Chapter 387: Chapter 387: The Five-Wheel Cycle
"Wait..."
A question suddenly occurred to Sora.
"chakra amount is low, but the Dragon Vein’s chakra is limitless... Does that count as ’low’ or ’high’?"
Theoretically, the Dragon Vein’s chakra came from an external source and didn’t belong to him.
However, he was a jinchūriki; the Dragon Vein’s chakra, like the Nine-Tails’ chakra was for Naruto, could be called upon at any time.
"Perhaps... I can factor the Dragon Vein’s chakra into the equation?"
A bold idea surfaced in Sora’s mind.
Traditional sage art was natural energy + one’s own mental energy + one’s own physical energy.
But what if...
What if "one’s own chakra" was replaced with "Dragon Vein chakra"?
The essence of Dragon Vein chakra was the earth’s energy, which was already of the same origin as natural energy!
"Worth a try!"
Excitement welled up within Sora, and he immediately began his experiment.
First, he summoned the Dragon Vein’s chakra, forming a cycle within his body, and then he introduced natural energy.
This time, the situation was completely different!
The moment the Dragon Vein chakra met the natural energy, instead of repelling each other, they rapidly fused together like long-lost family members!
But it wasn’t enough yet.
Mental energy and physical energy were still needed.
Sora carefully infused these two energies into the fusion.
Hum—
The instant the four energies met, a marvelous transformation occurred.
It was no longer a simple fusion, but rather... stratification!
The Dragon Vein chakra and natural energy formed the foundation, while the mental energy and physical energy, like two swimming dragons, wove and coiled within that foundation, ultimately forming a stable, four-layered structure!
"This is..."
Sora sensed the newly born energy within him.
Powerful.
Boundless.
And moreover... filled with the majesty of a dragon!
He opened his eyes, raised a hand, and attempted to condense it. A mass of golden energy appeared in his palm.
The outer layer of this energy mass shimmered with a pale golden radiance of natural energy, its core was the earth-yellow Dragon Vein chakra, and intertwined in the middle were silver mental energy and crimson physical energy.
Four colors interwoven, magnificently beautiful.
"Did I succeed?"
Sora found it somewhat hard to believe.
But the next second, the energy mass suddenly fluctuated violently and exploded with a roar!
Boom!
Sora was blasted away, heavily crashing into a stone pillar by the pool.
"Cough, cough..."
He climbed up, wiping the trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, yet a smile appeared on his face.
Although he had failed, the direction was right!
In that instant just now, he had indeed condensed some kind of unprecedented energy; the structure just wasn’t stable yet.
"Continue!"
Undeterred, Sora returned to the pool.
...
One month passed.
Sora conducted thousands of experiments, with a failure rate as high as 99%.
But with each failure, he accumulated experience and adjusted the energy structure.
Two months passed.
The failure rate dropped to 90%.
The four-colored energy mass could stably exist for three seconds before exploding.
Three months passed.
The failure rate dropped to 70%.
The energy mass could exist for ten seconds, but it couldn’t be used in actual combat; it would lose control the moment he tried to perform a jutsu.
Four months...
Five months...
Six months!
By the edge of the Dragon Transformation Pool, Sora stared at the four-colored energy mass that had disintegrated in his hand once again, his brow furrowed tightly.
"Still no good..."
This was already the sixth month.
The progress on creating his own sage art was much slower than he had imagined.
Although he had found a path to replace his own chakra with Dragon Vein chakra, forming a combination of the four energies—earth energy, natural energy, mental energy, and physical energy—he still couldn’t achieve true stability.
Every time he reached a critical point in the construction, the energy structure would collapse.
It was as if some crucial "adhesive" was missing.
"What exactly is missing?"
Sora sat back down in the pool in the lotus position, closing his eyes for introspection.
The four energies circulated within him, each with its own distinct characteristics:
The earth energy was calm and profound, like the earth bearing all things.
The natural energy was vast and ethereal, like the sky encompassing everything.
The mental energy was clear and agile, like the bright moon reflecting one’s inner heart.
The physical energy was blazing and surging, like a volcano poised to erupt.
"Each is very strong, but they lack a genuine connection between them..."
Sora suddenly recalled some details from the original story.
When Naruto trained in sage art, the toad oil from Mount Myoboku helped him sense natural energy.
Jūgo was naturally able to absorb natural energy, but it would cause his personality to become violent.
