TDG : rise of shadow army

School Library

"I have to leave now; I need to go train. See you later," declared Chan Wei as the group settled into a room in the library. He gave one last smile to Xiao Ning'er before closing the door.

"Why is Chan Wei leaving to train? Is he going to see his master?" asked Ye Ziyun, confused by his sudden departure.

"It's not that. Brother Chan Wei can only cultivate through battle because of a special trait he has. He must fight and defeat demon beasts and use his cultivation method on them to progress. Pills are useless to him, and meditation only serves to stabilize and strengthen his cultivation," Nie Li explained with a smile before adding, "It's better to focus on ourselves and let Chan Wei do what he deems necessary."

The group began meditating while taking pills to cultivate. Ye Ziyun observed the cultivation ranks of her new friends and was shocked to see that Xiao Ning'er had already reached the rank of three-star Bronze. She regretted not joining the group sooner but still felt happy for her best friend.

With the constant practice of the Heavenly God Technique, Nie Li's soul force grew rapidly. He believed that within two months, it would be more than enough for him to be reborn at a higher level.

In addition to cultivating soul force, Nie Li also trained in various physical exercises to enhance his strength. Although practicing soul force could also strengthen the physical body, dedicated training was still necessary to improve it. Upon reaching the Silver rank, Demon Spiritualists would be able to merge a demon spirit into their soul realm. The stronger one's physical body, the more powerful the demon spirit one could integrate. If the body was too weak, it could easily explode from the overwhelming power of the demon spirit.

This training routine continued for two days until their departure for the ruins.

Blizzard Beast Training Grounds

Chan Wei cautiously approached the guards and handed them the paper written by the vice principal. After verifying it, they granted him access to the hunting grounds reserved for the senior class of geniuses. Inside this zone, most of the species were ranked at least Bronze three-star.

Upon arriving, he quickly found a cave where a snow bear was sheltering two small cubs. Not having the heart to slaughter a family just to train, Chan Wei turned back, leaving behind several large chunks of meat as an offering.

He quickly found another cave inhabited by Ice Vipers. Entering cautiously, he counted at least 70 of them, all ranked Bronze four-star, along with one much smaller and nearly transparent serpent.

Ice Vipers grow larger as their rank increases. These vipers were nearly four meters long and about a meter wide. However, the transparent viper was only about a meter long, yet the others kept their distance from it. Chan Wei couldn't determine if it was due to its strength or if it had been cast aside.

Its exact level was difficult to determine, but it was at least of the Bronze rank. Moving away discreetly, Chan Wei used 20 of his shadows to engrave his new sword and armor with his Yin enchantments.

The power of the sword infused whatever the blade touched with corrosive Yin energy, attacking unprotected muscles and organs directly with energy. As for the armor, the enchantment coated the wearer with a thin layer of Yin energy, protecting even the uncovered areas. The armor could deflect attacks from a Gold-rank opponent for a short time due to the implementation of a reflective network that redirected a portion of the incoming energy.

Chan Wei sent 60 shadows into the cave—25 wolves and 35 monkeys—before charging toward the transparent serpent himself. The scene inside the cave could only be described as pure chaos.

The wolves lunged at the first vipers, quickly crushing their heads in their jaws, killing fourteen Ice Vipers and severely wounding another. The monkeys followed up immediately, smashing heads with rocks they had gathered from outside.

Chan Wei rushed toward the location of the transparent serpent and found it curled up in a distant corner of the cave. The battle had only lasted a minute, yet the small serpent had not moved. Instead of approaching it directly, Chan Wei sent a shadow monkey to retrieve it. The serpent remained motionless even after being seized. Keeping it as it was, Chan Wei then began extracting the shadows from the fallen vipers.

This process took nearly two hours, during which Chan Wei cultivated peacefully, refining the newly absorbed shadows. A soft glow emanated from his body before he was suddenly covered in a thin layer of ice.

"What's happening to me? Ice is covering me, but I don't feel cold. This ability is similar to the Ice Vipers' technique, which they use to reinforce their defense and camouflage in the snow."

Chan Wei pulled out his intermediate crystal and injected his soul force into it, observing as snowflakes fell over the figures of his shadow army inside.

