Night fell over the Lin Family.
The noise from the awakening ceremony had mostly died down, but people were still talking.
And almost all of it—
Was about Lin Jin.
In a small, worn-out room in the western courtyard—
Lin Jin sat on his bed, legs crossed.
A weak candle flickered beside him.
The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
But his mind wasn't.
[System Interface Activated]
A dark panel appeared in front of him.
Only he could see it.
Host: Lin JinRealm: Body Tempering Stage, Level 3Soul Seal: Devouring Origin Seal (Fragment – 99% damaged)
Lin Jin stared at the last line for a while.
Not trash.
Just… broken.
Very broken.
But not useless.
That alone was enough.
He let out a slow breath.
"Show me everything."
[Core Functions]
Devour Evolution Analysis Store (Locked)
Simple.
But dangerous.
Lin Jin's gaze stopped on one word.
Devour.
"…So that's the key."
He raised his hand.
The black seal appeared again.
Still cracked.
Still weak-looking.
But now—
It felt different.
Like it was waiting.
[Devour can be activated]
Lin Jin stood up and walked to the corner.
He picked up a small pouch.
Inside were a few low-grade spirit stones.
All he had.
He held one in his hand.
Hesitated for a second.
Then—
"Let's see."
[Devour activated]
The reaction was immediate.
The black seal trembled.
Then a pulling force appeared.
Not strong—
But steady.
The spirit stone in his palm started to dim.
Slowly at first.
Then faster.
Within a few breaths—
It turned into dust.
At the same time—
A stream of energy flowed into his body.
Clean.
Direct.
No resistance at all.
Lin Jin's expression changed slightly.
"This…"
It was too smooth.
Almost unnatural.
[Energy conversion: 100%]
He didn't stop.
Another stone.
Then another.
The energy kept flowing in.
His body started heating up.
Muscles tightened.
Breathing grew heavier.
But it wasn't painful.
It felt… controlled.
Then—
A soft crack.
Something inside him shifted.
Body Tempering Stage, Level 4.
Lin Jin opened his eyes.
For a moment, he didn't move.
Just felt it.
The strength.
The stability.
Even his earlier injuries were almost gone.
He looked down at his hand.
Then at the empty pouch.
Nothing left.
Still—
Not enough.
Not even close.
[Soul Seal Repair: 1.2%]
Lin Jin frowned.
"That slow…"
So spirit stones weren't the real solution.
Or at least—
Not efficient enough.
He already knew the answer.
Soul beasts.
Only those things—
Had enough energy.
Just then—
The system responded again.
[New Task]
Hunt and devour a 10-year soul beast
Reward:
First Soul Ring adaptation +1% Soul Seal repair 100 points
Lin Jin read it twice.
A soul beast.
Even the lowest level—
Wasn't something to take lightly.
Plenty of people died trying.
He knew that.
Everyone did.
But he didn't hesitate.
Not this time.
He stood up and walked outside.
The night air hit his face.
Cold.
Clear.
Beyond the city walls—
A dark mountain stretched into the distance.
Black Wind Mountain.
A place people avoided.
A place where people disappeared.
Lin Jin looked at it for a long moment.
Then took a step forward.
"I don't have time to wait."
His voice was quiet.
But firm.
"If I want to stand up…"
"I have to take it."
The wind picked up slightly.
His figure moved forward.
Step by step.
Into the dark.
Somewhere deep inside the forest—
Something shifted.
A pair of eyes opened.
Watching.
Waiting.