Trial of Ryūchi Cave

"Creek~" The sound of muscles tensing rang out. Although Zi Xu had made a dodging motion, the side of his neck was still grazed by Orochimaru's fangs. Having accomplished this, Orochimaru retracted his unnaturally elongated neck, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips.

"Only obedient test subjects are qualified test subjects, hmm?" Based on his past combat experience, even though his attack hadn't directly bitten Zi Xu's neck, the speed of his lunge meant that even a graze against the skin would surely create a wound, allowing him to inject his Cursed Seal. But after carefully observing Zi Xu for a moment, he noticed something unusual.

Zi Xu wore an expression of intense pain, both hands clutching his neck, brows tightly furrowed, body trembling slightly—as if he really had been bitten by Orochimaru.

"Hey, stop pretending. Anyone I inject with my Cursed Seal develops black markings on their skin. I didn't even smell blood." Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. His instincts told him that someone like Zi Xu was definitely not a freshly promoted Genin.

If a brat with such a formidable physique were known to Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other old fogies, there was no way they'd leave him in a regular ninja squad. They'd pull him into the Anbu or Root for training. So, was he hiding his strength?

"It seems you have some other purpose for staying in Konoha, hmm? Interesting. With a body this strong, I'm more and more eager to make you my next 'Vessel'..."

The interest in Orochimaru's eyes grew even deeper. Though there was still a long time before his current shell would expire, finding a suitable Vessel ahead of schedule was a good thing. Maybe he wouldn't even need to continue training in Senjutsu.

Due to his repeated use of forbidden techniques, his mental resistance was very low, which was why he could never pass the Genjutsu trial of Ryūchi Cave. One of his goals in training Senjutsu was to enhance his body's vitality. If he could obtain Zi Xu's body, this trip would be well worth it.

Seeing that he hadn't fooled Orochimaru, Zi Xu stood up, stretching as if nothing had happened, showing none of the pain he'd just displayed. Feeling Orochimaru's gaze on him grow more intense, he couldn't help but tighten up. Confirmed—this guy was after his body! But for now, he had no good way out of this predicament. He'd just have to take it one step at a time.

Just as the tension between them was reaching its peak, an incredibly violent surge of energy swept through the area. A white shockwave pierced through both the tense Zi Xu and the delighted Orochimaru, forcing both of them back a few steps.

Orochimaru's expression was no longer relaxed. He stared gravely in the direction from which the shockwave had erupted. Zi Xu steadied himself and also looked toward the source of that terrifying aura, but there was nothing there except an ancient Stone Gate.

"Outsiders. If you've come to Ryūchi Cave, you must want to train in Senjutsu. If you want to fight, don't do it here. If you want to learn Senjutsu, pass the trial. You're too noisy..." A lazy, aged voice echoed throughout the entire cave. The reverberation alone made Zi Xu's scalp tingle, but he caught the phrase "train in Senjutsu." This was a chance to get away from Orochimaru.

"I want to take the trial. I've always yearned for Senjutsu—it's been my dream since I was a child..." Though Zi Xu had never even heard of Senjutsu, that didn't stop him from putting on a show. As long as he could shake off this dangerous man—who kept going on about test subjects and Vessels—he'd say anything.

The voice paused for a moment before falling silent, but both Zi Xu and Orochimaru understood what it meant.

"I'm here to take the trial too." Orochimaru naturally accepted. His original purpose in coming to Ryūchi Cave was to train in Senjutsu. Zi Xu was just an unexpected bonus. If he could successfully master Senjutsu, it would be a double blessing.

After receiving Orochimaru's response, the voice slowly faded, and the Stone Gate before them creaked open. They also heard another voice, which roughly explained that fighting was prohibited during the trial, or else they'd be disqualified—a simple rundown of Ryūchi Cave's rules.

In summary, it was simple: pass the trial and earn the right to learn Senjutsu; fail the trial and be eaten. Live or die—straightforward enough.

Hearing this, Orochimaru finally restrained himself a little. The burning look in his eyes toward Zi Xu cooled somewhat. Though he was confident he could escape unscathed if he failed the trial, he might lose an excellent Vessel in the process. So, for now, he decided not to make a move on Zi Xu.

"Hey, let me tell you one more thing. Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi aren't that united. Since you want to hide your strength, you must have some interesting reason. Maybe you'll come in handy in the 'plan.' Stay alive, kid..."

Orochimaru walked over to the wary Zi Xu, extended his long tongue, and stepped first through the now-open door. Zi Xu had no choice but to steel himself and follow. After all, he couldn't see any other exits—it seemed the only way out was to pass the trial.

