Before long, midnight arrived.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing today's journal entry. You are rewarded with: Toad Oil and a 20,000-year cultivation boost for Blue Silver Empress Ah Yin.]
At that moment, Ah Yin realized that her cultivation had been unsealed by the system, and she immediately knew what one of Su Ming's rewards for tonight was. She felt a bit helpless.
Her cultivation had now returned to 50,000 years, allowing her to begin using the Blue Silver Domain.
[Toad Oil: One of the treasures of Mount Myoboku from the Naruto world. When applied to the body, it helps in sensing natural energy, making it easier to enter Sage Mode.]
Seeing this reward, Su Ming was overjoyed. He knew well the benefits of toad oil—it would help him better sense natural energy, greatly increasing his efficiency in learning Sage Mode.
However, there was a drawback to using toad oil. If not handled carefully, he might accidentally turn into a real toad and be petrified.
Su Ming mused, If only the system had directly given me the Sage Body—that's the real source of the power behind Senju's Wood Release.
Moreover, if he wanted to use techniques like True Several Thousand Hands in the future, the Sage Body would be essential. Relying on Sage Mode alone wouldn't be enough, as the True Several Thousand Hands technique required massive chakra reserves, and Sage Mode wouldn't last long enough for such a high-energy technique.
But for now, Su Ming could only wish. He knew the system wasn't going to give him something as powerful as the Sage Body without making him work for it. He was all too familiar with the system's tricks.
Still, being able to learn Sage Mode was great. Once he entered Sage Mode, the power and effects of his soul skills would be significantly enhanced.
However, Su Ming had one concern: What if I accidentally turn into a toad while using the oil? He remembered how Naruto had nearly been beaten to a pulp by Fukasaku's staff during his own training.
Su Ming asked the system, "Hey, if you're giving me toad oil, couldn't you at least give me the staff Fukasaku used? Without it, I don't dare use the oil. What if I get petrified?"
[Ding! The system's rewards are random. All the rewards the host desires are available, but it's up to the host to obtain them.]
Su Ming: ...
Yeah, right. I don't believe for a second that these rewards are purely random. The system decides what I get anyway.
Sighing, Su Ming stored the toad oil in his soul tool, deciding to wait until he received the "staff" before using it.
At the same time, Su Ming felt the change in his fourth soul ring. Since 50,000 years was a significant threshold, his fourth soul skill had been strengthened. Its boost effect increased from 50% to 70%, and Su Ming was quite satisfied with that.
Now that Ah Yin's cultivation had returned to 50,000 years, Su Ming wondered if she could use the Blue Silver Domain.
He communicated with her through his fourth soul ring. As to why he didn't summon her directly—it was to avoid the risk of Tang Hao sensing her presence. Though he could mask her aura with talismans, those weren't easy to make, so he preferred to be cautious.
"Ah Yin, now that your cultivation has returned to 50,000 years, can you use the Blue Silver Domain?"
Ah Yin's gentle voice responded, "Yes, I can use the domain, but only at a basic level. Right now, the Blue Silver Domain has three functions. First, it can use the blue silver grass within the domain for scouting. If I personally scout, the range is even greater. I can gather information as long as blue silver grass exists in the area without needing to activate the domain."
"The second ability is camouflage. The domain can alter the appearance of soul rings, allowing you to change their color or even make them invisible to the naked eye. However, this only works on weaker opponents."
"The third function is Blue Silver Bind. Within the domain, you can command the blue silver grass to entangle enemies, or I can use the skill directly."
Su Ming was quite pleased with the current abilities of the Blue Silver Domain. He believed that once Ah Yin fully recovered, the domain would evolve even further.
With a smile, Su Ming said, "The camouflage ability touches on one of my greatest secrets, something not even Xiao Wu knows. So, I can't tell you either—not until you're truly mine."
Ah Yin thought to herself, Many people already know your so-called greatest secret. The only one still in the dark is you, thanks to the system.
She also understood Su Ming's words to mean that he would wait until she resolved her feelings for Tang Hao before deciding if she would be with him. After all, Su Ming was already in a somewhat antagonistic position with Tang Hao. He had her 100,000-year soul bone, and she was now Su Ming's soul spirit. If Tang Hao ever found out, a confrontation would be inevitable.
As Ah Yin pondered this, her thoughts grew increasingly chaotic. If she ended up with Su Ming, would their relationship become that kind of relationship? She couldn't even imagine it. Her gentle and loyal nature made such an idea difficult for her to accept.
Su Ming, if he had known her thoughts, would have found them understandable. Ah Yin was kind-hearted and devoted, and winning her love would be challenging. The only way would be for Ah Yin to see Tang Hao's true nature and for Su Ming to take advantage of the situation.
In the end, Su Ming felt confident that Ah Yin would eventually be his, so he wasn't in a rush.
He recorded his thoughts in his journal:
[Today's rewards were excellent! They've made me even stronger!]
The girls were curious. What kind of reward did Su Ming receive to make him so happy?
