One-third...
That phrase made Xu Ming involuntarily twitch the corner of his mouth.
In his past life, he had played League of Legends and watched competitive gaming.
"Don't give me credit for your achievements—what's yours is yours," Xu Ming said, shaking his head. He had no interest in taking credit for something that rightfully belonged to Orochimaru.
Before Orochimaru could respond, Xu Ming continued, "So, what's your next step?"
"Well, I found that natural energy is far more violent and chaotic than I expected—even more extreme than what's recorded in the data. If chakra is like water, then natural energy is like lava. Just a slight touch nearly tore the skin off my entire body," Orochimaru admitted, rubbing his forehead in frustration.
"That's a serious issue. Do you have a solution?" Xu Ming asked.
He already knew the answer. The Three Great Sage Regions had their own methods for harnessing natural energy, each using a unique technique to mitigate its volatility.
"I need a filter or a stabilizer," Orochimaru mused. "Although natural energy is wild, it doesn't stay that way indefinitely. Over time, it dissipates, gets absorbed, and settles—like lava cooling into solid earth. The natural energy that has undergone such precipitation should be gentler."
He continued, "My plan is to explore deep underground to see if I can find something like an underground river or spring where natural energy has settled. If I can, I'll use it as a medium to absorb and cultivate natural energy."
Orochimaru then looked at Xu Ming, seeking his opinion—not for help, but to gain insight and avoid potential pitfalls.
"The idea is solid, but I doubt you'll find success underground. I'd suggest looking for other forms of natural energy precipitation," Xu Ming said after a moment of contemplation.
"Xu Ming?" Orochimaru was surprised to see him hesitate for the first time.
All along, Xu Ming had always appeared confident and knowledgeable, as though he had everything figured out.
"I'm not an omniscient god—I just know a bit more than you," Xu Ming replied with a helpless shrug.
A smile spread across Orochimaru's face. "It seems that I'm getting closer to your level."
"Indeed," Xu Ming acknowledged with a nod.
As he continued sharing knowledge from the future, Orochimaru's advantage of information gradually increased, allowing him to see things from a broader perspective.
"Going back to your earlier idea—why not search underground?" Orochimaru asked curiously.
"It's difficult to explain. I just have a feeling that something is wrong down there," Xu Ming said, hesitant to reveal too much.
The Divine Tree had once descended upon the earth, absorbing its vitality. When it bore fruit, the entire planet began to wither and crack. The Sage of Six Paths had traveled far and wide in an attempt to mend the damage, but remnants of that destruction still lingered.
The decline of the Kingdom of Roran was a prime example. Located in the desert of the Land of Wind, it had once thrived by harnessing the power of underground dragon veins. However, the dragon vein's energy had weakened over time, forcing figures like Naruto and Minato to seal it completely.
If something as vital as the dragon vein had deteriorated, then the state of the earth's underground energy reserves was likely even worse.
"Hmm..." Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. He didn't press Xu Ming for further explanation but instead contemplated his words carefully.
"In that case, I'll treat the underground option as a backup plan and prioritize my biological approach," Orochimaru decided.
He then explained his biological theory.
Life itself is an embodiment of natural energy, meaning that living organisms naturally accumulate it over time. This was evident in various locations across the ninja world—remote wilderness areas, deep-sea regions, and isolated islands often housed creatures that were abnormally strong and long-lived.
Many of these creatures lacked chakra but possessed remarkable strength and intelligence. This was precisely why ninjas sought them out as summonable beasts.
"It's a great plan, but there's a problem," Xu Ming noted. "Creatures that absorb natural energy usually metabolize it, meaning you might not get much from them."
"That's an issue..." Orochimaru frowned but quickly devised a solution.
"What if I domesticate a group?" he muttered to himself. "I could cultivate them over multiple generations, encourage competition, and select the strongest individual as my test subject. That leader would be my research material!"
Xu Ming couldn't help but admire his quick thinking.
In less than a minute, Orochimaru had found a viable approach.
His mind was truly that of a top-tier researcher.
"I think that's a great idea. I can even assist you with that," Xu Ming offered. "I've been raising an old white ape in the back mountain and have treated it with Yang Release. Its intelligence has reached a level where it can communicate on a basic level. I can instruct it to help you locate a suitable group."
Orochimaru's eyes lit up immediately. "Thank you, Xu Ming!"
For his domestication project, the biggest challenge was gathering information. Since his research was secret, hiring ninjas to assist him was out of the question.
He had assumed he'd have to search for potential candidates himself, but Xu Ming had unexpectedly solved that problem for him.
Wait...
A thought suddenly crossed Orochimaru's mind.
What are the chances that just when I needed an ape, Xu Ming conveniently had one?
Could this also be part of his calculations?
Suspicion flickered in Orochimaru's eyes.
"Alright, I won't disturb your rest. I'll check on you again tomorrow morning," Xu Ming said as he stood up to leave.
"Mm," Orochimaru replied absentmindedly.
"See you later."
With a casual wave, Xu Ming exited the room.
Orochimaru watched his departing figure, his expression unreadable.
"This is too much, Xu Ming..."
"I thought I was finally catching up to you, but I was only seeing the tip of the iceberg. What I perceived was merely a fragment of your true depth—just the portion floating above the surface."
"The real magnitude of you remains hidden beneath the unseen depths."
With a deep breath, Orochimaru steadied himself, his desire to uncover the full scope of Xu Ming's knowledge burning brighter than ever.