After Kabuto trained in Ryūchi Cave’s sage art, he developed snake-like characteristics, but his power increased dramatically.
"Every type of sage art has its core特质."
Sora murmured to himself:
"Mount Myoboku’s sage art emphasizes balance and endurance, Shikkotsu Forest’s sage art emphasizes life and recovery, Ryūchi Cave’s sage art emphasizes change and eeriness..."
"So, for Dragon Sage Art, what should it emphasize?"
The answer was actually quite clear.
Majesty!
Sovereignty!
Towering above all things!
"But just having the concept isn’t enough; a substantial ’bridge’ is needed..."
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Sora.
"Wait, am I stupid?"
His eyes snapped open, and a look of realization dawned on his face:
"I’ve been thinking about fusing four external energies, but I forgot my own core power—"
"The Azure Dragon Fruit!"
That’s right, he was a dragon!
What the Azure Dragon Fruit granted him wasn’t just the ability to transform into an animal and manipulate elements, but also an essential "dragon-like特质."
This特质might just be the key bridge connecting the four energies!
"Let’s try it!"
Sora took a deep breath and re-entered his training state.
This time, instead of hastily introducing the four energies, he first awakened the weakened power of the Azure Dragon Fruit from within.
Hum—
A faint azure light emanated from within him, along with a primal, noble aura—Dragon Intimidation!
True Dragon Intimidation!
As the Dragon Intimidation was released, Sora’s constitution began to change.
The phantom images of fine dragon scales surfaced on his skin, his pupils slightly narrowed into slits, and faint azure air currents swirled around him.
"Now!"
Seizing this feeling, Sora began introducing the four energies one by one.
First was the earth energy represented by the Dragon Vein.
The earth-yellow Dragon Vein chakra surged into his body and encountered the Azure Dragon Fruit’s Dragon Intimidation.
There was no repulsion.
On the contrary, the Dragon Vein chakra seemed to have found its home, actively attaching itself around the Dragon Intimidation, like subjects paying homage to their king.
"This is promising!"
Sora’s spirits lifted, and he continued to introduce the second energy—natural energy.
The emerald-colored natural energy came flooding in like mist.
This time, the situation was completely different.
Under the dominion of the Dragon Intimidation, the natural energy was no longer an untamable wild horse, but a docile sheep, obediently integrating into the energy system.
Next came mental energy and physical energy.
The silver mental energy wove into a network like silk threads, while the crimson physical energy surged and flowed like lava.
The four energies, under the dominion of the Azure Dragon Fruit’s Dragon Intimidation, began to arrange themselves in order, intertwine, and resonate!
"Still not enough..."
Sora could feel that although these five energies no longer conflicted, they hadn’t truly merged into one.
It was like five excellent musicians; even with a conductor, they still needed a musical score to play a harmonious piece.
"A musical score... that’s right, the circulation route!"
Sora recalled the core of all training systems—the meridian cycle!
Chakra needed to circulate through the meridians, and senjutsu chakra also required a specific circulation path.
So, what about Dragon Sage Art?
"With Dragon Intimidation as the core, and the four energies as supplements, construct... a Five-Wheel Cycle!"
A bold conception emerged in Sora’s mind.
He would no longer attempt to fuse the five energies into one, but instead let each remain independent, yet connected through some mysterious cyclical system!
No sooner said than done!
Starting from his dantian, Sora used the Dragon Intimidation as the core to construct the first energy node; he named it the "Dragon Heart Wheel."
As soon as the "Dragon Heart Wheel" was formed, the Dragon Intimidation throughout his body immediately condensed by three-tenths.
Next, centering on the "Dragon Heart Wheel," he extended four energy channels outward:
The first channel connected to the earth energy, forming the "Earth Vein Wheel" in his lower abdomen.
The second channel connected to the natural energy, forming the "Heavenly Spirit Wheel" at the crown of his head.
The third channel connected to the mental energy, forming the "Divine Wisdom Wheel" between his brows.
The fourth channel connected to the physical energy, forming the "Physique Wheel" in his chest.
Four wheels encircling the Dragon Heart, like stars surrounding the moon!
"With the Five Wheels formed, now... connect!"
Sora guided the establishment of energy flow between the five wheels.
The Dragon Heart Wheel acted as the core hub, while the Earth Vein Wheel, Heavenly Spirit Wheel, Divine Wisdom Wheel, and Physique Wheel connected in series with each other, forming a perfect five-pointed star cyclical system!
