"Is this successful?" Chao Yanqian opened his eyes blankly and said with a hint of disbelief in his tone.
Although Chao Yanqian had always believed that he could cultivate into Sage Mode, this was too fast!
How long did it take? Less than an hour! Even Chao Yanqian couldn't believe it he had already cultivated into Sage Mode. However, the changes in his appearance and the surging power in his body clearly told Chao Yanqian that this was already an initial stage of Sage Mode.
"Success? Boy! You're still far from it!" Although the Little White Snake was also surprised that Chao Yanqian could control natural energy so quickly and even merge it into Sage Chakra on his first attempt, this did not mean that Chao Yanqian had fully mastered Sage Mode.
"Huh? What does that mean?" Chao Yanqian asked.
The Little White Snake looked at Chao Yanqian and said, "I just helped you absorb the natural energy. This is only the first step in cultivating the Snake Sage Mode controlling natural energy. Next, you have to cultivate the ability to perceive natural energy and introduce it into your body by yourself."
"I see!" Hearing the Little White Snake's explanation, Chao Yanqian understood.
Humans do not naturally have the ability to perceive natural energy. Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest are known as the Three Great Sage Grounds, and this title exists for a reason.
Compared to the outside world, the natural energy in the Three Great Sage Grounds is much richer, allowing even ordinary people to feel the natural energy directly by calming their minds. Thus, sages through the ages have successfully trained at these sacred sites.
However, Ryūchi Cave does not have the Toad Oil of Mount Myōboku. Therefore, the first step in practicing Sage Arts at Ryūchi Cave is to introduce natural energy into the body with the help of the White Snakes and successfully control it to extract Sage Chakra.
After completing the first step successfully absorbing natural energy once an ordinary person gains the ability to absorb natural energy independently, allowing them to proceed to the next stage of cultivation.
"Then what should I do next?" Chao Yanqian asked humbly.
"You first need to exhaust the chakra in your body and return to a normal state," the Little White Snake said.
Hearing the Little White Snake's words, Chao Yanqian used several high-level ninjutsu techniques to expend the Sage Chakra in his body and returned to his normal state.
"Next, you must cultivate to absorb natural energy with your own will. The first thing you must do is calm down and remain still," said the Little White Snake.
"Got it!" Chao Yanqian nodded.
The steps for cultivating Sage Mode have been recorded in the original work. Naruto Uzumaki also suffered a lot while trying to master Sage Mode.
Sitting down cross-legged, Chao Yanqian tried to enter a meditative state and sense the natural energy around him.
But calming the mind is not something that can be done easily. The more one tries not to think about anything, the more distracting thoughts surface. After two lifetimes, Chao Yanqian's thoughts were extremely complicated. Memories from both his past and present lives kept surfacing in his mind. The more he tried not to think, the harder it became to stop.
After struggling for an entire day, Chao Yanqian still hadn't made any progress in his training.
"After cultivating for a whole day, take a break!" said the Little White Snake.
"Mm!" Chao Yanqian nodded. He understood the importance of balancing work and rest, especially when cultivating something as dependent on one's mental state as Sage Mode. One shouldn't be too persistent.
Leaning against a stone wall, he took out the dry food he had brought and ate a few bites while pondering how to improve his practice.
"You're well-prepared!" said the Little White Snake, rolling his eyes before lowering his head to concentrate on eating his own food.
These dry rations were specially prepared by Chao Yanqian. He remembered that in the original work, when Naruto Uzumaki was training in Sage Mode, the toads tried to feed him insects. The memory of that made Chao Yanqian shudder.
Although snakes didn't eat insects, their diet wasn't much better.
Thus, before coming to Ryūchi Cave, Chao Yanqian had bought enough dry food to last for a while. Although tasteless, it was far better than eating mice and frogs.
"Are you a Sage too?" Chao Yanqian asked.
"Of course! Otherwise, how could I help you practice Sage Arts?" the Little White Snake said proudly.
"Truly impressive!" Chao Yanqian said. "How did you overcome this stage yourself?"
"Hmph! Us snakes don't have as many distracting thoughts as you humans, so it was easy for us to succeed!" said the Little White Snake. "But I am surprised you could control natural energy so easily. No wonder the White Snake Sage values you so much. Many humans who came to Ryūchi Cave to practice Sage Arts have died during this stage."
"Chakra control is my specialty!" Chao Yanqian explained. "Although natural energy is more violent, as long as you don't let it overwhelm you, it's actually not that hard to control."
"Absorbing natural energy requires remaining still. In other words, Sage Mode cannot be maintained indefinitely. But during battle, how can you afford to stay still and absorb natural energy?" Chao Yanqian asked.
"To absorb natural energy, you must remain still and blend your spirit with nature. In battle, you can summon me, and I will help you absorb natural energy, allowing you to maintain Sage Mode continuously!" said the Little White Snake.
"I see!" Chao Yanqian nodded. He had already known that summoning a partner was one method of maintaining Sage Mode Naruto summoned Fukasaku to assist him in battle.
Chao Yanqian was merely probing to see whether Ryūchi Cave had other methods.
However, based on the Little White Snake's answer, it was the same principle as the toad clan's method.
Fortunately, Chao Yanqian had already thought of another solution. Although he wasn't sure yet whether the [Yin Seal] could store Sage Chakra, the [Yin Seal] was a sealing technique designed to store chakra. It shouldn't be a big problem.
As for summoning the Little White Snake to assist in battle, Chao Yanqian had considered it. However, he felt uneasy about the White Snake Sage. As a being capable of divination, the White Snake Sage made Chao Yanqian instinctively wary.
After mastering Sage Mode, Chao Yanqian planned to sever ties with Ryūchi Cave and had no intention of summoning Manda or other snakes for battle.
For the next few days, Chao Yanqian devoted himself to practicing stillness and absorbing natural energy. After working hard for a period of time, he began to sense faint traces of success.
He could now keep his body perfectly still, but he still struggled with introducing natural energy into his body.
To absorb natural energy, one's spirit must truly merge with nature.
When Naruto practiced Sage Mode, even birds willingly landed on his body, and Shima could communicate with them. However, compared to those native to the Three Great Sage Grounds, Chao Yanqian's mind was burdened with too many memories, especially those from his past life, which frequently disturbed him.
In his previous life, Chao Yanqian had lived in a bustling metropolis, surrounded by temptation and darkness. Back then, he hadn't noticed it much, but now it deeply affected his state of mind.
In an era of information overload, even eminent monks struggled to achieve true serenity!
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