In addition to advancing to Silver two-star, he had gained an affinity with the Blizzard attribute and acquired a beast's ability.

The crystalline serpent began to stir in the arms of the shadow monkey, reminding Chan Wei of its presence. As he approached it, the snake did nothing aggressive but instead rubbed itself against him. It was quite small compared to its kin, even smaller than an earth-dwelling grass snake. Upon closer examination, it wasn't even ranked yet, likely born with a mutation and subsequently rejected.

Chan Wei picked it up, and the little serpent slithered into his sleeve before coiling around his arm, wrapping behind his neck, and emerging from the left side to nuzzle against his cheek.

With all dangers in the cave eliminated, Chan Wei called for the little wolf pup he had hidden outside. He then began collecting materials from the fallen vipers.

During Chan Wei's peaceful cultivation, the miniature shadows prostrated themselves before him as a dome of energy surrounded him. A wave of ice spread outward, coating his shadows with an ice-like armor—except for the vipers, who already possessed the ability.

Among his shadows, 20 of the oldest ones leveled up to Silver one-star, including 12 wolves and 8 monkeys, which increased in size compared to their Bronze-ranked kin. The vipers also stabilized at Bronze five-star.

Chan Wei noticed an interesting detail regarding his shadow cultivation. At Silver one-star, his capacity for shadows was 100 at the Bronze rank, with none at Silver. Shadows could not be at the same rank as him. However, when he advanced to Silver two-star, 8 monkeys and 12 wolves automatically advanced to Silver one-star.

For Bronze-ranked shadows, he was uncertain of the limit, but for Silver-ranked ones, he seemed to gain 10 slots per star. He put his estimations aside for now and proceeded to feed both the serpent and the wolf pup.

By the time night had fallen, Chan Wei decided to cultivate once more. The wolf pup nestled itself between his legs while he sat in a lotus position, and the serpent remained coiled around him, resting its head on his shoulder.

During the night, both of Chan Wei's pets reached Bronze one-star after absorbing the energy released when his Silver-ranked shadows advanced. Aside from a faint glow, there were no obvious signs of their breakthrough.

Chan Wei's cultivation lasted five hours, after which he quickly slipped into his sleeping bag, the serpent and the wolf pup curled up inside with him for warmth. He drifted into sleep with a contented smile. Five of his shadows emerged from their ranks, bowing to him before taking up positions to stand guard.

The night passed quietly. Chan Wei awoke around 7 AM and prepared a meal for himself and his two small companions.

Following another cultivation session to fully stabilize all his shadows and reinforce his foundation, Chan Wei set out for a nearby forest.

There, he discovered a group of Blazing Lizards, which greatly surprised him given the icy nature of the training grounds. Each lizard measured five meters in length, including its tail, and stood about two meters tall.

The group consisted of 20 individuals, feasting on the massive carcass of a Frost Boar. The carcass was enormous, weighing no less than three tons. The boar had clearly been a beast of formidable strength, yet it had still fallen to this pack of predators.

Glacial beasts are at a severe disadvantage against Blazing Lizards for two reasons. First, the intense body heat radiating from the lizards is enough to melt ice and even stone, depending on their rank. Second, they possess a powerful burning venom that quickly circulates through the bloodstream, eventually making it boil.

Chan Wei did not hesitate for a second. He readied his blade and released a portion of his shadow serpents at the edge of the clearing before flanking the enemy and launching a charge with the rest of his shadows.

The Blazing Lizards' reaction was delayed due to the sheer absurdity of the scene. Imagine a pack of wolves, monkeys, and snakes, followed by a human, charging toward you. When the group was only a few meters away, the lizards hesitated, their attention torn between the shadow serpents surging toward them and the advancing force from the flanks.

The battle was extremely brief. In less than 30 seconds after the initial charge, all the lizards had been cleanly slain, largely due to the efficiency of the shadow wolves, who tore out the throats of more than half the group.

Chan Wei's harvest was quite rewarding. He discovered that his limit for Bronze-ranked shadows had also increased. Furthermore, he managed to extract the shadow of the Frost Boar since it had only recently died. Instead of selecting specific materials, he stored all the corpses in his many interspatial rings, thanks to his earlier bulk purchases.

