Inside the dormitory building.
Mujin Nagi was savoring the two sparring matches that had benefited him greatly; his mind was now teeming with inspiration. The battle with Geto Suguru had verified the feasibility of the basic application of his Cursed Technique, while that brief yet thrilling clash with Gojo Satoru was like a key, unlocking the door to a deeper level for him.
He spread his palm, Cursed Energy lingering at his fingertips like a trickling stream. Although the Crimson Eyes were not active, that unique perspective seemed to have been imprinted onto his senses.
"The absolute intensity of 'Xu', and the instantaneous explosive power of 'Shun'... as well as the possibility of combining them," he muttered to himself, his gaze calm.
In the training ground, Nagi faced a row of specially made targets—these were provided by Teacher Yaga for Sorcerers to train their accuracy.
Cursed Technique Lapse: Xu!
The invisible resistance field expanded, but this time, he didn't seek range. Instead, he focused his entire mind on compression. Imagine forcibly pressing the water of an entire lake into a needle.
Initial Attempt: The force field was extremely unstable, its range fluctuating, its intensity erratic, and the Cursed Energy consumption was severe and inefficient.
Crimson Eye Support: Micro-manipulation!
Mujin Nagi quietly activated the Crimson Eyes. He didn't use them for combat prediction, but to look inward at the flow of his own Cursed Energy and to maximize his perception of the force field's shape. Under the precise control of the Crimson Eyes, the output of Cursed Energy became as accurate as a scalpel.
After hours of failure, he finally succeeded! A distorted force field, barely a meter in diameter and almost visible to the naked eye, appeared before him! The air within the range seemed to solidify into a gel, and light passing through it refracted slightly. A stone he tossed into it was instantly fixed in mid-air as if nailed there, motionless!
"Success... 'Xu: Condense'."
Nagi panted slightly, sweat on his forehead, but his eyes shone with excitement. This highly compressed "Xu" force field, though small in range, was far more intense than before. It was enough to instantly freeze the movements of a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit, and could even produce a strong retarding effect against certain impacts of Cursed Energy.
Next was the advancement of "Shun". He didn't need to run long distances, but rather to maneuver within a square inch.
He assumed a close-quarters combat stance, Cursed Energy poised in the meridians of his legs.
Cursed Technique Reversal: Shun: Flash!
Not continuous acceleration, but the pursuit of stimulating specific muscle groups with the power of "Shun" like an electric current within a hundredth of a second, exploding with short, explosive power!
Initial Attempt: His movements were deformed, excessive force nearly strained his muscles, or the timing was off, destroying his own balance instead.
Crimson Eye Support: Coordination!
The Crimson Eyes activated again, maximizing the control over internal body perception and coordination. He could "see" the optimal combination point of Cursed Energy flow and muscle exertion.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Mujin Nagi's figure began to flicker within the training ground. Every move left only a faint afterimage. It wasn't a straight sprint, but ghost-like short-distance directional changes and flashes! One second he was in front, the next he appeared on the flank, the transition of movements incredibly smooth. This wasn't Gojo Satoru's spatial teleportation, but super-high-speed maneuvering achieved purely by canceling resistance to gain defyingly instant acceleration and stopping power.
"Very good, 'Shun: Flash'... for close-quarters combat and evasion, the effect will far exceed expectations."
Next was the hardest part. Mujin Nagi wanted to manipulate two diametrically opposite Cursed Energies simultaneously.
He tried to construct the force fields of "Xu" and "Shun" at the same time in a small area in front of him. The two forces repelled and interfered with each other like fire and water, making stable coexistence extremely difficult. Controlling the Cursed Energy became exceptionally hard; the slightest carelessness would cause the fields to become chaotic or even backlash.
Failure after failure occurred, the recoil of Cursed Energy leaving him mentally exhausted.
Crimson Eye Support: Harmonize!
The Crimson Eyes operated to their limit, the blood-colored light steady and profound. They acted like the most precise force field regulator, forcibly constraining and harmonizing the two opposing fields, finding an extremely unstable yet truly existing point of dynamic equilibrium.
