Dan sat in his hut, on his mat, in the middle of the night. He had chosen this time on purpose because it was the quietest and he could focus completely. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He began refining chakra, filling his reserves to the maximum. He needed a large amount of chakra to ensure that no shortage occurred while applying the seal correctly.
After an hour of refining, he felt ready. He opened his eyes and looked at his left hand. He extended his hand in front of him and began. He focused his chakra, directing it toward the bones of his hand. He could feel it penetrating, as his strong control enabled him to do so easily, sensing every bone and every joint. He began forming the complex seal that required extremely precise focus. He had to direct the chakra in a specific way, shaping the seals and linking them to the bones in a special manner and order.
It took two full hours. Two hours of intense concentration, precise control, and painstaking work. But finally, the seal was complete. Dan felt the chakra settle into the bones of his left hand, merging with them and feeding them slowly. He opened his eyes after a while and looked at his hand. There was no visible change; it looked as it always had.
But he could feel the difference. A portion of the chakra was trapped by the seal in the bones, flowing slowly toward the marrow; the seal was working. The following days were filled with anxiety and anticipation. Dan monitored his left hand very carefully. He checked it several times a day, sensing the chakra in it and ensuring the seal was stable.
On the first day, there was no noticeable change. On the second day, he began to feel something—a slight tingling in his bones, a strange sensation but not painful. On the third day, he began to see results. His left hand became more vital. The veins in it became slightly more prominent, a sign of heavier blood flow. When he sensed the changes in his body, he found them to be like a wave of vitality starting to spread from his left hand through the blood circulation to the heart, then being pumped through the entire body. The marrow was secreting blood saturated with chakra, exactly as he planned.
Dan smiled with relief. He succeeded. The seal was working on his body, just as it had on the animals. Dan continued monitoring his hand for a full week. No problems appeared—no pain, no weakness, no negative symptoms. On the contrary, his left hand felt stronger. His grip became firmer, and his movements were faster and more flexible. It was a clear improvement.
After two weeks, he decided it was time for the next step. He would apply the seal to his entire left arm. He sat in his hut again, in the middle of the night, and began the work. This time, it was slightly easier; he had gained experience from the first time, so he knew what to do. It took three hours to complete the seal on his entire left arm. When he finished, he felt extremely exhausted. His chakra was slightly depleted. But his face bore features of happiness and joy.
The second step was complete. Dan sat in his hut, looking at his left arm. Three weeks had passed since he applied the Vitality Seal to his arm, and the results were clear. His left arm became noticeably stronger, more resilient, and faster to recover from fatigue. The muscles became denser, and the skin healthier. The improvement was continuous, daily, gradual but obvious. The seal was working perfectly—stable, safe, and effective.
Dan took a deep breath and decided. The time had come. He would apply the Vitality Seal to his entire body. Dan knew there was a great risk in this. Applying the seal to the entire body at once, without more experiments, was considered a dangerous decision. If something went wrong, he might die or suffer permanent, irreparable damage. The safest option was to find other humans, conduct experiments on them first, and ensure the seal's safety on complete human bodies before applying it to himself.
But he didn't want that. Not because he had any moral motive stopping him; Dan was selfish by nature and didn't care much for others' lives compared to his goals. But there was a more practical reason. The outside world would be very dangerous now. Dan had lived in seclusion for many years, away from civilization and conflicts. But he knew what was happening outside.
He estimated that the conflict between the sons of the Sage of the Six Paths, Indra and Asura, had already begun. Years had passed since he left the village. The two children had grown up now, becoming men with immense power, followers, and opposing ideologies. Conflict was inevitable. When it begins, it will pull the whole world with it—wars, destruction, and chaos. Dan did not want to get involved in any of that. He didn't want to leave his seclusion, search for humans to experiment on, risk revealing his existence, or attract attention. At this particular sensitive time, disappearing was the best choice.
So, he decided to apply the seal to himself directly. The main reason for his confidence wasn't recklessness, but his superhuman chakra control. Years of focused training, refining his skills, and pushing his limits had brought him to an extraordinary level of control. He could manipulate chakra in the finest details, direct it to any part of his body, and shape it in any way he wanted. This precise control gave him enough confidence. Also, he understood the seal perfectly and knew how it worked in the smallest details.
The goal was clear. He would apply the seal to all his bones, seal chakra in them, and direct it to nourish the bone marrow. The marrow would secrete blood saturated with nourishing chakra for the body. This blood would move to the heart, strengthen it, and make it more powerful and resilient. Then it would spread through the blood vessels to every part of his body, nourishing it, strengthening it, and prolonging his life.
The final result would be a stronger body, more resilient, and slower to age. This, in turn, would improve his physical fitness, increase his qualifications, and increase his chakra reserves. At the same time, it would significantly prolong his life. Dan estimated, based on his experiments on animals and the version he applied to his arm, that his lifespan would increase over time to about one hundred and eighty years.
One hundred and eighty years. This is a long period, much longer than an average human's lifespan in this world. This would grant him much more time to improve his strength, develop his techniques, and improve the Vitality Seal itself in the future. Because the current seal wasn't the end; it was just a beginning. If he could improve it, develop it, and make it more efficient and deeper, perhaps he could increase his lifespan to two hundred years, three hundred, or four hundred. Eventually, he might reach true immortality.
But all of that starts with this step. In the following days, Dan changed his routine slightly. He tried to relax more and not exhaust himself too much. He reduced his harsh physical training, stopped diving into the depths, and took more rest. He needed to be in the best possible state when he applied the seal. His body had to be rested, his chakra at its peak, and his focus at the highest level. He spent his time in meditation, refining chakra, and reviewing the seal over and over in his mind. He ensured every detail, every step, and every movement he would make. There was no room for error.
After a week of preparation, he decided the time had come. In the middle of the night, Dan lay in his hut on his mat. He closed his eyes and began deep breathing. He felt the chakra flowing in his body, warm and strong, filling every cell. He refined chakra for hours, filling his reserves to the maximum. He opened his eyes slowly and looked at his hands.
"It's time."
He began forming the seal. He focused his chakra, directing it toward his bones. He started from his feet, from his small toes. The seal was extremely complex, much more complex than what he applied to his left arm because he was applying it to the entire body at once. He had to direct chakra to every bone in his body, shape the correct patterns on each one, and link them all together in one harmonious system. Two hundred and six bones in the human body. Each one needed a precise seal and correct chakra direction.
It took hours. Hours of intense concentration, precise control, and painstaking work. Sweat began to pour from Dan's forehead, and his body trembled from the effort, but he did not stop. He continued, bone by bone, seal by seal. From the feet to the legs, from the pelvis to the spine, from the rib cage to the shoulders, from the arms to the hands, and finally to the skull.
When he reached the last bone, his chakra was almost depleted. But he finished. He put the final touch on the seal, linking all the parts together. Suddenly, he felt something. A wave of energy spread through his body—warm, strong, and alive. The seal stabilized.
Dan opened his eyes and gasped heavily. He felt his entire body throbbing with energy. Every bone and every cell was radiating warmth. He could feel the chakra trapped in his bones and linked with his reserves. The seal was working. The Vitality Seal on his entire body was complete.
Dan sighed with relief; his mind was clouded from the long concentration. But he was happy. He succeeded. Despite the risk, despite the difficulty, he succeeded. The Vitality Seal was now active in his entire body. And soon, he would start feeling the results. Soon, he would become stronger, more resilient, and longer-living. Soon, he would begin his true journey toward immortality.
He closed his eyes and smiled despite the exhaustion. "Just the beginning." Then he lost consciousness, sinking into a deep sleep.