221: Chapter 220: Onward to Nakakyo City
Xiao Zhuang dropped from mid-air, its four dragon claws firmly gripping the frozen rocks.
Its ten-meter-long body coiled in the center of the quarry, its blue-black scales shimmering with a deep-sea-like glint under the moonlight.
Lin Fan patted its lower jaw; the dragon whiskers swept across the back of his hand, icy cold and carrying the distinct salty, fishy scent of the tides.
Before evolving, Xiao Zhuang was a pure Lunar Flood Dragon, and all its skills relied on moonlight.
Now, it had added the tide attribute.
The two powers, tide and Lunar, formed a closed loop within its body.
Wherever the moonlight reached was its home turf, and the deep sea where moonlight could not reach was also its home turf.
Among the seven Armor Skills, Abyssal Ice Spike, Cang Dragon Devour, and Abyssal Sea Eternal Freeze Domain had all gained new effects related to the tide.
With 'Thousand Shadow Abyssal Dragon Guard', the number and quality of Clones had both improved.
'Great Void Canglong Fall' now had a continuous influence after landing.
In particular, the newly added Armor Skill 'Source Sea Dragon Vein' gave him a chance to cheat death.
Although he would be weakened after it triggered, he knew all too well what having an extra life meant in a life-and-death battle.
He opened his left-eye panel and scanned to the bottom.
[Subsequent Evolution Paths]: Two.
The first path: [Abyssal Sea Dragon Emperor], High-tier imperial spirit.
Rank Requirement: Rank 55
Requires Abyssal Sea Heart ×1, Deep Sea Cold Iron ×3, Tide Dragon Pearl ×1, Sea Emperor Dragon Scale ×1.
[Evaluation]: Abyssal Sea Dragon Emperor. A pure maritime combat route with the tide attribute as its core. After evolution, its size increases to around fifteen meters, and its scale defense is significantly enhanced. It is suitable for exerting overwhelming advantages in the deep sea, offshore areas, and even man-made waters. The drawback is equally obvious: once it leaves the water, the tide attribute is greatly weakened, and its combat power will drop by a whole level.
The second path: [Cangyue Dragon Emperor], High-tier imperial spirit.
Rank Requirement: Rank 56
Requires Abyssal Sea Dragon Crystal ×1, Azure Dragon Reverse Scale ×1, Moonlight Marrow ×1, Abyssal Sea Dragon Vein Stone ×1.
[Evaluation]: Cangyue Dragon Emperor. A parallel development route for both tide and Lunar attributes. After evolution, its size increases to around twelve meters, and its dragon horns and fins will further transform, with the prototype of dragon wings appearing. It retains and strengthens Lunar-type skills while expanding the deep-sea Domain to the air and land, forming a 'Lunar + tide' dual home turf. The disadvantage is that the Materials are extremely difficult to obtain, and the evolution process has more demanding requirements for spiritual power control.
Lin Fan's finger paused on the panel, his gaze scanning the Materials and Rank requirements of the two paths, his brow furrowing slightly.
The Abyssal Sea Dragon Emperor is strong in the water but useless on land; he couldn't spend his whole life fighting in the sea.
Although the Materials for the Cangyue Dragon Emperor were harder to find and the evolution conditions more demanding, it could use both moonlight and tides, making it versatile regardless of the battlefield.
He hadn't taken the pure Lunar route back then specifically for this reason, and he certainly couldn't turn back now.
He reached out to pat Xiao Zhuang's dragon horn and let out a sigh.
“The Materials for you guys are getting harder and harder to find.”
Xiao Zhuang gave a low growl, its tail sweeping across the ground as its tail fin swatted away a patch of frozen rubble.
...
The time for the college entrance examination had arrived.
Since there were no direct flights from Dongyun City to Zhongjing City, Lin Fan first took the high-speed rail to Chengchuan City to catch a connecting flight.
Ye Wushuang was already waiting at Chengchuan Airport. He remained as taciturn as ever, only giving Lin Fan a nod upon seeing him.
