For the next week, Logan stayed in Luoxue Village, temporarily taking on the role of a barefoot doctor.
This remote mountain village, constantly battered by snow and wind, left its residents with coldness lingering deep in their bones. Ailments like joint pain in the knees, waist, hands, and feet were commonplace.
While treating Bai's mother, Logan made an important discovery. As his ripple energy clashed with the deeply rooted cold in her body, the ripples condensed and strengthened much faster than during ordinary training.
Although the other villagers carried milder coldness and lacked the mysterious power Bai's mother possessed, their sheer number and steady flow allowed Logan to test and refine his technique continuously.
Of course, Logan couldn't keep asking Bai's mother to be his test subject forever. After all… she had a husband.
Fortunately, the villagers' steady stream of ailments gave Logan plenty of practice. Slowly but surely, he broke through the bottleneck that had hindered him for so long.
> "The first stage of ripple training," he recalled, "heals surface wounds and boosts physical strength two to threefold."
During previous bounty missions, Logan had also discovered that ripple energy could be infused into weapons. Once channeled, it would transform into silver ripples, enhancing the weapon's cutting power and durability.
> "That was the second stage," he thought. "But back then, the transformation was crude. Only a fraction of the ripple energy would convert properly."
Now, that had changed.
A turquoise ripple surged from Logan's fingertip. He touched a nearby cup of tea. The surface of the liquid instantly hardened, becoming tougher than steel—resisting even his touch.
When those same green ripples were channeled into his feet, Logan could run freely atop water surfaces, defying gravity.
He extended a finger and gently hooked it. The tea floated upward like a silk ribbon, hardened mid-air, and then reshaped itself into a small but impenetrable shield.
Then, the ripple glow turned crimson. Heat surged through the air. The tea shimmered, then exploded into steam. Logan struck the rising vapor with a ripple-infused punch—
BOOM!
A powerful blast of steam erupted, sending his hair flying backward.
> "A steam explosion…"
The power far exceeded his expectations.
> "The first stage releases ripples externally," Logan reflected, "but the second stage uses controlled breathing to perform Nature Transformation, allowing me to adapt to different combat situations."
Crimson ripples: superheated energy.
Green ripples: water manipulation and fluid control.
Silver ripples: metal-like enhancements—boosting hardness, sharpness, and elasticity.
But the strongest ripple?
Logan opened his palm again. A flicker of golden electricity crackled into existence.
Previously, his ripples had taken the form of radiant golden light.
Now, this yellow ripple was more condensed—more focused. The difference was subtle but undeniable.
> "Yellow ripples," Logan whispered.
He sensed that this variation possessed the greatest frontal attack potential. Though the nature of it was still unclear, the sensation in his bones told him he had entered a new realm.
Then, Logan clenched his fist and summoned Star Platinum, Aerosmith, and Hermit Purple.
His stand abilities were the manifestation of his spiritual will. As Logan's body and soul continued to strengthen, so too did the power of his stands.
> "If it didn't require time and dedication to master," he mused, "Ripple Breathing would easily be a five-star technique. Maybe even comparable to a six-star stand ability."
> "When I finally perfect the Yamabuki-colored Ripple Sprint—the pinnacle of Nature Transformation—I'll be able to deliver punches nearly as powerful as Star Platinum's base form."
He imagined a scenario: his enemies, thinking they'd outsmarted him, bypassed Star Platinum to strike at his "helpless" body—only to be blown away by a single devastating punch.
> "Coming to Luoxue Village was worth it," he thought. "Without this opportunity, who knows how long it would've taken to break through."
Logan exhaled slowly and retracted the ripple energy.
---
Knock knock—
Before Sasuke could open the door, a woman in her early thirties burst into the clinic. Still beautiful and charming, she removed her cotton jacket mid-stride, revealing a loose-fitting bra and a generous expanse of snow-white skin.
"Doctor Logan," she said with a sultry voice, "please treat me again. My shoulder still hurts a little—"
Yank!
Before she could finish, a short-haired woman pulled her away.
