The sun dipped in the west, the sky darkened, and night was about to fall.
At dusk, in the backyard of a three-story house, Chen Xuan sat by a stone table, ready to open his upgrade package.
Before him, a blue virtual panel appeared, hovering between reality and illusion, exuding a sense of advanced technology.
He tapped a few times on the panel, flipping through the pages until a red gift box appeared in front of him.
Without hesitation, Chen Xuan clicked the 'open' button. In an instant, the gift box exploded, releasing a dazzling burst of light.
From within, four beams of light in different colors shot out, too bright to see clearly, before finally settling on the stone table.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host, Chen Xuan, for obtaining 100,000 Gold Soul Coins!"
"Ding! Congratulations to the host, Chen Xuan, for obtaining the S-rank forbidden technique, Eight Gates Released Formation!"
"Ding! Congratulations to the host, Chen Xuan, for obtaining the Kusanagi Sword!"
"Ding! Congratulations to the host, Chen Xuan, for obtaining a 25,000-year-old Gale Right Leg Bone!"
Upon seeing the first item, Chen Xuan froze on the spot, staring blankly.
"Are you kidding me? Another 100,000 Gold Soul Coins?"
He was speechless. Now that he had crossed into another world and become a soul master, this felt like a total waste.
He admitted that before crossing over, he had been a bit of a money-grubber, always craving wealth. But that was then, and this is now—how could it be the same?
"At least the rest aren't too bad." Chen Xuan picked up a scroll from the stone table, quickly skimmed through it, and then stored it away.
There was no doubt about it; the training method described was indeed the Eight Gates Released Formation.
"What a pity, though. Only those with great determination can train in it, so it's not suitable for me." Chen Xuan shook his head. Although the Eight Gates Released Formation was powerful, reaching the final gate would take at least a decade or two.
Using it might be able to kill a thousand enemies, but it would cost you eight hundred. Opening the Eighth Gate, the Death Gate, could grant power on par with the Six Paths, but the price was extreme—it would drain your life force, leading to death.
Still, it wasn't entirely useless. Chen Xuan thought that if he ever established his own sect and recruited disciples, he could teach this technique to them.
He shook his head and turned his attention away from the Eight Gates Released Formation, picking up a blade from the table. It was about 1.3 meters long, white in color, and shaped like a straight sword, though it lacked a hilt.
"This should be the second-ranked one," Chen Xuan murmured, carefully examining the white blade.
In the world of *Naruto*, the Kusanagi Sword, also known as a divine weapon, was said to have three versions scattered across the ninja world.
Orochimaru searched half the ninja world but only found two of the Kusanagi Swords, one of which he gave to Sasuke.
The reason Orochimaru couldn't find the last Kusanagi Sword wasn't that it didn't exist but because someone had beaten him to it—that person was Uchiha Itachi.
"I'll get you a sheath tomorrow," Chen Xuan said, satisfied with the blade, before storing it away.
Afterward, his gaze fell on the last item on the stone table, which was emitting a green glow.
This was a ten-thousand-year-old soul bone, specifically a speed-type. Once absorbed, it could increase a soul master's speed by 10%.
Moreover, when using the soul bone's skill, the speed boost could reach 20%, resulting in a total increase of 30%.
"A 25,000-year-old soul bone—it seems pretty suitable for me." Chen Xuan picked up the soul bone, examining it closely.
The enhancement effect was tempting, making him eager to absorb it right away.
"Forget it; I'll save it for someone who needs it." Ultimately, Chen Xuan decided to store the soul bone, planning to give it to someone else.
The truth was, he didn't want to absorb a soul beast's soul bone. He believed his own bones were the strongest and didn't need a soul bone from a soul beast to enhance himself.
Another reason was that absorbing a soul beast's bone made him uncomfortable—it just didn't sit right with him.
"Brother…" Chen Yiyi came from inside the house, carrying a basket of washed fruit as she entered the backyard.
Tonight, she was wearing a white dress, her face fair and her hair tied into two small braids. Her smile was sweet, full of youthful vitality.