Following this short but fruitful hunt, he returned to the cave to refine his 21 newly acquired shadows, stabilizing his cultivation and enhancing their levels.

Half an hour later, Chan Wei felt chaos brewing within his body. He observed as the icy layer covering him melted and reformed repeatedly. Faint flames began to flicker across his skin, but unlike ordinary flames, they were entirely white and radiated an eerie, bone-chilling cold.

Once the lizards and the Frost Boar's shadow reached the peak of Bronze five-star, Chan Wei pulled out his soul crystal. As he infused it with his soul force, the figures inside began to shift, their forms now engulfed in white and blue flames, much to Chan Wei's astonishment.

Chan Wei continued his relentless hunt for two more days, collecting numerous diverse shadows. While his soul force no longer underwent drastic changes, his cultivation advanced rapidly to Silver four-star, and his physical strength had reached a level comparable to that of a Gold-ranked warrior.

Back at the Holy Orchid Institute Library

In the blink of an eye, two days had passed. Nie Li's soul force had finally reached Bronze one-star, aided by Chan Wei's shadow and the earlier arrival of enhanced pills. Ye Ziyun had also advanced to Bronze two-star with the group's assistance.

Morning of the Third Day

Chen Linjian and his group were already waiting in the library.

Aside from Chen Linjian, Ye Ziyun and Nie Li were also present, while Shen Yue was nowhere to be seen, having been expelled from the school. Chen Linjian hailed from the Divine Family, while Ye Ziyun was a member of the Blizzard Family. Since they had known each other since childhood, it was no surprise that they had joined forces for the exploration of the Ancient Orchid City Ruins.

Chan Wei arrived just in time before the group left the library. He handed a few inscription patterns to Xiao Ning'er while embracing her tenderly, causing her to blush deeply.

"I'll be away for a while with Brother Nie Li, but I'll return soon. If you run into any trouble, just contact the Inscriptionist Association. Also, I'd like you to take care of little Kyu for me, please," Chan Wei finished, leaving the small wolf cub with the now completely flushed young girl, who looked at him with love.

At the entrance of the institute, Shen Yue was waiting for the group along with his lackeys. However, when he saw Nie Li, Ye Ziyun, and Chan Wei chatting amicably, a wave of rage surged within him.

"Since you've come to die on your own, don't blame anyone else!" Shen Yue thought viciously as he whispered something to one of his lackeys. The lackeys shot a glance at Nie Li and then swiftly left the scene. Having suffered twice at Nie Li's hands, Shen Yue understood that, with just Bronze-rank strength, he wouldn't be able to do anything to him. So, he had arranged for his family to send in some stronger experts.

Nie Li sneered inwardly, having seen through Shen Yue's every move.

Chen Linjian glanced at Nie Li before smirking slightly and saying, "Alright! Looks like we're all here. I think it's about time we set off!"

Chen Linjian had assembled a total of 28 people for their expedition to the Ancient Orchid City Ruins, with Shen Yue bringing seven more. Adding Ye Ziyun and Nie Li, the group now numbered thirty-eight. Nie Li had not informed Du Ze, Lu Piao, and the others about this trip; only Chan Wei was accompanying him. He had left the rest to continue training in the library since the ruins held many dangers, and Nie Li couldn't protect everyone.

The group packed essential supplies such as food, camping tents, and hunting crossbows before departing.

This expedition was being conducted in secrecy, so they kept a low profile, telling others that they were heading to the mountain valley for training.

As they walked through the streets, Ye Ziyun and Nie Li trailed behind the team.

"How do you know Chen Linjian?" Ye Ziyun asked, looking at Nie Li as if trying to see through him.

"I don't know him very well; we just chatted once in the library." Nie Li shrugged. "By the way, brother, how did your training go?"

Pondering all the mysteries surrounding Nie Li, Ye Ziyun finally accepted that she wouldn't get clear answers. Even though she didn't know what method Nie Li had used to convince Chen Linjian, she knew that he was resourceful enough to make anything happen.

Chan Wei scratched his head slightly before responding, "The training was very fruitful, though I'll need to consult you on a few things tonight. Something unexpected happened." As he spoke softly, the small serpent he had named Little Bai slithered out of his jacket and rubbed against his cheek.

