Becoming a Luminous Dancer was only the first step. There was much more work to be done.
Nie Yan also learned Mode: Release. This skill could raise his combat prowess by no insignificant amount.
Shaking out his limbs and lightly jogging around, Nie Yan felt like his body was much lighter than before. Throwing out a jab, a whip-like crack split the air as his fist shot forward at lightning speed. The difference between a Great Thief and Shadow Dancer was incomparable!
This was a brand new realm. Shadow Dancers, and so too the Luminous Dancer, could execute ordinary skills with astonishing killing power and freely alter their skills at will. Just like martial arts masters, after reaching a certain level of comprehension, they could even create their own skills.
Luminous Dancer was even more revered than Grand Scholar or Advanced Devil Slayer, sitting firmly at the top of Nie Yan's titles list. As for exactly what kind of standing it represented in the Viridian Empire, he still wasn't too sure.
Nie Yan couldn't help but wonder about the differences between a Luminous Dancer and a Shadow Dancer, and what sort of special traits the title possessed.
This was all brand new territory for Nie Yan. After all, he'd never gotten this far, nor knew anyone who'd gotten this far in his past life.
After successfully class advancing, Nie Yan still had to figure out how to unleash the true strength of a Luminous Dancer.
Looking at the guardian angel floating above his shoulder, Nie Yan was surprised to discover Kalenna's stats were hidden. Though he had no idea how strong she was, he could sense a powerful light energy emanating from her. It was gentle and didn't possess any offensive properties. This was in stark contrast to the darkness energy emitting from the Darkwing Dragon. Yet the two could coexist perfectly. It was quite peculiar.
"So much still to figure out... I wonder how much more there is. Either way, seems like if I want to unlock the true potential of this class, I'll have to take it one step at a time."
The Luminous Dancer class was like an enormous treasure trove with infinite potential.
Nie Yan decided to stay in the Ancient World for a while longer so he could familiarize himself with the changes that came with becoming a Luminous Dancer.
Glancing at his bag, Nie Yan found the dragon core sitting in a corner. It might be just what the Darkwing Dragon needed to advance.
Nie Yan summoned the Darkwing Dragon, who immediately noticed the presence of the World Heart floating in the air. It trembled, then crouched down on the ground, not daring to move.
Nie Yan retrieved the dragon core from his bag, then tossed it in the air.
The Darkwing Dragon suddenly sprung to life, snapping the dragon core from mid-air and swallowing it whole. Closing its eyes, it lay back down. It seemed to be digesting its meal.
Six minutes later, the Darkwing Dragon still showed no reaction. Did the dragon core have no effect?
When Nie Yan was about to recall it back into his pet space, an earth-shattering aura swept out from the Darkwing Dragon's body like a raging tide.
"So powerful!" Nie Yan gasped.
The Darkwing Dragon's frame grew to more than six meters tall, its entire body radiating a domineering pressure. The previously grayish scales turned a deeper shade of black. Though their lustre was still a bit lacking, they looked thicker and bigger than before. Its defenses had definitely risen considerably.
"A rank-up...?" Nie Yan muttered in wonderment. As he examined the Darkwing Dragon, he discovered its stats had risen dramatically. The powerful energy contained within that dragon core had allowed it to break through the barrier of Rank 6 and become a Rank 7 flying mount.
The Darkwing Dragon reaching Rank 7 was definitely an auspicious thing. Given that currently the flying mounts of other players were only Rank 4, with perhaps one or two Rank 5s somewhere, it definitely had the qualifications to proclaim itself the ruler of the skies. Even if it was surrounded by Rank 3 and 4 flying mounts like last time, it could easily sweep through all of them.
Nie Yan recalled the Darkwing Dragon and was about to leave, when he suddenly felt something was amiss.
A sharp light flashed behind him. A dagger stabbed toward the back of his head at lightning speed.
Gale Step!
Nie Yan evaded in the nick of time and dashed several meters away. Turning around to get a look at his attacker, he saw a Thief. To be more exact, he saw himself. From the appearance to the armour and even Zennarde's Sword in its hand, everything was identical.
"A mirror image!" Nie Yan gasped, his eyes wide with surprise.
His heart sank to the pit of his stomach. Mirror images were really tough to deal with. They were either identical to you or even stronger stat-wise. Defeating them was an exceedingly difficult task, and they generally only appeared in special quests. However, the rewards for overcoming your mirror image were always amazing.
The mirror image's eyes shone with a red glow. As it scanned around, it quickly locked onto Nie Yan who was hiding in stealth.
It was Eye of Truth!
The mirror image shot forth, pouncing towards Nie Yan. It was faster than him by about 30%!
Nie Yan's heart trembled. He quickly raised his dagger and parried the mirror image's attack. A metallic klang rang out as the two blades collided against each other.
Nie Yan and his mirror image exchanged several moves in an instant. The more they fought, the more apprehensive he felt. His opponent was too strong, and he was gradually being overwhelmed. His mirror image possessed all his skills and had 30% higher stats than him. It was also well-acquainted with his habits and combat style. Every time he tried to make a move, it would react in advance. At times, he was stopped right in the middle of launching an attack.
"Dammit! What a tough bastard!" Nie Yan pulled out a Flesh Biter, only to find the mirror image flick its wrist and do the same. It quickly stabbed the thin, long needle toward his stomach.
"Oh, come on! It even has those too!?" Nie Yan rolled his eyes. As their creator, he knew full well what being stabbed by a Flesh Biter entailed. He shrunk back his stomach and evaded to the side as the needle missed him by a hair.
Nie Yan chopped down with Zennarde's Sword. With a loud ding, the Flesh Bitter was broken in half.
At this moment, the mirror image stabbed toward Nie Yan's forehead with its own Zennarde's Sword.
Shadow Waltz!
Nie Yan's figure blurred as he avoided the attack and fled a far distance away.
The mirror image Thief looked around with Eye of Truth. After failing to find any traces of Nie Yan, a confused look flashed across its face.
Eye of Truth wasn't capable of seeing through the Rank 16 Shadow Waltz!
Seeing his mirror image dithering here and there, Nie Yan sank into deep thought. "It has higher stats than me, and it's even familiar with my combat style. I can't kill it how I usually would. Something special..."
Nie Yan knitted his brows. Facing this kind of opponent was a huge headache.
The mirror image appearing here meant it was related to the Luminous Dancer class advancement quest. Nie Yan made his decision. He would definitely kill it before leaving the Ancient World.