The old man’s hands trembled slightly as he stared intently at the silver ring on Elena Nocturne's left hand, which pulsed with a faint violet light.
Clatter!
The tea cup in his hand slipped, shattering against the floor. Scalding tea splashed everywhere, but he didn't even spare it a glance.
"A spatial-temporal artifact... this is definitely a spatial-temporal artifact!"
He sucked in a sharp breath, his voice dropping to a low, almost uncontrollable tremble. "Child, do you have any idea what this means?!"
Elena’s expression remained flat as she withdrew her hand. "It means it possesses an independent space and a time flow completely different from the outside world."
The old man shuddered, his eyes erupting with a piercing light. "How great is the difference in time?!"
"One minute outside," Elena replied calmly, "is equivalent to six hours inside the space."
"What?!"
He cried out in shock again, instantly lunging a step forward. His Rampage aura flared, causing the dust-covered bookshelves to rattle and hiss.
"A ratio of 1:360?!"
Fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead, his eyes filled with an unspeakable shock. "There are no more than five spatial-temporal artifacts known to exist on the entire continent! Even the legendary Chronospire in the mages' holy land only reaches a limit of 1:3! Your ring... it actually reaches a terrifying 1:360?!"
"With this, one day of cultivation for you is equivalent to a full year for anyone else!"
"A 360-fold time difference... Heavens! This is a world-class treasure that even the High Gods would go mad trying to seize!"
[System Notification]
[Detected Mysterious Elder’s assessment of the artifact]
Item Name: [Unknown Space-Time Ring] (Core Awakening: 0.001%)
Time Dilation: 1:360 (1 minute outside = 6 hours inside)
Evaluation: High-Tier Space-Time Artifact (Extremely Rare)
The old man panted heavily, his chest heaving as he struggled to regain his composure.
Elena shook her head. "The time flow is powerful, but my current strength is too weak."
She lowered her eyes, looking at her palm.
[Attribute Panel]
Name: Elena Nocturne
Class: Shadowdancer
STR/Strength: 18
AGI/Agility: 32
Shadow Breathing: 36.8%
Combat Power: 350
"350 Combat Power," Elena whispered. "In the academy, that’s mediocre at best. Meanwhile, my brother, Vincent, has already surpassed 1500 points. If I rely solely on time without high-tier skills and offensive methods, I still won't be able to catch up to him in the short term."
The old man narrowed his eyes, studying her deeply.
After a long silence, he let out a long breath, the shock on his face gradually transforming into an inexplicable fervor and admiration.
"You're right. Time is the best nutrient, but without supreme techniques and killing moves, it's like sitting on a mountain of gold without knowing how to spend it."
He suddenly turned around, striding toward the deepest, musty corners of the Archives.
He stopped in front of a spiderweb-draped bookshelf, his withered fingers fumbling along the top shelf for a moment before he yanked out a heavy ancient tome. It was bound in black iron and radiated a faint, bone-chilling aura.
Complex black runes were sealed upon the cover.
He brushed away the dust and slammed the tome down onto the desk.
Thud!
Black dust billowed into the air.
Upon the cover, several bold characters written in ancient Glyphscript caught the eye—The Phantom Codex!
[High-Tier Technique Tome Detected]
Name: The Phantom Codex
Grade: Forbidden Tier
Status: Readable / Parsable
The old man flipped open the black iron cover and pointed at the dense, flowing purple script inside. "This is the ultimate forbidden art left behind by the ancient Umbral sect, known as the Shade Mirage technique!"
Elena’s gaze sharpened. "A clone?"
He nodded, his tone grave. "Exactly! Ordinary illusionary clones are nothing but flickering shadows that dissipate upon contact. But this secret technique uses the ultra-pure Umbral Force within your body to condense a completely independent, physical clone!"
"The most incredible part is—this clone doesn't just have a physical form. When it is successfully condensed, it will randomly awaken a completely independent class!"
Elena’s pupils constricted violently. "An independent class?!"
The old man chuckled. "That's right! The clone is linked to your consciousness, sharing all perceptions. This means you don't just gain a life-and-death comrade who will never betray you—you can also master two or even multiple completely different class systems simultaneously!"
