Developing genjutsu

Led by Qin soldiers, Kazuhiko Uchiha passed through several rigorous identity checks before arriving at the prison beneath the garrison headquarters. In a clean cell, he found Xiao Li wearing handcuffs and shackles.

After waving away the Qin soldiers who had guided him, Kazuhiko Uchiha studied the heroine of the movie with an inquisitive gaze.

Her silver-adorned headscarf had a Western Regions style, her blue-purple ponytail gave her a spirited look, and her fitted outfit bore elaborate patterns without appearing cumbersome. Her clothes were entirely unlike those of women from the ancient Central Plains, brimming with exotic charm.

Looking at Xiao Li's exquisite face, Kazuhiko Uchiha asked a question he already knew the answer to. "You're Xiao Li?"

Xiao Li said nothing and merely watched him quietly, clearly unwilling to converse with an enemy.

Seeing her impassive expression, Kazuhiko Uchiha realized he had drawn a blank and stood there somewhat awkwardly. Then he moved to her side and reached toward her chest.

"Ah! What are you doing?" Xiao Li cried out in alarm. Flustered, she hurriedly covered her chest with both hands and stared warily at Kazuhiko Uchiha.

Her reaction instantly made Kazuhiko Uchiha realize that she had misunderstood his intentions. A rare blush appeared on his face, and he gave a light cough before explaining, "Well, I just wanted to look at your necklace."

Xiao Li's expression softened slightly. Afraid that Kazuhiko Uchiha might get handsy, she quickly took the necklace off and handed it to him.

Xiao Li's necklace was the legendary Goddess's Tear. Its pendant was set with a sapphire-like gem, though its blue was far deeper and more profound than any sapphire.

Kazuhiko Uchiha closed his eyes and brought his spiritual power into contact with the Goddess's Tear. The astonishing power contained within it left him deeply amazed.

As expected of a legendary immortal. A single tear could manifest her power in human form. Just how incredible must the power of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, who had shed that tear, be?

Kazuhiko Uchiha returned the Goddess's Tear to Xiao Li, who had grown slightly weak without the necklace, then left the prison and returned to his quarters. His heart brimmed with anticipation for the Dragon Soul and Chiyou's demonic sword, which likewise possessed the qualities of immortal legends.

With the full support of the border garrison commander, Sui Guo-the fat man with a brutish face known as the "Fruit General" in the movie-the Mechanical Sand Ship was soon loaded with ample supplies.

Early the next morning, Wei Zhuang, the commander of the operation, ordered them to set out. Kazuhiko Uchiha boarded the sand ship with the others, and under the control of the Gongshu Family's disciples, the Mechanical Sand Ship sped into the depths of the desert.

The Rōran Desert stretched endlessly. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but yellow sand and distant pillars of weathered rock. An occasional patch of green appeared, only to be buried moments later by windblown sand.

Kazuhiko Uchiha stood on the sand ship's deck, gazing into the distance. Spotting him, the scantily clad Chi Lian sauntered over with swaying hips and teased, "Young man of the Chiyou Clan, what's so interesting about all that sand and stone? Why not chat with me instead?"

"If the lovely Lady Chi Lian invites me, I would naturally be delighted to oblige." Kazuhiko Uchiha imitated the speech of ancient times, delivering a rather formal reply.

Surprised to receive such a direct compliment from an outsider for the first time, Chi Lian covered her mouth and giggled. "Hehehe, what a silver-tongued little fellow. It seems plenty of innocent girls will be taken in by your sweet words someday."

Kazuhiko Uchiha smiled faintly without arguing. Who knew what the future held? For now, his heart was devoted solely to pursuing strength.

"I hear you're the young lord of the Chiyou Clan. Might you let me witness some of your clan's wonders?" Chi Lian showed intense curiosity about the legendary Chiyou Clan.

"Of course. Be careful." For the sand ship's safety, Kazuhiko Uchiha refrained from using destructive ninjutsu. Instead, he activated his Sharingan and cast an enhanced genjutsu on Chi Lian.

"Genjutsu: Temple of Nirvana Technique!"

Under Kazuhiko Uchiha's control, the genjutsu's range was confined to the area around Chi Lian, and snow-white feathers drifted down onto her.

