Nuo Opera Master

Meanwhile, inside the Ancient Tomb.

With Qian Laojiu and his group gone, they had one less competitor. The atmosphere around the tomb exploration improved almost instantly.

Manager Sun's people and the Deep Realm Inspection Team tacitly divided up the search areas.

Each side dug for any relics and Spirit Crystals that might be buried there.

When either side occasionally found something valuable, they could simply nod to each other and take it according to their own abilities.

Both sides were doing their best to reap the rewards.

Jiang Ran had already slipped away from the crowd.

Deep within the tomb passage, he found a relatively intact side chamber.

He shut the stone door behind him, then dragged several chunks of rubble over to seal the gap, making sure no one would disturb him.

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

Two masks lay quietly before him.

The one on the left, "Martial God: Power," shimmered with shifting colors, its patterns crawling across the surface like living things.

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

Either of these two masks could unlock the new Profession, Nuo Opera Master.

But Jiang Ran wasn't sure whether unlocking the Profession with different Nuo masks would lead to different results.

There was no need to say much about the "Martial God: Power" mask. He had experienced its formidable power firsthand.

If he hadn't broken through to the Blood-Flow Realm, had a sudden flash of inspiration and applied his divine ability to the Vajra Phantom, and followed it up with that final Lotus Brilliance punch, he might really have fallen at the old man's hands.

As for "Ancestral Nuo: Faceless," its name alone made it seem closely connected to that man.

Which should he choose?

Jiang Ran only considered the question for a few seconds before making up his mind.

He would choose "Ancestral Nuo: Faceless."

The old man had clearly considered it something extraordinary, judging by how he had welded it to his chest.

And the murals, along with the old man's own words, both made it clear that Qu Yuan's Nuo mask had remained with him until his death.

So there was hardly any need to think it over.

Anyone in his place would take the gamble.

Jiang Ran promptly reached out and picked up the jet-black mask.

He focused his thoughts.

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

The next second, "Ancestral Nuo: Faceless" slowly dissolved in Jiang Ran's palm into countless tiny black specks, which drifted toward his face.

The instant they touched his skin, a chill ran through him.

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

He closed his eyes instinctively.

The black specks completely covered his face, then gathered and reshaped themselves, finally forming a pure black mask that fit his features perfectly.

It had no holes or patterns, only darkness.

By then, Jiang Ran's eyes were already closed.

A few lines echoed in his mind.

"When I wear this mask, Heaven and Earth have no form."

"The gods see me as they would the void."

"The myriad ghosts see me as they would the Netherworld."

"The people see me as they would their own hearts."

"Faceless, therefore able to contain all forms."

"Formless, therefore able to become all forms."

"This mask is no mask, but the form of nothingness."

"Whoever bears this mask must know that all things can become Nuo, and all methods can become masks."

As the words faded, countless fragments of information flooded into the depths of his consciousness.

After an unknown amount of time,

Jiang Ran slowly opened his eyes.

A Pale Blue Panel silently unfolded before him, and lines of text appeared.

[Congratulations! You have successfully unlocked the "Nuo Opera Master" (Transcendent) Profession]

[Congratulations! You have obtained the Profession's basic skill, "Hidden Mechanism"]

Jiang Ran immediately focused all his attention on the newly appeared Profession Panel.

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

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

Looking at the panel before him, Jiang Ran slowly let out a breath.

This Transcendent Profession came with a lot of information.

Some of it was information about the Profession he had unlocked with "Ancestral Nuo: Faceless."

As its name suggested, "Hidden Mechanism" concealed his presence and true information when he wore a Nuo mask, making him impossible for anyone of the same realm to discern.

For Jiang Ran, that was an extremely useful skill.

Whether he wanted to hide his identity or create an information advantage in battle, it would be valuable.

There was another part, too.

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

Now he understood why the old man had said that praying for rain or summoning clear skies was witchcraft, communicating with ghosts and gods was witchcraft, and using martial strength to suppress evil was witchcraft as well.

The Nuo Opera Master Profession was more of a support Profession.

A typical Nuo Opera Master first needed to master a divine ability. Then, guided by that ability, they would gather specific materials and personally carve and refine them to make a personal Nuo mask.

The mask would then amplify the power of their divine ability.

The old man was one example.

Once he donned "Martial God: Power," his combat strength had soared in an instant.

But Jiang Ran was different.

A typical Nuo Opera Master could bind only one personal Nuo mask in their entire life.

They had to carve it from scratch.

It was like raising a pet, nurturing it little by little.

But "Ancestral Nuo: Faceless" had the ability to contain all forms and switch between different Nuo masks.

That meant limitless possibilities.

In other words, in the future, the Nuo Opera Master Profession could work in tandem with any of his other Professions.

All he needed to do was craft a Nuo mask suited to the ability in question.

The old man had welded "Ancestral Nuo" to his chest. He had probably found a way to use this trait to switch to "Martial God: Power."

It was just unclear why he hadn't switched to any other Nuo masks.

Of course, the information passed on by "Ancestral Nuo: Faceless" wasn't limited to that.

There was plenty more...

A vast trove of information on the materials, steps, methods, and taboos involved in making Nuo masks.

There was so much of it that even Jiang Ran was getting a headache.

