__________
PLEASE SUPPORT ME ON PATREON:
Patreon.com/IndifferentVillain
Early Access and + 80 chapter ahead of webnovel monthly, ur support keeps me motivated...thanks and enjoy reading
Chapter 50 is out on patreon
_______________
"Oh? If you say it's impossible, then what's the point of even racing you?" Lu Li found Yoruichi highly entertaining. Was this just how noble brains were wired?
Yoruichi flushed in momentary embarrassment. Looking at Lu Li's face, she found him increasingly detestable—even more infuriating than her lazy childhood friend.
"Fine... how about this. You run half the course, and I'll run the full course. We'll see who clocks the shorter time. Is that fair enough?" Yoruichi offered. "And although it's physically impossible, if by some miracle you do win... I... I'll call you Big Brother."
Lu Li rubbed his chin, mentally picturing a flushed, thoroughly humiliated Yoruichi struggling to call him 'Big Brother.' Emm... yeah, no. He didn't harbor those kinds of weird fetishes.
"That won't be necessary. If I win, you have to teach me an advanced Shunpo technique."
Lu Li's objective was crystal clear. He didn't come to this universe to flirt with teenagers; he came for power. Specifically, he wanted the supreme movement technique Yoruichi was famous for: Utsusemi (Cicada Shell).
Judging by its depiction in the canon, Utsusemi operated on an entirely different mechanical level than standard Shunpo. It was a terrifying evasive maneuver that essentially functioned as a hyper-speed substitution jutsu.
Yoruichi frowned slightly, surprised by his intense drive to learn. But thinking it over, it was a completely risk-free wager for her.
If she won, she would perfectly avenge yesterday's humiliating Hakuda defeat and force this arrogant transfer student to respectfully call her 'Big Sister' forever. And in the impossible event that she somehow lost, it just meant she became his martial arts teacher. Thinking about it, taking on a monstrous prodigy as her disciple was actually pretty good for her ego.
"Deal." Yoruichi nodded, waving him over. "Come here. I'll teach you the basic mechanics of Shunpo first."
Lu Li walked over and received Yoruichi's "hands-on" instruction.
He immediately realized something profound: Yoruichi's teaching skills were absolute garbage. Compared to Professor Aizen, she was completely incoherent.
Honestly, the fact that Ichigo managed to learn Bankai from her proves he's a freak of nature.
Thankfully, despite her atrocious explanations, Lu Li's innate comprehension of martial arts was supernatural. He managed to piece the puzzle together on his own.
"I see. Let me try it out," Lu Li said, stepping onto the track.
The fundamental theory of Shunpo revolved around "fulcrums." A Soul Reaper gathered their Reishi, anchored it to a specific point on the ground, and used explosive muscular torque to violently propel themselves in a straight line toward a secondary fulcrum.
In simpler terms, standard Shunpo wasn't highly maneuverable. It was purely linear. You had to physically plant your foot, establish an anchor point, and pre-plan your exact landing zone before you moved.
Because of this mechanic, the Academy's testing track was segmented. The distance from one fulcrum point to the next was exactly 20 meters. The full track consisted of 10 segments, totaling 200 meters.
Based on Yoruichi's wager, she would run the full 200 meters, while Lu Li only had to clear 100 meters. The winner was whoever crossed their respective finish line first.
Standing at the starting line, Lu Li calmed his breathing. He lowered his center of gravity, the muscles in his calves coiling and bulging tight, radiating the terrifying, compressed kinetic energy of a crouching beast.
In the next microsecond, a tidal wave of power surged through his legs. Funneling the kinetic force into his anchor point, the explosive recoil launched him forward. He tore through the 20-meter gap like a fired bullet, landing squarely on the first fulcrum.
Steadying himself, he glanced at the digital timer beside the track. It recorded his time for a single segment: 0.973s.
Lu Li frowned. This initial Shunpo hadn't actually provided him with an exponential speed boost. In a normal dead sprint, once he hit his maximum velocity, he could already clear 20 meters a second.
