Chapter 135: Contract

"What does this mean?"

Rasa looked at the scroll, which stated that the key to mastering the Dragon Transformation Technique was a scale from the White Snake Sage. He turned to the White Snake Sage with a puzzled expression.

The White Snake Sage, looking as if it had everything under control, explained,

"As you can see, there are two conditions for mastering our Ryūchi Cave's Dragon Transformation Technique. First, you must be able to sense and absorb the natural energy of Ryūchi Cave. Second, you must create an alternate space within your body to serve as a vessel for storing natural energy."

"What does that have to do with your scales?"

Rasa asked, still confused.

"Heh heh heh..."

The White Snake Sage let out a mysterious laugh and asked,

"Where do you think you are right now?"

!!!

Rasa was startled. He looked around and asked, "Isn't this Ryūchi Cave?"

"Heh heh heh..."

This time, the three snake maidens under the White Snake Sage also laughed.

The White Snake Sage explained, "This is indeed Ryūchi Cave, but it is also one of my scales."

!!!

Rasa was truly shocked now. He looked around again and noticed something unusual—the space had no exits or entrances. It was completely a closed-off world.

Tagitsuhime, with admiration in her voice, explained, "Rasa-sama, the White Snake Sage's scales are the treasures of Ryūchi Cave."

The White Snake Sage continued leisurely,

"Each of the three great sacred places has its own unique abilities. My ability is related to space. Every scale on my body is a small world I've nurtured over thousands of years by absorbing the natural energy of Ryūchi Cave. Though small, it means that anyone who obtains one of my scales gains control over a small world and the ability to sense Ryūchi Cave's natural energy. By implanting it into their body through a special method, they can meet the conditions to practice our Dragon Transformation Technique."

Now Rasa understood.

"How do I master it? Do I have to shove it into my heart?"

"Heh heh heh... No need. You just have to eat it."

As soon as the White Snake Sage finished speaking, one of its scales fell off and landed on the ground, transforming into a small white snake the size of a thumb.

Seeing this, Rasa understood. However, precisely because of this, his initial interest in the Dragon Transformation Technique quickly faded.

"That's a real shame. I have no interest in altering my body."

The White Snake Sage seemed to have anticipated this.

"Heh heh heh, you don't need to... If I'm not mistaken, when you obtained Mōryō's power, you also gained the world he created: the Land of Demons, didn't you?"

Rasa's eyes narrowed.

"As expected of the White Snake Sage. You really do know everything, don't you?"

"Heh heh heh! No need for such flattery. As I said, each of my scales is a small world, and each small world is connected to a part of the outside world. Therefore, no change in this shinobi world escapes my notice."

After explaining, the White Snake Sage continued.

"Since you now possess the world created by Mōryō, you no longer need my scales. The next step is to implant the Land of Demons, created by Mōryō, into your body. At the same time, you must gain the ability to sense the natural energy of Ryūchi Cave. Once these two conditions are met, you can practice the Dragon Transformation Technique."

Rasa was half-convinced by the White Snake Sage's words.

It was true, as the White Snake Sage had said, that using the Land of Demons as a source of power and evolution was an excellent idea.

But the question remained: how could he implant the Land of Demons into his body? And was the natural energy of Ryūchi Cave absolutely necessary? Couldn't he use his own senjutsu energy instead?

"Forgive my bluntness, but what's the difference between Ryūchi Cave's natural energy and senjutsu energy?"

The White Snake Sage flicked its forked tongue and let out an eerie laugh.

"I understand your thoughts. Indeed, fundamentally, there's no difference between the two. You can still practice our Dragon Transformation Technique using senjutsu energy, but the cost you'll pay will be different."

"What do you mean?"

"Heh heh heh, it's simple. Just like the question I asked you earlier, what's the difference between our Transformation Technique and yours? The reason our Transformation Technique can create such complex forms of sustenance isn't just because we've practiced it longer, but also because of the unique properties of Ryūchi Cave's natural energy."

Rasa suddenly understood. "Are you saying that Ryūchi Cave's natural energy is easier to control?"

"You could say that."

The White Snake Sage then looked at Rasa and asked,

"If I'm not mistaken, you currently can't materialize your senjutsu energy, can you?"

!!!

The White Snake Sage was right. Ever since Rasa's chakra had disappeared and been replaced by senjutsu energy, he had been unable to materialize his senjutsu energy in the same way he could with chakra.

Materialization referred to making energy visible, like the chakra cloak of a tailed beast.

Rasa hadn't paid much attention to it before, thinking it was just a characteristic of senjutsu energy. But now, it seemed that wasn't the case.

Seeing Rasa fall silent, the White Snake Sage glanced at its three trusted aides.

The three snake maidens immediately understood. Natural energy erupted from their bodies, surrounding them in a faint green aura. Under their control, the energy took the form of massive, translucent serpents.

The White Snake Sage continued,

"Senjutsu energy is indeed incredibly powerful and full of infinite possibilities. However, precisely because of this, its state is chaotic and uncontrollable. But the natural energy of Ryūchi Cave, nurtured over countless generations by White Snake Sages, has become much more refined and manageable."

Rasa fell into deep thought.

"Chaotic and uncontrollable, huh?"

If Rasa hadn't sensed the consciousness of the Divine Tree, he might have believed it.

But of course, Rasa couldn't reveal that now.

Moreover, at this point, Rasa realized that he might not need Ryūchi Cave's help to practice the so-called Dragon Transformation Technique.

With senjutsu energy, he didn't necessarily need Ryūchi Cave's natural energy.

As for implanting the Land of Demons into his body, he already had some ideas.

He could draw inspiration from the sealing technique Minato Namikaze used to seal the Nine-Tails into Naruto.

It wasn't that Rasa was overly suspicious, but compared to the White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave, whom he had just met and whose depths he couldn't fathom, Rasa trusted Honoka, whom he could control, much more.

However, since the other party had been so proactive and shown such goodwill, outright refusing would be impolite. With that in mind, Rasa made a decision.

"I'll need some time to consider the Dragon Transformation Technique. However, it would be ungrateful of me to refuse Ryūchi Cave's generous offer. So, I can agree to become Ryūchi Cave's successor for now. As for the rest, please give me some time..."

"No problem!"

The White Snake Sage was very accommodating. As long as Rasa agreed to become Ryūchi Cave's successor, Ryūchi Cave would have the upper hand. Everything else could be discussed later.

"Then, please sign your name on Ryūchi Cave's summoning contract..."

Just as Rasa accepted the invitation to become Ryūchi Cave's successor, the situation in the outside world was becoming even more unpredictable.