After lying on the bed for a couple of minutes, Eddie suddenly sprung up like a jack-in-the-box. Pretending to be clueless might work for now, but sooner or later, when he encounters this 'Uncle Four' or any other relatives and friends he doesn't recognize, the jig would be up.
He rummaged through the belongings of the poor soul who'd ended up as fish food, hoping to unearth something - a diary, perhaps - that might shed light on the identity of the original Tommy.
Turning the room upside down, he finally found a diary among the disheveled heap of books and boxes. But the diary was less of a gossipy tell-all and more of a somber tome filled with the original Tommy's meditations on summoning arts and insights into the Yue family's spear techniques.
As Eddie leafed through the pages, he realized the guy was quite diligent in his practices, despite never having successfully bonded with the Summoning Tome.
It seemed he had decided to keep his progress under wraps, planning a grand reveal once he had mastered the tome. This secretive diligence had unfortunately led everyone to believe he was nothing more than a dud.
The diary mentioned that the Yue family's spear technique was an elite martial skill, particularly devastating when combined with the right type of combat beast.
Time and again, the diary lamented the tragic loss of much of this technique centuries ago, due to some ancestral betrayal. If not for this historic mishap, the diary mused, the Yue family might have stood at the top of the four great families instead of sitting in third place.
Eddie, now armed with a bit more insight into the life and times of his unfortunate predecessor, felt a mix of admiration and responsibility.
He closed the diary, wondering what the future held for him in this world, a place where even his shadow could be a powerful ally - or perhaps, an unknown threat.
With a deep breath, he steeled himself for the journey ahead, ready to learn, adapt, and maybe even leave his own mark on the Dragonrise Continent.
Despite the decline, the Yue family's spear technique remained renowned in the martial world. No longer producing peak warriors as in the glory days, the family still boasted a significant number of formidable fighters.
The most notable among them was the original Tommy's father, heralded as the strongest warrior in the Yue lineage for the past century. His untimely demise had significantly hampered the family's ascent to greater prominence.
Eddie, upon reading about the spear technique, felt overwhelmed. As a self-proclaimed couch potato, his closest encounter with martial arts was through action movies and video games.
He was aware of the saying, "Practice staff for a month, saber for a year, a lifetime for spear, and always keep a sword near."
The spear was known for its complexity and depth, requiring a lifetime of dedication to master, with numerous styles and techniques varying across schools and sects.
If it had been techniques involving sabers, swords, or staffs, Eddie might have considered dabbling, as these were relatively more accessible.
But spear technique was an entirely different beast. Even the original Tommy, after more than a decade of practice, had barely scratched the surface.
Eddie decided to set aside the spear technique for now. What he needed weren't skills that took a lifetime to master, especially considering that martial techniques had largely fallen out of favor in Dragonrise Continent.
Traditional combat skills, without significant cultivation and reinforcement from summoning beasts, rarely surpassed level three, becoming little more than a means to a modest livelihood for mercenaries.
Before his sudden plunge into the world of Dragonrise, Eddie had been a fervent admirer of Eastern martial arts and culture.
He wasn't just a casual fan of kung fu movies or anime; he dove deep into the histories and philosophies behind them.
His shelves were lined with books on Eastern mysticism, the art of war, and the biographies of legendary martial artists. He'd spent countless hours lost in the exploits of ancient warriors and the intricate dance of their battles.
He was especially fascinated by the rich tapestry of skills and the rigorous discipline required in the practice of these ancient arts.
The stories of lone swordsmen wandering the land in search of enlightenment, or fierce generals commanding respect with both their wisdom and might, had always ignited a flame of yearning in his heart.
Now, finding himself in a world where these tales seemed to leap from the pages into reality, Eddie felt a mixture of elation and apprehension.
To Eddie, the martial arts of this world seemed akin to the ancient martial arts of China, a way to enhance one's physical capabilities and battle prowess, steeped in tradition and demanding unwavering commitment.
For someone just trying to get his bearings in a new and mysterious world, taking on such a monumental task was less appealing than understanding and harnessing the strange new powers at his disposal.
He needed to prioritize learning about his phantom shadow, the Summoning Tome, and how he might fit into the grand tapestry of Dragonrise Continent.
Eddie couldn't help but see the irony in the martial situation of Dragonrise Continent. To him, it felt like everyone was still wielding swords and spears in an age where summoning was like having a modern firearm.
