In the room where gasps and yells was constantly ringing across the hallway, 3 children writhed in misery while another child looked after them with concern and apprehension.
"Hooooh... Hahaha! It's done! My body is slowly recovering!"
In his boisterous utterance, Jiraiya felt very happy until the mantra imprinted in his mind suddenly shivered, flooding him with numerous esoteric memories in a split second.
"Great Vairocana Palm... Three Jewel's Protection... Radiant Bell Shield..." Jiraiya muttered, abstracted as he went out of the curtains.
"What's wrong? Anything nasty occurred?" Yoichi grabbed him, concerned with his friend's unusual behavior.
"No..." Jiraiya shook his head. "In fact, I'm so alive! But what are these ways? Is this a base techniques?"
"Tell me about it." Yoichi responded.
While Jiraiya narrated his experience with the abrupt memories imprinting his mind, Yoichi sighed and sat down.
"That's your special techniques deeply ingrained to the base posture method. Yeah... It must be the case."
Like them, Yoichi also has a unique set of techniques after he broke through the Skin Refining Stage.
These techniques effectively highlight the body's natural flow of Qi within to produce force. In this matter, Jiraiya's absent-mindedness was a trivial case since it was a useful matter after all.
"Really? Then, I can also do your tree-splitting move now?! Thank goodness, every pain was worth it!" Jiraiya cheekily smiled, handing Yoichi a good ol' thumbs-up in his delight.
"Yoichi! I finally did it!" At this point, Tsunade also ended the refinement with a relief written on her face.
"Are these...techniques, Yoichi?" Soon, Orochimaru came out with a glint in his eyes, very interested in learning more about the distinctive methods.
"Yes. Although I don't have any conclusive evidence, I also went through it beforehand. These set of techniques are yours and only yours so cultivate it well." Yoichi explained in layman terms which the three easily understood.
Now, the Sannin broke through the Skin Refining Stage and had been given techniques by their respective base posture techniques.
"What do you have?" Tsunade asked, a proud grin spreading across her face as she placed her hands on her hips. "I've got Dragon Elephant Drop, Hundredfold Strike, and Draconic Mammoth Guard!
The Dragon Elephant Drop was a powerful stomp that shook the ground, creating a massive shockwave. The Hundredfold Strike was a punch technique that ramped up the force of her blow, much like Yoichi's Mountain Crushing Fist. And Draconic Mammoth Guard? That one provided a solid boost, making her nearly invulnerable for a whole five minutes.
"Whatever! My techniques are way cooler than yours!" Jiraiya shot back, his confidence shining through as he ran a hand through his spiky hair. "Check it out—I've got Great Vairocana Palm, Three Jewel's Protection, and Radiant Bell Shield! See? Way manlier and tougher!"
The Great Vairocana Palm was, of course, a palm technique. Meanwhile, Three Jewel's Protection was a strong defensive move, and the Radiant Bell Shield offered a protective barrier for the whole team.
Tsunade chuckled lightly, a playful spark in her eyes. "Three Jewel's Protection? What's that all about? Are you trying to guard your, um, manhood?"
"Sh–shameless girl! You have a nerve saying that word?!" Jiraiya flushed in embarrassment before he peeked at Orochimaru. "Orochimaru, can you tell us your techniques? I bet that mine's cooler than yours."
Unable to defeat the blatant mouth of Tsunade, therefore Jiraiya instantly noticed Orochimaru talking to Yoichi.
"Twin Fang Assault, Slithering Stride, and Eyes of the Umbral Night. Are you happy now?" Orochimaru stated his techniques with a hint of annoyance in his raspy voice.
Twin Fang Assault involved a series of intense stabbing attacks. Slithering Stride was a movement style that mimicked the way snakes move, while Eyes of the Umbral Night was a technique that allowed the user to see through the darkness and identify their opponent's vulnerabilities.
So even their unique skillset became complimentary of their prospects in the future. Yoichi thought as he fell silent, sinking into a contemplative state.
Jiraiya has been a determined fellow, strong in both mind and physique, mastering incomplete Sage Mode in his future counterpart.
Tsunade's talent in medical ninjutsu and nintaijutsu strong in her own league that pales in comparison to the other kunoichi around the Shinobi World.
While Orochimaru involved in researching forbidden jutsu and had an arsenal of escaping techniques.
