The entire day, due to collecting many high-level herbs, Nie Yan’s gathering skill advanced rapidly. It wouldn’t be long before he could upgrade to Master-level gathering.
Above Master-level were also Expert-level and Grand Master-level. However, generally speaking, unless encountering some absurdly high-level divine herbs, Master-level gathering skills were usually sufficient.
Nie Yan glanced into his backpack, which was filled with various herbs, an impressive array of about dozens of types, each having at least one or two stacks: Red Dragon Grass, Fire Snake Grass, etc. They had different functions; some were ingredients for antidote potions, others for fire resistance potions, all extremely rare.
If these herbs were sold outside, they would be absurdly expensive.
Besides these herbs, there were also numerous skill books, such as the Master-level Gathering skill book. Nie Yan had nearly collected a full stack already, with one stack being twenty books. There were also many other types of skill books.
Nie Yan discovered among the many production skill books, there was one titled Expert-level Alchemy. Successfully crafting a potion granted an additional 200% skill experience, and had a high probability of producing an upgraded potion.
However, this Expert-level Alchemy skill book had a clear restriction: the potions crafted could only be used by the creator himself; others using them would find them ineffective.
This was somewhat magical; Nie Yan had never encountered such a production skill book before.
The appearance of this Expert-level Alchemy skill book prompted Nie Yan to think differently about the Ancient World.
In the Ancient World, if the Saint Shadow Dancer class change quest had multiple stages, and the levels of future monsters kept increasing, crafting some high-level potions would be extremely helpful for completing the Saint Shadow Dancer class change quest.
Nie Yan had previously heard that if a rogue learned alchemy and applied to specialize in poisons with the NPC alchemy master Yvette, their alchemy skill would change. The potions they crafted could only be used by themselves, but the skill would be easier to improve, quickly reaching Master-level or Expert-level, thus often creating extremely potent poisons, forming their own unique style and greatly enhancing their strength. Many mages who couldn’t afford magic potions would also learn alchemy specifically for crafting mana potions.
Now, this Expert-level Alchemy skill book sparked countless thoughts in Nie Yan.
During leveling, alchemy was definitely an excellent auxiliary skill.
After careful consideration, Nie Yan learned this Expert-level Alchemy skill book.
In the following period of time, besides grinding monsters and gathering herbs, Nie Yan had an additional task: practicing alchemy.
The alchemy Nie Yan learned was a special type, very easy to improve. The required skill experience for advancement was less than one-tenth of the normal alchemy skill. After crafting dozens of basic potions, his alchemy skill quickly advanced to Intermediate, accumulating about 30% of the Intermediate level in one day.
Once reaching Master-level, he would be able to create potions that significantly enhanced his abilities.
Nie Yan felt that the world of the Shadow Dancer might be an entirely new system. The composition of one’s strength would no longer be limited to skills, health, and attributes, but might also include alchemy.
Previously, he had little understanding of the Shadow Dancer class, and had never met any friends who reached that level in his past life. His understanding of the Shadow Dancer was still vague. He had the techniques, but was still lacking in certain areas.
Nie Yan continued doing repetitive and monotonous tasks in the Ancient World. While doing these tasks, his mindset remained calm, without much frustration.
As usual, Nie Yan searched for nearby spawning Tier 2 creatures. As he spent more time in the Ancient World, he gradually realized many techniques. Originally, even a simple kick skill could evolve into many variations, such as side kicks, straight kicks, aerial kicks, etc., just like certain martial arts techniques in reality. Due to the game’s power amplification, attack speed, damage, and accuracy were much stronger than in reality.
Faith was a world derived from reality but transcending it.
Crossing a large expanse of dense jungle, Nie Yan saw a huge lion active in the distance. It had golden fur all over its body, a strong and majestic physique, like a king.
Nie Yan quietly moved in from behind, cautiously trailing the lion and casting a Detect spell on it.
Golden Mane Lion King: Tier 2, Elite.
This was the first time Nie Yan had encountered such an elite monster. The Golden Mane Lion King had approximately 120,000 HP, exuding a heavy pressure.
Nie Yan couldn’t help but hesitate; could he handle this Golden Mane Lion King?
As he was weighing whether to confront the Golden Mane Lion King, the lion seemed to sense something and turned its gaze toward Nie Yan’s hiding spot, its eyes flashing with divine brilliance.
Nie Yan’s heart skipped a beat, quickly activating several skills to enhance his stealth.
His stealth effect significantly improved.
