Sage Mode

"No need for extra words, to avoid padding... no, to avoid wasting time, the final trial begins now. Though the previous trial bent the rules a bit, it still counts as a pass."

The tall, brown-haired Tagitsuhime spoke first, and without giving Zi Xu a moment to react, she lunged at him like a gust of wind, latching onto his shoulders with hands like iron clamps. Her face then stretched upward as her jaw unhinged, revealing a horrifically gaping maw, as if the upper half of a snake's face had become human skin—a sight that made one's scalp crawl.

"Clang~ clang~" Two metallic sounds rang out from Zi Xu's neck. Tagitsuhime was a bit surprised; she had held back considerable strength, worried she might bite clean through his throat. But even so, she shouldn't have failed to break his defense. Such a physique already surpassed most who came to Ryūchi Cave for trials. Yet Tagitsuhime hadn't lived thousands of years for nothing. When she found her venomous fangs couldn't pierce Zi Xu's skin, she bit down again, this time with much more force.

Zi Xu only felt a fleeting numbness at his neck, like an electric shock, before he collapsed unconscious. There was no helping it—those three were monsters who had lived for millennia, far beyond what he could resist at his current level.

Watching Zi Xu fall to the ground, the purple-haired loli Ichikishimahime finally relaxed her pout a bit, throwing a few vengeful punches at the air in his direction, but that was all.

In his unconscious state, Zi Xu felt dizzy, as if he'd been shrunk and violently spun in a washing machine. When he came to, the two Divine Maidens were gone. Before him lay the same collapsed fork in the path, but after several rounds of Genjutsu, he could faintly sense that everything he saw now was an illusion. Like building drug tolerance after repeated doses, these powerful illusions were making him resistant.

"Let's switch tactics. Since everything here is based on illusion, once I meet the trial's conditions, the illusion will automatically dispel. From that angle, why bother figuring out how to pass or find the conditions? Just break the illusion directly. All trials rest on illusion—illusion is the foundation."

Zi Xu no longer wanted to waste effort searching for the task's requirements. The appearance of the two Divine Maidens had made one thing clear: as long as he could break the illusion, nothing else mattered.

"Genjutsu targets the mind. The weaker one's will, the easier to fall into it. Damage to the soul also lowers resistance... Mind, soul... Conqueror's Haki!"

Zi Xu thought of Conqueror's Haki. Whether for ninja or pirates, training required unity of body and mind. Only with a will and character matching one's strength could one unleash full power. Momonosuke, despised by all, was a living counterexample. He'd obtained a Demon Fruit with Kaido's lineage, granting abilities nearly identical to Kaido's, but lacking the corresponding will, he couldn't control that energy—in short, his virtue didn't match his position.

"I still can't use Conqueror's Haki actively. If I could, maybe I could shatter this illusion..." Zi Xu, still within the illusion, hadn't moved. He was pondering how to trigger Conqueror's Haki directly. The two Divine Maidens watching him from the side were puzzled—why was he just standing there instead of seeking a way out? Had he given up?

"Right, intense emotional upheaval can trigger Conqueror's Haki. Think of some infuriating memories..." Zi Xu's expression grew grim, like he was constipated, as he racked his brain for something truly angering. His emotions weren't easily stirred, and for a moment, he couldn't recall anything that made him furious.

But then, a memory from his past life suddenly surfaced: the time he'd blown several 648s and only gotten the pity reward. That gacha pull ranked among the three darkest moments of his summoning career. Remembering how he'd eaten plain rice for a month and even mooched his roommate's shower card, he burned with rage. His parents even suspected he was secretly using drugs. First came regret—deep regret—then utter breakdown, as he raged against the unfair gacha rates. Finally, when he saw a group chat friend pull six golds in a ten-roll, his mentality completely shattered.

"Hm? This kid's state... something's off. I'm actually sensing a hint of pressure from him? What's going on?" The Divine Maiden, who had been calmly watching, suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure emanating from Zi Xu. At first, she only noticed his expression darken, as if greatly provoked. Then, before long, that aura exploded like a firecracker in a glass bottle. Within the illusion, countless invisible ripples radiated from Zi Xu, and wherever they spread, the illusion crumbled like a routed beast before its natural predator, shattering on contact.

