Virtual Reality Cultivator

Ethan gripped his sword tightly, his eyes fixed on the shadow of himself standing before him. The figure was identical to him—same height, same face, even the same clothes. However, the shadow's eyes were empty, devoid of emotion, like a mirror without a soul.

[First Trial Begins: Face the Shadow of Yourself.]

Without warning, the shadow of Ethan moved with incredible speed!

Swoosh!

Ethan barely had time to react before the enemy's sword came flying toward his neck. In panic, he raised his own sword to parry.

Clang!

The loud clash echoed through the stone arena, forcing Ethan to step back several paces. His hand went numb from the force of the attack.

"That's fast!" he thought.

But before he could think any further, the shadow attacked again, this time with a Quick Slash—the move he had just learned!

Clang! Clang!

The attacks came in rapid succession, with no opportunity to breathe. Ethan blocked as best as he could, but the pressure from the relentless strikes kept pushing him back.

-10 HP-15 HP

After a few seconds, Ethan staggered and fell to the ground. The shadow stood upright in front of him, as if waiting for him to respond.

He gritted his teeth. "Damn... how am I losing to myself?"

Then it hit him.

This shadow wasn't just mimicking his appearance... it was also copying his techniques and weaknesses!

Ethan took a deep breath and began to think quickly.

If this shadow truly mirrored him, then it only had the same abilities as him.

"Then I just need to do something it can't anticipate!"

Ethan quickly activated Breath of the Soul, allowing Qi to flow through his body. His energy recovered slightly, but he knew it wasn't enough for direct combat.

As the shadow attacked again, Ethan pretended to raise his sword to parry. However, at the last moment, he leaped to the side!

Swoosh!

For the first time, the shadow's attack missed!

Ethan's eyes lit up. "That's it!"

Before the shadow could react, he immediately launched a Heavy Slash, targeting the shadow's leg.

-30 HP to Shadow Ethan

The shadow staggered back a bit.

"So, you can take a hit too?" Ethan smirked.

He realized that up until now, he had been playing defensively, waiting for an opening to strike. But his opponent was himself—using the same fighting style wouldn't work!

"I need to be more aggressive!"

Ethan activated Sword Cry, slashing his sword in quick succession in an erratic pattern.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The shadow tried to parry, but Ethan's attack pattern was no longer the same. Each strike came from a different angle, causing the shadow's defense to fall apart.

-20 HP-25 HP

The shadow took several steps back, its body starting to flicker like a fading light.

Ethan didn't give it a chance to recover. He gathered his remaining Qi into his sword and unleashed his Final Slash!

BOOOM!

The shadow's form split into particles of light and then disappeared completely.

Ethan panted heavily, standing with his sword still raised.

[First Trial Completed!][Reward: Attribute Increase +2, Shadow Wind Step Technique.]

Ethan looked at the notification with a satisfied smile.

"I defeated myself... and became stronger."

His adventure was just getting more exciting.