Regarding chakra, if Li Xi hadn't had the help of the Two-Tails Matatabi before, how could he have used large-scale ninjutsu as easily as eating and drinking? If he were to release ninjutsu solely based on his Chunin-level chakra, Li Xi might not even be able to defeat Libby.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu"
"Bang"
Two shadow clones appeared. As soon as they materialized, they immediately used the Transformation Jutsu, changing their appearances.
One had greenish skin with a very rubbery texture, gill-like slits on its cheeks, wild, unrestrained blue long hair, and shark-like eyes where the whites occupied over ninety percent. This was a living, upright-walking shark.
That's right, this shadow clone had transformed into Kisame Hoshigaki. With a mouth full of sharp, tiny teeth, he looked like a human beast just released from prison if he were walking down the street.
"My name is Kisame Hoshigaki, wielding Samehada to conquer all..." The shadow clone originally wanted to deliver a cool opening line, but its hands were empty, and its eyes darted around, searching for its matching weapon.
After searching for a long time and finding nothing, 'Kisame Hoshigaki' got angry and roared at the main body, Li Xi, "Main body, where is my Samehada? Without Samehada, what am I, Kisame Hoshigaki?"
Li Xi threw the Executioner's Blade over. "No Samehada, so you'll have to make do with the Executioner's Blade for now."
'Kisame Hoshigaki' was speechless. Without Samehada, there was no channel to absorb chakra. Could he still be called a tailless Tailed Beast?
He kicked the Executioner's Blade back, wishing he could kick the main body in the face. "This sword was used by Mourinho. I'll be too conspicuous. Didn't the dwarves give you all their stock? Pick the best one for me."
Li Xi simply took out two spatial rings and threw them over, one for each. "I've prepared everything. Pick for yourselves."
Li Xi's action made the dissatisfied 'Kisame Hoshigaki' feel a bit better. He took the ring and put it on his middle finger.
The second shadow clone took the spatial ring and put it on its little finger. Its tall stature and tanned skin gave a sense of security. "My name is Stone Pillar. I am a reliable teammate, skilled in Earth Style jutsu and basic taijutsu."
These two shadow clones were the ones Li Xi had prepared to go on missions. To avoid suspicion, he had to use various disguises. If not for the insufficient chakra, Li Xi would have been willing to create thousands of shadow clones and complete all the missions available at the mercenary guild in a single day, allowing him to draw prizes until his hand cramped.
Unfortunately, except for the main body having Matatabi, the shadow clones couldn't get such a super cheat. They could only rely on chakra refinement techniques like ordinary mages, meditating to recover after depleting their internal chakra. Fortunately, the two shadow clones were more adept at taijutsu than mages and better at ninjutsu than warriors. As long as they didn't deplete their energy to the point of vanishing, they could exist indefinitely.
This limited the shadow clones from engaging in ultra-high-intensity combat, confining them to grinding through low-level missions.
The main body plus two shadow clones was the minimum standard of combat power Li Xi could guarantee. Such shadow clones, without using taijutsu, could completely meet the standards of a D-rank mercenary, which was Li Xi's level before yesterday. If they unleashed their taijutsu, C-rank would be no problem. So why not lift the taijutsu restriction?
One reason was to avoid suspicion, another was to play the role of a pig eating a tiger, and finally, it was Li Xi's own twisted pleasure. When enemies, thinking you're a mage, push forward and finally get close to you, and are ferociously about to shatter your frail body, they discover your body is even tougher than a magical beast. Such a scene would surely shock their jaws!
After all this talk, it all came down to Li Xi's chakra quantity severely limiting his strength. How much water a barrel could hold wasn't determined by the highest plank, but by the lowest. Chakra quantity was Li Xi's shortest plank.
Now he had ninjutsu, but not enough chakra. His home was filled with top-tier custom sports cars, but they were out of gas; his rooms were full of world bikini champions, but his crotch was empty; he had the title of Kisame Hoshigaki, but his execution was that of a third-rate thug. This was only because no one in this other world recognized the real Kisame Hoshigaki. Otherwise, seeing such a weak Kisame Hoshigaki would make them laugh their heads off.
Facing the soon-to-be-traveling shadow clones, Li Xi comforted them and painted a rosy picture. "Three people are needed to form a mercenary group. Don't rush, just wait a bit longer. Once I advance again, I'll reach the Jonin level, and I can create a few more shadow clones to handle things. Then you'll be veterans and won't have to work so hard."
'Kisame Hoshigaki' wanted to show a gentle smile, but his current appearance could only scare bad guys to tears. "Are you going to name it 'Akatsuki' as well?"
"Those who know me, know me best."
Stone Pillar was expressionless, calm as stone, and spoke little, indicating he had entered the state.
"I think our road is still long. Everyone in Akatsuki is more abnormal than the last. After you extract everyone, you'll have to transform and substitute. Such a huge amount of chakra, you won't succeed even when you reach Kage level."
"Don't worry. Success or failure doesn't matter. Besides, I don't necessarily have to replicate them perfectly. Stone Pillar isn't an Akatsuki member, and he can still be a member of our Akatsuki if I wish."
