pouring ultimate turret within these short 6 seconds! [Sanguine Touch] would drain frantically, [Blood Feast Bloom] would self-detonate repeatedly, and combined with other output skills... her burst power would reach a terrifying level.

Furthermore, Lin Muyang's God-Tier Aura [Long Lasting] could significantly extend the duration of buff states. Although the cooldown of "Body of Blood" was as long as an hour, the duration could be extended from 6 seconds to over 200 seconds! Over three minutes of invincible output time! Imagine a Vampire with high percentage damage, continuous life-steal for sustain, and zero-cooldown self-detonations, remaining invincible for three minutes and attacking with reckless abandon... The scene was so beautiful that Lin Muyang was actually looking forward to seeing Alice's combat performance once she fully matured.

As for "Blood Reversal," it was a pure, unreasonable mechanical skill! It ignored defense and damage values, directly altering the rules of "healing" and "damage" for the target! For an enemy afflicted by this state, healing was suicide, and attacking the enemy was like healing them! This was simply a nightmare for all healer classes and enemies who relied on sustained combat and high recovery capabilities!

In certain specific situations, such as facing a BOSS with ultra-strong self-healing abilities or an opponent with staggering healing output, this skill could play a decisive or even game-changing role. Although its current level only allowed it to take effect on a single target and the duration was influenced by the Spirit attribute, its strategic value was unquestionable.

"As expected of the last pure-blood Vampire of a world... skills inherited through bloodline are truly extraordinary," Lin Muyang thought with emotion. Although Alice's talent panel only showed SSS-rank, the potential and practicality of these two newly awakened bloodline skills were, in some aspects, not inferior to the effects of some god-tier talents. Combined with her other skills that integrated offense and defense, Alice's growth ceiling was incredibly high.

"Alice, how do you feel? Are you adjusting well?" Lin Muyang put down his utensils and looked at the silver-haired girl sipping soup beside him, asking gently.

Alice hurriedly put down her spoon, wiped the non-existent soup stains from the corners of her mouth with a napkin, and looked up at Lin Muyang with bright red eyes, nodding vigorously. "Yes! Master, I feel great! My body is full of power, and... it's very warm." When she said "warm," she wasn't just referring to her physical state, but also the feeling this home gave her.

"That's good." Lin Muyang smiled and looked at the other young ladies. "You all should take care of her more. She just arrived and isn't familiar with many things."

"Don't worry, Brother Muyang." Lilia was the first to respond. She had a very good impression of this Vampire sister who looked even younger than herself and seemed to have a pitiful background. "After dinner, I'll take Sister Alice to pick a room and teach her how to use the bathroom, the hair dryer, and all that!"

"Okay, thank you, Sister Lilia," Alice thanked her obediently. She was full of curiosity about everything around her, especially those shiny "magical devices" that produced hot water and blew hot air. In the final years of her original world, the underground castle only had the most basic and ancient magic lamps and heating arrays. Things like televisions, computers, showers, and refrigerators were only seen in books and images left by her parents depicting the old era.

Hundreds of years after entering the era of universal class transfer, former energy sources like electricity and oil had long been completely replaced by magic crystals. All equipment relied on magic crystals for power. Having been imprisoned in a sunless underground castle, she had no channel to obtain magic crystals and was naturally disconnected from these modern magical products.

Today's society also operated on the massive consumption of magic crystals. City lighting, transportation, production, daily life, and even the release of many professional skills were inseparable from magic crystals. This was why magic crystals had become the hard currency of Blue Star. If countless Class Transferees didn't enter secret realms day and night to kill monsters and obtain magic crystals, the entire society's energy system would soon collapse. Magic crystals, which seemed inflated and not very valuable, were actually the cornerstone supporting the operation of the entire civilization.

Dinner ended in a relaxed atmosphere. Elena stood up to clear the dishes with skillful and elegant movements. Lilia excitedly pulled Alice upstairs to pick a room and provide an introductory lesson on modern life. The other young ladies also dispersed, either returning to their rooms to rest, going to a quiet room to cultivate (like Ao Qingyan), or handling their own affairs.