He suspected that this was all the experience and insight Qu Yuan had gained from making these masks.

Otherwise, there was simply too much.

It covered all kinds of Nuo masks.

It was practically a complete encyclopedia of Nuo masks.

Unfortunately, Jiang Ran didn't currently have any Profession points to unlock the remaining Nuo Opera Master skills.

So the "Martial God: Power" mask would have to wait for now.

Fortunately, he had gained plenty else.

Jiang Ran took out the golden "Witch Gold War Bone."

He had long coveted the skill-enhancement option when he got the Bone Tempering Golden Marrow last time.

But back then, he had chosen the ultimate skill.

Now he finally had the chance to enhance these divine abilities.

There was no precise way to rank the strength of his current divine abilities, but his experiences in battle had made one thing clear:

At the very least, they were above average.

Jiang Ran was eager to see how powerful they would become after being enhanced.

He placed his hand directly on the skull of the Witch Gold War Bone and silently thought:

Merge Profession.

The next second, a panel automatically appeared before him:

[Select a skill to evolve]

Five icons appeared below it, arranged in a row.

[Dragon-Tiger Fist: Infused with the sharp golden battle intent of the Witch Gold War Bone and the resilience tempered by a thousand years of incense offerings, every punch will shatter stone and split metal. The Dragon Form phantom will condense into "Armor-Piercing Dragon Aura," while the Tiger Form phantom will become "Mountain-Crushing Tiger Malice." The essence of the fist technique will rise from "form and intent" to the "force" realm.]

[Golden Bell Shield: Fused with the Witch Gold War Bone's undying properties, it will become the "Golden Body Jade Bone." The qi and blood aura covering the surface will gain a countershock effect, while the bones beneath will be tempered to a pale gold, allowing them to withstand attacks from divine abilities of the same level without damage. Upon reaching minor mastery, you can briefly enter the "Immovable Golden Body" state, becoming immune to all control and negative effects.]

[Eight-Step Cicada Chase: Absorbing the Witch Gold War Bone's lightness and resilience, the footwork will shift from "swift" to "unpredictable." Your steps will make no sound and leave no trace, and short-range dodges will leave behind three afterimages to mislead the senses. When unleashed at full power, you can push off the air three times in succession, like a golden cicada skimming the water, making your movements impossible to predict.]

[Buddha's Wrathful Vajra: The Vajra's wrath will merge with the Witch Gold War Bone's thousand-year battle intent, turning the manifestation from illusory to real. While it lasts, the boosts to defense and strength will rise to eighty percent. Your fury can condense into the tangible pressure of "Vajra's Wrathful Gaze," shaking the mind. If the manifestation is damaged, you can consume qi and blood to repair it quickly.]

[Ultimate: Lotus Brilliance: The killing intent of Lotus Brilliance will draw on the Witch Gold War Bone's sharp golden aura and the purity forged by a thousand years of incense offerings. As the lotus blooms, its petals will bear "Spell-Breaking Golden Patterns" that can tear through defensive divine abilities of the same level. The time needed to build up power will be shortened by half a breath, and the explosive force will increase by thirty percent. After the lotus blooms, it will leave behind "Golden Malice Embers" that continue to burn the enemy's qi, blood, and soul.]

Jiang Ran studied the options, his eyes flickering.

These enhancement options looked far more powerful than the last ones...

Was it because the Witch Gold War Bone was much better than the Bone Tempering Golden Marrow?

That was probably it.

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

Honestly, he coveted every one of them.

But...

After all these days,

once he set aside his ultimate skill, there was only one choice for him.

Dragon-Tiger Fist.

As his most basic means of attack, Dragon-Tiger Fist would give him a chance against an opponent with greater raw strength if it were powerful enough.

That way, he wouldn't be forced to reveal his trump card right away.

After several battles, Jiang Ran had come to feel strongly about that.

As for Ultimate: Lotus Brilliance...

The reason for ruling it out was simple, too.

Its power was already more than sufficient. In fact, it was almost beyond his control.

So Jiang Ran barely hesitated before silently thinking:

Choose Dragon-Tiger Fist.

The instant he made his choice,

the golden bones suddenly glowed with a warm light, then dissolved into countless golden specks. Like flowing molten gold, they traveled up Jiang Ran's arm and poured into his body.

A faint tingling spread through both arms, as if his bones were being reforged and strengthened.

At the same time, everything he knew about Dragon-Tiger Fist—his understanding, experience, and insights—began to merge and transform with the golden energy.

A few seconds later,

everything settled.

Jiang Ran slowly raised his right hand and focused his thoughts.

Buzz...

Red qi and blood rose from his palm, but instead of gathering into a Dragon-Tiger Phantom as usual,

faint golden patterns emerged within the qi and blood.

They traveled through it,

and finally...

A tangible Dragon-Form Aura slowly took shape around his right fist.

It was golden-red from head to tail, with distinct scales and claws, flowing whiskers, and golden light rippling in its eyes...

Beside it, the fierce aura of a tiger appeared.

Its stripes looked as though they had been painted in gold, its fangs bared, its body wreathed in faint black malice.

[Congratulations! Your Profession's basic skill, "Dragon-Tiger Fist," has evolved into "Dragon-Tiger: Witch Gold Mountain Breaker."]