"Black Box, though, I've heard that if you master the Shadow Clone Technique, you can even take control of the Rinnegan. But he can't do that either, so I can only teach you. Xia Bu, listen closely."
"The caster's chakra splits among the clones, and their thoughts and senses are shared with him. That's why mastering the Shadow Clone Technique helps him learn more quickly."
"But you don't seem to have any upper limit on how much chakra you can draw on. No matter how many clones you make, it won't affect you, will it?" Jia Ruo asked, puzzled.
"There are some special techniques I'd like to teach you, but most of them are forbidden techniques that can't be taught to outsiders." Wu Yuewu answered honestly.
"All right. Then I'll teach you what I can."
Jia Ruo smiled and traced circles in the air with her index finger, explaining, "You just channel Soul Force, then channel it again, then channel it once more, and that's how you make a clone. Understand?"
"..."
Xia Bu and Wu Yuewu exchanged glances, both looking bewildered.
"So that's what 'teach what you can' meant!" Wu Yuewu and Xia Bu murmured in unison.
Just then, a tall, burly man strode in, carrying a large bag over his shoulder.
He had gone out to fetch food for everyone, and when he returned, he witnessed the scene before him.
He'd heard Wu Yuewu and the others talking, so he deliberately slowed his steps, waiting until their conversation was over before setting the bag down and coming back.
"Jia Meng, you're back. Want to learn the Shadow Clone Technique too? It's not a forbidden technique, and you probably won't be able to learn it anyway."
Jia Ruo greeted him.
"Hey, Ruo, you've got a lot of nerve teasing me like that!" Wu Yuewu protested, displeased.
"The Shadow Clone Technique? Sure, I can learn it." Jia Meng replied cheerfully.
Jia Meng wasn't entirely joking.
His chakra control was excellent, and it worked very well with the Shadow Clone Technique. Even without using it, his body recovered quickly, and his ability to seal wounds was accelerated.
With that foundation, studying the Shadow Clone Technique would be much easier for him than for an ordinary ninja.
Still, Jia Meng hadn't learned the Shadow Clone Technique by taking shortcuts. He'd relied on his chakra control.
After spending more than a month together, Jia Meng had grown close to Xia Bu and Jia Ruo.
By absorbing the two of their chakra, Jia Meng had mastered Soul Force control and the Shadow Clone Technique.
At first, he'd only wanted to master Wu Yuewu's forbidden technique and the Sixth Gate, so that Wu Yuewu wouldn't have to suffer and could avoid wasting a precious opportunity.
"Another genius? Why is everyone around me a genius? Is the world really so unfair?" Wu Yuewu cried out in frustration.
"Jia Meng, you've always been so likable. I'm genuinely curious how strong you are. Why don't we spar?" Xia Bu's voice came from nearby.
Jia Ruo stood off to one side. As the future leader, she always considered things from a different perspective.
She looked at Jia Meng, her eyes shining with curiosity.
"Since you can change the nature of Wu Yuewu's chakra, could you directly teach him the Shadow Clone Technique too?"
At that, Wu Yuewu and Xia Bu both perked up. They looked at Jia Meng with hope in their eyes.
"Don't joke around. That's impossible." His voice carried a hint of disdain.
"Changing the nature of chakra only involves changing its properties. The Shadow Clone Technique is a jutsu. If I could grant people jutsu, wouldn't that make me a true god?"
The three of them couldn't help imagining what that would mean. If Jia Meng could casually grant other people jutsu, the entire ninja world would be turned upside down. The thought alone was beyond belief.
He had to admire Jia Ruo's keen insight. Her speculation had already touched on the core of his secret.
His template showed that he could grant other people techniques, but the way it worked was more complicated than they knew.
Perhaps he couldn't do it right now, but that didn't mean he couldn't in the future.
Jia Meng took out the rare jutsu that Jia Zhengshen had collected for him from the Black Box. He had also been steadily collecting various jutsu himself, and by now, he'd mastered techniques covering nearly every aspect of the ninja arts.
However, these techniques were only secondary to him. They were more like tools for enriching his own knowledge and improving his chakra control.
If he could grant other people jutsu, or even alter their techniques, what kind of power would that be?
That would be an incredible power—enough to change the structure of the entire ninja world and wield truly world-shaking influence.
"Chakra control... There are so many possibilities waiting for me to explore." Jia Meng murmured.
"Jia Meng, you're always so good at cheering people up. I'm honestly curious how strong you are. Why don't we have a go?" Wu Yuewu quickly put aside the Shadow Clone Technique and focused on Jia Meng's strength.
Jia Meng looked at him, then smiled and shook his head. "Forget it. Sparring with you sounds boring."
Without a domain expansion or some special ninja tool capable of breaking through defenses, you simply couldn't hurt him. Unless he let his guard down, you'd never be able to fight him.
Xia Bu was eager to give it a try. "Then fight me."
"Your chakra is precious. It'd be a shame if you got hurt." Jia Meng turned Xia Bu down just as casually.
Jia Ruo blinked, then offered a thoughtful suggestion. "Then you don't need to use chakra. You could just compare physical strength, right?"
She also wanted to know which of the three people called "the Three Giants" was the strongest.
Jia Ruo's suggestion immediately caught Wu Yuewu and Xia Bu's attention.
Jia Meng smiled. "Ruo, you really are a troublemaker."
Though he sounded somewhat helpless, a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes.
After gaining new chakra control, his body had also grown much stronger so it could bear the strain of handling such a vast amount of chakra.
A faint golden glow shimmered beneath his skin. His muscles rippled with power, and every inch of them seemed to radiate tremendous strength.
His five senses had sharpened. He could clearly hear the air currents around him, the tremors beneath the ground, and even the breathing of people at a distance.
His physical durability was astonishing. Even powerful attacks left no mark on his body. More astonishing still, even without activating the Shadow Clone Technique, he could recover on his own in a very short time.
Standing there, he seemed like a human weapon, cold and imposing.
Jia Meng knew that only the fully awakened Heavenly Voice and the violent K院 could surpass him in physical strength.
At this point, he only needed to wait for the Starfall event to gather enough blood samples from K院. Then he could truly become a monster in the flesh.
However, setting aside his physical strength, Jia Meng's fighting skills were exceptional as well.
Before you continue