Lin Muyang returned to his master bedroom.

He didn't rest immediately but looked at Elena, the Angel Maiden who had quietly followed him in. As her level increased, Elena had also awakened new skills. He had been busy grinding secret realms and getting to know the new companion, so he hadn't had time to look closely yet.

[Skill 10: Fine Carving (Lv.1)]

Active Skill. Can perform Fine Carving on any wearable accessory (rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, etc.), permanently adding 1 random attribute to it (attribute type and value range are related to the accessory's quality and the user's Luck value). Each Fine Carving consumes a certain amount of Mana and materials (gem fragments, magic dust, etc.). The same accessory can be carved multiple times, but after each carving, the materials and Mana required for the next one increase significantly, and there is a small probability of damaging the accessory. Cooldown: 24 hours.

[Skill 11: Tendon Relaxation and Vitality Activation (Lv.MAX)]

Passive/Active Skill. When Elena serves her master wholeheartedly, providing care such as massage, acupressure, and relaxation, she can channel holy power to clear the master's meridians and nourish the master's body and soul. During this process, the master will gain a continuous all-attribute boost effect. The specific boost effect is related to Elena's concentration, duration of service, and the master's current state. This effect has a daily limit and diminishes over time, requiring an interval to restore the best effect. This skill only takes effect on the master, Lin Muyang.

The "Fine Carving" skill corresponded to the previous "Tailoring" and was specifically used to strengthen accessories. Although Lin Muyang possessed the "god-tier modification stone" that could directly add affixes, Elena's "Fine Carving" skill had the advantage of not requiring the precious god-tier modification stone—only relatively common materials—and it could be repeated, essentially providing an additional, growable path for strengthening the young ladies' accessories. Combining the two could take the young ladies' equipment attributes to another level.

What truly caught Lin Muyang's attention was the second skill—"Tendon Relaxation and Vitality Activation." The description of this skill was somewhat vague, but the keyword was "continuous all-attribute boost," and it only worked for him, the master. Lin Muyang was very curious about how effective this boost actually was.

"Elena." Lin Muyang sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at the Angel Maiden standing quietly nearby.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

"Master, I am here." Elena replied softly, her pure eyes gazing tenderly at Lin Muyang, as if waiting for instructions.

"Try your new skill." Lin Muyang pointed to his shoulder, then lay down on the soft bed.

A faint blush visibly appeared on Elena's pretty face, as if tinged by the sunset glow. She bit her lower lip gently, appearing slightly shy, but her movements held no hesitation. She gracefully sat sideways on the edge of the bed, then gestured for Lin Muyang to rest his head on her slender, white-stockinged legs, which were pressed together.

Lin Muyang lay down as instructed, the back of his head resting on Elena's soft and elastic thighs, his nose filled with the girl's unique, pure, and pleasant scent, like sunshine and hymns. He closed his eyes and relaxed his entire body.

Elena took a deep breath, suppressing the shyness in her heart, her expression becoming focused and devout. She extended her slender, fair hands and placed them gently on Lin Muyang's temples, her fingertips carrying a slightly warm temperature and a trace of holy energy fluctuations, beginning to massage slowly with a certain special rhythm.

Following that, her hands moved to Lin Muyang's neck, shoulders, and arms... Her movements were gentle and skillful, sometimes pressing, sometimes rubbing, sometimes kneading. She was not simply massaging the muscles, but rather channeling wisps of pure and gentle holy energy through her fingertips, infiltrating Lin Muyang's skin, muscles, fascia, and even deeper into his meridians and bones.

