A few days later, at the Kido Corps barracks.
Hasumi Ren walked through the familiar corridor, heading toward the training grounds.
*It's been a while since I last came here.*
Ren walked straight to the edge of the field, finding Tsukabishi Tessai, who was preparing for a lecture.
"Grand Kido Chief."
Tessai looked up. Seeing him, a smile appeared on his face.
"You're here. How are things? Have you been busy lately?"
Ren shook his head.
"It's been alright, but no matter how busy I get, I couldn't miss today's lesson."
Tessai set down the documents in his hands. He stood up, walked to the center of the training ground, and motioned for Ren to follow.
Ren had already learned quite a bit about Incantation Abandonment, but today marked the beginning of the most crucial practical lessons.
"The essence of Incantation Abandonment is not simply discarding the chant, but internalizing it."
A crowd had already gathered around the edge of the field.
Tessai raised his hand, gathering spiritual pressure at his fingertips.
"The incantations of Kido are spells used to guide spiritual pressure."
"Through chanting, we force our spiritual pressure to circulate in a specific pattern, thereby unleashing tremendous power."
"However, the chant is also a shackle. It restricts the casting speed of Kido and limits its practical application in combat."
With a flick of his finger, a Hado spell shot out instantly, striking a distant target and blowing it to pieces.
"Incantation Abandonment skips the chanting process entirely, directly forcing the spiritual pressure to follow the trajectory of the incantation."
"But this requires a profound understanding of how Kido operates, carving every line of the chant deep into your soul."
He turned around and looked at the gathered crowd.
"You all have practiced Double Incantation quite well, which shows that your understanding of Kido is already quite deep."
Then, he looked at Ren.
Among the dozen or so people present, Ren's Double Incantation was by far the most outstanding; his proficiency was nearly on par with Tessai's own.
"Incantation Abandonment shouldn't be too difficult for you."
Ren nodded.
"Please instruct me, Grand Kido Chief."
Tessai smiled.
"Let's start with the simplest Hado number one."
For the rest of the session, under Tessai's guidance, Ren began attempting Incantation Abandonment.
"Feel the flow of your spiritual pressure. Let your body memorize the trajectory guided by the incantation."
Ren tried again and again.
Spiritual pressure gathered in his palm, then dissipated.
Gathered again, and dissipated again.
Finally, after several attempts, he suddenly felt as if the spiritual pressure within his body had broken through some sort of barrier.
A shockwave composed of spiritual energy flew from his palm, striking the target.
Tessai's eyes lit up.
"Not bad."
Just as expected, Ren's understanding of Kido far exceeded that of ordinary people.
While others were still struggling to guide and gather their spiritual pressure, he was already able to successfully cast the spell.
Ren looked at his hand, an indescribable emotion welling up in his heart.
*I succeeded.*
*Incantation Abandonment.*
A system prompt chimed in his mind.
A few days later, at a secret stronghold somewhere in the Rukongai.
This was the place Aizen Sosuke used for his experiments—an abandoned underground cavern.
After some renovations, it had been converted into a makeshift laboratory, filled with various instruments and apparatuses.
This was Ren's first time coming here after receiving the summons.
He followed Aizen through a long corridor, arriving deep within the cavern.
Aizen walked up to the experimental bench, took the Hogyoku from his coat, and placed it on a specially made pedestal.
"Today's experiment is primarily to test your tolerance to the Hogyoku."
He looked at Ren.
"Although the last experiment failed, I need more detailed data."
Ren nodded.
"What do you need me to do?"
Aizen pointed to a spot next to the experimental bench.
"Stand there, relax, and do not resist the Hogyoku's power."
Ren did as he was told, walking over to the spot and standing still.
Aizen activated the Hogyoku. A faint blue light illuminated the room, and that familiar power surged into Ren's body once again.
The system prompt chimed.
Ren's expression remained unchanged, allowing the power to circulate through his body.
Aizen looked at the data on the monitoring equipment, his brow furrowing slightly.
