"You... when did you..."
Lin Jin did not answer immediately.
His Three-Tomoe Sharingan rotated slowly in the moonlight, its scarlet glow reflected in the stocky man's pupils.
"From the moment you said you were going to kill me," he said flatly.
The stocky man's legs gave out, and he fell to his knees.
He looked down at the wounds covering his body, then at the tall, thin man lying lifeless nearby, and forced a bleak smile.
"Genjutsu! So it was Genjutsu! Two Source Energy Stage fighters, and we didn't even get a chance to fight..."
He raised his head to look at Lin Jin, a final trace of madness flashing in his eyes.
"You think killing us will be the end of it? The organization won't let you off. You can't imagine the resources our organization has!"
With that, his body crashed to the ground.
Lin Jin walked over to him, confirmed that both men were dead, then deactivated his Sharingan.
From beginning to end, he had not moved a single step.
[System: Detected host killing 2 Source Energy Stage Awakened. Gained 200 points of World Power.] [Current World Power: 360 points]
"I can gain World Power even without killing supernatural entities?"
"Looks like killing any enemy grants World Power."
Lin Jin glanced at the system notification, then clapped his hands together.
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"
Scorching flames spewed from his mouth, instantly engulfing the two bodies on the ground.
The flames burned at an extremely high temperature. Within seconds, both men had been reduced to ashes.
The night breeze swept past, scattering the ashes into the darkness as though nothing had happened.
Lin Jin dusted off his hands, though there was no dust on them, then turned and continued walking.
After a few steps, he stopped and glanced back at the secluded park.
"Dark Moon..." he murmured.
Then he looked away and continued toward the noodle shop.
Whatever else happened, he still had to eat.
Meanwhile, in an unfinished building on the outskirts of Jiangcheng.
Old Seven and Old Nine sat in a dim room, a laptop before them displaying surveillance footage of that secluded park.
They watched Lin Jin get stopped by the two men, watched the men attack, and watched Lin Jin stand motionless while the two subordinates attacked each other like madmen until both fell.
Finally, they watched Lin Jin breathe fire, destroy the bodies and all traces of them, then leave as though nothing had happened.
The footage froze on his retreating figure.
The room was deathly silent.
After a long while, Old Nine spoke hoarsely. "He didn't move from beginning to end."
Old Seven's expression was frighteningly grim.
"Genjutsu," he said, enunciating each word. "He controlled both of them with Genjutsu from the start. The two Source Energy Stage fighters we sent didn't even touch the hem of his clothes."
Old Nine fell silent.
The men they had sent ranked in the upper-middle tier of strength among the organization's members at its Jiangcheng base.
They had thought that with two Source Energy Stage fighters acting together, even if they could not bring Lin Jin back, they could at least probe his true strength.
And the result?
He had stood in place the entire time without even raising a hand, and the two Source Energy Stage fighters had killed each other.
"Old Seven," Old Nine said, his voice dry, "do you think... we've provoked someone we shouldn't have?"
Old Seven did not answer.
He stared at the retreating figure on the screen, deep wariness flashing in his eyes.
After a long while, he spoke. "Bloodline Inheritors really are no ordinary people."
"Report his information to the higher-ups. Leave him alone for now."
"Report it?"
"How to deal with someone like him is no longer our decision." Old Seven stood up. "Let the higher-ups decide whether to keep trying to recruit him or... send someone stronger to eliminate him."
He walked to the window and looked at the lights of Jiangcheng's countless homes in the distance.
"There's more beneath the surface of this city than we imagined."
Early the next morning, sunlight spilled through a gap in the curtains into the rented apartment.
Lin Jin sat on the edge of his bed, recalling the Dark Moon Organization those two men had mentioned last night, as well as Bloodline Inheritors...
It seemed this world was more complicated than he had imagined.
He held his phone, Su Qianxue's number displayed on the screen. After a few seconds of silence, he pressed the call button.
The call connected after two rings.
"Lin Jin?" Su Qianxue sounded distinctly surprised. "What made you think to call me?"
As far as she knew, this man never contacted anyone of his own accord.
"I have something to ask you," Lin Jin said, getting straight to the point. "How much do you know about the Dark Moon Organization?"
The other end of the line went silent for a second.
"The Dark Moon Organization?" Su Qianxue's voice immediately turned serious. "They approached you?"
"Yes. Two people claiming to be from Dark Moon came to see me last night," Lin Jin said evenly. "They said they wanted to recruit me."
Su Qianxue's heart skipped a beat. "Then what happened? You didn't agree, did you?"
"I refused."
"Then they attacked?"
"Yes."
Su Qianxue took a deep breath. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." Lin Jin paused. "They're both dead."
"How strong were the people they sent?"
"Two Source Energy Stage fighters. One early-stage, one mid-stage."
Su Qianxue fell silent.
Two Source Energy Stage fighters.
In a place like Jiangcheng, someone at the Source Energy Stage was already strong enough to lead an operations team.
Dark Moon had sent two Source Energy Stage fighters just to approach Lin Jin, showing how much importance they placed on him.