"That's right. We are the founders. Even if Jiraiya joined Akatsuki, no one would dare to say anything."
Li Xi sent the two shadow clones away, expecting two mission fanatics to soon appear in Cardo City.
With Dracula fleeing to the abyss, Li Xi felt at ease. In the coming days, he had to prioritize finding the Assassin's Alliance.
Just as Li Xi was racking his brains for any lost clues, there was a movement from his spatial ring.
Li Xi was confused as to why his spatial ring was making a noise. But when he took out a crystal ball and saw a faint light emanating from it, he understood. Demanja had completed his experiment, come out of seclusion, received his message, and was calling him.
Li Xi infused a bit of chakra energy, and a voice rang from the crystal ball, "Young friend, I already know about the Cardo City incident. Come to me now, I have something to tell you."
"All right, Master."
Originally, Demanja needed half a year to complete the experiment, but now he had come out of seclusion in less than two months. Li Xi wondered how the experiment was progressing and couldn't help but guess if the blue dragon Stark had already met a tragic end on the experimental table.
He arrived at Gadro Street, named after the city lord. It was the same dilapidated, seemingly centuries-old, enchanted old door. "Mr. Li Xi, the master has instructed that you can enter directly."
"Thank you. I appreciate it."
The old door creaked open. Li Xi stepped in, his vision flashed, and his body arrived in Demanja the Mage's demiplane. Energy tides churned in the sky, blocking all light and rays that entered the demiplane from outside. The imposing mage tower remained the tallest structure in the entire demiplane, with an energy conduit connecting to the celestial tides, ensuring the mage tower's normal operation.
A six-pointed star array flashed beneath his feet. Li Xi, who had just appeared in the demiplane, vanished from his spot and reappeared in the reception room he had visited before.
Demanja directed various animated life forms to boil water, brew tea, and then serve it to Li Xi.
Demanja was still his usual unkempt self, his clothes tattered. If not for the radiant magical fluctuations emanating from him like the sun, anyone seeing him would mistake him for a dying old beggar.
He wore a relaxed smile, suggesting the experiment had progressed smoothly rather than having been aborted midway. Li Xi silently mourned for Stark the blue dragon for three seconds.
"Master," Li Xi bowed slightly.
"Sit down. You've worked hard for me during my absence from Cardo City."
"It was nothing. I was also doing it for myself."
"Let's not dwell on unpleasant things. In a world of chaos, life and death are predetermined. No one is anyone else's protector. Placing one's safety in the hands of another is inherently absurd. Moreover, such incidents will not cease in the future. Living is good luck, and dying is no one's fault."
"I've called you here because I'm leaving. My experiment has achieved unprecedented success. I need to find more powerful dragons to test my ideas. You are the only one in the entire Cardo City who catches my eye. You are so young and compassionate, a rare kind soul..."
Demanja rambled on and on. At first, Li Xi was secretly pleased as Demanja praised him, considering Demanja's status. Receiving praise from someone like him was akin to a high school student being praised by an academician, a great honor. However, after a minute of continued praise, Li Xi began to feel uneasy.
Seeing Demanja's eyes fixed on him, his mouth spewing words like a mounted Maxim gun, Li Xi's mind flashed, and he realized.
"Since Master is leaving Cardo City, I have nothing to send you off with. I will return now to personally prepare some dishes for Master, so that you can take them out to eat when you desire in the future and not worry about such trivial matters as meals."
Indeed, after Li Xi said this, Demanja instantly stopped his praise, his lips a little dry, and he licked them with his tongue. "My young friend is thoughtful."
"I can't just eat your food for free. If you have any questions you want to ask me, seize this opportunity. We don't know when we'll meet again," Demanja never liked taking favors for nothing, and to avoid awkwardness at future meetings, he felt he should offer something in return for the meal.
"Master, may I learn the method of refining dragon elixirs?"
"Oh? Why do you want to learn this?"
"As you said, Master, we don't know when we'll meet next. Therefore, I want to master this skill." Li Xi stated directly. When it came to ways to improve his strength, he certainly wanted to master it himself. This was one of Li Xi's few weaknesses and something he couldn't let others control.
"My young friend, knowledge is priceless, especially unique skills that only I possess. I cannot teach it to you just for some dishes," Demanja's expression was like that of the stingiest merchant, tightly guarding his purse.
"As long as Master names a price, I will fulfill it."
Demanja pondered for a moment, then looked at Li Xi's even more stubborn eyes and sighed, extending a finger. "I still have some matters to attend to in Cardo City, which will take about ten days. Within these ten days, catch me a dragon, dead or alive, above juvenile. Then I can teach you this method."
"Ten days? A dragon?" Li Xi's expression was a little solemn. The difficulty of this mission wasn't catching the dragon, but finding one. Traces of dragons were too hard to find. But the opportunity to improve his strength was right before him, and Li Xi certainly wouldn't let it pass.
Li Xi's eyes gleamed playfully. If he couldn't find a suitable dragon in these ten days, didn't he still have one at home? When the master has business, the slave obeys. In any case, he was in an invincible position. "Alright, it's a deal."