Arrancar Rivalry? Zhu Mao Wants to Grow Strong!

Only after Lu Ming's figure disappeared behind the wooden cabin did the Arrancars kneeling on the ground dare to slowly raise their heads. A trace of lingering fear remained on every face.

Giant Fang was drenched in cold sweat. He looked at his faintly trembling hands.

Master... is terrifying...

He no longer dared entertain even the slightest thought of challenging Lu Ming's authority.

Black Blade looked at his cowardly elder brother, then glanced at the silent Zhu Mao. A complicated glint flashed through his narrow eyes.

Within this team, they so-called "Arrancars" would forever be nothing more than lowly servants before their master.

Their sole value was carrying out their master's orders.

Any internal strife or petty schemes seemed laughable and powerless before their master's absolute control...

Lu Ming returned to his wooden cabin and only let out a long breath after closing the door.

Putting on a show is exhausting.

He had appeared calm and composed just now, but in truth, he had pushed his spiritual power to its limit.

Intimidating three Arrancars at once, especially newcomers like Giant Fang and Black Blade, who were clearly troublemakers, placed a considerable burden on his current spiritual power.

Still, the results were obvious!

That display of killing the chicken to scare the monkeys would be enough to snuff out the slightest hint of discord within the team for a while.

But he knew it was only temporary...

Suppressing is worse than guiding.

Forcibly keeping them down would never be a lasting solution.

He could suppress Giant Fang today because Giant Fang had only just become an Arrancar, and his awe of Lu Ming still lingered at the soul level.

Once enough time passed and Giant Fang fully adapted to his own strength, ambition would inevitably begin to grow again.

By then, if Zhu Mao and Feng Qie were still unable to advance in strength, they would inevitably be left far behind.

If the gap in strength within a team became too great, it would eventually fall apart.

I have to find a path for Zhu Mao, Feng Qie, and Yue Xi to keep growing stronger.

Lu Ming sat on the bed and fell into deep thought.

They had to gain the ability to evolve on their own!

But how exactly should Arrancars grow...?

Scenes from that anime in his previous life surfaced in Lu Ming's mind once more...

The night gradually deepened.

Because of the daytime conflict, the atmosphere in the valley had become somewhat stifling.

For once, Feng Qie was not fooling around. He merely sat by the bonfire alone, absentmindedly poking at the flames.

Giant Fang and Black Blade stayed in their newly built wooden cabin and did not come outside.

Xiao Wu sat before her own cabin, watching the scene and feeling somewhat oppressed as well.

Lu Ming must be having a hard time controlling so many powerful subordinates by himself, right?

For some reason, Xiao Wu felt a hint of sympathy for Lu Ming.

Just then, she caught sight of a black figure from the corner of her eye...

It was Zhu Mao.

Where was he going?

Xiao Wu glanced at Lu Ming's wooden cabin. The lights inside were still on.

She hesitated for a moment. In the end, she did not follow Zhu Mao and chose to leave instead.

I have to explain everything that has happened to Lu Ming to Da Ming and Er Ming.

She did not want to keep deceiving Lu Ming like this. Besides, she needed some advice from Da Ming and Er Ming.

Lu Ming's appearance, along with his plan, had already far exceeded what she could handle!

After all, after her Beast Transformation, she was no longer the strongest in the Star Dou Great Forest...

"Knock, knock."

There came a light knock on Lu Ming's cabin door.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Zhu Mao's tall figure appeared in the doorway.

"Master."

He walked in, then dropped to one knee.

"Is something wrong?" Lu Ming looked at him.

"Master, I want... to become stronger."

Zhu Mao raised his head. For the first time, such intense emotion showed in his eight dark-green compound eyes.

It was a thirst for power!

Today's conflict with Giant Fang had deeply provoked him.

He did not want to be surpassed by a newcomer, much less become a burden to his master.

He wanted to grow stronger!

He wanted to become the sharpest blade in his master's hand!

Lu Ming looked at him in silence.

This was exactly what he had hoped to see.

Ambition was a good thing.

But how could he make Zhu Mao stronger?

Images from his previous life's memories flashed rapidly through Lu Ming's mind.

Arrancars, Zanpakutō, Resurrección...

Resurrección?

In the original Bleach, Arrancars could release their Zanpakutō and return to a portion of the form they possessed when they were still Hollows, gaining tremendous power in the process.

This process was called "Resurrección."

Can Zhu Mao and the others use Resurrección?

But the prerequisite for Resurrección was possessing a Zanpakutō.

And a Zanpakutō was formed from the fusion of an Arrancar's own soul core from before becoming an Arrancar.

So where were Zhu Mao's and the others' cores?

Lu Ming carefully examined Zhu Mao from head to toe, sweeping him with his spiritual power again and again.

Yet he found nothing. There was no sign of anything resembling a "core."

Could it be... this path won't work?

Lu Ming frowned.

Just as he was about to give up and think of another way, a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind without warning.

The Domain System? My domain... Self-Contained Perfect Enclosure!

Zhu Mao's and the others' souls were forcibly reshaped by the power of my domain.

Then could their "cores"... also have remained within my domain?

It was a bold idea, yet one filled with possibilities!

"Zhu Mao, stand still."

Lu Ming took a deep breath and activated his first soul skill once more.

"Domain Expansion: Self-Contained Perfect Enclosure!"

Countless pale arms stretched out from the void and instantly enveloped him and Zhu Mao.

Outside, Feng Qie, Yue Xi, Giant Fang, and Black Blade, who had been resting in their respective rooms, all sensed that familiar yet heart-palpitating aura and rushed outside.

They stared at the enormous white sphere that had appeared out of nowhere, their faces filled with uncertainty and shock.

Master has expanded his domain again?

Inside the domain.

Lu Ming closed his eyes and immersed his consciousness entirely into the domain's core.

He could feel that every pale arm forming this domain was linked to his soul.

He began to inspect those arms carefully, inch by inch.

Finally!

Within his spiritual perception, he "saw" it!

Among the countless arms forming the innermost layer of the domain sphere, one hand was distinctly different.

A lifelike spider mark was imprinted upon that hand's palm!

The mark was none other than a Human-Faced Demon Spider!

I found it!

This was Zhu Mao's core!

It was the most fundamental soul imprint left behind after Zhu Mao abandoned his soul beast body...

It had been absorbed and stored by the domain known as Self-Contained Perfect Enclosure!

Lu Ming tried touching the mark with his spiritual power, attempting to peel it away from the arm and transfer it to Zhu Mao.

But he failed.

The mark seemed to have completely fused with his domain and could not be separated at all.

Forcibly removing it won't work...

Then the only option is... to let Zhu Mao take it himself!

Lu Ming opened his eyes and looked at the bewildered Zhu Mao.

"Zhu Mao, look into my eyes."

"Now, feel with your heart."

"Your power, your past, your future... it is all here."

"Go find it, then... take it back!"