Dream Trial

Empty, empty, empty.

Itachi only felt a burning heat throughout his body. He could even feel his body being twisted by an incredibly monstrous force.

For a moment, he felt suffocated, unable to breathe, as if a giant snake had wrapped tightly around him, his bones creaking.

"Hehehe, young man, welcome to Dragon Cave. This is where I was born."

Vaguely, Itachi stood upon purple ground. Everything around him seemed unreal and impossible to grasp, and even his body felt weightless.

That voice drifted in from every direction.

This wasn't genjutsu, but the other party's strength...

Itachi sensed unprecedented danger. Even he had no choice but to form hand seals.

Every muscle in his body tensed, ready to deal with any sudden danger at any moment.

"Who are you? Why hide like a rat?"

Itachi shouted coldly. The tomoe in his Sharingan spun continuously. This was somewhat like Orochimaru's inner world. Could he have fallen under Orochimaru's genjutsu? Impossible. With that meager soul power of his, how could he possibly pose any threat to him?

In an instant, all kinds of thoughts surged through his mind.

In a battle between experts, the greatest taboo was getting caught up in such distracting thoughts. A tiny error could lead to a vast difference; even the slightest mistake would bring utter disaster.

"Hehe, you sneaked into my empire, yet you were the first to accuse me of sneaking around. What a sly little human brat."

That voice rang out again. Once Itachi confirmed it wasn't the system, his expression tightened slightly.

"White Snake Sage?"

Perhaps only he had the right to claim that all of Dragon Cave was his wealth.

Perhaps because of the Lava Jade Liquid, the mutual circulation of their powers had allowed him to walk the spirit realm across the boundaries of species.

It was said in ancient texts that weak people on the brink of death could see the Underworld and even supernatural powers. It was also said that only the struggle between life and death could allow someone to truly cross the gulf between levels.

"Too bad there's no reward for getting it right. Young man, obtaining an immortal's inheritance isn't that simple. You should go back. I'm not interested in children."

That voice continued from afar.

It grew more distant by the moment, making Itachi somewhat anxious. "Could the immortal perhaps offer some guidance? What conditions do I need to meet to obtain your immortal arts inheritance?"

His voice echoed through the empty purple space, making it feel as hollow and unfathomable as a bottomless abyss.

Dragon Cave covered an enormous area. Finding the elusive White Snake Sage in a short time would be no easy task. Besides, he loved disguising himself as all kinds of creatures.

He could be wild grass, a white-haired old woman, or venomous snakes and savage beasts. It all depended on the whims of that thousand-year-old monster.

"What is it? Must there be conditions before I can pass on my immortal arts? Young man, you're still too green. Your feathers haven't even grown in, yet you already want to fly. You're giving yourself far too much credit. Besides, even if I told you my conditions, and you went through all kinds of hardships and narrowly escaped death to fulfill them, would you definitely receive anything? What if I was just toying with you? And besides, if a girl doesn't tell you her standards for choosing a partner, would you stop pursuing her? Even if she said she liked men two meters tall, rich and handsome ones, would that mean it had to be that exact kind of man? How utterly pedantic. If this is all you've got, then don't come to Dragon Cave."

The White Snake Sage disliked being disturbed, so he directly mocked him.

That torrent of verbal jutsu left Itachi rather embarrassed. As expected, age brought wisdom. The answer this fellow gave was truly beyond imagination.

But such an ambiguous answer made it difficult to find the final path in life.

Still, this dream had truly benefited him greatly.

For a moment, an enigmatic emptiness filled his mind, as though he could instantly see through the endless mysteries of heaven and earth. For a moment, he even had the illusion that he was about to break through directly.

What a wondrous state of Unity of Heaven and Man.

Even with his eyes closed, he could sense every minute detail within this space.

Of course, there were no plants here, so he couldn't feel the swaying of that supreme realm—couldn't hear mountain peaks rustling beneath the misty skies, couldn't feel that gentle warmth as though the whole world had opened its arms to embrace him.

Even some delicious foods were shouting at him, Come on, baby, come eat me! I can't wait any longer!

Grrr...

He didn't really want to eat things like snake soup.

"Thank you for your guidance."

Itachi gave a slight nod. He was still grateful to the teacher whose voice he had heard before ever seeing him. Being able to learn something from him was already good enough.

But perhaps the other party had gone too far away, because he didn't answer again. Only then did Itachi remember that he had just swallowed the Lava Jade Liquid. That surging power was almost enough to scald his entire body.

Damn it.

If he didn't get out in time, he might remain here forever. Thinking of this, he understood that he couldn't go on like this.

But why did that sound like he was jerking himself off?

"But how do I get out of here? This isn't genjutsu. If I can't leave, that's going to be a problem too."

Itachi changed several poses in succession, but none could break open this space. If that was the case...

Suddenly, every tomoe in his eyes connected. In an instant, the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan pierced through the final support holding this space together.

"Bang!"

The entire space shattered like a smashed mirror. Countless cracks revealed the darkness of spatial rifts, and the purple world could no longer hold itself together.

[Strength: +1]

[Speed: +2]

[Agility: +1]

[Eye Power: +1]

[You have completed the Great Snake Immortal's dream trial]

[Mission you are about to receive: ???--will be recorded in your files and itinerary log]

[You have obtained permission to use the earth attribute]

[Attributes you currently possess: Fire, Wind, Water, Earth]

[Fire Attribute Perception Affinity: 94%]

[Wind Attribute Perception Affinity: 76%]

[Water Attribute Perception Affinity: 64%]

[Earth Attribute Perception Affinity: 21%]

[Friendly Reminder: Please pay attention to your physical condition. Wilderness survival also requires attention to safety. Resist unhealthy survival practices and reject dream-reality confusion. Protect yourself and beware of scams. Moderate survival benefits the brain; excessive survival harms the body. Arrange your time reasonably and enjoy a healthy life.]