Eiji learned a lot from Master Tengen and came to understand him better.
"You have decayed through the erosion of time."
This was Eiji's assessment of Master Tengen.
The long passage of time would bury everything.
The countless beautiful fantasies of childhood, the toys he craved, and the dreams he yearned for.
How many of these memories could he recall after growing up?
Eiji thought of his past life.
The Wulong Yuan and A Shuai comics, which he had painstakingly saved up for and sought out as a child, he couldn't even remember the content of after growing up.
He wanted to travel the world, to see the beautiful planet with his own eyes, to measure the vastness of his homeland.
But in the end, he was confined to a few kilometers of land, having to consider many things just to leave his small town even once.
Without a lifelong goal, Eiji had lost so much in his short decades of life. How much had Master Tengen lost over millennia?
"Erosion, perhaps..."
Master Tengen did not refute Eiji's words.
"You will lose to Kenjaku," Eiji stated with absolute certainty.
This wasn't based on knowing the plot, but on a judgment made after understanding Master Tengen.
"Why?"
Master Tengen actually didn't care about winning or losing. In its view, if it lost, it would be fate, and it would simply accept it.
"Because Kenjaku has been preparing to defeat you and achieve his goals all along, while you have made no equivalent preparations."
For example, under the same conditions, one worker dedicates all their spare time to their goals and dreams.
Another person only picks it up occasionally, wipes the dust off their dreams, and symbolically places it there.
Isn't it obvious who has a better chance of success?
Kenjaku has been steadily approaching his goal over millennia, learning from mistakes and making thorough preparations.
Master Tengen, on the other hand, moved passively, pushed by external forces. It couldn't even see through people's hearts and eventually hid in Kurokoshi-gu, passing the time by observing the barrier.
The current Master Tengen is numb, having lost passion for everything, merely surviving by instinct.
In contrast, it's only natural that Kenjaku, the villain who fought for his goal for a thousand years, would ultimately win.
Dreams and goals are like fixed anchors for humanity. As long as one holds onto them, even the erosion of time cannot make them lose their way.
Conversely, one becomes like Master Tengen, losing motivation and direction, drifting with the current, leaving everything to fate.
"Perhaps."
Master Tengen was indifferent to Eiji's words.
It seemed that no matter the final outcome, it would consider it an arrangement of fate and accept it.
Eiji shook his head. He understood Master Tengen now and had no intention of changing it.
I can't count on Master Tengen. But that's fine. Master Tengen, who has let everything go and is only passively maintaining the barrier, is also beneficial to me.
Many experiments I previously didn't dare to attempt can now be carried out.
For example, slowly bringing the entire country's barrier under my control.
At that time, Master Tengen would probably see it as fate's arrangement as well.
Perhaps it had been too long since Master Tengen had spoken to anyone, and it began to ramble like an ordinary old person.
It was late at night when Eiji finally left Kurokoshi-gu.
However, Eiji was not dissatisfied.
Because he had received the answer he wanted, and it was a very good answer.
Master Tengen was old now, and unless its life was threatened, it was harmless to anyone.
Eiji now understood why Master Tengen was so unreliable.
The Jujutsu World had developed for so long.
There were countless novelties within it. Master Tengen could have learned many things, whether by directly asking Jujutsu Headquarters or by observing through the barrier.
But Master Tengen didn't. It even only observed what was happening within the barrier to pass the time.
Much like Sukuna, the master of passing time.
For millennia, its soul was trapped in unmovable fingers, only able to stare blankly outside.
Occasionally, it would watch the Cursed Spirits and humans to find some amusement.
Sometimes, unable to move, it would become the amusement itself.
But for the bored Sukuna, becoming the amusement was also a way to pass the time.
And if he had the chance, he would definitely return the favor tenfold.
But Master Tengen did nothing.
It's no wonder Kenjaku called Master Tengen an old fossil, still using old things in this day and age.
Perhaps his brain had rusted from not being used for so long.
Speaking of which, Master Tengen and Kenjaku are quite a match.
Master Tengen was originally female, but could also change gender by assimilating a Star Plasma Vessel.
Not to mention Kenjaku, changing gender is just basic stuff.
Kenjaku has even experienced giving birth.
And their strengths and weaknesses are very complementary.
Kenjaku lives forever through his brain, but his body needs frequent replacements.
Master Tengen lives forever through his physical body, but his brain has rusted over the long years.
If Kenjaku's intelligent brain were put into Master Tengen's immortal body, it would probably be a perfect fit.
After a good night's sleep, Eiji had Shuji Zenin deliver his findings on Master Tengen to Jujutsu Headquarters the next day.
Eiji's report mentioned that Master Tengen preserved and fixed his consciousness, which should have been dispersed between heaven and earth, using a Barrier, thereby maintaining his human consciousness...
Finally, Eiji concluded: Master Tengen would not affect the structure of the Jujutsu World for the next few decades.
The higher-ups at Jujutsu Headquarters were very satisfied with this report.
Then they continued to drink tea and enjoy themselves.
Eiji even complained to Naobito Zenin about how these old geezers weren't afraid of Master Tengen losing control in a few decades.
Naobito Zenin chuckled and said that was something for the young people to worry about. They had worked hard their whole lives, so what was wrong with enjoying themselves? "Let the music play, let the drinks flow."
Eiji was speechless.
After this mission, life in the second year of high school began to become mundane and uninteresting.
The only thing to look forward to was the Kyoto Sister School Exchange Event.
However, perhaps because they had been too ruthless last year, the Kyoto students scattered as soon as this year's exchange event began.
Their only goal was to exorcise Cursed Spirits and earn points before being caught by the great demon Gojo.
What followed was a happy game of hide-and-seek.
After the hide-and-seek, Satoru Gojo still regretted not catching that Jujutsu Sorcerer from the Kamo Family last year.
He had thought of many new tricks he wanted to try with that snake.
And so, time flew by, and they entered their third year of high school.
Idzuchi Taka, who would later be found useful and fun by Satoru Gojo and deeply trusted by him, enrolled.
On the first day of the third year, Eiji pulled out a notebook he had been hiding all along.
It contained many future developments.
To ensure he wouldn't forget important things over time, Eiji recorded them all and stored them in his shadow.
Every year, he would take it out to see if there were any major events happening this year.
'Third year at Jujutsu High, Glasses-kun enrolls, Yuki Tsukumo arrives at Jujutsu High, Satoru Gojo becomes the strongest, Yuu Hayama dies, and... Suguru Geto defects.'
"There are quite a few things to pay attention to this year."
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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