Array Diagram Activated

"Byakugan, activate."

The world instantly drained of color, black and white filling Neji's mind. Yet in that silent monochrome world, a strange pale violet glow suddenly appeared.

It was a flow of energy beyond chakra, like amber condensed from moonlight and morning dew within the cracks of space-time.

"Gulp!"

Neji looked at the chunks of meat stewing in the clay pot through his Byakugan and could not help swallowing. The Primordial Bagua Diagram trembled from time to time, as though urgently urging him on.

"No rush, no rush. At least wait until it's cooked before eating."

Neji kept soothing it, though he could not help pondering the matter himself.

According to the shopkeeper, this marten had come from some sacred land. In the Naruto World, the only places worthy of being called sacred lands were Mount Myoboku, Dragon Cave, and Wet Bone Forest.

They were the origins of natural energy and possessed Sage Arts far beyond chakra.

"Then the thing about this Little Marten that interested the Primordial Bagua Diagram must be the natural energy stored throughout its body. But I tried sensing it after arriving in this world and never found any high-level energy. Could it be that I simply don't have the talent for it?"

Neji began to fret over gains and losses. He was glad that he had finally found something that interested the Primordial Bagua Diagram, but disappointed that he might lack the talent to sense natural energy.

"I can't exactly eat toads, snakes, and Katsuyu, can I? That would be disgusting."

Neji startled himself with the thought.

"One step at a time. There'll always be a way."

Neji comforted himself.

"Let's see what today's situation is all about!"

As he spoke, Neji picked out a piece of thoroughly stewed marten meat and bit down.

"Hiss... so good..."

Neji let out a long breath. A rich, savory taste rushed straight to his taste buds, sending a shiver from the soles of his feet all the way to the top of his head.

Suddenly, his Dantian rumbled. Before the swallowed meat could even reach his stomach, the Qi rising from his Dantian swept it into a vortex. A torrent surged through his extraordinary meridians and eight vessels, causing the major acupoints across Neji's body to swell before abruptly contracting again, over and over in a cycle.

At that moment, the Eight Trigrams Diagram gave a slight tremble, and a force of suction emerged. The energy flowing through his meridians was instantly sucked completely dry.

Neji was a little dumbfounded. He had not even gotten a taste of that energy yet. He rubbed his Dantian, feeling utterly miserable.

"Fine. You're the boss!"

After grumbling inwardly, Neji continued eating.

Only after the last trace of broth entered Neji's mouth did he let out a satisfied burp.

After setting down the clay pot, rumbling sounds continuously came from Neji's body, like muffled thunderclaps.

Neji hurriedly sat cross-legged and entered introspection.

From his Sea of Consciousness to his Dantian and then to the acupoints throughout his body, threads of crystalline energy were drawn out. The Primordial Bagua Diagram devoured all of it like a whale swallowing the sea.

Neji looked once again at his utterly empty Dantian and nearly burst into tears.

Suddenly, the Eight Trigrams Diagram projected a set of golden seal-script characters—"Consume the essence of heaven and earth; open the Profound Mystery Realm. Obtain the Qi of the Three Talents; unlock the gate of Heavenly Secrets."

The vast and ethereal aura shook Neji's consciousness until it became unstable. When his mind cleared again, Neji found himself standing before an enormous bronze gate.

The gate was inlaid with the three lights of sun, moon, and stars. Within the Milky Way flowing across the ground, eighty-four thousand hexagrams rose and fell.

The instant he pushed open the gate, a vast voice echoed through the void. "First realm: Heavenly Secrets Tower."

Before his eyes stood a nine-story octagonal tower, its eaves hung with bronze bells engraved with cloud seal script. Neji climbed the jade steps into the first floor, only to find a great hall laid out much like a library.

At that moment, the neatly arranged antique rosewood bookshelves were completely empty.

Neji hurried upstairs. The first floor, second floor, and fourth floor were all the same.

Only upon reaching the top floor did he finally find a change. It was a pavilion without pillars or walls, surrounded on all sides by short jade pillars connected by crystalline chains. Beneath his feet was an Eight Trigrams Diagram, with a Dark Jade Platform at its center.

The entire top of the tower floated overhead. From time to time, dragon heads in the caisson ceiling spat out threads of flowing light, which the Dark Jade Platform absorbed.

Neji stepped forward and saw the Tai Chi pattern on the Dark Jade Platform. As if possessed, he reached out and touched it.

"Ding~"

The instant Neji touched it, a crisp chime like jade rang out. The yin-yang fish on the platform suddenly began spinning rapidly. In the blink of an eye, they separated, revealing a clear and transparent spring before Neji.

At the same time, sudden understanding rose in Neji's heart.

"Heavenly Secrets Spring, martial art derivation... so that's how it is. This spring connects the myriad heavens and worlds. Based on the techniques placed into it, it can derive subsequent moves and improve or combine techniques. This function is truly a heaven-defying treasure. It's just that every activation requires a massive amount of heaven-and-earth spiritual energy. That condition won't be easy to meet!"

Though Neji spoke of how difficult it would be, his eyes burned as he continuously caressed the jade platform beside Heavenly Secrets Spring. His blazing gaze seemed ready to drink the spring dry.

As if it sensed some perverted behavior, the yin-yang fish instantly closed together. A force suddenly shoved Neji away, throwing him out of his Sea of Consciousness in an instant, leaving only the Primordial Bagua Diagram slowly spinning there.

"...So heartless. You swallowed so much of my energy, too."

Neji cursed as he rose to his feet. Suddenly, he felt something warm and smooth in his hand. Raising it to look, he found a small jade slip emitting a faint glow.

"This is... a technique?" Neji scratched his head in confusion.

"How am I supposed to use this? You just toss it to me like this? Where are the instructions? One-star review."

Neji studied it for a while without finding any clue, then tried pressing the jade slip to his forehead.

After a long moment, Neji blinked. It did not work. Nothing changed at all.

"Could this be messing with me?"

Neji grew a little angry, and the hand gripping the jade slip unconsciously tightened.

"Crack."

Neji stared blankly. The jade slip had been crushed.

"Huh, this is..."

Suddenly, the shattered jade slip scattered into a mist of light and entered Neji's head.

"Breath Concealment Art."

Looking at the words that appeared in his mind, the hand seals, and the meridian diagram for circulating Qi, Neji's Byakugan immediately lit up.

"What a practical technique. It's practically tailor-made for the ninja profession. This is amazing."

Neji memorized the path of Qi circulation, his hands forming seals with the practiced grace of butterflies flitting among flowers.

Once the Qi in his Dantian transformed into fine threads of light and completed its circulation along the meridian diagram, it suddenly spread outward and enveloped his entire body.

Then it concealed itself beneath his skin.

Neji raised his hands and touched himself here and there, then placed a hand over his heart, yet he could not feel his heartbeat at all.

"My scent has disappeared too. I don't even need to breathe!"

Neji discovered in delight that the Breath Concealment Art sealed every pore in his body. He no longer needed to breathe and could move freely with only the circulation of Inner Qi.

"Then what about this? Byakugan, activate."

Neji suddenly thought of something and hurriedly activated his Byakugan to look at himself. In the black-and-white vision, the chakra that had once shone like stars was silent and colorless. Under the Byakugan, Neji had disappeared.

"HAHAHA... KAKAKA!"

Neji laughed happily like a squealing pig.

"The Main House Shrine... hehehe..." Remembering what he had seen when he last went to the shrine, Neji's mouth curled into a grin again.

"And Uchiha Naka Shrine, the Hokage Tower... wahahaha..."

Neji sank into wild fantasies and could not stop himself at all.