247: Chapter 248 The Mission for Serafina

Lin Muyang carefully examined the detailed skill descriptions for Skeleton Mages, Gargoyles, and Death Knights on Jialiya's attribute panel, nodding slightly. These high-tier Undead units were indeed versatile, far superior to basic Skeleton Soldiers. Skeleton Mages not only possessed basic death magic attacks but also had auxiliary and control skills like [Soul Cage] and [Weakness Curse].

Gargoyles, as airborne units, had strong mobility and abilities such as [Dive Attack], [Shadow Barrage], and [Petrifying Gaze]. Death Knights were even more comprehensive, excelling in both offense and defense, with skills like [Death Charge] and [Fear Aura], making them the elite backbone of the Undead Legion.

In terms of defense, this combination of skills was quite good. Soul Cage could control intruders, Gargoyles' aerial patrols and Dive Attacks could counter airborne threats, and Death Knights' Fear Aura and Undead Revival could greatly enhance the resilience and sustained combat capability of the defensive line. Although Lin Muyang didn't believe there was any short-sighted individual on Blue Star who would dare to scheme near his Impenetrable Fortress, Eternal Garden, an additional layer of alert and defense network composed of these absolutely loyal, tireless Undead undoubtedly elevated the safety factor, at least saving a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Subsequently, Lin Muyang's gaze shifted from the skill descriptions to Jialiya's current mental attribute value. After a brief thought, he spoke to the blue-haired maiden who stood quietly by, diligently processing the subtle fatigue and excitement from her first time commanding such a large army: "Jialiya, I've generally understood your Undead summoning system. Skeleton Mages, Gargoyles, Death Knights—these units are indeed strong. However, I noticed your attribute panel indicates that you can unlock Necro Dragon summoning at Level 80, and even Lich summoning at Level 100... These are even more powerful Undead existences."

He paused, looking at Jialiya's ice-blue eyes, which shimmered slightly at the mention of greater power, and continued, "But no matter what you summon, the upper limit of the summoning quantity is always directly linked to your own mental attributes. The higher your mental attributes, the more summons you can maintain, and their quality might also be indirectly improved through certain skills or talents. Therefore, for you, at this stage, besides leveling up and unlocking higher-tier summoning skills as quickly as possible, the most crucial and urgent task is to do everything you can to improve your mental attributes."

Upon hearing this, Jialiya nodded vigorously, her beautiful face filled with agreement and seriousness: "I understand, Master. Spirit is the cornerstone of a Necromancer." She had known this deeply in her original world, but was frustrated by the slow progress. Now, with the "shortcut" provided by Lin Muyang, she was filled with an unprecedented desire to rapidly increase her mental attributes.

"Mm, it's good that you understand." Lin Muyang nodded with satisfaction. "After I finish up a few things, I'll take you to Tianhai City. There's a skilled equipment modification master there. You need a set of equipment suitable for a Necromancer, especially equipment that can greatly boost mental attributes. I have some spare top-tier mage equipment; we can see if he can help modify it into a form you can use."

"Thank you, Master!" A trace of gratitude flickered in Jialiya's ice-blue eyes. Appropriate equipment offered immediate attribute bonuses, which was much faster than simply relying on leveling up to improve her basic attributes.

After instructing Jialiya, Lin Muyang's gaze turned to another stunning maiden who stood quietly by the hall window, clad in a fiery red robe, with a graceful figure and an ethereal, transcendent Aura—Feng Ling.

After her Nirvana rebirth, Feng Ling had completely shed her former naivety, like a fully bloomed Phoenix Flower, beautiful, noble, ardent, yet with an understated gentleness. Her appearance possessed more of an Eastern charm and the unique noble demeanor of the phoenix bloodline than Elf Princess Lilia, and her figure was breathtakingly perfect, almost otherworldly. Among the women around Lin Muyang, she was undoubtedly one of the most exquisite in appearance and temperament, and her personality was the most gentle, considerate, elegant, and obedient, making her one of the most worry-free companions.

