'So this world also contains spiritual roots in certain places.'
Li Shang set his feet on the moss-covered ground and felt the air pulse around him. The energy was dense, alive, different from anything he had encountered since his reincarnation. The natural energy of the Shikkotsu Forest was not just nature's energy — it was something deeper, a primitive form of Yuan Qi, raw and pure.
'No wonder the creatures here are considered legendary.'
He closed his eyes for an instant, taking a deep breath. Every cell of his body seemed to react to the environment, vibrating.
Behind him, Tsunade's clone watched him intently, trying to understand what he was doing.
"What is a spiritual root?" she asked, breaking the silence.
Li Shang slowly opened his eyes and replied with a slight smile.
"It's nothing. I just felt the energy here was denser than usual and was surprised."
Tsunade frowned, studying him.
'Felt the energy? An ordinary shinobi can't perceive natural energy like that... can he really feel it directly?'
The thought made her uneasy. Few humans could do that without being absorbed by nature itself.
But before she could delve deeper into the idea, Li Shang looked away and asked unexpectedly:
"Can I hunt?"
She blinked, surprised.
"You want to hunt... a summon?"
Li Shang kept his gaze firm.
"Do you have a better idea?"
Tsunade's clone crossed her arms, pondering. The idea seemed absurd — no one simply "hunted" creatures from this place.
'This boy is a fool... or he has something I still don't understand.'
Tsunade smiled slightly, accepting the silent challenge.
"Actually, I don't have a better idea." She stared at him, her playful tone contrasting with the danger that surrounded him. "I'll wait for you here until you're done. If you can't, you can come ask for my help."
The provocation was clear.
Li Shang didn't respond immediately. He just tilted his head in a slight nod and murmured:
"Thank you."
And before she could blink, the boy disappeared.
A strong wind swept through the clearing, rustling leaves.
"So fast..." Tsunade murmured, surprised, looking at the empty space where he had been a second ago.
Li Shang ran between the colossal trees until he felt the air around him stabilize.
'I think this is good.'
The terrain was wide, covered by a carpet of moss and twisted roots that exuded spiritual energy. The place pulsed like a living heart, and he knew that this concentration of natural energy was ideal for his little pets.
He clasped his hands in precise seals and murmured in a low voice:
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
The ground trembled.
A muffled roar echoed from the depths, followed by an explosion of smoke that spread like a black storm. The energy emanating from there was wild, suffocating, alive.
When the smoke dissipated, a colossal shadow took shape before him.
A black wolf rose before the heavens like an ancestral being. Its body was covered in fur so dark it seemed to devour the surrounding light. However, under the touch of the moonlight filtering through the trees, bluish reflections ran through each strand, creating an almost ethereal glow.
The creature's eyes were two crimson moons. There was something more than simple ferocity in them — a primitive, wild, but intelligent consciousness. Each movement of its tail generated waves of spiritual energy, the ground cracked under the weight of its paws, and when it opened its mouth, its curved fangs gleamed like obsidian blades.
But before it could say anything else, the ground ahead broke open again. The spiritual energy distorted, the air became heavy and hot, and then, something even larger emerged from the earth.
This time, the roar didn't sound like a sound — it was a physical force that pressed on the lungs, the kind of sound that made the body react even before the mind understood.
When the creature raised its neck, Li Shang remained silent, observing every detail.
A colossal lizard, but no longer the same as before. The wings that had grown opened like steel walls, vast and muscular, each beat creating a current of air that ripped pieces of earth. Its dark gray scales reflected a metallic sheen under the diffuse light of the environment, and its backward-curving horns looked like polished black iron blades.
From snout to tail tip, the body easily measured twenty meters, and wisps of hot smoke escaped from its nostrils — the smell of sulfur and concentrated power.
The creature breathed like a volcano about to awaken.
'A dragon?' Li Shang narrowed his eyes, observing the aura emanating from it. 'No... perhaps some ancestral lineage has awakened with its evolution through cultivation. This power is much more refined than before.'
The spiritual pressure of the two beings mingled, forming an invisible wave that made the entire environment tremble.
Li Shang kept his gaze fixed on the two beasts — a shadowy wolf and a half-dragon — and a slight smile appeared on his face.
"What should I call you?"
The two creatures stared at him in silence. The wolf's gaze was cold and vigilant, while the dragon's carried arrogance and power.
Li Shang closed his eyes for a moment, letting the surrounding energy flow into his mind, feeling the spiritual connection through the soul stigmas. Then, he said in a firm voice:
"I know."
He raised his gaze, the glow of the Tenseigan reflecting in the pupils of the two beasts.
"Fenrir... and Alduin."
Upon hearing their names, the two roared at the same time — a sound that shook the mountains and made the air vibrate as if the world itself responded to the call.
Spiritual energy swirled around Li Shang like a whirlwind. His cloak rippled violently, and yet, he didn't move an inch.
'Perfect.'
With a slight smile, he looked at the horizon covered by the eternal mist of the Shikkotsu Forest. From above, Tsunade's clone watched from afar, through the dense vegetation of the forest.
"What the hell did this kid find...?" she murmured, feeling the forest's energy fall out of balance.