Listening to Tagitsuhime's congratulatory voice, Ning Xue didn't react at all.
He was silent for a long time, like a solid stone statue, and then slowly raised his head.
The voice under the mask was hoarse and low, as if he had not yet broken free from the illusion just now.
"What a terrible trial."
Tagitsuhime covered his mouth with his sleeves and let out a low chuckle.
She didn't answer, she just turned sideways and raised her hand to point towards the depths of the palace.
"Go ahead, White Snake Sage is waiting for you inside."
"Oh, by the way, your friend arrived before you."
Ning Xue heard this, paused slightly, and then without any extra words, he passed by her without any pause in his steps.
He walked through the long corridor, his footsteps echoing in the empty passage.
At the end of the corridor, a huge palace door appeared in front of him.
The door was closed, and the door was carved with intricate snake patterns, glowing with a dark luster in the darkness.
Ning Xue was silent for a moment, raised his hand and pressed it on the door.
"Boom--"
The heavy door was pushed open easily, raising a large amount of smoke and dust.
Light shines through the crack in the door, illuminating the dust.
He stepped into the hall and quickly scanned the surroundings.
The light was dim, and the air was filled with a faint smell of sandalwood and moisture.
Directly ahead, a steep red staircase winds upward, like a red carpet celebrating his passing a trial.
Ning Xue didn't hesitate and stepped forward.
"Tap... tap... tap..."
The view on the stairs gradually improved as he walked.
When he finally stepped onto the last step, his breathing became heavy involuntarily for a moment.
In front of me is a huge white snake--
It was entrenched deep in the palace, its body as motionless as a hill, its white scales glowing with a warm luster in the dim light.
Its head is lowered, its eyes are slightly closed, and its posture is calm and ancient, as if it has been here since ancient times.
Not far from White Snake Sage, Sasuke was standing there quietly, looking at White Snake Sage from afar.
That figure looked extremely small in front of this huge creature.
Ning Xue's footsteps paused for a moment, then returned to normal, walking to Sasuke's side and stopping.
At this moment, the white snake slowly opened its eyes.
Those vertical pupils were like two golden lanterns, lighting up in the darkness, with a simplicity and calmness that penetrated everything.
"Well..."
White Snake Sage spoke, with a laziness and majesty in his voice.
Her eyes swept from Sasuke, then to Ning Xue, and finally back to Sasuke:
"You are... that guy's disciple, right? Orochimaru How is that kid doing now?"
Sasuke did not avoid her gaze and corrected her calmly.
"I'm not his disciple, and he's dead."
White Snake Sage Hearing this, he was silent for a moment. An imperceptible fluctuation flashed across his golden vertical pupils, and then he let out a low sigh.
"Really... that child is a pity."
She didn't ask any more questions, and turned her eyes to Ning Xue, looking up and down, with a hint of curiosity in her voice.
"Your companion is a little slower than you, but after all, he has no token."
Ning Xue glanced sideways at Sasuke, then looked at the unfolded scroll in his hand, and instantly understood - the other party had arrived directly with a token.
He didn't dwell too much on this issue. He just turned his attention to White Snake Sage again and said in a solemn tone:
"I'm here to learn Senjutsu."
When White Snake Sage heard this, he tilted his head slightly. The figure of Ning Xue was reflected in his golden vertical pupils, as if he was looking at an interesting object.
After a moment, she let out a low laugh.
"Another person who wants to learn Senjutsu."
She slowly straightened her snake body, raised her head slightly, and there was a hint of playfulness in her voice.
"Did you know? There are usually only two types of people who come to Ryūchi Cave to learn Senjutsu."
"One kind is a madman, a madman who is reckless for power.
"The other type is those who have given up, or are willing to give up everything."
She paused, and her golden vertical pupils narrowed slightly.
"So, which one are you?"
Ning Xue was silent for a moment. The two voices echoed in his mind for a moment, and then they were suppressed by him.
"Revenge."
He raised his head and looked calmly at those vertical pupils:
"I'm here for revenge."
"To gain the power to crush everything."
White Snake Sage smiled softly when he heard this.
The laughter was low and long, echoing in the empty hall.
"Revenge... that's the former, another person who comes for revenge."
She didn't ask any more questions, but slowly withdrew her gaze and returned it to Sasuke, with a hint of casual instructions in her tone.
"Young man over there, you should contract the psychic beast first."
"When the contract is completed, come back to him."
"Either he is, or he is dead. Save you the trouble of waiting here."
Sasuke heard this and glanced sideways at Ning Xue.
Ning Xue nodded slightly to him with a calm tone.
"I'm fine."
Sasuke didn't say much, just turned around and walked straight to the other side of the hall, quickly disappearing into the shadows.
After Sasuke's figure completely disappeared, White Snake Sage turned his attention to Ning Xue again, his voice was calm and serious.
"Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu does have powerful power. But it also comes with extremely high risks."
"Those who fail in cultivation will be counterattacked by Natural Energy, and eventually lose themselves completely and become an unconscious snake."
"Then, you will be eaten by me."
As she spoke, an imperceptible light flashed in her golden vertical pupils:
"Have you thought about it?"
Ning Xue did not hesitate, his voice was steady and determined.
"I've thought about it."
White Snake Sage's vertical pupils turned slightly, as if confirming something.
After a moment, she let out a deep laugh.
"In that case--"
Her huge snake body suddenly shrank, and her head suddenly thrust forward, as fast as lightning.
Ning Xue Before he even had time to react, he felt a sharp stabbing pain in his neck.
"Click."
The fangs pierced the skin, injecting a cold and hot liquid, which quickly spread along the blood vessels, like a burning flame, pouring into his limbs and bones.
Ning Xue's body suddenly stiffened, his legs softened, and he fell to the ground on one knee.
His vision began to shake violently.
The splendid palaces, the entrenched white snakes, and the stairs in the distance all began to twist and deform.
The pain washed over his nerves like a wave.
He could feel that something was taking root and growing in his body, intertwining with his Chakra, trying to transform his whole being into another existence.
The teeth under the mask were clenched and the knuckles were clenched.
"Calm down... you will make it..."
He whispered to himself, and suddenly felt countless familiar yet unfamiliar things gathering into his body.
(I have been a bit busy these two days and have no inspiration, so I can only write this paragraph in detail, and try to be as quick as possible later.)