Ripple Breathing Method

Ten pulls.

Nothing.

Twenty pulls.

Nothing.

Thirty pulls.

Nothing.

Forty pulls.

Nothing.

Lin Qing's eye twitched, and a surge of anger rose in him.

What kind of lousy system didn't even have a pity system?

Wasn't it supposed to guarantee a four-star Stand every ten pulls and a five-star Stand every eighty?!

He'd even take a standard-banner spook!

After forty pulls, all he'd gotten were some Stand EXP books. He'd poured them all into Star Platinum, but it had only gone from Level 2, 7% to Level 2, 13%.

A drop in the bucket.

Lin Qing put in another 100 Soul Shards.

"Fifty pulls!"

Ten stars fell from the sky again.

At last, a crisp series of chimes rang out!

Lin Qing counted.

One, two, three, four... A four-star?

He told himself that a four-star was fine, too.

Four-star Stands usually had average combat power and one or two outstanding abilities, mostly support-oriented. Their tactical role was like a support, secondary tank, or secondary damage dealer in a game.

Five-star Stands had relatively strong combat power and more well-rounded abilities, with several abilities that worked in combination. They excelled in combat, defense, or support, with at least one area in which they had a major advantage.

If it was a four-star Stand with ranged attacks or the ability to launch a swift ambush, it could still help Lin Qing out of his immediate predicament.

As he pondered, the starlight faded.

A book floated before Lin Qing.

"...Ripple Breathing Method?"

Lin Qing had been on the run and hadn't had time to read the JoJo manga series.

Fortunately, Ripple Breathing Method had been introduced in JoJo's first part, Phantom Blood.

He skimmed the sections that mentioned Ripple, and gradually understood what kind of power it was:

Ripple had originated with Tibetan monks. It was a breathing technique created for cultivation and the pursuit of longevity.

Just as a stone tossed into water sent ripples across its surface, a special breathing technique generated ripples within the body, producing all kinds of wondrous effects—

Strength, heat, physical enhancement, resistance to aging, and more.

Lin Qing looked at it from every angle, but Ripple still struck him as a beginner's cultivation technique.

The Ripple Breathing Method was indeed useful to Lin Qing—more useful, in fact, than getting another five-star Stand.

No matter how many Stands he had, his own frail body remained a major weakness.

With all those Stands at his disposal, Lin Qing could fend off attacks from any direction.

But he couldn't withstand a poisoned drink offered with a smile, or the exhaustion of fighting one battle after another.

A stronger body and a bigger health bar would give Lin Qing more room for error.

Uchiha Itachi was a case in point.

What good were all those ninjutsu and all that Sharingan development?

He was still a glass cannon.

But why had the system given him Ripple Qigong?

It wasn't a Stand. It was a skill book, wasn't it?

Lin Qing searched through the system's explanation:

"The standard gacha pool can produce four- to five-star Stands, Stand upgrade materials, special items, and more."

Skill books were a kind of special item.

Alongside the Ripple Breathing Method, other special items included the Stone Mask, Stand Arrows, firearms, and the Super Aja.

Fifty pulls for a Ripple Technique. Not bad.

It was only four-star, but it affected Lin Qing's own body, making it a genuine life-saving tool.

From that perspective, it was even more valuable than a six-star Stand.

He had fifteen pulls left, but Lin Qing decided not to continue.

His instincts told him that he'd used up all his luck for the day when he pulled the Ripple Breathing Method. Any more pulls would just waste Soul Shards.

He closed the system interface and enjoyed a brief rest.

Lin Qing and Sasuke traveled in fits and starts. When thirsty, they drank river water; when hungry, they ate game and wild vegetables. When tired, they found a clean spot, used the ground as their bed and the sky as their blanket, and slept wherever they were.

More than half a month passed in a flash, and they were nearly beyond Konoha's jurisdiction.

The two found a small town and sold the pelts of the animals they'd hunted along the way. With the money, they got a room at a hot spring inn, soaked in a relaxing bath, and ate a hearty meal. At last, they could unwind.

Afterward, they climbed aboard a merchant caravan's wagon and slowly made their way toward the Land of Water.

They couldn't stay in the Land of Fire.

The Land of Lightning was too strictly governed. Outsiders like them could be discovered as soon as they entered.

The Land of Earth was too far away.

The Land of Wind was mostly desert, with harsh living conditions.

The Land of Water was loosely governed—or, to put it less diplomatically, chaotic.

Lin Qing had a clear goal for the road ahead:

Keep hunting fugitives, build up his pulls, draw Stands that could make up for his weaknesses, and then upgrade them.

