Ice Heart Art

After examining the corpse, Uchiha Shūichi finally turned his gaze toward the glowing Great Light Sphere.

But when he approached it, he discovered that it was merely a phantom, like a flower in a mirror or the moon reflected in water—something he could never touch, no matter what he did.

Still, he could vaguely sense that the Light Orb was gradually transforming from nothingness into a physical entity. It would likely need some more time before it fully condensed into form.

And that time... was probably around five years!

"Phew... Was that a dream?"

Morning sunlight streamed into the room. Uchiha Shūichi suddenly opened his eyes and stared at the bright surroundings, looking slightly stunned.

"No, it wasn't a dream! I still clearly remember the contents of the Ice Heart Art, and there are even faint traces of the Fire Kirin's demonic aura lingering in my mind!"

"It's just that the things in that space seem impossible to take out. Only my spiritual body can enter, while actual physical objects cannot be brought out? It seems this Golden Finger has not fully awakened yet."

This was more or less in line with Uchiha Shūichi's original speculation. Five or six years had been the estimated time for that white space in his mind to fully emerge.

Now, it seemed that only his mind could make contact with that space. Bringing anything out of it, or entering it with his physical body, was completely impossible.

But even that was enough for Uchiha Shūichi. To be honest, the only truly valuable thing in that space was the terrifying Blazing Kirin Sword, yet he had no way to control it.

As for the Ice Crystal Pendant, it might have been immensely helpful to most cultivators of Eastern systems, allowing them to receive divine assistance when cultivating themselves internally.

But the Chakra system did not place much importance on mental state. Nor had he ever heard of anyone suffering a cultivation deviation while refining Chakra. Though the Ice Crystal Pendant was precious, its usefulness to ninja was greatly diminished.

The Ice Heart Art was merely knowledge. It did not matter whether the medium that recorded it could be brought out; what mattered was its contents.

Obtaining the Ice Heart Art had already been an unexpected delight. Besides, Uchiha Shūichi had already figured out how to use the Blazing Kirin Sword in that space.

Inside his room, Uchiha Shūichi formed hand seals. With a bang, he summoned a strange lump of flesh.

It was a white mass of flesh about the size of a human head, faintly pulsating as though it were breathing. Embedded in the lump were two blood-red eyes, each containing three black tomoe.

They were Uchiha Shūichi's own Sharingan. After replacing them with the Kotoamatsukami Mangekyō, he had not discarded his original eyes, instead using Hashirama Cells to nourish them.

Although this could not evolve his Sharingan, the powerful vitality contained within the Hashirama Cells still slightly enhanced the eyes' Dojutsu Power. To a certain extent, it even subtly compensated for some of the Sharingan's flaws.

Gently stroking the bizarre mass of flesh, Uchiha Shūichi could sense that his eyes' Dojutsu Power recovered twice as fast as that of an ordinary Three Tomoe Sharingan. Even if they were transplanted back into his body, part of the enhancement from the Hashirama Cells would remain.

Taking a deep breath, Uchiha Shūichi removed the Kotoamatsukami Mangekyō and transplanted his own eyes back in. In an instant, he felt his Yin Release weaken by nearly half. In exchange, these eyes fit him perfectly, as though they were resonating with his body.

The three tomoe in his Sharingan spun continuously, but in the end, no change occurred. Without spiritual stimulation, opening the Mangekyō required talent beyond imagination.

Like Indra, the ancestor of the Uchiha, whose Sharingan only outwardly displayed three tomoe, yet was far stronger than even an ordinary Eternal Mangekyo. The Uchiha of the next two or three generations after him should also have been able to directly awaken the Mangekyō, perhaps even the Eternal Mangekyo.

But after more than a thousand years, Uchiha Shūichi's bloodline had become the product of dozens of generations of Otsutsuki descendants. Neither his bloodline power nor his Chakra could compare to those of his ancestors.

Although, due to transmigration, Uchiha Shūichi's Mental Power was far stronger than that of ordinary Uchiha, and Body Modification had made his bloodline superior to that of his clansmen, he was still far from being able to awaken the Mangekyō on his own.

"A heart as clear as ice, unshaken even should the heavens collapse..."

Silently reciting the Ice Heart Art he had just obtained, Uchiha Shūichi focused on cultivating. He could feel his Mental Power continuously condensing and freezing, faintly improving bit by bit.

However, the Ice Heart Art was ultimately only an auxiliary cultivation method. Its true purpose was to calm the mind and stabilize one's breath, not to enhance Mental Power. At most, it could only increase one's Mental Power by fifty or sixty percent.

Under the effects of the Ice Heart Art, all the distracting thoughts in Uchiha Shūichi's heart flowed over ice like a babbling stream, leaving behind no trace. His mind became like moonlight in the sky, able to keenly perceive every subtle fluctuation of his spirit.

His ability to think also increased greatly in this state. His intelligence and comprehension seemed to have risen to an entirely new level.

Of course, this was only a temporary enhancement while in the Ice Heart Art state. Once he left it, he would certainly not retain such a powerful boost. Still, long-term cultivation of the Ice Heart Art would bring some benefits.

Eastern martial arts could tap into one's own potential and truly elevate one's level of life. This was something a system like Chakra could not achieve. If the Chakra system wanted to elevate one's level of life, the only method was to plunder from outside.

The Ice Heart Art was only an auxiliary cultivation method, yet long-term practice could make one clear-minded and calm, with a crystal-clear spirit and wisdom and comprehension beyond ordinary people. In comparison, ninjutsu merely allowed people to kill faster.

After a while, Uchiha Shūichi stopped circulating the Ice Heart Art. He could feel that the quality of the Dojutsu Power in his eyes had improved, but it was still far from reaching its true limit.

"What a pity... It is ultimately only an auxiliary cultivation method. Although the Ice Heart Art's enhancement can increase the Sharingan's power, breaking through the limits of the Mangekyō Sharingan is almost impossible."

As for the forced calm brought by the Ice Heart Art, it would be a negative condition for ordinary Uchiha trying to awaken their eyes. But Uchiha Shūichi himself was fairly cold by nature. In any case, he could not rely on intense spiritual stimulation to awaken them, so it had little effect on him.