A few days later, Uchiha Kirin awakened at the base of the Dragon Vein, feeling refreshed and full of energy. He glanced at the golden fruit in his hand, and the blood of the Golden Arhat that had burst from the White Ape Sage.
"Eat the fruit, save the Arhat blood!"
He made his decision on the spot.
He swallowed the golden fruit in one gulp. Wrapped in chakra, a surge of heat exploded from within his body. It was the culmination of the White Ape Sage's lifetime of accumulated strength—and now, it was completely absorbed by Uchiha Kirin.
First came the Indestructible Body. In life, the White Ape Sage had relied on Arhat blood to temper this body to the sixth level. Now that strength had entered Uchiha Kirin's body.
Yet it only managed to barely raise his physical toughness to the third level. Fortunately, once reaching the third level, the Indestructible Body could maintain itself and even slowly absorb his internal energy to continue growing…
The silvery-white scales on his body took on a faint golden sheen.
It seemed the stronger one's body was, the harder this secret art became to cultivate. It was best trained while one was still physically weak, to lay a solid foundation.
With this thought in mind, Uchiha Kirin abandoned the idea of using the Arhat blood in the real world. He would use it during a simulation instead. With repeated layering, he was confident he could reach the eighth level.
However, this wasn't the primary reason he had chosen to consume the fruit in reality.
In an instant, two streams of pure, rule-based power surged into his body.
Space and Sound—corresponding to the divine arts Divine Foot Technique and Heavenly Ear Technique—or rather, Divine Techniques.
Now purified into their rule form, these two forces were swiftly absorbed and refined by Kirin's body and soul, thanks to the high compatibility of his Dragon bloodline.
His physical strength surged again, and his comprehension and control of these rules reached perfection.
A swirling vortex appeared.
In the blink of an eye, he found himself inside the embryonic form of the Divine Realm linked to Kamui.
Using the space passage constructed by the vortex, external Dragon Vein power and the giant Tenseigan that had been placed in the embryonic Divine Realm activated.
They began fusing with the rule powers and the mixed energy of Kirin's breathing technique.
Even the relic pearl, casually placed inside the Divine Realm, began emitting a faint golden light and merged into the mix!
Two true Divine Techniques were born from this fusion.
Not only did Uchiha Kirin's body undergo another round of refinement…
The embryonic Divine Realm's spatial structure stabilized rapidly. Then it began expanding—until it reached the edge of Kirin's sensory perception, and only then did it stop.
Next came the emergence of Sound.
The waves that rose over the jade sea seemed to form a soul-soothing rhythm.
The power of the Dragon Vein, the giant Tenseigan, the relic pearl, and the mixed force of Kirin's breathing technique—together, they produced a kind of resonance.
And from that resonance, a faint yet powerful force was born within the embryonic Divine Realm.
It was as if he had endured a trial by fire and water—or perhaps life and death—and this intangible cycle converged within Kirin and settled into him.
It was incredibly mysterious, noble, and transcended all the other mixed powers within his body.
『Ding! This is the Power of the World. Congratulations to the user for finally stepping onto your own transcendent path!』
『As long as you continue expanding and strengthening the embryonic Divine Realm, it can evolve into a small world, producing a constant flow of World Power and even giving birth to rules. Such a feat is rare even among beings who transcend worlds!』
『Preserve this power well. It will help you stand out among those competing for a chance to transcend this world!』
Faced with the sudden system notification, Uchiha Kirin raised a brow in confusion.
"But doesn't the Ōtsutsuki clan mostly take the path of godhood? They all have Divine Realms, right? Don't they have World Power too?"
『Ding! That's correct. But the Ōtsutsuki clan, in their impatience for power, chose to become gods within preexisting worlds—abandoning the possibility of creating their own.』
『Also, under normal circumstances, possessing a Divine Realm before godhood is almost impossible. That's precisely what sets the Uchiha apart from the Ōtsutsuki!』
『This deviation was already destined back when Kaguya devoured a fruit that didn't belong to her—and failed to fully digest it, leaving behind the Primordial Sphere Dimension.』
"So what you're saying is… Kaguya, the Sage of Six Paths, and even Obito—and all Uchiha with space-related abilities—they all could walk this path?"
『Yes and no.』
『Typical alternate dimensions—unless it's Kaguya's Dimension—like the Sage's Pure Land or Kamui, lack the potential to evolve into a full-fledged world.』
『Do you remember when you first condensed Water and Fire rules into a Divine Technique?』
『At the time, your embryonic Divine Realm contained a Divine Tree fruit imbued with Yin-Yang and Taiji forces. It was thanks to that fruit that your Divine Realm didn't shatter under conflicting rules—but instead, harmonized them. That's what gave it the potential to become a world!』
"So what you're saying is, with that fruit's support, the Uchiha—across the myriad realms—are actually one of the most gifted races?"
『Ding! The Uchiha bloodline holds limitless potential, but its starting point is too low. Without incredible fortune, it's nearly impossible for them to produce true powerhouses.』
Uchiha Kirin pondered this. That did make sense.
Even with their strong bloodline, ninja have limited lifespans and fragile bodies. If not for the system, he could barely have crossed the super-Kage threshold on his own.
Compared to races that can shrug off modern firearms from birth—but have low potential ceilings—the Uchiha might actually be worse off…
Not to mention, acquiring a Divine Tree fruit with Yin-Yang power is nearly impossible.
Without it, he wouldn't have been able to develop the true strength of his bloodline.
"But system, isn't giving me this kind of info against protocol?"
『Technically, I'm not allowed to disclose this kind of information…』
『But if it means staying alive and getting back, I've decided to help you as much as I can. Besides, didn't you say you'd "host" me once this is all over?』
『Compared to the punishment for sending you to the wrong mission world, leaking a bit of info is nothing...』
"Then spill more! Once I get out, I'll host you so hard!"
He said shamelessly.
『N-no, don't... user-sama~』
...
After this lengthy chat with the system, Uchiha Kirin's knowledge had greatly expanded. He now felt a deep longing for the countless worlds beyond transcendence.
At the same time, his understanding of his own power had reached new heights.
He immediately began mapping out a plan for his future growth.
If he wanted a true small world, the most important step was gathering more objects that could enrich and complete the inner structure of the Divine Realm.
He already had the Tenseigan. The relic pearl had similar effects.
That Divine Tree fruit that helped him stabilize his Divine Realm and harmonize conflicting rules? Even better—but its aura was far too dangerous.
It could provoke the Sage of Six Paths into action. While the system seal could suppress its aura in the real world...
In the simulation, it would prevent him from accessing the Divine Realm.
Until he grew even stronger, it was best not to use it.
The Dragon Vein also seemed to have this effect—after all, every time he forged a Divine Technique, he had to draw from its power.
Now the only question was—would the Slug Sage let him drain one of the veins…?
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