The Programmer Cultivator

The only difference was that before, the Mirror Image and the anchor—Li Shifan and the others—were two separate things.

But now, with the passive Dao Mark and the integration of the Scattering Beans into Soldiers technique, his Summoning Object itself could also be considered a partial anchor.

It couldn't be used quite like the anchors such as Li Shifan, which acted as a gateway within a ten-kilometer radius for all sorts of actions, like summoning another Mirror Image to that location.

But with the advent of the Bean Soldier and the Dao Mark, even after his Bean Soldier left an anchor like Li Shifan and reverted to an ordinary super-soldier, he could still use the Dao Mark to remotely channel the Splitting Dao through the Spirit Nurturing Space and upgrade it.

He could also retrieve it remotely via the Dao Mark and the Spirit Nurturing Space. By combining the Splitting Skill with his Spirit Nurturing Summoning Technique, he had solved the skill's greatest drawback.

After all, this Technique had always been easy to deploy but difficult to retrieve. If the Summoning Object was destroyed while far away, the piece of his Dao that had been split off would simply dissipate, causing a severe backlash through the technique's connection.

But now that he could recall it remotely at will, the technique's greatest weakness was largely resolved.

Having confirmed his theory, Zhang Deming couldn't hide the joy on his face. It had been just a theory before, but now that it was fully verified, a great weight was finally lifted from his mind.

Filled with joy, Zhang Deming continued testing in the Magic Room for a long while.

Then, while Zhang Deming's Main Body remained seated in the room, he sent out the Bean Soldier using the Splitting Dao. Wings sprouted from its back, and it flew off the mountain.

When the Bean Soldier was ten kilometers away from his Main Body, Zhang Deming had it pause for a moment. It didn't dissipate or show any signs of degenerating. Smiling, Zhang Deming had it soar freely through the sky.

'This confirms it,' he thought. 'To a certain extent, this Skill can truly rival the signature techniques of the Survival Path, like the Second Incarnation or One Qi Transformed into the Three Pristine Ones! If I develop it far enough, it might even surpass them!'

'With this, my safety is even more secure!'

'The only downside is that for now, I can only split off a few of my skills, and that doesn't even include my primary Cultivation Technique.'

'Furthermore, without a Subprogram, it can't automatically recover Spiritual Power. That means this body has a limited operational life; it'll dissipate as soon as its Spiritual Power runs out.'

'Still, this is already great. If I transfer all my Spiritual Power to the Bean Soldier and also split out the power from the Dark Pawn, it'll have the total Spiritual Power of two Half Ying Yang Cultivators. That's enough to start with.'

'Once this Skill is perfected, especially after I acquire some Karma and create a Subprogram for the Bean Soldier... I could just give it a Cave Mansion and let it cultivate in the Celestial Spirit Sect until it becomes an Immortal or a Saint! I could be "AFK grinding" while it wouldn't affect my own activities outside at all!'

Zhang Deming controlled the Bean Soldier, running various tests within the bounds of the Celestial Spirit Sect. By the time he grew proficient with its basic operations, the Bean Soldier's Spiritual Power was nearly depleted.

'It seems the Dark Pawn will have to become a regular target for the Splitting Skill from now on,' he mused. 'And for my next Law-Level Technique, I should probably prioritize the Chess Dao—a path I once scorned.'

'I'm not interested in it for any other reason. It's just that a Law Level version of the Dark Pawn's storage ability should be a massive upgrade.'

After testing all this, Zhang Deming first moved the Bean Soldier to a location nearly ten kilometers away from the Flying Spring Waterfall Tower. Then, with a single thought, the Bean Soldier dissolved into a shower of Spiritual Power Light Points.

Back in his Cave Mansion, Zhang Deming opened his eyes. He could feel the split-off Flying Technique and Sword Control Skill returning to him. He let out a long sigh of relief, finally certain that he could remotely recall the aspects of his Dao that he had split away.

With all that done, Zhang Deming finally relaxed completely. He felt a bit tired. He hadn't rested in over ten days, which broke his established routine.

So, after getting everything in order, Zhang Deming returned to the Flying Spring Waterfall Tower and immediately fell into a deep sleep.

······

The next morning, after waking up and exercising, Zhang Deming activated the protective Array around the Flying Spring Waterfall Tower. Once he had taken thorough defensive measures, he returned to the Cultivation Room and sat down with a grave expression.

Today, he planned to use the Bean Soldier he had left behind to try and explore the Metal Mountain Range he had discovered earlier.

'Previously, the Bean Soldier would have degenerated the moment he left the area, so he had only planned on using its "super-soldier" form to take a quick look. He just wanted to confirm if that metal sphere was down there and then decide whether to "unleash the Supreme Elder" on it.'

But now that he had perfected the Splitting Skill, it seemed he could use that same Bean Soldier to attempt a proper exploration.

As he mulled this over, Zhang Deming finished his preparations and sent his Heart Spirit into the Spirit Nurturing Space. First, he sensed for the Bean Soldier he'd left behind. It was still there.

The duration of all of Zhang Deming's Summoning Objects was determined by two factors. First, his Main Body's Spiritual Power; from the moment a Summoning Object was created, it continuously drained his Spiritual Power.

When his Main Body's Spiritual Power ran out, the Summoning Object would automatically collapse. Of course, this was contingent on the Summoning Object being within a ten-kilometer radius of Zhang Deming.

This was probably why Summoning Objects within this radius could use some of the Main Body's Skills—a relationship akin to a central database and a mobile client.

Once outside this radius, a Mirror Image with an anchor (like a signal tower) would continue to drain his Spiritual Power to sustain itself. A Bean Soldier, having no anchor, would consume its own internal Spiritual Power until it was depleted, at which point it too would disappear.

Now, his Summoning Object possessed the attributes of both a Mirror Image and a Bean Soldier. This meant it would only vanish when it could neither draw on his power nor its own.

Sensing the fused Bean Soldier, Zhang Deming raised his hand. A strange ripple of energy pulsed outward as the unique power of the Dao Mark emerged. A corresponding Dao Mark then appeared on the distant Bean Soldier he was sensing.

'Good thing I was cautious and added a clause to the passive ability back then,' he thought. 'Now I can use it as an active Skill too.'

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