"Such powerful wood release techniques, but they don't seem suitable for me."
Wang Zhong shrugged. Currently, he was in a relatively peaceful campus environment, where he had no need for such things.
The Spirit Hall Academy encouraged all students to compete, but injury and death were never allowed.
If Wang Zhong were to use his first spirit skill in the manner of these wood release techniques, it was no exaggeration to say that every opponent would die!
Shifting his gaze away from the wood release techniques, Wang Zhong looked back. The following few wood release techniques filled him with excitement.
"Wood Release: Wall of Branches Technique, an extremely strong absolute defense that can resist all damage in the world."
"Wood Release: Wood Golem Technique, creates an enormous giant, bringing immense power to shatter mountains and split the earth."
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique, generates an extremely long wooden dragon, bringing an unbreakable restraint, with the ability to trap, bind, and limit."
"Wood Release: Sage Art, Thousand-Armed Buddha... What? Is this really achievable? Such terrifying power and abilities, if truly recreated, I could conquer a nation alone!"
His trembling voice was filled with deep awe, not fear, but a kind of exhilaration. Conquering a nation alone, how majestic and domineering!
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence! Capable of altering the heavens and earth, changing the landscape, a power akin to that of a deity! Hiss..."
Wang Zhong's body trembled uncontrollably with excitement from these descriptions of wood release techniques. He now had an astonishing, even greedy, thought.
He wanted to use the power and uniqueness of his own tree spirit to bring these wood release techniques from the scroll back into the world!
"Eh, what is this technique, Sage Art: Divine Gate!"
"Descending from the sky, a red wooden gate resembling the character 'Kai', capable of suppressing, imprisoning, and sealing powerful tailed beasts!"
"This description... it's wrong! How is this description exactly the same as my fourth spirit skill!"
His fourth spirit skill came from a sixty-seven-thousand-year-old Purple Winged Spider Emperor. Due to its spider nature, as expected, Wang Zhong had gained spirit skills related to binding and imprisonment.
However, this particular spirit skill was somewhat unusual. It didn't generate spider webs but rather a gate-like structure resembling the character 'Kai'.
At first, Wang Zhong had considered naming this spirit skill "Spider Emperor's Restraint," but now he had a better name.
Divine Gate!
Wang Zhong was so shocked by this revelation that he suddenly scrambled to his feet. His eyes repeatedly scanned the description of the Divine Gate, growing increasingly bewildered.
A book of unknown origin recorded three spirit skills that were almost identical to his, with the book's descriptions being more detailed and even more powerful.
"Is this book related to me? No, could it be related to my parents, or rather, my bloodline?"
A thought, extremely abrupt, appeared in his mind. This thought gave Wang Zhong the impulse to risk everything and return to the depths of the rift.
Perhaps everything about his past was hidden there!
But this thought was quickly dismissed. The lingering fear and dread, the shiver of facing death itself, all reminded Wang Zhong.
Never go back!
Taking a deep breath, Wang Zhong suppressed the stirring in his heart and murmured, "That place is best left unexplored until my strength reaches the Title Douluo level."
He sighed heavily and continued to look back.
At this point, a method for special power enhancement caught Wang Zhong's attention.
"Sage Mode!"
"Absorb natural energy present in the world to create 'Sage Chakra', which is fundamentally different from regular chakra. Wood release techniques used with Sage Chakra will be amplified exponentially, with attack power, destructive force, defense, and recovery all being worlds apart from wood release in normal mode!"
Muttering these words, Wang Zhong suddenly had a strange association.
Natural energy!
At certain times, his tree spirit would gain a power of great vitality and life force from all plants in nature, which it would then use on himself.
Wang Zhong remembered most clearly the time the little fox awakened. To repair its own injuries, the tree spirit had gathered that power from the surrounding plants and injected it into his body.
In just a short while, his injuries were completely healed.
"That must be natural energy!"
"I may not have chakra, but I do have spirit power!"
"Moreover, according to the description of this 'Sage Mode' technique, it resembles a special secret method that greatly enhances the user's abilities for a certain period."
"Therefore, chakra is not the key to this technique. Natural energy is the indispensable element!"
Based on this idea, Wang Zhong began to read and analyze the so-called Sage Mode technique word by word.
"Chakra, mental energy, natural energy, must be kept in perfect balance to condense Sage Chakra."
"Since I have spirit power, I must interpret this as: spirit power, mental power, and natural energy condensed by the tree spirit. Maintain the balance of these three, and condense Sage Cha... no, Sage Spirit Power!"
Upon saying this, Wang Zhong licked his lips, feeling a bit strange. The term "Sage Spirit Power."
"Never mind, let it be strange."
"As long as it's useful, the name can be anything."
Ignoring the issue of the name, Wang Zhong immersed himself in the cultivation notes for Sage Mode, a process that took nearly an hour.
Frowning, he recalled the descriptions on the scroll, occasionally lowering his head to compare them with his memory.
After verifying his memory multiple times to ensure there were no errors, Wang Zhong rolled up the scroll, put it into his soul tool, and walked out of the cave.
Looking at the vast expanse of dense forest before him, Wang Zhong climbed onto a large tree, sat down cross-legged with his hands clasped at his lower abdomen, and began to meditate.
"Combining the three energies is key to balance."
"If balance is not achieved, and any of these three energies deviates, it will lead to failure."
"The Ninja Book described natural energy as the most potent of the three. If it becomes unbalanced with the other two, it will lead to frogification... or rather, spirit beastification and petrification."
"What I need to do now is to first condense mental power and spirit power, maintaining their balance, and then gradually incorporate natural energy, constantly exploring the degree of balance."
His eyes sharpened, and with determination, Wang Zhong slowly closed his eyes and began his first attempt.
Wang Zhong had expected this to be an extremely difficult attempt, possibly requiring multiple failures, but to his surprise, he succeeded on the first try.
Feeling the balanced mental power and spirit power flowing like a small stream within him, Wang Zhong, with his eyes closed, wore a very clear smile.
"The Wisdom Skull, which enhances my mental power, has also strengthened my control over my own spirit power."
"With this control, I was able to achieve the most difficult first step with ease."
"Next, it's natural energy!"
He silently repeated these words in his mind. Wang Zhong manifested his tree spirit and communicated with it simultaneously.
Soon, specks of green energy began to converge towards the tree spirit and then were injected into Wang Zhong's body.