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"Lu Li, you understood the basic theory, right? With your Spiritual Class, as long as you aren't completely devoid of talent in Reiryoku manipulation, you should be able to successfully cast Kido."
Aizen led Lu Li to an open clearing. Unlike the other combat courses, Kido practice was held outdoors due to the highly destructive nature of the spells, with heavily reinforced targets set up downrange.
"It doesn't sound too difficult in theory. The real question is how it holds up in practice," Lu Li mused.
Under Aizen's watchful gaze, he stepped up to one of the targets. Raising his right hand, he recalled the incantation from the textbook and chanted softly, "Hado #4: Byakurai."
A streak of pale, concentrated lightning shot from his fingertips, cleanly striking the target and leaving a scorched, smoking crater in the wood.
A first-try success. Yet, Lu Li didn't feel particularly thrilled. To him, this foundational Kido felt trivial. Once he grasped the fundamental mechanic of manipulating soul energy—or Reishi—he felt confident he could cast most low-to-mid-tier spells without much issue.
Checking his system interface, a new entry had already registered in his skill tab: [Hado #4: Byakurai].
However, Lu Li couldn't shake the feeling that this Hado was... honestly a bit weak.
Glancing at his [Soul Source] gauge, he noticed that a single Byakurai had drained 1% of his MP. According to the Terminus Space guidelines, if his Soul Source dropped below 10%, he would suffer severe mental exhaustion; if it hit zero, he would instantly fall unconscious and suffer a prolonged debuff upon waking.
From a strict "cost-to-performance" perspective in a deathmatch, burning his MP bar like this felt highly inefficient. Simply drawing his blade and physically carving the enemy to pieces seemed far more direct and lethal.
"Incredible as always, Lu Li. A success on your very first try." Aizen smiled, accurately reading the mild disappointment on his roommate's face. "You seem to find the textbook exercises a bit too simplistic. How about we try something a little more challenging?"
Aizen wanted to probe the absolute ceiling of Lu Li's talent.
"Oh? Like what?"
As first-year students, their Kido curriculum was strictly regulated. The syllabus was meant to be progressive, and the highest-numbered spell in their beginner textbooks was only Hado #12: Fushibi.
Stepping up beside Lu Li, Aizen raised his hand toward a fresh target. In a low, magnetic, and commanding voice, he began to chant.
"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hado #31: Shakkaho!"
A brilliant, blinding crimson light converged in Aizen's palm. Even standing a few feet away, Lu Li could feel the oppressive, scorching heat radiating from the spell. As the incantation reached its peak, a sphere of raging fire tore through the air, dragging a long tail of flames behind it.
BOOM—!
The wooden target was utterly obliterated, reduced to a blazing stump of ash and splinters.
Lu Li watched the display, finally feeling a genuine spark of interest. Aizen was currently maintaining his flawless disguise, meaning the Reiryoku output he used for that spell hadn't exceeded Lu Li's Class 17 baseline. Yet, if that Shakkaho hit him directly, Lu Li knew he would be severely injured, if not killed outright.
"Do you think you can cast this Kido, Lu Li?" Aizen turned to ask. He had purposefully chanted at a slower cadence, allowing Lu Li to carefully observe the Reishi fluctuations as a demonstration.
Before Lu Li could answer, a massive hand clamped down heavily onto Aizen's shoulder. A towering shadow fell over them.
"Student Aizen. Before discharging such a highly dangerous Kido, one should really give a proper warning to those nearby."
Aizen's expression remained perfectly placid. He turned slightly. "My apologies, Instructor Tsukabishi. I merely wished to show Lu Li the true allure of Kido."
Tessai Tsukabishi didn't press the issue. In fact, he looked at Aizen with thinly veiled admiration. Shakkaho was a notoriously volatile spell that even graduating seniors struggled to cast, let alone execute with such terrifying perfection. Tessai was already internally debating whether he should fast-track Aizen straight into the Kido Corps.
