Sharpening the Spirit

As night fell once more, Uchiha Shūichi reappeared in that strange Light Orb Dimension.

The moment he returned, Uchiha Shūichi immediately took the Ice Crystal Pendant and hung it around his neck. He also placed the brocade bearing the Ice Heart Art against his chest.

Then Uchiha Shūichi slowly reached out and rested one hand on the hilt of the Blazing Kirin Sword. The next instant, terrifying malevolence, accompanied by a scorching heat, surged into his body, and the Fire Kirin's roar echoed in his mind.

Last time, although Uchiha Shūichi hadn't fully resisted the Blazing Kirin Sword's corrupting influence, he had still managed to fight it to a standstill for a short while. In theory, now that he had the Ice Crystal Pendant and had practiced the Ice Heart Art, he should have been able to last longer.

But in reality, his Mental Space barely held out this time before it began to buckle. He was pushed back at nearly every turn, and it wasn't until he released his grip that the frenzied, unruly Fire Kirin in his mind gradually lost its vigor.

This time was different from last time. Uchiha Shūichi had changed his eyes. Without the boost from Kotoamatsukami's Mangekyo Sharingan, his mental defenses had plummeted. The Ice Heart Art and Ice Crystal Pendant, both of which he had only just begun to master, couldn't make up for losing Kotoamatsukami.

As a purely genjutsu-based Mangekyo, Kotoamatsukami offered the strongest boost to mental defenses of all the Mangekyo.

There was no exaggeration in saying that even if the mental defense boost from Uchiha Shūichi's Three Tomoe Sharingan were multiplied three or five times, it still might not match Kotoamatsukami.

That was only because his own Three Tomoe Sharingan was a better fit for him. Otherwise, the gap would have been even wider.

In fact, based on Orochimaru's research and Uchiha Shūichi's own estimates, there was nearly a tenfold difference between a standard Three Tomoe Sharingan and a Mangekyo!

Uchiha Shūichi's own Three Tomoe Sharingan had reached a certain peak, and he hadn't been able to fully draw out the power of Kotoamatsukami's Mangekyo. That was why the difference between them had only been three to five times.

Otherwise, if Uchiha Shūichi had an ordinary Three Tomoe Sharingan, he would likely have been consumed by the sword's demonic energy and died from chakra imbalance the moment he touched the Blazing Kirin Sword, just like that unlucky fellow.

Now, although his defenses had collapsed at the slightest contact, at least he'd had time to let go instead of losing control completely.

Of course, Uchiha Shūichi dared to do this because he had some confidence in his own abilities. Chakra was an energy directly refined from a mixture of Mental Power and physical energy. It was entirely different from cultivating internal energy, didn't circulate through meridians or follow the small heavenly cycle, and couldn't cause the kind of deviation known as cultivation backlash.

Even if the chakra in his body turned into a complete mess, the harm it caused would be far less than that of a deviation during internal energy cultivation. That was what gave Uchiha Shūichi the confidence to touch the Blazing Kirin Sword.

As for why he would take such a risk when he knew he couldn't subdue the sword...

Uchiha Shūichi slowly closed his eyes and silently circulated the Ice Heart Art. The anger, hatred, bloodlust, fear, and other negative emotions stirred up by the Blazing Kirin Sword's demonic energy were gradually absorbed by his eyes. He could faintly feel his Dojutsu Power increasing, bit by bit.

A moment later, Uchiha Shūichi opened his eyes with a smile. He could feel that even the negative emotions provoked by the Blazing Kirin Sword could help his Sharingan evolve.

It didn't matter if he was emotionally detached. The demonic energy within the Blazing Kirin Sword didn't care; it could still unleash the negative emotions in his heart.

Although the effect was weaker than that of genuine emotions, Uchiha Shūichi had the right natural advantages. With enough exposure, he would eventually awaken the Mangekyo.

What's more, the negative emotions stirred up by the Blazing Kirin Sword's demonic energy wouldn't raise the threshold for emotional shock. And as he gradually mastered the sword, the negative emotions it provoked would only become more numerous and intense.

Given the sword's power, Uchiha Shūichi didn't need to worry about failing to reach the point where he could awaken the Mangekyo. He only needed to worry about whether the Demonic Sword would cloud his mind and turn him into a lunatic.

That was where the Ice Heart Art came in handy. Although it collapsed at the slightest touch when faced with the Blazing Kirin Sword's demonic energy, it was still very effective at calming the negative emotions left in his heart.

And resisting such intense demonic energy was also a way to hone the Ice Heart Art and strengthen his Mental Power. Uchiha Shūichi could feel that after merely touching the Blazing Kirin Sword and briefly resisting the demonic energy within, his Ice Heart Art had advanced by leaps and bounds—at least as much as he would have gained from several days of practice.

The morning sun streamed into the room. Uchiha Shūichi slowly opened his eyes. In his blood-red eyes, the three tomoe spun continuously, as if on the verge of changing, but in the end, they settled down again.

"My head hurts..."

Holding his head, Uchiha Shūichi couldn't help muttering. In just one night, he had resisted the Blazing Kirin Sword's malevolent energy dozens of times. Even with the Ice Heart Art's help, plenty of negative emotions had still built up.

Just as an enormous mental shock could awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan while also driving an Uchiha insane, an accumulation of negative emotions could likewise change a person's nature.

In Fung Wan, Duan Lang had gone down the path of evil because of the Blazing Kirin Sword. But that didn't mean he would have instantly turned over a new leaf if he had abandoned it.

Duan Lang's own nature had certainly played a part, but this also showed that the Blazing Kirin Sword itself could permanently alter someone's personality.

"I can't get so carried away with training next time. I need to use the Ice Heart Art to fully dispel all the negative emotions before I use the Blazing Kirin Sword to temper my mind again."

Uchiha Shūichi shook his head and sensed the negative emotions in his mind. They hadn't reached the point where they could affect his personality, but it would take at least three to five days to fully process them.

Before then, if he continued using the Blazing Kirin Sword to stimulate his emotions for training, he might cross some threshold and undergo a drastic change in personality. He could even be drawn in by the Demonic Sword's power and end up as its slave.

"But... this is already enough. This training has brought me tremendous progress. At this rate, even with time set aside to rest, it'll take only a year or two at most to awaken the Mangekyo."

Feeling that his Mental Power had grown by around ten percent, Uchiha Shūichi was brimming with confidence. Once he awakened his Mangekyo, he might even be able to use Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyo to awaken the Eternal Eye.

With that kind of strength, even if he couldn't defeat the Otsutsuki Clan, he could at least take control of the situation and put a complete stop to the Moon Eye Plan.