"The class awakened by the clone could be a common S-Rank, a rarer SS-Rank, or even, with a tiny bit of luck, a legendary SSS-Rank! It all depends on your luck and your Shadow Affinity!"
[Skill Information]
[Shade Mirage]
Grade: Forbidden Tier
Type: Umbral Secret Art
Effect: Condenses an independent physical clone
Clone Characteristics:
- Independent Body (Capable of physical activity)
- Independent Class (Randomly assigned)
- Independent Attribute Panel
- Consciousness Link (Shared perception)
- Permanent Existence (No time limit)
- Resurrectable (24-hour cooldown after death)
Requirements:
- Shadow Breathing at 50% or higher
- Shadow Energy reserves ≥ 100
- Consumes significant stamina and SPR/Spirit
- Failure Rate: 60%
Warning:
- Failure may result in Umbral Backlash.
- Clone class is random and uncontrollable.
- Every 10% increase in awakening grants 1 additional clone.
Elena carefully studied every word on the panel.
A physical body! An independent class! Consciousness Link! Permanent existence!
If she could possess a clone, it wouldn't just double her Combat Power—it would mean she could cultivate a completely secret force in the shadows!
However, her eyes quickly landed on the "Requirements" section.
"Shadow Breathing at 50% or higher..."
She frowned slightly. "My current Shadow Breathing progress is only 36.8%."
[System Notification]
[Cultivation Progress Assessment]
Current Shadow Breathing: 36.8%
Target Progress: 50.0%
Gap: 13.2%
Estimated time for normal cultivation: 6 months (Outside time)
The old man burst into laughter, his raspy voice echoing through the empty Archives.
"Girl, have you lost your mind?!"
He pointed at the ring on Elena’s finger.
"In the outside world, breaking through that 13.2% would indeed require half a year of bitter cultivation! But what do you have in your hand? You have a spatial-temporal artifact with a ratio of 1:360!"
"One day outside is 360 days inside! That’s a whole year!"
"If you go into seclusion for just a few days, only a moment will pass out here, while you will have trained for years inside!"
Elena’s eyes grew brighter and brighter as her thoughts clicked into place.
A time-dilation space combined with the Forbidden-Tier Shade Mirage technique!
This combination was an unstoppable winning hand!
Elena quickly calculated in her mind. One day outside equals one year inside... if I train in there for three days, that’s three years of internal time!
The old man slapped the table beside her. "And that's not all! The space inside such artifacts usually seals in the purest primordial energy. The Umbral concentration is at least several times higher than the outside! One day of training in there is worth two or three days out here!"
His eyes gleamed with anticipation. "Three days! As long as you stay in seclusion for three days, your Shadow Breathing will definitely cross the 50% threshold!"
[System Notification]
[Extreme Cultivation Model Calculation]
Environment: Time Dilation Space (1:360) + High-density Umbral Environment
Planned Duration: 3 days (1080 days / ~3 years internally)
Expected Shadow Breathing Increase: 36.8% → 55.0%~62.0%
Success Probability: 99.8%
Elena took a deep breath, her cold eyes flashing with unwavering determination.
Vincent... House Nocturne... those who had once trampled and mocked her could never imagine what kind of terrifying leverage she now held.
"Fine!"
Elena closed the ancient tome, her voice cold. "I’ll begin my seclusion immediately! In three days, I will break through 50% Shadow Breathing and successfully condense my first Shade Mirage!"
The old man nodded repeatedly, satisfied by her decisive demeanor.
He then turned and retrieved several exquisite brocade boxes and vials from a hidden compartment at the very bottom of the Archives.
He lined them up and pushed them toward Elena.
"Determination isn't enough on the path of cultivation; resources are just as important. These are little trinkets I collected in my youth. They’d only gather dust here, so take them."
[System Notification]
[Items Obtained]
[Essence of Nightshade] ×3
Grade: Purple-Epic
Effect: Shadow Energy recovery speed +200% for 24 hours.
[Umbrastone] ×1
Grade: Blue-Rare
Effect: Increases Shadow Affinity by +30% while held during cultivation.
