Over the past month, he had started each morning by running a lap around the village with Haku to build up his physique.
Then he sent a shadow clone to the Ninja Academy to attend classes and learn basic ninjutsu.
His real body stayed home, refining chakra and then using quiet ninjutsu to exhaust it.
Then he refined more chakra and exhausted it again.
Repeating this cycle for a month had greatly increased his chakra reserves.
His chakra reserves now matched those of an outstanding Genin and were nearly on par with those of an ordinary Chunin.
A month of physical training had also brought astonishing changes to his physical fitness.
That was without counting the boost from the talent original liquid.
His physical fitness alone was already comparable to that of an ordinary Genin.
With the talent original liquid's enhancement, his physical fitness rivaled that of an ordinary Chunin.
His speed, in particular, had improved so much that his top running speed had reached the level of an elite Chunin.
And his hand seal speed had reached the point where others his age could no longer follow his movements.
According to the estimate Ino had relayed from her father, Inoichi Yamanaka,
Zhou Cheng's hand seal speed had firmly surpassed Chunin level. As for whether it had reached Jonin level, Inoichi dared not draw a conclusion without seeing it himself.
As for ninjutsu, a month of study had allowed Zhou Cheng to master all the basic techniques.
These included the Clone Technique, Alteration Technique, Transformation Technique, and Tracking Technique.
Basic punches and kicks, too.
He had also learned all the Water and Earth ninjutsu sent by the Third Generation, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Danzo.
Over that month, Zhou Cheng's bonds with Haku, Naruto, Hinata, and the others had also deepened rapidly.
Haku went without saying. Zhou Cheng was already more important to him than his own life.
Naruto already considered Zhou Cheng one of his best friends and came over to mooch a meal almost every day.
Zhou Cheng paid special attention to Hinata, while the thickheaded Naruto never gave a second thought to her kindness toward him.
That left her with a very strange feeling toward Zhou Cheng.
A feeling somewhere between friendship and love.
As for Ino, she was already deeply infatuated with Zhou Cheng and saw him as someone she absolutely had to win over.
Sitting on his bed, Zhou Cheng gazed at the fifteen drops of talent original liquid in his mind and sank into thought.
He had to allocate this talent original liquid carefully to develop his strength as efficiently as possible.
What limits my growth now is the number of ninjutsu I know and my chakra reserves. And taijutsu, of course.
With my top-tier talent for chakra control, I can learn any ninjutsu as long as I have its scroll.
So the first thing to consider is my chakra reserves.
That means I'll need the Indigo Gourd.
The Indigo Gourd can boost my vitality. Vitality encompasses many things, but the most important is naturally spiritual energy.
Chakra is produced by mixing spiritual energy and physical energy in equal proportions.
So if I want to increase my chakra reserves quickly, I have to improve both my physique and my vitality.
At a thought, the Dark Yellow Gourd and the Indigo Gourd flew out from among the seven gourds and stopped before him.
The Dark Yellow Gourd could strengthen his physique, while the Indigo Gourd could improve his vitality.
Zhou Cheng allocated one drop of talent original liquid to each gourd.
The next instant, he felt a warm current spread from his forehead through his entire body.
Then he felt his physique grow stronger.
Although his appearance had not changed in the slightest,
he could feel a marked increase in both his muscle density and his bone density.
A minute earlier, if a Jonin had attacked him, he would have been unable to stand after no more than two blows.
Now, he was confident he could withstand five taijutsu attacks from a Jonin and suffer only minor injuries that would not affect his ability to fight.
He also felt much more mentally clearheaded than before.
He immediately sat down to refine chakra.
He discovered that both his chakra refinement speed and his total chakra reserves had increased significantly.
A minute earlier, it would have taken him half an hour to replenish all his chakra.
Now, even with his increased chakra reserves, he could finish refining it all in twenty minutes.
After making an estimate, he concluded that his chakra reserves were now firmly at Chunin level.
His eyes lit up. A single drop of talent original liquid had produced such a powerful effect.
