Practicing Hakuda

Ye Yang returned to his room and opened the Complete Guide to Spiritual Pressure Cultivation that the butler had given him. The basic methods of cultivating spiritual pressure described inside were broadly divided into

two types:

The first involved using one's own spiritual pressure and certain methods to draw the Soul Society's reishi into the body, where

it was refined and compressed into one's own spiritual pressure. The second required one to possess a Zanpakuto, sit cross-legged, and lay the Zanpakuto

across one's knees, cultivating spiritual pressure by communicating with it.

The second method was more effective, but obtaining one's own Zanpakuto was no easy task. Having one's

own Zanpakuto meant being able to perform Shikai, rather than carrying the standard-issue Asauchi. A Soul Reaper who reached that level was at least

a Seated Officer within the top ten seats. Of the tens of thousands of Soul Reapers in the Soul Society, fewer than a hundred could perform Shikai. Its difficulty was plain to see.

Ye Yang did not yet have his own Zanpakuto, so he could only use the first method. He sat cross-legged and followed the book's instructions to absorb

reishi from the air into his body and refine it. Before long, Ye Yang discovered a problem: he had practiced

the Taiji Mental Cultivation Method since childhood, and the spiritual power in his body had long since formed its own circulation. The cultivation method in the book conflicted in some places

with the Taiji Mental Cultivation Method, so Ye Yang's first attempt at cultivating spiritual pressure did not go smoothly.

A wild idea formed in Ye Yang's mind: what if he used the Soul Society's method to absorb reishi from the air into his body,

then circulated it through his body according to the Taiji Mental Cultivation Method?

He immediately put the idea into practice. Ye Yang quickly absorbed reishi into his body and carefully controlled it with his mental power, guiding it steadily

through every corner of his body. After three complete circulations, the reishi gradually transformed into Ye Yang's spiritual power and flowed into his dantian, where it gathered without being released.

Ye Yang felt a warm current flowing through his abdomen, and it was wonderfully comfortable. Eager as ever, he began another round of cultivation...

When Ye Yang emerged from his cultivation, it was already the next morning. At the first hint of dawn, he went to the backyard and began practicing Tai Chi.

He had practiced for less than half an hour when Yoruichi wandered in looking lazy. She was startled to see him practicing. "Whoa, little brother, why are you here

too?"

Ye Yang rolled his eyes at her. "What's wrong? Can't I be here?"

"Ah, I get it! Did you hide here to practice in secret today without calling me? That's so sneaky!" Yoruichi looked

angry.

Ye Yang said helplessly, "I practice here every day, you know. Otherwise, how could I have lasted so long against Father yesterday? Did you think I

was really a genius?"

Only then did Yoruichi understand why her unscrupulous little brother was better than her at everything. He had been working hard while she slept. The

lingering doubt she had about her brother vanished. So-called geniuses simply didn't exist; they just worked hard where others couldn't see

them. Though that was what she thought, she still said, "Then why have you never called me?"

At the mention of that, Ye Yang's face filled with anger. "You have the nerve to say I've never called you? Every time, didn't you say, 'Don't bother me... let me

sleep a little longer'...?"

Even the cheerful Yoruichi couldn't help blushing at that. Seeing his big sister blush, Ye Yang burst out

laughing. "Whoa, big sister, you blush too?"

Yoruichi flew into a rage from embarrassment, and she and Ye Yang began wrestling. In the end, they both lay on the ground. Ye Yang looked at her. "Hey, big sister, you're so violent.

Be careful, or you won't be able to find a husband someday."

"Hmph, that's none of your concern."

"Big sister, let's work hard together from now on. Neither of us can leave, okay?"

"Mm"...

And so the siblings made that promise...

The Shihoin Clan's training ground

Shihoin Seigen looked at his daughter and son. A middle-aged man stood beside him. Seigen spoke. "Ye Yang, Yoruichi, from

now on, this is your Hakuda teacher, Ogawa Kagenashi. You can call him Teacher Ogawa." As he spoke, he pointed to the man beside him.

"Hello, Teacher Ogawa."

Ogawa Kagenashi merely grunted in reply, seemingly unconcerned.

Seigen simply said, "Ogawa, I'm leaving them in your care." With that, he left.

After Seigen had gone, Ogawa Kagenashi said to the siblings, "Tell me what each of you understands about Hakuda."

