An Extraordinary Talent for Wood Release

"That's impressive!" Hodrian laughed, then said, "Come, I'll teach you swordsmanship!"

Chiba: "???"

Didn't you see I was in the hospital? Now you want me to learn swordsmanship? Are you a devil?

Hodrian realized this at that moment and laughed somewhat awkwardly, "I suddenly remembered you're still in the hospital, sorry, sorry, it was my oversight. I'll teach you swordsmanship after you've recovered."

"By the way, what stage are you at, Heru Method?"

"Phase one is over," Chiba replied.

"The progress is alright, but it feels a bit slow for you." Hodrian gave him a deep look.

Chiba squinted, wanting to say, "Aren't you overestimating me?"

But to be honest, he has always focused on Ninjutsu. He only practices Taijutsu occasionally. He remembers that after successfully completing the first stage of his training, he didn't think about continuing.

However, Hodrian's words reminded him that he should start practicing the second stage of Heru Method. After all, the first stage was only invincible below A-Class, and currently his opponents were mostly above A-Class. The Shadow Thirty-Six Forms corresponding to the first stage could hardly be considered a powerful move.

"By the way, what is Futsu no Mitama?" Chiba asked.

"You don't even know about Futsu no Mitama?" Haiweier looked surprised.

"Is it strange that you don't know?" Chiba frowned.

Haiweier immediately looked at Hodrian and exclaimed, "Teacher, this guy not only doesn't know about the Sword Mountain Contest, he doesn't even know about the Futsu no Mitama! How can you let him participate in the Sword Mountain Contest?!"

Hodrian said, "It's alright, it's normal that he doesn't know. Besides, the Sword Mountain Contest doesn't test cultural knowledge."

Chiba: "..."

He suddenly realized that the girl Haiweier seemed to have a problem with him.

"Hmph! He already said he doesn't know how to use a sword. How could he possibly surpass my sister in just three years?" Haiweier said disdainfully.

Hodrian looked helplessly at Chiba and said, "Futsu no Mitama is the national treasure of the Land of Swords, also known as Furu Sword. Legend has it that it was the sword of Takemikazuchi, the god of swords, and was later bestowed upon Emperor Jimmu to quell the war. Along with the Ame no Murakumo Sword -Totsuka Blade, it is known as one of the three great spiritual swords of the Age of Gods, and is a sword of the kingly way."

"The Land of Swords reveres the way of the sword and the way of the samurai. They are passionate about witnessing the birth of powerful swordsmen and hold them in the utmost respect. Their desire for swords has reached a fever pitch. The Sword Mountain Contest is a competition they established based on Futsu no Mitama. The champion of each round of the Sword Mountain Contest is entitled to see Futsu no Mitama, but so far no one has been able to make it recognize a master."

Futsu no Mitama... Land of Swords... Land of Shinobi, Chiba remembered these keywords.

As he spoke, Hodrian conjured a silver magic circle in his hand, and then a yellowed book appeared in his hand, which he then tossed to Chiba.

"These are basic sword techniques. You can look through them while you're in the hospital. I'll formally teach you swordsmanship after you're discharged," said Hodrian.

Chiba picked up the book, glanced at it casually, and then asked, "How long do you plan to stay here?"

"How long will you stay?" Hodrian paused, then said, "I haven't thought about it yet. Otherwise... should I just stay here until the Sword Mountain Contest begins?"

Nuolin said calmly from the side, "Teacher, we didn't bring much money with us this time, so we can only stay for a few weeks at most."

"Huh?" Hodrian was taken aback, then said, "What kind of stuff can you teach in a few weeks? No way, you have to stay here for at least a few months."

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "How about Makarov and I make an exception and let the two of you do some missions? That's a kind of training, you know!"

"Well, since it's the teacher's instruction, I have no objection," Nuolin said softly, her eyes lowered.

Haiweier glanced at Chiba on the bed and snorted.

"Then let's find a hotel to stay in first. You just lie down and relax," said Hodrian.

"Okay, goodbye, teacher."

Hodrian left with the two girls, Chiba, bored on the bed, began to read books on basic swordsmanship.

"Hmph! That old geezer, barging in at such a crucial moment, he's infuriating me!"

In the girls' dormitory, Mira screamed in frustration.

Lisanna comforted her, "Don't be angry, Mira. Our efforts weren't in vain. At least you know that Chiba still cares about you, right?"

Thinking of this, Mira's lips curled into a cheerful smile. She remembered what Chiba had written in his notebook, and her mood brightened. "That's true."

"But that guy seems to be avoiding me, what should we do?" Mira looked troubled again.

She could vaguely sense that Chiba didn't seem to want to confront the issue directly at that time. Hodrian just happened to come to his rescue.

He's already gone to such lengths, what is this guy still worried about?!

Thinking about this, the girl couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.

"Maybe Chiba thinks he and Mira are too young. Mira, you're only twelve. If you were to be with Chiba now, it would be considered puppy love," Lisanna said, blinking.

Mira pouted and muttered, "Those people aren't ignorant; they're not little kids anymore."

"Lisanna, do you know why the old man came to the guild?" Mira asked.

"I don't know, but she went to see Brother Chiba as soon as she arrived, so she probably needs to talk to Chiba about something," Lisanna said.

Mira looked thoughtful, a light flickering in her beautiful eyes.

Two days later.

The forest east of Magnolia.

"I'm back." Pushing open the door of the simple house, Chiba strode in and said casually.

"Welcome home." A weak, girlish voice came from inside the house, and then a black-haired girl came out from the inner room.

The girl came to Chiba's side, naturally hugged his arm, and then smiled at him, her eyes crinkling.

"Seele, did you build this house?" Chiba seemed used to it. He looked around and asked.

"Mm." Seele nodded.

"Not bad." Chiba patted the girl's head and smiled slightly.

Seele smiled even more broadly.

Over the past month, the girl's mastery of Wood Release has progressed by leaps and bounds. It seems that due to a core issue, her cellular activity is exceptionally high. Therefore, the amount of Chakra she was able to extract at the beginning was also quite large. Moreover, Feiyin's guess was correct; this girl is indeed exceptionally gifted in learning Wood Release. So much so that from the time she was helped to fuse the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai until now, she has learned almost all of the basic Wood Release Ninjutsu.

In terms of Wood Release, her talent far surpasses that of Chiba.

This only fueled Chiba's curiosity further: what exactly was the core within Seele's Seele that granted Seele such formidable vitality and incredibly high cellular activity? And what was the origin of this forbidden substance?

Perhaps the Shadow Skull will know.