After several hours of efficient Dungeon grinding, Feng Ling's level had also soared, breaking through the Level 80 mark. And Level 80, for her, meant that the conditions for her next Phoenix Nirvana had been met.

Lin Muyang's thoughts stirred, and he brought up Feng Ling's attribute panel to check the detailed requirements for her next Nirvana. A moment later, he sighed softly, murmuring, "As expected, this fourth Nirvana requires ten mythic grade fire-attribute elemental essences."

If it were ice-attribute, water-attribute, or other common-attribute mythic grade elemental essences, with Lin Muyang's abundant spoils from clearing the Frost Corridor, he might be able to gather them by disassembling a few temporarily unused mythic grade pieces of equipment. After all, ten essences, while precious, were not entirely out of reach.

But this specifically required fire-attribute! And it had to be mythic grade elemental essences!

"Ten fire-attribute mythic grade elemental essences..." Lin Muyang rubbed his temples. This requirement, if placed on any other Class Transferee on Blue Star, would likely be impossible to gather in a lifetime. mythic grade elemental essences were already rare, and specific attributes were even more sought after. Ten? That was an astronomical number.

But for Lin Muyang, it wasn't entirely hopeless. The most direct route would be to find a fire-attribute legendary-rank secret realm! With his heaven-defying luck and Corpse-Looting Aura, as long as he cleared a fire-attribute legendary Dungeon, the probability of dropping ten fire-attribute mythic grade elemental essences... while not 100%, would definitely be much higher than for anyone else through any other means!

The problem was that legendary-rank secret realms, especially those with specific attributes, had an extremely low chance of appearing.

Lin Muyang quickly recalled the information he knew. Within the borders of the Summer Country, due to its vast territory, large population, and huge base of Class Transferees, the number of legendary-rank secret realms naturally born each year was approximately between 1 and 3. If one included legendary secret realm scrolls circulating through various channels, this number might increase to no more than ten. Looking globally, across all countries combined, the total number of newly appearing legendary-rank secret realms each year was around 20, and with circulating scrolls, the total was probably between 50 and 70. Among these, one would then need to filter for fire-attribute ones... the low proportion was self-evident.

Not long ago, Lin Muyang himself had personally dealt with two legendary-rank secret realms—the Frost Corridor in Bear Country, and the legendary secret realm scroll provided by the siblings Jiang Chenyu and Jiang Yuner. In a short period, the chance of encountering another naturally occurring, fire-attribute legendary-rank secret realm within the Summer Country was minuscule. Unless...

"Search the seabed?" This thought flashed through Lin Muyang's mind. The vast depths of the ocean concealed countless undiscovered or unexplored secret realm entrances, many of which were high-level. But setting aside the difficulty of finding a specific attribute secret realm in the boundless ocean, which was like searching for a needle in a haystack, even if found, exploring a deep-sea secret realm itself was full of unknown risks and would require his personal intervention, unable to be delegated. While Jialiya's Undead army was fearless, their survival and mobility were concerning in the face of deep-sea pressure, complex environments, and potentially unique marine monsters, requiring his Aura support to operate. This would severely restrict his actions, making it too inefficient and not worth the effort.

Furthermore, the special deep-sea environment meant that most of the secret realms it nurtured were water-attribute, ice-attribute, or special attributes related to marine creatures. The probability of a purely fire-attribute secret realm appearing was probably much lower than finding one on land, so it could basically be ruled out.

"What about other channels?" Lin Muyang frowned in thought. Besides secret realm outputs, mythic grade elemental essences could also be obtained by completing certain extremely difficult world quests, opening specific mythic grade treasure chests, or with a very small chance, dropping from certain top-tier monster bosses. But these methods were either rare and unpredictable, or extremely difficult and unstable. As for trading or purchasing from other Class Transferees...

