Hundred Ghost Scroll, Yin-Yang Record

Arata did not head straight back to his clan grounds after walking out of the academy; instead, he leaned against a cherry blossom tree by the school gate and waited quietly. This would likely be the last time he walked home from school with Izumi.

"Task Panel."

The boy murmured, his eyelids drooping slightly. In truth, had it not been for the sudden appearance of an instant task, he would not have wanted to expose his strength so excessively in front of others.

As he spoke, a light blue, transparent panel appeared out of thin air, displaying four folded sections: Daily, Instant, Milestone, and Summon.

[Daily]

Endless Blade Swings (Non-cumulative, resets daily)

Task Description: Every swing of the blade is to ensure less blood is shed in actual combat.

Completion Requirement: Swing the blade 10,000 times. (1,000/10,000 times)

Task Reward: Low-grade Physique Pill *1

Task Status: Incomplete

1,000-Day Milestone Reward: Mid-grade Physique Pill *1 (784/1,000 days)

Endless Running (Non-cumulative, resets daily)

Task Description: Faster, just a little faster! Only then will you not have to watch your companions die while being powerless to stop it!

Completion Requirement: Run 10 kilometers with a 10-kilogram load. (10/10 kilometers)

Task Reward: Low-grade Speed Pill *1

Task Status: Completed

1,000-Day Milestone Reward: Mid-grade Speed Pill *1 (995/1,000 days)

Endless Ninjutsu (Non-cumulative, resets daily)

Task Description: Constantly squeeze out your potential so that you do not face a chakra deficit during battle.

Completion Requirement: Perform C-rank or higher ninjutsu 20 times. (2/20 times)

Task Reward: Low-grade Chakra Pill *1

Task Status: Incomplete

1,000-Day Milestone Reward: Mid-grade Chakra Pill *1 (642/1,000 days)

Endless Meditation (Non-cumulative, resets daily)

Task Description: State of mind is the foundation of facing an enemy.

Completion Requirement: Meditate with a focused mind for 5 hours. (0/5 hours)

Task Reward: Skill Point Fragment *1

Task Status: Incomplete

10,000-Day Milestone Reward: Skill Point *3 (1,426/10,000 days)

Ps: 100 Skill Point Fragments can be synthesized into one universal Skill Point.

Endless Shurikenjutsu (Non-cumulative, resets daily)

Task Description:

[Instant]

Dominate the Term: Sweep the "Ino-Shika-Cho"

Task Description: Akimichi Hishi, Yamanaka Reki, and Nara Mori from the sixth-year class are the elites of this term; use them to prove your strength!

Completion Requirement: Defeat all three in a direct confrontation.

Task Reward: Low-grade Contract Talisman *1, Skill Point *1

Task Status: Completed

Ps: A Low-grade Contract Talisman can randomly summon any yokai of the Zhi-Guai rank or below and forge an unbreakable contract with them.

[Milestone]

Emerging Talent: Promote to Genin

Task Description: Continuous promotion to gain more resources and opportunities for experience is the fastest path to growth.

Completion Requirement: Pass the Genin examination of any force among the Five Great Shinobi Nations.

Task Reward: Low-grade Contract Talisman *1, Skill Point *1

Task Status: Completed

[Summon]

Fearless Armor: Terracotta Warrior

Yokai Description: Originally a funerary statue in a tomb, it ultimately chose to leave its deceased master to seek others who require protection.

Rank: Mountain Spirit

Spirit Summoning Materials: Blood-Stained Armor x1, Blood-Stained Blade x1, Low-Grade Summoning Talisman x1

[I will protect you forever, until death.]

Maiden Before Buddha: Juzu

Yokai Description: A spirit manifested from prayer beads. A young yokai girl living in a temple, she has gained a certain affinity for Buddhism from long periods of listening to monks chant. Innocent and adorable.

Rank: Mountain Spirit

Spirit Summoning Materials: Prayer Beads Blessed by a High Monk x1, Low-Grade Summoning Talisman x1

[Does the Buddha prefer sweet things, or sour things?]

Heart-Peering Demon: Hyakume

Yokai Description: A mysterious girl from the Plain of Twilight. She once made an unspeakable deal with a powerful yokai. She possesses an abnormal obsession with beautiful eyes, will stop at nothing to claim them for herself, and can read the memories of those whose eyes she has stolen.

Rank: Regional Lord

Spirit Summoning Materials: A pair of eyes with special ocular powers, Mid-Grade Summoning Talisman x1

[Hey, what kind of secrets are hidden in your eyes? Hehehe.]

