Su Qianxue stared at him blankly.
Instinct drove her to rush forward and throw her arms around Lin Jin.
"You scared me to death..."
Her voice was muffled against his chest, a hint of tears in it.
Lin Jin stiffened at her sudden embrace.
He raised his hands, leaving them suspended in midair, unsure where to put them.
Only after several seconds did he gently pat her back.
"It's all right now."
Just four simple words.
Yet they sent Su Qianxue's tears spilling over completely.
In the distance, Chen Mo, Chen Feng, Fang Rou, Zhou Yan, and countless awakened members of the Paranormal Bureau stood at the edge of the square, watching the scene.
No one spoke, and no one interrupted.
They simply watched in silence.
They watched the man who had protected the entire city single-handedly.
They watched the woman crying like a child.
They watched the two figures embracing beneath the moonlight.
After a long while, Su Qianxue finally let go. Coming to her senses, she seemed to realize something and hurriedly stepped back, wiping away her tears.
"Sorry... I lost my composure."
Lin Jin looked at her, an almost imperceptible trace of gentleness flashing through his eyes.
"It's fine."
Su Qianxue took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure.
"That... S-Rank Weird?"
"Dead."
"And the S-Rank Weird Domain?"
"Gone too."
Those two simple words sent towering waves surging through the hearts of everyone who heard them.
At some point, Chen Zhenshan had also arrived at the square.
He looked at Lin Jin, his eyes filled with mixed feelings.
After a long silence, he stepped forward and bowed solemnly to Lin Jin.
"Mr. Lin, on behalf of the Jiangcheng Paranormal Bureau and Jiangcheng's million citizens, thank you for saving our lives."
Lin Jin looked at him and shook his head slightly.
"No need."
"I only did what I wanted to do."
"If you really must thank me, just count it toward my payment."
"Pfft!" Su Qianxue could not help laughing at the mention of payment.
Chen Zhenshan straightened and said earnestly, "Regardless, the Jiangcheng Paranormal Bureau will remember this debt. If you ever need anything, Mr. Lin, just say the word."
"And of course, our Paranormal Bureau will make sure you're satisfied with the payment this time."
"Mm." At that, Lin Jin said no more. He looked at the nearby Paranormal Bureau members and said, "Then I'll leave the rest of the cleanup to your bureau."
"That is our duty to begin with!" Chen Zhenshan nodded.
"Then, until next time!"
With that, Lin Jin vanished into a twisting vortex.
Looking at the spot where Lin Jin had disappeared, Chen Zhenshan sighed in wonder. "He really does come and go without a trace! To think Jiangcheng had someone so formidable hidden away."
He turned toward Su Qianxue, who stood dazed nearby.
"Team Leader Su, lead your teams in reassuring the public and cleaning up the aftermath. Once you're done, each of you is to submit a report."
"Yes, Director." Su Qianxue came to her senses, turned toward her teammates, and waved her hand. "Everyone, follow me."
Watching Su Qianxue and the others leave, Chen Zhen shook his head.
He knew a little about why Su Qianxue, a daughter of the Su Clan's main line, had come to this remote city to take up a position as a Paranormal Bureau team leader.
Now there was Lin Jin as well. He had no idea whether that was a blessing or a curse.
After returning to his rented room, Lin Jin immediately sat cross-legged on the bed and sank his consciousness into the System Space.
[Current world power: 7,880 points] [Abilities available to unseal] [Dōjutsu · Kagutsuchi: costs 1,000 points] (Allows manipulation of the shape of Amaterasu's black flames) [Dōjutsu · Kotoamatsukami: costs 3,000 points] (Allows manipulation of a target's thoughts without their awareness) [Hashirama's Sage Mode: costs 5,000 points] (Absorbs natural energy to enter Sage Mode, greatly enhancing the power of Taijutsu and Ninjutsu while granting extraordinary recovery abilities) [Sage body: costs 10,000 points] (Grants a sage body on Hashirama Senju's level, allowing wounds to heal automatically without hand seals, drastically increasing chakra reserves, and awakening Wood Release.)
Lin Jin studied the list, lost in thought.
Although Kotoamatsukami was powerful, at a cost of 3,000 points, it currently offered less value than Sage Mode. It could wait.
Sage Mode, meanwhile, provided an all-around increase in strength. And once he unlocked the sage body later, Wood Release would also need Senjutsu's enhancement to unleash its greatest power.
As for the sage body, it required ten thousand points. He was still a little short.
He silently said to himself.
Spend 6,000 points to unseal the Dōjutsu Kagutsuchi and Hashirama's Sage Mode.
[Unsealing Dōjutsu: Kagutsuchi...] [Unsealing complete] [Unsealing ability: Hashirama's Sage Mode...] [Unsealing complete]
A warm power welled up within him, instantly flowing throughout his body.
Lin Jin closed his eyes, feeling every detail as his new abilities merged into his body.
First came his eyes.
Deep within his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, Kagutsuchi's power was awakening.
He could clearly sense that his control over Amaterasu's black flames had reached a new level.
Those black flames, which he had previously only been able to release passively without controlling them, could now take any shape he wished.
They could become a shield, blocking every attack.
They could become a spear, piercing every enemy.
They could become a net, trapping every quarry.
He could even coat Susanoo's weapons with them, adding Amaterasu's terrifying properties to those already powerful attacks.
Next came a deeper transformation.
Hashirama's Sage Mode.
Lin Jin sensed the chakra within him beginning to resonate with the surrounding natural energy.
The air, the earth, and even the moonlight contained natural energy.
That energy had originally drifted freely, unable to be absorbed by ordinary people. But the moment Sage Mode was unsealed, it seemed to find an entrance and began slowly flowing into his body.
Lin Jin did not resist, allowing the natural energy to merge with his own chakra.
An unprecedented sense of fullness spread through his body.
He could feel his perception expanding, his physical functions improving dramatically, and his chakra recovering faster.
Lin Jin rose and walked over to the mirror.
In his reflection, faint markings had appeared on his forehead, the hallmark of Sage Mode.
Dark shading appeared around his eyes, adding a mysterious sense of pressure to his already deep gaze.
He raised a hand, gathering a mass of chakra in his palm.
The chakra was more condensed and purer than before, as though it contained nature's vitality and power.
"That familiar feeling is back."
Lin Jin dispersed the chakra, and the markings on his forehead and the shading around his eyes slowly faded.
He withdrew his gaze and looked out the window.
Jiangcheng's night had returned to its usual tranquility.
Only the occasional wail of sirens in the distance reminded people of what had happened that night.
Lin Jin returned to the bed and sat cross-legged.
Kagutsuchi.
Sage Mode.
Unsealing these two abilities had taken his strength another great step forward.
At full power, he would have few opponents in the Transcendent Stage.
However...
He looked at the [Sage body: 10,000 points] option on the system panel.
Ten thousand points.
That would be the true qualitative transformation.
Hashirama Senju's sage body combined with the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan would make him the strongest existence beneath the Sage of Six Paths.
At that point, never mind SS Natural Disaster Level-even against SSS Six Paths Level, he would have the strength to fight.
Lin Jin gathered his thoughts, closed his eyes, and began regulating his breathing.
Although that night's battle had been a one-sided rout, creating clones repeatedly and using both Susanoo and an enormous Dust Release had consumed a considerable amount of his ocular power and chakra.
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