https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-240-They-re-All-Dead-So-Isn-t-It-Whatever-I-Say-/12850391/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-242-Binding-Together-as-a-Community-of-Shared-Interests/12850393/
Chapter 241: Shadow Stones and Shadows, Who Is the Parasite?
Chapter 241: Shadow Stones and Shadows, Who Is the Parasite?
Qin Muye quickly entered the Shadow Administration. With the Yinshan Army’s treasure vault as his entry asset, he sailed through the approval and review processes. Although he was not assigned to an important department, he was placed in the archives room.
The staff members who processed his paperwork subtly expressed their hope that he would read more documents and archives in hopes of finding another treasure vault.
The discovery of the Yinshan Army’s treasure vault greatly supplemented the Shadow Administration’s lack of shadow techniques, sparking a frenzy of exchanges among the internal shadow practitioners.
"Professor Li, are you getting used to the work in the archives room?" Qing Jiao slowly walked in.
"Captain Qing Jiao, why are you free to visit me today? No missions?" Qin Muye put down the archives he was reading. These were all public archives from the archives room, and there were no restrictions on viewing them.
The truly confidential archives were not kept here, so only some more general archives were available, and any member of the Shadow Administration could view them.
"I’m here to deliver the shadow stone to you. Given Professor Li’s contributions, your low-grade shadow stone has been upgraded to a high-grade one. Tsk, I’ve been a captain for so many years and have only managed to exchange for a dozen or so. You get one right away."
Qing Jiao handed the shadow stone to Qin Muye, who took it and saw a stone covered in patterns, feeling a bit cold to the touch.
"I recommend that you don’t use this high-grade shadow stone for awakening, as it would be a waste. It’s better to wait a bit longer and then use your merits to exchange for a low-grade shadow stone for awakening. Later, you can use the high-grade shadow stone to cultivate your shadow’s strength," Qing Jiao reminded him.
Shadow stones are not only used for awakening shadows but are also the most basic material for enhancing shadows.
"I understand, thank you for the reminder, Captain Qing Jiao." Qin Muye put the high-grade shadow stone in his pocket and continued, "I must say, Captain Qing Jiao, you’ve come at the right time."
"Oh? Professor Li, you didn’t find another treasure vault of the Yinshan Army, did you? That’s a bit too efficient, isn’t it?" Qing Jiao’s expression was somewhat odd.
"Not sure, there are records in the documents, but the specifics need you to verify them yourself," Qin Muye said.
In fact, Qin Muye had known about this place for a while. It was a treasure vault storing resources for cultivating shadows. Most of the contents were already damaged, and the remaining items were nearly depleted.
Fortunately, some of the techniques had been preserved, though not as many as in the previous Yinshan treasure vault.
According to the information returned by the Evangelical Imp, it was roughly a thousand years old.
There were still many shadow stones left, and Qin Muye had the Evangelical Imp take about a third of them and copy the techniques before leaving.
"This treasure vault does not belong to the Yinshan Army. It belongs to the local garrison from a thousand years ago. Due to unknown reasons, it was abandoned, so don’t have too high expectations for the contents. The location is roughly here," Qin Muye said slowly.
He found that this temporary skill, while somewhat deceptive, had given him considerable insight into history, folklore, and the mysterious, much like the temporary skill of the White Horse Prince, which made anyone who saw him with a white horse recognize him as a prince.
Qin Muye was trying to solidify this insight and deepen his sensitivity to these historical aspects.
"Fine, I’ll make a trip. If it’s really there, then Professor Li, you won’t need to exchange for a low-grade shadow stone. Exchanging for a mid-grade one would be no problem."
"You should know that mid-grade shadow stones have a 100% success rate for awakening and can even reach the Real Shadow stage," Qing Jiao said and hurriedly left.
Shadow practitioners are divided into three stages: Phantom Shadow, Real Shadow, and Transformation Shadow.
The Phantom Shadow stage is when the shadow first awakens and is in a virtual state, not much different from ordinary shadows. The only difference is that at this stage, the shadow practitioner can control the shadow to move on a flat surface.
It’s good for scaring people, but not for actual combat, as it is still just a virtual image, not a real entity.
The Real Shadow stage is when the shadow gradually forms into a solid entity. Shi Liang from the Shi family had his shadow at this stage. At this stage, the shadow forms a solid entity, but it is still too fragile.
