Spirit Beast: Dragon-Tiger Form
Skill Type: Passive
Description: Power drawn from the spirit beast tattoo of a Nian Qi Master. These spirit beasts were once revered in the far east of an ancient kingdom. Though the kingdom has long perished, and its divine beasts vanished, the legacy of Nian Qi flows through its descendants, keeping its glory alive.
Effect: Increases Light-element damage by 10%.
Zhao Mingwei studied this core skill and confirmed his build: a Light-element enhancement path.
His new skill tree now showed three active abilities as well.
① Nian Qi Wave (念气波)
Type: Active
Required Level: 25
Description: Converts Nian Qi into a tangible force and launches it forward.
Effect: Chance to inflict Shock status on enemies.
A glowing orb formed in Zhao's palm as he read the description—he could feel the Qi flowing inside him.
The skills weren't just icons and numbers anymore; they felt real.
② Nian Qi Orbit (念气环绕)
Summons Nian Qi spheres to protect the user.
Up to 3 spheres can be active at once.
③ Spirit Beast: Dragon-Tiger Roar (念兽·龙虎啸)
The most critical skill for Zhao.
It summons the Dragon-Tiger from the spirit tattoo to circle the user.
Normal attacks gain Light-element magic damage.
Though he only skimmed the later skills, Zhao could already tell—this class had terrifying growth potential.
He even had a fleeting urge to quit his e-sports team and go full grind mode.
…But life wouldn't let him.
He exited the instance as soon as he finished the advancement quest—he didn't want to keep Jiang Qiao waiting.
"So? Strong class?" Jiang Qiao asked, guessing some of it but not the full details.
"Very strong. Thanks, master." Zhao replied with genuine appreciation.
As a pro player, Zhao immediately recognized Nian Qi Master as a top-tier class with long-term scaling.
He even triggered a hidden main quest:
[Main Class Quest: Spirit Beast Tattoo Collection]
The Far East has been lost to time, but spirit beasts remain scattered across the world.
As a Nian Qi inheritor, seek them out to enhance yourself.
There was more than one spirit beast!
Zhao's heart stirred with anticipation. He wanted to ask NPC Chao Yuan for more info, but then a friend request popped up.
Sender: 白日做梦 (Daydreamer)
Zhao instantly recognized the name—his friend Lin Xi.
"Master, I want to get some practice in. A friend of mine is joining—let's run a dungeon."
In the 8 days Zhao and Jiang Qiao had been playing together, they'd gone from strangers to true friends.
Zhao was an idealist. More accurately, he hadn't been hardened by society.
To him, relationships were simple—he was a bit naïve and, in real life, easily taken advantage of.
"You can help me clear my class advancement dungeon. If your friend's level is high enough, they can come too."
Jiang Qiao had a feeling who it was: Lin Xi, sniper for the Junlin Team.
In the e-sports world, his in-game name Daydreamer was legendary—once hailed as a gun god.
But his recent performance had plummeted. After two shaky seasons, he was now jokingly called Sleepwalking Sniper.
Jiang Qiao met him at Lionheart City's main gate. Lin Xi looked much like his competitive persona—decked in classic western gunslinger gear.
"Wha—you're already level 25? You finished your advancement? You've been secretly playing during training, haven't you?"
Lin Xi thought his level 23 was decent. But Zhao had two more levels on him—and a level 26 Summoner beside him.
"Don't talk nonsense. I only play when I sleep," Zhao answered curtly.
As Junlin's team captain, he still took his duties seriously—no gaming during official practice hours.
"Sure, sure… and who's this?" Lin Xi didn't say "Xiao Ye" (Zhao's nickname) since Jiang Qiao was listening.
"He's… well, someone amazing." Zhao answered honestly. "A true master."
"A… master?" Lin Xi paused, stunned. Then he nudged Zhao and whispered,
"Which club is he from? Don't tell me he's from Upper City Nuclear?"
Not many players earned Zhao's respect like this—but many players called Zhao a master.
"You're both pros?" Jiang Qiao had excellent hearing—even their whispers were crystal clear.
"Kind of. More like second-rate ones." Lin Xi shrugged self-deprecatingly.
"Let's just help him clear his class advancement first. It's almost 8 PM." Zhao redirected the conversation away from his identity.
Jiang Qiao didn't press.
He was still in character—for now, he had to act. When the time came, he'd recruit them properly.
Element Summoner Advancement
Jiang Qiao's advancement was simple.
Unlike Zhao's insane parkour trial, the Element Summoner just had to defeat four elemental bosses: Fire, Water, Wind, and Darkness.
Though party play was allowed, difficulty scaled with group size.
After adding Zhao and Lin Xi, the boss HPs doubled.
But this was still a newbie-tier instance. Within 30 minutes, they steamrolled all four bosses.
[The Honor of the Elemental Spirits flows through you!]
A system message appeared as the dungeon ended.
Jiang Qiao felt a surge of power.
His Water and Fire Spirits, floating beside him, began to glow.
As the light faded, they evolved—into cute, chibi-style double-headed mini-girls.
[Fire Spirit evolved into Blazing Flame Attendant]
[Water Spirit evolved into Ice Crystal Attendant]
"Attendant? These are just little girls!"
Jiang Qiao stared at the two spirit girls—looking like they were six or seven years old.
"Master, you still playing? I want to advance too."
Lin Xi approached him eagerly.
That last fight proved it—Jiang Qiao was indeed a top-tier player.
"What class are you aiming for?" Jiang Qiao asked. Lin Xi's potential mattered too—he'd be key in the Abyss event later.
"Demolitionist. I checked—Gunner classes only have one that uses sniper rifles."
Sniper to the core, no matter the game.
"Demolitionist, huh? Want to try Cannoner instead? That class has snipers too—and way more firepower."
Jiang Qiao began pitching Cannoner—a walking military arsenal.
Demolitionist only had two grenades for AOE early on.
But Cannoners? They were mobile bunkers from the moment they advanced.
"…"
"Bro, trust me. You won't regret it." Jiang Qiao grinned, clapping Lin Xi's shoulder.
Lin Xi looked at Zhao, who just shrugged.
"I've never played Gunner. I've got no advice. Up to you."
Back when they were just players, Lin Xi always relied on Zhao for guides.
Now, the tables had turned.
"Snipers in Cannoner too? Okay, I'll try it." Lin Xi finally gave in to the siren call of big guns.
(End of Chapter)