"Get in line! I was clearly here first! If Dr. Logan's gonna touch someone, it should be me first!"
"Like hell! I was here before both of you!"
A chaotic chorus of arguments erupted outside the clinic, with women of all ages jostling for position.
It wasn't just the healing that attracted them.
Logan's ripple treatments had a tingling, almost euphoric effect. Combined with his Uchiha-model good looks—and the rumor that he wasn't married—Logan quickly became the village's hottest commodity. Even widows from neighboring villages arrived, hoping for treatment (or more).
Sasuke shrank into the corner and whispered, "Brother Logan… women are scary…"
"They sure are," Logan replied with a grin. "So don't get caught."
"Caught?" Sasuke blinked. "Caught by women?"
Logan asked, "What do you think would happen if another village or organization captured you?"
"They'd torture me?" Sasuke said. "Try to steal your techniques or my Sharingan?"
Logan shook his head. "No. You wouldn't die."
"…I wouldn't?"
"In fact," Logan continued, "you'd be treated like royalty. Every day, they'd feed you delicacies—twenty lamb kidneys, thirty beef eggs, unlimited oysters—and then…"
His smile widened.
"Breeding."
"M-Meat?!" a small voice screamed in shock.
It wasn't Sasuke—it was Xiaotao, reading in the corner. Her eyes went wide with horror.
"Yes," Logan said calmly. "Killing you and taking your Sharingan would be a waste. They'd rather keep you alive, and use you to produce a new army of Uchiha. In just a few decades, an entire battalion of Sharingan wielders could be born."
Sasuke tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… for men, that doesn't sound so bad…"
Logan chuckled.
"You think they'd send beautiful women to your bed? Think again. To create powerful offspring, they'd send only the strongest, most muscular women imaginable."
He paused dramatically.
> "Every day, a different heavyweight from the far northeast would crawl into your bed."
Sasuke visibly shivered.
Xiaotao couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into laughter, hiding her face in a book.
Logan smiled.
Then, a familiar shout came from outside—
"Logan! Come here for the test!"
It was Dao Ye, the knife master.
"Coming!" Logan called back, stepping outside.
---
Meanwhile, at the county magistrate's residence...
Governor Morimura sat comfortably in a chair. A dark-skinned maid from the Land of Lightning stood beside him, pouring wine into his glass.
Oddly, there was no alcohol smell.
He was drinking plain water.
Morimura, in his early forties, was short and stocky, with thinning hair and a forgettable face. Yet he ruled the region with absolute authority.
He never drank alcohol—it dulled the senses and led to poor decisions. And Morimura didn't tolerate mistakes. He'd risen from poverty through clever business deals, strategic bribery, and sheer cunning.
He liked being served. But he loved being in control.
In front of him, the local accountant read through the previous month's income and expenses, line by line.
"Wait," Morimura interrupted. "Luoxue Village hasn't paid this month's heating tax?"
"No," the accountant replied. "The two warriors we sent to collect it had their legs broken. They were chased out."
Morimura vaguely remembered someone mentioning it. He didn't care about underlings getting hurt.
But cutting off his revenue?
Now that was unacceptable.
"Call those two warriors."
A few minutes later, two men—one tall, one short—hobbled in on crutches. Both had clearly taken a beating.
They dropped into a deep kneel.
"Sir! You must seek justice for us!" they cried in unison.
Morimura listened to the report. Logan and Sasuke were described in exaggerated terms—like monsters from a nightmare.
"So… very strong?" Morimura asked calmly.
"Extremely!"
The warriors waved their hands wildly, painting Logan and Sasuke as terrifying demons. They insisted they had no choice but to retreat.
"Got it," Morimura nodded. "You may leave."
Confused, the warriors hobbled away.
Morimura sat in silence, thinking for five long minutes. Then, he issued an order:
"Go to the treasury. Prepare one box of gold and silver, two bolts of fine cloth, and two beautiful women. Send them with the Wolf Squad to Luoxue Village…"
He paused, then added:
"…and give the gifts to that powerful man."
> "A proper tribute."
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