Wan Ci had died, but just before death, he managed to take a bite of the Chakra Fruit.
It was only a single bite, yet the energy contained within it was immense.
After being reborn, Wan Ci could clearly feel the changes. His body had been nourished by the Chakra Fruit. His chakra reserves had expanded to an astonishing degree, and his physical body had grown several times stronger than before.
His current constitution could be described simply:
Sage Body plus Otsutsuki physique.
Note: Wan Ci's Sage Body was not the same as the one described in the original canon. It was cultivated through long-term training at Mount Myoboku, refined and stabilized through time and discipline.
The defining trait of his Sage Body was that he did not need to "enter" Sage Mode.
Rather, Sage Mode was his natural state.
Just like the toads of Mount Myoboku, who could use sage arts without formally activating Sage Mode, Wan Ci could wield senjutsu effortlessly at any time.
Every bit of chakra he refined was already senjutsu chakra. No hand seals required.
And now, after biting into the Chakra Fruit, his body had evolved even further.
Unfortunately, he had not broken through to the Six Paths level.
After all, it had only been one bite. If he had consumed the entire fruit, that breakthrough would have been inevitable.
"Huh!?"
A sudden spark seemed to flash in the White Ape King's mind.
"I can feel it. Your body really has changed. Does that mean… you could try learning the sage arts of our ape clan?"
His expression lit up with excitement.
Wan Ci's eyes flickered.
That actually… might work.
He had thought about learning multiple forms of sage arts before, but his body had not been able to handle it. Sage Mode required balance. Learning too many systems could easily disrupt that balance and lead to dangerous consequences.
But now?
His body was no longer ordinary.
Maybe now, it was possible.
The White Ape King sighed, his tone turning bitter.
"To be honest, it's a shame. In my entire ape clan, I'm the only one who has mastered our sage arts. If I die, our tradition will be lost forever…"
Wan Ci raised an eyebrow.
So that was the reason.
No wonder the ape summons in later generations never displayed sage arts, despite their strength.
Even the ape known as the strongest summoning beast had no such techniques.
It turned out the lineage had already been broken after the White Ape King.
"Fine," Wan Ci said with a solemn expression. "For the sake of preserving your clan's sage arts, I'll give it a try."
He even put on a heroic posture, as if saying: if no one steps forward, then I will.
The White Ape King wasted no time and brought Wan Ci to a stone monument.
Wan Ci studied the carvings for a moment, thoughtful, then nodded.
"Show me once."
"Listen carefully," the White Ape King warned. "This sage art is dangerous. If you get it wrong, your body could explode."
Wan Ci waved him off.
"I'm not afraid."
With his ability to revive, the risk of death simply did not concern him.
Worst case, he dies and respawns. No big deal.
Seeing his resolve, the White Ape King sat down cross-legged and began preparing to enter Sage Mode.
Three hours later, his aura surged.
A distinct sage pattern appeared across his face.
"Sage Mode… complete!"
He clenched his fist.
"My Sage Mode focuses on enhancing the body. Once activated, my physical strength increases dramatically!"
With that, he threw a punch toward Wan Ci's tomb in the distance.
A thunderous boom erupted.
The air exploded as his fist unleashed a shockwave reminiscent of a compressed daytime strike.
"Boom!"
Wan Ci's tomb shattered instantly, reduced to nothing.
Not even fragments remained.
The ground was flattened, leaving behind a massive crater carved by sheer force.
"Impressive," Wan Ci said, clicking his tongue. "One punch and my grave is gone without a trace."
He understood it now.
The ape clan's Sage Mode was essentially a different path to the same peak as the Eight Gates, but without the devastating side effects.
"Alright. My turn."
Wan Ci began imitating what he had just seen, immediately entering training.
He merged his previous understanding of Mount Myoboku's sage arts with what he had just learned from the ape clan.
Before long, he felt himself grasping the basics.
In just half an hour, he was already becoming proficient.
"What!?"
The White Ape King's eyes nearly popped out.
"You… you learned it faster than it takes me to enter Sage Mode!?"
He stared at Wan Ci as if he had seen a ghost.
He had been ready to offer encouragement, to tell him not to be discouraged by failure.
But Wan Ci's learning speed had completely shattered his expectations.
Wan Ci himself fell silent, surprised.
Was it because he already had prior experience?
Or was his body simply naturally suited for cultivating sage arts?
Could it be that he was born for this?
…
Time passed quickly.
For an entire week, Wan Ci remained in the ape cave, fully immersed in training.
During that time, he made a bold attempt.
He fused the sage arts of Mount Myoboku with those of the ape clan.
At first, it was just an experiment.
But to his surprise, it worked.
And the result was extraordinary.
Wan Ci took a deep breath.
Without forming any hand seals, without even adopting a formal stance, he simply raised his hand casually.
His fist pointed toward a towering ancient tree in the distance, so large it would take over a dozen people to encircle it.
"Sage Art: Multiple Frog Strikes."
The moment the words left his lips, his fist shot forward.
There was no grand buildup.
Only a sharp hum from highly compressed chakra.
A dense, amber-like sphere of energy burst from his fist, slicing through the air with a piercing shriek.
"Bang!"
The instant it struck the tree, there was no prolonged impact.
The trunk disintegrated into dust at the point of contact.
"Nice," the White Ape King said, puzzled. "The power is impressive. But why call it Frog Strikes?"
Wan Ci only smiled.
Suddenly, from the core of the explosion, the energy of Mount Myoboku surged outward.
An invisible shockwave spread from the destroyed tree, sweeping across a hundred-meter radius.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
A chain of explosions echoed through the forest.
What began as the destruction of a single tree escalated into a wide-scale devastation.
Dozens of towering ancient trees were crushed as if by an invisible hand.
Trunks snapped, branches scattered, and thick wood shattered like fragile paper under the combined force of the two sage arts.
In mere moments, the once-lush forest was reduced to a vast, barren clearing.
The ground was littered with broken wood and debris, while the lingering energy rippled through the air like a fading storm.
"My god… I get it now!"
The White Ape King stood frozen, his face filled with shock.
"You actually fused the sage arts of Mount Myoboku with those of the ape clan!?"
His voice trembled.
"This power… it's already beyond the limits of our ape sage arts alone!"
Wan Ci lowered his fist, feeling the vast, unhindered flow of chakra within him. A confident smile appeared on his lips.
The fusion was even more perfect than he had imagined.
The precise energy control of Mount Myoboku granted his attack wide-area impact.
The ape clan's physical enhancement amplified its explosive force to an entirely new level.
Together, they complemented each other flawlessly.
Turning slightly, Wan Ci looked at the White Ape King and explained with a smile,
"The name follows Mount Myoboku's style, but the core is a fusion of both systems. You can think of it as a completely new sage art."
As his voice faded, the lingering energy in the distance triggered a few final rumblings.
A few surviving branches drifted down slowly, making the devastated clearing look even more awe-inspiring.
The White Ape King stared at Wan Ci's back, his heart filled with nothing but amazement.
Such talent… truly terrifying.