Catching Tessai's subtle micro-expressions, Lu Li could guess exactly what the man was thinking. It felt incredibly ironic. If only you knew this 'model student' is the exact reason you'll eventually be exiled from the Soul Society, Lu Li thought in amusement.
"Student Lu, I strongly advise against attempting this," Tessai warned, turning his imposing, reflective gaze toward Lu Li. "The Demon Arts must be mastered sequentially. Skipping steps is a recipe for disaster. You must drill the single-digit spells until they are second nature before moving on."
As the Grand Kido Chief, Tessai knew the lethal risks better than anyone. Casualties within the Shin'o Academy were rare, but when they did happen, Kido classes boasted the highest mortality rate. It was always because some arrogant rookie tried to cast an advanced spell way beyond their pay grade.
If a caster lacked the fine control to properly construct the Reishi framework, the volatile energy would violently backfire. A botched Shakkaho wouldn't just fizzle out; it would detonate directly in the caster's palm, blowing their arm into a bloody mist.
"I understand the risks, Sensei," Lu Li smiled easily. "But I'd just like to test the waters. If I feel the framework destabilizing during the chant, I'll abort immediately." He gestured toward the towering instructor. "Besides, I have you right here to catch me if I fall, don't I?"
Tessai frowned deeply. With his absolute mastery over Kido, he could easily intervene and neutralize a misfire before Lu Li blew himself up. But he fundamentally despised indulging such reckless behavior. If he wasn't here, the boy could easily kill himself.
Yet, he had just witnessed Lu Li casually fire off Byakurai on his very first attempt. For a complete beginner who had never touched Reishi manipulation, it was nothing short of a miracle. The boy possessed monstrous talent and was currently riding a high of enthusiasm. Tessai didn't want to completely crush his drive.
"One attempt," Tessai finally relented, his voice stern and uncompromising. "If you fail, you will study Kido exactly by the book from this day forward. Disobey me, and I will personally expel you from the Shin'o Academy."
Lu Li knew the man was dead serious. As the Grand Kido Chief, expelling a first-year was as effortless as breathing.
Calming his mind, Lu Li took a few steps to the left and locked his gaze onto a fresh target.
"Ye lord. Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man..."
Compared to Aizen's impassioned, dramatic delivery, Lu Li's chanting was completely deadpan. He recited the mystical incantation with the monotonous boredom of a man reading a grocery list.
But as he spoke the words, a brilliant, vibrating crimson light genuinely began to coalesce in his palm. The intense glow illuminated Lu Li's stoic face—and reflected in the utterly shocked eyes of both Aizen and Tessai.
"Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south. Hado #31: Shakkaho."
The moment the incantation ended, a sphere of raging fire—only marginally smaller than Aizen's—tore through the sky and violently smashed into the wooden target. Amidst a deafening explosion, the target was swallowed by a roaring pillar of flame.
The training ground fell dead silent, save for the crackling of burning wood. A long moment passed before the collective sound of sharp gasps rippled through the class.
"Lu Li... he actually cast... Shakkaho?!"
"That's a number thirty-one Hado! Even some graduates can't cast that without blowing themselves up!"
"The structural integrity was incredible... It barely looked any weaker than Aizen's!"
"Is this guy even human? I thought he was a street rat from Rukongai! I can understand him being a freak at Zanjutsu and Hakuda, but his Kido is this monstrous too?!"
"This talent is terrifying. Is he literally a master of everything?"
Amidst the chaotic whispers of the crowd, Yoruichi Shihouin stood with her dark brows knitted tightly together, staring intensely at Lu Li.
She had met plenty of prodigies in her life, but nobody could possibly be a master of everything. She had fully expected Lu Li—whom she pegged as a pure, meathead brawler—to completely embarrass himself in Kido. She had been standing by, ready to laugh at him. Instead, he pulled off a flawless Byakurai on his first try, immediately followed by a high-tier Shakkaho.
Fine, she thought, grinding her teeth. So he's good at Kido too. But tomorrow is Shunpo class. I will absolutely destroy him.