After testing the Heilig Pfeil, Nanatsuki moved on to testing Blut Vene and Blut Arterie.
Since he wasn't yet familiar with these blood-based techniques, he decided to experiment cautiously—starting with just a fingertip.
Reishi gathered at the tip of his finger and was slowly infused into the blood vessels.
A few moments later, a glowing blue line appeared along his fingertip.
Pop!
The Reishi inside the fingertip vein suddenly burst, and blood leaked into the lake.
"Harder to control than expected..." Nanatsuki raised an eyebrow.
Enhancing the body with Reishi was far more difficult than gathering Reishi from the environment.
One had to be careful not to rupture the blood vessels while channeling the Reishi.
A flash of Kaidō shimmered briefly, and the tiny wound on his finger closed quickly.
Nanatsuki wasn't discouraged and continued testing.
He focused again, directing Reishi into the blood vessels of his fingertip.
A glowing blue line once more formed—this time extending slowly toward the palm.
Staying highly concentrated, Nanatsuki managed to keep the veins intact.
A few breaths later, the glowing lines reached the veins of his palm.
Then, the lines began to branch out, spreading Reishi along the rest of his hand.
After quite a while, his entire left palm was veined with glowing blue channels.
"Once I'm more familiar with the vein routes, this'll go much faster."
Since it was his first time, it had taken a while to fully prepare the Blut on his left palm.
Blut Vene and Blut Arterie used completely separate Reishi circulation paths, functioning independently.
Right now, he was using the defensive Blut Vene.
He gathered Reiatsu in his right hand and formed a Reiatsu Blade.
He adjusted the sharpness of the blade—intending to test the defensive capabilities of Blut Vene.
He drove the blade toward his left palm. As pressure increased, the blue lines of Blut Vene flared and burst out Reishi, softening the blow. The blade pierced the skin.
"It's mostly just a buffer for now."
His Blut Vene level was still low, so its defensive enhancement was minimal.
Nanatsuki dispersed the Reishi from his veins and moved on to testing Blut Arterie.
The process was similar—starting with a single finger.
Since the two types of Blut used different vein paths, Reishi had to be channeled into different vessels.
With practice, the body would memorize these pathways, eventually making Blut activation a subconscious reflex.
But for now, he had to carefully guide Reishi into each vessel manually.
After some time, his right palm was veined with glowing blue lines.
This time, the process went smoothly, and the Blut Arterie setup was successful on the first try.
Nanatsuki flexed his palm. He could feel a slight increase in grip strength.
Still, the effect was minor—the skill level was low.
He checked the Status Interface. Both Blut techniques had already improved.
[Basic Ability (Quincy)]: Reishi Manipulation Lv50, Blut Vene Lv8, Blut Arterie Lv8, Hiryūkyaku Lv1
Blut Vene and Blut Arterie had both reached Level 8!
"Looks like investing General EXP in Reishi Manipulation is more cost-effective. Blut can be leveled through training."
With his background in Kidō and swordsmanship, Nanatsuki already had a solid grasp of internal Reiatsu control.
Leveling his Blut skills through practice wouldn't be difficult.
"Nel and Harribel must be getting anxious. I'll practice full-body Blut later."
Remembering that Nel and Harribel were still waiting up top, Nanatsuki ended his tests.
He focused, gathering Reishi at his feet.
The Reishi formed a glowing platform beneath him.
The platform lifted Nanatsuki and began to rise—this was the Hiryūkyaku, the Quincy mobility technique.
Hiryūkyaku worked by adjusting the flow of Reishi beneath one's feet to achieve high-speed movement.
Compared to Shunpo, Hiryūkyaku resembled traditional flight more closely.
Breaking through the water's surface, Nanatsuki saw Nel and Harribel waiting anxiously on the beach.
He had been down there for quite a while—it was only natural that his disciples were worried.
He adjusted the Reishi flow beneath his feet, circling once in the air before landing smoothly in front of them.
He glanced at his interface—Hiryūkyaku had also leveled up.
[Basic Ability (Quincy)]: Reishi Manipulation Lv50, Blut Vene Lv8, Blut Arterie Lv8, Hiryūkyaku Lv10
Hiryūkyaku had jumped directly to Level 10!
At the root of it all, both Shinigami and Quincy powers stemmed from the manipulation of Reishi.
Thanks to his mastery of Shinigami techniques, Nanatsuki found training Quincy abilities to be incredibly efficient.
"Teacher!"
Seeing him unharmed, both Nel and Harribel breathed a sigh of relief.
"Teacher, what happened down there? We sensed some unfamiliar Reiatsu earlier."
Nel asked.
When the eyeball awoke, its spiritual fluctuations had spread upward—easily sensed by the two waiting above.
"There's a very old spiritual being at the lake's bottom. I spoke with it for a while."
Nanatsuki chose not to say too much.
The eyeball's existence was tied to the gate to Hell. If news of it leaked, it might attract dangerous attention.
"An ancient spiritual being?" Nel thought of someone like Baraggan. "So... should we leave this place?"
"It means no harm—just prefers to sleep undisturbed. You can stay, just don't go down to the lakebed."
Had it not sensed the King's Shadow in Nanatsuki, it wouldn't have responded at all.
Even the Blackshark King, who once claimed this area, never discovered the secret beneath the magma.
"That's a relief... This place is really beautiful. I'd hate to leave."
Nel let out a breath. In Hueco Mundo, places with both mountains and water were rare gems.
"You two can continue training here. I'll head back to Soul Society."
Nanatsuki decided it was time to leave.
"Teacher, don't forget to visit us!" Nel waved goodbye.
Harribel, though less expressive, looked at her teacher with hopeful eyes.
"I'll check in on your training progress when I can," Nanatsuki nodded gently.
Before departing, he left a shadow in each of their shadows—for protection, in case of unexpected danger.
Nel watched her teacher leave through the Senkaimon, a touch of melancholy on her face.
Her days training at the dojo had been the happiest since she became a Hollow. And now, that joy was departing.
But her training had also given her the heart of a true warrior.
Nel's expression grew resolute as she turned toward Harribel.
Harribel, moved by her resolve, looked back seriously—expecting Nel to say something inspirational.
"We'll have to ration the snacks now. Teacher won't be refilling them anytime soon!"
Nel opened the snack box and pulled out some mochi.
"Come try this rice cake, Harribel! It's from the Shiba Clan—super tasty! Emi, Mi, Sun-sun! You girls too!"