Early morning, Star Plasma Cult training ground.
The morning mist at the training ground had not yet been fully dispersed by the rising sun. The blue-gray stone floor was damp with a cool moisture. On the Cursed Tool targets stacked at the edge, several slash marks of varying depths still held the shimmering remnants of Cursed Energy, like stardust scattered across the stone surface.
Rin stood in the center of the grounds, having changed into a crisp black training uniform. His sleeves were casually rolled up to his forearms, revealing his taut, well-defined wrists.
He had just finished his warm-up, and the burning sensation of active Cursed Energy still lingered at his fingertips. A faint afterimage of black-red Cursed Energy could even be vaguely seen in his palms.
He had woken up before dawn. Hearing Geto Suguru mention training this morning, he didn't want to waste the opportunity. By the moonlight outside his window, he had dressed, activated his Cursed Energy in his room beforehand, and even forgotten to prepare breakfast.
When he looked up, he saw Geto Suguru walking over slowly.
His black monk robe swayed gently in the morning breeze, and his long hair was neatly tied up with a wooden hairpin. The complex expression he wore yesterday when discussing "ideals" had faded from his face, leaving only a sense of composure. He carried a dark wooden box in his hand, its wood grain imbued with a faint fragrance.
"Morning."
Geto Suguru stopped in front of him. His gaze swept over Rin's steady stance and slightly tense shoulders, a flash of approval passing through his eyes. He had only told him to come early yesterday; he hadn't expected him to arrive this early and even complete his warm-up so thoroughly.
He pointed at Rin's empty hands, his tone filled with natural concern: "You came so early, you haven't had breakfast yet, have you?"
Rin was slightly taken aback, then nodded gently, his tone carrying a hint of unperceived unease:
"I ate plenty last night, I'm not hungry yet." This was half-truth, half-lie. Last night's dinner was indeed warm and filling, but this morning his mind had been entirely on training; he hadn't thought about eating at all.
Geto Suguru didn't expose the lie, simply smiling as he led him to sit by the stone bench at the edge of the grounds and placed the wooden box on his lap to open it.
The moment the lid was lifted, steam mixed with fragrance poured out. Two rice balls were neatly arranged, wrapped in crispy nori with salty plum in the center. Beside them was a small bowl of miso soup, with tender yellow scallions floating on the surface. The warm mist blurred the grain patterns on the edge of the wooden box.
"Eat something to hold you over."
Geto Suguru pushed one portion of the rice ball and soup bowl to Rin, while picking up the other. He didn't rush to eat, but looked at him with a serious, cautionary tone:
"Training is important, but growing is also important. You're only sixteen; this is the time when your Cursed Energy and body develop in sync. Training on an empty stomach makes your Cursed Energy prone to instability."
Rin's fingertips tightened slightly as he gripped the rice ball.
The crisp crunch of the nori was exceptionally clear in the quiet morning mist, but his heart felt as if it were enveloped by the warmth from the soup bowl.
In his previous life, ever since he could remember, he had been counting clouds behind the iron bars of an orphanage. Later, he rented a ten-square-meter room in a strange city, worked overtime until late at night, and could only eat cold convenience store bento boxes. When he was sick, he had to cook even a cup of hot porridge himself. The word "care" had always been just a line in anime, never truly falling upon him.
After transmigrating into this Jujutsu World, he had engraved "survive on your own" into his heart. Even when approaching Geto Suguru, his initial thought was only to "borrow his resources to become stronger." He had never imagined someone would remember whether he had eaten or not, let alone bring him a hot breakfast.
A strange, aching sensation welled up from his chest to his nose. Rin quickly took a large bite of the rice ball and vaguely changed the subject:
"This rice ball... is delicious."
Geto Suguru watched him wolfing down the food, a hint of a smile curving in his eyes:
"Miguel made it. Don't let his rugged appearance fool you; he's very skillful. Everyone loves to fight over the breakfast he makes."
