"Blood sample?" Xia Mi frowned slightly, her tone uncertain. "You mean, like, regular blood?"
"…What else would it be?" Uchiha Hikari replied, tilting her head. She had a hunch why Xia Mi asked.
Dragon blood from different parts of their bodies had distinct properties.
Ordinary Dragon King blood could be used to analyze and disrupt "alchemical matrices."
But "heart's blood" could stabilize bloodlines—not transform them, just reinforce them. It could even store a soul for future cocooning, a trick Xia Mi had once used on Chu Zihang in the original story.
That made Xia Mi's heart's blood pretty valuable for research.
Still, since they'd just called off hostilities and weren't exactly friends, Hikari kept those thoughts to herself.
Xia Mi mulled it over. "If it's just regular blood, I guess that's fine. But your bloodline should be superior to us First-Generation types, right? Why bother collecting ours?"
Hikari didn't miss a beat, spinning her tale. "For… reasons. I didn't revive in my full Dragon King form. My spirit's White King, but my body's human, so I'm looking for ways to complete my bloodline."
"…" Xia Mi was skeptical but didn't press further. "When you say 'somewhere else,' where do you mean? The outskirts of BJ? Head west from here, and you hit the Jingxi Mountains—over a thousand square kilometers. Find a cave, and as long as we don't collapse the mountain, satellites won't spot us."
Hikari nodded. She knew the area. From Apple Orchard, heading west led to the sprawling Jingxi Mountains. Slip into a mountain hollow, and they'd be invisible.
But…
"How about my 'Nibelungen' instead? It's safer," Hikari suggested, locking eyes with Xia Mi, her pupil power stirring. "Relax, it'll be quick…"
Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi!
Truth be told, Hikari was a bit nervous.
So far, her Tsukuyomi, straight out of Naruto's playbook, hadn't failed in other worlds. But in theory, it could be countered.
Certain unique Mangekyou Sharingan could break it.
And if the target's mental strength was overwhelming, they might shrug off Tsukuyomi's effects—or even turn it back on her.
As a recently awakened solo Dragon King, Xia Mi's raw power might be limited, but she was still a dragon who'd lived for millennia. Plus, she had multiple personalities—each reincarnation likely spawned a new "Xia Mi" persona. That kind of accumulated mental fortitude was beyond any short-lived species.
Hikari had avoided using Tsukuyomi during their earlier fight, wary of unpredictable consequences.
Thankfully…
Nothing went wrong.
In an instant, the world spun.
Xia Mi's eyes widened in shock as she looked around. "Where… is this?"
"The Death Forest of the Leaf Village," Hikari said, rolling her neck and taking a deep breath, mimicking Naruto's chakra-focusing stance. "By the way, 'Leaf Village' is what I call this Nibelungen. Let's get started."
"No need to worry about injuries," she added. "You're here as a mental projection. No matter how long we spend here, it's just a moment outside. So, show me your Spirit Commands."
What followed was a reenactment of their earlier fight.
Now that they "knew" each other's identities, both Hikari and Xia Mi held back, sparring rather than going all out.
Hikari successfully copied Xia Mi's Eye of the Wind King.
And also Kamaitachi and Dustless Land.
Kamaitachi, Sequence 59 wind-based Spirit Command, let her eavesdrop on every subtle sound in its domain. With blood burst, it could evolve into the offensive Vampire Scythe.
Dustless Land, Sequence 66 wind-based Spirit Command, created a massive repulsive field around the user, pushing everything away—kind of like Pain's Shinra Tensei from Naruto.
"By the way, can you use those other Spirit Commands?" Hikari asked, gesturing. "Like Underworld Glow? Mirror Pupil? Time Zero? Bronze Throne? Sword Control?"
Xia Mi hesitated before answering slowly. "I can only mimic Spirit Commands I've seen. Underworld Glow and Time Zero are super rare—I've barely encountered them. Mirror Pupil isn't even a Spirit Command; it's a bloodline imprint, even rarer than Time Zero, only granted to those recognized by that exalted being. The other two, though, I've mimicked before."
"Good enough," Hikari said.
Truthfully, she was gunning for Time Zero.
But…
Sword Control was insanely cool too!
It was the legendary sword control technique, like something straight out of a wuxia novel!
"Come on, let me see it!" Hikari urged.
"…Fine," Xia Mi relented.
At Hikari's insistence, Xia Mi demonstrated Sword Control and Bronze Throne.
As Hikari suspected, Sword Control manipulated magnetic fields, similar to the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release in Naruto. But its range was much wider.
At his peak, Norton, the Bronze and Fire King, could use this Spirit Command to create a magnetic field spanning dozens of miles. Combined with Heaven and Earth as a Furnace, he could unleash a barrage of ten thousand swords—the origin of ancient Chinese sword immortal legends.
Xia Mi's mimicked Sword Control field, though, only covered a few hundred meters.
As for Bronze Throne, Xia Mi was reluctant to show it.
Why?
"It's ugly," she grumbled.
Bronze Throne worked like Immortality, enhancing the user's physique to near-dragon levels for a short time. But unlike Immortality, its visual effects were glaring: bones and muscles bulged, gleaming with a metallic sheen, turning the user into a Diamond Barbie.
Hence, Xia Mi's low opinion of it.
"…Yeah, fair," Hikari agreed after trying it herself.
Though her smaller frame made her look more like a muscular loli than Xia Mi's full-on bodybuilder vibe, the aesthetic was still… off.
Still…
"What if we combine Bronze Throne with Immortality and layer on the Eight Gates?" Hikari mused. "And breathing techniques are tied to physical prowess too. Maybe these Spirit Commands could help pull off something like Naruto's Ten-Day Breathing Method…"
Hikari made a mental note to experiment with this later.
During their "sparring" session, she also cautiously used Yasaka Magatama to peek into Xia Mi's memories.