"Does this really work?"
Looking at the hot spring water that had turned black almost instantly, Naraku Sora couldn't help but doubt it.
Tenjirō Kirinji also muttered to himself; it was his first time seeing such an exaggerated expulsion reaction.
"Try it a few more times, it should be fine."
"The effects of the White Bone Hell are much stronger than any Kaidō."
"This is my masterpiece, created with my blood, sweat, and tears."
Hearing this, Naraku Sora thought for a few seconds:
"Then why hasn't Soul Society ever heard of this therapy? Instead, Kaidō is the majority, and even the Fourth Squad's Comprehensive Relief Clinic primarily relies on medical treatments."
Tenjirō Kirinji curled his lips in disdain:
"You don't really think making these two types of hot springs is easy, do you, kid?"
"Aside from some rare medicinal herbs, it also requires a powerful Soul Reaper to inject their Reiatsu into it. Through a special spiritual power circuit, the effects of Kaidō are fixed within the spring water."
"Medicinal herbs, a Soul Reaper's Reiatsu, and mastery of Kaidō—all three are indispensable."
"The most crucial part is that the hot spring water must be replaced regularly, otherwise it ends up like this."
As he spoke, Tenjirō Kirinji walked to the edge of the rock wall, reached out, and fished up Ukitake Jūshirō who had sunk to the bottom. With a backhand three-pointer, he tossed him into the Blood Pond Hell.
The boiling red hot spring water splashed out.
In the White Bone Hell, the originally white hot spring water had turned completely black, just like ink.
"Its effectiveness has been completely drained."
Tenjirō Kirinji frowned, opened a nearby valve to drain all the wastewater, and then began to remake it without any hesitation.
Naraku Sora watched until he was drowsy, while Aizen watched with great interest.
The former knew nothing of Kaidō; his recovery relied entirely on his brute-force high-speed regeneration, boasting both the mechanics and the raw stats.
Although the latter hadn't researched Kaidō extensively, due to his natural talent, even the little time he spent on it made him better than the vast majority of Captains.
It was just that some details were difficult to discern.
However, Aizen wasn't worried, because he was well aware of a certain someone's thick skin and abilities.
"Hey, hey, Senior Tenjirō, I wonder if you have any thoughts about making the Kirinji name spread throughout Soul Society once again?"
Seeing that the other party had finished the work of creating the hot spring, a certain someone shamelessly leaned in.
Tenjirō Kirinji shot Naraku Sora an annoyed sideways glance. When they were hacking at each other with swords earlier, he hadn't seen a hint of embarrassment from him.
"This is my masterpiece, created with my blood, sweat, and tears. How could I teach it to you so easily—"
Naraku Sora raised an eyebrow. This sentence sounded a bit familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.
"It'll cost you extra!"
"?"
"Of course, not money in the literal sense. The Zero Division cannot leave the Soul King Palace at will, so wealth is meaningless to us."
Tenjirō Kirinji fished the unconscious Ukitake Jūshirō out of the Blood Pond Hell and casually tossed him into the brand-new White Bone Hell:
"But your fighting style really suits my tastes, kid. It's just lacking a little something right now. Once you've gained Yamamoto Shigekuni's acknowledgment, come back to the Soul King Palace for a fight."
"When that time comes, I'll let you witness the true power of the Hot Spring Demon!"
Seeing Tenjirō Kirinji's unconvinced expression, Naraku Sora couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm just afraid that when that time comes, you won't even last a single exchange against me."
"Hmph, kid, you don't understand my true strength at all."
"..."
"..."
Watching the two begin to trash-talk each other, Aizen couldn't help but massage his temples and sigh.
Was coming to the Soul King Palace this time really the right decision?
After repeatedly soaking and washing Ukitake Jūshirō back and forth several times, the hot spring water of the White Bone Hell gradually stabilized and stopped changing.
The treatment was complete.
