novelraw Chapter 243: Advancing to Third Tier, Lamp Keeper! Legendary Skill!!
Chapter 243: Advancing to Third Tier, Lamp Keeper! Legendary Skill!!
Chen Qi took a sip of liquor.
The Shadow Tide becoming a dimensional rift did have some benefits.
First were inspiration points.
By slaying specific monsters within the rift, one could obtain inspiration points.
However, every rift would close after being cleared, so unlike the Black Blood Empire, Beiguo actually had very few grinding spots.
After upgrading Steel Qi and the Blade Breathing Technique, Chen Qi's inspiration points were nearly depleted, leaving only five hundred.
Currently, Chen Qi didn't even have enough inspiration to upgrade his Blade Forging Body Technique.
And once he reached third tier and began learning higher-level skills, the inspiration point cost would become astronomical—daily quests alone wouldn't be enough.
The Shadow Tide, with its hordes of shadow beasts, was a feast of inspiration points. Missing this opportunity would mean losing out on a massive amount.
Second was the lack of participant restrictions for the rift, which also meant the difficulty would drop significantly.This meant the Shadow Tide would become a typical unrestricted multiplayer rift where even first-tier Transcendents could potentially reap great rewards.
Given Sea God Island's current scale, the final participant count might exceed ten thousand.
Simply put, the collapsed rift expansion was an ultra-rare dungeon where everyone could participate in monster-slaying and leveling.
Of course, the B-rank rift's reputation still made most hesitate—after all, B-rank rifts were capable of burying legends.
At this moment, discussions about the 'Shadow Tide' filled the tavern following Chen Qi's intelligence report.
Clearly, the B-rank rift's intel had shocked everyone. Many hunters chose to pay penalty fees to withdraw from the rift just to survive.
Sea Serpent, as a Sea God Pirates executive from Sea God Island, said solemnly:
"Everyone, calm down! This matter is of great importance! Just a Shadow Tide—our Sea God Island has massive tentacle defense arrays, powerful seahorse troops, thousands of heavy cannons, and our third-tier rising star!
When the time comes, our island's bishop will personally lead the defense! This Shadow Tide is nothing to fear!"
Several fierce-looking third-tier hunters in the tavern retorted:
"You just want to use us as meat shields, don't you?"
"Hopefully your defenses aren't just for show!"
"At the very least, you should provide an accurate disaster scale estimate. If not for someone risking their life to gather intel, we'd die without knowing what we're facing!"
The crowd glared at Sea Serpent.
Surrounded by angry hunters, the captain grew nervous.
Damn, my reward NPC is getting mobbed... Chen Qi set down his glass and approached the tavern manager to claim his rewards.
The plump manager smiled as he handed Chen Qi a bag containing three million Shell Coins and a dark skill card:
"Lamp Phase newcomer! Welcome to Sea God Island. We've got plenty more scouting missions but lack manpower—come back soon~"
Scouting missions always needed people... Chen Qi accepted the bag and the dark skill card.
[Black Wave Slash Lv1
Requirement: Minor Shadow Affinity comprehension, mastery of Qi Transformation
Effect: During blade strikes, transforms qi into black, sharp, flowing tidal waves that coalesce into devastating slashes.
Note: Permanently increases slash damage after learning.
Note: Upgrading requires 5000 inspiration points and consuming large amounts of Black Seaweed.]
An active slashing skill... Chen Qi pondered.
Among blade techniques, Black Wave Slash was exceptionally powerful. Reaching level two would boost agility and strength.
At level three, it unlocked a formidable ultimate technique.
This was a top-tier third-tier skill—provided one could reach Lv3.
Post-third-tier skills required not just standard stat requirements but also massive resource investments.
Black Wave Slash was no exception—learning it required consuming Black Seaweed to adjust one's blood composition.
Noticing Chen Qi's hesitation, the manager clasped his hands with a forced smile:
"Sir, if you need Black Seaweed, you can exchange contribution points for it."
"I see."
Chen Qi pocketed the skill card.