Yet those two Source Energy Stage Dark Moon members had died at Lin Jin's hands so effortlessly.
Su Qianxue took a deep breath and asked, "Where are you now?"
"At home." Lin Jin paused. "I called because I want to know more about the Dark Moon Organization."
Su Qianxue was silent for a few seconds before saying, "This isn't something I can explain clearly over the phone. The situation with Dark Moon is complicated. Are you free at noon? Let's find a café and talk it over."
"All right."
After hanging up, Su Qianxue stared at her phone screen, her brows tightly knitted.
The Dark Moon Organization had set its sights on Lin Jin.
That was not good news.
She got up and headed to the archives, retrieved all the Paranormal Bureau's files on the Dark Moon Organization, and carefully read through them one by one.
Some of the material was classified, but given her clearance and the fact that Lin Jin was already involved, she had grounds to share the necessary information with him.
At noon, at the Encounter Café in Jiangcheng's old town.
By the time Lin Jin arrived, Su Qianxue was already waiting for him at a window seat.
A cup of coffee that had already gone cold sat before her, with a thick document envelope beside her hand.
"You're here?" Su Qianxue smiled when she saw him. "Have a seat. What would you like to drink?"
"Anything."
Su Qianxue ordered him an Americano, then pushed the document envelope toward him.
"These are all the Paranormal Bureau's files on the Dark Moon Organization. Take your time reading them. Ask me if you have any questions."
Lin Jin took it and opened to the first page.
Dark Moon Organization: An evil Awakener organization active worldwide. Worships supernatural powers and advocates "embracing the supernatural resurgence and welcoming a new era."
Membership unknown, estimated at no fewer than one thousand. Strict organizational hierarchy, with ranks divided by "moon": Dark Moon (ordinary members), Silver Moon (elites), Gold Moon (core members), Moon Envoy (senior leadership), Moon Lord (leader).
Operates worldwide, with the greatest activity in Asia.
Lin Jin turned through the pages.
Dark Moon's history could be traced back three hundred years, when it had begun as a secret organization formed by a group of the Awakened seeking eternal life.
As the supernatural resurgence intensified, they gradually grew more extreme and began worshiping supernatural powers, believing that supernatural entities represented the direction of human evolution.
They cultivated supernatural entities and sacrificed living people. Some core members had even willingly transformed themselves into half-human, half-supernatural monsters to obtain longer lives and greater power.
"Those lunatics," Su Qianxue said coldly when she saw him reach that page. "Turning themselves into things neither human nor ghost for their so-called eternal life."
Lin Jin said nothing and continued reading.
In recent years, Dark Moon had become increasingly active, orchestrating numerous large-scale sacrificial incidents around the world.
The Paranormal Bureau, the Demon Suppression Bureau, and official organizations from various countries were all investigating them, but their organization was so secretive that it had never been completely eradicated.
"Who's their leader?" Lin Jin asked.
Su Qianxue shook her head. "We don't know. The Paranormal Bureau has investigated for decades, but all we know is that his code name is 'Moon Lord.' His true identity, strength, and age are all mysteries.
"Some say he's a legendary Awakened from three hundred years ago who has prolonged his life to this day through evil methods;
"others say he's the first human to have successfully transformed into a supernatural entity and is no longer human."
"Those two people who approached you last night," Su Qianxue said, "what did they say? Why did they want to recruit you?"
"They said I was a Bloodline Inheritor." Lin Jin looked up at her. "They wanted me to join them and promised resources, cultivation methods, status, and eternal life."
Su Qianxue's fingers tightened slightly. "Do you believe them?"
"No."
Su Qianxue breathed a sigh of relief.
But immediately afterward, something else occurred to her.
A Bloodline Inheritor.
She had always suspected that Lin Jin was a Bloodline Inheritor. Now that Dark Moon thought so too, that possibility was even greater.
"Lin Jin," she began, choosing her words carefully, "are you... really a Bloodline Inheritor?"
Lin Jin closed the files and looked up at Su Qianxue without answering immediately.
In the Hokage World, he did indeed possess the bloodlines of the Uchiha and Uzumaki Clans. His Sharingan and vast chakra reserves both came from them.
From that perspective, calling him a Bloodline Inheritor was not wrong.
"You could say that." He finally gave a vague answer.
A glimmer of confirmation flashed in Su Qianxue's eyes.
"Then you need to be careful," she said seriously. "Every faction sees Bloodline Inheritors as highly desirable, but also as threats."
"The Dark Moon Organization won't give up on you easily. They sent two Source Energy Stage fighters this time. Next time, it could be someone at the Domain Stage, or even stronger."
Lin Jin nodded. "I know."
Looking at his calm expression, Su Qianxue suddenly had mixed feelings.
This man had clearly been targeted by a massive, evil organization, yet he remained so unruffled.
Did he truly not care, or did he have absolute confidence in his own strength?
"Lin Jin, since you've already come into contact with this level of things, there are some things you should know."
Lin Jin looked at her, waiting for her to continue.
Su Qianxue took a deep breath and spoke slowly.
"This world is far more complicated than you imagine."
Before you continue