Ever since his last attempt to use the Hogyoku to induce Ren's Hollowfication, Aizen had harbored a lingering suspicion.
He was very curious whether the Hogyoku's power was actually being consumed.
According to his understanding, the Hogyoku should only act as a catalyst; it shouldn't be depleted.
*How strange...*
A moment later, Aizen recorded the data and cut off the Hogyoku's output.
"Alright, that will be all for today."
Ren stretched his body a bit.
In just that short amount of time, the Hogyoku within his own body had grown by another 0.3%.
He was actually feeling a bit anxious internally.
*Could Aizen have actually noticed something...?*
"Lieutenant Aizen, may I practice my Kido off to the side?"
Aizen glanced at him.
"As you wish."
Ren walked to a corner of the cavern and began practicing Incantation Abandonment.
He raised his hand, attempting to cast a Bakudo spell without an incantation.
Aizen had been organizing his experimental data, but gradually, his attention was increasingly drawn to Ren.
This young man was practicing Kido right in front of him.
And what he was practicing was Incantation Abandonment.
Aizen set down his notebook, watching with keen interest.
"Who taught you Incantation Abandonment?"
Aizen's voice came from behind.
Ren stopped his movements and turned around.
"The Grand Kido Chief gave me some pointers on the essentials."
Aizen nodded and walked up to him.
"Tsukabishi Tessai, I see. He is quite proficient in Kido."
"The essence of Incantation Abandonment is internalizing the incantation, allowing your spiritual pressure to form a conditioned reflex."
"The method he taught you isn't wrong, but what you lack isn't technique; it's understanding."
Aizen raised his hand.
"Watch."
Without chanting, without forming any hand seals, a surge of spiritual pressure gathered in his palm.
That spiritual pressure was majestic and stable, carrying a terrifying, heart-palpitating sense of oppression.
Then, this spiritual pressure transformed into a black cube.
The high-level Hado number ninety hovered quietly in Aizen's hand like a mere toy, docile and obedient.
Ren stared blankly. This had clearly surpassed his current comprehension of Kido.
The next moment, Kido fragments and spiritual pressure fragments dropped.
Aizen dispersed the spiritual pressure in his hand.
"When you no longer need to deliberately 'abandon' the incantation, but can cast Kido naturally, you will have truly mastered this technique."
He looked at Ren.
"Do you want to learn?"
Ren nodded without hesitation.
"I do."
A hint of a smile touched the corners of Aizen's mouth.
"Good."
For the next while, Aizen began to personally instruct Ren in Kido.
"My understanding of Black Coffin is the deepest, so I will use it as an example. You can draw analogies from it to attempt lower-level Hado."
Aizen explained everything from the simplest spiritual pressure control to complex Kido constructs, making profound concepts easy to understand.
In front of Ren, system prompts continuously scrolled past.
Aizen watched Ren, the interest in his eyes growing thicker.
After finishing the final point of knowledge, Aizen suddenly spoke as he watched Ren begin his practice attempts.
"Your understanding of Kido is quite good. It has already surpassed that of an ordinary lieutenant. You do have some talent."
"But I have seen many people try to learn Incantation Abandonment. Some practice for years without even touching the threshold, while others barely manage to learn it, only for the power of their Kido to be drastically reduced."
He looked at Ren.
"Although you have talent, do not bite off more than you can chew."
"I am going to organize the experimental data. The knowledge I've taught you is enough for you to digest for a while. Practice diligently."
"Understood."
Aizen turned around and walked toward the experimental bench.
Ren also withdrew his gaze and continued practicing.
Spiritual pressure gathered in his palm, and he controlled it with all his might.
Then, that spiritual energy coalesced and took shape, transforming into an extremely minuscule black coffin that hovered in his palm.
Behind Ren, Aizen suddenly stopped in his tracks and slightly turned his head back.
He looked at Ren's back, sensing that strange yet familiar fluctuation of spiritual pressure.
Aizen's eyes widened slightly.