Advanced Class

Morning light spilled onto the gray-white stone walls of the Shin'ō Academy, and the Kidō flames on either side of the main gate burned. Amber and Shimizu walked side by side on the road leading to the academy, Shimizu clutching her textbook in her hand, her back ramrod straight.

"What are you so nervous about?" Hu glanced at him.

"I'm not nervous." Shimizu's voice was a little tense.

Hu didn't expose him.

As soon as the two reached the academy gate, they saw a chubby figure leaning against a gatepost, picking his teeth Bored.

"Marechiyo Ōmaeda?" Kou was taken aback. "What are you doing here?"

"I already told you to call me Lieutenant, you have absolutely no manners," Maeda tossed aside his toothpick and cleared his throat. "The Captain asked me to pass on a message. We need to change locations a bit."

Seeing that the two had something to talk about, Shimizu said goodbye to Amber and left first.

Kou and Marechiyo Ōmaeda walked along a forest path next to the academy.

"The captain said that with your current strength, staying in the academy for six years would be a complete waste of time." Marechiyo Ōmaeda counted on his fingers. "So, apart from Kidō) classes and special lectures for captains and Lieutenant, you don't need to attend any other classes. You'll go to the Second Division for internships every afternoon, and after three months, you can apply for early graduation."

Hu was taken aback. "Graduate early?"

"That's what the captain said." Marechiyo Ōmaeda shrugged.

"Graduating early and officially joining the team sooner is a good thing," Marechiyo Ōmaeda advised.

Hu thought for a moment and nodded.

"Oh, right," Marechiyo Ōmaeda added, "The captain told you to keep a low profile. The Fon Clan has quite a bad reputation these days, so tone it down a bit. Some noble students have terrible morals, but they're all talk and no action; when it comes to real fighting, they're all cowards."

Amber responded and turned to walk towards the teaching building. Marechiyo Ōmaeda watched his retreating figure, unsure if Amber had listened, sighed, and limped back to his work as a beast of burden.

When Hu reached the classroom door, the corridor had already quieted down. He opened the door, and a few people were sitting sparsely in the classroom.

Shimizu's seat was by the window, and the seat next to him was empty. He waved to Amber, who went over and sat down.

"Is something the matter? Isn't that the Lieutenant of the Second Division?" Shimizu asked in a low voice.

"Let me graduate early," Hu replied softly.

Shimizu's eyes widened slightly, then she smiled, "So fast? But it's normal for you..."

Hu looked around the classroom. Including the two of them, there were only four people in total.

Sitting in the front row was a girl with dark skin, her hair dyed a light color and tied in a ponytail at the back of her head. The sleeves of her school uniform were rolled up to her elbows, revealing her strong forearms. She was Bored twirling a pen when she saw Hu come in. She looked him up and down, then looked away.

A tall, thin boy sat not far from her, quietly reading his textbook.

Just as Amber was about to ask Shimizu who the two people were, a hoarse voice came from the direction of the podium.

Now that everyone's here, let's all introduce Ego.

Hu looked up and saw a middle-aged man standing behind the podium. He was wearing a rumpled Shihakusho, his hair was messy, and he had an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth. His eyes were small and looked unusually decadent, scanning the classroom as if he were sizing up prey.

"I'll start. My name is Kito Ryūji." His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against a wooden board. "You'll be the instructors for the Advanced Class. From today onwards, you'll be under my supervision for the time being."

There was almost no reaction from the audience.

"Don't just stand there." Ghost Head, a cigarette dangling from his lips, introduced Ego. Who wants to go first?

The dark-skinned girl in the front row threw down her pen, stood up, and shouted in a loud voice, "Hachihachihara Kumayu! Skilled in Hakuda! My goal is to join the 11th Division!"

Ghost Head nodded without saying a word.

The tall, thin boy stood up, took out a small notebook and a pen from his pocket, quickly wrote a few words, and held them up to each person in turn.

[Rindō Yo and... are skilled in Kidō.]

Yayoiwara glanced at it and nodded. Shimizu paused for a moment, then Rindou pointed to his throat and shook his head. Shimizu then nodded as well.

Hu understood, nodded, and didn't ask any more questions.

When it was Shimizu's turn, he stood up, his voice a little tense. "Shimizu. I'm ashamed to say I haven't learned the Four Soul Reaper Techniques yet, but I do possess a water-based Zanpakuto."

Gui Tou's eyebrows twitched, but he didn't say anything.

Finally, it was Kou's turn. He stood up, thought for a moment, and said, "Yexing Hu. I'm good at... uh..." Kou felt it was difficult to articulate what he was good at, "Just think of me as someone who's a little bit of everything."

The classroom fell silent again.

