Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 228 Broken Mirror

Hyuga Kanan nodded, then began to teach Hyuga Neji the basics of cultivation. He explained in detail the purpose, methods, and various techniques of cultivation. Hyuga Neji listened attentively, occasionally asking questions and discussing with Hyuga Kanan.

"The so-called cultivation is actually about truly understanding how the rules of the world operate and merging oneself into them. Only in this way can one comprehend all the power of the rules, thereby achieving physical evolution. Through continuous evolution, one can eventually transcend this world, shatter the void, and ascend to immortality."

You are currently at the peak of the Body Refinement Realm, meaning your body has fully adapted to natural energy. The next crucial step is to create a Qi vortex in your dantian. Through this vortex, you can absorb external natural energy and channel it into your body. Then, use the dantian Qi vortex to refine this natural energy, transforming it into your own. Simultaneously, allow your body's cells to fully absorb this refined energy, thereby propelling them to break free of their shackles and evolve.

"What you need to do now is to create your own Qi vortex in your dantian using the method I've taught you. Once the Qi vortex is successfully created, you will officially enter the Qi Refining stage, which means you have truly embarked on the path of cultivation. Only when you reach the Qi Refining stage can you be called a cultivator and begin to practice some combat techniques to improve your strength." Hyuga Kanan patiently explained, while also taking out the Qi Refining stage cultivation method and related precautions from the Qiankun Inheritance Jade, and explaining the subsequent cultivation path in detail to the curious and eager-to-learn Hyuga Neji.

In the days that followed, Hyuga Neji devoted himself entirely to his spiritual training. He rose early and went to bed late every day, diligently practicing. Hyuga Kanan stayed by his side, guiding his training and answering his questions.

As time went by, Hyuga Neji gradually mastered some basic cultivation techniques. His body became stronger and stronger, and his aura became more and more stable. At the same time, his understanding of cultivation deepened, and he came to understand the mysteries and philosophies contained within it.

Throughout this process, Hyuga Kanan constantly put pressure on Hyuga Neji. He would arrange various practical training exercises to hone Neji's abilities and adaptability in battle. Although these training sessions were extremely arduous, Neji never showed the slightest intention to back down.

After a period of hard work, Hyuga Neji finally achieved his first breakthrough. He successfully broke through the first bottleneck, and a vortex seed finally appeared in his dantian. Now, he only needed to continuously invest his soul power and blood energy into it to allow the vortex to grow until it could absorb external natural energy. This achievement thrilled Hyuga Neji and filled Hyuga Kanan with immense pride.

"Well done, Neji! Keep it up, and I'm sure you'll surpass my expectations soon!" Hyuga Kanan said with a smile, patting Hyuga Neji on the shoulder.

Hyuga Neji nodded proudly, indicating that he would continue to work hard. He knew that the path of cultivation was endless, and only through continuous progress could he achieve greater success. Hyuga Kanan's affirmation further strengthened his belief that his future path would be bright.

Hyuga Neji's talent greatly impressed Hyuga Kanan. Although Neji lacked innate powerful soul energy and needed to rely on the Nourishing Spirit Technique to gradually cultivate and improve, he had successfully cultivated his soul power to the point of opening a dantian vortex in just three years. This undoubtedly proved him to be a born cultivation prodigy. Once Neji officially entered the Qi Refining stage, his soul power would further increase, perhaps even becoming sufficient to withstand Kanan's assistance, thus breaking the Caged Bird Seal that bound him and regaining true freedom. Thinking of this, a gratified smile appeared on Hyuga Kanan's face.

In the time that followed, Hyuga Kanan meticulously guided Hyuga Neji, helping him to better refine his dantian vortex and allow it to grow stronger. At the same time, Hyuga Kanan also devoted himself to his own cultivation, striving towards the goal of condensing his golden core.

He knew that this required not only patience and perseverance, but also a profound understanding and precise control of his own power. Every breath and every movement had to be just right in order to gather the energy within his body into that dazzling golden elixir.

Days passed, and Hyuga Kanan maintained his high level of focus and enthusiasm. Although progress was slow, he firmly believed that as long as he persevered, he would eventually achieve his goal. Meanwhile, Hyuga Neji also gradually improved under his tutelage, his dantian vortex growing ever stronger.

And so, the master and apprentice encouraged each other and pursued their respective dreams together. They believed that as long as they persevered, they would surely achieve greater success on the path of the ninja.

Time just kept flowing by, and three months had passed in the blink of an eye.

