Led by the Qin soldier, Uchiha Kazuhiko passed through several stringent identity checks before arriving at the garrison's underground prison.
In a clean cell, he found Xiao Li, wearing handcuffs and leg irons.
Dismissing the guiding soldier with a wave, Uchiha Kazuhiko studied the female lead from the movie with a probing gaze.
She wore a Western Regions-style silver headscarf, her blue-purple hair tied in a spirited single ponytail.
Her attire was ornate yet practical a form-fitting short jacket completely different from the dress of ancient Central Plains women, full of exotic charm.
Looking at Xiao Li's stunning beauty, Uchiha Kazuhiko asked a question to which he already knew the answer:
"You are Xiao Li?"
Xiao Li remained silent, merely watching him quietly, clearly unwilling to engage in conversation with an enemy.
Seeing her impassive expression, Uchiha Kazuhiko realized he was being snubbed. Feeling slightly awkward just standing there, he suddenly moved to her side and reached a hand towards her chest.
"Ah! What are you doing?"
Xiao Li exclaimed in alarm, flustered, quickly crossing her arms over her chest and looking at him warily.
Seeing her reaction, Uchiha Kazuhiko instantly understood the misunderstanding.
A rare blush appeared on his face. He coughed lightly and explained, "Ahem, I just wanted to look at your necklace."
Xiao Li's expression softened slightly. Fearful he might try something else, she quickly took the necklace off and handed it to him.
Xiao Li's necklace was the legendary Goddess's Tear. The pendant was set with a gem resembling a sapphire, but deeper and more profound in its blue hue.
Uchiha Kazuhiko closed his eyes, extending his mental energy to touch the Goddess's Tear. He sensed the astonishing power contained within, shocking him inwardly.
Truly worthy of a legendary immortal. A single tear can manifest its power into human form.
One can only imagine the incredible power possessed by Jiutian Xuannü, the owner of this tear.
Returning the Goddess's Tear to Xiao Li, who seemed slightly weakened without it, Uchiha Kazuhiko left the prison and returned to his quarters, his anticipation growing for the Dragon Soul and the Chi You Demon Sword, which also carried immortal legends.
With the full support of the border garrison commander, Sui Guo (the burly, mean-faced 'General Fruit' from the movie), the mechanical sand ship was quickly loaded with ample supplies.
Early the next morning, the operation's commander, Wei Zhuang, gave the order to depart.
Uchiha Kazuhiko boarded the sand ship with the others. Under the control of the Gongshu family disciples, the ship swiftly advanced deep into the desert.
The Loulan desert stretched endlessly. As far as the eye could see, there was only yellow sand and distant, weathered rock pillars. Occasional patches of sparse green soon vanished, buried by wind-blown sand.
Uchiha Kazuhiko stood on the ship's deck, gazing into the distance. The scantily clad Chi Lian noticed him and swayed over to his side, teasing,
"Young master of the Chi You clan, what's so interesting about the sand and rocks outside? How about chatting with me instead?"
"An invitation from the beautiful Chi Lian? I would be honored to accompany you,"
Uchiha Kazuhiko replied, mimicking ancient speech patterns in a scholarly manner.
Chi Lian, rarely praised so directly by an outsider, was surprised. Covering her mouth, she laughed lightly,
"Giggle... you smooth-talker. It seems many ignorant young girls will be deceived by your sweet words in the future."
Uchiha Kazuhiko smiled slightly but didn't refute. Who knew what the future held? For now, his focus was solely on pursuing strength.
"I heard the young master is the heir of the Chi You clan. I wonder if you could let me witness the wonders of your clan?"
Chi Lian expressed intense curiosity about the legendary Chi You clan.
"Of course. Be careful."
For the safety of the sand ship, Uchiha Kazuhiko didn't use destructive ninjutsu. He activated his Sharingan and cast an enhanced genjutsu on Chi Lian.
"Genjutsu: Temple of Nirvana Technique!"
