With the addition of Azhdaha, Morax's confidence rose to a new peak.
Counting himself, he now commanded two beings with god-tier strength.
As they traveled, Morax and Jiang Yan both took it upon themselves to teach Azhdaha about the surface world.
Though the dragon had lived for countless years, he'd spent them buried deep underground—deaf, blind, and speechless.
When it came to daily life, he was a complete blank slate.
If Morax's lessons were serious and proper, Jiang Yan's… were absolute chaos.
Like now, for instance—
"Hey, Tuozi, see that big Hilichurl King over there?"
Jiang Yan sat cross-legged on Azhdaha's massive shoulder, pointing gleefully at the distant figure.
Azhdaha, though now in human form, still stood an imposing two and a half meters tall.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yan's current elf body was barely over a meter.
And so, by unspoken rule, Azhdaha had become Jiang Yan's personal mount—his favorite perch whenever he pleased.
Azhdaha nodded dumbly, as if trying to follow the logic.
"Go slap him twice," Jiang Yan said with a mischievous grin.
Azhdaha: "???"
Morax rubbed his temples and sighed.
Though Azhdaha didn't quite understand why, Morax didn't stop him—so he went ahead.
A single heavy claw strike later, the Hilichurl King was half-buried in the dirt, twitching faintly.
"Uh… seems he couldn't handle one slap," Azhdaha said sheepishly in his dragon form.
"It's fine, it's fine! As long as the treasure chest survived," Jiang Yan said cheerfully.
He slid down Azhdaha's massive arm like a child on a slide and landed before the half-buried chest.
With the skill of an expert treasure hunter, he flipped it open.
And then—
Ding!
[Congratulations, Host! You've opened a Precious Chest!]
[Reward: Chakra of the Nine-Tails (Naruto World)]
[Note: This chakra does not include the Tailed Beast's properties, only its energy capacity.]
[Converting chakra to elemental energy…]
The moment the system's voice faded, Jiang Yan's body began to tremble.
A roaring surge of elemental power flooded through him, veins bulging along his neck.
He clenched his teeth, enduring the torrent threatening to burst him apart.
"Jiang Yan?!"
Sensing something off, Morax stepped forward—only for Jiang Yan to raise a trembling hand, stopping him.
"I'm fine…"
He forced out a breath, his grin strained. "Just… had a sudden breakthrough."
"His elemental power just skyrocketed," Azhdaha rumbled, his deep voice filled with surprise.
As the Lord of Elemental Dragons, he was far more attuned to such things than Morax.
And what he sensed in that moment shocked even him—
this youth's elemental capacity now surpassed his own.
Azhdaha's eyes narrowed slightly. Everyone had their secrets.
Since Jiang Yan chose not to explain, neither he nor Morax would pry.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yan was overwhelmed with elation.
The energy within him was now immense—probably enough to rival the First Hokage himself!
Forget "Wood Golem Technique"—even True Several Thousand Hands might now be within reach!
He didn't have Sage Mode yet, so "Buddha's Top Transformation" was still out of the question, but that didn't matter.
With Nine-Tails-level elemental energy, Jiang Yan felt invincible—
even among the gods.
A single magic god? He could crush them.
A dozen? Then he'd just use a few thousand hands!
For the first time since arriving in this world, Jiang Yan finally relaxed.
He no longer needed to anxiously hunt for every chest to stay alive.
Now, he could afford to be selective—aiming only for Precious or Luxurious chests!
Ordinary chests? Pfft.
Even a hundred of those couldn't compare to one Nine-Tails-level find.
Now this… this is living!
Just as Jiang Yan was basking in his newfound strength, the ground began to tremble violently.
The trio turned toward the source—
a panicked figure was sprinting toward them at breakneck speed.
A god.
Its face was twisted with terror, as though something unspeakable was chasing it.
"Wait… isn't that—?"
Morax and Jiang Yan exchanged a look, their expressions turning strange.
"What's wrong?" Azhdaha asked curiously.
The fleeing god was one they had fought before—one of the two who'd once challenged them together.
Clearly, it hadn't recovered well since then.
Morax flexed his hand, ready to step forward—
but Jiang Yan stopped him with a grin.
"Let me handle this one."
Morax hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
He, too, was curious to see the boy's full strength now.
Azhdaha, meanwhile, didn't seem concerned in the slightest.
Why would he be?
This kid's elemental reserves outstripped even his own dragon core—
did he really need help for one battered god?
Heh. Not likely.
As the terrified god stumbled closer, Jiang Yan stepped forward.
His palms came together with a sharp clap.
The ground beneath them began to quake.
"Wood Release — Wood Golem Technique!""
With a thunderous roar, a colossal hand burst from the earth, seizing the fleeing god's head in its grasp.
Dust billowed skyward as a towering wooden giant emerged, its body coiled by a massive Wood Dragon.
The sheer weight of its presence made the earth itself tremble.
Standing atop the golem's head, Jiang Yan looked down coldly—
then flashed a playful grin.
"Sasuga, dattebayo—eat this, you bastard!"