Good things never came cheap.
Only Sea God Island controlled Black Seaweed sources.
Though the Sea God Pirates had rewarded him, they'd also cleverly shackled him through "bundled sales"—their skill cards often required their exclusive resources to master.
Many free hunters remained trapped here, unable to acquire the necessary materials for their skill cards.
If Chen Qi stopped doing missions, he'd never unlock Black Wave Slash's full potential.
But Chen Qi wasn't overly concerned.
His original purpose in joining the Sea God Pirates was to surpass Fen, the Witch Sea protagonist, and crush her beneath him.
From the start, his goal had been to claim everything!
And reaching Black Wave Slash Lv3 was non-negotiable.
Clapping his hands, Chen Qi approached Melanie:
"Hunter lady."
He needed to turn his Lamp Keeper Powder into a card immediately.
While other card makers existed on the island, none could match Melanie's speed.
Melanie slid off her barstool:
"Hunter, what's up? Our White Tower ship's pretty spacious—want a tour?"
Chen Qi said earnestly:
"Yes. I need a profession card made."
Finally took the bait... Melanie smiled:
"No problem. As promised, I'll make one card for free. You can come to my ship... it's at the docks. Very safe—no need to worry about unlawful acts. If anything happens, just scream for help."
I wasn't that concerned... Chen Qi sighed internally.
Though powerful, Melanie wasn't a knowledge hunter with memory-altering abilities.
And while she loved joking, she rarely followed through.
"Deal."
After agreeing, Chen Qi followed Melanie to her workshop.
......
The Mercury Ship—Melanie's card workshop.
Inside, light filtered through specially designed skylights and intricate copper lighting fixtures, blending with bright card lamps to create a warm, mystical atmosphere.
The workbench displayed an orderly array of cards and tools—from blank cards to ornate tarot decks, from ancient copper engravers to precision steam-powered punches.
Tying on a dustproof apron, Melanie asked:
"Hunter, what card do you need?"
Chen Qi produced the Lamp Keeper Powder:
"A Lamp Keeper profession card. Can you make it?"
Melanie's eyes widened:
"Little hunter, you actually got Lamp Keeper materials! Hand it over—I'm quite skilled with Lamp Phase cards."
At this point in time, Lamp Keepers were extremely rare and powerful.
The White Tower Federation governed books and lamps—Melanie knew most Lamp Phase profession card recipes.
"Okay."
Chen Qi handed over the materials.
Donning a mask, Melanie took a small mechanical engraver and carefully etched the Lamp Keeper Powder onto a card following its patterns.
Surprisingly focused when working—fitting for the new Mercury Hunter renowned for card-making... Chen Qi observed.
Typically, profession cards took ten hours to make.
Yet within two hours, Melanie wiped her brow and used her skill 'Card Forging' to complete the final spiritual infusion:
"Done!! Hunter, where I'm from, my cards start at 200,000 Shell Coins!"
She flicked the card excitedly, brimming with accomplishment.
"It's ready..."
The drowsy Chen Qi jolted awake, wide-eyed as he accepted the card.
[You obtained the Lamp Keeper Card.]
"Thank you, Card Master!"
Unable to contain his excitement, Chen Qi grabbed the card and hurried out.
Still basking in her achievement, Melanie called after him:
"No need for thanks—sister's happy to help. By the way, hunter, want more cards? Want to learn card-making secrets? Want to become a spy—"
Wait, where'd he go... Melanie stared at the empty workshop.
......
Ghost Ship, bedroom.
Chen Qi hastily shut the door, gripping the Lamp Keeper Card.
Given his current Lamp Principles, assimilating it wouldn't be an issue.
"Assimilate!"
Gritting his teeth, Chen Qi formed a qi blade and slashed his palm, creating a deep wound.
As blood dripped onto the card, it ignited instantly—vanishing as its power surged into Chen Qi's body!
His blood's spiritual energy skyrocketed to his physical limit, reaching a boiling point.
Blood Boil!
"Huff... huff..."