Yayoiwara glanced back at him, a slight smile playing on his lips, as if to say, "That's interesting." Rindō Yo and wrote something in his notebook.

Ghost Head looked at him, his lips twitched, and then he smiled. The smile was brief and fleeting.

"Okay." He took the cigarette out of his mouth. "Let's assume you know everything. Class begins."

The Kidō class classroom was in another building. When Amber followed the demon head inside, she found that it was much larger than the previous classroom. The walls were covered with Reishi circuits, and there were practice targets on the floor.

"Kidō class mainly focuses on learning Hadō and Bakudō up to Sequence 60." The demon leaned against the podium. "The academy exists to help you quickly acquire the fighting power of Soul Reaper. It mainly teaches how to use them. As for the principles, if you're interested, you can go to the library during breaks; it will satisfy your needs. To put it simply, the main content of Kidō class is—I'll give you the prayers, you memorize them, practice them until you're proficient, and then use them during the exam."

Hu was taken aback. This was completely different from what he had imagined. When Fon Shaoling taught him, she started by explaining the composition of Reishi, the materialization of energy, and the configuration of the Kidō, requiring him to thoroughly understand the meaning of each prayer.

"What, do you find it unbelievably simple?" Ghost Head looked at his expression.

"No." Hu quickly shook his head.

"That's normal. Everyone who gets into the advanced class is among the best in their grade. They all have their own ambitions, but the academy is only a small part of your life. It's meant to help you quickly gain combat power in the early stages of your career. If you die on the battlefield, then there's no point in talking about principles." Ghost Head slapped a piece of paper on the table. "This is what we'll learn today. The prayer is on it. Memorize it. It will be released before the end of this week. You can use the facilities in the classroom freely. Let's begin."

Hu glanced at the paper. It was filled with Kidō within Sequence Ten. But he didn't speak; he simply picked up the paper quietly.

Yayoiwara had already begun reciting aloud. Her voice was loud, and she didn't care about others at all. Rindō Yo it once, closed his eyes, and quickly moved his fingers around with the Reishi.

Shimizu looked down at the paper, her lips moving slightly, and her fingers gesturing on the table.

Hu put down the paper and looked out the window at the sky.

Gui Tou noticed him and walked over. "Is there a problem?"

"They've all mastered the Kidō."

"Let's put one down and see."

Hu raised his hand, a flash of lightning appeared at his fingertips, and a bolt of Byakurai out, accurately hitting the target on the wall. The lightning was steady, without any spillage.

"Sit down and rest, don't disturb others." After saying this, Gui Tou turned and walked towards Yayoiwara.

Hu sat back down and looked out the window at the sky. He recalled when Fon Shaoling taught him the Kidō, with its dense text and intricate model structures. He had always thought that the Kidō should be learned this way.

So Shaoling taught me was much deeper than what was taught at the academy.

"Hello."

A voice came from the side. Hu turned his head and saw that Yayoiwara had moved to the seat next to him at some point.

"How did you release that Byakurai?" she asked in a low voice. "My Reishi just won't condense together."

Hu thought for a moment and said, "When you're solidifying it, don't try to press it into a line. Let it flow on its own."

Yayoiwara frowned. "What do you mean by 'flowing over on its own'?"

"It's like this..." Hu gestured, "Don't control it, just give it a direction and let it go by itself."

Yayoiwara tried it out; a blue light appeared on his fingertip, then flickered and went out.

"No." She frowned.

"Just try a few more times," Hu said. "I couldn't do it at first either."

Yayoiwara glanced at him, but didn't ask any further questions. He turned back to continue practicing.

Rindō Yo quietly in his seat, looking at his textbook. He didn't participate in the discussion or practice. But Amber noticed that his fingers were lightly tracing the path of the flowing Reishi on the table.

After school at noon, Amber and Shimizu ate lunch in the cafeteria and then parted ways. Shimizu had classes in the afternoon, while Amber had to report to the Second Division.

He passed through the Hakutōmon and followed the path that Marechiyo Ōmaeda had led him on the day before, eventually finding the barracks of the Second Division.

The registration area was on the first floor of the team barracks, and a team member who looked quite young was sitting behind the window.

"Yexing Hu? Captain Soi Fon already gave instructions." The squad member flipped through the roster, looked up at him, and asked, "Are you here for an internship?"

"Yes."

The soldier nodded and took a booklet from the drawer, handing it to him.

"The Second Division is an intelligence agency, did you know that?"

Hu nodded.

" In the Gotei 13, each division has its own function. The Sixth Division handles noble affairs, the 11th Division is in charge of combat, the Twelfth Division is in charge of technology. And the core of our Second Division is intelligence."

He paused, then turned to the first page of the booklet.