"Teacher, Hakuda is one of a Soul Reaper's four major skills. It's a technique for unarmed combat." This was Yoruichi's answer. Beside her came Ye Yang's

voice. "Teacher Ogawa, I think it's more than a combat technique. It's also a means of defeating an enemy. It isn't limited to hands and feet; knees,

elbows, shoulders, and every other part of the body can be used. And the most important thing is how to achieve victory at the smallest possible cost."

Whether deliberately or not, Ye Yang had not called Ogawa Kagenashi his teacher outright as Yoruichi had. With Ye Yang's pride, he would not let someone whose Hakuda

was inferior to having one of his own as his teacher, so Ye Yang did not acknowledge Teacher Ogawa in his heart.

"Mm, very good. You both have a good understanding of it. Work hard from now on." A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of Ogawa Kagenashi's mouth.

Ogawa Kagenashi then began teaching them Hakuda and sharing his many years of experience. By the end of the day, both of them were exhausted on the ground. Ogawa Kagenashi said, "

That's enough for today."

A basement somewhere

"Ogawa, how did it go?" A voice that seemed to belong to a middle-aged man rang out. It seemed to carry an irresistible force.

A thin figure knelt on one knee and replied, "My lord, those two children truly are geniuses. Not only their spiritual pressure, but also their innate

talent for combat makes them prodigies seen only once in a hundred years. What should we do, my lord?" If Ye Yang had been there, he would surely have recognized him. This was the teacher who had just spent the

day teaching them Hakuda—Ogawa Kagenashi!

"Hmph, everyone who stands in the way of my becoming head of the Shihoin Clan must be eliminated! How long have I waited? The old man was finally about to die, and yet

two geniuses have appeared. I don't want any accidents!"

"But my lord, Shihoin Seigen protects the two of them too well. If we made a move, we would certainly be exposed. It wouldn't be good if the family head found out.

So, my lord, I tampered with the Hakuda I taught them. If they practice it for a long time, they won't be crippled, but they will develop an enormous

weakness, and that weakness will be in your hands, my lord."

"Mm, very good. Continue controlling them like this. Don't let Seigen and the others find out. You may go."

"Yes, my lord"...

That night... Ye Yang came to Yoruichi's door. Knock, knock, knock... "Big sister, you're not asleep yet, are you?" A lazy voice came from inside.

"Oh, it's you. Come in."

Ye Yang pushed open the door and entered to find Yoruichi cultivating her spiritual power. He said, "Hey, big sister, what did you think of the Hakuda Teacher Ogawa taught us today

?"

"What's wrong? I thought it was pretty good," Yoruichi replied.

A grave expression appeared on Ye Yang's face. As a martial arts grandmaster in his previous life, how could he have failed to notice? Ye Yang

had simply kept quiet and watched to see what Ogawa Kagenashi was trying to do. But just because he knew did not mean his big sister knew too,

so Ye Yang had come to talk to Yoruichi about it in case any problems arose later.

Seeing a grave expression on Ye Yang's usually calm face, Yoruichi's golden eyes flashed with puzzlement. Anything that could make

her little brother look like that had to be important.

"Big sister, there's something wrong with the Hakuda Ogawa Kagenashi taught us. What he taught us can indeed improve our strength, but

some of the moves he taught us are ones that kill a thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred of your own. These moves may not seem to cause any problems in the short term, but over time

they'll interfere with the development of our bones, leaving us with a huge weakness. And it can't be fixed."

Yoruichi asked in surprise, "Then why didn't you tell Father? This is a serious crime."

"There's no rush. We just need to be careful from now on. Someone must be directing him, and I want to know who's behind it. We shouldn't alert them."

"Could it be the idea of one of the family elders? Hmph! I knew those old fellows were up to no good," Yoruichi said indignantly.

"Shh—it's only a guess. Until we have solid evidence, we shouldn't say anything about this. We need to let him know: the hunter

and the prey often switch places without anyone noticing." A scheming smile appeared on Ye Yang's face.

Yoruichi shivered at the sight of her little brother's smile. Every time she saw that smile, some unlucky soul came to grief. *Whoever you are,

mastermind, I mourn for you...*

Yoruichi suddenly remembered something else. "Little brother, how did you know there was something wrong with the Hakuda he taught us?"

Ye Yang was stumped as soon as he heard that. He couldn't very well say he had been a martial arts expert in his previous life. Yoruichi would probably think his brain had broken,

so Ye Yang gave his usual answer: "Secret."

"How hateful," Ye Yang muttered under his breath. "He's brushing me off with that again. But forget it. There are always a lot of things about this brother of mine that I don't understand.

It's enough just to know he's my brother"...