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With a plan for his future training in mind, Seimei set it aside for now and turned his focus to testing the effects of Sage Chakra.
He hadn't forgotten that all his efforts to create this unique chakra were aimed at speeding up his training. If it didn't achieve that goal, everything he'd done would be pointless.
Well… maybe not entirely pointless.
If nothing else, once he fully mastered Sage Mode, it would significantly boost his combat strength.
But honestly, raw power wasn't something he lacked at the moment.
Shaking his head, Seimei pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. He focused, drawing out the hundred or so points of Sage Chakra stored in the pocket dimension within his abdomen.
As expected, the moment it emerged, it clashed with the massive amount of regular chakra in his body.
Seimei's expression turned serious. He quickly worked to control the Sage Chakra, minimizing its interference with his regular chakra.
Without letting it circulate through his chakra network, he directed it straight into the cells of his body.
At the same time, he activated the power of the Human Path, guiding those cells to evolve.
In that moment, Seimei felt like those cells had been injected with a supercharged vitality pill. They buzzed with energy, evolving at a speed far beyond anything he'd experienced before.
Clearly, Sage Chakra lived up to his expectations—it could indeed accelerate his body's evolution.
Unfortunately, the amount of Sage Chakra was still too small, and its effects didn't last long before fading.
But that didn't matter. This hundred-plus points of Sage Chakra was just the beginning.
As his proficiency in Natural Energy Control increased, he'd be able to harness more natural energy, which would naturally lead to producing more Sage Chakra.
Eventually, while it might not be enough to perfectly balance his chakra and fully master Sage Mode, maintaining ten to twenty thousand points of Sage Chakra for extended periods should be manageable.
At that point, he could use Sage Chakra to enhance his body around the clock.
And that would fulfill his original goal.
As for how long it would take? It shouldn't be too long!
After all, the first few levels of any skill were usually the easiest to improve.
Plus, once his Natural Energy Control leveled up, he wouldn't be limited to using Sage Chakra only in a small area around his abdomen.
He'd be able to circulate it through his chakra network, integrating it into his Limit of the Body training, which would comprehensively accelerate his body's evolution.
These thoughts raced through Seimei's mind, sparking a surge of excitement.
But he quickly calmed himself and began thinking about the specifics of how to make it happen.
After a moment of reflection, he looked up, his gaze settling on the group of shadow clones in the distance working on developing Dust Release. With a thought, he dispelled the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
Instantly, all the shadow clones dissolved into nothing.
A flood of memories and information poured into his mind.
It took Seimei about fifteen minutes to sort through it all, giving him fresh ideas on how to further develop Dust Release.
This would serve as the starting point for the next round of shadow clones.
With that in mind, Seimei raised his hands, forming the Ram seal, and cast the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique again.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Amid bursts of chakra smoke, he created a staggering five hundred shadow clones this time.
That's right—five hundred.
Without sealing his mental energy, he could easily sustain this many clones for training.
Four hundred of them continued working on Dust Release, just like before.
The remaining hundred, however, were assigned a new task. Seimei sent them to scatter across the area, absorbing natural energy from the air to improve his Natural Energy Sensing and Natural Energy Control proficiency.
As for the balance between mental and physical strain? That wasn't a concern for now.
Seimei had no intention of recalling all the clones at once.
The four hundred clones working on Dust Release would follow the usual routine: every hour, he'd recall them to update his training experience.
But the hundred clones absorbing natural energy? He'd recall a few of them periodically, depending on the situation. Once he gathered enough natural energy to reach his current limit, he'd fuse it into Sage Chakra and use it up.
Then, every hour, he'd recast the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, replenishing the number of clones as needed.
This approach would ease the mental strain while steadily improving the proficiency of the clones absorbing natural energy. They'd get faster at gathering it over time.
It might be a bit tedious early on, but once his Natural Energy Sensing and Natural Energy Control levels increased, it would create a cycle. There'd always be shadow clones outside, continuously absorbing large amounts of natural energy.
This way, Seimei would have a steady supply of Sage Chakra to strengthen his body.
The only question now was the cost.
He needed to figure out how much this extra hundred clones would consume to make more precise plans for his future training.
But Seimei wasn't too worried about being unable to handle it.
For one, even with the increased investment in developing Dust Release, he still had a daily surplus of 2,920,000 chakra points—a massive amount.
Second, over the past two or three months, he'd saved up a significant chakra reserve.
Near his wooden cabin, several wood clones were in a dormant state. If needed, Seimei could wake them up.
And most importantly, absorbing natural energy didn't consume much chakra from the shadow clones.
The real impact was on their stability.
When Seimei recalled these clones, the strain from the natural energy they'd absorbed would cause greater wear and tear.
That was the true cost of training Natural Energy Sensing and Natural Energy Control.
But it wouldn't be too severe.
Of course, this assumed he could find the right balance and ensure the clones didn't collapse from absorbing too much natural energy.
For others, this might be a tricky challenge requiring plenty of experience.
But Seimei was different. With his proficiency panel, he could clearly see how much natural energy each clone could handle at any given stage.
As long as he didn't get greedy, there was no risk of the clones bursting from an overload of natural energy.
Clearing his mind, Seimei stopped overthinking. He glanced at the remaining hundred shadow clones, waved them off, and watched as they scattered across the island to begin absorbing natural energy.
Standing in place, he waited for a while, making sure none of the clones suddenly collapsed. Only then did he let out a relieved breath.
Theory was one thing, but practice was the real proof.
Thankfully, the results didn't disappoint.
Of course, Seimei figured this also had to do with the island's relatively thin natural energy.
If he were training in Mount Myōboku with the aid of toad oil, even with the precision of his proficiency panel, he'd likely risk physical mutation from absorbing too much natural energy.
For now, the low concentration of natural energy in the environment was perfect for his training.
With all the shadow clones assigned their tasks, Seimei didn't waste any more time. He locked onto the Flying Thunder God mark inside the volcano and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, teleporting inside.
Looking at the familiar surroundings, he felt a twinge of nostalgia.
This was his first time stepping foot here today, and he'd already fallen behind on his training.
Without delay, Seimei focused his mind and began practicing Limit of the Body.
Time ticked by, second by second.
About half an hour later, he paused his training.
With a thought, he cast the Mind Reading Technique.
His mental energy extended outward, connecting to ten of his shadow clones through an intangible bond.
He then ordered them to dispel their Shadow Clone Technique.
In an instant, tens of thousands of chakra points, carrying nearly a hundred points of natural energy, flowed back into his body.
Seimei immediately focused, guiding the hundred points of natural energy into the pocket dimension in his abdomen.
Then, he drew an equal amount of chakra into the same space, fusing it into just over a hundred points of Sage Chakra.
Like before, he didn't try to move this Sage Chakra elsewhere. Instead, he used it up right away in the nearby cells.
This slightly boosted the speed of his body's enhancement.
Opening his panel, he confirmed that, as expected, recalling those ten shadow clones had increased the proficiency of both Natural Energy Sensing and Natural Energy Control.
This meant that the next time he cast the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, the new clones would absorb natural energy faster and handle larger amounts.
But that was for later.
For now, it was back to training Limit of the Body!
Seimei closed his eyes and resumed practicing Limit of the Body, going through the motions again and again.
During this time, his chakra flowed rapidly through his network, occasionally transforming into Yang Release chakra, seeping into the cells along the way and triggering their evolution.
The power of the Human Path remained active, ensuring the evolution stayed on the right track.
And just like that, another half hour passed in the blink of an eye.