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Lin Muyang shook his head and gave a bitter smile. "Aside from me, I'm afraid that even if you turned the inventories of every faction on Blue Star upside down, you wouldn't be able to scrape together ten pieces of fire-attribute mythic grade equipment, let alone specialized fire-attribute mythic grade elemental essences." mythic grade equipment was rare enough as it was, and those with the right attributes were as rare as phoenix feathers or unicorn horns; who would be willing to dismantle them into elemental essence? Even if they existed, they would have long since been used or strictly sealed away.

It seemed the fastest way was still to place his hopes on the appearance of a new fire-attribute legendary-rank secret realm.

Thinking of this, Lin Muyang no longer hesitated. He took out his communicator and sent a concise message to Xu Ruohan:

"Sister Han, please keep an eye out globally. If a new fire-attribute legendary-rank secret realm appears anywhere, regardless of its difficulty, location, or ownership, notify me immediately. I am willing to exchange mythic grade equipment or skill books for its ownership or entry qualifications. The price is negotiable, and priority is preferred."

With mythic grade equipment and skill books as bargaining chips, Lin Muyang believed that once the news spread, any faction or individual in the world who discovered a fire-attribute legendary-rank secret realm would prioritize contacting him for a trade, provided they lacked the ability to clear it themselves or wanted to maximize their profits. After all, any person with even a bit of sense could distinguish the weight of an unknown difficulty legendary-rank secret realm versus tangible mythic grade items that could immediately boost top-tier combat power.

In this way, it was equivalent to casting an invisible information net across the globe. Once there was any sign of a fire-attribute legendary-rank secret realm, he would receive the news immediately. This was far more efficient than searching blindly on his own.

"Next, once the trip to Tianhai City is over, I'll have to start dealing with the matter regarding Marianne." Lin Muyang put away his communicator, calculating his next itinerary. He needed to find an Equipment Modification Master, and that key mental control skill on Marianne also needed to be stripped out as soon as possible and turned into a skill book for Su Daji to learn. Su Daji's Demigod Level talent had a terrifying bonus for mental control skills; that skill book would be far more effective in her hands than in Marianne's.

"I'll take Jialiya to Tianhai City first." Lin Muyang made his decision. Equipment provided a solid, immediate boost, so it had a higher priority.

Just as he was about to call Jialiya to set off, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of another figure standing quietly in the shadows of the hall's corner, almost blending into the darkness—the Night Elf Maiden assassin, Seraphina.

Lin Muyang beckoned to her, a gentle smile appearing on his face. "Fina, come here."

Seraphina's figure moved slightly, arriving before Lin Muyang as silently as a ghost. She was still wearing that form-fitting dark purple leather armor, which outlined her slender yet explosive physique. Compared to when she was first summoned, her changes were quite obvious.

The most direct change was her skin tone. Her skin, which had originally been malnourished due to long-term life in the dark night jungle, had now recovered to the ivory-like fairness under moonlight that a Night Elf should have, though it was still slightly darker than a common elf's, adding a touch of wildness and mystery. Her pointed ears twitched slightly, and her purple eyes were as calm as an abyss, but looking closely, one could see they lacked some of the initial numbness and emptiness, gaining a spark of 'living' spirit.

"This girl's malnutrition debuff has finally been completely removed through the joint treatment of Elena and Lilia." Lin Muyang looked at her with gratification. After the status was cleared, Seraphina's overall basic attributes increased by about 20%, which was a considerable boost. More importantly, having escaped the long-term weakened state, her potential seemed to have been further released, and her control over her own power had become more refined.

And the biggest surprise came from a new skill she had just mastered—a mythic grade skill of immense value to Lin Muyang's strategic layout! The skill book came from one of the spoils of the Frost Corridor Dungeon in the Bear Country.

