Trial of Ryūchi Cave

"Creak~" The sound of muscles tensing rang out. Although Zi Xu had dodged, Orochimaru's teeth still grazed his neck. After accomplishing this, Orochimaru drew back his unnaturally long neck, a sinister smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

"Only obedient test subjects are worthy test subjects, hmm?" Based on his past battle experience, although that attack hadn't bitten Zi Xu's neck directly, Orochimaru had lunged so quickly that even a graze should have left a wound and allowed him to inject his Cursed Seal. But after carefully examining Zi Xu, he noticed something was off.

Zi Xu wore an expression of pain, clutching his neck with both hands. His brow was furrowed, and his body trembled faintly, as if Orochimaru really had bitten him.

"Hey, quit pretending. People I inject with my Cursed Seal develop black markings on their skin. Besides, I can't even smell blood." Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. His instincts told him that someone like Zi Xu couldn't possibly be a rookie who had only just become a Genin.

If those old men like Hiruzen Sarutobi knew about this kid's powerful physique, they'd never let him stay in a Ninja squad. They'd certainly recruit him into the Anbu or Root and train him. So, was he hiding his strength?

"Looks like you have other reasons for staying in Konoha, huh? Heh, interesting. With a physique like that, I want to make you my next 'Vessel' more and more..."

The interest in Orochimaru's eyes grew stronger. His current body still had a long time before it would die, but finding a suitable Vessel ahead of time was a good thing. Perhaps then he wouldn't have to keep training in Senjutsu.

Because he had used forbidden techniques many times, his mental resistance was low, so he had never passed Ryūchi Cave's Genjutsu trial. His reason for training in Senjutsu was to improve his body's vitality. If he could get Zi Xu's body, then the trip would have been worthwhile.

Seeing that he hadn't fooled Orochimaru, Zi Xu stood up and casually stretched as if nothing had happened. He showed no sign of the pain he'd just displayed. Feeling Orochimaru's gaze grow more and more fervent, Zi Xu couldn't help but clench his buttocks. That look... This guy wants my body! But for the moment, he really had no good way to get out of this predicament. He could only take things one step at a time.

Just as the tension between them grew more and more unbearable, an utterly terrifying wave of violent energy swept through the area. The white shockwave struck Zi Xu, his muscles taut, and Orochimaru, who wore a delighted expression, sending them both stumbling backward.

Orochimaru's expression turned serious as he looked toward the source of the shockwave. After steadying himself, Zi Xu also turned toward the terrifying presence, but there was nothing there except an ancient Stone Gate.

"Outsiders, you've come to Ryūchi Cave, so I assume you want to train in Senjutsu. If you want to fight, don't do it here. If you want to train in Senjutsu, pass the test. You're making too much noise..." A lazy, aged voice echoed throughout the cave. Its reverberations made Zi Xu's scalp tingle, but he caught the words "train in Senjutsu." This was a chance to get away from Orochimaru.

"I want to take the test. I've long admired Senjutsu. It's been my dream since I was a child..." Zi Xu had never even heard of Senjutsu, but that didn't matter. He only had to get away from the dangerous man in front of him. He was getting a little sick of being called a test subject and a Vessel.

The voice fell silent for a while and then said nothing more, but both Zi Xu and Orochimaru understood what it meant.

"I'll take the test too." Of course Orochimaru would agree. He had come to Ryūchi Cave to train in Senjutsu in the first place, and Zi Xu was just an unexpected bonus. If he succeeded in learning Senjutsu, he'd have two reasons to celebrate.

After Orochimaru answered, the voice slowly faded away, and the Stone Gate before them began to open. They also heard another voice explaining that they weren't allowed to fight each other during the test, or they would be disqualified, along with a simple introduction to Ryūchi Cave's rules.

In short, it was simple: pass the test, and you earned the right to learn Senjutsu. Fail, and you'd be eaten. Live or die. Simple as that.

Only then did Orochimaru rein himself in a little. The fervor in his gaze as he looked at Zi Xu gradually subsided. He was confident he could escape unharmed even if he failed the test, but he might lose an excellent Vessel in the process. So, for now, he decided not to attack Zi Xu.

"Hey, let me tell you something else. Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi aren't as united as they seem. Since you're hiding your strength, you must have some interesting reason for it. Maybe you could be useful in the 'plan.' Stay alive, kid..."

Orochimaru walked past Zi Xu, who remained on guard. He flicked out his long tongue and entered the open doorway first. Zi Xu had no choice but to follow him, bracing himself. There didn't seem to be any other exits; apparently, they could only leave by passing the test.

The scene beyond the Stone Gate was completely different from before. It was no exaggeration to say they were two separate worlds. Outside was a gloomy cave filled with stalactites, stalagmites, and dripping water. Inside, the place blazed with light. Countless towers and temples stood among palaces and restaurants, while crowds thronged the streets, bustling back and forth.

