Illusory God Phantom Shadow

Qingyou Peak, the small courtyard where Lingyun lived.

"Tian'er, you're back. Where's the rabbit you caught?" When Ling Tian returned, Lingyun was chatting with Humei in the courtyard. Seeing Ling Tian covered in dirt and looking utterly bedraggled, Lingyun knew he'd come up short. A broad grin spread across his face.

Ling Tian's little face reddened. "Father, I didn't catch a rabbit."

His voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz. Even Lingyun could only hear him by concentrating. Ling Tian was clearly mortified and utterly ashamed.

"Hahaha!" Lingyun couldn't help laughing. "You went out with your mother, so how come she came back by herself? I thought you'd be able to catch a rabbit after your mother taught you the Illusory God Phantom Shadow Movement Technique!"

"What? What? The Illusory God Phantom Shadow Movement Technique? Mother didn't teach me!" Ling Tian's face was full of confusion as he looked at Humei, utterly baffled.

"Squeak, squeak!" Humei protested innocently.

"Your mother said you told her to come back. You were so adamant that she didn't even get the chance to teach you." Lingyun spoke unhurriedly, though a smile flickered across his face.

Remembering how Humei had seemed to want to say something before she left, Ling Tian could only smile wryly. He'd thought his mother treated him so well, but it seemed Humei had learned from his father and was deliberately dangling the prospect in front of him. At the thought, Ling Tian gave Humei an even more aggrieved look.

Humei looked even more innocent and nudged her snout toward Lingyun. How could Ling Tian not understand? Lingyun was the mastermind behind all this. At the realization, he could only smile wryly again.

"What about the Illusory God Phantom Shadow Movement Technique? Mother, when are you going to teach me?" Ling Tian slapped his forehead. Only then did he remember the movement technique his father had just mentioned. He looked at Humei, his face filled with anxious anticipation.

"It's late today. Eat, then go back and get some sleep. You can have your mother teach you tomorrow." Lingyun cut in before Humei could answer.

"Oh." Ling Tian's reply brimmed with disappointment.

"Hehe, hurry up and eat," Lingyun said with a faint smile.

"Mm, I understand, Father," Ling Tian said helplessly. He knew his father wouldn't go back on his word, so he had no choice but to eat first.

The meal passed with Lingyun secretly grinning, Humei looking utterly innocent, and Ling Tian wearing a wry smile while waiting eagerly.

"Father, Mother, I'm heading back." Ling Tian bowed to his parents and started to leave.

"Tian'er, wait a moment." Seeing Ling Tian bow to them and prepare to head back to bed, Lingyun hurriedly called out to him.

"What is it, Father?" Ling Tian looked puzzled.

"Here." Lingyun didn't say anything else. He simply tossed Ling Tian a book.

Ling Tian caught it and took a closer look. It was the Illusory God Phantom Shadow Movement Technique. His confusion deepened, and he stared blankly at Lingyun, as though waiting for an explanation. The book had clearly been copied out well in advance.

"Well, I knew you wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, so I thought I'd give you the book to look over. Just get a feel for it first. Besides, your mother's movement technique is profound and obscure. I'm worried you won't be able to learn it in one go. Go back and study it tonight; with a little foundation, it'll be easier for you to learn tomorrow." Lingyun spoke leisurely, unhurriedly.

"Mm, thank you, Father. And thank you, Mother. I'm heading back." Ling Tian's confusion vanished, replaced by unconcealed excitement. He hurried to leave, clearly eager to get back and study the technique.

"By the way, Father, I picked a few Snake Spirit Fruits today. Here." As if remembering something, Ling Tian pulled out several Snake Spirit Fruits and tossed them to Lingyun.

"Snake Spirit Fruits!" Lingyun's eyes lit up. "How did you get them?"

"I went out to find something to eat today, and happened to come across some Snake Spirit Fruits." Ling Tian said it casually. He didn't want his parents to know he'd been in danger.

"Hehe, it's nice of you to think of us, but with our cultivation, the Snake Spirit Fruit is no use to us. It'll benefit you much more." As he spoke, Lingyun tossed the fruit back.

"Hehe, I have plenty more. Father, Mother, just try some. Think of them as fruit." Ling Tian smiled and tossed the fruit back to Lingyun. Without waiting for him to say anything, he dashed away.

