📖 Chapter 2 – Synchronization and first hunt
Step by step, the two bodies moved together. Lu Yuan's main body was limping and covered in blood, while his silver-eyed avatar walked lightly as if freshly born into the world.
"This feels… insanely strange," Lu Yuan muttered inwardly.
His main body looked left, his avatar looked right. His mind felt divided, yet his consciousness remained whole.
"It's like drawing a circle with my right hand and a square with my left, except this time… it's not just hands. It's two full bodies."
As he tried to adjust, the voice of Manas echoed again in his head.
> [Warning: Mental load increasing. Current synchronization capacity limited to 2 bodies.]
[Solution: Evolution of the body and higher cultivation realms will increase capacity.]
"Hm… so the stronger I get, the easier it is to control avatars. Makes sense."
A sudden growl cut his thoughts. From behind the rubble, three dogs emerged. Their bodies were swollen, teeth lengthened into sharp fangs, and fur bristling like steel needles. Dark energy swirled around them, and their eyes glowed with bloodlust.
Lu Yuan's main body swallowed hard. "If I were alone… I'd be dead meat."
But then he glanced at the silver-eyed avatar standing firm at his side. A faint smile touched his lips.
"But now, I'm not alone."
The dogs lunged at once. His main body rolled aside while the avatar stepped forward to meet them head-on. The avatar swung a chunk of debris, smashing it into the snout of the first dog. Blood splattered as the beast howled in pain.
The main body lifted a broken steel rod, thrusting it clumsily into the neck of the second. Weak, slow—but enough to pierce flesh. The avatar immediately kicked the third, sending it crashing against a cracked wall.
For the first time, both bodies moved as one. No hesitation, no delay—just perfect rhythm, as if they were natural extensions of each other.
> [Target: 3 evolved beasts eliminated.]
[Extracting Lifespan…]
[Total obtained: 9 years.]
Strange energy flowed inside him. Wounds on his main body began to mend, pain eased, and his breathing steadied.
> [Feature upgraded: Lifespan Extraction Lv.1 → Lv.2]
[New effect: Lifespan may be converted into small amounts of Dark Energy or Spiritual Energy.]
Lu Yuan froze for a moment.
"Not only can I extend my life… I can turn lifespan into energy? That means I can force my body to evolve faster, or even speed up martial cultivation."
A crooked smile spread across his face.
"Interesting. The more I kill, the faster I grow. This world has truly turned into a hunting ground."
Another sound pierced the air—not a single howl, but dozens of shrill screeches. From the distance, a swarm of insects crawled along a ruined building. Each was the size of a fist, their wings buzzing, their compound eyes glowing red.
Lu Yuan's main body stiffened. "Seriously? Insects too?"
But his silver-eyed avatar stepped forward, gaze cold as he faced the approaching swarm.
The two bodies stood side by side, confronting the oncoming threat. In his mind, the calm voice of Manas echoed once more:
> [Host, this is only the beginning. Evolution has begun.]
Lu Yuan drew a deep breath, then smirked faintly.
"In that case… I'll play by my own rules."
And that night, with two bodies moving as one, Lu Yuan faced his first swarm in a world reborn through blood, evolution, and limitless power.
The swarm of insects poured from the broken building like a living tide. Their buzzing wings rattled the air, their mandibles clattering with hunger. Each was the size of a human fist, and their eyes glowed with a sinister red light.
Lu Yuan clenched his teeth. His main body gripped the blood-stained steel rod, while the silver-eyed avatar picked up a jagged stone.
"Two bodies against a swarm… this is going to be a nightmare," he thought.
Then he smirked faintly.
"Or maybe… the perfect chance to test my new power."
The first wave descended. His main body swung the steel rod with a desperate arc, smashing two insects mid-air. The avatar followed with a precise throw, crushing another against the wall. Black ichor splattered, and the ground quickly became slick with twitching bodies.
But there were too many. The air filled with the sickening buzz of wings, and dozens more surged forward. His main body took shallow cuts on his arms as mandibles scraped his skin. The avatar stomped down, crushing several underfoot, but the swarm kept coming.
> [Warning: Host stamina dropping.]
[Suggestion: Convert lifespan into Dark Energy to reinforce body.]
Lu Yuan's eyes narrowed. "So this is the time, huh?"
Without hesitation, he gave the command in his heart.
> [Confirm: Consume 3 years lifespan → 30 units Dark Energy?]
[Confirmed.]
A wave of heat surged through both bodies simultaneously. Muscles tightened, nerves sharpened, and reflexes quickened. His main body felt lighter, faster—while the avatar's strikes became brutally precise.
The swarm came again, but this time the outcome was different.
The steel rod blurred through the air, piercing one insect after another. The avatar's hands moved like blades, crushing, snapping, breaking wings and mandibles in a storm of violence.
Black ichor coated their arms, the ground littered with twitching corpses. The swarm that had looked endless moments ago was now shrinking rapidly.
Finally, silence. Only the crunch of broken shells underfoot remained.
> [Target: 64 evolved insects eliminated.]
[Extracting Lifespan…]
[Total obtained: 28 years.]
Lu Yuan staggered, breathing hard. His arms trembled with exhaustion, but the avatar stood tall and calm, as if unaffected. Both bodies shared his smirk of satisfaction.
"Twenty-eight years… That's far more than what I spent. A profitable trade."
The calm voice of Manas echoed once again:
> [Explanation: The cycle of death strengthens the Host. By killing evolved beings, lifespan may be extracted. Lifespan can then be invested—into avatars, into evolution, into cultivation.]
[The Host holds the key to endless growth.]
Lu Yuan chuckled, his laughter hoarse in the night air.
"Endless growth, huh? If that's true… then this world is mine to devour."
He looked down at the twitching insect corpses, his eyes glinting with ambition.
Two bodies, one soul, and a system born from his own sealed power.
The rules of this world had changed.
And Lu Yuan had no intention of playing fair.