Hasumi Ren's eyes narrowed slightly.
Soul Splitting could divide a portion of one's soul into an independent entity.
He hadn't had the time to carefully study this skill during the journey back.
Ren sat up, crossed his legs, and closed his eyes.
His consciousness sank into his inner world.
Ren looked around but didn't see that familiar figure.
"Garenge?"
He called out.
There was no response.
Ren frowned slightly. Just as he was about to continue searching, he suddenly sensed movement behind him.
He turned around.
A face was pressed almost directly against his.
"Hey!"
The voice carried the smugness of a successful prank.
Ren instinctively took a step back and got a clear look at the person in front of him.
Blonde hair, a petite figure, lively eyes, and a sly smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
Garenge floated upside down in front of Ren, hands on her hips, smiling like a cat that had just stolen a fish.
"Hahaha, did I scare you?"
Ren looked at her helplessly.
"How old are you?"
Garenge curled her lips.
"I was bored. You haven't visited in so long, I was starting to grow mold staying here all by myself."
She circled around Ren, looking him up and down.
"Hmm... Your spiritual pressure has increased quite a bit. Looks like you had a good harvest on this trip."
"Work a little harder, and you'll be able to achieve Bankai."
Ren nodded.
"I did gain quite a bit," he paused. "Moreover, I acquired a new skill."
Garenge's eyes lit up.
"A new skill? What kind of new skill?"
Ren didn't speak; he merely willed it in his mind.
The system prompt appeared in front of him.
Ren looked at the new notification, his eyes widening slightly.
In front of him, Garenge's expression also froze.
She just stood there, completely motionless.
Shock surged within her large eyes.
"Bro!"
The next moment, Ren watched as Garenge dropped to her knees in front of him with a thud.
"Bro, I've never begged anyone in my entire life."
"But this time, I'm begging you."
"I want to go out and see the world."
*What?*
Ren looked at her in bewilderment.
"No, hold on a second."
"If I actually split you off, what would happen to my Zanpakuto?"
Garenge fell silent.
She unconsciously poked her index fingers together, pouted, and her gaze darted around nervously.
"Maybe... your Bankai would disappear or something. You can't use it right now anyway, so it shouldn't really matter..."
Ren looked at her speechlessly, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
"Then don't even think about it. Just stay put."
Hearing this, Garenge looked as if the sky had fallen.
She then lunged at Ren, hugging his thigh and bursting into loud wails.
"Nooo, please, I'll do anything..."
Ren helplessly peeled her off his leg.
"Stop messing around," Ren said. "I don't want to die in some inexplicable battle just because I don't have my Bankai."
"Besides, if I die, wouldn't you disappear along with me?"
Garenge pouted.
"If I can find another host in time, I might be able to keep existing, just like Muramasa in the original story."
"After Kuchiki Koga died, if Kurosaki Ichigo had been willing to accept the fading Muramasa, he might have become Ichigo's second Zanpakuto..."
"I think I should be able to do that too..."
Ren felt a headache coming on upon hearing this.
"What, you've already picked out your next host?"
"I think Aizen Sosuke would be a pretty good choice..."
Garenge muttered under her breath.
*Excuse me?*
Ren let out a long sigh.
"Alright, enough joking around."
"The Zanpakuto can't be split for now. What about other things, like spiritual pressure, or my main soul?"
Garenge dropped her playful expression, tilting her head in thought.
"I suggest you don't casually experiment with your main soul."
Garenge's expression turned serious.
"Your soul is the core of your existence."
"Splitting your main soul is equivalent to cutting yourself in half."
"Separating a portion of your spiritual pressure won't do you any good right now either."
She paused.
"Similarly, it would affect your Zanpakuto's Bankai. After all, with an incomplete soul, the power of your Bankai would definitely be compromised."
Ren fell silent at her words.
He truly hadn't considered this issue.
"Therefore," Garenge said, "I suggest you start with your spiritual pressure. Once you master this skill, you can consider other options."
"Spiritual pressure is an extension of your power. Splitting off a portion won't have too much of a negative impact on you. Moreover..."
She paused, a hint of slyness flashing in her eyes.
"Don't you happen to have a ready-made test subject?"
*A ready-made... test subject?*
The next moment, realization dawned on Ren.
"Are you talking about the Hollowfied spiritual pressure?"
"Exactly. Why don't you try separating it and see what happens?"
With that, Garenge snapped her fingers.
Subsequently, a figure appeared behind Ren.
It was a pure white body, identical to Ren in appearance, wearing a white Shihakusho.
The difference was that it acted like a soulless husk, lacking any self-awareness, just standing there blankly.
Ren looked back, a flash of understanding in his eyes.
Ever since the Hollowfied spiritual pressure first appeared, he had wondered about this.
He had wondered if he would be able to see a Hollow vessel similar to White Ichigo within his own inner world.
It really did exist.
*But why does it look so brainless?*
"It was generated by the system, so it lacks the ability to think independently. It's basically artificial stupidity," Garenge explained from the side.
"It's the perfect test subject. You might as well try splitting it off."
Following that, the system prompt appeared once again.
Sure enough, Hollow spiritual pressure could also be split off.
Hearing this, Ren pondered the possibilities of taking this step.
He was actually... quite tempted.
This Hollowfied spiritual pressure had been stored in his body up until now without ever having a chance to be used.
Furthermore, there were still four or five years before Aizen made his move against the Captains.
If the Hollowfied spiritual pressure inside him could act as a clone, it might serve some unexpected purposes.
"Not bad, that's actually a suitable proposal."
"Alright, let's leave it at that for now. I'll come back when I have time."
With that said, Ren patted Garenge's small head.
Then, amidst her puffed-up, angry expression, Ren's consciousness returned to reality.
The next moment, Ren opened his eyes and looked at his familiar room.
He glanced out the window; the Fourth Division was completely silent, and the night was deep.
He didn't know if Soul Splitting would cause a huge commotion. Trying it inside the Seireitei felt somewhat risky.
It would be much safer to find a hidden spot outside the Seireitei to test it.
At that moment, a location came to Ren's mind.
Mount Furi, in the northern section of the 3rd District of West Rukongai.
That was the place where he had previously trained with Shiba Kaien.
It was far from any villages and well-hidden, making it perfect for this kind of experiment.
Speaking of which, he could drop by and visit the Shiba siblings on the way.
It had indeed... been a long time since they last met.