Another gain from the deductions of heaven and earth was that Uchiha Yoru had confirmed the advancement stages of the Foundation Establishment realm, as well as the methods required to cultivate through each stage.
But at this very moment, he was already deeply exhausted.
He didn't even want to recall the details of those methods—that was a clear sign that his mental strength was nearing depletion.
Yoru knew what he needed.
Rest.
Real sleep.
So he stopped thinking any further, let his five senses return, and immediately noticed something different on his cheek.
[…Who's licking me?]
There was only one answer.
Miwa Masayo.
Heh… so proactive, huh…
The stimulation roused his spirit just a little. He barely managed to open his eyes, looked toward the calico cat on his shoulder, and murmured,
"Miwa Masayo… this level of initiative is quite surprising."
At last getting a response, Miwa Masayo relaxed instantly and blurted out,
"I thought you were dead! You scared this cat to death!"
"Yeah… I almost was. And I'm still not doing great. I need your help."
"What do you need me to do, meow?"
"I need Miwa Masayo's kiss. A catgirl version would be even better…"
The calico cat exploded.
With a furious flurry of meows, her paw struck his face nine times in a single second.
It was both an outlet for her lingering fear—
And a way to hide her embarrassment.
[Damn it.]
[How dare he tease me?]
[And since when did I accept the name 'Miwa Masayo'?]
In short—
This damn servant needed to be taught a lesson.
A proper one.
She'd scratch his face open!!
But the playful scuffle between the two dao companions didn't last long.
Because Uchiha Yoru was truly exhausted.
Very quickly, he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
No matter how annoyed Miwa Masayo was, she couldn't vent her anger on someone who was already unconscious.
More importantly—
Without a reaction, it wasn't satisfying at all.
So she made up her mind.
She'd wait until he woke up.
And then beat him properly.
Even worse than scratching his face.
...
Uchiha Yoru slept for two full days before finally waking up, fully refreshed.
Miwa Masayo, having waited so long, had already digested all her negative emotions. She no longer felt the urge to "punish" him.
Instead, she easily convinced herself with a reason—
[Exchanging insights on immortal cultivation is far more important than venting emotions.]
[This is a quality every immortal who seeks the Dao must possess.]
Of course, this idea had only just begun spreading through Uchiha Yoru.
And for now, the only one who had accepted it—
Was Miwa Masayo.
In the ninja world, there was no such extended philosophical system rooted in Daoist thought.
Whether ninja or sage—
They were all pure pragmatists.
Pragmatism was good.
Only pragmatism could keep one grounded and solve real problems.
But when taken to extremes—
Pure pragmatism became a trap.
It led to chasing the fastest gains, ignoring long-term consequences, and falling into cycles of internal depletion far more easily than idealism ever could.
At its extreme, pragmatism turned rigid.
Dogmatic.
And once that happened—
There was no path to self-liberation.
The Sage of Six Paths.
The Great Toad Sage.
The White Snake Sage.
The Slug Sage.
All of them seemed trapped in their own respective dilemmas.
Each had mistaken some aspect of their journey—
Some footprint along the path—
For the Dao itself.
Only with a truly sound philosophical foundation could a long-lived being maintain direction.
Only with the right direction could one judge right from wrong.
Only with hope for the future could one restrain desire—
And avoid falling midway.
Right now, Uchiha Yoru and Miwa Masayo were insignificant.
But their future was vast.
Their prospects bright.
One day—
They would leave everyone else behind.
…Though, admittedly—
The fact that all the scratches Miyawa Yoru received healed within seconds did make things a bit frustrating for the cat.
...
Their discussion on immortal breakthroughs lasted for thirty straight hours.
Even Uchiha Yoru began to feel mentally drained.
And Miwa Masayo, who had absorbed massive amounts of information while maintaining intense focus, was completely exhausted. Her head throbbed painfully.
She needed rest.
And—
"Yoru… I'm hungry, meow."
Yoru smiled and stood up.
"Alright. I'll cook something."
They had already been here for over four days.
Most of their food was gone.
Only that massive wild boar remained.
Yoru walked over, carefully inspected the carcass, and decided—
Whole rack of ribs.
Roasted.
Miwa Masayo was too exhausted, so time was tight.
There was no time for marinating.
No time for slow roasting.
He would have to use a different method.
First—
He boiled a section of lake water with flames.
Then threw the entire rack of ribs into it to blanch, removing blood and cooking the meat through.
At the same time, he set up a pot and rendered pork fat into lard.
The crispy fat bits were immediately fed to the calico cat as a snack—
Just enough to keep her from passing out from hunger.
Once the ribs were cooked, he lifted them out, pierced hundreds of small holes using wind blades, coated them with his special sauce, then dropped them into hot oil.
The boiling oil evaporated moisture rapidly, forcing the sauce deep into the meat while tightening its texture.
Yoru watched the timing carefully.
Once most of the moisture had evaporated, he lifted the ribs out and wrapped them in senjutsu flames.
The intense heat instantly dried the surface oil and water, releasing the full aroma of the meat while adding that unmistakable roasted flavor.
Less than ten minutes later—
The roasted ribs were done.
The rich fragrance instantly reignited Miwa Masayo's appetite, briefly restoring her spirit enough for a proper meal before sleep claimed her.
As she enjoyed the food, Uchiha Yoru quietly entered his inner world.
He wanted to see—
What his newly formed third heart-form looked like.
The third heart-form had snow-white, silky fur.
A fluffy, soft tail.
Clear blue eyes.
And when it met his gaze—
It let out a sweet, childish cry.
Soft and milky.
It was a white cat.
A Lung-Spirit.
Uchiha Yoru fell in love with it at first sight.
…Though something felt off.
He already had Miwa Masayo in reality.
So why did he have another cat in his heart?
This was…
Too good.
Two cats.
No restrictions.
Perfect balance.
Heh.
But suddenly—
Yoru snapped out of it.
Something was wrong.
He shouldn't have fallen for it so instantly.
Even if he loved cats, he shouldn't have accepted it at first sight.
That wasn't like him.
When he first met Miwa Masayo three years ago, he had liked her immediately—
But he still spent a long time interacting with her before forming a contract.
The first heart-form, the golden monkey.
The second, the Dang Kang.
Both were adorable.
Yet he felt no particular attachment to them.
Because they were just manifestations of his own nature.
There was no reason to favor them.
Yoru's thoughts raced.
Countless memories and fragments surfaced, compared, analyzed—
Until finally—
He found the answer.
[Feifei.]
[The prototype of the Lung-Spirit… is Feifei.]
[From the Classic of Mountains and Seas: "Mount Huo bears gou trees. Within it dwells a beast resembling a civet, with a long white tail and mane—called Feifei."]
["If raised by humans, it can dispel sorrow."]
[A divine beast that survived by being cute since ancient times…]
[No wonder I fell for it instantly.]
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