The scene beyond the Stone Gate was vastly different from before. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was like two completely different worlds. Outside the gate was a cave landscape of stalactites, stalagmites, dripping water, and other cold, damp elements. Inside, it was a blaze of lights—countless towers and temples, palaces and restaurants springing up one after another, with an endless stream of pedestrians and bustling traffic.

Though it was a cave, it wasn't dark. Countless lanterns decorated this underground world like a temple fair during the Yuan Xiao Festival. Every pedestrian wore a genuine smile, not even noticing Zi Xu's arrival, continuing to dance and laugh joyfully.

"Young man, want some ramen? Fresh out of the pot—really fragrant!" Servants from several restaurants pushed their delicious food toward Zi Xu. Just smelling it from a distance made his stomach growl.

The aroma seemed to strike straight at the soul, stirring up the terrifying thought that "even dying after one bite would be worth it." Zi Xu wasn't stupid enough to eat unknown food in a strange environment, especially since this was obviously part of the trial. There was no way he'd take a bite.

"This place is wrong. How can this sealed space support so many people? Where do the food and water come from? Wouldn't they run out of oxygen?" After turning down the Ramen Uncle, Zi Xu noticed the abnormality of this place. Though his focus was a bit odd, it was clear something was off.

He looked around but didn't see Orochimaru, who had entered before him. Scratching his head in confusion, he thought, Maybe he blended into the crowd, or maybe everyone gets separated upon entry.

Zi Xu stood still, observing the people and buildings around him, not daring to act rashly. The people continued dancing on their own. Ignoring the dancing men and women, he fixed his gaze on a distant Stone Gate that looked similar to the one he'd entered through. His preliminary guess was that it was the exit.

Once he'd confirmed the direction, Zi Xu didn't waste time. Paying no attention to what the people here were doing, he took the shortest path—straight line between two points—and headed directly for the suspected exit gate.

The journey was surprisingly smooth. The dancing people neither suddenly went mad and attacked him nor stabbed him in the back amid their laughter. He simply walked to the opposite Stone Gate. Though he was suspicious of how easy it was, he decided to try pushing it open. To be safe, he used a clone to push the door first. Seeing the clone unharmed, he stepped through.

"That easy? This counts as a trial?" Zi Xu grumbled inwardly but cautiously stepped into the gate. What happened next, however, taught him that this trial was far from simple.

"Huh? What's going on? How am I back here?" Zi Xu was shocked to find himself back at his starting point. The same familiar laughter, the same familiar buildings, even the Ramen Uncle hadn't changed.

"Young man, want some ramen? Fresh out of the pot—really fragrant!" The Ramen Uncle enthusiastically called out to Zi Xu. The bowl of ramen seemed to have a magic that tempted him.

The surrounding laughter, the sizzling sound of grilling meat, the rich collagen mixed with salt and marinade releasing a savory aroma under the flames, the sounds of people devouring food with gusto, the clatter of teeth and lips... All these sensory stimuli momentarily stirred Zi Xu's appetite, but he absolutely wouldn't eat. If he was thinking about eating instead of how to get out, his mind was way too big.

"Genjutsu? Then what I see here might not be real either?" To test his theory, Zi Xu reached out and touched the clothes of a dancing person. Strangely, he could clearly feel the texture of the fabric. The middle-aged man whose clothes he grabbed shyly pulled them back, smiling like a blooming old chrysanthemum.

He quickly withdrew his hand, brushing it off, caught off guard. He had thought these people were illusions, but not only did the clothes have real texture, the people also reacted differently to his actions. This left him confused, no longer certain that everything here was an illusion.

The surrounding songs and noisy shouts continued, people chatting and laughing, presenting a picture of a prosperous, peaceful world. But beneath this calm surface, there had to be a way to break through—or perhaps other secrets?

Zi Xu ran a few more experiments. After several attempts, he summarized a few rules, which were his only gains so far.

First, as long as he passed through that gate, he would reappear at his entry point, and his stamina would also decrease. Second, no matter what he did, once he entered the gate, everything here reset to its initial state.

Finally, during his repeated entries and exits, he discovered one thing: he could bring items from the previous cycle into the next, and the items he took wouldn't appear in the next cycle. In other words, items were unique. These were all the clues Zi Xu had gathered so far.

His instincts told him there was a connection between all this, but it was like solving a math problem—progress was slow without the key step. Just as Zi Xu was racking his brains, the Ramen Uncle spoke again:

"Young man, want some ramen? Fresh out of the pot—really fragrant!" The same words, but for some reason, Zi Xu thought he detected a hint of pain in them.

He locked eyes with the Ramen Uncle, staring at each other, as if engaged in a wordless exchange.

------Author's Note------

Tianyou, get out of Motou Village! Revert the Rubik's Cube!