"That child. Haha." After Ling Tian left, Lingyun's smile grew wider. "There must be a Chi Yan Python guarding the Snake Spirit Fruits. Who knows what danger the child ran into today? He probably doesn't want us to worry."

"Squeak, squeak!" Humei's foxlike eyes were full of affection.

"Hehe, that child is something," Lingyun said, full of relief.

As for Ling Tian, he hurried back to his room and opened the book, reading it intently.

The Illusory God Phantom Shadow Movement Technique was a movement technique unique to the Nine-Tailed Fox clan. It could greatly increase a cultivator's speed and agility. Trained to its highest level, it could create phantoms and bewitch all who saw it. The practitioner could move with the swiftness of a flying bird, drifting like a god; hence, it was called the Illusory God Phantom Shadow Movement Technique.

By the time Ling Tian read this, he was incredibly excited. During the day, the Swift Shadow Rabbits had left him in a sorry state, and he'd been fretting over how to win back his "dignity." If he mastered this movement technique, he figured all his problems would be solved. With that thought, he studied even more intently.

The Illusory God Phantom Shadow Movement Technique covered all kinds of movement techniques and could be said to encompass everything. It included rising, shifting, jumping, dodging, leaping, and more. It was incredibly complex, well suited to narrow spaces, and nimble and versatile. The technique had many footwork patterns, each strange and difficult to understand. Every pattern had many variations, and each variation had its own peculiarities.

Ling Tian read for a long time, but only managed to memorize a little. As more time passed, he forgot most of the variations and retained only a few of their essential principles. Helpless, he started over. This time, he paced back and forth as he read, following the book's instructions, sometimes jumping, sometimes leaping. His small bedroom was filled with his busy figure. He didn't mind forgetting the movements; he simply jumped and leaped however he pleased. Somehow, he managed to muddle his way through the entire technique, though it felt a little off. By the end of the night, he was utterly exhausted. He even forgot that he'd meant to test out the cultivation method for spiritual energy.

The next morning, sure enough, Ling Tian went out with dark circles under his eyes again. This time, Lingyun came along too, saying "behind his back" that he wanted to see Ling Tian make a fool of himself. Ling Tian could only smile wryly.

The two men and the fox soon arrived at yesterday's spot. More than ten Swift Shadow Rabbits had already gathered there, looking as if they were afraid Ling Tian might not show up.

"Tian'er, I assume you've read this book on the Illusory God Phantom Shadow Movement Technique. What did you think? Did you try practicing it? I bet you did. How did it go?" Lingyun's eyes clearly hid a mischievous grin. He knew just how "peculiar" this technique was.

"Father, I didn't do very well. I read it for a little while, then forgot it again. By now, I've forgotten most of it. I only remember a little." Ling Tian looked ashamed.

"Oh? Is that really so?" Lingyun had expected to tease Ling Tian, but instead his face filled with curiosity and excitement.

"Mm, yes. I only vaguely remember a little, and it all feels a bit familiar and yet unfamiliar." Though Ling Tian found his father's reaction strange, he answered honestly. As he spoke, he moved through the rising, shifting, and leaping steps he'd practiced. His movements were a little clumsy, but he was indeed much nimbler and faster.

"Oh? Could it be that Tian'er really grasped the essence of the Illusory God Phantom Shadow Movement Technique?" Lingyun looked at Humei, his face full of curiosity and uncertainty.

Humei squeaked a few times, her fox ears twitching and her expression full of delight. This only strengthened Lingyun's conviction.

"Looks like it. This movement technique hinges on the word 'change.' You have to move as you please to bring out its wonders; rigidly copying the forms will only have the opposite effect. I can't believe Tian'er grasped its essence in just one night. All he lacks now is familiarity." Lingyun murmured excitedly. Humei was just as astonished.

"All right, Tian'er, come here." Seeing Ling Tian having fun, Lingyun had to interrupt him.

"Mm, Father, I didn't practice very well. Please give me some pointers." Ling Tian looked embarrassed. As far as he knew, he'd simply improvised those movements, so there had to be plenty of flaws.

"Hehe, you did very well. This movement technique hinges on 'change' and 'moving as you please.' You're just not familiar with it yet. Keep practicing for a while, and you'll be fine," Lingyun said with a smile.

"Is that really true, Father?" Ling Tian clearly found it hard to believe. Had he really stumbled into mastering this miraculous technique just by moving around randomly?

