"Drip... drip..."
The ripples that collided in pairs shattered into countless more, reflecting outward in opposite directions, forming ring after ring that continued to spread, seemingly without end, all the way into the pitch-black darkness beyond the dim yellow light.
For the 17,925th time, the Yin-Yang Fish Eight Trigrams Diagram flashed before Chiba's eyes once more.
The bright Yin-Yang Fish Eight Trigrams slowly emerged within the light, reflected in those clear eyes.
"It really does seem... the more I look at it, the more different it becomes."
As the Yin-Yang Fish Eight Trigrams lit up again, the boy took his eyes off it of his own accord for the first time.
Over seventeen thousand nine hundred times, he had looked at it over seventeen thousand nine hundred times. Driven by his obsession with getting out and his determination to escape his current predicament, he had never once looked away.
But this time, he did.
Hmm...
If the Yin Fish portion is considered Yin Release, then the tomoe beside it should be the foundation of Yin Release. They might contain the secret of using Yin Release to refine Yin-nature Chakra.
And Yin Release governs spiritual energy. I happen to be a spiritual body right now. If I can't refine ordinary Chakra, could I refine Yin Release Chakra instead? After all, Yin Release Chakra and Chakra of other natures are two different systems. It depends on spiritual energy and might not require physical energy. As a purely spiritual body, it might actually be easier for me to refine it.
As he looked away, Chiba, who had observed the Yin-Yang Fish Eight Trigrams over seventeen thousand times, seemed to have finally found a clue.
"Hmm..."
With that thought, Chiba simply sat cross-legged, propping his chin on one hand as he furrowed his brows