Despite the agony, Chen Qi remained motionless, enduring it all.
His heartbeat accelerated wildly as crimson spiritual bubbles erupted from his skin—every organ seethed unnervingly.
Though painful, Chen Qi sensed his body being reforged and elevated.
[You are assimilating the Lamp Keeper Card—]
A flood of knowledge overwhelmed his mind, forcing him to close his eyes.
Pain gave way to numbness as techniques, inspirations, powers, and fragments cascaded into him—
On the spiritual sea, Chen Qi embarked on a long voyage, riding wave after wave until reaching an isle where ripples formed a lantern-bearer's image beneath his feet.
In mere moments, he experienced decades of training.
Every bodily system—even his deepest spiritual energies—grew stronger.
White vapor streamed from his nostrils as sweat beads like soybeans pattered down.
Drip... drip...
When his eyes reopened, Chen Qi clutched his chest and spat out a thick blood mist.
"YES!"
This full-body searing sensation—absolutely exhilarating!
Then, notifications finally appeared:
[You have advanced to third-tier Lamp-Scale profession—Lamp Keeper.]
[Inspiration +10, Constitution +10, Strength +3. Obtained third-tier soul body: All spiritual skills enhanced by 20% compared to second-tier.]
[Gained intermediate Lamp/Scale comprehension. Current Lamp comprehension: Mid+. Can now learn stronger skills.]
[Gained Shadow Resistance: Reduces shadow-affinity damage.]
[Gained Night Vision: Enhanced sight in darkness.]
[Learned 'Lantern Ignition': Can create/modify light sources into radiant beacons that strengthen yourself while dealing massive mental damage to dark creatures.]
[Learned passive 'Day-Night Reversal': All attributes increase at night with enhanced stamina.]
The string of notifications thrilled Chen Qi.
Third-tier Transcendence marked a monumental breakthrough—the threshold of true mastery with limitless potential.
This tier included island-destroying monsters like Gray Mouse, An, and Haige; control specialists like the Flower Witch; and half-baked fighters like Mad Shark.
Beyond stats and skills, Chen Qi felt unprecedented expansiveness.
Each tier had its bottlenecks.
He'd stagnated at second-tier far too long.
Now that he'd broken through, both body and skills held infinite possibilities.
The path ahead had widened tremendously.
Panting heavily, the burning sensation faded, replaced by refreshing relief.
Chen Qi felt invincible.
"Waku waku (Master! Congratulations!)"
On the desk, Water Spirits #3 and #1 waved cloths like cheerleaders.
"Test the power."
Current water spirits couldn't withstand... Chen Qi eyed the table beside #3 and threw a punch.
BOOM!
The ordinary strike—still thirty centimeters from the table—shattered it like tofu through sheer qi force alone.
Couldn't have done this before—complete upgrade... Chen Qi grinned.
Then, two special notifications appeared:
[Enhanced by Hunter Ember: Lantern Ignition upgraded—gained additional skill 'Flame Forging'.]
Flame Forging?
Hunter Ember's effect? Chen Qi was stunned.
Standard Lantern Ignition empowered light sources within fifty meters, evolving them into radiant "holy light" that weakened enemies while dealing severe true damage to dark creatures.
But what was Flame Forging? Chen Qi checked urgently.
[Flame Forging:
Affinity: Lamp, Scale
Description: Only fire can banish all darkness.
Effect: A lamp skill learned by Deep Sea Hunters pursuing shadow dragons in the abyss. Strengthens light sources within fifty meters, forging them into special flames that can be manipulated and weaponized to enhance all skills and damage.
Note: Continuously drains spiritual energy while active.]
Flame Forging? Am I supposed to link the fire now? Chen Qi was shocked.
Undoubtedly, this was an immensely powerful upgrade.
Hunter Ember's enhancements exceeded expectations... Chen Qi marveled.
Then, another unique notification popped up:
[Enhanced by Hunter Ember: 'Day-Night Reversal' upgraded to 'Night Monster'.]