Old Celestial Master's Guidance; Pain and Akatsuki

In the elegant courtyard, Chen Feng sat beside a stone table, seeking the Celestial Master's advice on cultivation.

Old Celestial Master took a small sip of tea before saying, "The Eight Wonders contain infinitely profound power. If Qi Body Source Stream is the foundation of qi, then Feng Hou Qi Men is the pinnacle of technique.

"Once one reaches a certain realm, all manner of arts can be comprehended without a teacher and wielded at will. Where the heart goes, the art follows."

Chen Feng's expression shifted at those words. "Then if one cultivates this Qimen art to its peak, how many techniques can it derive?"

Old Celestial Master smiled faintly and looked at him. "Infinite."

"Infinite?"

A hint of surprise flashed through Chen Feng's eyes.

Old Celestial Master nodded. "First, you must understand the true nature of Feng Hou Qi Men."

Hearing this, Chen Feng responded, "Feng Hou was a descendant of Fu Xi, surnamed Feng, and one of Xuanyuan Emperor's most capable aides during ancient times—one of the Three Excellencies.

"His cultivation was unfathomable. Building upon Fu Xi's Eight Trigrams, he further developed the Nine Palaces. Having mastered the Taoist methods of the Five Elements, he created the art of Qimen—what is now Feng Hou Qi Men."

Old Celestial Master nodded. "The realm of ancient sages is naturally beyond the reach of ordinary people like us. Yet no matter what art it is, its origin lies in the Dao.

"Heaven and earth divide into yin and yang; the Four Symbols give rise to the Eight Trigrams; the Five Elements determine the universe.

"It was because of these things that countless ultimate techniques emerged, and the sages created methods suitable for human cultivation."

Hearing this, Chen Feng fell into thought. Then his expression changed as he said, "Senior, are you saying that so-called techniques are essentially just explanations of the principles of heaven and earth?"

The Celestial Master said, "You may understand it that way. Put simply, it is a form of imitation. All kinds of spells are merely imitating the changing patterns of yin, yang, and the Five Elements.

"Yet heaven and earth are vast. Yin and yang cycle endlessly, their transformations infinite. How could there be any end to them?

"As long as you wish it, every art is no more than a single thought away."

As his words fell, Chen Feng felt as though enlightenment had been poured into his mind. Many of his previous doubts were instantly resolved.

He then rose to his feet and looked at a tree in the courtyard as thick as a bowl. Raising a hand and pressing it through the air, he softly said, "Wood Generates Fire."

The moment his words fell, it was as though his command became law. Blazing flames suddenly emerged from the previously sturdy tree.

With his current strength, starting a fire was naturally effortless. But these flames had not been imposed upon the tree by any outside force—they had formed naturally from within it.

Chen Feng continued, "Fire generates earth."

In an instant, all the flames dissipated, and the charred tree transformed into a heap of black soil that scattered across the ground.

"Earth generates metal."

As his words fell, the soil condensed into stone. The rocks cracked apart, and a glint of metal shone forth.

Seeing this, Old Celestial Master smiled faintly. "Metal dwells within stone and is born through the heart's nourishment. Gathered together, it forms mountains. Mountains must produce stone, and stone conceals metal."

Just then, the metal within the rocks seemed to soften, transforming into dewdrop-like beads of water that seeped into the ground.

Immediately afterward, the ground trembled slightly, and a sapling broke through the soil, growing rapidly at a visible pace.

In just a few breaths, it became a tall, straight tree, identical to the one from before.

Seeing this, Chen Feng could only sigh. "The Dao follows nature!"

Old Celestial Master smiled slightly as well. "The Dao follows nature..."

To the northwest lay an inconspicuous small nation situated at the border where the Land of Fire, Land of Wind, and Land of Earth met. Because rain fell there year-round, it came to be known as the Rain Country.

There stood Amegakure, once ruled by Hanzō the Salamander, known as the demigod. Now, however, it belonged to a mysterious organization: Akatsuki!

Inside a hidden cave, several figures clad in black robes patterned with red clouds sat around a table. At the head sat a strange-looking man.

He had orange-red hair and a cold expression. His purple eyes bore peculiar concentric patterns in their pupils, as though they contained endless magic, possessing terrifying yet miraculous power.

This man was none other than Pain, the leader of Akatsuki!

Very few knew his origins. Even the Akatsuki members present only knew that he possessed incomparable strength and a pair of mysterious, terrifying godly eyes.

Pain turned to the person on his left and asked, "How did things go?"

At his question, a man slowly raised his head, revealing a handsome yet cold face. A crimson gleam flashed through the blood-red tomoe in his eyes. It was Itachi Uchiha, who had previously infiltrated Konoha.

With an indifferent expression, he said, "Nan and I entered Konoha to investigate. Now that the Third Naruto is dead, morale within the village is low, and its strength is far inferior to what it once was."

After joining Akatsuki, each person received a special ring engraved with a codename representing their identity.

They were: Zero, Ao, Haku, Vermilion, Black, Void, Nan, North, Three, and Jade.

Among them, Pain's codename was Zero, while Nan was Kisame.

Kisame smiled at this. "That's right. Konoha isn't as formidable as the legends claim. I even killed one of their elders while I was there. I think his name was Danzo or something."

Pain glanced at him. Those strange eyes seemed capable of seeing through everything as he asked, "You were injured?"

Kisame replied, "While carrying out the mission, I encountered an old man. He was very powerful. Even Vermilion's eyes couldn't trap him."

The Vermilion he spoke of was naturally Itachi Uchiha.

"Even the two of you were no match for him?"

Pain seemed somewhat surprised, but his expression remained as unchanged as a puppet's.

Kisame responded, "That old man was absurdly strong, especially his taijutsu and Lightning Release. They were truly formidable."

As he spoke, he recalled Old Celestial Master's Palm Thunder. His chest still hurt even now.

"Skilled in taijutsu and Lightning Release... Could he be from Kumogakure?"

Pain guessed.

Itachi Uchiha shook his head. "That man came from the Dao Sect. He is the Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain."

"The Dao Sect? Dragon Tiger Mountain?"

Pain was somewhat puzzled. He had never heard of such a figure in the Shinobi World.

"Could there be a force we do not know about, hidden in the shadows?"

At those words, a vicious-looking middle-aged man on the other side of the table spoke. "A reclusive expert? I would like to meet him. I wonder how he compares to the First Hokage, who was invincible in his day?"

As he spoke, a trace of pride flashed in his eyes.

Once upon a time, he too had been a man who challenged the God of Shinobi...