For the Star Source 'Shadow of the Past', most people always classified it as an elemental Star Source.
After all, materialized abilities like shadows and black mist too easily evoked the idea of shadow manipulation.
But from the moment she obtained this Star Source, Ye Shenlin didn't think so.
Because in her heart, her shadow clone was never a cold agglomeration of energy; it was a part of herself, a more liberated 'soul' she had stripped away.
So when she directed her shadow clone to treat her 'true body' as the 'target of invasion,' seizing memory fragments related to the Little Raccoon, she didn't hesitate for a second.
After all, no one in this world would doubt themselves, just as no one would worry that their left hand would suddenly chop at their right hand.
"You hateful little brat!"
The Little Raccoon looked at Ye Shenlin's true body—whose eyes were vacant, like a doll, showing no reaction whatsoever. The golden bell on its neck jangled rapidly, and it finally stomped its foot fiercely.
"You win this round. I'll go find someone else!"
And in the current assessment venue, besides Ye Shenlin, the remaining examinee was only 'Huan Qianying'.
The Little Raccoon closed its eyes, extending the perception of the Eternal Nightmare domain to its maximum. Black mist surged like a tide toward every corner of the ruined city, searching for Huan Qianying's trace.
Its perception ability within the Eternal Nightmare domain was practically a bug. As long as the target generated even the slightest fear, it would be as conspicuous as a torch in the dark night.
Yet, after 30 seconds, the 'fear signal,' which should have been crystal clear, surprisingly provided no feedback.
The entire ruin was eerily silent, with only the weeping sound of the wind blowing through the broken walls, as if Huan Qianying had never appeared.
The Little Raccoon suddenly opened its eyes, its pupils filled with disbelief.
Something was wrong, extremely and absolutely wrong.
Ye Shenlin could segment her soul, blocking the 'cognitive link' between herself and the Little Raccoon, but what about Huan Qianying?
She couldn't possibly also possess the 'Shadow of the Past' Star Source, could she?
Star Sources were unique—a fact known to all Star Envoys, with no exceptions.
Temporarily unable to figure out the answer, the Little Raccoon Administrator ultimately chose to use other means to find Huan Qianying.
In a short while, the Little Raccoon Administrator opened its eyes again.
"Found her."
As the words fell, the Little Raccoon Administrator flew up and swiftly headed in a certain direction within the ruined city, finally landing on the rooftop of a department store.
However, when it saw the figure standing on the rooftop, the Little Raccoon's eye twitches were uncontrollable, and it even forgot to shake its golden bell.
"Seriously, what is your deal now?"
Looking at Huan Qianying, whose face was completely different from Ye Shenlin's but whose aura was almost identical and whose eyes were utterly blank, the Little Raccoon Administrator was thoroughly speechless.
It immediately called up Huan Qianying's Star Source file, and upon seeing the description of 'Personality Mask Nuo Opera,' it finally couldn't help but complain.
"Are young people these days this wild?"
[Star Source: Personality Mask Nuo Opera]
[Effect 1. Memory Reading: Can read recent memory fragments of the target (requires physical contact for 10 seconds)]
[Effect 2. Personality Sketch: Can quickly sketch the opponent's personality and imitate their persona]
[Special Effect 3. Deep Interpretation: Deeply believes from the bottom of the heart that one is the 'target of disguise,' deceiving even oneself, and is able to use all of the target's abilities (maximum power is 50%)]
"Tendo, I'm not surprised that Lin dared to actively segment her soul, but I didn't expect Huan Qianying's trust in Lin to reach this level. She actually dared to copy her and segment her own soul."
Looking at the scene where Huan Qianying imitated Ye Shenlin, using her shadow clone to 'corrode her true body' and seize part of her memories, Caroline was quite surprised.
Because everything was exactly as the Little Raccoon Administrator said.
Soul segmentation was dangerous. Such an operation was something not even Calamity-level Star Envoys would casually attempt, let alone two Tier 3 Star Envoys.
But Huan Qianying had not only done it, but she also seemed to have done it quite well.
However, Ye Shenlin had absolute trust in 'herself,' which was why she dared to segment her soul.
But Huan Qianying was different. Her source of 'trust' was never herself, but Ye Shenlin.
She firmly believed that since Ye Shenlin could do it, there must be a reason, and she could definitely achieve it too.
This absolute trust in another person was perhaps something Huan Qianying herself hadn't realized.
Tendo, who had long seen through this, smiled when faced with Caroline's question: "Caroline, in a sense, isn't Qianying inherently Lin's second shadow?"
Caroline: "..."
Thinking of Huan Qianying's complex and unique emotions towards Ye Shenlin, Caroline ultimately chose not to refute Tendo's statement.
Because she felt that the matter was indeed similar to what Tendo had said.
In fact, Huan Qianying's trust in Ye Shenlin even surpassed her trust in herself.
Even though this girl constantly spoke of wanting to surpass Ye Shenlin and thoroughly crush her underfoot.
The complexity of human nature was manifested vividly at this moment.
Facing two examinees who both used the method of 'soul separation,' the Little Raccoon Administrator's blood pressure visibly rose.
Although it could also tell that Huan Qianying's shadow was hiding behind the rooftop's drainpipe, observing its movements by sharing the perspective.
But since it couldn't harm the examinees' lives, it didn't dare to casually attack these guys' 'shadow clones'.
What if it accidentally damaged these guys' soul fragments?
Restrained by fear of harming the examinees, the Little Raccoon Administrator waved its paw, black mist gathering in its palm, but it ultimately smashed it to the ground in frustration, choosing not to attack Huan Qianying's shadow clone.
"You little brats, all of you are unbelievably bold. Fine, fine, I give up!"
"You two boring fellows... pass."
[Assessment Concluded! Remaining Examinees: Ye Shenlin, Huan Qianying]
A faint blue transmission light immediately appeared. The Little Raccoon's figure vanished in the light, and just before it departed, it left behind a resentment-filled remark.
"Don't let me find an opportunity, or next time, I'll make sure you two know... what 'true fear' is."
[Explorer Assessment Rest Hall]
When the transmission light dissipated, Ye Shenlin and Huan Qianying appeared in the rest area almost simultaneously.
Looking at the two of them, Tendo teased: "Although people from the Moon Shadow family generally act alone, I feel like they'll probably team up frequently in the future."
Hearing this, Caroline curiously asked: "And the reason?"
Tendo smiled, then looked at the two standing side-by-side not far away, and said meaningfully: "Because for Lin, Qianying is the least troublesome teammate; and for Qianying, being with Lin... is more important than anything else."
Caroline was silent for a moment before replying: "...Indeed."
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