Alienated Shadow

When Lu Li came to, he was already lying in his own bed. He sat up. His body didn't feel any different; if anything, he felt a little stronger. He was just somewhat tired. But when he turned around, the shadow behind him twitched. Just as Lu Li was about to investigate further, someone knocked on the door, and his cousin Ji Yue called, "Dinner's ready!"

"Oh!" Lu Li answered. The shadow behind him settled down. He opened the door and found his uncle and aunt already eating. Without saying much, Lu Li picked up a bowl, served himself some rice, and started eating. His aunt was quietly chatting with Ji Yue. His uncle took a bite of food, then suddenly looked up at Lu Li and asked, "The college entrance exam is in a month. How are your studies?"

"Pretty good. I should at least be able to get into a university," Lu Li replied calmly. With his brain unlocked, his ability to analyze and think was highly efficient. Although he hadn't studied seriously, his grades had always been decent—in fact, excellent. That was one reason his teachers put up with some of his behavior.

"Have you decided which university you want to go to?" His uncle hesitated, then said, "I heard a branch campus of a foreign university is opening in the provincial capital this year. Apparently, it's quite famous. What was it called again? Some kind of 'Myth' university?"

"...I'll handle the university stuff myself. Don't worry about it." Lu Li ate his last bite of rice and gathered his dishes. Then he said, "I'll move out after the entrance exam. I have something to do tonight, so I won't be coming back to sleep!"

After washing his bowl, he paid no attention to his uncle's hesitant expression and left the house, heading toward the riverbank. At the same time, he brought up his status panel, and the information appeared:

[Number: YZ0135]

[Physical Assessment: 1.24 + 0.62 (Alienated Shadow bonus; varies according to the surrounding environment.); Life Energy Generation: 0.1]

[Soul Assessment: 2.86; Mental Energy Generation: 0.38; Shadow Magic: 0.001]

[Innate Ability: Ultimate Control: Your nonhuman-level soul has granted you nonhuman-level control. You have extraordinary control over your own body!]

[Skill Slots: Three; no skills.]

[Inventory: Rule Module: Fixed; Fear; Will; Manipulation; Bestowal; Energy Module: Life; Control Module: Mental; Special Module: Primary Intelligence;]

[Game Points: 550]

[Evaluation: You are no longer human, although your body is still human.]

Standing on the riverbank, Lu Li looked down at the Wu River. It was already seven or eight in the evening, and this stretch of riverbank was rather remote, so hardly anyone came here. Some bushes grew nearby, and there were plenty of mosquitoes and other bugs. Even people looking for somewhere private to make out wouldn't come here. The nearest light source was by the bridge, but it was too far away. From the bridge, no one could even make out his silhouette. He had no need to worry about anyone spotting or disturbing him. Lu Li calmed himself and sensed his shadow.

There wasn't much light, but Lu Li could feel a mass beneath his feet, blending into the darkness. He closed his eyes and focused all his attention on controlling the shadow that merged with the darkness beneath him.

Something stirred in the darkness. Following Lu Li's intent, a tentacle, black as the essence of darkness, rose from the mass behind him and slowly stretched out, eventually forming an irregular geometric shape. Lu Li directed the shadow to move behind him, only to find it getting smaller and smaller. It seemed to remain connected to him, with part of its body flattening into a line that linked them.

Frowning, Lu Li tried to separate the shadowy line. The mass of shadow immediately dispersed, and he sensed a shadow beneath his feet again. He opened his eyes and sighed. It wasn't that his shadow couldn't detach; he just didn't have enough control. Without a direct mental link to support it, the detached shadow had simply scattered.

"So I need to do two things at once?" Lu Li now had what was essentially another shadow clone, except he had to control it with his own mind. Otherwise, it would disperse and return to his feet.

Not having enough control was a huge joke to Lu Li, but that was the reality. With no other choice, he kept practicing, repeatedly detaching and controlling his shadow. By midnight, he could finally move it around without a shadowy line connecting them.

"This is harder than I thought!" Lu Li shifted his stiff body, and the shadow still moving nearby immediately collapsed and returned to his feet. He shook his head with a wry smile. Doing two things at once really wasn't easy—it was difficult, in fact. Controlling his own body was no problem, but controlling the shadow was like operating a separate system. He needed time to get used to it and turn certain movements into instinct before he could spare any mental energy.

The Wu River flowed on, its waters never ceasing to murmur. It was already the middle of the night, and most people were asleep. Lu Li rested for a while, then closed his eyes and slowly drifted off. Just as he was about to fall asleep, his brain unlocked, sensing and analyzing every bit of data around him. He came instantly awake. "Based on the analysis, that special sensation is what it feels like to enter the Dream of Delusion. But this sensation seems much weaker."

"I can confirm that the Dream of Delusion exists in the real world too, though it may be much weaker!" Lu Li had grasped that sensation once in the ruined temple, and now he had felt it again in the real world. The only thing he couldn't determine was whether he would enter the Dream of Delusion if he fell asleep now.

Feeling that there were too many mosquitoes, Lu Li closed the pores on his body and caught the few mosquitoes feeding on his skin, crushing them one by one. He closed his eyes again and fell asleep. That special sensation appeared and vanished in a flash. Ten minutes later, Lu Li opened his eyes again with a strange expression. He could sense the Dream of Delusion, but he couldn't enter it at all. He really had fallen asleep, too. The sensation of the Dream of Delusion felt like a dream, as if some kind of barrier stood between them.

Unable to figure it out, Lu Li put the matter aside, closed his pores, blocked his scent, and settled into a proper sleep.

Second update. Readers can use the clues already provided to guess what kind of skill Lu Li will put together. Here's a hint: some modules will be exchanged for corresponding modules, so don't worry about the modules.