Hollow-Hunting Contest

Over the next few days, Hu's internship at the Feimou Corps gradually got on track.

Every morning he attends Kidō class at the academy, and in the afternoon he reports to the Feimou Corps. Xitang has assigned him fixed tasks—processing documents, organizing Reiatsu data, and contacting the stationed Soul Reaper. Occasionally there are Hollow alarms, mostly from newly formed Hollows, which are relatively easy for Amber at the moment.

Hu gradually got used to this rhythm.

The plaque for the Fourth Seat penalty has now been put away by Xitang. That afternoon, after finishing the last document, Amber put the Denreishinki into his pocket and prepared to head to Urahara Shop.

"Senior Xitang," he said, walking to Xitang's desk, "I need to go and oversee Urahara Shop today."

"Yes, the Sixth Seat of Cilian has already sent the relevant documents for this matter. You can go ahead and do it. By the way, the Feimou Corps's Senkaimon is fixed. If you don't want to take a detour, remember to use the public Senkaimon."

"Xitang, the shopkeeper mentioned earlier that he wanted some recent Reiatsu data for Karakura Town. Can we provide that?"

Xitang didn't even look up. "Sure, just retrieve it from the system yourself."

Hu was taken aback. "Huh? You gave it to me so easily? Wasn't that a confidential document?"

Xitang then looked up. "That thing isn't a secret at all!"

"Isn't that something the Second Division collected?"

"Does our handling of this matter constitute a secret? Ye Xing, how do you regard the Second Division?"

"Intelligence forces?"

"Yes, intelligence units. As the name suggests, they are units in charge of intelligence, but not all of it is classified information."

"That stuff is similar to the weather forecast in the World of the Living. Basically, Soul Reaper goes to the human world on World of the Living checks it every day. The Feimou Corps directly participates in collecting it and can get even more detailed information. Since they are a supply point recognized by Soul Society, just give it to them if they want it. There's no need to hold them hostage by something that's posted on the Seireitei's gate every day."

Hu felt slightly embarrassed. He had always thought that Reiatsu data was some kind of secret, but it turned out to be just something like weather data.

He then retrieved the data for Karakura Town over the past week from the system, copied it to a small Reishi storage device, and stuffed it into his backpack.

"Senior Xitang, I'll be going now."

"Yes. Have a safe trip."

Amber passed through the Senkaimon and arrived at the back alley of Urahara Shop.

Pushing open the glass door, I saw Urahara dozing off on the counter, his face covered by his hat. Hearing the door open, he stirred but didn't look up.

"You've arrived?"

"Hmm." Amber placed the storage device on the counter. "I've copied the Reiatsu data for Karakura Town this week for you."

Urahara pushed his hat up, revealing his eyes, and picked up the memory chip to look at it. "Smooth sailing."

"Senior Xitang said this thing is similar to a weather forecast; you can get it by applying for it."

Urahara laughed. "Indeed. But usually, applications have to be submitted to the Department of Research and Development, and I have some issues with the current director, so I'm being held back, haha~."

He stood up and walked towards the back door. "Let's go, Tsukabishi is already downstairs."

Hu followed him down the stairs. This time it didn't take long; the spatial folding had been adjusted to the shortest path, and they arrived at the training ground in just a few steps.

Tessai Tsukabishi stood in the center of the field with his hands behind his back.

"Ye Xing," he adjusted his glasses, "Let me clarify the training schedule for the future."

Hu stood straight.

"First, you need to master your two unique Kidō: Phantom Blade and Summoned Swords."

"Mr. Tsukabishi, I find these two quite handy to use." As he spoke, Hu even conjured up the Phantom Blade and showed it to Tsukabishi.

Tsukabishi walked up, squeezed the Phantom Blade, and then shook her head. "This won't work. The Phantom Blade isn't strong enough. It will break down immediately in a slightly intense battle."

"I just Shikai in high-intensity battles."

"That's it, Ye Xing. Your Phantom Blade and Summoned Swords are currently too reliant on the enhancement of your Zanpakuto after its Shikai." Tsukabishi's voice was deep.