[The Elder's Journal] ×1
Grade: Green-Refined
Effect: Contains insights into advanced Veilwalking to avoid common mistakes.
Elena looked at the treasures radiating dense Umbral energy, her heart stirring.
The Purple-Epic Essence of Nightshade was worth a fortune at an auction, and he had given her three bottles at once!
As for the Blue-Rare Umbrastone, its 30% boost to Shadow Affinity was exactly what she needed for her urgent breakthrough. It was a godsend.
Elena solemnly accepted the items and bowed deeply to the old man.
"Thank you. I will remember this kindness."
He waved her off, his expression returning to its usual lazy, raspy state. "Go on, don't waste time. I want to see what kind of surprise you can bring me in three days!"
"I won't disappoint you."
Elena turned and left without hesitation.
Returning to her dilapidated shack, Elena locked the door and shut every window tight.
With a thought, she moved the three bottles of Essence of Nightshade, the Umbrastone, and The Elder's Journal into the ring’s space.
[System Notification]
[Items Stored Successfully]
Current Storage Space Usage: 1.2%
Elena stroked the silver ring on her left hand, the purple runes reflecting a strange, ghostly light in her pupils.
"Three days... three days in the outside world."
She spoke the words coldly before injecting her meager Shadow Energy into the ring.
Hum!
A pale purple spatial-temporal portal tore open in the middle of the simple wooden room. Inside, dense purple Umbral energy flowed like water.
Without a second thought, Elena stepped through the portal!
[System Notification]
[Host detected entering Time Dilation Space]
[Environmental Parameters Activated]
Time Dilation Ratio: 1:360 (Active)
Shadow Energy Concentration: 4.5x Outside World (Active)
Current Status: [In Seclusion] [Within The Temporal Chamber]
Target: Shadow Breathing 50% (Unlock The Art of Severance)
As the portal slowly closed, the shack returned to a deathly silence. Only a faint, lingering purple shimmer in the air proved that anything had happened.
Three days later, at dusk, inside the massive and grand House Nocturne main residence.
In the glittering reception hall, Vincent Nocturne sat high upon a luxurious leather chair, swirling a glass of expensive red wine.
Before him, a scout guard clad in black tight-fitting gear knelt on one knee, reporting in a low voice.
"Master Vincent, I have been closely monitoring the failure's movements for the past few days."
Vincent took a sip of the wine, his lips curling into a look of cold mockery. "Oh? And what has that wench been doing? Crying in her nest?"
The guard whispered, "It’s a bit strange, sir. That failure hasn't stepped out of her door for three whole days."
"Three days without leaving?" Vincent’s eyebrows arched.
"Yes! And according to the reports from the hidden sentries nearby... her room sometimes emits a strange purple glow in the middle of the night."
Vincent’s hand tightened around the glass, a shadow of suspicion crossing his eyes. "Purple light? What kind of purple light?"
The guard shook his head. "The distance was too great, and there was a faint energy dampening the area. I didn't want to alert her, so I couldn't investigate further."
Vincent let out a cold snort, his expression quickly shifting back to disdain.
A failure abandoned by the family with no resources to her name—even if she produced some purple light, what could she possibly achieve? It was likely just some cheap tricks—perhaps a low-grade protection charm or a futile attempt at some last-ditch cultivation.
Vincent slammed the wine glass onto the table, splashing a few drops of red liquid. "Hmph, keep someone watching her! Report any abnormalities immediately!"
"Understood!" the guard replied, bowing his head.
Vincent rose slowly from his seat, his gaze piercing through the tall floor-to-ceiling windows toward the direction of the academy's Proving Grounds. A smile of extreme arrogance and cruelty played on his face.
"Trash should just wait quietly for death. Resisting is merely asking for further humiliation."
"Three days from now is the academy’s annual Centennial Gauntlet!"
"At that time, not only will the family elders be present, but the top brass of the academy will also attend!"
"I will step over that failure’s dignity in front of everyone at the Centennial Gauntlet! I will let the whole world see that I, Vincent Nocturne, am the true peerless genius of House Nocturne!"
The last rays of the setting sun shone into the hall, illuminating his face, which was twisted with murderous intent and supreme confidence.