CH488 Yin Mage... Breakthrough!

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Verdantis Plane…

Alex clocked out for an entire day after finishing Zora's new Rune Tattoo.

After a quick test confirmed everything was working perfectly, he finally let down his caution. The tension drained out of him, and his body naturally drifted into deep slumber within the Sanctuary.

Fortunately, Alex had already raised Zora's authority level. With her phoenix hairpin access artefact, she could prompt OmniRune herself, opening a portal whenever she needed to come and go.

The same privilege applied to Alex's other wives as well.

Because of that, Zora didn't need to wake him whenever she wanted to leave the Sanctuary, and she could check on him anytime she wished.

On that day, Zora—alongside Udara—accompanied the rest of the expedition party to raid Camp Red Rock's Berserk Beast Nest one final time, before the team departed the camp and the nest became restricted, allowing the beasts within to repopulate.

Eleanor's bounty on corrupted beast cores had caused an explosion in nest raids. It had become highly probable that the beasts would be hunted into oblivion if the camp didn't intervene.

Since Camp Red Rock now had enough meat to last years—depending on their preservation methods and rate of consumption—it became far more prudent to lock down the nest, rather than strip the land bare.

As they trekked through the nest's punishing desert plain, Zora casually waved her hand through the air before her, releasing a minute—almost negligible—amount of energy from her Spell Enhancement Rune.

Instantly, the scorching heat around them dropped into something pleasant, cool and refreshing.

It was an unintended use of the rune—one Zora had discovered almost by accident.

The Ice Empress, who couldn't stand the desert heat, had spent more time refining this 'technique' than actually practising spell enhancement with Yin energy.

She had optimised it to perfection, using the smallest amount of energy for the widest area, the longest duration, and the least adverse effects.

'Alex would probably shake his head in disapproval for using his precious rune like this…' she chuckled.

ROAR!!!

A group of beasts sprang down from a nearby hill, launching a sudden ambush as the party advanced.

Unfortunately for them, the expedition had already sensed their presence moments earlier.

But instead of moving in for the kill, the group simply stepped aside and turned their attention to the blue-haired woman at the centre of their formation—because Zora was using this raid as a live practice run.

Five Rockmane lions charged towards them, jaws wide and claws digging into the sand.

Zora didn't even flinch.

She simply raised a hand and cast her usual group attack spell.

[Icicle Shower]!

If one looked closely, they would notice something different this time.

A faint circular runic formation projected from the Spell Enhancement Rune beneath the spell formation.

The projected circle slotted cleanly into the outer rim of [Icicle Shower]'s spell formation, merging into a single unified structure.

And in that instant, the spell formation radiated a sense of extreme cold.

Yin energy surged through the projection and poured into the spell, transforming Zora's neutral mana initialising the spell formation—along with the ambient mana rushing into it to activate the spell—into Yin-aligned mana.

In essence, the spell morphed from an ordinary [Icicle Shower] into—

[Yin Icicle Shower]!

Multiple ice bolts rained down and slammed into the incoming beasts—creatures Alex had nicknamed Sphinx, due to their close resemblance.

The bolts were harder than before, sharp enough to punch through the lions' thick fur and dense hide.

But that wasn't the true danger.

The remnant Yin energy expelling from the ice bolts seeped into the beasts' bodies and began freezing them from the inside out.

A single hit was enough.

The lions' movements slowed drastically, their limbs stiffening as frost crept through their muscles and organs.

Zora lifted her hand again.

[Icicle Shower]!

This time, she cast the ordinary variant.

Most of the attack was resisted by the Rockmane's fur, but the shards that slipped through struck the frozen areas within their bodies—

And shattered them.

The lions collapsed in a spray of ice and blood, their ambush ending before it truly began.

Zora stared down at her hands.

'That confirms it,' she thought.

'With half the usual mana requirement, I can cast Yin-powered strikes that not only hit harder… but freeze a target faster, even bypassing their defences.'

Her gaze sharpened.

'It's exactly like Alex said. Yin is different from Ice mana. Ice mana is energy… but Yin is more like a principle. A concept.'

'Elemental resistance makes a creature resistant to mana-based effects. But Yin… Yin can only be resisted with another concept.'

Her gaze shifted to the slain Rockmane lions.

'Rockmane lions are actually more fire-aspected creatures than their name suggests. They're naturally resistant to Ice attacks—especially in a harsh, advantageous desert environment like this.'

'It would've taken twice… maybe even three times my usual mana in an Ice bolt to produce any real freezing effect on them.'

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

'Yet the same Ice bolt, cast with half my usual mana and empowered by Yin… achieves a far more noticeable result.'

Still, the drawbacks of Yin weren't lost on her.

It was a dangerous, finite weapon.

Yin was power she couldn't afford to use lightly—something she shouldn't draw upon unless she had already decided to strike with lethal intent.

She couldn't truly control it. At best, she could only control how much she released.

But that didn't change the core issue.

She couldn't guarantee what effect even the smallest iota of Yin would have on an object, a person, or an entity.

Just because one thread of Yin could cool the hot desert air safely… didn't mean the same amount wouldn't freeze fish solid in water and kill them instantly.