"But Jiku'a said that all techniques derived from Zanpakuto have this problem."

Have you ever thought about why this problem exists in the first place?

"This..."

Tsukabishi sighed, "Ye Xing, let me explain a little to you. You should know that Zanpakuto is a reflection of Soul Reaper's heart."

Hu nodded.

"The so-called spiritual reflection is actually a reflection of the Soul Reaper's own abilities. The purpose of the Zanpakuto is to allow the Soul Reaper to use their own power more easily. The fact that your unique Kidō has become stronger after Shikai is an illusion. In essence, it's the Zanpakuto that's responsible for driving the part of the Kidō that you don't understand. In other words, the Phantom Blade you're releasing now is your true progress in mastering this Kidō. The Kidō's transmission ability has weakened considerably, and the blade itself is extremely fragile."

Tsukabishi tapped a few nodes on the Phantom Blade that Hu had condensed, and cracks immediately appeared on the Phantom Blade.

"Therefore, from today onwards, I will place a Restriction Seal on your Zanpakuto." Tsukabishi raised her hand, blue light emanating from her fingertips. "Once you step into the World of the Living, your Zanpakuto will be unable to Shikai. You will need to fight independently using the Phantom Blade and Summoned Swords Shikai, and I will fill in any gaps in your knowledge."

Hu was taken aback. "What if I encounter a powerful enemy in the World of the Living?"

"That's the problem you need to solve," said Tsukabishi. "The Phantom Blade and Summoned Swords are your own power, not appendages of Jiku'a. I've seen too many Soul Reaper became arrogant because of their Zanpakuto's performance, only to die because of their own weaknesses. I don't want you to become one of them."

Kou opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but then realized he had a point. He glanced at Urahara, Urahara shrugged.

"Come on." Tsukabishi, and a burst of spiritual light entered Shi Jiku'a at Hu's waist. The blade trembled slightly before returning to stillness.

Amber tried to gather Reiatsu, attempting to Shikai —but the blade did not react.

It's truly impossible to Shikai this.

He took a deep breath, raised his left hand, and the Phantom Blade condensed in his palm. The blue sword light was dimmer than usual, and the blade was not as solid as it was after its Shikai.

"From today onwards, you can only use this in the World of the Living," said Tsukabishi. "When you can train the Phantom Blade to the same strength as during our last sparring session without Shikai, I will lift the seal."

Hu gripped the Phantom Blade tightly and nodded.

"Let's begin."

The training lasted for two hours.

Goryu attacks from all angles with low-level Kidō, Tsukabishi Amber can only use Phantom Blade to block, dodge, and counterattack. She cannot use Shikai or the Space Slash of Jiku'a. Although she can use Summoned Swords, the sword will disappear every time she teleports or after a short period of time.

"You rely too much on the buffs after your Shikai," said Tsukabishi while attacking. "Many Soul Reaper have their own unique Kidō, which is very common among Kidō-type Zanpakuto wielders. But your case is special. The Jiku'a is helping you with the part that interferes with spacetime. And that is precisely the most difficult part. I will teach you this part properly, so be prepared to study hard."

Hu gritted his teeth and slashed at the incoming Shakkahō with his sword. Flames swept past his sides, and waves of heat hit his face.

"Yes!"

When the training ended, Hu collapsed on the ground, covered in sweat. The Phantom Blade had been formed and dissipated in his hands hundreds of times, leaving blisters on his palms.

Urahara handed him a bottle of water. "How are you feeling?"

Hu took a large gulp. "This is much more troublesome than the Shikai."

Amber sat up and looked at the Jiku'a at his waist. The sword was still the same sword, but the channel for its Shikai was sealed. He gripped the hilt tightly and tried to mobilize his Reiatsu —but it still didn't work.

"Don't bother trying," Urahara said. "Even Captain-level can't break the seal on the Tsukabishi. Once you've trained enough, it will be broken for you naturally."

Hu sighed and stood up.

