The next morning, Dan was excited to test his new abilities. He stood in his usual training area and began experimenting with everything.
First, he tested the chakra threads. He formed thousands of thin threads around him, then launched them toward a large rock a thousand meters away. A thousand meters—a huge distance. But with his new control, it was easy. He launched the threads. They pierced the air silently, almost invisible, and reached the rock. They cut it. But it wasn't just an ordinary cut; it was a precise cut, on a millimeter level. He could cut very thin slits in the rock with amazing accuracy from a distance of a thousand meters. The sharpness and solidity of the threads had also increased; they cut hard rocks as if they were butter. It was a stunning improvement.
Then he tested "The Web." He closed his eyes and spread his chakra around him. The Web extended wider and wider: a thousand meters, twelve hundred, fifteen hundred. It stopped at fifteen hundred meters. It was a massive range—three kilometers in diameter of complete sensing. He could feel everything in this range: every movement, every living being, every small change. Birds flying a kilometer away, rabbits running in the forest, even small insects. He saw everything; he felt everything.
He also tested his physical training. He dove to a depth of three hundred meters and began training. But he noticed an immediate difference. The movements seemed easier. The pressure had less effect on him. And when he trained, he felt the effectiveness of the training increased. Every movement builds muscle faster; every strike is more impactful. His body adapts much faster than before. The Bloodline Limit didn't just improve his chakra control; it also improved his body's ability to benefit from training due to the increased effectiveness of the Vitality Seal caused by improved control. He felt he would become stronger faster from now on.
But the greatest gain, for Dan, was not in fighting or training. It was in something else. With his current superhuman control, he can now improve the Vitality Seal technique. He had thought about this for a while. The current seal seemed good, prolonging his life to about one hundred and eighty years. But what if he could improve it? Make it more efficient, more powerful? With his previous control, he wasn't confident in his ability to manipulate the seal on a precise level, so he needed more time to train to reach the required level. But now, with the Bloodline Limit and the ability to control at this level, it became possible and shortened a large part of the time for him. He can develop the next stage of the Vitality Seal. A stronger, more effective seal that prolongs his life further and makes him even stronger. This is the real goal.
Dan sat on a tree trunk, absorbed in planning. He thinks about how to improve the seal, the adjustments that must be made, and the optimal way to apply it. This is a complex process requiring careful planning, but he was excited.
Suddenly, he raised his head quickly. His features became serious, and his body tense. He felt something in his Web. People. A group of people approaching his location. They were about a kilometer away, moving slowly toward his area. Without any delay, Dan disappeared from his place. He moved quickly through the forest, silent and almost invisible. He used the trees to move above them, jumping from branch to branch, approaching the group.
After minutes, he reached a location near them. He sneaked atop a large tree, hiding among the thick leaves, and looked. He was surprised. It was a group of twelve young girls. All were in their late teens or early twenties. Their clothes were torn and dirty, and they looked very tired. Their steps were heavy and slow, and some were leaning on each other for support. Their features bore marks of exhaustion, fear, and hunger.
Dan hid and listened carefully. One of the girls in the front, looking slightly older than the rest, spoke in a tired but encouraging voice. "Come on, only a little left and we will reach the source of the smoke we saw. Do not collapse now."
Smoke? Dan understood immediately. He uses fire for cooking every day. Smoke rises from his area. These girls, from somewhere far away, saw the smoke and decided to head toward it. Perhaps they thought it was a sign of humans, safety, and potential help. But Dan was very surprised. How could ordinary girls, without any trace of chakra, penetrate an isolated area like this? He checked them with his Web carefully. They had no chakra. They were not fighters, just ordinary girls.
So how did they get here? This area was very far from any civilization. Deep in the mountains, surrounded by thick forests, predators, and rugged terrain. It was a very long and dangerous journey for any ordinary person. Why were they here? Where did they come from? And what happened to them? Their torn clothes, extreme exhaustion, and clear fear—all of this indicated they were fleeing from something. Or someone.
Dan watched the girls as they advanced slowly. They were heading directly toward his hut's location. He sighed quietly. This wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to remain isolated, away from humans, away from problems. But it seems problems found him. He disappeared from his place silently and returned to his base quickly.
He reached his base and looked around. Then Dan sat in front of his hut and waited. He had no intention of hiding. If they were going to reach here, they would. It was better to face them directly, know what they wanted, and then decide what to do. After about twenty minutes, he heard voices. The girls were approaching. Dan sat on the trunk and waited. The group appeared from among the trees, slowly and cautiously. When they saw him, they all stopped.