In reality, Zi Xu's eyes snapped open, glaring at Tagitsuhime and Ichikishimahime with a terrifying aura. Though their strength far surpassed his, and logic told them not to fear this youth, their bodies involuntarily edged backward. It wasn't a matter of power—it was a pressure from the essence of being, like a cub's roar in the forest, a hidden dragon at the abyss—a king not to be profaned.

This state didn't last long. After a brief moment, Zi Xu slumped, half-kneeling and breathing heavily.

"Huff, huff." He felt completely drained, every muscle aching, every cell seemingly wrung dry of energy.

"Young man, well done. Congratulations on passing the trial. You now officially qualify to train in Sage Mode..." A kind, aged voice reached Zi Xu's ears. The scenery around him shifted, and when it stopped, a massive white figure appeared before him.

It was an enormous white snake, wearing a green cat's eye gem on its chest, a purple ribbon as a headband with a military-green horn-like ornament on the front, a red night pearl atop its head, a pipe in its mouth, and two golden rings on its tail. It coiled on its throne, looking down at Zi Xu. The three Divine Maidens stood behind it, and the voice had come from the snake.

"Passed the trial? Good... huh." Before Zi Xu could relax, he felt another chill at his neck, but this time without the numbness—instead, a cool, refreshing sensation. He could clearly feel a special energy inside him.

"Kid, Sage Mode isn't so easy to learn. First, you must possess a large amount of chakra. Otherwise, you'll be devoured by Natural Energy and turn into a mindless snake." Tagorihime spoke first, explaining to Zi Xu. He indeed sensed a new type of energy merging into his body alongside his own chakra and spiritual energy.

"Second, you need to learn to absorb Natural Energy. The White Snake Sage has already injected Snake Enzyme into you, which will help you better sense the Natural Energy in the air. Once you get used to it, you won't need anything else and can begin training to control Natural Energy."

Ichikishimahime continued. Zi Xu followed her instructions and began sensing his surroundings, faintly detecting a rich, moist energy in the air.

"Finally, the principle. Normal ninja training requires balancing spiritual and physical energy. On that basis, adding Natural Energy and achieving a new balance is the key to mastering Sage Mode. Too little Natural Energy, and you can't fuse Sage Chakra; too much, and you turn into a snake. So, by absorbing Natural Energy and combining it with your physical and spiritual energy in a 1:1:1 ratio, you can condense Sage Chakra. When facial markings appear, Sage Mode is successful." Tagitsuhime added. Finally, the White Snake Sage, coiled on her throne, spoke:

"One rule of Sage Mode: unyielding perseverance and a firm mind are necessary to become a sage. Where you use this power is none of my concern. This is all I can teach you." Smoke from the White Snake Sage's pipe slowly rose, gradually enveloping Zi Xu.

"...Thank you. But can I leave now? My companions might be worried. I..." Zi Xu nodded in thanks. These beings had threatened to kill him and trapped him in illusions, but at least they taught him Sage Mode after he passed, being upfront about it. What he wanted most now was to know if he could return to Konoha. Escaping outright wouldn't be a problem, but Chino had helped him a lot over the years. Though he felt no attachment to Konoha, he wasn't an ingrate. At the very least, he needed to help Chino resolve her Cursed Seal issue.

"Don't worry. The sage won't restrict your freedom. Take these two snakes—one stays in Ryūchi Cave, the other where you're returning. Then you can use Reverse Summoning. Ryūchi Cave's Natural Energy is richer, making training here twice as effective." Tagorihime handed Zi Xu a white and a black snake. He didn't stand on ceremony, immediately contracting both. He left the white one in Ryūchi Cave and carried the black one with him.

The White Snake Sage's eyes remained closed. She simply exhaled, and a summoning formula appeared beneath Zi Xu's feet—the same Reverse Summoning that had brought him here. The familiar sensation of teleportation arose, and Zi Xu's body lifted into the air. He firmly memorized this location before stepping into the summoning array.