Shikkotsu Forest.
Next to the innermost core pool.
The third clone is sitting by the pool, with his hands dipped in the water.
The warm liquid wrapped around the fingers, carrying a faint fragrance of vegetation. The water surface glowed with a faint green light, and the light flickered on and off according to the breathing rhythm of the clone.
A Katsuyu was lying on a rock ten meters away from the edge of the pool, its tentacles swinging slowly.
"Your cell division speed has just increased by another three percent." Katsuyu's voice was gentle and calm. "Following this trend, in about two months, you can start trying to convert life energy into Senjutsu Chakra."
The clone opened its eyes.
"Two months?"
"Well. It takes normal humans at least half a year to reach your current stage. Your puppet cells have an incredibly good affinity for life energy." Katsuyu's tentacle tip bent, "I have studied cell division for hundreds of years, and I have never seen this kind of absorption efficiency."
The clone looked down at his hands in the water.
The fingertips of the ten fingers are glowing slightly with green light. This is the external manifestation of life energy flowing within the cells.
"Senior Katsuyu, after Shikkotsu Forest Senjutsu completes his training, what is the difference between Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode?"
Katsuyu was silent for two seconds.
"Let me give you an analogy." Its voice slowed down, "Sage Mode of Mount Myōboku focuses on the 'perception' and 'mobilization' of Natural Energy - it allows you to become a part of nature, borrowing The power of nature. Sage Mode of Ryūchi Cave focuses on the 'devour' and 'transformation' of Natural Energy - it makes nature a part of you and turns the power of nature into your own power."
"What about Shikkotsu Forest?"
Katsuyu's tentacles pointed at the water surface.
"Senjutsu from Shikkotsu Forest focuses on 'life' itself."
"What is the core ability of our Katsuyu family? It is cell division. It is infinite regeneration. It is using one's own vitality to repair, heal and reshape everything."
"Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode does not make you better at fighting. It allows you to understand and control the concept of 'life' to a level that ordinary people cannot reach."
The clone listened quietly.
Katsuyu said again.
"If you have mastered the immortal arts in the three holy places, you will understand by comparing them yourself."
The clone nodded.
Three Great Sage Lands, three Senjutsu paths.
Perceive, devour, life.
After Senju Chen received the summary of information from these three lines on Konoha's body, Great Toad Sage's unfinished sentence suddenly flashed through his mind.
"Different paths lead to the same destination... When you get to the end, you will find..."
Three roads, ultimately leading to the same destination?
One month.
For an ordinary ninja, a month of practice might just make a certain Ninjutsu's hand seals more proficient.
But for Senju Chen, this month, three lines are running at the same time.
Mount Myōboku's clone was hit no less than three hundred times by Sage Fukasaku. Every time the petrified creature appeared, it was struck with a stick, and Sage Fukasaku's hit was more accurate than his Senjutsu's. The clone's control was steadily improved through repeated beatings, and it was able to maintain the Natural Energy equilibrium state for three minutes.
The clone of Shikkotsu Forest has the smoothest progress. The cultivation method of Katsuyu Sage is much gentler. It is not like Ryūchi Cave and Mount Myōboku who are always dying. The life energy accumulates slowly in the puppet cells, like water in a pool, which is stable, safe and predictable.
Only here Ryūchi Cave--
Something happened.
Ryūchi Cave, Senjutsu cave.
The training ground designated by White Snake Sage is in the middle area of Ryūchi Cave. It is a naturally formed spherical space. The four walls are embedded with luminous ores, emitting a faint cold light. There is a polished stone platform in the center of the space, and the surrounding area of the stone platform is engraved with snake-shaped magic patterns.
Senju Chen's Puppet Clone is sitting cross-legged on the stone platform.
The Snake Bite Mark on the neck continued to heat up, and the temperature was a bit higher than before.
In the past month, he has completed the first half of the first stage of "sensing" and the second stage of "swallowing". Natural Energy can flow into the body smoothly, running along the Chakra meridians, and will not run rampant like at the beginning.
But today, White Snake Sage asked him to enter the key node of the second stage - to fully open the meridians and let Natural Energy pour into the body at the maximum flow rate.
"Ready?" White Snake Sage coiled on the top of the cave with a lazy voice.
The clone took a deep breath. "Ready."
"Then start. Remember, Senjutsu of Ryūchi Cave is not about reconciliation, it is about conquest. What you have to do is not to reason with Natural Energy, but to press it to the ground and rub it."
The corner of the clone's mouth twitched.
The teaching style of White Snake Sage is completely different from that of Sage Fukasaku. Sage Fukasaku is a follow-up and encouraging type, while White Snake Sage is a free-ranging type - I will give you a sentence and you will figure out the rest. If you don't figure it out, you will turn into a snake.
The clone closed its eyes.
The temperature of Snake Bite Mark suddenly soared.
He took the initiative to open the meridians throughout his body.
Natural Energy rushed in.
One second ago, the flow rate was normal - like a stream, smooth and controllable.
But the next second--
The stream turned into a flood.
The cells of Ten-Tails Tree seemed to have sensed some signal, and began to absorb the surrounding Natural Energy crazily. It was not Senju Chen that was guiding it, but the cells themselves were grabbing it.
The absorption speed increases instantly.
Five times.
Eight times.
Ten times.
Twelve times!
The clone's eyes suddenly opened.
There was a sharp stabbing pain in my right arm.
He looked down -
The skin of the right arm is changing at a speed visible to the naked eye. Fine snake scales emerge from the back of the hand and spread rapidly along the wrist, forearm, and upper arm. The scales are dark green, with a cold light on the surface, and are cold and hard to the touch.
It's not the kind of shallow scales that appeared during previous cultivation.
This time it's a deep mutation.
The five fingers of the clone's right hand began to come together and fuse, the gaps between the fingers disappeared, and the palm became flat--
Transforming into the form of a snake.
My heart sank when I was distracted.
White Snake Sage said that Senjutsu of Ryūchi Cave will turn into a snake if he fails in cultivation.
Now is the precursor to turning into a snake.
On the roof of the cave, White Snake Sage's pure white vertical pupils narrowed slightly.
It did not intervene.
This is part of cultivation. Either you can handle it yourself, or you can become a snake.
There is no third way.
Natural Energy is still accelerating the influx.
The clone can feel that Chakra in the body is being squeezed crazily by Natural Energy. The two forces collide in the meridians, like two rivers flowing backwards.
The scaliness spread from the right arm to the right shoulder.
In another ten seconds, it will spread to the chest.
By then there will really be no hope.
The clone's mind is running rapidly.
Use Chakra to press hard? No. The absorption speed of Ten-Tails Tree cells is too fast, and Chakra cannot press it.
Cut off the meridians? No. Once fully opened, it cannot be closed unilaterally. This is the characteristic of Ryūchi Cave Senjutsu - either fully open or fully closed.
But now that I am forced to close it all, the previous month of practice will be in vain.
Even this clone will be directly scrapped.