Chapter 70: Evolution of the Lunar Umbrella

The moment Tang Chun Xi awakened, she had been so surprised by the situation she found herself in that she ended up ignoring the Lunar Umbrella.

But now, as she paused to think about it, she began to feel a familiar calling. This calling reminded her of the day the Lunar Umbrella had awakened.

With a single thought, a flash of shimmering silver light appeared above his head, outshining even the spirit lamp. It was the Lunar Umbrella!

She felt, emanating from it, a sense of closeness as intense as the moment when the two had been forged together.

— "Master…" — the voice pulled her from her trance, surprising her. Her heart raced in response.

— "Lunar Umbrella??!" — Even though the voice came from their spiritual connection, she needed to confirm it. He was the closest, most intimate existence to her being. And the thought that arose in her mind, driven by this feeling and that voice, was absurd. But if it were true…?

Apparently aware of her doubts and the turbulent emotions in her heart, the canopy of the Lunar Umbrella slowly opened. The light emanating from within pulsed gently before fragmenting into countless shimmering multicolored points of light that began to dance in the air like fireflies.

These luminous fragments swirled around the umbrella until they merged with its structure, revealing something that was, at once, deeply familiar and strangely new.

The first thing that caught her attention was the canopy — completely transformed!

If before it resembled a blend between refined paper and metal, now it radiated a quiet splendor: it now appeared to be made of the purest obsidian crystal, so smooth and deep it reflected light as if it contained an entire universe.

But that wasn't all.

As the multicolored points merged with the surface, a starry sky reappeared above the canopy — a mix of colors gently and vibrantly flickered.

Soon, clouds in eternal and perpetual motion, like in a real sky, began to cover them.

Above the canopy, a curved blade in the shape of a crescent moon appeared elegantly. Its surface shifted subtly, giving the illusion of transitioning through all lunar phases — from new to full, from full to waning — in a constant, almost hypnotic flow.

If not for the solemnity and majesty it emanated, it could be mistaken for an incomparable jewel — rather than a weapon.

It really looked the same as before, but now it was as if a veil had fallen away, revealing its true form. And that form stunned Tang Chun Xi.

— "Master, I can finally talk to you!~" — the childlike voice of a little boy sounded again, pulling her from the trance. And this time, she was sure she wasn't imagining it!

— "That moment was really dangerous and we almost flipped over!..." — continued the Lunar Umbrella, with a serious tone in his childish voice, which was quickly replaced by cheerful as he spun around her:

— "But in the end, we got the chaos energy! And because of that, my consciousness formed this early!~"

The Lunar Umbrella spoke so fast that Chun Xi, stunned, could only watch the umbrella bowing, leaning, even bouncing into the air, sticking to her like glue. She swore she could almost see a wide-eyed little boy trying to act like an adult… but who couldn't stand still.

Seeing that, the corners of her mouth twitched as she tried to hold back her laughter. The entire solemn and emotional atmosphere crumbled.

— "Master, why are you making that face?!~" — asked the little boy, as the Lunar Umbrella stopped bouncing and clung to her, a hint of complaint in his tone.

— "You talked so fast I couldn't even respond," — she said, running her hand across the Lunar Umbrella's surface, and added:

— "But I'm glad to see you so excited… and to have you here now."

— "Master, not only can I talk now, I also upgraded!~ Now I can help you even more!~" — he exclaimed excitedly.

In the next instant, a flood of information appeared in Tang Chun Xi's mind.

It took a while for her to digest everything. And when she did, she was surprised: there were four new abilities, as well as upgrades to many of the existing ones.

And the great news was that the teleportation skill had been recharged!

— "Actually, there are two new ones: [Yang Flame Sphere] and [Astral Sight]. The other two are evolutions of skills I already had: [Stellar Refraction] and [Rising Gravity]!~" — he explained precisely, landing in her hand.

She nodded, focusing on the descriptions:

— Rising Gravity: allows the weight to be amplified cumulatively, doubling with each application (x2 → x4 → x8).

— Yang Flame Sphere: naturally absorbs Yang energy from the environment or generated during battle, storing it in its core. When fully charged, it can release it as a stellar fireball.

— Astral Sight: if the level difference is not more than three tiers, and no active concealment is in effect, it allows one to reveal spiritual information about the target.

— Stellar Refraction (Passive): when the umbrella is open, any frontal attack will be partially dissolved before fully striking, based on the level difference between the attacker and Tang Chun Xi.

— Active Skill — Delayed Reflection (Cooldown: 3 days): consumes 25% of a blow's energy, dissolves another 25%, and reflects the consumed portion within 30 seconds.

— "In terms of practical utility, [Stellar Refraction] seems the most useful, being a passive defensive ability. And this active one, [Delayed Reflection], is a real trump card…" — she commented, excited about the possibilities, and focused on the others.

— "[Rising Gravity] must be the evolution of that [Weight Amplification] skill? It seems to be the most versatile and the one that most affects my fighting style." — she paused and added:

— "But… it probably still has the same drawback as the previous one: it consumes equivalent stamina, right?"

— "Partially, yes! It consumes your body's stamina with each use, and that cost increases with each fold. But it depends on your physical power! The stronger the body, the lower the cost." — he replied in her mind, and concluded:

— "You'll need to test it to know the exact consumption, but it should be less than before—at least for the first fold!!"

— "I see…" — she responded, expression thoughtful.

Then, she furrowed her brows and asked:

— "But… what about [Yang Flame Sphere] and [Astral Sight]? The first seems too simple — just collects energy and fires it as an attack? I feel like it does more than that…"

— "And the second? It sounds too vague… What does it really do?"

— "As expected of my master!~ [Astral Sight] allows you to see the information of living beings when you look at them and activate the skill. What you'll see… depends."

— "As for [Yang Flame Sphere]..." — he interrupted, now with a tone of seriousness that clashed with his childish voice — "...it's the most important and vital ability for you right now!!"

— "Important and vital? What do you mean by that??" — she asked, serious, staring at the Lunar Umbrella in her hand.

A bad premonition began to rise in her heart.