Chapter 89: The Nature of Light and Shadow

"When did you begin planning everything?" Summer asked in genuine awe the moment they finally returned to the quiet privacy of their own cave.

Her mother seemed to have calculated every single step of this operation long before they ever set foot in the Alathoor base.

Replacing the Supreme Commander with one of her loyal Shadows completely eliminated the massive, destabilizing chaos that inevitably would have erupted across the mountain settlement had the military leader suddenly turned up dead.

Furthermore, on their way back to their quarters, Summer had paid close attention to their surroundings and noticed something even more impressive.

Most of the high-ranking officers who had rushed over after hearing the commotion of the exploded steel door had quietly bowed in absolute submission toward her mother.

It meant that long before their convoy ever arrived, Salma had already allocated multiple Shadows into the Supreme Commander’s personal retinue and upper ranks.

This level of meticulous foresight made Summer look up to her mother in even higher regard. Her crimson eyes shivered with admiration, completely captivated by how effortlessly Salma controlled the chessboard from the dark.

[A little trick. What’s impressive in it.] system chimed in jealousy.

’Yea...’ Shadow agreed.

’Hmbh.’ Summer rolled her eyes at them, ignoring their further words.

Standing nearby, Salma thoroughly enjoyed the tiny fan-girl look plastered across her daughter’s face. Inside her mind, she was literally laughing aloud in overwhelming triumph.

However, she still had to maintain her cool, terrifying mother image, right?

Attempting to act as though replacing an entire military high command was an everyday occurrence, Salma folded her arms across her chest. Yet, despite her best efforts to maintain a stoic demeanor, an involuntary, wide grin stretched across her lips anyway.

"It is really nothing worth boasting about at all, my little duck," Salma declared smoothly, tilting her chin up.

Standing in the shadows near the stone wall, Derrick silently closed his eyes in profound exasperation.

’Young miss, please try saying that after wiping off that huge, goofy grin from your face,’ Derrick wanted to cry, though no physical tears could ever fall from his dark form.

It was utterly obvious to him that his formidable leader absolutely adored being praised by the little princess.

Derrick could already visualize the upcoming days in horrifying detail: Salma would undoubtedly go out of her way to show off her terrifying power just to collect more admiration from her child.

Earlier in the command office, after Andro had respectfully addressed Summer as the young princess, Salma had been so pleased that she had actually rewarded the newly manifested Shadow with an affectionate head pat.

That tiny gesture had instantly made Derrick furiously jealous.

Determined not to be outdone, Derrick was already planning to strictly greet Summer as ’little princess’ at every possible opportunity just to score the exact same fond treatment from Salma.

Poor Derrick had no idea that every single Shadow linked to Salma’s soul was currently harboring the exact same competitive thought.

"Now then, it is finally time to teach you about my specialized Shadow element properties," Salma said, her expression shifting back to absolute seriousness in a split second.

When it came to cultivating and guiding her daughter’s path, all her playful motherly pride vanished, replaced by strict intensity. She was determined to teach Summer without a single defect.

Learning foundational concepts incorrectly was deeply detrimental to a cultivator’s growth, and Salma would absolutely never allow such a flaw to ruin her daughter’s boundless potential.

Summer immediately picked up on the shift in atmosphere, her small frame straightening as her own expression turned serious and focused.

"Before you can truly begin learning about the nature of the Shadow, you must first understand the true nature of Light," Salma stated, locking her amber eyes onto Summer.

"Light?" Summer asked in mild confusion, tilting her head. "Is that an actual element?"

"Yes, it is," Salma continued smoothly. "In the universe, there are certain rare elements that can only exist and form in the direct presence of another foundational element. Such uniquely tethered forces are called Dependent Elements. The Shadow element is one of the most prominent Dependent Elements in existence. Only through the active presence of light can a shadow ever take shape..."

Summer listened intently, nodding her head in understanding as her mother paced slowly around the stone chamber, explaining the deep metaphysical laws.

"The Light element possesses countless properties of its own," Salma explained. "If you ever choose to absorb or merge with that element in the far future, you can explore those vast properties for yourself. However, the most fundamental, prominent property of the Light element is the innate ability ’to see’.

Light is the ultimate medium that allows all living beings to perceive the physical world. Yet, when that very same light strikes a solid body, it simultaneously casts a dark shadow behind it.

That shadow inherently acts as the exact conceptual opposite of ’to see’—it is the manifestation of the unseen, the hidden, and the unperceived.

Seeing this fundamental interaction made me ponder a deep question: if a Dependent Element formed directly from another element naturally possesses such completely opposing conceptual properties, could our physical body and our shadow, which are fundamentally dependent on each other, possess opposing properties as well?

Could I theoretically change the physical position of my shadow in reality without ever moving my biological body?"

Salma paused, allowing the heavy weight of her words to settle inside Summer’s active mind.

"From that single, simple thought, my personal Shadow domain began to take form," Salma revealed softly, a cold glint of absolute mastery flashing in her eyes. "They first began calling me the Shadowmancer on the day my shadow finally detached itself and left my physical body entirely."

Summer immediately fell into an epiphany right there in the quiet chamber.

Salma was inwardly startled to see this instantaneous reaction. The innate comprehension and monstrous talent possessed by her daughter were far beyond anything she could have ever imagined.

At this terrifying rate of growth, the lower world would simply not be able to contain her for much longer.

It seemed she had to hurry up with her grand designs, accelerate her plans, and settle everything waiting in the Middle World long before Summer’s inevitable ascension.

While Salma stood quietly guarding her daughter and moving the invisible puzzle pieces for her future, Summer’s mind had drifted far away into a strange, mystical state.

Her consciousness returned to the familiar, vibrant sea within her spirit. There she floated peacefully in her little chicken form, surrounded by swirling currents of pure energy.

Just as everything felt completely normal, her spiritual body suddenly trembled. The colorful rays shifting across the boundless ocean began to bend, converging beneath her to form the distinct shadow of her chicken form.

But the shadow being forged wasn’t that of a simple chick. Instead, it rapidly stretched and reformed into a majestic, towering pair of dark wings.

In the very next moment, the materialized shadow completely detached itself from her spiritual body and floated freely into the air.

"Wow..." a voice echoed softly, coming not from the small chick floating in the water, but directly from the newly detached pair of floating wings.

[Congratulations, host! You have successfully manifested the shadow property breakthrough!] the system chimed in with genuine praise ringing in its mechanical tone.

’Not bad at all for a little girl,’ the Shadow spoke up as well, its deep voice carrying a tone of approval.