Chapter 11:
Asakawa Naoki circled the golden-armored immortal soldier, thoroughly examining it with an appreciative eye.
"It really is a creation of the bean-casting immortal art… The combat ability aside, the appearance is quite impressive."
He paused, furrowing his brows. "But isn't it a bit too eye-catching?"
Almost as if in response to his thoughts, the golden-armored immortal soldier began to transform. Its massive frame shrank, the radiant armor receding in a shimmer of light. In moments, the towering figure was gone—replaced by a perfect replica of Asakawa Naoki himself.
"…So the appearance of the immortal soldier can also change according to my thoughts?" A flicker of surprise passed through his eyes.
Until now, he'd been anxious about the graduation test at the ninja academy. After all, he couldn't perform any ninjutsu, not even the most basic Transformation Technique.
But now? With this—this immortal soldier—it was different. He could use it to mimic the effects of the Three Body Technique and even outperform the other students.
"Wait… if the immortal soldier can act on basic commands, what happens if I try to control it directly?"
Closing his eyes, Asakawa focused his mind on the clone before him. Following the method outlined in Scattering Beans into Soldiers, he connected his consciousness to the creation.
When he opened his eyes again, it felt as if he had two pairs of eyes—two perspectives viewing the world at once.
"Let's try walking…"
He moved the immortal soldier forward. It stepped with perfect synchronicity, no different from controlling his own body. It felt natural. The soldier was, after all, formed from his own mana—no resistance, no delay.
He experimented further, increasing the speed and testing its coordination. A childlike grin crept across his face. This was fun.
But just as he was about to test its strength, the clone suddenly dissolved into a puff of green smoke and vanished.
"…Mana's drained already?" he muttered, blinking in surprise. "That was quicker than I expected."
He estimated the duration—barely five minutes, and that was without combat. If it had been in a fight, the mana consumption would've been even faster.
Still, he wasn't discouraged. The bean used to summon the soldier had been tiny—about the size of a mung bean—much smaller than the usual broad bean-sized ones. That alone told him all he needed to know: his mana reserves were still far too limited.
But he'd only been practicing for two days and already managed to manifest a functional immortal soldier. That was no small feat.
After all, successfully learning Scattering Beans into Soldiers was incredibly rare. His biggest weakness wasn't lack of talent—it was that his cultivation was simply too low to sustain both Samadhi True Fire and the soldier-casting art.
"So... I just need to train harder."
With that, Asakawa Naoki sat cross-legged and began circulating his Qi Refining Technique. Using the essence-forging method of the Samadhi Fire, his body steamed faintly, skin flushing as though kindled from within.
It was as if a furnace burned inside him, refining his essence and expelling impurities. Most of the purified energy was converted into mana, strengthening the single strand he possessed, while the rest integrated into his cells—sharpening his potential on a cellular level, gradually reinforcing his physique.
Time moved quickly in routine.
Walking the same path between home and the academy each day, an entire year passed since Asakawa Naoki arrived in this world.
In that year, he never slacked.
While others studied textbooks or played during breaks, he trained.
Relentlessly.
At some point, he understood why those obsessive cultivators trained every day—because the feeling of growing stronger was addictive.
And now, after nearly a year of persistence, he finally broke through to the middle stage of essence-to-Qi refinement.
The moment he advanced, Asakawa felt a subtle shift in his dantian. It expanded slightly, allowing more mana to pool within. The existing mana within also thickened, refined alongside his growth.
"Finally reached the middle stage," he murmured, lips curling into a small smile.
The subtle grin didn't escape Kushina, who was sitting beside him.
"What're you smiling about?" she asked, tilting her head curiously.
"Nothing," he replied lightly. "Just remembered something nice."
"Something nice?" she echoed, watching him thoughtfully.
Her mind drifted back to when they first met a year ago. Back then, Asakawa had only been slightly taller than her. Now? He was nearly the tallest in class—already 1.4 meters at age eight, almost a full head taller than her.
"I need to start eating more and exercising too," she muttered to herself. "Otherwise, Naoki's going to leave me in the dust."
But it wasn't just height. If anyone saw Asakawa without his shirt, they'd notice a well-proportioned body—lean but solid. No bulky muscles, but an underlying strength that hinted at power beneath the surface.
Though just eight, his current physical strength and speed could rival some adults.
He hadn't expected the Samadhi True Fire to enhance his body to this extent. Even without igniting the true Flame of Essence, the technique had already honed his physique to near-perfection.
Looking back, he was glad he made the right choice.
After acquiring Scattering Beans into Soldiers, he hadn't gone chasing after more flashy arts. Instead, he'd invested himself in deepening his foundational techniques—basic Qi Refining and Samadhi Fire.
Because the truth was clear: he didn't need more ways to attack—he needed a solid base.
Learning more techniques wouldn't help if his cultivation couldn't sustain them. Immortal arts without power were like castles built on sand—fragile and doomed to collapse.
But with a strong foundation?
Only then could those techniques truly shine.
Just a few days ago, before his breakthrough, he had tested his soldier-casting again. This time, by pouring in all his mana, the bean he formed had reached the size of a broad bean. The summoned immortal soldier lasted longer and was nearly equal in strength to him.
Now, after his breakthrough?
He had no doubt the next immortal soldier would be even stronger.
The result only reaffirmed one thing—the importance of a solid foundation. He didn't need more techniques yet. Not until he reached the late stage of essence refinement.
Beside him, the classroom was starting to stir with excitement.
"The next period's a practical class, right?" Kushina asked, glancing around at the buzzing students.
"Yeah," Naoki nodded calmly.
They'd entered their second year. It was time to put skills into action.
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