Lin Muyang only felt a warm current flowing slowly into his body with Elena's movements. Wherever it passed, it felt as if every cell was emitting a comfortable groan. The slight fatigue and stiffness accumulated from long-term fighting and cultivation were quickly dispelled, replaced by a feeling of transparency, lightness, and vitality. What surprised him even more was that almost every few seconds, a pleasant system notification would sound in his mind:

【You are affected by the "Muscle Relaxation" effect, Strength permanently increased by +1.8!】

【You are affected by the "Muscle Relaxation" effect, Agility permanently increased by +2.1!】

【You are affected by the "Muscle Relaxation" effect, Spirit permanently increased by +1.5!】

【You are affected by the "Muscle Relaxation" effect, Constitution permanently increased by +1.9!】

... The values of the attribute increases were not fixed, fluctuating between 1 and 3 points, with the four basic attributes appearing randomly. The frequency was about once every seven or eight seconds.

Lin Muyang did a quick mental calculation. At this frequency, it could trigger 8-10 notifications per minute. With an average of 2 points of attributes per increase, that would be 16-20 points of all attributes per minute! That's nearly a thousand points per hour! If it could last for three hours a day, that would be nearly three thousand points of all-attribute increase!

Three thousand points of all attributes might not sound particularly exaggerated, but one must know that Lin Muyang possesses the two God-Tier Aura skills: 【Attribute Synchronization】 and 【Attribute Sharing】! The increase in his own attributes would be synchronized to all his summon young ladies according to a certain ratio! And vice versa! Moreover, Elena herself possesses an Aura that increases attributes for the entire group! With these effects stacking layer upon layer, the actual improvement realized on Lin Muyang and the entire team will far exceed the figure of three thousand points! It could be tens of thousands, or even more!

"This effect... is it not too strong?" Even though Lin Muyang was calm and steady, he couldn't help but feel a bit excited at this moment. This is not a massage; this is simply lying down and leveling up attributes! Elena, this Angel who appears to have no direct combat power, has auxiliary abilities—especially the improvement to Lin Muyang personally—that are simply terrifying! It is completely not inferior to the contributions of the other young ladies in battle, and perhaps even more important in the long run!

Of course, Lin Muyang soon discovered that this attribute increase was not endless. After about half an hour, the frequency of system notifications began to drop significantly, from once every seven or eight seconds, gradually extending to once every ten-plus or twenty-plus seconds, and the attribute values gained each time also had a downward trend. When the interval between notifications exceeded once per minute, and the single increase was less than 1 point, Lin Muyang knew that today's "quota" was probably used up.

"Master, today's 'Muscle Relaxation' effect is already close to its limit." Elena also stopped her movements at the right time, fine beads of fragrant sweat seeping from her forehead, her breathing slightly rapid; clearly, this skill consumed quite a bit for her. "It requires an interval of at least twelve hours for the effect to return to normal."

"It's enough, it's already very good." Lin Muyang sat up, feeling refreshed and invigorated, with surging power in his body, and the numbers on his attribute panel had increased visibly. He pulled Elena over and kissed her gently on her smooth forehead. "Thank you for your hard work, Elena. You really are my lucky star."

Elena's face turned even redder, like a ripe apple, but her eyes were filled with sweetness and joy as she shook her head gently: "Being able to help Master is Elena's honor."

Lin Muyang was in a great mood. With Elena as this human attribute booster, his speed of becoming stronger would accelerate by a large margin. Although he couldn't farm attributes infinitely, a stable increase of several hundred to a thousand points every day would accumulate into a terrifying number in the long run. By then, those control-type Auras of his that are based on attribute difference judgments, such as 【Fear Brand】 and 【Absolute Command】, would have greatly lowered thresholds for taking effect, and might even produce effects on enemies with higher levels and stronger attributes. Chiba Ruri had fallen to 【Absolute Command】 back then, and at that time, Lin Muyang's attributes were not as high as they are now.

"It seems I will have to trouble you every day from now on." Lin Muyang said to Elena with a smile.

"Serving Master is Elena's duty and wish." Elena replied gently.

