The Human Soul, now infused with a sliver of soul power from the fusion of the Three Hun and Seven Po, suddenly generated a powerful devouring force. Under this immense pull, the remaining Three Hun and Seven Po scattered nearby were drawn in directly, merging as one with the Human Soul.
At the moment of fusion, the Human Soul transformed into a Yin Spirit. Qiu Xia's body drifted upward as the power of the stars cascaded from the heavens, pouring into him in a continuous stream. Within his Sea of Consciousness,
the Yin Spirit grew rapidly under the influence of the starlight, soon reaching the size of Qiu Xia himself. Once it reached this state, it merged with his divine body, causing every one of his acupoints to erupt with brilliant light.
The star power within his acupoints surged and condensed at a terrifying speed. As it reached its peak, the barriers Qiu Xia had established could no longer contain it. The seals shattered, and the devouring force intensified further.
It began by drawing the star power from the Land of Demons, then from the neighboring countries, before expanding outward until it reached the Five Great Nations.
During the night, it wasn't so noticeable; outside the Land of Demons, people simply felt as though they were drifting through the stars. However, when daybreak should have arrived, the sun's light failed to reach the earth. The solar energy of the Ninja World was being entirely intercepted and converted into star power by Qiu Xia.
The phenomenon of the star-shrouded sky expanded from the Land of Demons to encompass every nation.
As the sun remained hidden for several days, the shinobi and the nobility naturally launched investigations. Yet, they found nothing. Even those who reached the Land of Demons were unable to locate the exact position of Qiu Xia and the Priestess.
Soon, seven days had passed. The entire Ninja World had become a realm of perpetual starlight. Unable to distinguish day from night, the people felt as if they were living within the cosmos itself. It was a beautiful sight, but beauty could not fill their stomachs. If this continued, crops would fail to grow without sunlight, and the people of the Ninja World would face starvation.
Just as despair began to take hold of the common folk, the starlight that had blanketed the world vanished. Sunlight once again fell upon the earth. Feeling that familiar, warm glow, many people couldn't help but break into tears of relief.
The culprit behind it all, Qiu Xia, finally opened his eyes as his cultivation ended. Two beams of starlight flared within his pupils before receding, revealing eyes of purple and gold. His irises featured purple patterns set with platinum Tomoe. Where there had once been only three, there were now seven an increase of four Tomoe.
"The plan failed," Qiu Xia muttered. "I didn't expect the soul to instinctively devour the others during the transformation into a Yin Spirit because the initial fusion was insufficient. If I had attempted to fuse the Three Hun and Seven Po simultaneously from the start, there might have been a chance for success, though the probability would still have been low."
"However, the benefits of this breakthrough are immense. The star power in my body has condensed into a Star Core. Currently, my mana at the Celestial Master level should be unrivaled. Even those several ranks above me likely cannot compare to my depth of power. Even so, I cannot afford to be complacent. There is always someone stronger out there; being too arrogant is never wise."
Ending his reflections, Qiu Xia turned his gaze toward Miroku, who had been standing guard beside him. "Miroku, thank you for protecting me during this time."
Hearing his words, Miroku smiled warmly. "My Lord, it was only my duty."
Miroku's spiritual power had always been potent, but she had lacked the proper methods to utilize it effectively. Without those limitations, even the previous Qiu Xia would not have subdued her so easily.
After absorbing Moryo's energy, her spiritual power had increased dozens of times over. She had since been practicing the Taoist Arts, Ninja Arts, and Visualization Methods provided by Qiu Xia.
After practicing the Pagoda Visualization Method for less than a month, she had tempered her Three Hun and Seven Po, converted her spiritual power into mana, and, with Qiu Xia's assistance, successfully reached the level of a Celestial Master, condensing a top-tier Golden Core.
As the saying goes: Once the Golden Core is swallowed, my fate is mine to command, not the heavens'. An Earth Master typically enjoys a lifespan of two hundred years, while a Celestial Master in the Yin Spirit realm can live for five hundred. If one reaches the Yang Spirit realm, that lifespan increases further, though it remains under a thousand years. Only a Zhenren can claim a millennium of life.
But even five hundred years was a staggering prospect in the Ninja World. Both of the Sage of the Six Paths' sons had died before reaching a hundred. Though the Six Paths Brothers were technically still around, they existed only as souls.
As for their mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki, her longevity stemmed from her pure Otsutsuki bloodline and her consumption of the Chakra Fruit the essence of the Ninja World's natural energy.
Following his breakthrough, Qiu Xia spent a few days cultivating with Miroku before returning to his small courtyard. Once home, he harvested the courtyard full of vegetables and grain, along with the fattened chickens, and stored them all within his Small World. After planting a new batch of vegetables, he waited for the transition to the Jiangshi World.
After spending two relaxing days back in Konoha, Qiu Xia awoke from a dream to find himself back in the Mortuary.
He straightened his clothes and pushed open the door to his room. Stepping into the courtyard, he saw a familiar figure practicing martial arts. Qiu Xia didn't interrupt, standing quietly to the side.
The figure soon finished his routine. As he drew in his breath and turned around, he was startled to see a child standing there. After looking closer, Uncle Jiu asked, "Are you... Qiu Xia?"
"It's me, Master. I was wondering... how long has it been since we last saw each other?"
"It has been nearly a year!" Uncle Jiu replied, looking at him with surprise.
"A year? That fast?" Qiu Xia was stunned. He remembered that when he had spent over a year in the Mortuary previously, only a single night had passed in the Naruto World. To think that a year in the Naruto World equated to a year here was the previous time just a "newbie benefit"?
Uncle Jiu looked puzzled. "What 'newbie benefit' are you talking about?"
"Oh, it's nothing. Anyway, Master, I've brought back quite a few good things this time!"
"What kind of things?" Uncle Jiu's interest was piqued, and he looked at Qiu Xia with curiosity.
Qiu Xia scanned the courtyard for an open space and waved his hand. Instantly, a massive pile of vegetables appeared on the ground. Each of them looked like they had been grown on super-fertilizer; they were gargantuan. A single head of cabbage was larger than a six or seven-year-old child.
Because these vegetables had been grown in the Naruto World, they were saturated with spiritual Qi. In this Age of Dharma Decline, they were practically medicinal herbs.
"Hiss... you brought these from the Naruto World?"
"Yes, Master. I grew these myself while I was there."
"Quickly, put them away!" Uncle Jiu's expression changed drastically as he looked at the produce.
"Master, this is a token of my filial piety. You can't refuse them!" Qiu Xia said softly.
"Who said I was refusing? These vegetables are brimming with spiritual Qi! If you leave them out like this, the Qi will leak away. Only take them out when it's time to cook."
"Oh!" Just as Qiu Xia was about to put them back, Uncle Jiu suddenly shouted, "Wait!" He stepped forward quickly and picked up a tomato the size of a two-year-old child. "Let me try this tomato first."
Qiu Xia: "..."
After putting the rest of the vegetables back, Qiu Xia began preparing breakfast. He took some cabbage from his space and threw some rice into the pot. To ensure the spiritual Qi didn't escape, he cast a spell to seal the essence within the pot as it boiled.
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