Next came the teaching of the hot spring creation method. Naraku Sora had absolutely no interest in this and directly pushed Aizen forward.
Looking at the reserved youth in front of him, Tenjirō Kirinji scratched his head:
"That works too."
Although they hadn't interacted much, judging from his behavior, he seemed to be a person with a very gentle personality. To think such a guy was actually friends with a brute like Naraku Sora.
It was truly baffling.
After obtaining Tenjirō Kirinji's consent, Naraku Sora had the Divine Soldiers escort him to the Phoenix Palace.
Because there was other official business the next day, he decided to visit Nimaiya Ōetsu in advance to learn his ultimate sword-forging techniques first.
Under the guidance of the Divine Soldiers, Naraku Sora arrived in front of a towering palace and pushed the doors open.
*Buzz—*
The moment the doors opened, countless neon light pillars instantly flashed, shining with gorgeous and colorful hues. Dozens of hand-pulled party poppers went off simultaneously, spraying out countless ribbons and confetti.
"Welcome, honored guest!"
Amidst the enthusiastic welcome, Naraku Sora finally got a clear view of the scene before him.
A Zanpakutō paradise!
Low-cut tops, corsets, plunging necklines.
Languid, valiant, charming...
Their smiles bloomed like flowers, their eyes rippled with emotion. Every curve overflowed with tantalizing allure, and every strand of hair carried a vibrant lifeforce.
A dazzling array of beautiful women gathered together, freely displaying the most moving scenery.
"Yo! Little bro Naraku, welcome to the Phoenix Palace!"
Nimaiya Ōetsu descended from the sky, landing precisely in front of Naraku Sora.
"This is the welcome ceremony I carefully prepared for you. How is it?"
Naraku Sora nodded with a serious face. "There is nothing more satisfying than this. However, I have a question I'd like to ask."
"What is it?"
"Are there any Zanpakutō souvenirs I can take with me?"
Nimaiya Ōetsu froze for a moment, then revealed his clean white teeth and squeezed out a single word:
"NO!"
"Alright, time is tight. We can't waste it on this useless topic. Follow me."
Leading a reluctant Naraku Sora, the two left the palace and arrived at an open, empty area.
A shabby wooden hut sat all alone on the edge of a cliff. Below was a boundless ocean, its churning waves rolling up and relentlessly crashing against the rock walls.
"Bro, this is actually the real Phoenix Palace."
Nimaiya Ōetsu explained, "That previous one was just where me and my sweeties live."
"Come on, witness how Zanpakutō are forged. How much you can learn will depend on your own skills."
Following a deep, smooth tunnel, the two went all the way down, reaching the bottom of the pit.
Waterfalls surged and rushed all around the cave, emitting massive roaring sounds. Water splashed everywhere, kicking up layers of snow-like foam.
"Every—one—!!"
"Let's get started!!"
Materialized Reiatsu suddenly erupted. Nimaiya Ōetsu's passion burned like a raging fire.
"Show time!"
The moment his voice fell, five figures dashed out from the surrounding shadows. It was his personal guard from before.
The red-haired Mera Hiuchigashima opened her mouth and instantly spewed out scorching flames thousands of degrees hot, directly igniting the furnace in front of them.
With the surging eruption of the flames, Nimaiya Ōetsu officially began forging the sword.
Heavy strikes fell, the ground trembled, and heat waves surged through the air. The temperature inside the cave continued to rise.
Rather than calling it sword forging, it was better understood as a magnificent performance.
Naraku Sora carefully sensed the changes in the Reishi in the air, firmly memorizing every single one of Nimaiya Ōetsu's movements.
The forging process was extremely complicated. Mastering it in a short amount of time was no easy task.
Rather than exhausting his mental energy, it was better to forcefully memorize all these visual scenes.
Once he returned to Soul Society, he could use his Reishi convergence ability to re-demonstrate it in front of Aizen, Urahara Kisuke, and the others.