Lin Muyang also thought that besides "Muscle Relaxation", Elena could also stably produce "tears of the angel" every day. At the current speed of about 8 drops a day, it would take on average a little over a day to promote a young lady with Sub-God Rank Talent to Demigod Level! In one week, it would be enough for all the young ladies under his command to improve their talent by one grade! What a terrifying speed of improvement this is!

"When all the young ladies' talents are raised to Demigod Level, it will be time to upgrade Shen Muyao as well." Lin Muyang pondered. That campus belle is currently disguised as a "Gods Chosen One", managing the increasingly large "Oracle" organization for him, and she has contributed greatly. Improving her strength is also related to the stability and development of the organization, and it is equivalent to strengthening Lin Muyang's own power. Using "tears of the angel" to improve her talent is a necessary investment and also a reward for her.

That night, Lin Muyang spent it in the comfort of attribute increases and thoughts of future planning, sleeping exceptionally well.

Early the next morning, the morning sun rose.

Lin Muyang woke up full of energy. Today, he had an important goal—to challenge that 165-level epic-level secret realm scroll, the 【purgatory demon sea】!

For this operation, he decided not to bring Su Qingyue. Firstly, the secret realm level was too high; Su Qingyue wouldn't be able to help inside and might instead become a burden. Secondly, exceeding one's own level too much means no experience is gained from killing monsters, so there was little point in bringing her. He didn't even plan to bring all the young ladies under his command.

Ao Qingyan remained in the villa's quiet room, immersed in deep cultivation, her every breath inhaling and exhaling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, steadily advancing toward the ultimate goal of transforming into a dragon. Elena remained in the villa; her newly acquired "Tailoring" and "Refining" skills required a lot of practice and materials to improve proficiency, which was perfect for practicing on the mountain of equipment of various qualities that Lin Muyang had accumulated. The equipment processed by her would have its attributes significantly improved, which was equivalent to conducting a comprehensive upgrade for the entire team's equipment.

In the end, Lin Muyang only chose four young ladies to accompany him.

Lilia was a must-bring; her buff and auxiliary skills could provide considerable attribute bonuses, recovery effects, and damage amplification, making her the core support for team battles.

Elabess was also key. Lin Muyang needed her to Disguise as a female expert around level 165 who fit the identity of a secret realm challenger, and have her kill the monsters inside the secret realm so as to ensure the normal drop of loot. Otherwise, at Lin Muyang's current level, killing level 165 monsters would yield no experience or loot. Under Lin Muyang's instruction and Disguise, she could play this role perfectly.

Su Daji is the undisputed violent artillery in the current team. She masters all elemental magic, and her skills are fast to release, large in range, high in damage, and have extremely short cooldowns. Under the support of Lin Muyang's various Auras, her output ability has reached an incredible level. Even when facing 165-level epic-grade secret realm monsters, Lin Muyang has confidence that she can blast her way through.

Finally, there was the newly joined Vampire young lady, Alice. Although she had just been summoned and was only level 62, her talent and skill combination were too special and powerful, allowing her to exert effects far beyond her level in specific situations. Bringing her along was both a practical test and a good opportunity to quickly improve her level and combat experience. Under the cover of Lin Muyang's Aura, her safety was sufficiently guaranteed.

The four had a clear goal—to trample the 165-level epic-grade secret realm 【purgatory demon sea】!

Just as Lin Muyang led his carefully selected team of young ladies and stepped into the spatial vortex leading to the secret realm.

A thousand miles away, in the Imperial Capital, at the headquarters of the Foreign Operations Department.

Inside a simple and elegant office, smoke swirled. The Thousand-Faced Monkey King Wang Zhuojun, this Nation-Guarding Level Expert of the Xia Kingdom known for his wisdom and intelligence-gathering abilities, was talking with Su Zongming.

In their conversation, they were still quite concerned and worried about Lin Muyang's situation.

After all... that was a 165-level epic-grade secret realm!

"Later, you go and ask about the situation; if he encounters any difficulties, we can send people over to help." Wang Zhuojun thought for a moment and said.