All rights reserved to the respective authors.
"Dialogue": Represented in double quotes for conversations between characters.
'Thoughts': Represented in single quotation marks, indicating the characters' internal reflections.
[Diary]: Represented in square brackets, used for messages intended for the heroines or entries written by Tenshin.
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"Heavenly Glimpse, activate!"
In the blink of an eye, Tenshin's consciousness expanded far beyond its usual limits. The challenges that had weighed on him throughout the past month of training suddenly clicked into place with perfect clarity. He instantly grasped the final component of the soul power reinforcement ability that had long eluded him. Alongside it came insights into foundational principles for a personal alchemical system, medical knowledge, and deeper understanding of soul power itself. This surge of awareness led him to conceive a technique aimed at accelerating physical regeneration.
It felt as though he had opened a gateway to supreme knowledge—gaining temporary access to omniscience. But he quickly realized the danger in such overwhelming clarity. His mind, now operating at extraordinary capacity, was being flooded with ideas, theories, and advanced concepts at a breakneck pace.
"Stay calm…" he murmured to himself, focusing intently on the cultivation technique in progress. As he narrowed his thoughts, a perfect synergy of comprehension and creativity unfolded. In his mind's eye, the steps became crystal clear: first, he redefined which meridians would be activated within the technique; next, he charted a path that used those meridians as central nodes, optimizing the inclusion of additional meridians without compromising structural integrity. The result was a method that, over time, gradually compressed more and more soul power within the body during each cycle. This slow compression allowed the user's body to adapt to the increasing density, avoiding the usual risks of sudden soul power overload or level regression.
Additionally, this technique boasted a 30% faster cultivation speed compared to the General Meditation Method. Even more impressive, it refined soul power into a "neutral" state—free of innate attributes—granting the user full control over its element or nature upon release. This base made it highly customizable, a foundational technique with future potential in numerous directions. In just two minutes, Tenshin had fully conceptualized, mastered, and refined a cultivation method that outclassed anything currently known on the continent.
Still riding the wave of insight, he turned his attention to the Fundamental Breathing technique. Using the momentum from the previous development, he merged it with the new cultivation method. The result was a passive mode of cultivation (through breathing) that increased training speed by 20% over the General Meditation Method. When used actively, the 30% increase remained intact.
With four minutes left, Tenshin shifted focus again—this time to the hand signs he'd been developing. Originally based on pure experimentation, the seals had now been reinvented from the ground up. Although loosely inspired by the twelve basic hand signs from Naruto, he began simplifying them after recalling a critical difference: chakra is a blend of physical and mental energies, while soul power is a singular force. Therefore, intricate seals were unnecessary. Unlike Naruto-style seals used to trigger jutsu, his would serve only as a mental focus—a support mechanism during delicate soul power control. This led him to create a streamlined system of some essential hand signs.
Realizing he still had two minutes remaining, Tenshin seized the opportunity to polish minor details and develop a few additional techniques that emerged during the "Heavenly Glimpse" state. These included: a reinforcement ability that fortified the user or a weapon with soul power; a technique to accelerate physical recovery using soul energy; and finally, with just under a minute to spare, he instinctively tapped into his knowledge of fire—drawn from both his past life and an intuitive sense linked to his dragon bloodline—to lay the groundwork for an alchemical system. He created a basic flame technique for alchemical practice, along with several potential recipes using his existing knowledge of herbs—though he wasn't yet sure if they would work.
When the ten minutes ended, the shift was jarring. Tenshin felt as if he had fallen from a great height—like his brilliance had vanished all at once, leaving him dull and hollow. The abrupt deactivation of the "Heavenly Glimpse" function hit hard.
'Even if there are no physical or mental side effects…' he reflected, still feeling slightly dazed, 'this sense of being lifted to the heavens and then dropped unceremoniously back to earth… it's not pleasant at all. It leaves a lingering dizziness.'
As he glanced at the open notebooks surrounding him, Tenshin couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. A single glance confirmed that the content he had recorded would have taken at least a year or two to develop under normal circumstances.
'Even if spending 5000 LP all at once was costly… the results speak for themselves. It was worth the investment. Still, I can't afford to use this function the moment the cooldown ends. If I hadn't been researching, reading, and experimenting constantly since I got access to books, and if I hadn't trained so rigorously over the past month, these results would have been impossible.'
He understood that preparation was everything. Without his accumulated effort, using "Heavenly Glimpse" now would've simply placed him back at the same mental state he had two years ago—when Old Jack first started buying him books thanks to the village's improving economy. Without foundational knowledge and real experience, the system's benefits would've been nothing but vague insights, lacking direction or substance.
Pausing, he reviewed all he had written: the new cultivation method titled "Base Vein Refiner Sutra"; the improved breathing method called "Silent Breath of the Deep Core"; the hand seal set known as the "Soul Gesture Codex"; the reinforcement ability "Soul Burst"; the recovery technique "Soul Rebirth Circulation"; and an alchemical manuscript named "Alchemy Foundations", which detailed base concepts, experimental recipes, and a flame technique for alchemical crafting called "Alchemy Fire".
And finally, he noted the best long-term strategy for using "Heavenly Glimpse."
'I've got it. I'll accumulate as much LP as I can over the course of a year. Then, on the last day of that period, I'll activate "Heavenly Glimpse" again. By then, its duration will be longer, and I'll have built up an even greater library of experience, research, and raw data to draw from. That's when I'll break through to the next level.'
