Nuo Opera Master

Meanwhile, inside the Ancient Tomb.

With Qian Laojiu and his party gone, it was equivalent to having one less competitor, and the atmosphere for exploring the entire Ancient Tomb improved instantly.

The men under Manager Sun and the Deep Realm Inspection Team tacitly divided the search areas between themselves.

Each side excavated for potential relics and Spirit Crystals.

Occasionally, when they discovered something good, they would nod at each other and take it based on their own abilities.

Both sides were doing their best to rake in the benefits.

As for Jiang Ran, he had already quietly slipped away from the crowd.

He found a relatively intact small side chamber deep within the tomb passage.

He closed the stone door behind him and moved a few broken rocks to block the gaps, ensuring no one would disturb him.

Then, he sat cross-legged in the center of the chamber.

Before him, two masks lay quietly.

The one on the left, "Martial God: Power," had colors flowing across it, its patterns moving across the surface like living creatures.

The one on the right, "Ancestral Nuo: Faceless," was pure, absolute black.

Both of these masks could unlock the new profession of Nuo Opera Master.

But Jiang Ran was not certain if using different Nuo Opera Masks to unlock the profession would result in any differences.

There was no need to elaborate on the "Martial God: Power" mask; he had experienced it firsthand, and it was undeniably formidable.

If he hadn't broken through to the Blood-Flow Realm and had a flash of inspiration to apply his divine ability to the Vajra Phantom, combined with that final Lotus Brilliance punch, he likely would have truly fallen at the hands of that old man.

As for this "Ancestral Nuo: Faceless," judging by the name, it seemed very much like it belonged to that person.

Which one to choose?

Jiang Ran only pondered this question for a few seconds before making his decision.

He would choose "Ancestral Nuo: Faceless."

The fact that the old man had it welded to his chest clearly indicated it was no ordinary object.

Furthermore, from the murals and the old man's own words, it was clear that Qu Yuan's Nuo Opera Mask had remained with him until his death.

Therefore, there was almost no need to overthink it.

Anyone else in his position would choose to take the gamble.

Thus, Jiang Ran decisively reached out and gripped the pitch-black mask in his palm.

He shifted his intent slightly.

"Use 'Ancestral Nuo: Faceless' to unlock the Nuo Opera Master profession."

The next second, "Ancestral Nuo: Faceless" slowly dissolved into countless fine black specks in Jiang Ran's hand, drifting slowly toward his face.

The moment the light specks touched his skin, Jiang Ran felt a chill.

It was as if something was seeping in through the surface of his skin.

He instinctively closed his eyes.

The black specks completely covered his face, re-condensing and shaping themselves until they finally formed a pure black mask that fit his face perfectly.

Without holes or patterns, there was only darkness.

And at this moment, Jiang Ran had already closed his eyes.

In his mind, a series of words echoed.

"When I wear this face, heaven and earth have no form."

"When the gods see me, they see the void."

"When the ghosts see me, they see the netherworld."

"When the world sees me, they see their own hearts."

"Being formless, it can contain all phenomena."

"Being shapeless, it can transform into all shapes."

"This face is not a face; it is the appearance of nothingness."

"He who holds this face shall know that all things can be a Nuo, and all laws can become a face."

The moment the voice faded.

Countless fragments of information flooded into the depths of his consciousness.

He did not know how much time had passed.

Jiang Ran slowly opened his eyes.

Before him, a pale blue panel unfolded silently, with lines of text emerging.

[Congratulations on successfully unlocking the "Nuo Opera Master" (Transcendental) profession.]

[Congratulations on obtaining the basic profession skill "Hidden Mechanism."]

Jiang Ran immediately focused all his attention on the newly appeared profession panel.

[Profession: Nuo Opera Master Lv.1 (0/100)]

[Basic Profession Skill: Hidden Mechanism Lv.1 (0/100)]

Looking at the panel before him, Jiang Ran slowly exhaled.

This transcendental profession contained a rather large amount of information.

One part was the profession information initiated by his "Ancestral Nuo: Faceless" panel.

"Hidden Mechanism," as the name implied, meant that after wearing a Nuo Opera Mask, one's own presence and true information would be obscured, making it impossible for those of the same realm to investigate.

For the current Jiang Ran, this was a highly compatible skill.

Whether for hiding his identity or creating information gaps during combat, it was extremely useful.

There was another part.

It was the other portion of information transmitted by the "Ancestral Nuo: Faceless" mask.

He now understood why the old man had said that praying for rain or clearing the skies was Witchcraft, communicating with ghosts and gods was Witchcraft, and suppressing evil with martial arts was also Witchcraft.

The Nuo Opera Master profession was more like a support profession.

A normal Nuo Opera Master needed to master a certain divine ability first, then use the capabilities of that ability as a direction to collect specific materials, personally carve and refine, and create their own life-bound Nuo Opera Mask.

Thereby amplifying the power of their divine ability.

Just like that old man.

After putting on "Martial God: Power," his combat strength soared instantly.

However... he was a bit different.

A normal Nuo Opera Master could only bind one life-bound Nuo Opera Mask in their entire life.

Starting from scratch to carve it.

It was just like raising a pet, cultivating it slowly.

Yet, the characteristic of the "Ancestral Nuo: Faceless" mask was that it could encompass everything, allowing for switching between different Nuo Opera Masks.

This meant infinite possibilities.

In other words, the Nuo Opera Master profession could cooperate with any of his future professions.

He only needed to refine Nuo Opera Masks with corresponding abilities.

The old man had welded "Ancestral Nuo" onto his own chest; he likely used some method to utilize this characteristic to switch to "Martial God: Power."

It was just unclear why he hadn't switched to other Nuo Opera Masks.

Of course, what "Ancestral Nuo: Faceless" transmitted was not just this information.