The night sky was dotted with stars, and the moonlight, like water, cast its gentle rays upon the earth.
Chen Yiyi, full of energy, walked toward him in the moonlight, her white dress as pure as snow, exuding an ethereal charm.
She placed the fruit basket on the stone table and sat down, picking up an apple and peeling it for Chen Xuan.
Watching his thoughtful and adorable sister, Chen Xuan felt a warmth in his heart—it was truly a pleasant experience.
"By the way, Yiyi, what's your martial spirit, and what level are you now?" He suddenly realized that he knew very little about his sister, not even what her martial spirit was.
In his memories, there were no scenes of Yiyi awakening her martial spirit. He didn't know her soul power level, her favorite foods, the clothes she liked, or the places she enjoyed visiting—all of this was a mystery to him.
"Brother, Yiyi reached level ten years ago," Chen Yiyi said seriously, her smile sweet, without a trace of blame for her brother.
She then released her martial spirit—a cyan curved bow appeared in her hand, green in color and over a meter long.
She gazed at the longbow in her hand, her eyes gradually welling up with tears, filled with sorrow.
"Brother, this is the same martial spirit as Mom's, but I'm not as strong as she was. I don't even have a single soul ring yet."
"It's okay. Everything will get better. Reaching level ten in such an environment is already impressive. In a little while, I'll take you to hunt your first soul ring, and then you can become a soul master, Yiyi," Chen Xuan said, comforting her by gently stroking her head.
"And besides, even if you remain an ordinary person for the rest of your life, I'll protect you forever," Chen Xuan reassured her, telling her not to worry because her brother would always be there for her.
"Mm!" Chen Yiyi nodded seriously, then smiled happily—a sweet, genuine smile—as she hugged Chen Xuan's arm and refused to let go.
"Yiyi, if you want to train, you should take this time to strengthen yourself. You're too weak right now to absorb a high-year soul beast."
"Huh?" Chen Yiyi blinked her big eyes, looking puzzled.
"What does strengthening your body have to do with absorbing a soul ring?"
"Of course, your physical condition determines the upper limit of the soul ring you can absorb," Chen Xuan explained, sharing some knowledge and his own experiences.
The strength of a soul master's body and mental power both determine the kind of soul beast they can ultimately handle.
For a normal person, the limit for their first soul ring is around 400 years. But that's just a theory from a so-called master and should only be used as a reference. If someone actually followed it, they'd likely end up harming themselves.
Tang San, with his Blue Silver Emperor martial spirit, followed Yu Xiaogang's advice instead of harnessing the abundant life force of the Blue Silver Grass. He trained in control-type techniques and added poison-type soul beasts, which was fine in the early stages but eventually ruined him.
Chen Xuan warned Yiyi never to trust those who claimed to be theoretical masters, especially those whose soul power wasn't that impressive, yet still liked to teach genius students without considering their own capabilities.
If someone is a genius or a prodigy with innate full soul power of at least level seven, they'll achieve great things even without guidance—becoming a Soul Saint is almost inevitable.
On the other hand, some people make a big deal out of ordinary training: running every day, climbing mountains, soaking in medicinal baths at night, and participating in spirit battles. They shamelessly claim all the credit for themselves.
"Yiyi, you should stay away from people like that in the future," Chen Xuan said, patting her head.
Chen Yiyi listened intently, committing it to memory.
"Yiyi, would you like to absorb a thousand-year-old soul beast for your first soul ring?" Chen Xuan asked.
Theory is just theory—reality is different. Tang San spent his life breaking through theoretical limits, and adapting to the times is the right approach.
Chen Xuan believed that Yiyi's delayed training might not be a bad thing; she could still catch up quickly.
With her current potential, Yiyi's body could definitely withstand more than four or five hundred years of soul ring age. If Chen Xuan helped her temper her body and improve her physical condition, absorbing a thousand-year-old soul beast for her first soul ring wouldn't be impossible.
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