When Koko came out of Urahara Shop, it was almost dark. Just as Koko was about to use the Denreishinki to summon the Senkaimon back, the Denreishinki suddenly trembled.

He took it out and looked at it—it was a false alarm. The location was in the eastern part of Karakura Town. The Reiatsu reaction wasn't strong, but the number of alarms was terrifyingly large.

Hu gave a wry smile. He couldn't Shikai right now and could only rely on the Phantom Blade. He hadn't expected his luck to be so bad; he had just been sealed away and now he was facing a tough battle.

As Amber dealt with the Void creatures, she rushed towards the central area. The number and timing of their appearances seemed familiar to her until she reached the center of the area.

Amber was stunned. In the open space of the park stood two people. One had orange hair and carried a huge Zanpakuto — Ichigo Kurosaki Uryū Ishida.

Hu recognized him at a glance. The two were facing off, the atmosphere tense and ready to clash.

"--I will win this battle." Uryū continuously fired spirit arrows from his Spirit Bow.

"Who cares about you? You're ignoring the well-being of ordinary people for the sake of a match!" Ichigo continued to slash at the Hollows with his sword.

Kou understood. This was the Hollow-Hunting Contest between Uryū and Ichigo from the original story. He remembered the ending of that competition—the two killed a bunch of Hollows, and finally attracted a Gillian.

Amber didn't want to get involved, but the constant vibrations of the Denreishinki told him that the number of Hollows was considerable. Amber didn't dare gamble on the damage caused by these attracted Hollows, so he had no choice but to begin clearing away the Hollows that kept pouring out from various places.

Ichigo's swordsmanship was as wild as ever, one strike after another, swift and decisive. Uryū's arrows were also incredibly accurate, each one piercing the Hollow's mask. Meanwhile, Koko was constantly dealing with any stragglers that managed to escape.

Just then, Amber encountered Rukia, who was also helping to deal with the Hollow. Seeing that Rukia was still relying on Gigai to move around, Amber teased, "Rukia- senpai, are you relying on Gigai to move around today too? Is this the level of power in Karakura Town?"

Rukia a little awkward seeing Amber: "Yeah, Karakura Town is really tough. We've been fighting a lot lately, and my Reiatsu is running low."

"By the way, was that Soul Reaper I saw when I passed by the park newly transferred? I don't think I have that person in my contact list."

Rukia broke out in a cold sweat, 'This... this is...'

Kou didn't really intend to do anything, since he knew what was going on, but as the person responsible for the scheduled contact, it would be strange not to ask. Even if Rukia really did slip up, Kou didn't plan to do anything, since Xitang had never seriously told him what the so-called violations were.

Just as Rukia was stammering,

The vibrations from the Denreishinki intensified. This wasn't an ordinary alarm; it was a red alert— Reiatsu reaction at the level of Menos Grande.

Hu stood up and looked into the distance. A crack appeared in the sky. A huge claw emerged from the crack, followed by a mask, and then a massive body.

Gillian.

Hu jumped off the roof and rushed over there.

Ichigo and Uryū also stopped. Their expressions changed as they watched the Gillian slowly crawl out.

"What... what is this?" Ichigo gripped his sword tightly.

"Menos Grande." Uryū's voice was tense, "Gillian- class... not something we can handle..."

"Releasing this thing out looks dangerous!" Ichigo rushed forward.

Just as Amber arrived, she saw Ichigo heading off with his sword, sighed, and followed him.

He couldn't Shikai power yet, and although the Phantom Blade was still there, he really didn't know how much damage it could inflict on Gillian. He condensed the Phantom Blade in his left hand and the Summoned Swords in his right—five blue short swords hovered around him.

Ichigo slashed at Gillian's leg, leaving only a shallow wound. Gillian lowered his head, his red eyes fixed on him, and Cero began to form in his mouth.

"Kurosaki-kun! Get out of the way!" Uryū fired an arrow, which struck Gillian's mask without moving an inch.