"Hah!"

As drowsiness washed over her mind, Chi Lian's expression changed. She immediately circulated her cultivation technique, fighting desperately against the genjutsu's intrusion.

Just as Chi Lian was about to succumb to sleep, Kazuhiko Uchiha dispelled the genjutsu and watched with a smile as she let out a long breath of relief.

"What an extraordinary secret technique. The Chiyou Clan truly is remarkable." A sharp gleam flashed in Chi Lian's eyes. Kazuhiko Uchiha's wondrous genjutsu had thoroughly astonished her.

"Haha, you flatter me." Kazuhiko Uchiha smiled calmly, then made a request. "I hear you possess a Baiyue Secret Technique called the Fire Charm Technique, Lady Chi Lian. Could you use it on me once?"

The Fire Charm Technique was one of Chi Lian's signature moves. It was among the few spiritual secret techniques in the world of The Legend of Qin, where martial cultivation focused heavily on the body. It worked along similar lines to the genjutsu of the Naruto World, making it ideal for Kazuhiko Uchiha, whose genjutsu skills were somewhat lacking, to study and learn from.

Chi Lian could not understand why Kazuhiko Uchiha wanted her to use the Fire Charm Technique on him when everyone else shunned it. Still, at his insistence, she unleashed a full-strength attack on him.

As she activated the Fire Charm secret technique, light rippled through Chi Lian's beautiful eyes, and her seductive, searing gaze met Kazuhiko Uchiha's.

Kazuhiko Uchiha met her eyes without hesitation, and his expression immediately went blank. However, thanks to his spiritual power far exceeding hers, he broke free in an instant.

"The Fire Charm Technique really is impressive. For a moment, I truly felt as though I was surrounded by flames." Kazuhiko Uchiha offered his praise freely, having gained a firsthand understanding of the technique.

The Fire Charm Technique could deceive its victim's brain, creating a false perception that their body was being burned by flames. Eventually, their consciousness would burn to death within the genjutsu, and once their consciousness died, their body would naturally be left at anyone's mercy.

Simply put, it manipulated the sense of touch to produce the pain of burns. In a sense, it resembled the Kurama Clan's Five Senses Manipulation genjutsu, though its power and effects fell far short of Five Senses Manipulation.

"As thanks, I'll give you this blood orchid plant. Remember to tend it carefully."

Kazuhiko Uchiha took an intact blood orchid plant from his system space and handed it to the puzzled Chi Lian. He then explained, "Blood Orchid petals allow snakes to overcome their physical limits and evolve. I imagine that would make it quite a treasure for you, Lady Chi Lian."

"Then thank you, young man."

After learning of its powerful effects on snakes, Chi Lian carefully accepted the blood orchid plant and thanked Kazuhiko Uchiha with delight.

"You're welcome. I have something to attend to, so I won't keep you company any longer."

With that, Kazuhiko Uchiha strode back to his room inside the sand ship. Drawing on his recent analysis of the Fire Charm Technique, he created a Shadow Clone and began trying to develop a new genjutsu.

"Genjutsu: Fire Charm!"

The primal energy Kazuhiko Uchiha had gathered scattered, and the attempt failed.

"Genjutsu: Fire Charm!"

The Shadow Clone watched him without any reaction. Another failure.

Countless attempts ended in failure, but Kazuhiko Uchiha refused to lose heart. Whenever his spiritual power ran out, he meditated to recover it, then resumed his efforts. He kept going into the early hours of the morning, still unwilling to give up.

"Genjutsu: Fire Charm!"

Once again using the last of his spiritual power, Kazuhiko Uchiha focused intensely and cast the finely adjusted genjutsu on his Shadow Clone.

With a pop, the Shadow Clone dissolved into smoke under the genjutsu's attack. After reviewing the memories it returned, a faint smile appeared on Kazuhiko Uchiha's lips. He had finally succeeded in developing the genjutsu.

Kazuhiko Uchiha's taut mind relaxed. Just as he was about to meditate, a surge of fresh spiritual power suddenly welled up in his mind. His spiritual power, which had reached its limit, had finally broken through.