"Mm, it is." Seeing that Ling Tian didn't believe him, Lingyun's expression turned serious, and he answered earnestly.

"So it really works like that!?" Ling Tian was beside himself with joy.

"Go try catching a rabbit." Seeing Ling Tian getting a little pleased with himself, Lingyun gave him a knowing smile.

Ling Tian took a deep breath and confidently set off after the rabbits, using the movement technique. But it wasn't long before his smile disappeared. He hardly bumped into trees anymore, and his movements were far nimbler and faster, but he could still only catch the Swift Shadow Rabbits' afterimages. The rabbits always escaped by a hair's breadth. After several tries, he could only give up and stop, turning to Lingyun and Humei with a helpless, pleading look.

"Hehe, Tian'er, you're still not familiar enough with it. And you're changing too little, too slowly. Before you can make your move, the Swift Shadow Rabbits have already read what you'll do next. Naturally, you won't catch them," Lingyun patiently explained.

Hearing his father's words, Ling Tian grew thoughtful. He stood motionless and began to think carefully.

"Father's right. I still don't have enough variations. After every move, there should be many possible changes, encompassing all kinds of possibilities. Whatever the rabbit does next, my variations should already account for it." A light flashed in Ling Tian's mind as he thought to himself.

"But that's easier said than done. How am I supposed to do it?"

Ling Tian suddenly started moving. He looked at Humei, who was smiling beside him, and said, "Mother, could you catch a Swift Shadow Rabbit for me? I want to see how you do it."

Humei said nothing. Her figure flashed as she pounced toward the Swift Shadow Rabbits. Her movements were ethereal and nimble, phantoms flickering all around her, like a dream or an illusion. She revealed one-tenth of each movement and concealed the other nine-tenths. Before Ling Tian could even cry out in surprise, Humei had already pinned a Swift Shadow Rabbit to the ground. The rabbit hadn't even had time to react before she caught it. The speed of Humei's movement technique was plain to see.

"Ah, that's so fast! Your breathing and footwork are in sync, as if they're one!" Ling Tian exclaimed.

Pleased by his praise, Humei narrowed her fox eyes into slits. Seeing the Swift Shadow Rabbit struggle and beg for its life, she loosened her paw, and it flashed away, fleeing far into the distance.

"Hehe, did you understand, Tian'er?" Lingyun asked with a faint smile.

Ling Tian pondered for a while, closed his eyes, and recalled Humei's every movement. He nodded, then shook his head, opened his eyes, and said, "It feels like I understand, but also like I'm even more confused."

"Is it how to make the changes?" Seeing Ling Tian's confusion, Lingyun knew what the hardest part of the technique was, and immediately guessed what was troubling him.

"Mm!" Ling Tian nodded. After thinking for a moment, he continued, "After each of Mother's movements, there seem to be several more she could make. But how do you choose what to do next? Once you've made one move, doesn't that make it impossible to make another?"

"I see. Your mother reveals only one-tenth of each movement and holds back the other nine-tenths. That gives her plenty of time to choose the next move. You choose what to do next based on changes in your surroundings and what you need to do. Once you've clarified your goal, the next movement becomes obvious." Lingyun carefully considered how to explain it, trying to make it as simple and easy for Ling Tian to understand as possible.

"Reveal one-tenth and hold back the other nine-tenths?" Ling Tian murmured, as if something had clicked.

"Think it over and practice until you're familiar with it. Your mother and I will head back first." Seeing Ling Tian deep in thought, Lingyun didn't want to stay and disturb him.

"Mm, Father, is there anything else you need to teach me?" This time, Ling Tian had learned his lesson and asked at once.

"Hahaha, look at how cautious you are. No, that's really all this time. Master this movement technique first." Lingyun laughed heartily. It seemed Ling Tian had been put through the wringer by him.

"Then you and Mother can go back. I'll think it over." Once Ling Tian was sure his parents had nothing else to teach him, he knew they'd be bored staying there, so he sent them back.

After Lingyun and Humei left, Ling Tian practiced the Illusory God Phantom Shadow Movement Technique in the woods. He didn't hurry to catch rabbits. He knew that with his current "half-baked" skills, trying to catch the Swift Shadow Rabbits would probably end the same way as before, with the rabbits toying with him.