Inside the System's cultivation space, time seemed to be stretched and frozen.
Hinata's consciousness was completely immersed in her comprehension of the "Ninth Heaven Thunder Art: Introduction".
This Cultivation Technique was far more exquisite and profound than she had imagined; it wasn't just a simple release of energy, but the drawing of the most yang and firm lightning from heaven and earth, using her own spiritual power as a guide to turn celestial might into her own.
If it were a thunderstorm, the effect would be even stronger.
Ordinary Cultivators might need years of hard work to even begin, but under the tenfold time acceleration of the System space, and with the assistance of Hinata's own Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation and powerful Divine Sense, her progress was truly rapid.
At first, she could only condense a faint, white electric spark at her fingertip, much like static electricity.
Now, she could stably condense a fist-sized ball of lightning in her palm that flickered and jumped incessantly, containing a heart-palpitating destructive energy within.
Ten days later, the Lightning Ball could change its form at will, turning into a long, sharp Lightning Spear or spreading out into an Electric Net covering her surroundings, controlled entirely by her mind.
After cultivating for nearly a month—about three days in the outside world—she had preliminarily mastered it.
"Rumble!"
A bolt of lightning as thick as an arm erupted from her palm like a furious dragon, instantly striking a boulder in the clearing.
Not even dust remained of the boulder; it was instantly vaporized, leaving only a scorched mark on the ground.
"Not bad."
Hinata dispersed the flickering lightning in her hand, a hint of satisfaction flashing in her pure white eyes.
This was only the preliminary application of the Ninth Heaven Thunder Art: Introduction, but its destructive power and its ability to suppress evil already far exceeded the techniques she had previously mastered.
Meanwhile, in the outside world, her body continued to circulate the Self-Transformation Freedom Heart Sutra, and her Divine Sense grew at a slow but steady pace.
Its coverage was wider, its perception more refined, and she could even vaguely detect the subtle Chakra fluctuations of some Anbu surveillance points on the outskirts of Konoha.
Her Divine Sense range was roughly a few kilometers.
Her dual-threaded cultivation efficiency this time was astounding.
Just as Hinata was focused on her cultivation and had almost forgotten the passage of time outside, light footsteps and a familiar Chakra fluctuation came from outside the courtyard.
"Hinata! Are you there?" It was Tenten's voice, carrying a hint of excitement and caution.
Hinata's mind stirred slightly.
[Tenten? What is she doing here?]
The cross-legged figure in the outside world slowly opened her eyes and stood up to open the door.
Tenten stood outside the door, holding an exquisite food box with a bright smile on her face.
"I knew you were working hard! You should remember to rest while cultivating. I just made some Three-colored dango and tea, want to try some?"
Looking at Tenten's clear smile and the snacks that were clearly prepared with care.
"Come in." She stepped aside to let her through.
"Wow! It feels so comfortable here!"
As soon as Tenten walked into the courtyard, she felt a refreshing aura. Although she didn't know exactly what it was, she instinctively felt comfortable.
The two sat down at the stone table in the courtyard. Tenten enthusiastically opened the food box and laid out the cutely shaped, invitingly colored dango and the brewed hot tea.
"Try them! I've been working really hard on making snacks lately!"
Tenten looked at Hinata with sparkling eyes, full of expectation.
Hinata picked up a pink dango and took a light bite. The soft and sweet texture melted on her tongue, and the taste was indeed good. She nodded.
"It's delicious."
"Great!" Tenten laughed happily, picked one up for herself, and began to chatter about her team.
"You know, Lee hasn't fully recovered yet, but he's already training like crazy. Guy-sensei can't even control him... And Neji-niisan, he seems to have taken a big hit and has been training even harder lately. I'm a bit worried..."
Hinata listened quietly, occasionally responding with an "mm" or a nod, mostly just acting as a quiet listener.
"Oh, right, right."
Tenten suddenly lowered her voice, leaned in closer, and asked curiously.
"Hinata, just how strong are you now? You didn't seem to use much effort when you fought Neji that day, and you actually managed to scold that scary guy from the Hidden Sand Village. Could that big thing in the forest have been him in disguise? Everyone's talking about it outside."
Hinata ate her snacks and answered her questions one by one.
"Hmm... probably a bit stronger than a Chunin. I'm not sure if it was him in disguise, maybe."
Tenten blinked. Stronger than a Chunin? Didn't that mean she had the power to completely crush these students?
"Wow, you're so amazing. Sigh... we were all eliminated, so we have to wait for the next Chunin Exams to participate again..."
Seeing Tenten's dejected look, Hinata decided to comfort her.
"It's okay. It's because this Chunin Exam was a bit special; the difficulty exceeded that of a regular Chunin Exam. You'll pass next time."
"Eh, really? Those guys were terrifyingly strong, not like Genin at all... By the way, what exactly was so special about this exam?"
Hinata didn't answer her. In any case, she would know in less than a month.
By then, Uncle Snake would have everyone playing with the Reanimated Third Hokage.
Why not say thank you to Uncle Snake?
After chatting for a while longer, Tenten stood up to leave and said goodbye to Hinata.
"Mm, be careful on the way back. There are a lot of outsiders in the Village lately."
Tenten acknowledged and turned to leave.
Tenten actually had one more question she didn't ask: why Hinata had been so heavy-handed with Neji that day. She guessed it might be internal Hyuga Clan conflict and didn't ask.
Hinata closed her eyes again, her consciousness sinking back into the cultivation space. Now, besides occasionally showing her face, members of the Hyuga Clan would sometimes seek her out for sparring. From being full-out at the beginning to her current ease, the change was very obvious.
Hiashi naturally saw this as well and felt very reassured about this Chunin Exam.
Her cultivation remained diligent; her mastery of the thunder art grew more proficient, and her tempering of her Divine Sense never ceased.
Mmm... and occasionally reading books (proper books), so that on the lonely path of pursuing power, she wouldn't completely lose her humanity.
Time flew by in such a fulfilling manner.
Hinata could feel that her power was undergoing a qualitative change every day.
As the one-month period drew to a close, she had completely mastered the Ninth Heaven Thunder Art: Introduction and perfectly fused it with her own spiritual power. Her progress in the Self-Transformation Freedom Heart Sutra was also significant. Three Soul Suppression Sealing Talismans and two High-Grade Spirit Stones were also ready.
She slowly opened her eyes. In her pure white eyes, sparks of lightning appeared faintly, and her Divine Sense was like an abyss.
"It's about time." She whispered to herself.
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