Chapter 92: Energy-Absorbing Skin
Thanks to the improvements in his experimental methods, the captives Baishi used for testing no longer died easily. As a result, the number of prisoners under his control continued to grow. With so many captives, he was forced to use his Wood Release to construct a dungeon beneath the island.
At this moment, his spiritual form was hovering outside one of the cells.
Through the bars, Baishi observed Ōkura Riku, who was unable to move or speak due to seals. Without hesitation, he entered the man's mental space.
Ōkura's pupils dilated in fear as Baishi's physical form vanished before him. He seemed to realize what was about to happen. Before he could process this thought further, his consciousness was pulled into his mental space.
Inside, the restrictions of the seals no longer bound Ōkura, allowing him to speak. However, he still couldn't use ninjutsu, and even his speech was limited by the Curse Seal of Tongue Eradication, which prevented him from mentioning Baishi or anything related to him.
As Baishi strode closer, Ōkura hurriedly spoke, "Wait! Baishi, I can serve you—"
"Annoying." Baishi cut him off coldly.
Whether or not Ōkura's offer of submission was genuine didn't matter. Baishi couldn't risk trusting it. If someone submitted out of fear today, they could betray him for the same reason tomorrow. Baishi wasn't interested in watching his back against his own men.
Besides, Ōkura's immediate compliance was more suspicious than convincing.
Baishi preferred the reliability of his techniques over false promises.
In a flash, he closed the distance between them and pointed a finger at Ōkura. Black sealing marks emerged and swiftly spread across the man's spiritual form.
Then, Baishi focused his will, channeling a sliver of his essence into the black markings. The seals glowed briefly before condensing into a tiny point of light at the center of Ōkura's forehead.
This was the Seed of the Spirit.
The seed would use Ōkura's mental energy as a medium to take root in his soul, slowly reshaping his thoughts and personality until his loyalty to Baishi was absolute.
As the black seals faded, Baishi nodded in satisfaction before leaving the man's mental space.
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Outside the cell, Baishi's spiritual form reappeared. He glanced at Ōkura, who had fallen unconscious, and moved on to the next prisoner.
One by one, Baishi planted the Seed of the Spirit in every captive. It wasn't long before all prisoners had been implanted.
Turning to Uemura Ki, who had been silently observing, Baishi issued an order: "Once they wake up, release them. From now on, the safety of Moonlit Island is in your hands."
"Yes, my lord," Uemura replied, her tone stiff and emotionless.
Satisfied, Baishi nodded and vanished in a flash of white light, leaving the dungeon.
Although he didn't fear the persistent attacks from the Mist and Cloud ninja lurking nearby, Baishi had no desire to waste time or energy dealing with them.
Even though the Seed of the Spirit was still imperfect, Baishi believed the controlled prisoners would suffice to handle these intruders, freeing him to focus on his own cultivation and growth.
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Back in his training chamber, Baishi let out a long breath and placed a hand over his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
"System, show my status."
At his command, the familiar status screen appeared:
[Host: Baishi]
Age: 10 → 11 / 82 → 84↑
— Basic Attributes —
Strength: 101 → 112↑
Agility: 101 → 113↑
Physique: 100 → 110↑
Intelligence: 101 → 125↑
Chakra: 148 → 207↑
— Special Enhancements —
Spatial Perception: VII (42.1%) → VII (65.5%)↑
Wood Release: VII (11.5%) → VII (44.1%)↑
Regeneration: VII (0.1%) → VII (17.5%)↑
Mental Resistance: VI (54.8%) → VII (12.1%)↑
Heat Resistance: VI (60.2%) → VII (2.1%)↑
Enhanced Senses: VI (36.2%) → VI (87.5%)↑
Poison Resistance: VI (11.2%) → VI (71.2%)↑
Chakra Affinity: Water: VI (7.8%), Earth: VI (8.5%), Lightning: V (0.1%)
Energy-Absorbing Skin: V (52.5%) → VI (5.2%)↑
Cold Resistance: IV (43.2%)
Cellular Adaptability: III (50.1%) → IV (0.1%)↑
— Abnormal Status —
Over the past three months, Baishi hadn't just been experimenting with the Spirit Transformation Technique or refining the Seed of the Spirit—his cultivation and progress had continued steadily.
His stats showed substantial growth, particularly Intelligence, which had jumped by 24 points.
This increase was directly tied to his mastery of the Spirit Transformation Technique. Learning this S-rank jutsu not only allowed him to manipulate his soul but also naturally strengthened it, boosting his mental energy and thus his Intelligence.
As a result, his Mental Resistance had also broken through to a new level, reaching VII.
His Physique, which had surpassed 100, now increased his lifespan by two years with each breakthrough, a welcome bonus.
Another highlight was his Energy-Absorbing Skin, which had finally advanced to VI.
Baishi raised his right hand, channeling chakra to generate crackling lightning in his palm. Without hesitation, he pressed his hand to his abdomen.
The lightning crackled as it made contact with his skin. Moments later, Baishi felt a portion of the chakra within the lightning absorbed back into his body.
At VI, the Energy-Absorbing Skin didn't just enable him to extract oxygen from water—it also allowed him to absorb external chakra directly.
Though this ability had technically been present at IV, the efficiency was so low it was hardly worth mentioning.
Now, Baishi closed his eyes and focused on the absorption rate.
"Roughly 30%..." he murmured.
Don't underestimate that 30%. It meant that any ninjutsu targeting him would lose nearly a third of its power on impact. For weaker techniques, this absorption alone might render them ineffective.
This ability wasn't limited to enemy attacks—it could even be used against tailed beasts.
Though Baishi's current chakra reserves were significant, they were still nowhere near the level of a tailed beast, especially in terms of recovery speed.
As his capabilities continued to evolve, the environments he could endure became increasingly extreme, making it harder to maintain his "accelerated buff" status.
To sustain his rapid progress, he needed a new energy source to feed the system.
The solution? The tailed beasts.
And how would he extract their energy?
The answer lay in his Energy-Absorbing Skin.
Although sealing techniques could also fulfill this role, it never hurt to have multiple methods at his disposal.
(End of Chapter)
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