Furthermore, after just one 20-meter burst, a faint ache throbbed in his calves. This meant that, with his current mastery, he couldn't spam Shunpo continuously in a prolonged fight without tearing his own muscles apart.
"Oho? Not bad at all," Yoruichi praised, genuinely surprised.
Not only had Lu Li successfully executed a Shunpo on his very first try, but relative to a Class 17 Spiritual Pressure, his speed was well above average for an Academy student.
With a practically weightless step, Yoruichi instantly vanished, reappearing right beside Lu Li without making a sound. Her timer flashed: 0.491s.
Lu Li fell silent, analyzing the data. He quickly realized he had fallen into a logical trap.
It was true that he could naturally sprint 20 meters a second. But that was his top speed, achieved only after a gradual acceleration phase. The true terrifying advantage of Shunpo was that it completely bypassed acceleration. It instantly catapulted the user from zero to absolute maximum velocity in a fraction of a microsecond.
It was a technique designed purely for explosive, instantaneous repositioning—perfect for dodging lethal strikes or instantly closing the gap on an enemy.
Yoruichi's demonstration completely eclipsed his own speed. And Lu Li could clearly sense that she was actively suppressing her Reiatsu to perfectly match his Class 17 rating. She wasn't cheating. Her overwhelming speed came entirely from flawless technical execution, not raw stats.
She really is the future Flash Goddess, Lu Li thought in deep admiration. But he had absolutely zero intention of surrendering. This was only his very first attempt. He had plenty of room to evolve.
As he relentlessly chained his Shunpo across the track, the burning ache in his legs slowly began to fade. He was subconsciously refining the kinetic flow, pruning away the wasted microscopic movements.
After roughly twenty attempts, he suddenly stopped running. Dropping into a cross-legged position right on the track, he closed his eyes and began to meditate.
"Hey, there's only twenty minutes left in class. Aren't you going to keep practicing? You're definitely going to lose at this rate~" Yoruichi teased, walking up beside him. Her eyes were dancing with delight. She was in a fantastic mood. Lu Li might be a freakish combat genius, but in the realm of Shunpo, she utterly dominated him.
He had practiced twenty times. While his times had incrementally improved, he was still nowhere near her flawless execution.
"Don't worry. I never break my promises, and I'll gladly accept the results. Just let me have some peace and quiet," Lu Li replied without opening his eyes, swatting his hand at her like he was shooing away a buzzing fly.
Yoruichi didn't get angry. In her mind, the victory was already locked in. Any attitude Lu Li threw at her now was just the pathetic whining of a sore loser.
Sitting in deep meditation, Lu Li projected a mental construct of himself into the void of his mind. He forced the avatar to endlessly loop the exact biomechanical sequence of the Shunpo. Watching as a third-party observer, he meticulously analyzed the microscopic contraction of the muscles, the alignment of the bones, and the exact flow of kinetic and spiritual energy.
The moment the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Lu Li snapped his eyes open.
Standing beside him, Yoruichi flinched. The aura surrounding the man had fundamentally shifted. His pitch-black eyes felt infinitely deeper and far more terrifying.
But she quickly brushed the feeling aside. Striding confidently to the starting line, she took her stance under the watchful eyes of the entire class.
A blur of motion ripped through the air. There was almost no sound, save for the faint displacement of wind. A few seconds later, Yoruichi materialized perfectly at the 200-meter finish line.
The digital timer blared her final score: 4.396s.
Her deceleration was flawless. She came to a dead stop without a single wasted motion, her dark purple hair fluttering gently around her face.
It was elegant. Too elegant.
Even Lu Li had to admit, there was a reason Yoruichi would eventually command the Stealth Force. A Shunpo that smooth, fast, and utterly silent was the ultimate assassination tool.
"Your turn, little brother," Yoruichi called out from the finish line, crooking a finger at him. She had already changed her form of address, absolutely convinced of her flawless victory.