Still feeling a bit dazed, Tenshin put away his notebooks and stepped out of his house. Normally, he would take advantage of this time to practice and apply the techniques and knowledge he had just acquired—but not today. Instead, he decided to head out, distract himself, and enjoy the last few days of peace before his departure for Nuoding Academy, where he would stay for approximately six months until the New Year holidays.
He strolled along the village's main path, where new shops had sprung up in recent years, replacing the old houses that once stood there. The streets bustled with life—residents chatted animatedly as they bought clothes, food, tools, and more. Observing the changes around him, Tenshin couldn't help but feel a warm surge of happiness—and a quiet sense of pride. After all, much of this transformation had been sparked by his influence. Having lived in the Holy Spirit Village for the past six years, it was only natural that he'd form an attachment to the place and its people. Unless someone had gone through only negative experiences—or was simply cold and self-absorbed—there was no way they wouldn't.
After walking the main path, Tenshin wandered through other parts of the village: the cultivated fields, the park, and the stream. Eventually, he chose a random hill on the outskirts and climbed it. From the top, he admired the view and watched the sun dip below the horizon. He remained there until the last light of day faded, then quietly made his way back home.
On the way, he crossed paths with Tang San, who appeared to have returned from training. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and without exchanging a word, they continued on in opposite directions.
Upon arriving home, Tenshin prepared dinner, took a bath, and went to bed.
The next day—Saturday—Tenshin stepped into his backyard and began his training routine, starting with the Base Vein Refiner Sutra. The moment he activated the technique, he noticed a subtle shift in his soul power. It began transforming into a "neutral" state, free of the pressure usually exerted by the Domination attribute of his first martial soul.
Following this neutralization, two additional phenomena occurred simultaneously. First, he felt a reduction in his soul power—though he quickly realized it wasn't a loss, but rather a compression of the energy. Next, his body began instinctively absorbing energy from heaven and earth to replenish the "void" created by that compression. After about half an hour, both effects stabilized—the compression had reached the limit that his body could safely endure.
Opening his eyes, Tenshin raised his hand, conjuring a thin film of soul power across his palm. Its hue was a deeper blue than usual, yet it retained the light, almost ethereal quality of standard soul energy. Studying the color and feeling the energy within, he smiled to himself.
'About fivefold compression...' he thought, pleased with the outcome.
He then infused the soul power with the Domination attribute. Immediately, the familiar pressure returned—only this time, far more intense. After switching the attribute on and off a few times to test his control, he finally dispersed the energy and stood.
Now standing, he began practicing Soul Burst—a technique that involved precisely channeling one's soul power into an object or body to intensify an individual or object's strength, as well as allowing the energy to be released in the form of an explosion. Taking a training spear from his weapon rack, he began to apply the technique. After some time of infusing it with soul power, his instincts warned him: the spear could not hold much longer.
He moved away from the house, aimed carefully, and released the stored energy in a focused blast. The unleashed power carved a destructive trail through the air, splintering the wooden spear in the process.
The moment he witnessed the result, he turned and sprinted back toward the house. He knew the sudden spike in soul power could attract attention—and he was right.
Moments after Tenshin vanished from the scene, Tang Hao arrived, drawn by the surge. His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, trying to identify the source. However, he quickly dismissed the idea that it could have been Tenshin. After all, he believed the boy lacked both the power and the soul abilities necessary to produce such an effect—especially since he didn't possess a sword- or spear-type martial soul, which Tang Hao considered the most likely candidates for such a technique.
Finding no one and seeing no obvious clues, Tang Hao eventually turned away and went back to observe Tang San's training.
Meanwhile, back in his backyard, Tenshin was already preparing to test one of the hand signs from the Soul Gesture Codex—specifically, the Compression Sign. Reaching out with one hand, he formed a sphere of soul power, steadily injecting energy until it reached the size of a balloon. Then, with considerable effort, he began compressing the sphere until it was two-thirds of its original size.
With his other hand, he performed the Compression Sign. This time, the sphere shrank even further—down to half its original volume—without becoming unstable.
Satisfied, he dispersed the sphere and proceeded to test other hand signs from the Codex. As for alchemy, however, he couldn't begin testing yet—he didn't possess the fire element. He had only an instinctive understanding of fire, drawn from his draconic bloodline. Because of this, he reasoned that his first soul ring should come from a fire-element soul beast. Not only was that element a basic requirement for alchemy, but it was also deeply connected to dragons.
The rest of the day was spent adapting to his new techniques, abilities, and power level.
On Sunday, he focused on packing and organizing the items he considered important. Before finishing, he used the Analysis ability of the Wise Eyes of the Dragon to assess himself:
[Name: Satoru Tenshin
Martial Souls: Dragon Chains, Wise Eyes of the Dragon
Innate Soul Power: 10
Rank: 10 (Soul Energy: Rank 12 - 45/100%)
Combat Power: Level 19]
[Skills
Dragon Chains: None
Wise Eyes of the Dragon: None]
[Techniques
Cultivation/Meditation:
– Foundation Breath (Basic–High Technique)
– General Meditation Method (Basic Technique)
– Base Vein Refiner Sutra (Mid-Mid Technique)
– Silent Breath of the Deep Core (Mid-Low Technique)
Combat Proficiency:
– Unarmed Combat: Low–High
– Armed Combat: Low (+)
Soul Techniques:
– Dragon Chains: Lightning Wave, Circular Defense
– Wise Eyes of the Dragon: None
– Soul Burst
– Alchemy Fire]
And so, the month of training came to an end...