Although she had expected as much, seeing him manipulate his Cursed Energy so easily still left Utahime Iori somewhat impressed.
But the next second, her expression turned serious again.
“All right.
Now control that mass of Cursed Energy.
Gradually increase it while keeping it as stable as possible.
Don’t let it fluctuate too much.”
“In actual combat, Jujutsu Sorcerers always have to adjust their Cursed Energy output according to the strength of their target.
If you can’t control it precisely, you’ll either use too much force or fail to put out enough power to break through their defenses.
I don’t need to tell you what kind of consequences that could have, do I?”
Tōru Azuma nodded, then focused on the Cursed Energy in his hand and gradually began increasing his output.
The mass of deep blue flame slowly expanded, but at the same time, it began flickering and shifting unstably.
All he could do was try his best to keep it from going completely out of control.
Gradually, the mass of Cursed Energy grew to roughly twice its original size.
By then, however, it was already on the verge of collapse, constantly warping as though it might burst apart at any moment.
Watching the unstable mass of Cursed Energy, Utahime visibly grew more nervous than before, even taking an instinctive step backward.
The moment she realized what she had just done, her expression stiffened slightly.
She immediately resumed her stern tone.
“Now hold it steady, then control that portion of Cursed Energy and channel it back into your body!”
Seeing her reaction, Tōru Azuma actually felt a little like laughing, but he was in no position to laugh right now.
He had to devote his full attention to slowly compressing the Cursed Energy back down, like forcing a raging river back into its channel.
It was no easy task.
After all, if it really exploded, he might end up hurting himself.
Then he would have to make a trip to the infirmary, and if anyone asked what had happened, he would have no idea how to answer.
Was he supposed to tell them that he had accidentally blown himself up while practicing Cursed Energy control?
That would be way too embarrassing.
Fortunately, the worst-case scenario never happened.
Before long, the mass of Cursed Energy safely shrank back down.
Utahime, however, did not end the exercise there.
Instead, she gave him a new instruction.
“Good.
Now we’ll rest for thirty seconds, then repeat the entire process over and over until you can control it freely.”
As time passed, his control over Cursed Energy steadily improved.
At first, he could barely keep it stable, but eventually he became able to increase and decrease it with practiced ease.
The entire process took only two or three hours.
His progress was so fast that even Utahime Iori found it hard to believe, to the point that she started wondering whether he was some kind of monster.
Of course, if Tōru knew what she was thinking, he would probably only feel helpless.
The reason was the same as before.
She had never seen someone who was truly absurdly overpowered.
In the original story, there was a guy who went from an ordinary person to a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer in barely more than ten days.
Tōru had no idea what that person’s exact growth process had looked like, but something this minor would probably have been effortless for him. New chapters come out on g.com first.
Besides, the reason Tōru was progressing so quickly now might also have something to do with the Black Flash he had landed earlier.
He had passed out at the time and never experienced that special state consciously, but his body had probably retained at least some trace of the sensation.
At that point, Utahime also gave her assessment of the training so far.
“From the looks of it, you’ve more or less completed the basics of static control.”
Halfway through speaking, she seemed to remember something.
She set the book in her hand aside, picked up the chalk she had specifically asked for earlier, then drew a long, straight line from where Tōru Azuma stood toward the other end of the training ground.
Along the line, she marked five separate points.
Noticing his curious look, she explained.
“This is the next stage of training.
You need to move along this line while continuously increasing and decreasing your Cursed Energy.”
“You’ll start by walking, then move on to running.
Each stretch between markers represents one full cycle you have to complete.”
Compared with the previous exercise, this one was clearly much more difficult.
Moving was fundamentally different from standing still.
Once he started moving, not only his breathing but even his accelerating heartbeat could interfere with his control over Cursed Energy.
Walking was manageable at first.
Tōru Azuma could maintain his Cursed Energy perfectly while making several trips back and forth.
But once he switched from walking to jogging, his control became noticeably less stable.
His Cursed Energy began rising and falling unpredictably, and he could no longer maintain it perfectly.
Utahime said nothing and merely watched in silence, but Tōru was unwilling to accept defeat so easily.
He repeated the exercise again and again.
He kept going until the sun sank toward the horizon and the sky took on a dusky golden hue.
By then, Tōru Azuma’s entire concentration was fixed on the mass of Cursed Energy in his hand.
So far, he had done remarkably well.
He had already passed the first three markers, leaving only the final two stretches.
He could faintly feel his control beginning to slip, but he was still managing to hold it together.
Utahime Iori, who had been observing him from the side, unconsciously held her breath.
Tōru might have thought he was still falling short, but in Utahime’s eyes, what he had accomplished was already impressive.
She could not even remember how long it had taken her back then just to get through the first and second stages of this training.
Around half an hour, perhaps even an hour ago, she had already considered calling an end to the session and telling her junior to go back, rest, recover, and continue tomorrow.
But when she saw the stubborn refusal to give up in his eyes, she abandoned the idea and silently allowed him to keep practicing again and again.
The determination and seriousness in that gaze were so intense that she could not help thinking:
With that kind of perseverance, even if his natural talent isn’t exceptional, he should still become a very dependable Jujutsu Sorcerer someday.
In the past, she had spent so much time feeling sorry for herself, yet she had never pushed herself as desperately as this junior or moved forward with the same unwavering determination.
Thinking about it now, she really did feel as though he had shown her up a little.
Despite those thoughts, her attention immediately returned to Tōru Azuma.
He had now passed the fourth marker while continuing to expand and contract his Cursed Energy.
This time, the Cursed Energy in his hand did not feel as though it were about to break apart or slip beyond his control like before.
Instead, at that moment, he felt strangely clear and focused.
And that feeling proved accurate.
His Cursed Energy remained steady throughout the entire process without any violent fluctuations.
When he finally stopped at the end of the route, he turned and looked back at the path he had taken, almost unable to believe it.
After several hours of running back and forth, the white chalk line on the ground had been rubbed away until it was barely visible.
There was no question that all that effort had been worth it.
Seeing him standing there in a daze, Utahime Iori remained silent for a moment before speaking again, her voice returning to the stern tone of a strict instructor.
“If you can manage this much, then it looks like you really did take what I said seriously.
You managed to increase and retract your Cursed Energy while running, but there were still a few moments where it became slightly unstable.
You felt that too, didn’t you?”
Tōru Azuma did not deny it.
There had indeed been one moment when he almost felt his control slipping.
Although he had suppressed it in time, there had still been a faint fluctuation.
Seeing that he did not argue and simply admitted it, the corner of Utahime’s mouth twitched slightly.
It was hard to tell whether she was pleased or trying to hold something back.
“The fact that you managed this today only proves that you haven’t been slacking off.
It doesn’t mean you’ve completely mastered it yet.
No getting arrogant, understood?”
Her voice rose slightly when she said “arrogant,” as if she were deliberately emphasizing the word.
Yet there was also a trace of lightness in her tone that even she herself did not notice.
Tōru Azuma knew she was only saying it for his own good, so he smiled and nodded.
That, however, only seemed to annoy her.
“What are you smiling about?”
“Nothing.”
He put away his smile and stood up straight.
“Understood, senpai.
I won’t get arrogant.”
Utahime Iori gave a small huff, then turned around as though she intended to end the conversation and leave.
But after taking two steps, she glanced back over her shoulder and spoke in an unusually gentle voice.
“…It really was a little better than I expected.
Just a little.”
With that, she left the training ground.
Tōru Azuma watched her retreating figure, then lowered his gaze to his own palm.
After looking up at the sky once more, he turned and left the training ground as well.
Today’s training really had been exhausting.
He needed a good rest.