Sage Mode

Five days later.

In that crude room containing only a bed and a table, Lin Chuan collapsed onto the bed, drenched in sweat and gasping for air.

For the past few days, he had been practicing the Gentle Fist without pause. He had finally managed to master the basics of this martial art passed down through generations of the Hyuga clan. Although he could not reach the level of Neji Hyuga during the Chunin Exams, nor could he execute the Tenketsu strike technique, he was at least able to perform the style as a whole.

"There really are no shortcuts to cultivation! Even though I've consumed the Fruit of the God Tree and am technically the progenitor of chakra in this world, cultivation hasn't become any easier!" Lin Chuan wiped the sweat from his face and muttered to himself.

However, even though this life was bitter and exhausting, it filled Lin Chuan with hope—a far cry from his previous life, where he had lived passively, never knowing what to do with his days.

Through these few days of training and his growing understanding of this world, Lin Chuan had gained a general grasp of the cultivation world he now inhabited.

The people of this world focused primarily on cultivation, or what was legendarily known as becoming an immortal. It was a method of absorbing external spiritual energy into the body and mixing it with one's own mental energy to manifest power—a concept identical to the refinement of physical and mental energy in Naruto.

However, after comparing the two, Lin Chuan discovered that the overall strength of this world was significantly higher than that of the Naruto world. This was evident in how ordinary ninjutsu was enhanced when natural energy was added to create Sage Mode chakra.

It was a recognized fact in Naruto that once ordinary ninjutsu utilized Sage Mode chakra, its power could increase several-fold or even dozens of times over.

This cultivation world, however, had clearly developed the application of natural energy to its absolute limit. There was no danger of being swallowed or turned to stone by natural energy, and one could store the absorbed energy within the Dantian in the abdomen, removing the need to absorb it only at the moment of use. Consequently, the strength of these cultivators was formidable.

"Based on my observations over the past few days, the Qi Refining Stage is roughly equivalent to the level of the Ninja Academy in Naruto, but their strength is significantly higher than that of academy students. This must be due to the use of natural energy." Lin Chuan thought to himself while letting his body rest.

"I should be able to use their method of cultivation—that is, absorbing natural energy into my body. If I succeed, I could potentially use Sage Mode at my current stage, a Sage Mode completely different from the one in Naruto!"

Lin Chuan was still very covetous of the power of Sage Mode, but in the original work, mastering it required a vast amount of chakra. Given Lin Chuan's current physique, the chakra he could refine was meager, not even reaching the level of a Genin.

"Although my purple chakra is much more refined than ordinary chakra, it is impossible to cultivate Sage Mode in the short term the way it was done in Naruto." Lin Chuan pressed his hands to his temples and kneaded them. "In that case, once my practice of the Gentle Fist reaches a milestone, I can start attempting to cultivate according to the methods of this world!"

The path of immortal cultivation was divided into many levels. First was the entry-level Qi Refining Stage, which consisted of ten layers. Upon breaking through, one reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, which was divided into early, middle, late, and Grand Perfection phases. Beyond that lay the Golden Core Stage.

After careful study, Lin Chuan felt that the highest level in this world—the Immortal—should be at a similar level to Kaguya Otsutsuki in Naruto. However, the cultivation world had a much more detailed classification for levels below the Immortal. After all, there were simply too many "hacks" in the later stages of Naruto; not to mention others, Prince Naruto never faced an enemy he couldn't defeat by throwing a Rasengan from start to finish. If there was one, he'd just throw a bigger one!

Of course, that was just a joke. But at Lin Chuan's current level, contemplating those late-stage matters had no practical significance; keeping his life was the priority.

Just as he was deep in thought, the door to Lin Chuan's room was pushed open. The person who walked in was the girl from his group, Bu Lianshi! She carried a box of food, glanced shyly at Lin Chuan lying on the bed, placed the meal on the table, and turned to leave.

"Thank you!" Lin Chuan smiled slightly. Ever since she learned that he was training himself to the point of exhaustion every day, Bu Lianshi had taken the initiative to bring him his meals. She never spoke when she came in; she simply set the food down and left.

"You're welcome!" Bu Lianshi said in a small, timid voice before hurrying out.

Watching her back, Lin Chuan always felt she was quite similar to Hinata from Naruto. He tugged at the corner of his mouth in a smile, then got up to eat before continuing his Gentle Fist training.

Perhaps because he had consumed the Fruit of the God Tree, Lin Chuan's stamina recovered much faster than an ordinary person's, and his physical strength was rapidly increasing with his constant training.

Moreover, during one of his rest periods, Lin Chuan had used his Byakugan to observe the undigested Fruit of the God Tree within his body. He discovered that the object floated in his Dantian, releasing a wisp of purple, mist-like energy at regular intervals. As soon as this energy appeared, it would merge into his body, continuously strengthening him—especially after high-intensity training, when this purple mist was released in greater quantities.

"It must be because my physique is improving, allowing me to digest more of the Fruit of the God Tree," Lin Chuan mused. Knowing this, he trained even harder; he wouldn't stop until he was completely exhausted.

Since his stamina recovered quickly and he could digest the fruit faster, why wouldn't he take advantage of such a win-win situation?

That night, Lin Chuan lay on his bed and began to slowly form hand seals. With a low grunt, the meridians around his eyes bulged instantly, and purple chakra surged into his eyes.

"Byakugan!"

In an instant, everything within a one-kilometer radius appeared clearly in Lin Chuan's vision. Unlike the black-and-white world in Naruto, this world was in color. Furthermore, the Byakugan could see not only the flow of chakra but also the flow of natural energy—the spiritual energy—of this world.

"Perspective, insight, long-range vision—the three main abilities of the Byakugan. I suppose I have mastered them well enough now," Lin Chuan said softly, looking at the other orphans around him, most of whom were already fast asleep.

He shifted his gaze to the side. Bu Lianshi and Qin Lang were not yet asleep; they were sitting cross-legged, meditating and cultivating.

Through Lin Chuan's Byakugan, he could see the natural energy drifting in the air slowly gathering toward their bodies. After circulating through their meridians, it finally reached their abdomens, where a swirling mass of natural energy was slowly rotating.

"This method of cultivation is truly marvelous!" Lin Chuan remarked. He had used his Byakugan to observe others cultivating more than once, but every time he saw it, he couldn't help but marvel at the greatness of his predecessors for creating such a cultivation method.

The Byakugan could also see the chakra within these people's bodies, but it wasn't circulating; it existed in a scattered state, unable to be utilized.

Just as he was preparing to study their cultivation more closely, Lin Chuan's gaze suddenly sharpened. He saw that about a kilometer away, the two children who had beaten him up a few days ago were walking toward his location, accompanied by a boy of about ten. In the boy's abdomen, a vortex formed by spiritual energy was slowly rotating. Based on Lin Chuan's judgment, this person's cultivation was likely around the third layer of the Qi Refining Stage.

Lin Chuan stood up abruptly, his fists clenched, his expression cold. "I didn't go looking for trouble with you, yet you've come knocking on my door! Very well, I was just worrying about having no one to test my Gentle Fist on. Since you've delivered yourselves to me, I shall see exactly how much damage the Gentle Fist can inflict upon you!"