The Kirigakure Blood Mist Policy had led to plenty of internal strife.

That made it easier for Lin Qing to keep a low profile.

And with fugitives and missing-nin everywhere, there were plenty of targets for him to hunt, earning Soul Shards and bounties.

There was no country better suited to Lin Qing than the Land of Water.

Along the way, Lin Qing had been gathering intelligence on the various countries and ninja villages.

When he learned that Konoha was considered fairly well-governed, he understood just how bad things had gotten in this world.

He needed strength.

To protect himself, and to protect the principles he stood by.

After another ten-odd days of travel, they arrived in the Land of Waves with the caravan.

The Land of Waves was the caravan's destination. From there on, Lin Qing would have to continue alone.

"Once you pass through the Land of Waves, it's just a little farther to the Land of Water. We'll part ways here."

As he spoke, the caravan leader handed over a letter.

The Land of Water had recently closed its ports, allowing only a few ships through. The caravan leader knew the ins and outs from long experience.

With the letter of introduction, they could board an official ship from the Land of Waves and head to the Land of Water.

Lin Qing didn't refuse. He thanked the man and took the letter.

Sasuke watched the caravan leader walk away. "He's a really good person."

"A good person, huh..."

Lin Qing thought of the wad of cash he'd slipped the caravan leader the night before. He smiled but didn't explain.

With the letter in hand, Lin Qing went to see an official from the Land of Waves at the harbor.

The man was a samurai, with a shaved pate and wearing a kimono, hakama, and straw sandals. His toes poked out, giving off a sour stench. Two swords were tucked into his belt: a katana and a wakizashi.

The bald samurai looked Lin Qing and Sasuke up and down, then jerked his chin toward a cargo ship bobbing on the water.

"Lucky you. It'll be leaving soon. If you miss it, you'll have to wait half a month."

They followed the bald samurai aboard.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but Lin Qing felt the crew were looking at them strangely. Their gazes held welcome, delight, and even a trace of...

Desire.

Lin Qing frowned slightly.

What was with these sailors?

Had they crossed over from Chengdu?

But Lin Qing didn't have a bushy beard, black-rimmed glasses, or white socks.

Splash—

The bald samurai opened the sealed cargo hold, and a faint, damp stench of rot drifted out.

A dozen or so people, men and women, sat inside the dim cargo hold. They seemed not to have seen daylight in a while, and each shielded their eyes with a hand.

Seeing the people in the hold, Lin Qing understood.

"Stowaways?"

They had a letter of introduction, and this was an official ship from the Land of Waves. Lin Qing had thought they'd be sailing openly.

One of the sailors shoved Lin Qing and glared at him. "Are you getting on or not? If not, get lost!"

Lin Qing smiled.

"Of course we're going."

He pulled Sasuke, who was about to draw his sword, into the hold.

The hold shut again. A dim lamp glowed overhead, and a fan whirred, drawing in a thin stream of air to keep the "passengers" from suffocating.

They found a corner and sat down.

Sasuke asked quietly, "Why wouldn't you let me beat him up? Qing, you could've knocked him flat with one punch."

"I'm not a demon. I can't just yell, 'You've chosen death!' and chop someone up because they glared at me."

Lin Qing leaned against a crate and took an orange from his backpack, handing it to Sasuke.

"As long as he gets us safely to the Land of Water, that's enough."

Sasuke waved his little fist. "Then when do we beat people up?"

"When you think it's necessary."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and took the orange from Lin Qing. Then he suddenly felt someone's gaze.

It came from the little girl sitting across from them.

Her name was Xiaotao. She was about the same age as Sasuke, with pink, shoulder-length hair tied up in a bun. Her big eyes stared fixedly at the orange in Sasuke's hand.

There was no guile in Xiaotao's eyes, only longing for the orange.

Sasuke looked at Xiaotao, then at the orange in his hand. He gave a cold snort and turned away.

Smack!

Lin Qing gently tapped Sasuke on the head.

"Go socialize a little. Don't keep wearing that cold look."

If anyone else had said that, Sasuke wouldn't have given them the time of day.

But he couldn't ignore Lin Qing.

Reluctantly, Sasuke walked over.

"Here!"

He turned his head away and held out half the orange.

Xiaotao's eyes lit up. She looked back at her mother, who nodded.

"Thank you, big brother!"

She took the orange, leaned over, and gave Sasuke a quick, light kiss on the cheek.

Sasuke's little face turned bright red.

"Ha—"

Someone laughed first, and laughter spread through the dim, dank, stuffy hold.

Just then, the ship shuddered slightly.

It had set sail.