Progress was difficult. Mujin Nagi couldn't maintain it on a large scale. Eventually, he could only manage to create a briefly existing composite force field filled with conflicting currents within a tiny area in front of his fingertips.
He pushed this miniature chaotic field toward a training dummy.
The area of the dummy swept by the force field seemed to instantly fall into a violent vortex! The dummy's movement abruptly stagnated, then was immediately pulled and shoved by invisible high-speed turbulence. Its entire body lost balance, twisting weirdly and staggering, nearly crashing to the ground. Although the direct destructive power wasn't great, the characteristic of strongly interfering with movement rhythm and destroying physical coordination had begun to show!
"Still not stable enough... the control requirements are too high. But the direction is correct... let's call it 'Yin-Yang Flow'."
Mujin Nagi sensed the residual turbulence of the force field at his fingertips, a realization dawning in his heart. This was the prototype of a crowd-control skill used to create openings and disrupt the enemy's rhythm. It would be used to break the enemy's tempo at critical moments and create opportunities for victory.
Just as Nagi was immersed in his training, the window of the training ground was thrown open, and a white-haired head popped in.
"Yo! Nagi! I felt your Cursed Energy going wild from a mile away. What new trick are you cooking up?"
Gojo Satoru climbed through the window without ceremony, his sunglasses pushed up on his forehead, his Six Eyes scanning the traces in the room with curiosity—the nearly stationary stone, the special footprints left by Nagi's high-speed movement, and the dummy that was still swaying slightly.
"Satoru."
Nagi retracted his Cursed Energy, the Crimson Eyes fading, and greeted him. He was already used to Gojo Satoru's elusive nature and the insight of the Six Eyes.
Gojo strolled over, his finger easily penetrating the high-density "Xu" force field to crush the stone.
"Tsk tsk, compressing the 'Xu' field to this density? Not a bad idea~ Although this thing is basically non-existent to Ore-sama." He bragged as per routine, but then stroked his chin.
"However, against those idiots who rely on speed for a living, it should be super effective!"
Gojo then looked at the inhuman footprints on the ground used for leverage. "Oh? Instant explosive speed changes? Achieved through a pulsed 'Shun' field? Not bad, Nagi, your brain is flexible!"
Finally, his Six Eyes focused on the dummy, seeming to see more residual traces of the force field.
"Hm? That last one just now... was a bit interesting!" He looked like he had found a new toy, leaning in to examine the dummy, then looking back at Nagi.
"Unfolding two opposite fields simultaneously? You really dare to think! Aren't you afraid of the field conflict frying your brain? But... heh heh, I like this chaotic feeling! It would be awesome for setting people up!"
He slapped Nagi on the back hard, nearly knocking the wind out of the exhausted boy.
"Not bad, not bad! Keep developing! Sorcerers need to think outside the box! But..."
Gojo's tone shifted. Although his voice was still nonchalant, the content hit the mark.
"Don't forget the foundation! No matter how flashy the field is, it's supported by Cursed Energy. Your total Cursed Energy amount, output, and most importantly—your sense for a 'Domain'. These are the things that determine where your ceiling is. If you need a sparring partner, just say the word~ I guarantee I'll beat you up with even more creativity!"
After speaking, he left like a gust of wind, most likely to find Geto Suguru or Shoko, leaving Nagi standing there to digest his words.
Although Gojo Satoru's words sounded like a joke, they pinpointed the core again: the basis of all techniques remained the "Quantity" and "Control" of Cursed Energy, and that ultimate realm—Domain Expansion.
Nagi took a deep breath and looked at his hands. The road was long, but the direction was clear. He packed his things and left the training ground, having a more defined blueprint for his future cultivation in his mind. The desire to become stronger, and the curiosity to explore the ultimate form of his technique, had never been so intense.
Outside the window, the noisy voices of Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru could be heard, along with Shoko's faint, helpless sigh. The corner of Nagi's mouth unconsciously curved into an imperceptible arc.
This kind of Jujutsu High life wasn't bad.