Hypnosis of the Sharingan

Hum!

Han Qing felt his brain spin dizzily in an instant, as if endless shadows were rushing toward him. The entire world seemed to recede in a heartbeat; all people and all sounds vanished from his mind, leaving behind nothing but darkness.

It felt as though he were drifting into an eternal slumber—a drowsiness so sudden, unstoppable, and irresistible. All memories dissolved in that moment, leaving only two giant eyes suspended in the black void. They were blood-red, each containing a single tomoe spinning at a speed that fluctuated between frantic motion and absolute stillness. He felt his eyelids growing heavier and heavier, sinking deeper with every passing second.

"Han Qing! What's wrong? What happened to you?" A moment ago, he had been speaking with the white-haired youth opposite them, but the next, Han Qing had gone limp as if his life force had been extinguished. Had the two people beside him not reacted in time, Han Qing would have collapsed completely onto the ground.

Boom!

The drowsiness vanished instantly. Jolted awake by the calls of his companions, Han Qing gripped their shoulders and gasped for air. Sweat drenched his forehead, soaking his entire body as if he had just been fished out of a river.

Just now... what was that? Those eyes... what exactly happened? Why did it feel like so much time had passed...

Han Qing's mind was a blank slate; he couldn't even think coherently. He felt as though he had just walked through a terrifying abyss. If this had occurred during a real battle, he would surely be dead beyond any doubt.

"Be careful... do not look at that white-haired youth's blood-red eyes... otherwise..." Han Qing said, his voice stuttering.

"What blood-red eyes? What is wrong with you? What are you talking about!" The two companions had no idea what had transpired, nor why their strongest member, Han Qing, had suddenly fainted as if struck by some profound terror.

"That white-haired youth... his blood-red eyes—do not look at them!" Han Qing said, clutching his throbbing temples.

"There are no blood-red eyes! The youth's eyes are strange, yes, but they are white pupils in white irises!" His companion's words shocked Han Qing, who looked up at Lin Chuan once more. Sure enough, they were white pupils in white irises!

"Then what just happened?" Han Qing was struck with disbelief.

"If you want the Spirit Cores, you can come and take them yourselves. But you had best think it through—don't forget the three corpses you saw when you entered the Trial Grounds! It wouldn't be pleasant to end up like them in a moment!" Lin Chuan looked calmly at the three men opposite him.

At the same time, he sighed inwardly that the power of the Sharingan was still too weak. After all, it was only a single tomoe, capable of nothing more than the simplest hypnosis; he could not yet unleash any truly powerful illusions. Still, the deterrent effect had been achieved, and that was enough.

Hearing Lin Chuan's words, the expressions of Han Qing and his two companions shifted instantly. They could not forget the terror they felt upon seeing those three corpses after entering the Hunting Grounds. Their bodies were unmarked, yet their internal organs and meridians had been utterly shattered. Those were three Qi Refining Stage cultivators at the third level—only slightly weaker than themselves.

"It was you..." the three of them exclaimed in horror!

"What? Is it strange? You lingered by the people I killed for so long, even stripping the clothes off their corpses—did you think I didn't know?" Lin Chuan said slowly, his gaze cold as he watched the three men before him.

Lin Chuan's words made the trio realize that when they discovered those corpses, this person must have been nearby, watching their every move, yet they had been completely oblivious. Their hair stood on end, and their backs were drenched in cold sweat.

"Sir, please forgive our previous offense. These are all the Spirit Cores we have obtained; consider them an apology. Please let us leave. Furthermore, may I ask for your name? I, Han Qing, will certainly keep it in mind and never dare to offend your prestige again!" Han Qing bowed respectfully, not daring to harbor any ulterior motives.

Although he suspected the white-haired youth might be a paper tiger trying to scare them off, he had no intention of gambling on it.

He knew that even if such a person were severely drained, they were not a match for the three of them—it was simply that the other party had no desire to kill them. Perhaps it was only because they hadn't arrived with the intent to murder and loot that they had escaped with their lives.

Even more terrifyingly, after realizing Lin Chuan's immense strength, he struggled to recall the identity of the dead man and immediately realized he bore a striking resemblance to Yan Kang, the fourth-ranked newcomer.

From his vantage point, the blood and organ fragments spat out by Yan Kang were clearly visible, confirming that Lin Chuan was indeed the expert capable of attacking internal organs and meridians. If a fight broke out, he had no confidence he could survive under Lin Chuan's hand.

If Yan Kang, a sixth-level Qi Refining Stage cultivator, was dead, then he, a fourth-level cultivator, had no courage to fight Lin Chuan—even if the opponent were low on spiritual energy. That would be an act of suicide.

"Lin Chuan!" After a moment of thought, Lin Chuan stated his name. He was certain that after this assessment concluded, his name would inevitably spread among the others; there was no doubt about that.

"This Humble One will remember it!" Han Qing nodded, then pulled his two companions back slowly. Only when they could no longer see Lin Chuan did they breathe a sigh of relief, channeling their spiritual energy to flee at full speed, desperate to put distance between themselves and the white-haired youth named Lin Chuan.

After the three left, Lin Chuan turned his gaze back to Yan Kang and the others. Qin Lang, having wiped the blood and viscera from his body, began to loot Yan Kang's corpse with a look of disgust, taking everything of value. There were quite a few Spirit Cores, including some from the fifth level of the Qi Refining Stage, which made Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi overjoyed, thinking they would no longer have to worry about Spirit Beast cores.

Shaking his head helplessly, Lin Chuan looked at the two surviving companions of Yan Kang. Both were injured, but not severely—clearly, Bu Lianshi and Qin Lang had held back.

This was only natural; the outcome of the battle had little to do with them and depended entirely on the clash between Lin Chuan and Yan Kang. Coupled with their sympathy for the two being oppressed, Bu Lianshi and Qin Lang had not dealt them any fatal blows.

"Faye, is it?" Lin Chuan asked, looking with interest at the tall, exotic man.

"Do whatever you want, kill me or carve me up!" Faye frowned and said coldly.

"If you can make it out of here alive, you can come find me. What Yan Kang couldn't give you, I can!" After saying this, Lin Chuan turned and left with Bu Lianshi and Qin Lang.

"Why should I believe your words? And what could you possibly give me!" Faye shouted loudly.

"A chance to stand at the pinnacle of the cultivation world, a chance to follow me! If you still have dreams of being a powerhouse! As for why you should believe me? Because believing in me grants eternal life!" Lin Chuan said leisurely.