Hu Shunpo, and five Summoned Swords shot out simultaneously, piercing Gillian's chest. The swords sank in, but Gillian only swayed slightly; the Cero was not interrupted.

"Damn it..." Amber gritted her teeth. Without its Shikai, the Summoned Swords's power was still insufficient.

Uryū rushed to Ichigo's side, grabbed him, and dragged him backward. "We can't win! Let's retreat!"

Ichigo pulled his hand away. "What are you doing?! How many people will this thing kill if it gets out?!"

As Amber watched the increasingly bright red light emanating from Gillian's mouth, his mind raced. He couldn't use Shikai, so he could only use Phantom Blade. But he remembered that in the original story, Ichigo had used his Zanpakuto to directly confront Cero, finally managing to Gillian.

Ichigo glanced at the red light gushing from Gillian's mouth, gritted his teeth, and Zanpakuto.

"Ha!"

The Zanpakuto clashed with the Cero. After a brief stalemate, Ichigo's sword aura cleaved through the Cero, wounding Gillian and causing the air to tremble.

After a moment of pain and stiffening, Gillian began to retreat...

Ichigo, leaning on his sword, gasped for breath. Uryū slumped to the ground, his right hand trembling.

Just as Koko was wondering if there was still a part in the original story, Ichigo let out a painful howl. His Reiatsu went berserk, and Koko felt a large amount of Reiatsu gushing out from his Spirit Body.

Amber then remembered that there was such a passage. And Uryū, just like in the original story, began to use his ability to balance Ichigo's Reiatsu by firing giant arrows into the sky.

Originally, Amber only intended to watch secretly from a corner, but seeing that Uryū was even struggling to get started, Amber dared not be sure that Uryū could handle the matter, so she had no choice but to come out of the video.

This startled Uryū; he hadn't expected a Soul Reaper to be lurking nearby. He immediately aimed his bow at Hu.

"Don't be nervous. I saw you were struggling, so I wanted to help you," Hu quickly explained.

"Help me? Are you sure you're not here to wipe out me, the last Quincy?"

"What's Quincy? I'm a legitimate Soul Reaper, I don't kill people. If you keep talking nonsense, I'll sue you for defamation. Stop messing around, the guy at your feet looks like he's about to die," Amber said, feigning ignorance.

Uryū saw that Ichigo was already flushed and his eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like he was nearing his limit. Uryū quickly continued to fire arrows into the air to help release his Reiatsu.

Amber silently pulled out the Phantom Blade, walked over, and without saying a word, stabbed it into Ichigo's back, a move that startled Uryū.

Hey! Aren't you his comrade? Why are you hurting him!

"Huh? I didn't, watch closely." Amber was tongue-tied and didn't really want to explain, so she directly began to operate the Phantom Blade and execute the Reiatsu Integration.

Ichigo's Reiatsu was absorbed into the Phantom Blade and then returned, immediately reducing his berserk aura. Uryū, seeing this as a somewhat unbelievable but seemingly effective maneuver, said nothing more.

After a while, Ichigo, with the Phantom Blade embedded in his skin, felt much better and got up from the ground on his own.

"You..." Ichigo looked at Kou, "You're the one from last time—"

"Last time?"

"That time at the Hell Gate."

"Oh, you were there that time too? I thought it was just Rukia- senpai." Amber tried her best to give a normal response.

Ichigo nodded.

"My name is Yexing Hu. I'm currently an intern in the Second Division, temporarily responsible for scheduled communications in Karakura Town. Nice to meet you."

"I am Ichigo Kurosaki, nice to meet you."

"Hmm, is your Reiatsu still going berserk? If not, I'll draw the Phantom Blade."

"Oh, I feel much better. Let's take this thing out; it feels really weird with it stuck in."

"Okay. It's a little itchy, just bear with it." Amber grasped the Phantom Blade and slowly pulled it out.

"Ah!!" Rukia, who had just arrived at the scene, saw Amber pull the Phantom Blade out of Ichigo's body and let out a sharp explosion.

"Huh? Rukia / Rukia- senpai?"