"The Stealth Force is the core of the Second Division. It is divided into six squads—"

His finger pointed to the first line.

"First Division: Onmitsukidō: The core combat unit. Specializing in hand-to -Hakuda, responsible for executions and assassinations. The current commander-in-chief is Captain Soi Fon, who directly commands them."

Second Squad: Patrol Corps: Reconnaissance Unit. Responsible for patrolling within the Seireitei and monitoring the movements of the Soul Reaper. The squad leader is Lieutenant Marechiyo Ōmaeda.

Third Squad: Correction Corps: Guard Unit. Responsible for guarding and imprisoning the "Nest of Maggots," a place where the dangerous Soul Reaper is held. The squad leader is the Third Seat, and members are required to be able to subdue prisoners with their bare hands.

Fourth Squad: Feimou Corps: Search Unit. Responsible for searching for the missing Soul Reaper. Closely linked to the Business and Department of Research and Development, the squad leader is the Fourth Seat.

Fifth Squad: Inner Court Corps: Messenger Unit. Its main tasks are intelligence analysis and battlefield communication. It is led by the Fifth Seat.

"Sixth Squad, Training Corps. Responsible for the training and development of new recruits. The Sixth Seat serves as the squad leader."

The soldier closed the booklet and looked at Hu.

"You're currently in your internship. As a direct recommendation from the team leader, you'll be assigned to the Training Corps, under the unified management of Cilian, the Sixth Seat. He'll arrange your specific tasks."

Hu took the booklet, flipped through a few pages, and then closed it.

"So... where do I go now?"

"The training grounds," the soldier pointed to the end of the corridor, "Instructor Cilian is there every afternoon."

Hu thanked him and turned to walk towards the training ground.

The corridor was quiet. He recalled the scene of fighting with Byakuya here yesterday; there were still knife marks on the wall that hadn't been cleaned up.

Hu couldn't help but think:

So this is what the Second Division is really like. The team's responsibilities are also very comprehensive, including combat, reconnaissance, surveillance, search, communication, and training. They have instructors like Cilian, Lieutenant like Marechiyo Ōmaeda, and captains like Fon Shaoling.

And now he's one of them.

He pushed open the door to the training ground, and sunlight streamed in. Cilian was standing in the center of the field, with a group of soldiers training in front of her. Cilian turned to look at Hu.

"You've arrived?"

Hu grinned.

"Here comes the instructor."

As the sun began to set, Amber emerged from the Second Division training ground, his body aching all over.

Cilian's training has become even more grueling than before—every movement, from the basics to the rise and fall of Shunpo, the angle of the slash, and the distribution of Reiatsu, has to be broken down and trained separately.

"Your fundamentals are still too raw. Many of your movements rely heavily on your own physical attributes," Cilian said. "No matter how good your talent is, it can't replace everything. The existence of Kendo has its own significance."

Hu knew he was right. Before Sizhuzhai, he fought entirely on instinct, and after Sizhuzhai, he was chased by various real battles. He had never systematically honed his basics, and he hadn't even finished learning that man's swordsmanship and moves.

But I'm really tired.

When he walked out of the Hakutōmon, he saw Shimizu standing at the door waiting for him.

"How's the internship going?" Shimizu asked.

Hu gave a thumbs-up. "You're finally back alive!"

Shimizu smiled.

The two walked side by side for a while.

"That Yayoiwara today, did he later come to you to ask about the Kidō?" Shimizu asked.

"Hmm. The problem is that Byakurai can't be released."

"You taught her?"

"I taught her. She's quite quick to learn, and she was given a break before get out of class ended."

Shimizu nodded without saying anything.

Hu suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, where's Rindō Yo? He hasn't said a word. Is he really mute?"

"It seems so," Shimizu said. "A person who cannot speak, whose forte is actually the Kidō, and the Kidō I taught today, just like yours, were all unleashed."

"I'm not like him. I trained beforehand. To be honest, he's really good, while I cheated."

The two remained silent for a while.

"This Advanced Class," Shimizu suddenly said, "Seems to only have the four of us. I inquired about this class this afternoon."

"Um."

"Yayoiwara very strong, Rindō Yo," Shimizu's voice was soft. "And I was only selected for this class because I've Shikai..."

Hu glanced at him and patted him on the shoulder.

"You're not weak either, don't underestimate yourself. Not everyone can achieve Shikai."

Shimizu paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Too."

Sixth Division

Byakuya's office

"Renji, the return gift for our exchange with the Second Division yesterday has arrived..."

"Tomorrow, I've invited my Sixth Division to the Second Division's training facilities to experience Second Division training. You should take some of our members with you."

"Yes, Captain Kuchiki."