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Lu Li's expression stiffened awkwardly for a split second. "Shikai takes a massive toll on your energy, doesn't it? Don't waste your strength, Sosuke. Just tell me more about your insights on increasing Reiatsu."
You've got to be kidding me. Aizen had actually admitted to mastering his Shikai and was now enthusiastically offering to show him his trump card.
Lu Li was willing to bet that the miraculous authority of the Terminus Space would cleanse Kyoka Suigetsu's effects the moment he extracted from this world. Furthermore, Aizen certainly wouldn't try anything drastically malicious inside the Academy walls. But Lu Li absolutely refused to be subjected to his roommate's "Complete Hypnosis."
He was here to speedrun the Academy, not enroll in a psychological horror simulator.
Aizen looked genuinely surprised by the rejection. "Oh, never mind then. I thought you would be quite interested. If you encounter any issues communing with your Zanpakuto later on, I can still demonstrate my Shikai as a reference."
It was perfectly timed with lights-out. Once the dorm plunged into darkness, Aizen immediately sat cross-legged, resuming his relentless cultivation routine. Lu Li followed suit, but instead of trying to absorb ambient Reishi, he focused all his attention on communing with his Asauchi.
According to Aizen, "resonance" was a highly misleading term. He wasn't supposed to commune with the Asauchi itself—the physical blade was just an empty vessel. What he needed to do was commune with the absolute depths of his own mind, with his own soul.
Once that connection was established, the next step was to pour his soul into the Zanpakuto. Only then would he learn its true name and unlock Shikai.
In the pitch-black room, Aizen briefly opened his eyes, staring at Lu Li across from him. A flicker of genuine doubt crossed his gaze. For someone as ravenously curious and battle-hungry as Lu Li to reject a Shikai demonstration... could he possibly know the true nature of my Zanpakuto? He dismissed the thought instantly. Impossible...
...
Greeting the morning sun, Lu Li pinched the bridge of his nose.
He hadn't slept a wink. He had spent the entire night in a state of hyper-focused meditation, desperately trying to feel the rhythm of his own soul. The result? Absolutely nothing.
He had assumed his monstrous physical talent would carry him smoothly through the Zanpakuto resonance phase. He never expected it to be this agonizingly difficult. Was Aizen right? Did Shikai really have a strict Reii threshold?
Theoretically, achieving Shikai with a Class 17 Spiritual Pressure wasn't impossible, just incredibly hard. But Lu Li couldn't even brush against the depths of his soul. It was a bizarre, alien sensation. He had no idea what Aizen saw when he looked inward.
But when Lu Li used the standard Soul Reaper communion method, all he saw in the depths of his soul was... an endless, pitch-black void.
The all-night meditation had taken a severe mental toll. Normally, as a martial artist, Lu Li could train for days without sleep. But between his rapid-fire Kido experiments yesterday and the grueling mental projection of the night, his [Soul Source] had plummeted to a mere 30%.
"Lu Li, since you've just started practicing, it's best you get some sleep at night," Aizen advised, clearly noticing his roommate's haggard state.
Lu Li stretched broadly, trying to shake off the grogginess. "You seem perfectly fine, Sosuke. And you never sleep either."
"I built up my tolerance gradually," Aizen explained warmly. "Besides, if your meditation technique is proper, it functions as a form of deep rest in itself. There are a few tricks to it. I'll teach you when we return tonight."
Chatting amicably, the two soon arrived at the training grounds for their first morning class: Shunpo.
Aizen had given him a brief rundown on the Flash Step the previous day.
Unlike a Hollow's Sonido, a Soul Reaper's Shunpo heavily relied on the body's physical mechanics. It was an advanced kinetic technique that utilized precise bursts of leverage and focal points to achieve extreme high-speed movement.
In the manga, Soul Reapers using Shunpo looked like they were literally teleporting—stylish and effortlessly cool. But thanks to Aizen's explanation, Lu Li now knew the brutal truth.
For the vast majority of Soul Reapers, learning Shunpo simply meant... they could run a bit faster.
