Chapter 86: Pain Six Paths

Du Gu Yun put down his long sword and suddenly said, “Jiang Xia, your ocular technique and that skeletal ability are unusual. Next time we spar, I want to test them against yours.”

Jiang Xia raised an eyebrow: “Anytime.”

Back at the training camp, Jiang Xia immediately entered the spirit liquid pool to cultivate.

【Ding～Congratulations, host, Itachi completed the mission with your teammate.】

【Reward released: 10 Low-Level Draw Tickets, 5 Mid-Level Draw Tickets, 2 High-Level Draw Tickets】

【Would Itachi like to draw all at once?】

Jiang Xia thought, “System, convert the Low-Level and Mid-Level Draw Tickets into points.”

【Ding～Draw tickets converted into points. Current point balance: 750,000】

【High-Level Draw: Double Draw】

【Congratulations, host, obtained: Taijutsu—Asura Peacock, Pain Six Paths Puppets (Wu Zong Realm, scales with host’s realm)】

【Host】: Jiang Xia

【Realm】: Wu Zong Realm, Early Stage (/)

【Ability】: SSS-Rank Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, SSS-Rank Rinnegan, SSS-Rank Wood Release

【Skills】: Asura Peacock, Izanagi, Shinra Tensei, Chibaku Tensei, Amaterasu, Kamui, Tsukuyomi, Kagutsuchi, Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, Maboroshi—Kakuyō no Jutsu, Fūton—Rasenshuriken, Rasengan…

【Physique】: 8,000 Qi

【Items】: Explosion Tags, Kunai, 20,000 Huaxia Coins, Rations, Jiraiya’s Icha Icha Paradise, Shuriken, Akatsuki Robe, Pain Six Paths Puppets

【Ninja Tools】: Kusanagi Sword, Juuken Sword, Hachisaku Mirror

【Points】: 750,000

【Draw Opportunities】: None

“Damn, I hit gold!”

The A-Class trainees around him turned to look; Jiang Xia quickly stood up, embarrassed, and apologized.

Jiang Xia sat cross-legged, staring at the newly added 【Pain Six Paths Puppets】 on his system panel, heart pounding with excitement.

Pain Six Paths—this was the most oppressive boss in the early Naruto arc; once he drew the Tailed Beast power to gain spiritual energy, he could easily wield these six puppets.

He did not immediately attempt to summon the puppets, but focused instead on the impending breakthrough.

Three days later, aided by the pure spiritual energy in the pool and the residual energy from the Purple Crystal Beast, he felt the barrier to Wu Zong Mid-Stage was about to shatter!

“Crack!”

A faint snap echoed from within him; Jiang Xia’s aura surged violently.

Wu Zong Mid-Stage—achieved!

Just as Jiang Xia was about to rise, his forehead’s jade seal glowed; the spirit liquid in the pool visibly drained, then instantly replenished.

Spiritual energy poured into Jiang Xia like a celestial torrent, and before he could react, streams of fortune energy from the jade seal surged into his body alongside the spiritual energy.

“Crack!”

The snap sounded again; the progress bar of his newly broken realm filled instantly, propelling him into Wu Zong Late Stage.

In that instant of breakthrough, Jiang Xia felt his spiritual force surge again, his control over ocular power growing stronger.

Simultaneously, he clearly sensed that the Pain Six Paths Puppets stored in his system space had synced their aura with his own, rising to Wu Zong Late Stage as well.

Only when the breakthrough ended did Jiang Xia look up in shock—the jade seal had turned to light and vanished into his brow.

Fortunately, everyone else in the spirit pool was immersed in cultivation and noticed nothing unusual.

Stepping out of the training chamber, Jiang Xia’s aura was fully contained; Wang Teng and the others, having finished their training, immediately gathered around him.

“Old Jiang, Itachi broke through?” Wang Teng asked, sensing the lingering power on Jiang Xia’s body, envious.

Jiang Xia nodded, a faint smile on his lips: “Yeah, Late Stage.”

Ye Lingxi’s cold eyes flickered with surprise: “Two realms in one go?”

Her own cultivation had just reached a bottleneck a few days ago, yet today she too broke through to Wu Zong Mid-Stage, gradually refining the power of the Ice Phoenix Feather.

Ling Zhantian clenched his fist: “Looks like I’ve got to push harder—I can’t let Itachi pull too far ahead.”

His realm was still stuck at the peak of Wu Zong Early Stage; he hadn’t expected Jiang Xia to leap from Early to Late Stage in just three days.

Jiang Xia offered no further explanation—not because he distrusted them, but because he himself still didn’t understand the jade seal’s abilities.

Meanwhile, other top prodigies in the training camp had not paused their progress.

Akatsuki Jin, backed by the resources of the Burn Heaven Pavilion, was on the verge of breaking into Wang Hou Realm.

Du Gu Yun returned temporarily to the Sword Tomb’s sword stele, meditated for three days, achieved clarity of sword heart, and was about to sever the shackles of Wu Zong Realm—his sword qi grew sharper and more unstoppable.

Cui Jue, Qin Wushang, and other top ten prodigies also made progress, aided by their respective factions or the training camp’s resources.

The top five on the Prodigy Leaderboard were about to enter the Wang Hou Era.

One day later, all returning trainees had resumed their positions.

Training Ground——————

Lei Zhan stood at the center of the training ground, a large screen behind him displaying the title “Tactical Simulation.”

“Previous training focused on individual strength,” Lei Zhan announced loudly.

“But at Shanhai Pass, facing beast hordes, individual power is ultimately limited.”

“Starting today, Itachi will learn how to command squads, how to coordinate your abilities with teammates, and how to maximize your team’s combat effectiveness.”

He pressed his wristband; a massive sand table appeared at the center of the ground, simulating the terrain of Black Wind Gorge, with hundreds of miniature models representing beasts and cultivators.

“This is the Tactical Simulation Table—it can replicate various battlefield environments and beast behaviors.”

“For the next half-month, your primary task is to conduct simulated training on this table—complete three different tactical simulations daily, under the guidance of General Li Rui of the Demon Suppression Army.”

A middle-aged man in a Major General’s uniform stepped forward, his face calm, his gaze sharp.

“The core of tactical simulation is adapting to terrain and leveraging strengths while avoiding weaknesses.”

Li Rui picked up a pointer and pointed at the sand table: “For example, in Black Wind Gorge, if your squad encounters a Late-Stage Wang Jie beast, how do Itachi assign roles? Who leads the assault? Who controls the battlefield? Who provides support? All of this must be planned in advance.”

In the following days, Jiang Xia’s squad spent nearly all their time in the tactical simulation room.

Li Rui’s guidance was extremely strict; after each simulation, he pointed out their flaws: “Jiang Xia, as team leader, Itachi focus too much on your own breakthrough and neglect protecting your teammates.”

“Akatsuki Jin, your personal power is strong, but Itachi ignore coordination with teammates—even among Holy Ones, cooperation is essential!”

Jiang Xia meticulously recorded every mistake, rapidly analyzing beast attack patterns and teammates’ ability traits to formulate optimal tactics.

After more than ten simulations, the squad’s coordination improved dramatically—they could now retreat unscathed even when surrounded by simulated fifth-rank beast swarms.

After the half-month tactical training ended, Jiang Xia’s squad had undergone a qualitative leap in strength.

The squad’s sole Grand Martial Artist, Wang Teng, successfully broke through to Wu Zong Early Stage and deepened his understanding of the Yin-Yang Secret Incantation.