Orochimaru and Manda were both puzzled.
What exactly was the White Snake Sage astonished about? Unable to directly ask, they could only continue observing Ye Zi.
Whatever the cause, it was clear that all of this stemmed from Ye Zi.
Compared to previous failed practitioners, what made Ye Zi unique enough to surprise the White Snake Sage?
As time passed, the white scales covering Ye Zi's body spread further, now covering about 70% of his body. If this continued, in less than half an hour, his entire body would be covered in white scales.
At that moment, Ye Zi was entirely focused on confronting the natural energy within him.
He had succeeded in merging his chakra with the natural energy and cautiously extended his mental intent toward this fused energy. It was less violent now, perhaps due to the chakra infusion, and felt noticeably calmer.
Touching this energy, Ye Zi began trying to manipulate it, starting with a small portion.
However, unlike the ease of controlling his usual chakra, this was vastly different. Manipulating even a palm-sized amount of this energy felt incredibly taxing.
If controlling his normal chakra was like handling a small pebble, easily tossed and caught with variations, then controlling this embryonic sage chakra felt like juggling an iron ball larger than his hand. It could be tossed but barely, with no room for finesse.
This was the stark difference.
If the height of the toss was too low, he needed to train his hands to increase their strength gradually.
If he couldn't toss it with variations, he needed to hone his hands until they could effortlessly handle the iron ball.
Ye Zi's intent began gradually encroaching on the natural energy fused with his chakra. He wasn't merely aiming to control it; he wanted full mastery.
Inside the chamber, eight hours had passed. White scales now covered almost half of Ye Zi's face, along with nearly 90% of his body.
Orochimaru's brow was deeply furrowed. He had no prior experience with the process of mastering Sage Mode, so he couldn't tell whether Ye Zi's current state was good or bad.
At first, the White Snake Sage had been visibly astonished, but over time, its gaze settled back into its usual calm, saying nothing and continuing to observe Ye Zi.
"Is this progress good or bad? Is it success or failure?" Orochimaru's eyes were filled with concern.
Two more hours passed. The growth of scales on Ye Zi's body ceased, which seemed to be a positive sign.
At this moment, the White Snake Sage suddenly praised, "An extraordinary human."
Its gaze on Ye Zi now carried an unhidden sense of admiration.
Hearing this, Manda was stunned. What had it just witnessed?
Since gaining sentience, Manda had never seen the White Snake Sage show astonishment, but today it had, because of Ye Zi.
This alone was baffling enough, but now the White Snake Sage was openly admiring Ye Zi.
"What is going on here?"
Manda stared at the snake-transformed Ye Zi with an expression of disbelief. To Manda, Ye Zi's current state seemed perilously close to that of failed practitioners, just one step away from complete failure.
Yet, instead of failure, the White Snake Sage had offered praise.
Orochimaru, hearing the White Snake Sage's words, wasn't entirely sure what was happening, but it was clear that Ye Zi's situation was heading in a positive direction.
The tension on Orochimaru's face eased noticeably. He hadn't realized just how much concern he had been harboring for Ye Zi.
After the brief praise, the White Snake Sage coiled its body and gazed down at the meditating Ye Zi, an expression of anticipation evident in its eyes.
Manda, meanwhile, tried to figure out what made Ye Zi different from past practitioners. Flipping through the memories stored deep in its mind, it identified two key differences.
First, Ye Zi hadn't entered a berserk state, he hadn't lost his sanity but instead proceeded directly to displaying snake-like traits.
Second, there was the matter of time.
Since the natural energy was injected into him, nearly ten hours had passed. Among previous practitioners, the longest anyone had lasted before failing was under two hours.
Was this why the White Snake Sage praised him? Could Ye Zi be on the path to success?
Manda wondered silently, its gaze at Ye Zi now filled with astonishment.
Since becoming Ye Zi's summon, Manda had never truly accepted him, even under coercion. But if Ye Zi could master Sage Mode, Manda would bow to him without reservation.
The scales on Ye Zi's body had stopped growing. His face was half covered in pale skin, while his limbs and torso bore the same white scales as the White Snake Sage.
"Perhaps he will become the first human to master the Ryuchi Cave Sage Mode and in record time," the White Snake Sage mused aloud, its voice carrying a faint trace of surprise despite its usual calm tone.
No human had ever succeeded in mastering Sage Mode in the Ryuchi Cave. With no precedent to compare, the White Snake Sage couldn't know for sure, but it was confident that there might never be another human as remarkable as Ye Zi.
If nothing unexpected occurred, Ye Zi could master Sage Mode within a single day. What remained to be seen was the extent of his mastery.
The White Snake Sage suddenly found itself more eager than ever to accelerate the process.
This eagerness, however, birthed an idea that violated the ancient rules of the Ryuchi Cave, but the White Snake Sage cared not for such constraints.
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