Another Knowledge Point About Cursed Techniques Added

Lin Ran understood Fushiguro Megumi's thoughts and confusion, but honestly, he felt there was not much point in training with his classmates and upperclassmen. At most, it would be physical combat training; Cursed Techniques were a personal matter.

Then there was nothing to agonize over. Lin Ran was still somewhat confident in close combat—after all, it was all hand-to-hand fighting. Cursed Techniques, on the other hand, were Lin Ran's weak point.

So the most important thing right now was learning Cursed Techniques. Once he got the hang of Cursed Techniques, everything would be OK.

"Fushiguro, it's not that I don't want to train with you all. It's just that I think gaining experience out in the field on my own would be better. I'd grow faster that way," Lin Ran said casually.

"Do you know how many Cursed Spirits there are out there? Do you know how many Cursed Spirits are stronger than Jujutsu Sorcerers? I admit you have some ability, but that is absolutely not a reason for you to be arrogant." Fushiguro Megumi stood up and looked down at Lin Ran. "The upperclassmen have abundant experience and practical combat skills. Training with them would benefit us greatly. Decide for yourself."

Jujutsu High was very democratic. It would not force students to do things they did not want to do, but likewise, it would not keep trash at the school.

Lin Ran felt that Fushiguro Megumi was more or less upset, but he could understand it—after all, the other boy meant well.

Still, Lin Ran decided to go out and gain experience on his own. Self-training was meaningless; he had to grow through slaughter.

Early the next morning, Lin Ran got up early to brush his teeth and wash his face. Once he was done, he prepared breakfast for everyone.

After eating, he immediately headed to the Jujutsu Pavilion.

Only then did the others gradually wake up and brush their teeth and wash their faces. After Nobara Kugisaki finished brushing her teeth, she saw the message Lin Ran had sent her. He said breakfast was ready and told them to help themselves after washing up.

"That guy is pretty thoughtful." Nobara Kugisaki's lips curled up slightly. Though they could not eat the delicacies found in the city out here on the outskirts of Tokyo, Lin Ran's cooking was still a wonderful treat. At least, she enjoyed it very much.

Lin Ran passed through a patch of woods and followed a gravel path to the Jujutsu Pavilion. It was an old-looking building, and its age was apparent from the outside.

The surroundings were quiet. Lin Ran stepped into the pavilion, where an old man was sweeping the floor. Hearing footsteps, the old man looked up at the person entering.

"Good morning, sir." Lin Ran greeted him with a smile.

Though the old man had a full head of white hair, he looked vigorous, not at all like someone in his twilight years.

The old man glanced at Lin Ran. "You're up early. Here to study Cursed Techniques?"

"You got up much earlier than I did, sir..." Lin Ran flattered him before saying, "Yes, I'm here to take a look at Cursed Techniques."

The old man nodded without much expression and merely pointed to a table nearby. "Register yourself over there."

Lin Ran quickly walked over to the table, picked up a pen, and began filling out the register. Once he finished, he went straight into the pavilion at the back.

The old man smiled and shook his head. "Young people these days are all too impatient. He probably won't come back after two days. Cursed Techniques aren't something just anyone can master."

By then, Lin Ran had already ventured deep into the Jujutsu Pavilion. Rows upon rows of bookshelves stood here, filled with books. But after searching for quite a while, he found that most were about Cursed Technique legends, histories of Cursed Techniques, theories of Cursed Techniques around the world, the functions of Cursed Techniques, and classifications of Cursed Techniques.

There were very few books about actual Cursed Techniques, which disappointed Lin Ran somewhat. So this was just a place to learn knowledge, not a place to learn Cursed Techniques.

Still, Lin Ran read through some explanations and details about Cursed Techniques, gaining an understanding of many things that had previously confused him.

For instance, he now somewhat understood what Fushiguro Megumi had said yesterday.

First, innate talent accounted for eighty percent of a Jujutsu Sorcerer's strength, and whether one could use a technique made up an extremely large part of that "innate talent." This aspect depended almost entirely on talent and bloodline, with bloodline being even more important, because genes could determine both brain structure and inherit techniques. Of course, there were always exceptions, and methods of acquiring techniques after birth did exist.

Then there were two major categories of technique use: Cursed Technique Turn and Reverse Cursed Technique Application.

Cursed Technique Turn referred to the effect produced by infusing cursed energy into a technique. Most Jujutsu Sorcerers fought using Cursed Technique Turn, and the ultimate secret of Cursed Technique Turn was called the "Ultimate Technique."

Beyond Ultimate Techniques, Cursed Technique Turn had an even more powerful advanced application: the familiar "Domain Expansion." A Domain Expansion was a Cursed Technique Turn incorporating elements of Barrier Techniques. A completed Domain Expansion could not only serve as a barrier and grant a buff to one's technique, but also had a sure-hit effect, making it the strongest ability among Cursed Technique Turn applications.

The principle behind Domain Expansion was to expend a large amount of cursed energy to expand, or construct, one's Innate Domain in reality, then apply one's technique to the domain. To complete a Domain Expansion, cursed energy, a technique, and an Innate Domain were all indispensable. The concepts of cursed energy and techniques had already been explained; an "Innate Domain" was equivalent to one's inner world, something one was born with just like an Innate Technique.

After the Juvenile Detention Center incident, Itadori had once entered Sukuna's Innate Domain.

Without an Innate Domain and sufficient cursed energy, Domain Expansion could not be used at all. And without a technique, or without the ability to infuse one's technique into the domain, it merely meant expending a vast amount of cursed energy to replace the battlefield with a barrier sporting a different skin. It lacked the sure-hit effect that was the core of Domain Expansion, just like the Special Grade Cursed Spirit at the Juvenile Detention Center.

Then there was Reverse Cursed Technique Application. Although reversal-type abilities were not complicated, their concepts were very easy to confuse.

The prerequisite for using Reverse Cursed Technique Application was Reverse Cursed Technique. The principle of Reverse Cursed Technique was to multiply cursed energy, which was negative energy, through the logic of negative times negative equals positive, thereby producing positive energy suitable for healing. Infusing the positive energy produced through Reverse Cursed Technique into a technique would reverse that technique's effect. This was what was known as "Reverse Cursed Technique Application."

Reverse Cursed Technique was not a technique, but a method of using cursed energy; Reverse Cursed Technique Application was likewise not a technique, but a method of using a technique. Whether Reverse Cursed Technique or Reverse Cursed Technique Application, both were extremely advanced skills in the Cursed Technique World, and those who could master them could be counted on one's fingers.

That brought them to Satoru Gojo.

Satoru Gojo was the only person to combine Cursed Technique Turn and Reverse Cursed Technique Application. He combined Turn and Reversal into "Hollow Wicker Style," though it was unclear whether "Hollow Wicker Style" was the name for the Gojo Clan's Infinity Technique Turn plus Reversal, or a general term for all techniques combining Turn and Reversal. But that might not matter. At present, only Satoru Gojo could pull it off; others might not be able to use such a skill even by the year of the monkey.

These were all extremely important points of knowledge. Lin Ran could not digest them so quickly, but at least he understood them now.

The shelves in front of him were mostly filled with this kind of knowledge and theory. It was not until Lin Ran reached the deepest part of the pavilion that he saw a shelf containing Cursed Technique manuals.

Cursed Techniques really could be learned. As long as one had the ability and talent, one could learn them. It was just that the odds of acquiring a technique after birth were incredibly, incredibly low—so low as to be nearly impossible.

"They're covered in dust..." Lin Ran casually took down a Cursed Technique book. A thin layer of dust covered it; it had probably not been opened for at least half a year. That made sense. These techniques could only be read about—actually learning them was nearly impossible.

The look in Fushiguro Megumi's eyes yesterday had undoubtedly been telling Lin Ran that he could never acquire a technique through his own efforts.