Nimaiya Ōetsu devoted himself entirely to the process, freely dripping with sweat.
Guiding the younger generation was also a rare pleasure for him.
It was just that the difficulty of forging a Zanpakutō was a bit high; it wasn't something just anyone could learn.
He hoped Little Bro Naraku would be able to gain something from it.
After finishing his sword-forging studies, Naraku Sora returned to the Kirin Palace.
He first went to check on Ukitake Jūshirō, who was still fast asleep with his brows tightly furrowed as if having a nightmare. After confirming there were no issues, he turned and went to the next room.
Pushing the door open, he saw Aizen sitting at the desk, currently organizing the creation methods for the Hell hot springs.
From his perspective, there was still room for improvement in these two types of hot springs.
"Studying hard, Lord Document Dragon?"
Hearing this cheeky voice, Aizen couldn't help but feel his blood pressure spike.
Naraku Sora casually closed the door, pulled up a chair, and sat across the desk.
Just as he was about to speak, he saw Aizen raise a hand to stop him. With a backhand tap on the desk, Aizen deployed a soundproofing barrier.
"Although it might not necessarily be effective, it's better than nothing."
"Speak. Did you discover anything over at Nimaiya Ōetsu's place?"
Naraku Sora put on a solemn expression and said seriously, "Heaven and paradise!"
Aizen: "..."
He knew he wouldn't get any useful information out of him. Fortunately, he hadn't wasted this rare opportunity himself.
After thinking for a few seconds, Aizen spoke:
"According to Tenjirō Kirinji, since the establishment of the Soul King Palace, there has never been a situation where the Spirit King summoned anyone."
"Although I don't know why the Spirit King is interested in you, it might not be a good thing."
"To the Spirit King, no individual is important. What He cares about is solely the entirety of the Three Realms."
"Ordinary Soul Reapers—no, even members of the Zero Division—He wouldn't have the slightest bit of interest in them. Considering we have absolutely no way to contend against them..."
"My suggestion is to leave this place early."
"I have already figured out the seventy-two layer barrier protecting the Soul King Palace. As long as one possesses the power of the Spirit King, they can come and go freely."
"As it happens, I previously collected..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Naraku Sora raising his hand:
"How shallow. Am I, Naraku Sora, the kind of person who would put my friends and family in danger for my own selfish desires? Say no more about this matter."
"Besides, how do you know it's definitely a bad thing?"
Naraku Sora chuckled. "Maybe the Spirit King wants me to inherit His position."
Aizen's gaze was complicated as he let out a deep sigh.
A ray of golden light severed the night sky, and the dazzling sun rose from far behind the Greater Palace.
Amidst the tranquility, the spacious courtyard crafted by a master was filled with Zen. The sound of water babbled, and a bamboo tube filled with flowing water struck against a stone, echoing with a low thud.
Under the sunlight, bamboo leaves danced lightly.
Standing in front of the pond, Ichibē Hyōsube scattered fish food, causing the koi in the pool to surge and swarm.
After finishing all this, he finally looked at the figure beside him, revealing a hearty smile:
"Have you adapted to life in the Soul King Palace?"
Naraku Sora shook his head bluntly. "I can't adapt. It's not as free as it is in Soul Society."
Ichibē Hyōsube's face showed no surprise at this answer; instead, he thought it was only natural.
Although the Detached Palaces of the Zero Division were extremely vast, they still fell quite short compared to Soul Society.
For someone with a naturally undisciplined and free-spirited nature, it was indeed a bit restrictive.
"Sora, you must be very curious as to why Lord Spirit King suddenly summoned you, right?"
Ichibē Hyōsube sat on the ground and grinned.
"Actually, I was also a bit surprised, but this is Lord Spirit King's idea. I have no way of guessing His intentions. I just have one question and want to see what you think."
"Sora, do you want to be the Spirit King?"
Naraku Sora: "?"
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