Byakugan and Shikotsumyaku

Everyone stared at Lin Chuan in bewilderment. What was the point of stripping before a fight? Was he trying to seduce them? They must be overthinking it!

Even Zhang Leyang and his two companions looked at Lin Chuan with suspicion, though they quickly snapped out of their confusion regarding the clothes, recalled by the words Lin Chuan had spoken just before.

"We will not abandon our friends!" Zhang Leyang replied instantly.

"Hmph, none of you are escaping, you bunch of trash!" one of them said, looking at Lin Chuan with disdain. He had seen plenty of people like this—those who overestimated their abilities and tried to buy time for their companions—but none of them ever lasted long against them; it was entirely futile.

"Don't worry, they are no match for me. You go first; once I finish them off, I'll catch up immediately!" Lin Chuan said in a calm, low voice. He then lowered his tone further to tell the three, "I simply don't want you to see some of my trump cards. This is my secret, and I hope you can respect that. Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to leave these people for you to handle yourselves!"

Lin Chuan's words left the three of them exchanging glances. They didn't know if he was telling the truth, but the calmness in his voice and his unchanging expression made them feel that he was sincere. Still, turning and fleeing wasn't their style, especially since Lin Chuan was fighting entirely for their sake.

Lin Chuan's Byakugan scanned the six men opposite him. They had stopped in their tracks, looking at the four of them with mocking expressions, as if waiting for them to finish their last words before attacking.

Lin Chuan knew clearly that using a technique like the Great Fireball Technique here would inevitably trigger violent fluctuations in spiritual energy. He hadn't known before, but now that he was aware of what lay beneath the ground, he dared not use such ninjutsu lightly.

Perhaps the reason the Lin Clan forbade anyone above the Foundation Establishment Stage from entering this place was precisely for this reason, as those above that stage could utilize spells.

The moment he stripped off his outer clothes, Lin Chuan had decided to use the Shikotsumyaku. Compared to ninjutsu, which would cause intense spiritual energy fluctuations, taijutsu was far better. Furthermore, the Shikotsumyaku was a Kekkei Genkai, not a spell, and it consumed significantly less spiritual energy, making it the optimal choice for Lin Chuan in his current state.

Of course, the Gentle Fist was also an option, but the nature of the Gentle Fist meant it wouldn't deliver a lethal blow instantly, forcing Lin Chuan—who wanted a quick resolution—to abandon it.

However, if Zhang Leyang and the others refused to leave, he would have no choice. If he didn't want to expose the Shikotsumyaku, Lin Chuan might have to resort to the Gentle Fist, and based on his assessment of the three, it was highly likely they wouldn't leave.

It took a long time to describe, but these events transpired in an instant. To Lin Chuan's surprise, Zhang Leyang did not follow his instructions to leave, but he also didn't insist on joining the fight; instead, he turned and led Zhang Mo and Zhang Wei into the cave behind them.

"I respect your decision, but if you encounter danger, we will intervene!"

Zhang Leyang dropped these words and entered the cave with his back to Lin Chuan. He hadn't run away, nor had he abandoned Lin Chuan, as that went against his principles, but he simultaneously respected Lin Chuan's approach.

Protecting the secret of one's trump cards was something every cultivator did. A trump card was a person's final resort; once exposed, it lost its intended effect. Therefore, no matter the cultivator, a trump card was their most vital bottom line for survival. They would never use it casually in front of others unless they were absolutely trusted, or unless they had reached a level of invincibility.

Lin Chuan's lips curled slightly; this was indeed a good choice. He immediately turned his gaze toward the six men opposite him.

The combination of the Byakugan and the Shikotsumyaku—the mere thought of it filled him with anticipation. Both of these Kekkei Genkai were the pinnacle of close-quarters taijutsu. Such a combination was a unique and powerful alliance. Excluding the power of the Six Paths, no one in the entire Naruto world possessed two Kekkei Genkai, let alone two that complemented each other so perfectly.

"Kid, if you're done with your last words, it's time to send you on your way!" As the words fell, one of the six, a cultivator at the sixth level of the Qi Refining Stage, lunged forward, heading straight for Lin Chuan.

In everyone's eyes, this single person was enough to crush Lin Chuan; there was no need for the rest of them to intervene. Some were even preparing to head toward the cave to seize the Crimson Flame Lotus.

The sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator charged at Lin Chuan using a strange, erratic footwork. This was a reward he had obtained after passing the Lin Clan Assessment. While not a spell, it made his attack direction unpredictable, which was quite practical during the Qi Refining Stage, where combat was limited to close-quarters.

However, under Lin Chuan's Byakugan, all of this was riddled with flaws and served no purpose at all.

Perhaps the Sharingan surpassed the Byakugan in capturing subtle movements, but it was undeniable that the Byakugan, as one of the three great ocular powers, possessed unique advantages in close combat and taijutsu, which was especially evident when one's strength was not yet high in the early stages.

In the later stages, the utility of the Byakugan did indeed diminish, falling short of the monstrous capabilities of the Sharingan. But by then, Lin Chuan would have no need for the Byakugan, for he would possess the Tenseigan—the ultimate form of the Byakugan, which held the power of both creation and destruction.

With a swish, Lin Chuan flashed forward, landing precisely and skillfully in front of the cultivator, blocking his further movements and instantly breaking his strange footwork.

"How is this possible..." The man looked at Lin Chuan in disbelief. A kid with a lower cultivation than his own had actually seen through his footwork! How could this be? It must be a coincidence, he thought.

However, just as he prepared to crush Lin Chuan with his superior strength, Lin Chuan's palm struck toward his chest at a tricky angle, as if he had perfectly predicted the man's next move, bypassing all his defensive measures.

To the man's astonished eyes, a slender bone spur suddenly protruded from the palm Lin Chuan had aimed at his chest. With a puchi sound, it pierced into his chest, penetrating his heart before he could even react.

The punch the man had thrown was blocked by a bone that had protruded from Lin Chuan's own chest, stopping it dead in its tracks.

The smiles on the faces of the five men behind him froze instantly. In the blink of an eye, the companion they thought was strong enough to crush Lin Chuan had suddenly gone limp. A blood-stained, bone-like object slowly retracted from his back, and his body collapsed to the ground, becoming a corpse.

At this moment, the bone spur in Lin Chuan's right palm had not fully retracted, and the bone protruding from his chest remained exposed, both stained with blood, looking eerie and terrifying.

"Next, it's your turn!" Lin Chuan said with a calm expression, raising his right hand, the blood-stained bone spur pointing directly at the remaining five.