"He's not omnipresent; he can just slip into the shadows... To be precise, mastering this power means he is the shadow."

"The fog merely obscures; it can form shadows, and with shadows, one can step inside."

"He killed me through the shadow of that hood, crushing my head..."

"Now I understand."

Chen Xiang whispered to himself, stepping on the paper inscribed with the time loop rune, ten meters of black flames erupting behind him, towering like a dark mountain!

The madman seemed to sense something, bursting into a cloud of fog, disappearing into the shadows...

In the next instant, he was expelled from the shadows.

The young man in a suit, pale-faced, was taken aback. With no time to think, he decisively unleashed himself, his body swelling!

Three meters! Five meters! Eight meters! Twelve meters!

He faced the black flames, their ten-meter height blocking all light, casting massive shadows...

"It's you?"

Through the shadows, the madman spotted Chen Xiang, bloodthirsty glint in his eyes, crashing through the curtain of black flames, roaring as he advanced!

He passed through Chen Xiang.

Not believing it, the madman charged back, only to again pass through Chen Xiang's body.

Intangibility.

"Intangibility... After so long, hmm, a favored one..." The mad giant clapped his hands together, and the shadows in the alley became three-dimensional, surging towards him like a tide, enveloping him!

The mad giant transformed into a shadow giant. The tall buildings on either side of the alley trembled slightly, many people inside panicked, some peeking out to see the colossal body formed of pure shadows. Their vision distorted, their minds shattered, plunging them into madness!

Chen Xiang gazed calmly at the massive shadow giant, extending a hand, fingers splayed.

The shadows wrapping the mad giant opened in response.

"This..." The madman was stunned.

In the next moment,

Chen Xiang closed his fingers into a fist, and the immense shadow suddenly contracted. The madman let out a horrific scream as his twelve-meter form was violently compressed!

Eight meters! Five meters! Three meters! Two meters!

He was forced back to his normal size, blood pouring from his already cracked body!

"This is impossible!"

The madman laughed, his gaze piercing through the shadow that enveloped him, staring at Chen Xiang, fear creeping into his expression:

"You, you are...?"

"The Lord of Shadows?"

He quietly fell to the ground.

Chen Xiang didn't reply, familiarizing himself with the new power while dragging the madman entirely into the shadows, moving through them together.

In an instant, they emerged in the old house's secret room, shadows swirling around them, their forms appearing.

The shadows in the room transformed into chains, binding the madman tightly to the ground.

Chen Xiang looked down at him, pondering the many mysteries surrounding recent events.

The Owl Tiger practiced the Giant Form, and this madman also graduated from the Giant Academy.

The academy's assistant and students had gone to the Ninth Ring for training, but they were attacked by rocket fire before they could reach the Ninth Ring's sky, yet the academy had made no response...

Most crucially, the academy had never revealed the training content.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

It was as if the students didn't need to know what they were training for, as if the academy anticipated something would go wrong.

After a while,

Chen Xiang fixed his gaze on the madman, speaking softly:

"I ask, you answer?"

The madman emitted a ‘huh-huh' sound, his chaotic mind further agitated under the shadow's suppression.

He tried to resist, lifting his head, but he saw the young man, whose shadows now bowed to him, wearing a monocle.

The madman's tumultuous mind forced itself into calm, restoring some rationality.

Chen Xiang spoke again:

"I ask, you answer?"

After a long silence, the madman nodded uncertainly.

"As you wish."

………………

Above the Spirit Realm.

An unfathomable presence slowly opened its eyes, the vast universe falling silent. The night enveloped the Spirit Realm, countless transcendent beings shivering in fear.

The Silent One, the master of night and stillness, also known as the **Lord of Shadows**.

"The shadows... are missing a part."

Its whispers shattered space and dimensions, a blend of majesty and vastness mixed with a sense of heart-wrenching dread.

"I have weakened."

"I cannot let them know."

The **Silent One** hesitated for a moment, then closed its eyes once more, the engulfing darkness retreating like a tide from the Spirit Realm.

………………

"Is there someone behind you?"

This was Chen Xiang's first question.

Under the dual effects of the **Mind Mentor** and the shadow authority, the madman had stopped being insane, becoming unusually calm and compliant.

He bowed his head, as if worshipping a supreme being, each word reverent:

"Yes."

"Who?"

"The Giant Academy."