Nie Yan hoped to evade the Golden Mane Lion King’s detection. However, suddenly the lion opened its mouth, releasing a deafening roar. A powerful shockwave surged towards him.
The intense sound vibrated Nie Yan’s eardrums, causing sharp pain. A damage number of over 100 floated above his head.
His stealth state was broken, revealing his form.
The Golden Mane Lion King immediately locked its gaze onto Nie Yan. It let out a low growl, scraped the ground with its right forepaw, and leaped forward, pouncing towards Nie Yan.
The Golden Mane Lion King was as fast as lightning, instantly closing the distance.
As the lion’s claws came straight at him, Nie Yan ducked and rolled aside.
With a loud crash, the thick tree beside Nie Yan was snapped in half and slowly toppled over.
Feeling the Golden Mane Lion King’s immense strength, Nie Yan didn’t dare to stay, sprinting into the woods.
The Golden Mane Lion King furiously chased after Nie Yan, initiating a chase.
Nie Yan dared not run deeper into the jungle, fearing the attraction of even stronger creatures, which would spell his doom.
While being pursued by the Golden Mane Lion King, he faced constant danger. Although the Shadow Dance Steps and Illusion Dance techniques were useful, they could only evade the lion once or twice before being easily detected.
If he were hit even once by the Golden Mane Lion King, Nie Yan couldn’t be sure if he could survive.
The Golden Mane Lion King was much stronger than ordinary Tier 2 creatures.
Under the intense pressure from the Golden Mane Lion King, Nie Yan quickly learned many escape techniques, such as zigzag running, circling around obstacles to evade, and suddenly changing direction when the lion attacked.
He used every technique he had.
Gradually, Nie Yan managed to create some distance from the Golden Mane Lion King. Suddenly, the lion roared furiously, leaped high into the air, and pounced.
Seeing the lion descending from above, Nie Yan’s eyes narrowed. He leaped into the air, delivering a powerful aerial kick that struck the lion’s jaw and throat with a loud thud.
The lion let out a pained whine, its body flying sideways and crashing heavily to the ground.
No time to waste!
Nie Yan’s gaze instantly locked onto a nearby tree beside the Golden Mane Lion King. He shot out a strand of spider silk, which carried him flying sideways. His right hand’s Zeinard Sword traced a black arc through the air. Using the powerful pull of the spider silk, Nie Yan slashed the lion’s throat with his Zeinard Sword, producing a splattering sound as blood sprayed.
Nie Yan leaped high again, using his descending momentum to deliver a heavy Spine Breaker strike onto the lion’s back.
With a loud thud, the powerful force slammed the Golden Mane Lion King heavily into the ground.
The lion had just risen and hadn’t had time to react.
If the Golden Mane Lion King stood up, Nie Yan would be chased again. Under such intense pressure, Nie Yan used every trick he had. He delivered a powerful sideways kick.
With a loud bang, his foot struck the lion’s head, producing a heavy explosion sound. The lion let out a whine and rolled over several times.
Before it even landed, Nie Yan took a quick sidestep, slamming his right elbow into the lion’s abdomen. The lion flipped backward.
As it landed, Nie Yan advanced a few steps and delivered a powerful downward kick, smashing his foot down with a sickening crunch. The lion’s back let out a terrifying sound of bones breaking. It let out a low, painful growl and didn’t rise again.
During Nie Yan’s attacks, damage numbers floated one after another above the Golden Mane Lion King’s head. The first aerial kick dealt over two thousand damage. The second throat slash dealt over 5,300 damage. The third Spine Breaker dealt over 10,000 damage. The fourth sideways kick dealt over 20,000 damage. The fifth elbow strike dealt over 36,000 damage. Finally, the downward kick struck nearly half the lion’s health bar in one blow.
Incredible damage! Seeing these damage numbers, Nie Yan couldn’t help but marvel.
A crisp system notification rang out.
System: Combo completed (6 hits): Aerial Kick – Throat Slash – Spine Breaker – Sideways Kick – Elbow Strike – Downward Kick.
Seeing this system notification, Nie Yan was somewhat surprised. He realized that the skills he had used against the Golden Mane Lion King unintentionally formed a combo technique. Combo techniques could unleash extremely powerful damage. The first hit referenced the player’s own attack power, and each subsequent hit dealt approximately double the previous damage, occasionally fluctuating slightly. Arm attacks were slightly weaker, while leg attacks were more powerful.
This discovery filled Nie Yan with immense joy. In future battles, using such combo techniques would make his combat power absolutely terrifying.
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