After the comprehensive assessment was finally settled, Ling Xuan's life seemed to return to its former calm on the surface, but beneath it, things had quietly changed.
As the top student, he had not only risen in the esteem of his classmates but had also gained a privilege that countless people envied.
With an instructor accompanying him, he could consult books in certain restricted sections of the Konoha Library.
That afternoon, with no classes scheduled, Iruka-sensei came to find Ling Xuan.
"Ling Xuan, the Third has granted special permission. Today, I'll take you to the library's special reading room."
Iruka wore a gentle smile, but deep in his eyes lay unmistakable anticipation and curiosity.
He, too, wanted to know what kind of attitude this boy—so highly praised by Chunin Toma and by Iruka himself—would show when faced with more profound knowledge.
"Sorry for the trouble, Iruka-sensei." Ling Xuan bowed slightly, his expression calm, though his heart was already stirring.
The Konoha Library was one of the oldest and most well-stocked repositories of knowledge among the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Surely, it contained things he longed to learn.
The two passed through the bustling library lobby and headed toward a heavy wooden door deep inside, guarded by two Chunin.
Only after they presented the Third's authorization and had their identities verified did one of the Chunin open the door.
The room beyond was somewhat dim, and the air was filled with the faint musty smell and ink fragrance unique to old scrolls.
Row upon row of towering bookshelves reached the ceiling, neatly lined with countless scrolls and books, some new and some old. The place carried an air of solemn dignity.
This was the Konoha Library's first special reading room. It mainly housed detailed explanations of the principles behind C- and B-rank ninjutsu, which were not available to ordinary Genin or lower-ranked ninja.
It also held intermediate and advanced chakra-control techniques, descriptions of selected clan secret techniques, and accounts of Shinobi World secrets.
"Ling Xuan, the rules here are that all scrolls must be read on the premises. You can't take them out or copy them. You have three hours to read today," Iruka reminded him quietly.
"First, see what you'd like to learn about. I'll find the materials for you."
Ling Xuan nodded and slowly scanned the bookshelves.
His Eye of Truth was already operating at full power. The titles and general categories of the scrolls—even faint traces of chakra seals left on some of them—were all clearly visible to him.
He didn't rush to search for scrolls about powerful offensive ninjutsu. To him, understanding the principles and mastering the fundamentals mattered far more than simply learning a few techniques.
"I'd like to start with advanced theories on chakra nature and shape transformation, as well as books offering an in-depth analysis of basic sealing techniques," Ling Xuan said.
Iruka nodded in approval. This child hadn't been dazzled by the outward appearance of power. He knew to begin with the fundamentals.
He quickly took several thick scrolls from the shelves and handed them to Ling Xuan.
"Preliminary Exploration of Chakra Nature Fusion, Detailed Explanation of Shape Transformation Profundities, On the Balance and Constraints of Sealing Techniques... These are all extremely valuable theoretical works. I hope they'll help you."
Ling Xuan accepted the scrolls, sat down at an antique wooden table, and slowly unrolled the first one, Preliminary Exploration of Chakra Nature Fusion.
The scroll recorded the ideas, experimental notes, and a few successful low-level applications that previous researchers had developed regarding interactions between chakra of different natures and the possibility of fusing them.
In Iruka's eyes, Ling Xuan was simply reading carefully and slowly.
But in Ling Xuan's field of vision, thanks to his Eye of Truth, every character, every illustration, and every curve representing the flow of chakra on the scroll was instantly broken down into the most basic units of information, then rapidly reorganized, analyzed, and extrapolated.
The core of combining fire and wind lay in wind's ability to intensify flames and in the resonant frequencies of the two energies.
The theory in the scroll that a spiral airflow could stabilize the inner flame aligned with the direction he had previously pursued in refining his Wind-Flame Prototype, though its details still needed work.
The chakra proportions could be further optimized, with a third, neutral type of chakra introduced as a stabilizing medium.
The key to combining water and lightning lay in allowing water's conductivity and lightning's explosive power to coexist. The idea of a stream of moist electricity was intriguing, but its energy-conversion efficiency was too low.
If Lightning Release chakra could stimulate the structure of water molecules at a specific frequency, perhaps it could produce a new technique with greater piercing power and a stronger paralyzing effect.
Ling Xuan read ten lines at a glance—no, even a whole page!
The theories that others found abstruse and obscure were as clear to him as the lines on his palm.
An hour later, Ling Xuan put down the fifth scroll he had read. It contained a non-core overview of the Nara Clan's secret Shadow Imitation Technique.
He closed his eyes. Countless streams of information flowed and collided in his mind, sparks flying.
The Nara Clan's secret technique was essentially an extreme application of Yin Release Chakra. It materialized mental energy and used shadows as a medium to extend and restrain its targets.
This bore a certain resemblance to the Mind Transfer Technique he had analyzed earlier in its use of mental energy, but the two techniques served entirely different purposes.
Iruka watched from the side, secretly astonished.
In just one hour, Ling Xuan had finished five texts that, in Iruka's estimation, would take at least several days—or even weeks—just to understand at a basic level!
And from the thoughtful calm on his face, it was obvious that he hadn't merely skimmed them.
"Ling Xuan... did you understand all of it?" Iruka couldn't help asking in a low voice.
Ling Xuan opened his eyes and nodded. "More or less. The wisdom of those who came before us is truly admirable. Quite a few of their ideas are very enlightening."
He paused and pointed to the scroll about chakra nature fusion.
"For example, this idea of introducing an inert layer of chakra as a buffer when fusing two opposing chakra natures. The book doesn't offer a specific way to put it into practice, but the idea is very clever."
The question he had casually raised was one of the scroll's most central and difficult points!
Iruka opened his mouth, but for a moment he couldn't think of anything to say. The depth of this child's understanding had already far surpassed anything he could comprehend!
Over the next two hours, Ling Xuan read more than a dozen scrolls. Their contents covered intermediate Barrier Ninjutsu, the principles behind sensory ninjutsu, and even the general techniques for generating force in several ancient Taijutsu schools.
Every time he read, it was a feast of knowledge for him, causing his theoretical foundation to grow at a terrifying speed.
When the three hours were up, Ling Xuan and Iruka left the special reading room. The look Iruka gave Ling Xuan had completely changed.
He was beginning to understand why Chunin Toma had called this boy a "genius."
That evening, in his room at the orphanage,
Ling Xuan sat cross-legged as the vast amount of knowledge he had absorbed during the day melded together in his mind.
He extended his right hand. First, a cluster of orange-red flames rose from his palm; then a pale-blue whirlwind appeared out of nowhere, gently wrapping around the fire.
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