[Today's rewards were a jar of toad oil and a 20,000-year cultivation boost for Ah Yin!]
The girls: ...
They were puzzled. What is toad oil, and why is Su Ming so excited about it? As for Ah Yin's cultivation boost, they were used to such things from the system by now and felt no surprise.
[My fourth soul ring was originally 30,000 years. Now, with the 20,000-year boost, it's reached 50,000 years, matching Ah Yin's current cultivation. I doubt the system will continue giving this kind of reward in the future.]
[Speaking of toad oil, it comes from the same world as my Wood Release and Sharingan.]
Now the girls were intrigued. They had seen the power of Su Ming's Wood Release during his recent battle, and although he rarely used his Sharingan, they knew it had impressive abilities, like resurrection through the Rinnegan.
[Toad oil can be applied to the body, helping me sense natural energy and enter Sage Mode.]
The girls were confused again. Natural energy? Sage Mode?
[Natural energy... to be honest, I don't fully understand it myself since I haven't experienced it yet. But I think it's like life energy that exists in the world—perhaps the energy in the air or the life force of plants and animals. I'll need to sense it for myself to confirm.]
[Sensing natural energy is the first step to entering Sage Mode. Once I've mastered it, I'll experience a significant boost in power. First, my cells will be revitalized, enhancing my physical strength. Second, my soul skills will become more powerful. How much stronger? I don't know yet.]
The girls were shocked. This Sage Mode is incredibly powerful! Even though they didn't fully understand what "cells" were, they grasped the idea of enhanced physical strength and stronger soul skills.
Su Ming was already capable of fighting opponents far above his level. If Sage Mode further boosted his power, he would be unstoppable!
Xiao Wu felt a bit anxious. That system keeps making my brother stronger! If he continues like this, I won't be able to keep up...
[However, Sage Mode has a major drawback. To enter it, I need to absorb natural energy in a calm environment, free from distractions. Plus, it only lasts for five minutes. If I use soul skills that consume a lot of energy, the time will be even shorter.]
The girls were speechless. Sage Mode sounds great, but its limitations are significant. You can't just enter it in the middle of a fight—who would give you time to meditate and absorb energy? And it only lasts five minutes?
Bibi Dong, however, thought differently. If Su Ming is so excited about Sage Mode despite its limitations, he must have a plan to overcome them.
[Despite the restrictions, I have a way to work around them. But for now, it's beyond my reach.]
Bibi Dong was not surprised. She had expected Su Ming to have a solution but wondered why he couldn't implement it yet. Was it due to his strength, or something else?
Su Ming's idea was to use his wood clones, similar to Naruto's method. However, unlike Naruto, he didn't have a summoning scroll. He knew how to make summoning talismans, which could store soul skills. In the future, he could seal his wood clone's Sage Mode into a talisman, but he couldn't make it yet.
[For now, I'm hesitant to use toad oil. Or rather, I'm afraid. I don't want to die.]
The girls were puzzled. How could this lead to death? Is toad oil really that dangerous?
[Toad oil is named as such because it can actually turn you into a toad and petrify you.]
The girls finally understood why Su Ming was so cautious. Turning into a toad and petrifying—no wonder he's hesitant to use it!
[When you apply toad oil and start sensing natural energy, your body begins to take on toad-like traits. This happens because you absorb too much natural energy too quickly, causing a reaction with the oil.]
[To safely use toad oil, you need a special staff to knock the user back to normal. But it's quite painful.]
[So for now, the toad oil will just sit in my soul tool, collecting dust. I'll wait until I get that staff.]
[Honestly, I'd prefer the system to give me a Sage Body. The Sage Body is far superior to Sage Mode—it doesn't expire. In my previous life, Senju's Wood Release was so powerful because he had the Sage Body, giving him an endless supply of chakra to fuel all his techniques. I envy that.]
[To use the most powerful Wood Release technique, True Several Thousand Hands, I'd need the Sage Body, or at least a way to have infinite soul power. Without that, I can't pull it off.]
The girls were astounded. What kind of technique is this True Several Thousand Hands that Su Ming doubts he can use it?
Meanwhile, Xiao Wu and the others were excited because, with Su Ming's livestream today, they were about to receive rewards as well!
[Ding! Today, the female leads mentioned by the host include: Xiao Wu (3 times), Ning Rongrong (7 times), Zhu Zhuqing (6 times).]
[The female lead mentioned the most today is Ning Rongrong. Reward: God-bestowed Spirit Ring.]
Xiao Wu asked curiously, "Rongrong, what reward did you get?"
Zhu Zhuqing, though still expressionless, turned her head toward Ning Rongrong, clearly curious.
Ning Rongrong smiled and said, "I was lucky today! I got a god-bestowed spirit ring!"
Zhu Zhuqing looked envious. "You should save it for later when your body is stronger. That way, you can get a 100,000-year spirit ring."
Ning Rongrong nodded in agreement. She understood that saving the god-bestowed spirit ring for later would maximize its benefits.