The Copy Mage

The Shadow Speed Technique used the Shadow Element as a pose to the Dark Shadow Element, as it was the most basic movement technique within the Shadow Steps Skill Book.

From what Damian had read in the Shadow Steps Skill Book, and comparing the Dark Shadow Energy, within the weird place he met the Shadow Kin King, to the Shadow Energy he felt in the area around him, he realised that it was inferior.

It seemed as though the Dark Shadow Element was unique and only accessible to the Shadow Kin race who had their own unique element that imbued both Dark Energy and Shadow Energy.

But Damian didn't let it discourage him, and began tapping into the Shadow Energy, that he sensed was found in all areas void of light, and planned to learn to wield the Shadow Energy to the best of his ability, before seeking out the superior Dark Shadow Element.

Feeling the shadows around him, including his own, Damian clutched to the weird energy he sensed within them, and attempted to absorb it.

If he was able to come in contact with the energy and absorb it, he should be able to use it in the future with his changeable energy, by memorising the feeling and attributes that the energy provided him.

No matter how much Damian forcefully tugged onto the Shadow Energy, unlike other energies that Damian could absorb with ease, the Shadow Energy continued to avoid him and not allow him to absorb it.

It was as though it was alive and purposefully avoiding Damian who was becoming more and more frustrated.

Any energy that didn't have an owner, such as the energy within the body of a beast or a human, could be absorbed into the body by tapping into the elemental affinity.

While for those that didn't have an elemental affinity, they would pull on attributeless energy in the same way as those with elemental affinities, and stream it into their body as they attempted to control and absorb it.

The amount of energy available was the same for every cultivator, unless they are in special areas or using other means to increase the energy around them. While the amount of energy that could be absorbed and stored by a cultivator was dictated by their talent grade.

Talent not only dictated the cultivation speed, but also the full capacity of the cultivator and their natural ability to wield energy.

Usually, the potential of a cultivator was cemented since birth, but in rare situations, such as being able to surpass their limits or use rare resources, people were able to increase their talent grade slightly.

Damian and Milo, however, were not restricted by talent grades and had the ability and capacity to grow both their talent and strength through their own unique abilities.

After a few minutes of attempting to absorb Shadow Energy, which was usually easy with other elements, Damian stopped.

With his Maxwell Fire Soul Spirit, that he had cultivated and improved upon with the Golden Flame Method, Damian could quite easily absorb and stream Fire Energy into his body. In the same way, if he didn't have any Soul Spirit activated, he could absorb energy of all elements using his changeable energy, that was compatible with all energies.

But now he couldn't absorb any Shadow Energy.

No matter what type of energy, Damian should be able to absorb it into his body as long as he had the capacity and potential to absorb and store the energy.

Damian knew with his current talent level that was E:1 graded, and E:5 graded after Utsusu had taken half the energy that Damian absorbed into his body, he still had a lot more capacity to absorb and store energy.

Reading over the description of the basic Shadow Speed Technique, that was the lowest and easiest technique within the Skill Book, it didn't describe to him how to absorb Shadow or Dark Shadow Energy.

[It seems I need to figure out how to absorb this energy without the help of this method, that doesn't even teach me the basics] thought Damian to himself frustratedly.

He didn't want to ask Utsusu for help, and also didn't want to give up and leave the skill that was much more profound than the Golden Flame Method, and wanted to learn it through his own efforts.

While Milo was practising his skill, Damian was playing cat and mouse with the evasive Shadow Energy that kept dodging his attempt to absorb it.

It was hard to describe how energy was absorbed, but it was like each person that was capable of wielding energy had an invisible force and a magnetism towards the energy, and had to latch onto the energy with their invisible force and reel it in with their magnetism, similar to fishing.

Damian had the magnetisim, but couldn't latch onto the Shadow Energy to be able to absorb it into his body.

After what felt like an eternity, but was 20 minutes, Damian decided to change strategies.

[If I can't catch the energy by latching onto it, then absorbing it into my body. Why don't I draw in the Shadow Energy, then attempt to pull in into my body to be absorbed after it is nearer to me] suggested Damian to himself.

He found that using the conventional method of absorbing energy wasn't working with the evasive and mysterious Shadow Energy, so Damian decided to reverse the process.

Instead of trying to attach his control onto the energy, then draw it in, Damian attempted to draw in the Shadow Energy before attempting to control it.

Every cultivator had a range at which they could draw in energy, which increased depending on the cultivator's cultivation level and talent grade, and Damian's was currently the area with a radius of 5-10 metres.

Using his magnetism towards energy, Damian attempted to draw in the Shadow Energy within his range without attempting to control it.

His unconventional method, that was inverse to the usual method of absorbing energy, seemed to be working, as he attracted the Shadow Energy towards himself.