〖Detected holder has survived one full month〗

〖To conserve simulator energy, simulation precision adjusted to one month〗

〖Second Month〗

Under Mifune's guidance, you enter a coastal region of the Land of Iron.

As you step into this place, the radiance within your body slowly begins to tremble, as if resonating with some presence.

You cross jagged rocky cliffs and leap into a swirling sea bay, then dive underwater into a cavern beneath the shore.

After swimming for a long time inside the cave, you notice Mifune's heartbeat gradually weakening, yet it carries a strange rhythm.

This rhythm seems to allow him to hold his breath underwater and maintain normal bodily functions under high pressure…

But he is clearly an ordinary human; even having nearly fully developed his body's potential, such endurance shouldn't be possible.

Could this be some secret to controlling one's life functions without relying on chakra as a medium?

You try to imitate it, but no matter how hard you attempt, you can't grasp the method, nor sense any improvement.

Finally, you surface.

This is a spacious limestone cavern. Although underwater, its air is surprisingly fresh, and an untraceable light illuminates the surroundings.

You attempt to use your sensory abilities, only to find the rocks here heavily suppress your spirit and chakra. Even with your current strength, you can only penetrate three or four layers of stone.

Following Mifune, you climb a narrow path upward.

The path is littered with all sorts of broken weapons—common ninja swords, kunai, and even oddly shaped tools like sickles and hammers—as if cut by an overwhelmingly powerful force and flung into the thick rock walls.

At the end of the path lies a small island in the middle of a lake.

On the island sits an elderly man with disheveled hair clutching a broken sword, looking like his time is near.

This is the Sword Saint.

After Mifune introduces you and leaves, the Sword Saint finally speaks to you.

But his first words are a strong warning against using chakra to assist sword training, believing shortcuts through chakra will bring great losses!

You nod in agreement. This was something you observed ever since arriving from Konoha to the Land of Iron.

Chakra can easily simulate many moves that usually require painstaking training, and quickly boost strength, but only the form is gained, never the true spirit.

And the potential awakened by chakra can only manifest while chakra is sufficient—unlike sword or taijutsu training, which develops abilities that permanently reside within the body…

At the same time, curiosity compels you to sense the Sword Saint's radiance, to see just how much bodily potential someone with the title "Sword Saint" could unlock.

Though his body is extremely frail, his internal radiance is incredibly intense, like an ancient yet immortal broken blade reflecting dazzling sunlight.

You have no doubt he has pushed swordsmanship to its utmost limits, but his body is worn down to the extreme.

Yet despite such old age and no trace of chakra, you can clearly sense that his strength would still be among the top in the Anbu ranks.

With just a single strike, he could easily one-shot weaker Anbu…

And this power requires no chakra at all—he simply unleashes the potential of his body and spirit.

At that moment, the Sword Saint raises his head, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.

Without a doubt, he's sensed your scrutiny.

Before you can explain, he speaks up on his own, saying that seeing the human body's radiance requires one to be either born extraordinary or to have endured countless battles.

He also quickly perceives that you are not human!

You consider it carefully—he is right.

But the Sword Saint doesn't mind; as long as you can carry on his sword legacy, that's enough!

...

In the following days, you watch the Sword Saint's almost divine sword techniques daily.

You observe how, between every move, he adjusts his breathing with a mysterious method that even the Sharingan can't copy.

It's the same origin as Mifune's technique, but more refined.

When you ask him about it, he simply replies that careful observation is enough...

〖Third Year〗

Watching the Sword Saint's daily sword practice, your own swordsmanship—and even your taijutsu—improve by analogy.

Glancing at your own radiance, you see it growing even brighter.

Now you can develop roughly fifty percent of your bodily potential.

Still, you haven't fully grasped the Sword Saint's techniques, only sensing the infinite mysteries of the human body within.

〖Fourth Year〗

After long-term observation, you gradually comprehend this strange breathing technique.

However, when you activate this breathing method, you aren't absorbing abundant natural energy from the surroundings; instead, you draw on your own physical and spiritual energy.

When using the breathing technique, these two energies don't convert into chakra but flow, refine, and reintegrate continuously within the body.

Though operating this technique doesn't noticeably strengthen your body or speed up potential development—which crawls at a snail's pace—it still provides some benefit.

Even the smallest gains are worth it; since it's free to run, you maintain this breathing technique constantly.

〖Fifth Year〗

Finally, you sense the long-term benefits of using the breathing technique.

Simply put, it's a method to synchronize spiritual and physical energies to the same frequency.

By maintaining this synchronicity, your soul power—the previous weak link—is gradually catching up to your strong physical power.

Although different from your initial ideas about improving spirit, it's a new way of solving the problem.

Moreover, as body and soul harmonize, your progress in developing potential suddenly leaps forward significantly!

Elated, you immediately tell the Sword Saint about the changes this breathing method has brought to your body.

To your surprise, the Sword Saint is shocked.

—For ordinary people, maintaining this breathing method beyond half an hour a day is the limit.

Longer use causes damage, even irreversible harm.

Only someone who has fully developed their potential, like himself, can sustain it for four to five hours.

How could anyone operate it almost instinctively, year-round?

But then, realizing you're not human, he relaxes.

After watching you use the breathing method, he marvels at the new generation surpassing the old. Your application of the technique now rivals his own.

The Sword Saint pulls out a yellowed old book from his robe and hands it to you. On the cover, the plain characters "Sword Manual" are written.

〖Sixth Year〗

In the time that follows, the Sword Saint seems to sense something and stops demonstrating sword techniques to you.

Instead, he lets you read "Sword Manual", pick out parts you want to learn, and perform them for him.

While receiving his sword guidance, you also learn about the Sword Saint's past and the meaning this place holds for warriors: