{A/N: May I dare ask for some comments, My good sir?}
"And one more thing, Father. I want to learn jutsus by myself, instead of having a mentor," Shin said, his voice muffled slightly by his father's shoulder as they hugged. He had a pretty good reason for it, too—one that he wasn't about to share.
It wasn't like he actually planned on learning standard ninjutsu or anything. His true goal was to learn the Heavenly Demonic Arts of the Heavenly Demon, something that definitely wouldn't go unnoticed if he had a mentor breathing down his neck.
The last thing he wanted was to explain why his jutsus looked like something straight out of a forbidden scroll.
Fortunately, the original Shin had this handy mentor-phobia, which meant his father wouldn't be able to push the issue too much.
Shiren listened and nodded slightly, a mix of understanding and acceptance on his face.
He knew his son's phobia wasn't going to disappear overnight, and frankly, the fact that Shin was willing to train in any kind of jutsu at all was more than enough for him. At least Shin was taking a step in the right direction.
Shiren looked at his son, and a soft sigh escaped him. If something were to happen to him, what would become of Shin?
That thought had haunted him for years, and seeing his son take responsibility like this eased his worries, if only a little.
"Don't worry, Son! I'll arrange a place where you can train all by yourself," Shiren promised, his voice filled with determination. He gave Shin one last pat on the back and then stood up, breaking the hug.
Without wasting a moment, he practically flew out of the room—at a speed that almost made it seem like he was teleporting.
It was clear he was overjoyed and excited, probably already planning how to make the perfect training spot for his son.
The man was beaming, and for a second, Shin almost felt bad for manipulating him... almost.
The room fell quiet once more, and a voice echoed in Shin's mind.
{Master, would you like to enter the Heavenly Demon's library now?}
The system's voice was calm but held a sense of urgency, as if it knew Shin needed to start learning some martial arts fast if he wanted to survive in this world.
"Yes"
As soon as this word left Shin's mouth, the space around him seemed to crack, like a mirror shattering into countless pieces.
Colors blurred and twisted, fading away until everything became an endless white void.
In an instant, Shin found himself standing in a room—white walls, white floors, white ceiling. Just a single door stood before him, with the words "Martial Path" carved into it in elegant script.
Shin took a deep breath and then, without hesitation, stepped forward and pushed open the door.
What he saw on the other side left him speechless. His jaw dropped as he took in the sheer scale of the place.
It was a library—a massive, seemingly infinite library. Bookshelves towered above him, stretching as far as his eyes could see, disappearing into the misty horizon and beyond.
There were scrolls, tomes, and manuscripts of every kind imaginable, and they all seemed to exude an aura of ancient power.
{Master, all the martial arts techniques from the martial world are collected in this library,} the system explained, its voice echoing through the empty air.
{You have access to read them all, except for the Heavenly Demonic Arts... at least for now.}
As Shin walked further into the library, a system panel appeared before him, causing his face to twist into a slightly confused expression.
{Master, you do not have access to the Heavenly Demonic Arts at this moment.}
"What do you mean I don't have access to the Heavenly Demonic Arts...?" Shin mumbled, his brows furrowing. He had read tons of martial manhwas, manhuas, and novels, so he knew exactly what the Heavenly Demonic Arts were.
Those were the most powerful techniques under the heavens, the kind that could turn you into an unstoppable force—basically, the ultimate cheat code in this world.
The system seemed to sense his confusion and quickly elaborated. {Master, please do not misunderstand.
What I meant is that the Heavenly Demonic Arts require far more Heavenly Demonic Energy than you currently possess.
You are at the seed stage of Hell's Divine Tree, while the Heavenly Demonic Arts require the tree stage. Attempting to learn them now could put your life in serious danger.}
Hearing the explanation, Shin's expression softened a little, though he couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed.
"Hmm... that makes sense, I suppose," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "But it's still a bit different from the manhwas." He sighed as he continued walking deeper into the library, trying to take it all in.
The place was ridiculously well-organized, which was a surprise for something so massive. Books and scrolls were neatly arranged in specific sections.
There was an area dedicated to medical-related techniques, and within that, subsections like "Sword Injury Treatment" and "Poison Cure Methods." There was even a whole section on "Healing Unusual Burns," which looked like it had seen a lot of use.
It was honestly the most organized library Shin had ever seen—better than anything he could have imagined.
As he continued to explore, Shin let out a low whistle. "I doubt anyone could even learn one-tenth of these books," he muttered, shaking his head.
There had to be at least millions of books here, and the sheer number was enough to make anyone's head spin.
Trying to memorize them all was like trying to count every grain of sand on a beach. Absolutely impossible.
As soon as the system heard Shin claim that no one could learn even one-tenth of the books, it replied immediately. {The Heavenly Demon learned all of them.}
"..."
Hearing this, Shin's face went blank. He was slowly coming to terms with the fact that the Heavenly Demon was an absolute monster—someone who no normal human could ever hope to compare to.
It wasn't exactly comforting. After all, if this guy could literally figure out a way to change the way energy flowed through his body when he a child.
He was already leagues beyond everyone else, then maybe he wasn't just a monster—he was a full-on freak of nature.
The system, apparently oblivious to Shin's mental struggle, chimed in again. {Master, I suggest you learn the Divine Flame Clan's martial arts first. They are among the easiest for beginners to pick up.}
Shin raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. "Hmm... well, I want to take a look at them first," he said, curiosity evident in his voice.
It was probably best to see what he was getting himself into before jumping headfirst into training.
{Would you like me to teleport you to them?} the system asked.
Shin blinked in surprise. "Wait, you can do that?" His face lit up with curiosity. He had thought he'd need to wander all over this giant library to find what he needed.
The idea of spending hours, or even days, searching among endless bookshelves had already tired him out, so this was a welcome revelation.
{Yes, I can do that since it is my system space,} the system replied.
"Oh. Well, okay then," Shin said, a grin spreading across his face. "Do it."
In an instant, the scenery changed.
The vast library around him blurred and shifted, and suddenly, Shin found himself standing in front of a bookshelf filled with dozens of books, each with bright red covers. It seemed almost like a section dedicated entirely to the Divine Flame Clan.
"Well, that was convenient," Shin muttered, his eyes scanning the rows of books before him. He reached out and grabbed one of the volumes, feeling the weight of it in his hands. The red cover had a golden emblem embossed on it, shaped like a roaring flame.
"Alright, let's take a look, shall we?"