An answer both unexpected and expected, Chen Xiang's expression darkened.

After a moment, he continued:

"Tell me everything, the whole story."

The madman recounted everything.

According to him, whether causing chaos in the Ninth Ring or fleeing to the Eighth Ring, all were the academy's orders; the specific reasons were unknown. The madman merely followed instructions, and in return, he could access the academy's resources, which was the fundamental reason he could enter the transcendent realm.

"Chaos, Ninth Ring, Eighth Ring..."

Chen Xiang frowned, asking again:

"Do you know about the rockets that attacked the floating vehicle?"

"I know a bit," the madman replied confidently, nodding: "It was the work of the Duke. I suspect he's also someone from the academy... but I have no proof, just a guess."

Chen Xiang's expression darkened further.

What does the academy want?

Ninth Ring, Eighth Ring, the Giant Academy...

Gash, the Ninth Ring, though located on the far outskirts of the Great City, was its largest area, spanning over twenty thousand square kilometers, accounting for one-fifth of the Great City.

According to the first generation, the Ninth Ring was abandoned by the Great City, turning into a chaotic place, an area without rules, and...

a testing ground and landing site for the gods.

Therefore, powerful beings from the other rings were not allowed to enter the Ninth Ring...

If what the madman said was true, and if Chen Xiang's suspicions were correct, what exactly was the academy's motive behind orchestrating the attacks?

Chen Xiang found himself unable to comprehend.

It felt as if he had caught a glimpse of a corner of a gigantic whirlpool.

After pondering for a moment, Chen Xiang asked again:

"Do you know about the Spirit Church?"

"I do."

"Is it related to the academy?"

"I don't know."

Chen Xiang silently nodded. The old headmaster from the orphanage had also gone to the Ninth Ring, still under the guise of an assistant from the academy, but he had since disappeared.

It was unsettling.

After asking the madman a few more questions, none of which yielded substantial answers, Chen Xiang finally inquired:

"What's in the villa that makes you so fearful?"

"I don't know. When I tried to enter and slaughter everything, an incredibly powerful presence far beyond my imagination warned me in the void."

At this moment, the madman lifted his head, confused: "Wasn't it you?"

Chen Xiang didn't respond; instead, he extended his hand and gently pressed down.

The shadows in the secret room seemed to come alive, writhing and wrapping around the madman, black flames burning within the shadows, pure white ashes swirling about...

The massive surge of energy jolted Chen Xiang, his bones vibrating, blood boiling, but he didn't become significantly stronger—perhaps only growing from ten to eleven meters in physique, that was all.

"I'm already close to the true limit of a transcendent being. To advance further, I can only become extraordinary."

"Should I undergo the saint's blood baptism prepared by Auntie in a few days, or... wait for the altar?"

"The altar is in Su Lao's hands; he might not hand it over to me... but judging by Su Lao's hints, today's lecture may not be peaceful."

For a moment, Chen Xiang even considered skipping the lecture, but reason reminded him that he needed to acquire the altar.

He yearned for stability, but that was no reason to hide; his identity had already predetermined that he couldn't remain safe, and he had to seize every opportunity to grow stronger!

"Deep Abyss Black Flames, Intangibility, Shadows..."

"The Deep Abyss Black Flames are currently the most useful; Intangibility hasn't been fully developed yet, and Shadows seem the strongest now, allowing me to manipulate all shadows within my sight;"

"In terms of potential, Intangibility and Shadows should surpass Deep Abyss Black Flames..."

Talking to himself, Chen Xiang asked:

"Mirror, which of these three powers has the greatest potential?"

"In response to your question, I can't tell."

The Mirror spoke softly:

"Black Flames need not be mentioned. Intangibility might relate to reverse reality and anti-reality, a world similar to the Mirror Realm, but beyond it;"

Pausing, it continued:

"As for Shadows, it is a conceptual power, far surpassing the previous two... You might consider thinking broadly; concepts have no limits, and everything depends on the essence of the soul."

"What do you mean?" Chen Xiang frowned, inquiring.

The Mirror pondered for a moment before explaining:

"For example, shadows refer to areas blocked from light, but they're not just that. Shadows are shadows, and psychological shadows are also shadows. Cosmic shadows, temporal shadows, dimensional shadows—all are shadows."

Chen Xiang was taken aback:

"Just like... the galaxy is also a river?"

"You really know how to draw parallels!"