At this stage, it’s not yet clear what the shadow will ultimately develop into.
Only at the Transformation Shadow stage does the shadow truly begin to develop. At this stage, the shadow transforms into a cocoon-like form.
Under normal circumstances, this form lasts only three to five days, the fastest of all stages. Other forms take three months to a year, and the specific reasons are unknown, and even if known, they are not disclosed.
After these three stages are completed, the shadow will undergo a complete transformation and awakening. Only then can one be considered a true shadow practitioner.
As for advancing further, it involves the cultivation of the shadow, requiring various shadow techniques, resources, and development of the shadow’s abilities.
There are no further rankings beyond these stages because no one would intentionally reveal the strength and abilities of their shadow. If the enemy knew and could target them specifically, it would be a death sentence.
Qin Muye looked at the high-grade shadow stone in his hand. He had no intention of immediately awakening his shadow and instead put down the archive to start studying the shadow stone.
"Shadow stones are divided into four grades: low, medium, high, and the top-grade shadow stones, which are not available to the general public."
Low-grade shadow stones are the most common and are primarily used by most shadow practitioners for daily improvement. Medium-grade shadow stones are also numerous. If low-grade shadow stones are considered the staple food, then medium-grade shadow stones are like the occasional gourmet meals one can enjoy a few times a month.
High-grade shadow stones are different. They are expensive and can cause one to feel the pinch for several months after a single use, making them a luxury item.
Above that, the top-grade shadow stones are the rarest, known only by name and rarely seen. They are usually reserved for the imperial court and high-ranking officials.
In the large private treasury Qin Muye discovered earlier, there were only three high-grade shadow stones, with the rest being low and medium-grade.
Identifying the quality of a shadow stone is simple: it involves examining the patterns on the stone. The more intricate the patterns, the higher the grade of the shadow stone.
The high-grade shadow stone in his hand had patterns covering four-fifths of its surface, indicating that it was of a higher quality among high-grade shadow stones.
Top-grade shadow stones are entirely covered in patterns, making them look quite unconventional.
Low-grade shadow stones typically have patterns covering less than one-third of their surface, while medium-grade shadow stones have patterns covering between one-third and two-thirds.
High-grade shadow stones have patterns covering more than two-thirds but less than the entire surface.
The criteria for evaluation are somewhat vague.
These patterns are the manifestation of the energy within the shadow stone, which is why the more patterns there are, the higher the quality of the shadow stone.
"I need to figure out why this thing can activate shadows." Qin Muye’s eyes glowed with a crimson crystalline structure, forming a unique, inhuman vision.
However, he found that the outer shell of the shadow stone had properties that blocked his probing, preventing him from seeing its internal structure.
"Interesting. No wonder the hardness of shadow stones is so high that even the Shadow Administration can’t break the shell," Qin Muye said, examining the shadow stone.
Absorbing a shadow stone is simple: one just needs to place it within their shadow, and the shadow will absorb it in a special way.
Only human shadows can absorb shadow stones. Shadows of other animals, plants, or objects like tables and chairs cannot absorb them. Some documents speculate that this might be related to human intelligence.
But Qin Muye didn’t agree with this. He thought it might simply be a way to target humans.
Choosing a host naturally means choosing the best. Other life forms wouldn’t receive such treatment.
"So, could this be an insect egg?"
Qin Muye’s imagination ran wild, but he quickly dismissed the idea. If it were an insect egg, absorbing multiple shadow stones would decrease the survival rate, making it unlikely that shadow stones are insect eggs.
"Even if shadow stones are unlikely to be insect eggs, what if the shadows themselves are insect eggs?"
One should not look at things from a single perspective. Multiple hypotheses are possible.
If shadows are insect eggs and shadow stones are nutrients, it would explain everything.
He didn’t want to think in the most negative way, but the existence of dead shadows and the Shadow Realm forced him to consider the worst-case scenario.
After all, the main mission is to resolve the great cosmic impact in a way that aligns with his identity. Being a history professor or any other role wouldn’t be suitable; he must have the identity of a shadow practitioner to unleash his unique combat power to solve the problem.
"I need to find a way to pry open the shadow stone and see what’s inside." Qin Muye narrowed his eyes. Just because the world’s inhabitants can’t do it doesn’t mean he can’t.
(End of Chapter)
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