"Tsunade, take this." Yoichi took out a small booklet and reached out to her hands.
"What's this?" Tsunade tilted her head.
"Just read it and you'll learn it soon enough. Anyways, let's head out before the instructor gave us another earful complaints."
Hearing this, the three followed Yoichi out of the room and went ahead to the cafeteria since all three of them severely exhausted their nutrients in their physiques.
"Whoa! Ishh thish gryeat!" In the cafeteria, Tsunade took a mouthful of food while skimming over the booklet earnestly.
*Smack!*
"Talk less and eat your food." Yoichi thumped her head with a spoon and berated her.
"Ouch! What was that for?!" Tsunade rubbed her head, glaring at Yoichi with grievances written on her profile.
After that, the 4 went into the class again. Then soon enough, the class was finished in mere hours as the dusky sunset shone in the horizon.
...
...
...
In his house.
"Now, it's my time to shine."
After he returned into his home, Yoichi immediately began to practice since Phantom Steps was in the cusp of breaking through the Great Success.
Furthermore, his Face Changing method also has been in the verge, almost a one push away towards Small Success.
For a while, Yoichi's consequential acceleration of his feet surged forth with swiftness, leaving an afterimage in the aftermath of his nimble actions.
「Phantom Steps EXP +4」
「Phantom Steps EXP +4」
[Phantom Steps: (Great Success) 298/300]
"I'll increase the weights in the bangles by 10 KG. Let's go!"
In over 2 hours, he gained 8 points with the help of Qi Blood Pills. Now, Yoichi took another try to achieve his Great Success in the Phantom Steps.
The process was arduous due to the increasing weight in his lower limbs but he didn't became fazed by the certain challenge for himself.
In fact, each step made him brim with vigorous energy. To be that quick in such an imposing limitation, perhaps Yoichi became a masochist at this point.
「Phantom Steps EXP +3」
As his last step reached the ground, the exhausted Qi Blood within his body started to rumble. Then, in a swift turn of events, his lower limbs trembled as each Qi Blood being pumped out by his body crept into the muscular fibers one by one.
From the leg abductors, quadriceps, hamstrings to calves — his legs seemed to be strengthened by the invading vigorous energy. Not only that, the feeble joints in his knees and ankles were reinforced as if concrete.
While the pain of destruction before rebirth assaulted Yoichi's sanity, the fuzzy sensation in the depths of his muscular legs felt uniquely special.
Soon, the magical feeling gradually subsided until it completely vanished.
*Crack!*
However, his joints popped in a resounding fashion while his muscles in the lower limbs became taut yet flexible to the touch.
[Phantom Steps: (Great Success) 1/500]
"Hahaha! This is too good to be true!"
Jumping in joy, Yoichi considered the significant impact of his successful advancement. Currently, as he leaped, Yoichi's body felt bouncy and lightweight like a feather descending to the sky.
Therefore, he detected that his limbs became rigid after landing on the ground and then softer in mid-air.
Yoichi couldn't quite put a finger on it until he cried, "Energy conservation! Muscles were active in the motion of jumping even after the landing period. But my legs now felt like a jellyfish!"
Phantom Steps!
Additionally, he successfully utilized Phantom Steps backwards. It was a mind-boggling discovery since human anatomy has its natural locomotion, meaning that walking in reverse felt drastically different and demanding.
However, in an emphasis of Qi Blood in his toes, he could practically use his movement technique backward without any repercussions.
Of course, professional boxers could hop backwards like a rabbit but what about instantaneously shifting backwards without any momentum? Yoichi in regards to the advantage was simply delighted.
"It should be good in a practical or life-and-death scenario. If I really have it before, maybe I won't be as beaten up as my past self!" Yoichi crossed his arms, mouth's curling upwards.
________________
(Current Progress)
[Realm: Skin Refining Stage] (Jade Skin)
[Heavenly Demon Posture: (Perfection) 48/1000]
[Mountain Crushing Fist: (Small Success) 250/300]
[Lightning Spear Thrust: (Small Success) 247/300]
[Phantom Steps: (Great Success) 1/500]
[Secret Technique: Face Changing (Entry) 89/100]
[Tickets: 1 Prismatic, 0 Gold, 0 Silver.]
________
Thanks for the 200K views and for the ones who supported me in my journey! I truly appreciate this gesture so please let me know if you have any questions. See ya! XDD!