Then he would keep going.
He allocated another drop of talent original liquid to each of the two gourds.
Another warm current flowed through his entire body.
He felt his physique and spirit improve dramatically once again.
He could tell that his physique was now no weaker than that of an elite Chunin.
He could endure a Genin's taijutsu attacks while forcing his way through other tasks.
Still, that only applied to taijutsu attacks. Ninjutsu was not something he could withstand with his body alone.
Even Six Paths Madara would not dare take Naruto's Rasengan head-on with his body.
Then there was his mental state.
He felt refreshed and clearheaded. His mind worked much faster, and his thoughts were clearer and steadier, making it difficult for outside influences to distract him.
He began refining chakra from his strengthened body again.
He discovered that his chakra refinement speed had increased once more.
It was twice as fast as it had been after the first drop's enhancement.
His total chakra reserves had also increased by more than half.
His chakra reserves had now reached elite Chunin level, with only the thinnest barrier separating him from Jonin level.
As long as his physique and vitality improved just a little more, his chakra reserves could reach Special Jōnin level.
He continued weighing his options.
My physique and chakra reserves are enough for now.
So I need to strengthen other aspects of my body.
First, my strength still needs improving to make up for my shortcomings in taijutsu.
And taijutsu will be the main focus of my studies next.
A ninja needs well-rounded development to avoid becoming cannon fodder.
Only then can I stand undefeated and become the strongest in the Shinobi World.
At Zhou Cheng's thought, the Vermilion Gourd flew before him.
Once given talent original liquid, the Vermilion Gourd could increase his physical strength.
He allocated two drops of talent original liquid to it without hesitation.
A warm current spread through his entire body.
He felt his strength increase considerably.
Previously, his limit had been lifting a hundred-kilogram object with one hand.
Now, he could lift roughly a hundred and fifty kilograms with one hand.
And the increase was not limited to his arms. It also strengthened his legs and the rest of his body.
He felt that with his current physique and strength combined,
he could use any part of his body as a weapon in taijutsu combat, making his attacks impossible to guard against.
Nine drops of talent original liquid left.
In martial arts, nothing is indestructible, but speed alone cannot be countered.
Jade Green Gourd, come out.
The Jade Green Gourd flew before him.
Once given talent original liquid, the Jade Green Gourd could increase his physical speed.
Two drops!
Zhou Cheng allocated two drops of talent original liquid directly to the Jade Green Gourd.
Another warm current spread through his entire body.
He felt much lighter and quicker.
He moved his body a little and found that his movements had become much more agile.
The flexibility of his joints had improved the most.
Now I'll be able to form hand seals even faster when using ninjutsu!
Four drops of talent original liquid left!
It's a shame I still don't know what the Azure Gourd does. I'm probably too weak to meet its activation requirements.
Zhou Cheng then remembered that he had been under surveillance throughout his time in Konoha.
Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo already knew that he and Haku were not spies, they still did not fully trust them.
Being watched every day without even knowing where the watcher was made Zhou Cheng deeply uncomfortable.
Then I'll improve my sensing a little!
Orange Sun Gourd, come out!
The Orange Sun Gourd immediately flew before him.
The Orange Sun Gourd could improve his sensory abilities.
Two drops!
With resources to spare, Zhou Cheng spent another two drops of talent original liquid, allocating them to the Orange Sun Gourd.
A warm current flowed through his body.
He suddenly felt as though everything had opened up before him.
Everything around him became clearer.
He could even clearly sense Haku on the other side of the wall. Haku was already asleep.
He closed his eyes and quietly sensed his surroundings.
Someone was sitting on the roof of another house twenty meters from his home.
The watcher wore ANBU clothing and a mask, with purple hair casually tied into a ponytail behind her.
Curiosity stirred in Zhou Cheng.
That distinctive purple hair, the Ninja Blade on her back, and her figure-it has to be Uzuki Yugao!
That old man, the Third Generation, actually sent her to watch me!