Both Little Bai and the small wolf had reached Bronze two-star as they continued to cultivate alongside Chan Wei, though he had left Kyu with Ning'er.

The serpent slightly puzzled Nie Li, as it was Bronze-ranked and clearly a mutated species. "That's quite a beautiful snake you have, brother," Nie Li commented in a slightly ambiguous tone.

"Nie Li, pervert," Ye Ziyun muttered before noticing Little Bai rubbing against Chan Wei's cheek. Her face turned red, realizing what Nie Li had meant, before she started laughing along with him.

Seeing how Nie Li and Ye Ziyun were chatting and laughing together nearly drove Shen Yue mad with jealousy.

In his mind, Ye Ziyun should only be able to laugh with him!

Nie Li had taken his place!

Nie Li must die! Shen Yue's expression turned ruthless. Once they entered the wilderness, Nie Li could forget about ever returning to Glory City! However, this matter must not be known to others, especially Ye Ziyun. Shen Yue had already devised a plan in his heart to deal with Nie Li.

The group of people left Glory City, traveling along a rugged path through the St. Ancestral Mountains.

The journey to the ruins of the Ancient Orchid City would take about five to six days. There was always the possibility of being attacked by demon beasts while camping in the wild.

But Nie Li had an instinctive and precise sense of danger, combined with the experience from his past life. Although he was currently only at the Bronze rank, general demon beasts wouldn't be able to harm him—especially with his brother by his side.

The strength of the 38 people in the group was relatively decent. Seven had reached the Silver rank, including Chan Wei, while the rest were mostly above Bronze 3-star.

Even Ye Ziyun had reached Bronze 2-star. However, this wasn't openly known to the others yet, so most of them remained unaware. Chan Wei had also kept his rank a secret.

Moving slightly away from the group, Nie Li and Chan Wei began discussing Chan Wei's discovery with serious expressions.

"Brother Nie Li, I've uncovered something quite astonishing, and its potential even frightens me a little. It has to do with my soul realm as well as the number of shadows I control," Chan Wei stated.

Nie Li leaned in closer, detecting an unusual tone in Chan Wei's voice—something he had never seen before. His curiosity was piqued. "Infuse your crystal discreetly with a bit of soul force and tell me where your cultivation currently stands, brother," he asked, slightly impatient.

Chan Wei infused his soul crystal, revealing his Silver 4-star rank, but Nie Li was more focused on the flaming figures within.

"I've discovered that my beast possession limit is far greater than we initially imagined. I currently have 40 Silver 3-star beasts and 237 Bronze 5-star beasts," Chan Wei explained.

Nie Li, who had been closely examining the crystal, was momentarily struck with complete shock. His eyes gleamed with a wild sense of hope for the future.

With an army of one man, if his brother continued improving at this rate, the legion of beasts attacking the city would no longer be a threat. Even the Sage Emperor himself would crumble under the sheer number of attacks—let alone his guards, who had once cornered Nie Li in his past life.

"The nature of your soul hasn't changed, brother, but you've gained a triple attribute—Yin, Darkness, and a newly mutated element called Holy Flame. It can purify poisons and burn through them using ice. It's a fusion of Yin, Fire, and Ice. How did you manage to create this?" Nie Li asked in awe before continuing, "As for the number of shadows, this is nothing short of miraculous. The more you have, the stronger you become, so I don't see a downside!"

"Thank you. This fortune comes from Brother Nie Li. I encountered this situation while refining Ice Vipers and later a group of Blazing Lizards. I also acquired a unique ability from these two monsters related to cold flames. In any case, I can't wait to be with Ning'er," Chan Wei said with a smile before returning to the group.

After traveling for more than ten hours, the group made their way through the rugged mountain path. By evening, they arrived at a vast, flat terrain. Chen Linjian glanced around. With the presence of these large trees, the location was still fairly concealed. He then announced, "We'll be camping here for the night!"

(Author's note: A small grinding chapter. Don't hesitate to check out the images I'll be leaving here to illustrate some of the demon beasts as well as Chan Wei's familiars.)