Vol. 2 Chapter 5: Shadow and Reckless Training

Chapter 5: Shadow and Reckless Training

For most of the next week, Lu Li spent his days skipping classes, researching skill combinations, and practicing shadow control. He discovered that in direct sunlight, his shadow couldn't move and could only slightly enhance his physical attributes. Indoors, his shadow could detach and take on a form slightly smaller than his own body.

At night, Lu Li continuously experimented with the utility of his shadow, controlling its transformation, and familiarizing himself with manipulating its changes. He practiced moving his body and shadow simultaneously, studying the shadow's strength and speed.

Lu Li found that the shadow's attributes were related to its size. When the shadow's size was similar to his own, its strength and speed were roughly equal to his non-enhanced state. In a lightless environment, the shadow could fully detach and become three times his size, with corresponding increases in strength. However, controlling the shadow's detailed transformations was challenging. Even with constant practice, he could only refine the shadow into finger-sized tendrils at best. Therefore, when he fully released his shadow, it usually formed an amorphous, writhing mass.

"The friction is similar to my skin, meaning it can hold weapons. But the lack of flexibility makes it hard to simulate standard hand shapes. Holding a weapon is more like coiling around it, which feels less efficient than just using tendrils to bind it," Lu Li mused about the shadow's uses. "The shadow's hardness and toughness are slightly better than mine, but not by much. It can withstand ordinary blades, but cut or dispersed parts will return to me and be unusable for a while. It can handle small firearms since it has no weak points, but against heavy firepower, the shadow could be dispersed, taking an hour to recover and even temporarily losing its physical enhancement properties."

"The shadow shrinks when exposed to light and disperses in strong light but can be immediately reused. It can't fully detach; any part without my direct control disperses. I can barely manage two tasks at once, let alone three." Lu Li summarized the strengths and weaknesses of his shadow: "Its range is short, only fourteen meters, though enhancing my soul can extend this. But soul enhancement is inherently difficult."

"Maintaining the shadow in a consistent shape isn't too difficult. Maybe I can..." Lu Li recalled the vision during his enhancement, squinting with an idea. He needed to research more on this, which might significantly boost his shadow's close combat capabilities.

"I should also prioritize creating skills. I wonder if anyone is exchanging energy modules?" Lu Li thought, deciding to attend school. As a student, disappearing for too long wasn't good. He cleaned his desk, pulled out some paper, and began sketching, listing his existing modules. He had eight: rules modules (Fixed, Fear, Will, Control, Empower), energy module (Life), control module (Mind), and special module (Basic Intelligence).

Energy module · Life extracts life energy, which, though useful for healing and support, wasn't beneficial for Lu Li's immediate needs. He posted on the forum, seeking to trade it for something more suitable, ideally an energy module for shadow magic to utilize his stored shadow magic efficiently.

The control module · Mind allowed him to use mental power to control skills, offering convenience but consuming additional mental energy. With his current mental energy at 0.38, naturally accumulated, it was barely noticeable without his extreme control.

The special module, Basic Intelligence, seemed rare, as forum discussions on it were scarce. Lu Li decided to keep it for now.

His mental energy was his primary constraint, prompting the need for a skill to extract it. Lu Li remembered the controversial three-module mental extraction skill template he saw earlier. Despite the negative reviews, he was intrigued. He had waited for the quiet module to be restocked and now purchased it, along with the other two modules. This left him with only 250 game points.

He assembled the modules—Soul, Quiet, and Extract—into a skill slot, naming it "Quiet Meditation Technique." Checking his forum post yielded no responses, so he decided to test the mental extraction himself.

Activating the skill, Lu Li felt his soul. Using his extraordinary control, he instantly cleared his mind, counting down from nine to one. Entering a state where all external sounds faded, the world became silent, free of noise and worries. It was a state of eternal tranquility, where his soul seemed to drift into an everlasting slumber.

A sudden suction disrupted the quiet, awakening Lu Li's soul. When the time ended, he awoke feeling refreshed, stretching as if he'd had a good sleep. Checking his data panel, he saw:

**Soul Assessment: 2.88; Mental Energy Derivation: 0.42; Shadow Magic: 1.087**

Both his soul assessment and mental energy derivation increased. Pleased with the results, Lu Li replied to the forum post, "The effect is good. Thanks for the recommendation. My soul assessment increased by 0.02, and mental energy derivation by 0.04."

Satisfied, Lu Li prepared to continue his training and research, eager to explore his newfound abilities further.