Chapter 290: Chapter 143: Shadow Walk, Qualitative Change

The Divine Power faded, and the smoke vanished along with it.

Shen Bai gazed at the bright moon outside his window, and after a moment of thought, began to grind out the Skill Level for Shadow Walk.

"Amber, merge with me."

Shen Bai called out.

Amber, who had been playing nearby, understood instantly. With a meow, it transformed into a streak of white light that shot into Shen Bai’s chest, merging completely with his body.

Shen Bai raised his hand. Shadows twisted in his palm, writhing as if imbued with Spirituality. He knew that with a single command, they would become a terrifying force.

[Shadow Walk +2, +2, +2...]

The notifications flickered in the smoke before him, filling Shen Bai with a great sense of accomplishment.

Fueled by this feeling, Shen Bai began his sleepless night of training.

...

Time passed, and a period of tranquility fell over Fenglin State.

Ever since the incident on the Life and Death Road, Shen Bai’s daily routine had become even more structured.

And with this structured routine, his Skill Levels were soaring.

Recently, it was as if the Wild Taoist Sect and the Wild Buddha Sect had vanished without a trace.

Consequently, the Observatory’s campaign to suppress them was also winding down.

They were hiding like rats scurrying for cover, and for the Observatory, continuing the hunt would cost more than it was worth.

As a result, members of the Observatory were transitioning from high-stakes missions to taking on smaller, occasional assignments.

After the last incident, Liu Wufeng seemed to have become even more anxious about Shen Bai.

This anxiety stemmed from the dangers they had faced on the Life and Death Road.

He was worried Shen Bai’s recklessness would lead to another unforeseen disaster. So, every day when Shen Bai came to the Observatory, Liu Wufeng would lecture him, urging him not to be so rash.

Although Liu Wufeng knew it was useless, he did it every day all the same.

Shen Bai didn’t mind talking with Liu Wufeng. He knew the man meant well, so he never grew impatient.

During this period of structured living, Shen Bai found himself getting along surprisingly well with the people of Fenglin State.

In that time, Shen Bai had eaten his way through half the city.

Qin Shuang was away studying, so Shen Bai ate alone. It took some getting used to, but it added a splash of color to his life of relentless training.

And after this stretch of structured living, Shen Bai’s efforts had paid off handsomely.

...

Morning sunlight streamed in, creeping across the windowsill and gradually illuminating the entire room.

Once the room was fully lit, Shen Bai let out a long sigh of relief.

A wisp of smoke appeared before his eyes, swirling and coalescing into new text. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

[Shadow Walk Level 4 (Hidden +8, Hidden Track +8, Shadow-Dispelling +8, Night Combat +8): 10000/10000]

Maxed out.

After so much relentless grinding, boosted by Amber’s double Skill Level bonus, his Shadow Walk Divine Power had finally reached Level 4 Perfection. It was about to undergo its second qualitative transformation.

Shen Bai had grown quite exhausted during this time.

Fortunately, the Qi in his body offset the mental fatigue. That, combined with the one or two hours of sleep he got each day, was enough to keep his mind sharp.

Now, it was time to reap the rewards. Shen Bai was overjoyed.

"A mere ten wisps of Evil Qi? I have Evil Qi to spare," Shen Bai declared with a touch of melodrama.

With a thought from Shen Bai, ten of his thirty-two wisps of Evil Qi vanished.

As the ten wisps of Evil Qi vanished, the smoky text before him blurred.

But it was only blurry for a moment. Then, as if a dirty pane of glass had been wiped clean, the text sharpened into focus once more.

Clear text materialized before him. The name of Shadow Walk had changed.

[Shadow Kill Level 5 (Hidden +16, Hidden Track +16, Shadow-Dispelling +16, Night Combat +16, Creating Shadows +16): 0/15000]

Before his eyes, Shadow Walk had become Shadow Kill.

Before Shen Bai could even react, the smoky text shattered, transforming into a massive stream of information that flooded into his mind.

The world around Shen Bai changed.

He once again saw the familiar, ethereal figure.

This time, the ethereal figure stood within an intensely bright space.

A sun blazed high in the sky.

Yet despite the blazing sun, there wasn’t a single shadow to be seen.

The surrounding brightness was so intense that even Shen Bai found it blinding.

The ethereal figure stood with its hands clasped behind its back, looking up at the sky.

Then, from that blindingly bright sky, a colossal, chilling palm descended.

’This place has no shadows. How can he use Shadow Kill?’ Shen Bai thought to himself.

’All of Shadow Kill’s Attributes are probably related to shadows, including the bonuses from Shadow-Dispelling and Night Combat. Even the Hidden and Hidden Track Attributes require them. This Divine Power is dependent on the environment, just not as much as some others. Of course, if someone could illuminate the world so completely, bathing it in light like this, Shadow Kill would be useless.’

Shen Bai was now very curious to see what the ethereal figure would do.

After all, based on past experience, every appearance of the figure was like a lesson on how to use his Divine Powers.

This thought only made him more curious.

The colossal palm in the sky blotted out the sun, yet under the terrifying glare, not the slightest shadow was cast.

Shen Bai felt a sense of dread.

’If that palm were to fall, even I probably couldn’t escape.’