Chapter 183: The Unexpected
One hour later, Baishi opened his eyes, his gaze filled with exhaustion.
Unlike the docile chakra, natural energy was far more active, and this hyperactivity made it exceedingly difficult to control.
Currently, his Natural Energy Affinity was at level V—a level far beyond what 99% of humanity could achieve. However, the vast majority of humans didn't even possess the qualifications to train in Sage Mode, making this advantage relative at best.
As the natural energy within him grew more abundant, Baishi found himself increasingly overwhelmed. Managing such a massive influx of energy was proving to be beyond his current capabilities.
"Damn it, I should've prioritized leveling up Natural Energy Affinity earlier," he thought with frustration.
He hadn't expected the process of absorbing natural energy to go so smoothly after upgrading Energy Absorption, which left his subsequent preparations inadequate.
Part of the problem lay in his enormous chakra reserves. If he had less chakra, he wouldn't need to absorb as much natural energy and could potentially have started fusing it into senjutsu chakra by now.
But, of course, giving up any of his chakra reserves wasn't an option.
"Long-term gains over short-term convenience," Baishi reminded himself. "Better to deal with the extra effort now than sacrifice my future potential."
Fortunately, the issue wasn't insurmountable. By leveling up Natural Energy Affinity, he could improve his control over natural energy and resolve the imbalance.
For now, though, Baishi decided to push through the current challenge. He had to adapt to the overwhelming natural energy within him, even if it meant forgoing fusion for the moment.
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Another fifteen minutes passed, and Baishi ceased absorbing natural energy.
At this point, the amount of natural energy within him matched his spiritual and physical energy reserves.
According to standard Sage Mode practice, he should now attempt to fuse the three energies. However, Baishi paused and reconsidered.
Managing the natural energy alone already demanded the majority of his focus. Attempting to fuse the three energies under such conditions was a disaster waiting to happen.
Instead, he redirected his attention to advancing Natural Energy Affinity. With such a vast store of natural energy inside him, this was the perfect opportunity to guide his system toward evolution.
He summoned his system interface, adjusted the evolutionary path, and began the process.
As his chakra reserves were gradually consumed and converted into evolutionary energy, a notification appeared on his status panel:
Natural Energy Affinity: V (30.2%) → V (35%)
His control over natural energy improved noticeably, but the increased imbalance triggered by chakra depletion caused the natural energy to begin leaking and destabilizing.
Forced to pause the evolution process, Baishi methodically expelled the excess natural energy until the balance was restored. Then, he resumed evolution.
This cycle continued for several rounds until his chakra reserves dropped to 500 points. At this point, he stopped entirely and expelled all remaining natural energy.
His decision to leave a substantial reserve of chakra wasn't arbitrary. Baishi hadn't forgotten where he was—deep within the sphere of influence of Ryūchi Cave.
Even if the high-ranking members of Ryūchi Cave appeared to follow their own rules, he wasn't naive enough to gamble his safety on their goodwill. As beings known for devouring humans, they were not to be trusted.
With 500 points of chakra, Baishi calculated he could safely retreat if necessary, even in the worst-case scenario.
Time passed as he replenished his reserves with chakra drawn from the Nine-Tails and Five-Tails before beginning another round of training.
The pattern was the same: first, absorb natural energy; next, attempt to fuse senjutsu chakra. If fusion failed, continue leveling up Natural Energy Affinity to enhance control.
Baishi was confident that consistent effort would eventually yield results.
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Half a month later, Baishi's underground training chamber near the Ghost Howl Cave.
Baishi sat cross-legged, his expression grave, his forehead veins bulging as he concentrated intensely.
Over the past two weeks, he had made remarkable progress. His Natural Energy Affinity had advanced from V (30.2%) to VII (21.5%), granting him much greater control over the massive store of natural energy within him.
Now, for the first time, Baishi was attempting to fuse natural energy, spiritual energy, and physical energy.
In the human body, physical energy resided in the cells, spiritual energy gathered in the mind, and natural energy flowed through the chakra pathways. To create senjutsu chakra, these three energies needed to be balanced in a 1:1:1 ratio across the entire body.
The challenge wasn't just achieving this ratio overall but maintaining balance in every part of the body simultaneously.
Baishi approached the task in two steps. First, he distributed his spiritual energy evenly throughout his body to match the physical energy stored in his cells. With his precise control, this was relatively straightforward.
The second step—distributing natural energy evenly—was far more difficult. Spreading natural energy throughout the body introduced significant risk; even the slightest imbalance could lead to catastrophic consequences, such as complete petrification.
Without external assistance, this task was doubly dangerous, demanding utmost caution.
Baishi proceeded with painstaking care, inching closer to equilibrium.
But just as he approached the critical threshold, an unsettling sensation pierced his awareness—a distinct feeling of being watched.
The unexpected distraction shattered his focus. The delicate balance he had painstakingly maintained collapsed instantly, and the natural energy spiraled out of control.
His body began petrifying at an alarming rate, the stone spreading visibly across his limbs.
(End of Chapter)
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