For three months, Hyuga Neji spent most of his time in seclusion, not wasting a single moment. The vortex of energy in his dantian gradually grew, ready to be fully formed at any time, allowing him to break through to the Qi Refining stage.

During this time, Hyuga Hizashi visited Neji multiple times, hoping to learn about Neji's training progress. Over the past few years, he had been deeply perplexed by the training plan Hyuga Kanan had devised for Neji. As a father, he knew his son's talent, but inexplicably, Neji's strength seemed to have shown no significant improvement in recent years. Worse still, many Hyuga clan children living in the training grounds had already surpassed Neji in strength, causing Hizashi anxiety. However, despite this, he still had complete faith in Hyuga Kanan. After all, Hyuga Kanan had once been like Neji, his strength stagnating, even giving up on chakra refinement at one point, yet ultimately becoming a powerful figure who could shake the entire ninja world. Therefore, Hizashi firmly believed that as long as Neji persevered, he too would succeed.

Every time Hyuga Kanan asked when the Caged Bird Seal on Neji's forehead would be removed, Kanan replied that they would have to wait. The reason Hyuga Hizashi was so anxious was because of the news from Hyuga Hiashi: the situation in Konoha was very unsettling, and the elders of the Hyuga clan's main branch were starting to stir again, harboring ulterior motives. Hyuga Hizashi was very worried that they might secretly use the Caged Bird Seal to threaten Neji's safety.

However, Hyuga Kanan argued that for Neji's safety and future potential, the Caged Bird Seal should not be broken lightly, lest it damage Neji's soul power. Hyuga Hizashi had no choice but to give up and refocus his attention on managing the Hyuga clan members who had come to the training grounds.

Inside the secluded training room, Hyuga Neji remained seated, continuously using his soul power to catalyze the growth of the Cyclone Seed. The Cyclone Seed was now very close to forming a cyclone, poised to begin rotating at any moment, absorbing external natural energy.

As Hyuga Neji's soul power continued to permeate the Qi vortex seed in his dantian, the Qi vortex, which was originally just a seed, rapidly expanded, slowly occupying the entire dantian. The Qi vortex has now expanded to its limit and can begin to rotate at any time, absorbing and refining the rich natural energy in the external environment.

Hyuga Neji began to mobilize all his soul power, pushing the energy vortex in his dantian. As time passed, Hyuga Neji was now covered in sweat, and his mind was still somewhat hazy. He knew that the mental confusion was caused by the excessive consumption of soul power, but he still decided to persevere. His soul power continued to gather in his dantian, and even continued to increase.

After nearly three months of catalysis, the cyclone in his dantian had grown to its limit and was ready to begin rotating at any moment to absorb and refine external energy. Hyuga Neji believed that today was the best time for a breakthrough. So even though he was feeling a little dizzy and lightheaded, he still didn't stop mobilizing his soul power.

Just as Hyuga Neji felt he was about to give up and his consciousness was fading, he suddenly noticed that the vortex of energy that had been stationary in his dantian had begun to slowly rotate. This change filled him with joy, but he immediately worried that it was just a fleeting phenomenon. However, it turned out that his worries were unfounded. The vortex not only did not stop rotating, but instead spun faster and faster, as if it had been injected with endless power.

To Neji Hyuga's delight, the cyclone seemed to have found a self-driving mechanism, no longer relying on the soul power he inputted. This meant he could focus more of his energy on other parts of his body, further enhancing his strength.

And then the most exciting thing happened—as the cyclone rotated, natural energy from the external environment began to be continuously drawn into it. This natural energy was refined by the cyclone, transformed into pure energy, and flowed through the meridians to every cell in his body. This wondrous change made Hyuga Neji feel incredibly comfortable and joyful; he could clearly feel every part of his body filled with vitality and energy.

Hyuga Neji suddenly opened his eyes, his face beaming with ecstatic joy. He knew that this moment signified his successful breakthrough from the Body Refinement Realm to the Qi Refinement Realm. This leap in realm was of extraordinary significance to him, not only representing a substantial increase in strength but also an affirmation of his years of diligent cultivation.

Looking at the constantly rotating vortex of energy within his dantian, Hyuga Neji felt a surge of confidence. He understood that as long as he continued to train diligently and constantly improved the refining efficiency of the vortex, his strength would be further enhanced.

From this moment on, Hyuga Neji officially broke through to the next level, crossed the threshold of cultivation, and became a true cultivator.