The Many Uses of Multiple Shadow Clones

Thanks to "Spending the Rest of Your Life Loving Me" and a bro whose username I can't make out, for the generous rewards.

At the dinner table, Ye Zhiqiu, Tang San, and Xiao Wu worked together to spin quite a tale, finally managing to smooth the matter over. They barely convinced Ye's Parents that being a Spirit Master really was a profitable profession.

Come to think of it, Ye Zhiqiu had never even registered with Spirit Hall, nor had he received so much as a single Copper Soul Coin. His spirit rings were simply too unusual, and for the time being, he did not dare draw Spirit Hall's attention.

The Gold Soul Coins Ye Zhiqiu had saved up were all tributes from students of every grade at the academy. Obviously, he could not tell his parents about that. He had no desire to experience another one of his parents' combined beatings.

After the group happily finished dinner, Xiao Wu followed Tang San home to sleep.

There was no helping it—Ye Zhiqiu's house did not have enough beds. Since Tang Hao had left, Tang San's house happened to have an empty bed.

Late at night, everything was silent. Not even the buzzing of insects could be heard. Winters on Douluo Continent were still rather cold for ordinary people.

Ye Zhiqiu, who appeared to be sound asleep in his own bed, suddenly opened his eyes. He quietly slipped out the door and ran toward the edge of the village.

Only when he reached the familiar huge boulder outside Holy Spirit Village did Ye Zhiqiu stop.

No one tended the land outside the village, and dense Blue Silver Grass grew everywhere. In the middle of the night, the grass gave off faint motes of light. They were not very noticeable during the day, but in the pitch-black night, they were easily seen. At that moment, they floated half a foot above the Blue Silver Grass, drifting unconsciously with the breeze like countless fireflies at play. They drove back much of the darkness, lending the surroundings a dreamlike air.

"It's certainly beautiful, but enjoying it alone is a little dull." Ye Zhiqiu shook his head and sighed before activating his Sharingan martial soul.

To use a spirit ability, one had to first activate one's martial soul. Even though Ye Zhiqiu's spirit abilities had been derived from Ninjutsu, they still could not defy the laws of this world.

"Second Spirit Ability, Multiple Shadow Clones!" A sharp cry rang out across the empty land outside Holy Spirit Village.

It was followed by a string of bangs. Before long, the once-desolate wilderness was suddenly packed with countless figures. At a rough glance, there were at least five or six hundred of them.

The place suddenly became somewhat noisy. Fortunately, it was still some distance from Holy Spirit Village; otherwise, they would have woken the entire village.

Most of the Shadow Clones stood quietly in place, silently watching Ye Zhiqiu's original body as they waited for orders. These were the more steady-tempered, thoughtful clones. They knew that if their original body had summoned them, he must have something for them to do.

The other clones were nowhere near as self-aware. Some whispered among themselves, some mocked their original body, and some even tried to sneak away to have fun. Ye Zhiqiu's face darkened. Having only a few clones was fine, but once there were too many, a few oddballs were inevitable. Yet he could not exactly scold them—wouldn't that be scolding himself?

"Quiet. Stand properly," Ye Zhiqiu barked.

The somewhat noisy atmosphere instantly fell silent. The few clones who had been talking suddenly looked as though their mouths had been sewn shut, restrained by some force of rules. One clone who had tried to run away was frozen in place, one leg still raised in a running pose. His expression was twisted in discomfort.

Ye Zhiqiu looked over the now-quiet clones and revealed a satisfied expression. "I called you out at night to avoid drawing attention, so use your brains. Now, I'll assign your tasks."

"Each of you, use the Transformation Jutsu to change your face. Change into anyone you want, just don't use my face or the faces of Holy Spirit Village residents. Then spread out and enter Soul Fighting Arena matches in the major and minor cities of the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires. You are not allowed to use spirit rings. It would be best if you win with physical strength alone. Remember, keeping your true identity hidden is the first priority. Only after that comes farming Negative Emotion Value. I don't need to teach you how to do that, do I? After your matches, dismiss yourselves and return. Do you all understand?" Ye Zhiqiu patiently explained every word. There was no helping it—each clone had its own consciousness, and some of them were not particularly bright. He had to make things clear.

"Original body, I don't understand. How do we farm Negative Emotion Value? Please teach me." The clone who had tried to flee asked.

The other clones looked at him with disdain, as if they were saying, How the hell did I end up with such an idiot for a clone companion?

Ye Zhiqiu rubbed his head, somewhat speechless. This clone seemed a little slow in the head. He had better teach him, lest there were other brain-dead clones mixed in who did not understand but pretended that they did.

"How to farm Negative Emotion Value is actually very simple. You know how to insult people, right?" Ye Zhiqiu asked the clone.

"I'm good at that." The clone who had failed to escape looked proud.

"Mm." Ye Zhiqiu nodded and continued, "Then after you finish your match, point at the entire audience and curse them out. The nastier, the better. Understand?"

The failed escapee's eyes lit up, and he gave an OK gesture.

"No more questions?" Ye Zhiqiu confirmed once again.

All the clones shook their heads.

Ye Zhiqiu smiled in satisfaction. It seemed his clones had indeed inherited his fine qualities. After all, the brain-dead ones were only a minority.

"Go," Ye Zhiqiu said.

The moment his words fell, another series of bangs spread through the area. Once the white smoke dispersed, the hundreds of Ye Zhiqiu clones had vanished, replaced by a variety of different faces.

There were people Ye Zhiqiu had seen in his previous life, as well as acquaintances from this life.

Xiao Wu, Sword Douluo, Ning Rongrong, Yu Xiaogang, and others were all among them. Ye Zhiqiu even spotted more than a dozen Su Yuntaos. These clones, having changed their appearances, scattered outward from Holy Spirit Village. Each used their own methods, vanishing into the darkness of the night in the blink of an eye.

The corners of Ye Zhiqiu's mouth curled up. Douluo Continent would probably become lively after tonight. If Su Yuntao entered a Soul Fighting match and happened to be matched against one of his Su Yuntao clones, that would be interesting. Thinking of this, Ye Zhiqiu gave a mischievous smile.

With everything arranged, Ye Zhiqiu yawned and prepared to head back to sleep.

Hopefully, my clones will bring me a few pleasant surprises tomorrow or the day after. Earning Negative Emotion Value while lying down feels absolutely amazing.

The Great Soul Arenas in cities everywhere were gathering places for countless Spirit Masters. If he greeted the ancestors of every Spirit Master in the spectator stands for eighteen generations, how much Negative Emotion Value would that bring? With such a massive cake before him, how could Ye Zhiqiu possibly give it up? That was also why he had sent his clones to wreak havoc in the Great Soul Arenas.