"Miguel?" Rin looked up abruptly, his mouth still stuffed with rice, his eyes full of surprise. He hadn't expected that big black man to be capable of making such delicate rice balls?
No wonder he always wore a chef's hat. This contrast made him unable to help but speed up his chewing, finishing the rice ball and soup in a few minutes, not even leaving the scallions at the bottom of the bowl.
Geto Suguru ate leisurely, gently wiping the corner of his mouth with his fingertips. After Rin tidied up the bowls and chopsticks, he stood up and walked to the center of the training ground.
He raised his hand to check the antique wristwatch on his wrist. The hands had just passed seven o'clock. The morning sun happened to pierce through the last layer of thin mist, casting clear shadows of the two on the stone ground. The hem of the black monk robe and the corner of the training uniform swayed gently in the light and shadow.
"Starting today, I will conduct a three-month training program for you."
Geto Suguru's voice was calm but carried an unquestionable force. His gaze landed in Rin's eyes:
"These three months won't be easy. Cursed Energy manipulation, Cursed Technique refinement, combat response, and the basics of [Cursed Spirit Manipulation]—I will teach you everything bit by bit. The daily training volume will be more intensive than anything you have experienced before."
Rin immediately straightened his posture, his eyes lighting up, his tone eager:
"Shall we start by copying [Cursed Spirit Manipulation]?" He still remembered how Geto Suguru manipulated Cursed Spirits yesterday. His Sharingan was already itching to try, wanting to engrave the logic of that Cursed Technique into his mind.
But Geto Suguru shook his head and pulled a yellowed ancient book from his robe. The edges of the pages were frayed, and the words "Cerebral Cursed Principles" were written in ink on the cover.
He spread the ancient book on the stone table, his fingertip landing on the tangled line diagram in the center:
"The most important thing now is to first understand what your Cursed Technique is actually about. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare to rashly let you copy too many Cursed Techniques."
He looked up at Rin, his tone guiding: "Do you know why most Jujutsu Sorcerers can only master one or two Cursed Techniques in their entire lives?"
Rin obediently shook his head.
Although he had some knowledge of the Jujutsu World in his previous life, he dared not reveal it at this moment. He simply followed Geto Suguru's lead, staring intently at the diagram, waiting for him to continue the explanation.
"Because the essence of a Cursed Technique is the imprint of 'Cursed Energy operation logic' in the brain." Geto Suguru's fingertip moved along the lines on the diagram, tracing a clear trajectory.
"Every Cursed Technique has a unique Cursed Energy flow path, Finger Seals sequence, and mental command. This information is like a seal, firmly engraved in specific areas of the brain. But human brain capacity is limited, like a bookshelf filled with books. If you want to stuff new books in, you either have to squeeze out the old ones or break the bookshelf."
He paused, raised his hand, and tapped his temple lightly, his tone becoming more serious:
"The brain capacity of ordinary Jujutsu Sorcerers can at most accommodate one or two basic Cursed Techniques. Even for gifted Jujutsu Sorcerers, they cannot stably control more than five Cursed Techniques."
"Once you forcibly imprint too many Cursed Techniques, the brain cannot withstand the conflict of Cursed Energy logic. At best, the Cursed Technique will go out of control, and the Cursed Energy will backlash against you, causing your arms to go numb and your meridians to burn with pain. At worst, it will damage your brain, turning you into a useless person unable to use Cursed Energy, or even endangering your life."
Rin looked at the "Cursed Technique Imprint Zone" that Geto Suguru's fingertip had traced over.
He suddenly remembered the bone blade and Silk Binding Cursed Technique he had copied using the Sharingan, and a thin layer of cold sweat quietly broke out on his back. It turned out his previous "greed" had hidden such a huge risk.
And Geto Suguru hadn't directly taught him how to copy Cursed Techniques, but instead taught these basic Cursed Technique Principles first, all for the sake of his safety.
He clenched his palms, and that strange warmth from before quietly welled up again. This time, he didn't change the subject, but softly replied: "I understand, Mr. Geto."