Shen Mo had programmed the Tier Three Jars with a rare drop rate of roughly three percent, with special items ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 transaction points. He was genuinely taken aback that the very first Jar yielded a magnificent prize.
Was this man simply accumulating extreme good fortune?
"What exactly does the Blue Rank signify?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, his face alight with excitement. Could this truly be the ultimate reward from the Tier Three level?
"If the Tier One Jar is for basic experience and the Tier Two is for foundational knowledge, the Tier Three marks the true beginning of formidable power," Shen Mo explained, his gaze sweeping over the awestruck Jonin before returning to the Hokage.
"It is here that genuine treasures rated as Blue Rare, Purple Epic, and Gold Legendary begin to appear. The small azure dragon you witnessed is the signature of a Blue Rare treasure being successfully opened."
As he spoke, the azure dragon dissipated, leaving behind glittering blue vapor clinging to the lip of the Jar.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's excitement was palpable. If a mere Martial Poem from a Tier Two Jar could grant him five minutes of peak-level power, what terrifying ability resided in a Tier Three Blue Rare prize?
"Hokage-sama, look inside now!" Nara Shikaku urged, abandoning his usual indolence in his sheer anticipation.
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly reached into the Jar and drew out the contents.
It was a jet-black, ancient Inkstone.
The moment it was pulled free, a palpable, sharp aura of killing intent permeated the air. Traces of dried, dark blood stained the stone's surface. When Sarutobi grasped it, he felt as if he were holding a legendary, peerless demonic blade—its intensity was visually dazzling.
"This is a Literary Treasure, a masterpiece of martial calligraphy," Shen Mo announced. "The demonic dragon blood staining its surface appears to be the source of its immense rarity. It contains a Martial Poem of staggering destructive power."
"A Martial Poem..." Hiruzen Sarutobi thought of the invigorating scroll he carried and examined the inkstone closely.
Indeed, two lines of tiny script were engraved onto the stone—the famous, desperate battle ode, "The Song of Jing Ke Assassinating the King of Qin."
"The wind howls..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi began to read, activating only a minuscule portion of his Talent Energy, but after just those first two words, his face dramatically paled.
His Talent Energy began flowing uncontrollably, a torrent being drawn out by the power of the ode. No! The Talent I possess may not be sufficient to finish even one recitation!
"This battle song is not for simple invigoration," Shen Mo chuckled, reading the Hokage's distress. "You lack the fundamental skill to safely activate it. Furthermore, it represents a single, lethal strike—it will absorb a monstrous amount of skill when utilized, but its resultant power will be commensurately formidable."
"I lack the capacity to even use it?" Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a wave of profound frustration. He had finally pulled a magnificent treasure, yet it remained beyond his reach.
"Do not despair," Shen Mo said, gesturing toward the remaining Jars. "If your determination is absolute, one of these ten Jars contains the Job Change Item. Successful Job Change will grant you a core power source, dramatically increasing your natural capacity."
"A Job Change opportunity..." Hiruzen Sarutobi focused fiercely on the remaining nine Jars, his fists clenched tight. Absolute determination! He was prepared to sacrifice anything to ensure Konoha and the Will of Fire endured.
The atmosphere was tense. Every Jonin was emotionally invested in the Third Hokage's fateful draw.
Sarutobi resumed opening the Jars. The second contained a trivial assessment paper. Then came Experience Orbs, then Talent Orbs, then an obscure scholarly text... Sarutobi grew faster, discarding the lesser items with barely a glance.
When he reached the final two Jars, his hands were trembling, despite a lifetime of navigating mortal crises.
He took a final, deep breath and quickly opened both.
The moment one of the Jars cracked open, two colossal beams of light—one pitch black, the other dazzling white—shot out. They instantly intertwined in the air, swirling around each other until they formed a perfect Tai Chi Bagua diagram, emitting an impossibly mysterious and profound aura.
"The Great Dao is Yin and Yang; the Limitless is the Great One," Shen Mo murmured, gazing up at the symbol. "This is the Job Change Scroll for the Yin-Yang School. I must be honest, Hokage-sama, your chance of successfully Job Changing right now is less than ten percent."
"The Yin-Yang School..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression shifted, recognizing the name. He knew the concept of Yin and Yang energies existed in ninjutsu, but this was different. The knowledge he had absorbed from the Tier Two Jars confirmed that the Yin-Yang School was a terrifyingly comprehensive, albeit complex, path.
"Lord Shen Mo, what precisely is the philosophy of the Yin-Yang School?" Hiashi Hyuga asked, his curiosity overriding his caution.
"The essence of this school lies in the belief that all phenomena—the celestial and the terrestrial, the day and the night—can be fundamentally abstracted into two concepts: Yin and Yang," Shen Mo explained slowly.
"This school transforms Talent Energy into Yin and Yang energies. At its peak, a master can influence the creation of all things and fundamentally alter reality."
The description was startling, but Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, recognizing the elemental overlap with his own knowledge.
"Allow me to demonstrate."
Shen Mo smiled, and the Staff he carried instantly transformed into a giant, sweeping calligraphy brush. His eyes momentarily shifted, one turning pure black, the other brilliant white, swirling with an esoteric divine light.
He channeled a small portion of energy and wrote in the air with thick, gleaming ink, speaking the words as he inscribed them:
"Tens of thousands of leaves and flowers are flying, autumn orchids are growing on the flat ground."
As the phrase was completed, the written words seemed to merge with the very atmosphere, echoing with magnificent power. Shen Mo flicked the brush, and in an instant, countless autumn leaves billowed out, swirling around the Konoha ninja like a golden, swirling tide.
Simultaneously, where the leaves touched the ground, vibrant chrysanthemums and exotic orchids sprang forth at unnatural speed, their petals mixing with the leaves in a stunning, dazzling display of creation.