【Skill Name: Sky-Riding Ice Shuttle (mythic grade)】

【Type: Active Skill / Assassin Exclusive / Displacement】

【Effect: Consumes a medium amount of mana. The user transforms into a frigid ice shuttle, instantly performing an ultra-long-distance spatial transit forward. Transit Distance = User's Agility Attribute / 100 (kilometers). After arriving at the destination, the user gains the 'Ice Shadow Hiding' state for 1800 seconds. In this state, the Stealth Level is increased (Increase Value = User's Agility Attribute / 10,000).】

【Cooldown Time: 5 minutes.】

【Casting Time: Instant.】

【Remarks: This skill leaves a very faint trail of ice marks during transit, which can be tracked by ultra-high perception or specific skills. The Ice Shadow Hiding state can be seen through by more powerful anti-stealth means.】

This was an assassin-exclusive divine skill that combined ultra-long-distance displacement with powerful stealth! Its effect was directly linked to the user's agility attribute.

Currently, with the support of Lin Muyang's various Auras, her own level increases, and the accumulation of new equipment, Seraphina's agility attribute had reached a staggering 750,000 points! This meant that when she cast 【Sky-Riding Ice Shuttle】, she could teleport 7,500 kilometers directly! This distance could almost cover the entire territory of Xia Country or easily cross several continents!

What was even more terrifying was the Ice Shadow Hiding state upon arrival. Calculating with her 750,000 agility, this state could directly increase her stealth level by 75 points! One must know that on Blue Star, ordinary high-level stealth skills only provide a dozen or twenty points of stealth level, and top-tier ones might reach thirty or forty. What did a 75-point stealth level represent?

It meant that unless it was one of the very few existences who specialized in top-tier anti-stealth skills and had attributes that crushed hers, it was simply impossible to discover her tracks! This didn't even count the Divine Concealment Aura that Lin Muyang could grant her at any time, which often added hundreds of points to the stealth level! With the double stack, Seraphina's stealth ability would reach an inconceivable level, truly becoming someone who comes and goes without a trace.

Most importantly, under the coverage of Lin Muyang's Infinite Firepower God-Tier Aura, the cooldown of this skill was compressed to a degree that could almost be ignored, and the mana consumed was a mere drop in the bucket for the current Seraphina. This meant she could perform ultra-long-distance teleports globally almost infinitely and at will, while always maintaining the highest level of stealth!

Of course, this skill also had its limitations. It could only be used by Seraphina herself and could not carry others along for the teleport. But this did not diminish its immense strategic value in the slightest.

"Fina," Lin Muyang looked at the Night Elf Maiden before him, whose temperament was cold but whose eyes no longer held confusion, and instructed in a gentle tone, "Now that you've mastered 【Sky-Riding Ice Shuttle】, your mobility is no longer what it used to be. From now on, in addition to completing your daily cultivation and missions, you can go out more often."

Seraphina's purple eyes quietly looked at Lin Muyang, waiting for his specific instructions.

"Your mission is primarily reconnaissance," Lin Muyang continued. "Utilize your new ability to travel to various countries and important regions across the globe. Focus on several aspects:"

"First, clues about high-level Dungeons and secret realms. Especially those of legendary-rank or above, or those with special attributes that might produce rare resources. It doesn't necessarily have to be fire-attribute; any valuable information will do."

"Second, the movements and conversations of high-level officials and important organizations in various countries. You possess top-tier prowess in stalking and concealment; try to eavesdrop on information that might be useful to us without exposing yourself. For example, the follow-up investigation regarding the Shadow Stab or the Elder Council, or other secret talks that might target us or contain high-value intelligence."

"Remember, safety first. Your stealth ability is very strong, but it is not absolute. If you encounter an uncertain situation, do not take risks and retreat immediately. Your primary mission is to gather information, not to fight. If you discover anything important or something you think I need to know, tell me through the soul link at any time."

Lin Muyang's voice was calm, but his words contained clear expectations and trust. Seraphina was the top-tier stalking and reconnaissance expert under his command, and now that she had obtained a divine skill like 【Sky-Riding Ice Shuttle】, her strategic value had skyrocketed. Using her as a hidden, global reconnaissance network was perfectly appropriate.