Yūhi Kurenai Family, Mirror Water

The Glazed Robe gains 8 experience per minute, so it would take 125 minutes to level up.

But after 90 minutes, school let out.

Hyuga Ningyuan and Yūhi Kurenai didn't linger at school dancing; they left directly once classes ended.

The Yūhi Clan was merely a retainer family of the Sarutobi Clan, so naturally they didn't live in a core position—instead, they were situated around the third ring of Konoha, right next to the Sarutobi Clan's compound.

But this was only a political distance from the center. From a commercial standpoint, the Yūhi Clan actually lived near Konoha's business CBD.

Once Konoha's economy developed later on, property prices here were bound to skyrocket.

"My house is a bit small, please don't mind it!" Yūhi Kurenai said softly.

"Not at all, my place is about the same size!" Hyuga Ningyuan shook his head. Kurenai's home was a detached house, indeed smaller than the Hyuga Clan's.

But the Hyuga Clan wasn't Hyuga Ningyuan's property—his own home was also a detached house, so what right did he have to mock Yūhi Kurenai?

A detached house was a standalone residence, usually two stories, with four or five rooms on each floor—the ground floor for the parents, the upper floor for the kids.

The house had a front and back yard; the front yard was typically a little garden, and the back yard was used for drying laundry.

The little garden could be used for growing vegetables, but the locals didn't have that tradition, which was a shame.

Yūhi Kurenai walked ahead and opened the door. Hyuga Ningyuan was about to step inside when he suddenly felt a cold, piercing gaze.

"Hm?" Hyuga Ningyuan turned his head, but only saw an empty street.

"A trick of the mind?" Hyuga Ningyuan curled his lips slightly. As he lowered his head to enter, he activated his Byakugan in an instant.

His Arcane Brush Palace had already reached level 4 by 11 a.m., greatly boosting his mental strength—how could he possibly have illusions?

"So it's you!" Hyuga Ningyuan spotted the person staring at him with resentment. It was none other than Sarutobi Asuma.

He was Yūhi Kurenai's neighbor and had also left school at the same time as Hyuga Ningyuan. Seeing them walk home together wasn't surprising.

He'd thought that being shut down by his own words would be the end of it.

The second son of the Sarutobi family couldn't possibly lack women, right?

But he'd still set his sights on Yūhi Kurenai?

That made sense—being the protagonist, how could he avoid scenes of jealousy and envy?

Not bothering to dwell on it, he deactivated his Byakugan and followed Yūhi Kurenai into the room. A gentle female voice said, "So you're Kurenai's classmate, right? Have a seat, I'll pour you some tea!"

The speaker was a woman with jet-black hair, a gentle expression, and a pale complexion—likely Yūhi Kurenai's mother.

But she seemed to be in poor health.

"Alright, big sister!" Hyuga Ningyuan went along smoothly.

"..." The woman covered her mouth with a smile at the address, silent, but it earned Hyuga Ningyuan quite a bit of goodwill.

Hyuga Ningyuan sat cross-legged. Yūhi Kurenai initially wanted to sit beside him, but the woman pulled her into the kitchen.

A moment later, a cup of black tea was placed before Hyuga Ningyuan, and the woman returned to the kitchen.

The whole room fell silent, leaving only the steaming tea in front of him.

Hyuga Ningyuan blinked. So, was this a test of his composure?

He took a light sip of the black tea, then closed his eyes.

The Phoenix Genealogy Chart would upgrade the day after tomorrow—no rushing that.

The Glazed Robe, however, could level up in 30 minutes, since going from level 4 to level 5 only required 1,000 experience.

Even though this skill was quite strong.

Hyuga Ningyuan could only attribute it to the unique nature of the Hyuga Clan's Chakra.

If it were a civilian family, or even the Uzumaki, Uchiha, or Senju, leveling up the Glazed Robe wouldn't be this easy.

They might not even be able to create such a technique—their Chakra couldn't directly attack people; when released, it was just a mass of energy, unlike the Hyuga Clan, whose strikes were comparable to A-rank Void Palm.

Additionally, leveling the Arcane Brush Palace from 4 to 5 required 5,000 experience. He'd already accumulated 4,000 over the day, so it would take another 2 hours.

Hyuga Ningyuan invested 760 points of General Experience, so the Arcane Brush Palace would also level up in 30 minutes.

He could have just dumped General Experience to level it instantly, but since he had nothing better to do, being a little short added some anticipation.

He took another sip of tea.

The Phoenix Genealogy Chart was tied to Qi accumulation and physical enhancement—it was essentially his foundational art. From now on, he would only upgrade and merge it, never replace it.

The Arcane Brush Palace involved spirit, will, and illusion resistance—it was his spiritual foundational art, also only to be merged and upgraded, never swapped.

The Glazed Robe involved flight and defense; it could be used offensively, but that wasn't its specialty.

As for using the Glazed Robe to channel mental energy in combat, that was one application of the Arcane Brush Palace, but mental energy was best hoarded if possible.

Longevity was all about energy flowing in and never out. If he could, he wouldn't even use a single bit of Qi—he'd save it all.

"So what I'm lacking now is just combat skills!" The Second Shinobi World War was over, but the Third was still to come.

In that battle, though Minato turned the tide, many still died—not only a Hyuga Main Family member on the battlefield, but also Nohara Rin.

And it was said that Uchiha Fugaku awakened his Sharingan during that war.

"With the Byakugan, the Glazed Robe, and the White Swan heart technique that excels in speed, my safety is still guaranteed. But combat skills—I might not use them, but I can't afford not to have them!"

Eight Trigrams Palms?

That thing seems simple enough. Even a twelve-year-old Neji could learn it; I should be able to master it with just a glance.

But this palm technique has a low ceiling.

Elemental ninjutsu—I could learn Wind Release and Lightning Release. Both have speed and penetrating power.

"Might as well learn Swordsmanship too!" Who hasn't dreamed of being a swordsman? In this life, there's a chance to make it real!

"And Marksmanship—sniping people sounds fun too."

"And Shuriken Throwing. I have the system—let's see if I can upgrade it to Little Ning Flying Dagger!"

"Hm?" Hyuga Ningyuan's senses stirred, and he immediately knew Yūhi Shinku had arrived.

"Didn't expect I'd have a talent for Chakra Perception!" He hadn't even activated his Byakugan, yet he could sense Yūhi Shinku's approach. This was probably thanks to the Arcane Brush Palace, but Hyuga Ningyuan figured his perception talent came from naturally strong mental energy.

Maybe I wasn't born with strong mental energy, but since I trained it later, that still counts as talent, right?

He didn't turn his head. Instead, he kept his eyes closed, calming his mind.

A moment later.

[Ding, Arcane Brush Palace upgraded to Level 5, gaining trait: Mirror Water]

[Ding, Glazed Robe upgraded to Level 5, gaining trait: Seamless Robe]

Mirror: Heart Like a Mirror, Perceive All Things. Your observation and mental acuity increase by 20%.

Water: Calm Amidst the Storm, Heart Like Still Water. Your willpower and mental stability increase by 20%, and illusion resistance increases by 20%.

Mirror Water: You can maintain a tranquil mind and remain composed in any state.

With the birth of the Mirror Water trait, Hyuga Ningyuan—who had seemed calm on the surface but felt a bit tense inside—truly settled down.

His entire demeanor radiated a composed, unhurried air.

Without detachment, there is no clarity of purpose; without stillness, there is no reaching far.

At this moment, Hyuga Ningyuan lived up to his name!

Outside, Yūhi Shinku, who had been silently observing, felt a jolt. Such a calm and composed posture—was he really just a five-year-old child?