“How long have you been waiting?”
Lin Fan asked. Ye Wushuang took the luggage trolley from his hand and replied, “Not long.”
When the plane took off, Lin Fan leaned against the window, watching the clouds below cover the entirety of Dongyun City.
Ye Wushuang sat beside him with his eyes closed, though it was unclear if he was asleep or lost in thought.
Lin Fan glanced at him and didn't speak either. Traveling with a mute like him was truly boring to the core.
Zhongjing City was even larger than Longjiang.
Skyscrapers spread out from both sides of the airport expressway, extending all the way to the horizon.
The taxi drove for nearly an hour before reaching the gate of Beique University.
The school gate consisted of low, grayish-white stone pillars. The words 'Beique University' were carved onto the lintel, appearing somewhat blurred from wind and rain erosion.
Lin Fan paid the fare, and the two of them got out, glancing inside the gate.
Ginkgo trees were planted on both sides of the main road, their canopies covering most of the path. Buildings with gray walls and gray tiles were hidden behind the shade of the trees, peaceful and quiet.
Many examinees were already lining up at the entrance.
“Lin Fan!”
Xiao Yishan's voice rang out from inside the school gate.
He was wearing a dark blue sports jacket with the Beique University crest printed on the chest. His hair was a bit shorter than when he was in Longjiang, and he walked over with a smile.
He sized up Ye Wushuang next to Lin Fan. “And this is?”
“Ye Wushuang.” Lin Fan didn't offer much of an introduction.
Ye Wushuang nodded. “Hello.”
“Hello, hello. I'm Xiao Yishan, the Beique physical techniques instructor.”
Xiao Yishan shook hands with Ye Wushuang, then turned to Lin Fan. “Let's go, I'll take you two to register first.”
With a wave of his hand, Xiao Yishan led the two of them inside.
The ginkgo trees on both sides of the road were nearly twice his height, their canopies obscuring most of the sky.
“The exam starts the day after tomorrow.”
He walked quickly, speaking as he went. “You arrived early, so there's still time. I'll tell you about the exam today.”
“What's the test?” Lin Fan asked.
“Tower climbing. The Armor Beast Tower.”
Xiao Yishan slowed his pace and pointed toward the northwest corner of the campus.
Through the gaps in the tree canopies, the top of a grayish-black tower could be seen, its spire vanishing into the clouds.
“From the outside, this tower looks like nine floors, but inside, there are actually eighty-one. This involves the handiwork of the Luo family—spatial Formations, one layer nested within another.”
He held up a finger. “In every floor you enter, you will only encounter one thing—either an Armor Beast condensed from energy or another examinee.”
“Kill the Armor Beast or defeat the examinee, and you can proceed to the next floor. Conversely, if you are defeated by someone else, you're eliminated on the spot.”
He clapped his hands. “The rules are that simple.”
Lin Fan glanced at the spire. “The higher the floor, the stronger the opponents?”
“Correct. The Rank of the Armor Beasts increases floor by floor, and the same goes for the examinees—the further up you go, the stronger the people remaining.”
Ye Wushuang suddenly asked, “Can examinees use lethal force against each other?”
Xiao Yishan glanced at him.
“No. The tower has a protection mechanism; anyone suffering a fatal injury will be teleported out. However, injuries and maiming are not included in this, so don't think you can act recklessly just because you won't die.”
Lin Fan nodded. “Don't worry, I'll be the one doing the maiming!”
Xiao Yishan smiled, then checked his watch.
“Alright, you'll find out when you go in the day after tomorrow. Go settle in first, I'll treat you to dinner tonight.”
After saying that, he waved and left.
Lin Fan and Ye Wushuang dragged their suitcases toward the dormitory area.
There were many examinees on the road, all discussing that tower in low voices.
As they walked, Ye Wushuang suddenly asked, “Are you afraid of running into me?”
Lin Fan was stunned for a moment, then laughed.
“If I run into you, I'll still knock you flat.”
Ye Wushuang didn't speak, but the corner of his mouth twitched.