The ancient courtyard within the jade pendant realm was silent except for the wind rustling the trees. Naruto stood in the center of the open platform, golden veins flickering under his skin like lightning sealed beneath the surface. His breathing was slow, deep, and controlled, the True Yang Secret Art guiding each inhale and exhale to extract and refine every shred of Yang energy from within.
Today was different.
For days now, he had been training in seclusion under the watchful guidance of Yin Long, the master of this realm, a man who stood at the peak of the Open Realm. Yin Long's knowledge was vast and mysterious, and his cultivation base seemed bottomless. Even Naruto, who had just formed his Qi Sea and solidified his cultivation path, could sense a vast abyss of strength that separated them.
Naruto's body trembled. Not from exhaustion—but because something inside him was changing.
Deep warmth pooled in his lower abdomen. The energy inside him gathered into a swirling golden storm as if it had a life of its own. It compressed, condensed, twisted like a coiling dragon within his body. Then—
A brilliant explosion of golden light burst from within.
He gasped.
Within the depths of his being, he saw it clearly: a sphere of golden mist had solidified, a Dantian—his very own Qi Core—had been formed. In that moment, his body resonated with nature. He had stepped into the Qi Transformation Realm.
However, that wasn't all.
The sudden shift triggered something deeper. A surge of foreign chakra—untamed, burning with an overwhelming presence—rushed through him. It was wild, ancient, furious.
A feral growl echoed within his consciousness.
"So… you're the brat draining my chakra?"
Naruto flinched. His eyes glazed over as he was pulled into his own mindscape—a world of darkness broken only by the sloshing waters beneath his feet and the towering cage of chakra in front of him. Behind those bars lay an immense beast, red eyes glowing like suns in the dark.
"The Nine-Tails Fox…"
His voice wavered.
The fox snarled. "You don't even know my name and you dare use my power without permission?"
Naruto raised his hands defensively, his heart pounding. "I didn't mean to—something inside me pulled your chakra… I needed it to break through."
The fox lunged at the bars, but the seal held him in place. Still, the fury radiating from the beast sent chills down Naruto's spine.
"I felt your meddling days ago. That warmth... it was my Yang chakra, wasn't it?" The fox narrowed his eyes. "You should be dead for stealing from me."
"I didn't steal—!" Naruto began, but the fox cut him off with a roar that shook the entire mindscape.
"Don't lie to me, child. If not for the seal and my slumber, I would have devoured you already. You dare walk the path of cultivation, using powers you don't understand. Let me make this clear—I am not your friend."
Naruto lowered his gaze. The encounter had gone worse than he feared. This wasn't some tale of friendship and trust. This beast hated him.
Back in the jade pendant realm, Naruto jolted back to reality, sweat pouring down his face. His heart still beat wildly from the encounter, but Yin Long was already standing beside him, eyes calm, a trace of sympathy flickering in his gaze.
"You've met the beast, haven't you?"
Naruto nodded silently.
Yin Long folded his arms behind his back and gazed at the sky. "I knew it was a matter of time before your cultivation reached a level that disturbed the seal. That entity inside you is a being of pure Yang and malice. In the ancient world, it would've been worshipped as a demon god."
"He hates me," Naruto muttered, "And I don't even know his real name…"
"That name was lost to time for most," Yin Long replied. "But in this world, names have power. When the time is right, he will tell you his name himself. For now, survive."
Then, Yin Long raised his hand. A ripple of space opened in the air, and from it floated out a silver-blue orb, glowing with runes and sealed in layers of freezing mist. Naruto felt the temperature around him drop drastically. The orb was not large—but it pulsed with powerful life force.
It was an egg.
"This," Yin Long said, "is the legacy of someone dear to me. Her name… was Yuling."
Naruto stared at the egg, mesmerized. The qi emanating from it was strange—neither fully yin nor yang, but an ancient mixture of both, laced with illusions and icy serenity. His breath misted in the air as he reached out to touch it.
"She was a Nine-Tails Divine Fox," Yin Long continued, his voice heavy with memories. "A rare creature born from celestial bloodlines. She perished long ago, and before she died, entrusted this egg to me. It is her daughter—her only child."
Naruto withdrew his hand, startled. "You want me to raise her?"
Yin Long nodded. "This world is too cruel for her to be born without protection. You have formed your Dantian now. With the True Yang Secret Art, your body can nourish her as she grows. And in time, she will become your greatest companion—or your greatest trial."
Naruto's brow furrowed. "But why me?"
"Because," Yin Long said, "she will not survive in the hands of anyone weak-hearted. Her bloodline requires a balance of strength and spirit. And more importantly…" he paused, eyes narrowing, "...I believe fate has chosen you for this path."
Naruto glanced again at the egg. Frost formed at its base, yet it pulsed with warmth. The divine fox within was alive, dreaming, waiting.
"What's her name?" Naruto asked softly.
Yin Long smiled faintly. "Yuling gave me permission to name her when the time came. I shall call her... Lingxue."
Naruto repeated it in a whisper, "Lingxue…"
Yin Long placed the egg in his arms. It was strangely light and cold, but Naruto felt a strange emotion bloom in his chest as he held it.
"She will grow slowly, her spirit still immature. You must infuse her with your Qi regularly. Especially with the Yang Qi you've been refining. She will need it to stabilize her core."
Naruto nodded. He looked down at the sleeping egg, feeling an odd connection. In some way, they were both orphans. Both hated by beings around them. Both given a second chance through Yin Long.
Back in his quarters, Naruto sat in lotus position, Lingxue nestled beside him. He began the True Yang Secret Art again, refining the drops of golden Yang Qi that shimmered in his Dantian. Each drop took hours, yet he succeeded in making three this time.
He gently guided one toward the egg. The moment it touched the shell, it dissolved into warmth and light, and a faint hum echoed through the chamber. The egg glowed in response, the seal runes flashing once before falling quiet.
Naruto smiled.
Yet deep down, he knew this was just the beginning.
Behind the jade pendant's illusionary skies, something else stirred—a hidden darkness. Kurama, the Nine-Tails Fox, growled in his prison, feeling the flow of chakra shifting within the boy. He could no longer sleep in ignorance. The boy was evolving.
And if Naruto truly intended to raise a divine beast—one tied to his own kind—Kurama would have to decide.
Would he destroy the boy before that day came?
Or would destiny, as Yin Long believed, bind them together despite the hatred they both carried?
The storm had not yet come. But Naruto was now walking its edge.
To Be Continued....