Chapter 13 | Strategic Use of Space

The sky was still dark, and the courtyard was deserted.

Li Xing was already awake.

He sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), his feet on the cold floor, his wrists still tingling with the numbness and ache of the previous night, as if something had slowly drained his strength.

It wasn't pain, but an indescribable emptiness.

He looked down at his hands.

These hands, which yesterday could steadily adjust the brakes and calibrate the chain, now struggled even to lift a bowl.

For the first time, Li Xing truly realized—the space wasn't a free gift.

He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking.

The grayish-white space appeared as expected.

There were no mission prompts, no reward pop-ups, only a line of words, calmly almost indifferent:

【Mental strength recovering】

【Current status: Not fully recovered】

Li Xing opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

“Just as I expected.”

The exhaustion from last night wasn't a figment of his imagination.

He got up, rummaged through a drawer for a pencil and half an old notebook, and spread them out on the table.

He didn't immediately enter the space; instead, he wrote something.

On the first page, he wrote four words:

Usage Principles

Then, he listed them one by one:

—Discontinuous high-level copying

—High-level skills should not be used for more than thirty minutes at a time

—After copying a skill, it must be consolidated through real-world practice

—If you experience significant physical discomfort, stop using it immediately.

He paused here.

The pen tip lightly touched the paper.

He remembered the momentary daze he had felt yesterday evening, and his mother's worried eyes.

He added another point below:

—Do not let family members notice.

Li Xing stared at that line for a long time.

The space was his secret, and also his trump card.

But if this trump card backfired, the first to be affected would undoubtedly be his family.

He turned to the next page and began making a time plan.

Morning:

—No spatial aid

—Purely practical car repair, practice, slow and steady wins the race

Noon:

—Lunch, rest

—No tools, no thought about procedures

Afternoon:

—One intermediate-level replication

—Clear goal, only complete the most crucial steps

Evening:

—Completely deactivate spatial aid

—Review the day's operations

After finishing writing, he closed the notebook and placed it on the kang (heated brick bed).

At that moment, he suddenly felt a strange sense of peace.

Not from his ability, but from a sense of control.

He pushed his old bicycle out of the yard and began to disassemble the chain.

Without the spatial aid, his movements were noticeably slower.

The screw was a bit tight; he had to tighten it twice before it loosened.

His wrist ached, so he immediately stopped and changed his posture.

"I can't force it," he whispered to himself.

This was the first time he had consciously given his body some leeway while working.

At noon, Li Xing really did lie down and take a nap as planned.

He didn't enter the spatial aid, and he didn't recall the procedures. He woke up with an unusually clear mind.

It wasn't until the afternoon that he closed his eyes again.

[Target Confirmed]

[Bicycle Repair - Brake and Drivetrain Calibration]

[Estimated Duration: 20 minutes]

[Risk Level: Medium]

"Confirmed."

This time, the spatial transmission was noticeably more restrained.

There was no overwhelming flood of information, but rather precision and focus.

The tightness of the brake cable, the rebound amplitude, the stress points on the chain—each detail clearly emerged and then quickly subsided.

Twenty minutes later, the space automatically withdrew.

Li Xing opened his eyes, his first reaction not excitement, but to check himself.

His wrists were slightly sore, but within a tolerable range.

His head felt a little heavy, but he wasn't dizzy.

"Acceptable."

He nodded and noted the experience in his notebook.

[Conclusion: Segmented replication significantly reduces side effects]

As evening fell, the setting sun shone into the courtyard.

Li Xing sat on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), watching his shadow slowly lengthen on the wall.

He suddenly understood something—

The true power of the space wasn't in replicating skills,

but in forcing him to learn planning, restraint, and assessing costs.

If he only focused on speed, the space would eventually backfire.

But if he could use the space as a tool, not a lifeline…

Li Xing slowly clenched his fist.

"Then the path I walk will be farther than others."

Night fell, and the courtyard fell silent again.

That night, he didn't enter the space again.

But he knew that from this day forward—

he had truly stood at the forefront of power.