No matter how skillful you are with a blade, a well-summoned beast could take you down like a bullet. Summoning didn't require years of backbreaking training; its power was all about the beast you bonded with.
Imagine, Eddie thought, someone spending a decade perfecting their martial art, only to be defeated by a novice who just happened to summon a venomous snake or a wind wolf. It was like bringing a knife to a gunfight!
In such a world, it was no wonder that most abandoned the arduous path of martial arts for the more pragmatic and powerful art of summoning.
Eddie smirked, reading about the original Eddie's two main adversaries, which sounded more like characters from a daytime soap opera than real-life enemies.
One was a cousin, Blaze Yew, who harbored a grudge over a missed engagement due to being born a few days late.
The other, a genius named Kieran Shaw from the neighboring town, seemed to have a vendetta against the original Tommy over some complicated romantic entanglements with the Snow family.
As Eddie closed the diary, he couldn't help but think, "Man, that original Eddie guy's life was one heck of a drama!"
He was starting to feel a bit like he'd unwittingly signed up for a role in a martial arts saga, complete with love triangles and bitter rivalries.
With a shake of his head, Eddie put aside the diary, still amused by the melodramatic twists of the original Eddie's life and ever more determined to find his own path in this strange, new world of shadowy phantoms and summoning might.
Eddie, sitting amidst the remnants of the original Eddie's life, couldn't help but chuckle at the irony. "Couldn't win the lady, but won the grand prize in enemy lottery," he mused.
He thought about the old saying, "Behind every successful man is a woman," and then flipped it, "And for every unsuccessful man, apparently, there are two."
He didn't dwell on the Snoe family's lady, no matter how heavenly her beauty might be touted. Why hang on one tree when you've got the whole forest, right?
"In the world of power and wealth, beauty flocks to you like bees to honey," Eddie pondered.
If the original Eddie had been an emperor, a corrupt official, or a wealthy businessman, his situation might have been drastically different.
But as a perceived nobody, he ended up feeding the fishes, his romantic dreams unfulfilled.
Of course, Eddie wasn't here to pine over lost loves or rue missed opportunities.
He was in a new world with new rules, where power came from summoning beasts and navigating a society that revered strength above all. "Power, status, wealth... they shape your world here as much as they did back home," he thought.
As he lay back, thoughts swirling about power and relationships, wealth and loneliness, Eddie slowly drifted off to sleep.
His last conscious thought was a wry smile at the universal truth that seemed to bridge both worlds: "It's not just about who you are, but what you can bring to the table."
Then, he was asleep, dreaming of shadows and phantoms, and the adventures that awaited him in the Dragonrise Continent.
Eddie, in his hazy state of half-sleep, found himself once again in the mystical consciousness space that had flashed through his mind during his encounter with the Summoning Tome.
As he wondered whether he could actually wield the shining flying sword he had seen earlier, the sword transformed into an ethereal figure of a white-robed fairy.
She was clad in heavenly garments, with long ribbons of silk trailing behind her in the breeze.
Her delicate feet seemed to tread on air, her wrists raised gracefully, fingers lightly touching as if playing an invisible harp. Her waist swayed like a willow in the wind, dancing enchantingly before a dumbstruck Eddie.
His jaw dropped at the sight, marveling at the possibility that the flying sword he'd acquired was actually embodied by a sword spirit, a celestial maiden no less!
She danced with such elegance and grace, surrounded by rainbows and unknown exotic flowers that fluttered around her like butterflies.
Just as Eddie was about to applaud what he thought was a dance performance, the fairy's fingers shot forth invisible sword energies, slicing through the very fabric of space itself.
Her hands and feet wielded the power to upheave oceans and move mountains, as if a mere gesture from her could support the heavens or shake the earth.
Eddie was utterly astonished; this was no ordinary martial art - it was terrifyingly powerful!
But the real shock came when the celestial maiden turned, her delicate body flickering to stand before a petrified Eddie.
Her hand, capable of apocalyptic destruction, condensed thousands of sword energies into a single point aimed directly at his forehead.
"Whoa!" Eddie woke with a start, screaming, his soul nearly departing his body in fright. It took him a moment to realize it was all just a vivid dream, and the celestial maiden hadn't actually burst his head with a finger.
But as he touched his forehead, recalling the dream's white-robed fairy, he sensed a mysterious martial technique silently nestled in the depths of his mind.
As soon as his thoughts brushed against it, a strange name surfaced in his consciousness: the Innate Disembodied Sword Qi.