There was also a great deal...

Regarding the vast amount of materials, steps, experiences, taboos, and so on related to making Nuo Opera Masks.

The amount of information was so massive that it even gave Jiang Ran a headache.

He highly suspected that this was the entirety of Qu Yuan's experience and insights from when he originally crafted these Nuo Opera Masks.

Otherwise, the volume was simply too large.

It contained Nuo Opera Masks for every aspect.

It was practically a complete, comprehensive encyclopedia of Nuo Opera Masks.

Unfortunately, Jiang Ran currently lacked the profession points to unlock the remaining Nuo Opera Master skills.

Therefore, the "Martial God: Power" mask could only be shelved for the time being.

Fortunately, the other gains were more than enough.

Jiang Ran took out the "Witch Gold War Bone," which was golden throughout.

He had been eyeing the enhancement skills for a long time since the last Bone Tempering Golden Marrow.

But at the time, he had chosen a finishing move.

Now, he finally had the opportunity to strengthen these divine abilities.

Currently, the strength of these divine abilities, while lacking a specific classification, was clear from the few battles he had experienced.

At the very least, they were above the normal level.

Jiang Ran was very much looking forward to seeing how formidable they would become after being strengthened.

He placed his hand directly on the skull of the "Witch Gold War Bone" and silently chanted in his heart:

"Fuse profession."

The next second, the panel before his eyes popped up automatically:

[Please select a skill to deduce]

Below, five icons were arranged in sequence.

[Dragon-Tiger Fist: Fuses the sharp metal battle intent of the Witch Gold War Bone with the resilience tempered by a millennium of incense. Where the fist strikes, metal and stone shall yield. The dragon phantom will condense into "Armor-Piercing Dragon Aura," the tiger phantom will transform into "Mountain-Crushing Tiger Malice," and the essence of the fist technique will sublimate, transitioning from "Form-Intent" to "Momentum-Realm."]

[Golden Bell Shield: Fuses the immortal properties of the Witch Gold War Bone, transforming into "Golden Body Jade Bone." The surface blood-qi aura will gain a recoil effect, and the inner bones will be tempered to a pale gold, allowing them to withstand bombardment from peer-level divine abilities without damage. At minor completion, one can briefly enter the "Immovable Golden Body" state, becoming immune to all crowd control and negative effects.]

[Eight-Step Cicada Chase: Absorbs the lightness and resilience of the Witch Gold War Bone, shifting the footwork from "Speed" to "Deception." Steps are silent and leave no trace; short-range maneuvers can leave behind three afterimages to confuse perception. When bursting with full power, one can borrow force three times consecutively in mid-air, like a golden cicada skimming water, making the trajectory impossible to track.]

[Buddha's Wrathful Vajra: The Vajra's wrathful intent merges with the millennium-old battle intent of the Witch Gold War Bone. The Dharma image will shift from illusory to solid, increasing defense and strength amplification to eighty percent for the duration. The wrathful intent can condense into the physical pressure of "Vajra's Wrathful Gaze" to stun the mind, and when the Dharma image is damaged, it can be rapidly repaired by consuming blood-qi.]

[Ultimate: Lotus Brilliance: The Lotus's killing intent draws upon the sharp metal qi of the Witch Gold War Bone and the purity of incense tempering. Upon blooming, the lotus petals will carry "Spell-Breaking Golden Patterns," capable of tearing through peer-level defensive divine abilities. The charge time is reduced by half a breath, explosive power is increased by thirty percent, and after the lotus blooms, it will leave behind "Golden Malice Embers," continuously burning the enemy's blood-qi and soul.]

Jiang Ran watched, his gaze flickering.

These enhancement options looked significantly more formidable than the previous ones...

Was it because the "Witch Gold War Bone" was far superior to the Bone Tempering Golden Marrow?

That was likely the reason.

Jiang Ran thought, his gaze moving slowly between the five options.

To be honest, he coveted every single one of them.

But...

After these past few days.

Excluding his trump cards, he only had one choice.

That was Dragon-Tiger Fist.

Because as his most fundamental means of attack, if Dragon-Tiger Fist were powerful enough, he could still find opportunities when facing opponents with greater raw strength.

He wouldn't be forced to reveal his trump cards right from the start.

Jiang Ran felt this deeply after several battles.

As for Ultimate: Lotus Brilliance...

The reason for excluding it was simple.

Its current power was already sufficient, perhaps even bordering on uncontrollable.

So, Jiang Ran hesitated for barely a moment before chanting in his heart.

"Select Dragon-Tiger Fist."

The moment he made his choice.

The golden bones suddenly lit up with a warm luster, then transformed into countless golden light spots, flowing like molten gold as they surged through Jiang Ran's arms and into his body.

A slight tingling sensation traveled through his arms, as if his bones were being reshaped and reinforced.

At the same time, all his understanding, experience, and insights regarding Dragon-Tiger Fist began to merge and transform with that golden energy in his mind.

A few seconds later.

Everything calmed down.

Jiang Ran slowly raised his right hand, his thoughts stirring.

Hum...

Crimson blood-qi rose from his palm, but instead of condensing into the usual Dragon-Tiger phantom, it behaved differently.

Faint golden patterns emerged within the blood-qi.

Those patterns swirled through the blood-qi.

Finally...

A solid, dragon-shaped aura slowly took form above his right fist.

It was crimson-gold in its entirety, with distinct scales and claws, flowing dragon whiskers, and golden light swirling within its dragon eyes...

Beside it, a fierce tiger's malice accompanied it.

The tiger stripes were outlined like gold lacquer, its fangs bared, and its body was wreathed in faint black malice.

[Congratulations, the professional basic skill "Dragon-Tiger Fist" has been deduced into "Dragon-Tiger: Witch Gold Mountain Breaker"]