Just because one person could endure it… didn't mean another could survive that same dose.

It was power she still didn't understand—power she couldn't reliably predict.

And even if she could control it perfectly, the very Rune Tattoos that allowed her to wield Yin were also the ones that limited her use of it.

The Siphon Rune restricted Yin production by starving her Nirvana Markings of mana in the first place.

That meant every bit of Yin she spent would take time to recover—far longer than her ordinary mana ever would.

Zora couldn't help but recall Alex's warning.

"Remember, Zora. The Siphon Rune and the Spell Enhancement Rune Tattoos are, first and foremost, containment measures for your Yin."

"As powerful as Yin energy is, it's not something you can control perfectly. Even with Spell Enhancement, there's still a chance of failure… or accidents."

"Keep that in mind, and don't become reliant on unstable power."

Zora stared at the frozen Rockmane lions.

Then she looked down at her hand.

Slowly, she shook her head.

'…I didn't endure Father's hellish training just to become reliant on an external power I can't even control.'

Her expression hardened, resolve settling into her bones.

'There's only one thing I can rely on…'

'My own strength.'

'My own rank.'

She turned to Udara.

"I'm going to break through," she said.

"Here?" Udara's eyes widened.

"Don't worry." Zora's tone remained calm. "I've been able to break through whenever I wanted for some time now. Now that my condition is under control again, there's no need to keep restraining myself."

She shook her head, then smiled at Udara—reassuring, composed.

"I only need five minutes," she said confidently.

Without waiting for Udara's response, Zora sat down directly on the hot, arid desert ground and sank into a cultivation meditation, trusting her safety to Udara and the rest of the expedition party.

Udara immediately signalled the others, and they moved without hesitation—forming a defensive formation around her.

Senu controlled the skies.

Fen and Udara stood directly by Zora's side.

The rest of the expedition party fanned out, creating a containment zone.

Zora had undersold just how close she was to a breakthrough.

She had long surpassed the threshold for advancement—years ago.

It had taken a seal from Uthvaazgol himself—the dragon's true body—to prevent her breakthrough from occurring.

Now that things were stable, and the situation called for it, Zora released the seal slightly.

Her cultivation ballooned.

Early-stage Elite Rank…

Mid-stage Elite Rank…

Then finally—

Late-stage Elite Rank.

She could have pushed further, even into Peak-stage Elite Rank, but she felt her bloodline stir violently.

'This is as far as I should go.'

Zora re-applied the seal immediately—taking precautions against any unwanted advancement.

Others struggled to climb their ranks.

She struggled to keep hers in check.

Indeed… people were born different.

'Late-stage Elite Mage Rank… not bad at all,' she thought, savouring the sensation of her new power settling into her mana heart.

'Excellent. The mana requirement and casting difficulty for my spells up to Grade 6 have all reduced. Overcasting has become easier too.'

Her thoughts sharpened, excitement simmering beneath her calm.

'Even the resistance for Grade 7… and Grade 8 spells—spells that should be beyond my rank—has reduced significantly.'

Zora smiled to herself.

Then she shook her head.

'Still… if I ever need to cast Great Mage-level Grade 7 or Grade 8 spells… that would mean something has gone terribly wrong.'

Zora's eyes snapped open.

A sliver of her aura leaked out.

Nearby, the Fury soldiers—especially Sergeant Lopota—shivered as the pressure washed over them. For a moment, they genuinely thought Zora had jumped from an early-stage Elite Mage all the way into Great Mage territory.

'Wait… she's still Elite Rank?' Lopota's eyes widened in shock. 'I could've sworn I felt the aura of a Great Mage…'

Then he remembered.

Zora was the adopted daughter of the Dragonslayer—Merlin Pendragon—A prodigy with terrifying magical talent.

The realisation settled into him like a cold weight.

"You really are something, Big Sis," Udara said wryly.

Zora had casually risen by two stages in five minutes. And on top of that, her aura had surged into the next realm—before she swiftly contained it like it had never happened at all.

"I have to do this much," Zora said, hugging Udara and gently caressing her hair, "if this Big Sis is going to protect our party."

Udara's lips twitched.

And the worst part was… she couldn't even bring herself to be jealous.

Not when she knew what Zora had been through.

What she was still going through.

Udara clenched her fist.

'I have to progress soon too.'

Her eyes lit with determination.

She was already at the extreme peak of Intermediate Rank. It was a good cultivation level for her age, but it still made her the weakest among Alex's wives—her sisters.

Zora's advancement didn't discourage her.

It only lit the fire in her chest even more.

Zora, meanwhile, couldn't help wondering what Alex's reaction would be when he found out she'd increased her rank so drastically.

'He'll be speechless, right?' she chuckled inwardly.

Then, almost immediately, she felt a longing in her chest.

She wanted to see him.

"Let's go back," she said.

The others nodded.

There was no longer any sport to be had here. The nest no longer provided them a challenge.

And with Zora's advancement, staying any longer had no meaning.

It would only be cruelty to the beasts.

As they made their way back, Zora glanced at the rune tattoo on the back of her hand, her gaze softening.

She couldn't help wondering…

Had its creator woken from his slumber yet?

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