Lu Li understood it as a transcendent footwork technique. Only when a Soul Reaper possessed an overwhelmingly high Reiatsu—or in his case, freakishly high physical stats—could the movement mimic actual teleportation. And even then, it only looked like teleportation when "noob-stomping." To another master, it was still just incredibly fast running. Only the weak couldn't track the movement, giving them the illusion of instantaneous transmission.
Furthermore, if you wanted to look like you were teleporting, the moment you stopped your Shunpo, you had to maintain an impeccably elegant posture. As if you were taking a casual stroll—no panting, no exaggerated poses, no frantic deceleration. Simply put, you needed swagger. Style points were absolutely crucial.
Just like Byakuya Kuchiki from the canon timeline. After a Flash Step, his clothes remained perfectly neat, a stray lock of hair barely fluttering, his posture ramrod straight. Only then could it be called a "perfect Shunpo."
Lu Li couldn't care less about achieving a "perfect," stylish Flash Step. He was purely interested in the kinetic mechanics. He knew that once he mastered this explosive footwork, his close-quarters combat mobility would skyrocket.
The substitute instructor for the class was a noble from the Omaeda clan, currently serving as the 3rd Seat in the Stealth Force, possessing a highly formidable mastery of Shunpo. Naturally, this instructor also decided to "take special care" of Lu Li, the transfer student who had already made massive waves across the Academy.
Instead of teaching Lu Li personally, he assigned the student with the highest marks in Shunpo to "educate" him.
"What's with that look on your face, Lu Li?" Yoruichi Shihouin swaggered over. Despite her calm expression, the vicious, mocking gleam in her golden feline eyes was impossible to hide.
"It's nothing. I just thought Sosuke could teach me." Lu Li turned to look at Aizen.
Aizen merely adjusted his glasses with a warm smile. "No, no. Student Shihouin's Shunpo is arguably the absolute best in the entire Academy. It is only fitting that she guides you."
Damn it, Aizen, you sold me out! Lu Li knew perfectly well that Aizen just wanted a front-row seat to the upcoming drama. But his roommate wasn't lying. Standing before him was the future "Flash Goddess." Even in her youth, her Shunpo mastery would be terrifying.
Yesterday, their spar was strictly limited to Hakuda. The arrogant girl hadn't opened with Shunpo, and once he pinned her to the floor, she never had the chance to use it. That was the only reason he had won.
But today was different. She was absolutely going to use her peak Shunpo to violently "educate" him.
Wait a minute, Lu Li realized. This is a movement class. No matter how much she wants revenge, she can't actually hit me, right?
Steadying his nerves, Lu Li forced a smile. "Then I'll be in your care, Student Yoruichi."
"Are we on a first-name basis now? You should call me Student Shihouin," Yoruichi shot him a withering glare. "Or call me Big Sister Yoruichi."
Lu Li mentally rolled his eyes. He had slipped up. When reading the manga in his old life, "Yoruichi" was the name that stuck; he rarely paid attention to their long family names. To him, Yoruichi just sounded like a normal name. You Japanese people are so troublesome with your formalities.
Seeing Lu Li's silence, Yoruichi's lips curled into a predatory smirk. "How about this? I'll suppress my Spiritual Pressure to match yours. I'll properly teach you the mechanics during class. But when class ends, we'll have a footrace. If you're slower than me, from now on, every time you see me, you have to respectfully bow and call me 'Big Sister Yoruichi'."
"I'm not racing you. You're the heir to the Shihouin clan; you've been practicing Shunpo for years." Lu Li threw his hands up. "It's completely unfair, and I'm not stupid. Besides, you only mentioned my penalty for losing. What happens if I win?"
"Win?" Yoruichi's gaze swept over Lu Li from head to toe in sheer disbelief. "You think you can beat me in pure speed?"
"What, is it impossible?" Lu Li retorted. Footwork fell cleanly under the umbrella of martial arts. He was highly confident in his ability to learn and adapt. Beating her today was probably unrealistic, but given a little time to practice, he absolutely had a shot.
As if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world, Yoruichi let out a clear, melodious laugh.
"That is absolutely impossible."