The basic rewards obtained from daily tasks were the capital that allowed him to rise from obscurity, surpass his peers, and even challenge those of higher ranks.

As for the talismans, yokai, and skill points, they were his greatest trump cards, though this hand was currently too weak to even qualify for being revealed.

Currently, the talismans Arata had obtained were divided into two categories: [Summoning Talismans] and [Contract Talismans], further categorized into high, mid, and low grades based on the Yin-Yang energy contained within them.

Both were random summons; the difference was that a [Summoning Talisman] would randomly summon a yokai no higher than the talisman's grade, allowing him to borrow their power once. If he wished to form a contract, he would need to gain the other party's approval. Of course, one could not rule out the possibility of being eaten as payment by the summoned yokai after borrowing their power.

Furthermore, by triggering summoning tasks and using matching spirit summoning materials, one could summon specific yokai.

A [Contract Talisman] established a direct pact; the summoned yokai would be bound by the contract and never betray him, unless the summoner died.

However, there was also a shackle: to gain the wholehearted assistance of a yokai, one naturally needed to earn their recognition.

Including those obtained from his recent promotion to Genin and instant tasks, Arata held a total of twelve talismans: five for contracts and seven for summoning, all of low grade.

The yokai that could be summoned all originated from a scroll within his sea of consciousness: the Scroll of the Hundred Demons.

They were great yokai from Heian-kyo, possessing different powers, distinct personalities, and hidden stories; truly borrowing their strength and commanding them was not so simple.

As his thoughts stirred, the Scroll of the Hundred Demons slowly unfurled. Unknown silhouettes—some ferocious, some bizarre, some serene, some breathtakingly beautiful—emerged upon it. Though their features were unclear, one thing was consistent: they were all gazing toward the front of the procession, as if their leader stood there.

Based on individual strength, yokai were roughly divided into six ranks: Common Small Yokai, Mountain Spirit, Terrifying Nightmare, Regional Lord, Mythical Legend, and Lord of the Hundred Demons.

Arata's gaze swept inadvertently over the middle-front section of the Scroll of the Hundred Demons, where a girl in plain clothes stood gracefully among the many hazy silhouettes.

This was his first, and currently only, shikigami: Yuki-onna.

Yet, even now, he did not know her true name, and could only forcibly borrow her power through [Demon Bind].

Speaking of Demon Bind, one had to mention the other item in his sea of consciousness: the Yin-Yang Record.

If the Scroll of the Hundred Demons was a compendium recording all yokai, then the latter was a classic documenting all Yin-Yang arts and yokai abilities in the world!

Moreover, the difficulty of learning powerful skills from it was no less than forming a contract with a legendary-rank great yokai.

Over the past five years, he had only managed to acquire two abilities from it: [Demon Bind] and [Clear Mirror, Still Water].

The former allowed him to borrow the power of the yokai he had contracted with, which was how his Ice Release Kekkei Genkai came to be.

The latter was a presence, releasing his own aura to the extreme, causing enemies weaker than himself to feel fear from the bottom of their hearts and subconsciously ignore the existence of this source of danger.

However, with the addition of the skill points he had just obtained, he was finally able to learn the third skill he had long coveted.

After opening the Yin-Yang Record with practiced ease, Arata went straight to the young yokai with the large character "Fear" as his background.

Nura Rikuo, the Third Head of the Nura Clan.

The Lord of Pandemonium who commanded the hundred demons of Kanto; both [Demon Bind] and [Clear Mirror, Still Water] were his abilities.

"This time, I choose Kyōka Suigetsu."

[Kyōka Suigetsu]: A unique ability of the great yokai Nurarihyon. His form is like flowers in a mirror and the moon in the water; when brushing past others, he leaves only a phantom, making his true position difficult to grasp. When the phantom is shattered, it transforms into an assault of yokai fear, temporarily enhancing his own strength and speed.

The high cost of five skill points drained every last point Arata had accumulated.

However, it was worth more than the price; the ability of Nurarihyon was absolutely the most fitting for a ninja who specialized in assassination.

Now he could freely proceed to learn the abilities of other yokai and Yin-Yang masters. Even with Arata's composed state of mind, a hint of fervor could not help but rise in his eyes as he looked at the figures standing within the Yin-Yang Record.

Seimei, Kagura, Sesshomaru, Kurosaki Ichigo.

The whispered names escaped his lips.