Under Uchiha Kazuhiko's control, the genjutsu's effect was concentrated solely around Chi Lian. Flakes of pure white feathers drifted down onto her.
"Hah!"
Feeling the drowsiness affecting her mind, Chi Lian's expression changed. She immediately circulated her energy, resisting the genjutsu's invasion fiercely.
Just as Chi Lian was about to succumb to sleep, Uchiha Kazuhiko dispelled the genjutsu, smiling as he watched her let out a long sigh of relief.
"Such a sophisticated secret technique. The Chi You clan is truly remarkable," Chi Lian said, her eyes gleaming, thoroughly impressed by Uchiha Kazuhiko's mysterious genjutsu.
"Haha, you flatter me," Uchiha Kazuhiko replied modestly, then requested, "I've heard Lady Chi Lian possesses a Baiyue secret technique called the Fire Charm Art. Could you demonstrate it on me once?"
The Fire Charm Art was one of Chi Lian's signature moves, one of the few mental techniques in the "Qin's Moon" world, which focused more on physical martial arts.
It shared similarities with genjutsu from the Naruto world, making it perfect for Uchiha Kazuhiko, whose genjutsu skills were relatively weaker, to study and learn from.
Chi Lian was somewhat puzzled why Uchiha Kazuhiko would want her to use the Fire Charm Art, a technique most people avoided. But at his insistence, she used her full power to attack him with it once.
As the Fire Charm Art activated, Chi Lian's beautiful eyes shimmered. Her enchanting yet scorching gaze locked onto Uchiha Kazuhiko's eyes.
Uchiha Kazuhiko met her gaze without flinching. His expression momentarily went blank, but with mental power far surpassing hers, he broke free in an instant.
"The Fire Charm Art is indeed extraordinary. For a moment, I truly felt like I was amidst flames,"
Uchiha Kazuhiko praised generously, having gained a very Intuitive understanding of the technique.
The Fire Charm Art could confuse the victim's mind, creating false sensations, making them believe their body was being burned by flames. Ultimately, the spiritual consciousness would be burned away within the illusion.
Once the consciousness died, the body would be left defenseless.
Simply put, it manipulated the sense of touch to create the pain of burns. In a way, it was somewhat similar to the Five Senses Control genjutsu, though its power and effects were far inferior.
"As thanks, please accept this Blood Orchid. Remember to cultivate it carefully."
Uchiha Kazuhiko took a complete Blood Orchid plant from his system space and handed it to a confused Chi Lian. He explained,
"The petals of the Blood Orchid can allow snakes to break through physical limits and evolve. I believe it should be a valuable treasure for you, Lady Chi Lian."
"Then I thank you, young master."
Learning of its potent effects on snakes, Chi Lian carefully accepted the Blood Orchid plant, thanking Uchiha Kazuhiko with delight.
"You're welcome. I have matters to attend to, so I must take my leave."
After speaking, Uchiha Kazuhiko quickly walked back into the sand ship to his room. Drawing on his recent analysis of the Fire Charm Art, he created a shadow clone and began attempting to develop a new genjutsu.
"Genjutsu: Fire Charm!" Uchiha Kazuhiko's mobilized chakra dissipated.
Development failed.
"Genjutsu: Fire Charm!" The shadow clone just looked at him blankly.
Failure again.
...
After countless failed attempts, Uchiha Kazuhiko remained undiscouraged. He would meditate to recover his spent mental energy, then immediately try again.
This continued until early morning, but he still refused to give up.
"Genjutsu: Fire Charm!" Once again using the last of his mental energy, Uchiha Kazuhiko focused intensely, casting the slightly adjusted genjutsu on the shadow clone.
With a 'poof', the shadow clone vanished into smoke under the genjutsu attack.
Checking the memories transmitted back from the clone, a smile finally appeared on Uchiha Kazuhiko's lips. The genjutsu was finally successfully developed.
Uchiha Kazuhiko's tightly strung nerves relaxed. Just as he prepared to meditate, a surge of new mental energy suddenly welled up in his mind.
His mental power, having reached its peak, had finally broken through.