Chakra's Trap

"This indicates that the essence of this energy is extremely high, yet it does not belong to you."

Simu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and spoke bluntly.

Beside him, Master Yixiu pondered for a moment before speaking slowly.

"Amitabha. I once heard my master speak of a demonic art from centuries ago, divided into a 'mother' and 'child' fetus."

"Demonic cultivators who practiced the mother fetus would select children with excellent aptitude to cultivate the child fetus from a young age. Once their child fetus reached maturity, they would drain them dry. It is quite similar to what Benefactor Lu has described."

"Is that so?"

"Many thanks to both seniors for clearing up my confusion."

Lu Yan wore a thoughtful expression, but a heavy weight had lifted from his heart.

Ever since he transmigrated to the Naruto World, Lu Yan had been cautious, even wary, of chakra, never once actively refining it.

Consequently, Lu Yan's chakra levels had remained at the level of a genin. Fortunately, he discovered that by slightly modifying ninjutsu formulas, a wizard's magic could also power them.

Unlike the sense of normalcy he felt while watching the anime, after spending over a decade in the Wizard World and looking back, Lu Yan found this energy called chakra truly bizarre.

To say its essence is low is wrong, as it can drive the Five Elements Escape Techniques and even touch upon spirit, life, and space-time.

To say its essence is high is also wrong, as it cannot enhance one's fundamental nature or extend one's lifespan; even a powerhouse like Uchiha Madara could only wither and die of old age in the end.

Especially for Lu Yan, who had seen the anime, the realization that all chakra originated from the God Tree made the stench of a deep-seated conspiracy even more apparent.

After consulting with Daoist Simu and Master Yixiu, Lu Yan felt even more certain of his suspicions.

The Naruto World is filled with incredibly dense natural energy. Many wild beasts simply bathed in it for years, gaining intelligence and becoming Ninja Beasts.

Yet, the average lifespan in the Ninja World is extremely low. If nothing else, once a ninja reaches their fifties, their body begins to deteriorate, and the chakra within their body becomes a heavy burden.

This simply does not align with the knowledge Lu Yan acquired in the Wizard World.

It now seems clear that chakra is undoubtedly a massive trap.

Chakra originates from the God Tree, and every source of chakra bears the mark of the God Tree. Ninjas across the world are desperately refining chakra to increase their strength, but in reality, they are all working for someone else.

Lu Yan suddenly understood why the Nine Tailed Beasts are immortal and indestructible, with a constant, inexhaustible supply of chakra.

When the Sage of Six Paths divided the God Tree—the Ten Tails—into the Nine Tailed Beasts, the nine beasts were essentially parts of the God Tree itself.

Since every ninja's chakra contains the mark of the God Tree, as long as ninjas continue to use chakra, the Tailed Beasts will never die, and the chakra will never run dry.

"And they claim the Tailed Beasts are products of human desire, and that as long as humans have desires, the beasts will never perish."

"Nonsense. It's all a lie!"

Lu Yan was so amused by his own deduction that he laughed. If all of this were true, it would be bizarre and absurd enough to be a Ponzi scheme.

"Fellow Daoist Lu?"

"Fellow Daoist Lu?"

Simu watched Lu Yan giggling to himself and couldn't help but worry. Had the talk about the blessed land put too much pressure on him? Why was he acting so foolishly?

"Ahem, I'm fine."

Lu Yan snapped back to reality, feeling a bit awkward under Simu's strange gaze.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, could this energy be related to you?"

Master Yixiu held his prayer beads, his expression grave as he stared at Lu Yan's face.

"It is somewhat related."

"Please, look, seniors."

Lu Yan gathered chakra directly into his palm, signaling for Simu and Yixiu to come closer and observe.

Simu condensed a strand of mana in his hand, wrapping it around a wisp of chakra. After sensing it for a moment, he opened his eyes in surprise: "This energy is very strong, but it seems rather strange."

Yixiu did the same, closing his eyes to sense it for a while before shaking his head: "This energy does not resemble the demonic path, yet its essence is extremely potent. Even my Buddhist power cannot shake it in the slightest."

"Benefactor Lu, I wonder where this energy comes from."

Lu Yan shook his head and spoke, mixing truth with fabrication: "I heard from my elders that an ancestor once found a God Tree in the mountains. The tree was ten thousand feet tall. After great hardship, my ancestor climbed it and found a fruit. Thinking it was an immortal fruit, he picked and ate it, gaining an energy he named 'chakra'."

"But after consuming the fruit, although my ancestor gained the power to move mountains and seas, he still died of old age. In fact, because his body could not bear the increasingly vast chakra, he died even sooner."

"Centuries have passed, and while my family members can all cultivate chakra and possess various incredible abilities, our lifespans remain like those of ordinary people, or even shorter."

"Later, while studying abroad, I accidentally discovered the path of the Arcanist, so I abandoned chakra and turned to the way of the Arcane."

Daoist Simu and Master Yixiu were left dumbfounded, never expecting such a hidden truth behind this energy.

"In that case, this energy called chakra still belongs to the God Tree. Your family has merely been its users, and using it even consumes your life force."

Yixiu pondered for a moment, slowly turning his prayer beads as he voiced his conclusion.

"I see it the same way. You would be better off using this energy as little as possible in the future."

Simu nodded, sharing Yixiu's sentiment.

"Many thanks to both seniors for clearing my doubts."

"This is a healing potion I refined. It is quite effective; please accept it as a small token of my appreciation."

Lu Yan expressed his thanks with a solemn expression, then retrieved two bottles of healing potion from the Kamui Dimension and handed them to Daoist Simu and Master Yixiu.

"Benefactor Lu, there is no need for this."

Just as Master Yixiu was about to decline, Simu took the healing potions directly, handed one to Yixiu, and said, "This kid has plenty of good things; don't bother saving them for him."

"Then many thanks, Benefactor Lu."

Master Yixiu accepted the healing potion and thanked Lu Yan.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, are you truly going to Bottle Mountain with that Chen Yulou?"

Simu set aside his playful demeanor and asked solemnly.

"Daoist Simu, you call me Fellow Daoist Lu one moment and kid Lu the next; how exactly do you want to address me?"

Lu Yan was somewhat speechless; Simu's temperament was far too flighty.

Simu laughed heartily. "We are both practitioners, and your cultivation is even higher than mine, so of course I should call you Fellow Daoist Lu to show respect. But you are so young, so I actually want to call you kid Lu."

"Call me whatever you like."

Lu Yan shook his head, stood up, and looked out at the night sky beyond the window.

"I returned to this country to serve it and save the people from misery. As the leader of Xieling, Chen Yulou commands over a hundred thousand disciples and stands as one of the greatest powers in Western Hunan. If I use him to accomplish my goals, it will be far more convenient and efficient than acting alone."

"Amitabha, what is it that Benefactor Lu intends to do?"

Yixiu pressed his palms together, watching Lu Yan's back.

"With tigers and wolves lurking outside and endless infighting within, the common people suffer in vain. I intend to use advanced foreign technology to develop our own productivity and strengthen our national power, so that the people may have food to eat and clothes to wear."

"I also intend to train a sharp blade to strike fear into those tigers and wolves."

Lu Yan turned around, his eyes burning with intensity as he looked at Yixiu and Simu.