Experience Pack

Columns of water occasionally shot skyward from the placid lake. Each step stirred wave after wave, and the splashing water fell as raindrops, smoothing away the afterimages left everywhere by their high-speed collisions.

"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

As Neji leaned back and tore through the curtain of rain, his toes spun and crossed against the ground, barely stopping his body from being blown away.

Sixty-four afterimages stabbed toward the shadow from all directions. Palm force carved vacuum-like passages through the rain, only for the shadow to use Rotation and shatter them into mist that filled the sky.

"One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms: Chaotic Stars!"

Suddenly, the shadow stepped on the Xun position and lunged to Neji's left. The right palm aimed at his chest flipped over, curled fingers striking the Spirit Path Acupoint on Neji's right wrist. The shadow's palm force instantly transformed into spiraling, interwoven threads of chakra that surged into Neji's Hand Shaoyin Meridian. In the next instant, every acupoint along Neji's meridian ached and went numb, and his chakra scattered.

"Rotation!"

Neji was shocked. His body instinctively used Rotation to block the thrust of the shadow's other hand, knocking its attack away.

Within the rapidly spinning sphere of chakra light, Neji spun with all his might while drawing Inner Qi from his Dantian to dispel the foreign chakra in his Hand Shaoyin Meridian. Feeling returned to his numb arm, and chakra burst forth once more.

What a Chaotic Stars. Using the techniques of the One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms to produce this variation—once it lands, it paralyzes an entire meridian. Without an all-around defensive technique, any enemy would be in serious trouble, Neji mused.

"Your move is excellent. Now it's mine. One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms: Chaotic Stars!"

Neji stopped his Rotation and used Chaotic Stars as well. Chakra compressed into points of light between his slender fingers, drilling toward the shadow like high-speed spinning augers.

The shadow's use of the Gentle Fist had truly opened Neji's eyes. In the past, he had somewhat underestimated the Gentle Fist's power. No—it should be said that after the improvement from the Heavenly Secrets Spring, the Gentle Fist had risen to another level.

Water vapor swirled through the space atop the tower. At times, their figures were as nimble as wandering dragons; at others, as vast and surging as the sea.

"Mountain-Crushing Strike!"

Neji tore through the shadow's starlike barrage of thrusts. The swelling chakra around his right arm condensed in his palm, taking the form of a swimming fish. Cracks shaped like the character for "mountain" lingered along the path of his downward chop, and the shadow's Rotation was shaken inward.

In the next moment, a boiling sea-blue vortex had gathered in the shadow's left palm, its finger bones creaking under the pressure.

"Sea-Covering Form!"

The edge of the shadow's palm sliced out a deep-blue crescent. Its might was like that of a giant standing in the deep sea, wielding a water dragon and swinging it freely.

Neji's pupils constricted as he leaped backward, blasting deep pits into the water beneath his feet. He twisted in midair and gathered Qi, a dark yellow glow seeping from both palms.

"Dragon Battles in the Wilds—!"

Ancient dragon roars exploded from both their throats at once. White and blue chakra collided into a Taiji yin-yang fish. Primordial Bagua Diagrams lit up beneath their feet simultaneously, and their fierce palm strikes collided with a deafening boom.

Dragon Battles in the Wilds was a prolonged-combat technique Neji had devised. After all, not every opponent could be defeated in an instant. In that case, whoever ran out of strength first would be the unlucky one.

But now, in the shadow's hands, this technique combined offense and defense into an endless stream of palm force with flawless defense. The chakra between its palms erupted only at the instant it touched something solid; when it missed, it was not wasted due to inertia. Gradually, Neji's attacks could no longer keep pace with the shadow's.

As though it possessed inexhaustible strength, the shadow's continuous palm force finally seized a flaw in Neji's technique and surged before him. With an explosive bang, Neji was sent flying into the air.

The space suddenly froze, and Neji's body hung motionless in midair. Just as he wondered what was happening, the shadow suddenly flashed before him, its form dispersing into a cloud of mist that rushed into Neji's body.

Neji instantly sensed that something had appeared in his consciousness.

There was a moment of stiffness when Eight Trigrams Six Palms was used. How should unstable chakra be linked up? The eighteen-palm variation had two follow-up moves. Chakra sent through the Hand Jueyin Meridian and Hand Taiyin Meridian produced different forms of force and dealt different damage...

The flaws in many moves and palm techniques became clear in Neji's heart one by one. How he should alter his moves in battle was vividly imprinted in his mind.

So this time, the reward was an experience pack. I was worrying about my lack of combat experience, but I didn't expect to get my fill in one go.

Neji was extremely satisfied with what he had gained after opening the Heavenly Secrets Tower this time. Not only had it made up for his lack of combat experience, it had also given him many variations of the Eight Trigrams Palm.

Although Neji did not particularly enjoy using the Gentle Fist, having it was better than not having it. Even if he did not use it himself, he could use it to train his own people in the future.

But the greatest gain this time is still Rotation and its variation, Mirror Reversal. My original idea was to use Rotation, based on the principles of redirecting force, to return an enemy's attack to them. But once Rotation was deployed, I had to spin at high speed. If my head was spinning dizzy, how could I send the enemy's attack back along its original path? I never expected there to be a solution like this.

Recalling the difficulties he had faced while modifying Rotation, Neji now looked delightedly at the principles behind Mirror Reversal.

Following the method of the Rasengan, I can make the chakra on the body's surface spin at even higher speeds while using Qi within to construct Strange Gates and Hidden Armor. First, the outer chakra rotation dissipates the force; then Strange Gates and Hidden Armor controls it; finally, the outer chakra accelerates it again. The person remains motionless at the center, coordinating and controlling everything from within. I can launch the absorbed attack from any direction. My concept has actually been perfectly realized. The Heavenly Secrets Spring is incredible—absolutely a divine treasure of the myriad realms. The Heavenly Secrets Spring is already this powerful, and this is only the first realm. Who knows what unimaginable wonders await later? But what kind of energy will be needed to open the subsequent spaces?

Neji fretted greedily.

Having suddenly gained so much experience and so many techniques, Neji felt terrifyingly powerful now.

"At my current level, there probably isn't anyone among the Chunin who can beat me." Neji was somewhat full of himself.

"But strength has never been about the amount of energy one possesses. I still need to focus on honing my skills, so I don't end up humiliating myself." The faint satisfaction that had just surfaced in Neji was immediately snuffed out, and his expression became clear again.

The frozen space suddenly thawed. Neji flipped and landed on the ground, only to see the water flow back into the spring like spirit serpents, returning to calm. The yin-yang fish slammed shut, concealing the Heavenly Secrets Spring.

Neji looked around. Seeing that the empty tower showed no sign of driving him away, he moved his thoughts and instantly appeared at the entrance.

"Where's my gate? Where did my huge Bronze Gate go?"

Neji was startled to discover that the Bronze Gate he had seen upon entering the Inner Landscape had vanished. The empty gatehouse stood in the void, with Neji's Sea of Consciousness outside it.

With a thought, Neji's awareness returned. He saw the Primordial Bagua Diagram floating in his Sea of Consciousness. The Taiji yin-yang fish at the center of the bagua stood open, and from outside, he could see the outlines of the Heavenly Secrets Tower within.

"What does this mean? Have I unlocked some special permission?"

Neji was utterly baffled.