Though it was a cave, it wasn't dark. Countless lanterns decorated this underground world, making it look like a festival fairground during Yuan Xiao. Every passerby wore a heartfelt smile. None of them seemed to notice Zi Xu and the others arriving. They simply kept singing, dancing, and laughing.

"Hey, young man, want some ramen? Fresh out of the pot! It's delicious!" Attendants in front of several restaurants called out to Zi Xu, promoting their eateries' specialties. Just the faint scent from afar made his stomach growl.

The aroma seemed to strike directly at the soul, giving people the terrifying thought that they wouldn't mind dying as long as they could have a single bite. Zi Xu wasn't stupid enough to eat food of unknown origin in an unfamiliar place. Besides, no matter how he looked at it, this had to be part of the trial, which made him even less likely to eat it.

"Something's not right about this place. How can so many people live in an enclosed space like this? Where do the food and water come from? Wouldn't they suffocate from a lack of oxygen?" After turning down the ramen shop owner, Zi Xu noticed the oddities around him. His concerns were a little strange, but it was obvious that something was wrong here.

He looked around but didn't see Orochimaru, who had entered before him. Scratching his head, he thought, Maybe he blended in with the crowd. Or maybe everyone gets separated when they come in.

Zi Xu stood still, observing the people and buildings around him, afraid to act rashly. The people nearby continued dancing on their own. Ignoring them, he looked into the distance, where he saw another Stone Gate decorated much like the one he'd entered through. His first guess was that it was the exit.

Once he had figured out which way to go, Zi Xu didn't waste time. He didn't care what the people here were doing. After all, the shortest distance between two points was a straight line, so he headed straight for the Stone Gate that seemed to be the exit.

The journey was surprisingly uneventful. The dancers neither suddenly went berserk and attacked him nor stabbed him in the back while smiling. He simply walked all the way to the Stone Gate on the other side. He wondered why it was so easy, but still decided to try opening it. To be safe, though, he used a clone to push the door. Only after seeing that nothing happened to his clone did he step through.

"That easy? This counts as a test?" Zi Xu grumbled inwardly, but cautiously stepped through the Stone Gate. What happened next showed him that the trial was nowhere near as simple as it looked.

"Hm? What's going on? Why am I back here?" Zi Xu was shocked to find himself back where he'd first arrived. The familiar laughter and buildings were still there, and even the ramen shop owner hadn't changed.

"Hey, young man, want some ramen? Fresh out of the pot! It's delicious!" Ramen Uncle greeted Zi Xu warmly, the bowl of ramen tempting him as if it held some kind of magic.

The laughter all around him, the sizzle of roasting meat, the savory aroma of the meat as its rich collagen mingled with salt and marinade under the flames... The sounds of people gobbling food, their teeth and lips smacking as they swallowed mouthful after mouthful... The sensory stimulation stirred Zi Xu's appetite, but he wouldn't eat it, no matter what. If he was thinking about food instead of how to get out, he really would be an idiot.

"A Genjutsu? Then what I'm seeing here might not be real either?" To test his theory, Zi Xu went up and touched the clothes of the people dancing nearby. Strangely, he could clearly feel the texture of the fabric beneath his fingers. The middle-aged man whose clothes he grabbed coyly pulled away from him, smiling like a blooming old chrysanthemum.

He hurriedly withdrew his hand from the man's sleeve and dusted it off, caught completely off guard. He'd thought these people were all illusions, but not only did their clothes feel real, the people themselves reacted differently to his actions. For a moment, he was confused and couldn't be sure everything here was an illusion.

The singing and noisy calls of vendors continued all around him. People chatted and laughed, and the whole place seemed like a peaceful, prosperous world. But there had to be a way to break through this tranquil surface, or perhaps some other secret was hidden here.

Zi Xu ran a few more tests. After some trial and error, he worked out a few rules—one of the few things he had managed to learn.

First, so far, whenever Zi Xu passed through that door, he reappeared at the spot where he'd first entered. He also became more tired. Second, no matter what he did, everything here reset to how it had been when he first arrived whenever he entered the Stone Gate.

Finally, as he kept going in and out, he discovered that he could carry objects from one cycle into the next. Objects he took away wouldn't appear in the next cycle. In other words, each object was unique. That was all he'd managed to piece together so far.

His instincts told him there had to be a connection between all of this. But, just like solving a math problem, progress was slow without the key insight. As Zi Xu racked his brains without finding an answer, the ramen shop owner spoke again:

"Hey, young man, want some ramen? Fresh out of the pot! It's delicious!" The words were the same as before, but for some reason, Zi Xu seemed to hear a hint of pain in them.

He and Ramen Uncle stared into each other's eyes, as if communicating without words.

The Heavenly Tour needs to get out of Motou Village! Roll back the Magic Cube!