Wood Style And Sharingan

Smith stood over Brother Ji, his Sharingan spinning slowly beneath the mask.

"Tell me," he said calmly, "why are you hunting down freshmen from various colleges? Who's behind this?"

Brother Ji's eyes locked onto the swirling red eyes. He froze, dazed for a moment, then slowly answered in a dull, trance-like voice.

"Because… we were all expelled from the academies… We harbor resentment… and this is our revenge."

"No one ordered us… We did it voluntarily…"

Smith's eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you have any other accomplices? Where are they?"

Brother Ji's lips trembled as he responded, "There's no one else… After we were hunted down by Huangshi College… our brothers are all that's left…"

The moment he finished speaking, Brother Ji's body slumped. He passed out, the last of his strength gone.

Smith stood and turned to Mingyun and the others. "Captain, the interrogation is complete."

Silence.

The rest of the team looked at him, stunned. Though their expressions were hidden behind masks, the way they stood revealed their shock.

Mingyun was the first to break the silence. "How… how did you get him to talk so quickly?"

Their team had countless methods of extracting information. Psychological pressure, physical torture, interrogation techniques refined through years of experience—but none of those methods produced results this fast.

This? This was something else.

"He gave up everything without resistance…"

Smith replied calmly, "It's one of my special abilities. You could call it… an advanced interrogation technique."

He intentionally avoided revealing the truth about the Sharingan. Even among teammates, not every secret needed to be exposed. He hadn't even told Jiang Lei, his own father, everything about his abilities—why would he tell Mingyun and the rest?

Mingyun's eyes glinted behind his mask. "Incredible… I didn't expect you to have this kind of power. From now on, you're in charge of interrogations. We've needed someone with a talent for it."

Torture was always difficult work—painful for the victim and exhausting for the interrogator. Even with years of training, it wasn't always effective. Smith's strange ability to get straight answers without any effort was nothing short of miraculous.

"You know," Hong Feng chimed in, "I also noticed something else during that last fight. You seem to be able to copy other people's powers. Am I right?"

She had watched it all—the hand signs, the timing, the replication of special abilities down to the last detail. It had left her shaken.

This wasn't a technique you could learn by observing. This was duplication in its purest form.

"Copy powers?" Mingyun was shocked. "You mean Smith has even more strange abilities?"

He suddenly realized how little he truly understood about Smith.

"Technically, yes," Smith replied calmly. "But I can only copy the five basic elemental powers. Anything beyond that—like illusion, beast taming, or transformation—I can't replicate."

He had figured this out the night before. When he'd obtained the five elemental demon core stones from the Burning Fire Clan in the City of Sin, his Sharingan had been able to assimilate those elemental powers.

Otherwise, even with the Sharingan's copying ability, he wouldn't have been able to use elemental techniques he didn't possess.

And while he could mimic combat techniques and movements, special categories—like illusion-based, puppet-style, beast-taming, or beast-transformation types—were still beyond his scope.

Still, the ability to copy five elemental systems?

That was a staggering revelation.

"I see," Mingyun murmured. "You already had Wood and Spirit Eye powers… and now you've added five elemental types…"

"Wait, that makes seven total!" Hong Feng gasped.

Everyone froze for a beat as they processed what that meant.

Seven powers.

A single-series power was ordinary.

Dual-series was considered talented.

Triple-series was elite.

Quad-series was legendary.

But seven? That was unheard of.

Even in the entire Holy Empire, there were no known psychics who wielded seven different types of power.

"Don't exaggerate," Smith said, scratching the back of his head. "It's not like I was born with all of them. I only have the capacity to copy five elements because of those demon core stones. And I can't always copy every technique either."

Still, the rest of the team couldn't help but be amazed.

Even if he hadn't been born with it, he possessed it now.

"Having you in the team is a real blessing," Hong Feng laughed. "We got ourselves a monster."

Mingyun added with a grin, "From now on, you're not just our interrogation expert. In combat, if we're outnumbered, it's up to you to mimic our enemies' powers and turn the tide."

The whole team chuckled, the tension easing into genuine joy.

They weren't just being friendly—they were thrilled to have someone as gifted as Smith on their side. A powerful team meant more successful missions, higher-level assignments, better compensation, and greater resources.

"All right," Mingyun called, "We've finished the mission. Let's clean up and head back."

"I'll drive!" Hong Feng grinned and sprinted back to the wooden cart, already pulling out a second-level demon core to use as fuel.

Clearly, she was excited to race again.

"Alright, alright," Mingyun sighed, shaking his head. "You can drive."

Just as everyone climbed aboard, a flash of golden light sparked from Mingyun's chest. A yellow talisman shot into the air and floated above them.

"A message?" Smith asked.

The glowing talisman was a note transmission scroll, a two-way communication tool powered by spatial abilities. While limited to one-on-one conversations, it allowed for instant communication across vast distances.

Jiang Lei's voice came through the floating scroll. "Mingyun, how's the mission going?"

"Just wrapped up. All rebels have been dealt with. We're getting ready to return," Mingyun replied.

"Don't head back yet. Ten kilometers east of your location, scouts from Xiahai Academy found a small monster nest. It looks like there might be a fourth-order monster hiding inside. I need you to head over and assist."

"Understood."

The talisman dimmed, ending the call. Mingyun stowed it away.

"New orders," he said. "Ten kilometers east. Monster nest. Let's go."

"Roger!" Hong Feng chirped. "Buckle up!"

With a loud rumble, the cart accelerated, the second-level demon core glowing in the engine socket. The wooden vehicle shot forward, kicking up a trail of dust behind them as they headed toward their next objective.

Smith leaned back in his seat, the wind rushing past.

He had only just joined the Executive Department, but already, things were moving fast.

But that was fine by him.

If it brought him closer to uncovering the secrets of the Burning Fire Clan, and protecting the people he cared about, then Smith was ready for anything.

Especially now—when his powers were growing faster than ever before.

Øóffer going on for diamond tier

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