"Buzz—"
A faint buzzing sound rang in Rin's mind. He squeezed his eyes shut, and when he opened them again, the Double Tomoe in his eyes had already transformed. A third tomoe quietly emerged, the Three Tomoe arranged in a triangular pattern. The crimson glow was sharper than before, glinting with a dangerous and dazzling luster in the morning light.
"It's a success." Geto Suguru stepped forward, his gaze falling upon Rin's Three Tomoe Sharingan, a flicker of approval flashing in his eyes. "Try out your new abilities and see if there are any changes."
Without hesitation, Rin cast his gaze toward a distant Cursed Tool target.
In the next second, his pupils constricted. The target, which he could previously only see the shape of, now had its surface wood grain and hidden internal Cursed Energy nodes clearly visible. His Insight ability was at least three times stronger than when he had the Double Tomoe.
He looked back at Geto Suguru. Instantly, the complete flow path of Cursed Energy for the Cursed Spirit Manipulation Geto had just used to summon and kill the Cursed Spirits surfaced in his mind. His copying speed was several times faster than before.
Facing a technique as structurally complex and logically precise as Cursed Spirit Manipulation, the Three Tomoe Sharingan in Rin's eyes displayed astonishing compatibility. The crimson tomoe spun at high speeds visible to the naked eye, clearly capturing every Finger Seal gesture and every branch of Cursed Energy flow demonstrated by Geto, rapidly deconstructing them in his mind.
This copying speed was more than several times faster than when he had copied the Long-Haired Cursed Spirit's Silk Binding Cursed Technique.
Rin estimated silently that at his current deconstruction efficiency, it would take three minutes at most to completely copy the core framework and basic logic of Cursed Spirit Manipulation, thoroughly internalizing it as a technique he could deploy himself.
If he had used the previous Two Tomoe Sharingan to copy Cursed Spirit Manipulation, it probably would have taken a full hour, and he would have had to repeatedly review memory fragments to fill in the details.
The copying ability of the Three Tomoe had now achieved a qualitative leap.
To his even greater surprise, along with the evolution of the Sharingan, his total Cursed Energy had also undergone an explosive growth. Based on his perception and calculations, his current Cursed Energy reserves were equivalent to the sum of eleven Grade 1 Cursed Spirits, nearly ten times more than before. The Cursed Energy flowing through his body had also become more condensed, no longer possessing the rawness and instability of the past.
The improvement in his physical attributes was equally significant. His muscular explosive power had increased; Cursed Tools that previously required his full strength to lift could now be easily picked up with one hand. His reaction speed had also quickened considerably, and even his skin's strike resistance had improved.
However, Rin also keenly sensed a bottleneck. He could clearly feel that the efficiency with which his Cursed Energy and body absorbed Grade 1 Cursed Spirits was declining.
If he continued to devour Grade 1 Cursed Spirits, the gains in Cursed Energy purity and physical strengthening would become increasingly faint, potentially leading to a stagnation period where no matter how many he absorbed, there would be no obvious improvement.
To achieve the next major breakthrough in Cursed Energy, physique, and the Sharingan, ordinary Grade 1 Cursed Spirits were clearly no longer enough. Rin's gaze unconsciously darkened as a clear realization formed in his mind: he needed stronger 'nourishment.'
Special Grade Cursed Spirits.
Regarding the evolution of the Sharingan alone, he could vaguely sense that the threshold to move from Three Tomoe to Mangekyo was extremely high. He would likely need to devour at least ten Special Grade Cursed Spirits to accumulate enough energy to break through the evolutionary barrier.
This number sounded staggering, but it also made his next goal much clearer.
Back to the present.
The most surprising thing about the Sharingan's evolution was that he could clearly sense a new power deep within it. It was the basic fluctuation of Genjutsu. If he wished, with just a single glance, he could turn his mental energy into an invisible blade to directly affect his opponent's consciousness.
"I've awakened a new ability, Genjutsu, and my Insight and copying abilities have also been greatly enhanced."
Rin deactivated his Sharingan and looked at Geto Suguru, his tone unable to hide his joy and gratitude. "Thank you, Mr. Geto."
From the moment Rin began absorbing those nine Grade 1 Cursed Spirits, Geto Suguru's gaze had never left him.
He watched as the black Cursed Energy surged into the crimson tomoe in Rin's eyes, seeing the boy's Cursed Energy fluctuations shift from raw to condensed, and even his muscle definition hint at greater explosive power. Geto unconsciously rubbed the edge of his sleeve with his fingertip. Rin's Sharingan was simply a 'bug' never before seen in the Jujutsu World. To evolve and grow stronger just by devouring Cursed Spirits—this near-'predatory' method of growth made even him feel a sense of wonder.
When Rin said he had awakened Genjutsu, Geto Suguru was truly taken aback for a moment. Cursed Energy quietly gathered beneath his black monk robes, and a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes as he spoke with anticipation:
"Oh? Genjutsu? What kind of Genjutsu? Can you show me?"
Rin didn't say much, only nodding slightly.
In the next second, the crimson Three Tomoe suddenly lit up in his eyes like three burning blood-colored vortices, looking directly into Geto Suguru's eyes. The moment their gazes met in the air, the atmosphere seemed to freeze.
Geto Suguru immediately tensed his nerves, his black Cursed Energy forming an invisible barrier around him. As a top-tier sorcerer, he maintained extreme vigilance against Mental Interference Techniques.
But after waiting for several seconds, Rin was still standing in the same spot without moving. The wind in the training ground blew as usual, and even a few bird calls came from the distance. Everything was no different from normal.
"What's going on?" Geto Suguru frowned, his tone filled with confusion. "Have you started, Rin?"
He was met with Rin's complete silence.
The youth stood in the morning light, his eyes still glowing with the crimson tomoe, but his body was like a frozen statue, not even a fingertip moving.
Geto Suguru's perception instantly expanded. Rin's Cursed Energy wasn't disordered, and his breathing was so steady it was almost eerie. This'stillness' was definitely not a pretense; instead, it was like a film frame suddenly freezing, creating a jarring contrast with the flowing environment around them.
"Could the technique have failed, causing an accident?" A hint of worry rose in Geto's heart. He no longer hesitated and strode toward Rin, reaching out to check his pulse.
But just as his fingertips were about to touch Rin's arm, the youth before him suddenly dissipated like mist, leaving only empty morning light behind.
"Not good!" Geto Suguru recoiled a step, shock flashing in his eyes. He finally realized that from the moment his eyes met Rin's, he had already fallen into an Illusion! The'stillness' and 'dissipation' just now were all Illusions created by the Genjutsu.
He immediately mobilized his entire body's Cursed Energy, attempting to break through the shackles of the Illusion.
As a sorcerer proficient in Cursed Spirit Manipulation, he knew very well that most mental Illusions worked by interfering with the five senses. As long as he found a flaw in those senses, he could break the situation.
Cursed Energy flooded his body like a tide. His hearing, vision, and touch were forcibly amplified. He could even hear the sound of his own blood flowing, and he finally captured a hint of abnormality. Though the bird calls in his ears were realistic, they kept repeating at the same frequency, like a programmed loop.
"Now!" Geto Suguru's eyes sharpened. He raised his hand and used Cursed Energy to condense a small black blade, slashing his palm fiercely.
The intense pain instantly shattered the repetitive auditory interference, exploding like a thunderclap deep within his consciousness. The Illusion before him crumbled and vanished like shattered glas