Chapter Summaries

Yexing Hu began the Advanced Class and started afternoon training with the Second Division after learning he could apply for early graduation. Byakuya accepted the Second Division’s invitation to send Sixth Division members to train there the next day.

• Marechiyo Ōmaeda told Yexing Hu that Soi Fon had arranged for him to attend only Kidō classes and special lectures, train with the Second Division, and apply for early graduation in three months.
• Yexing Hu met Kito Ryūji and his Advanced Class classmates, then demonstrated his Byakurai and helped Hachihachihara improve her Kidō.
• Yexing Hu reported to the Second Division and learned about the Stealth Force units before joining Cilian’s demanding training session.
• Yexing Hu walked back with Shimizu, discussing Hachihachihara’s progress and Rindō Yo’s Kidō ability.
• Byakuya told Renji to take Sixth Division members to train at the Second Division’s facilities the next day.

Renji visited the Second Division training grounds for an exchange and saw Cilian’s skill in combat and instruction firsthand. After Cilian’s specialized exercise and a sparring match, Renji left with new advice for improving his use of Zabimaru.

• Renji watched Cilian and Hu spar, then learned that Cilian was the Second Division’s Sixth Seat and that Hu was a trainee.
• Cilian showed Renji the Second Division’s training modules, and Renji asked to try Lieutenant Ōmaeda’s specialized program with Hu.
• Renji and Hu dodged projectiles while answering tactical and investigative questions, but Cilian increased the challenge until they were caught in a net.
• Cilian sparred with Renji and defeated him, pointing out that Renji relied too heavily on straight-line attacks and was not using Zabimaru’s flexibility well.
• Renji left the training grounds feeling encouraged, while Cilian told Hu that both he and Renji were impatient.

Hu completed a demanding half month of training and agreed to transfer to the Feimou Corps, where he could hone his skills on missions in the World of the Living. Shimizu and Keiko helped him get several new outfits and boots, and he left feeling supported as he wondered whether the transfer would let him visit the World of the Living.

• Cilian tested Hu's ability to cast Kidō while fighting and told him to transfer to the Feimou Corps or the Inner Court Corps.
• Hu chose the Feimou Corps and learned that he would report there the afternoon after his usual Kidō class.
• Shimizu heard about the transfer and asked whether Hu's family was still in the World of the Living, but Hu said his situation was complicated.
• Shimizu noticed Hu had only one academy uniform and took him to Keiko's shop to get new clothes.
• Keiko measured Hu and made him a black coat, a gray wool coat, a shirt, and sturdy boots.
• Shimizu told Hu that he and Keiko would help him like family, and Hu thanked them before leaving in his new clothes.

Yexing Hu joined the Feimou Corps as an intern and learned that choosing Karakura Town meant taking responsibility for all thirty-seven posts across Honshu. After training with Senior Xitang, Hu prepared for his first trip to the World of the Living the next day.

• Hu used the formation disk to choose Karakura Town, only to learn that the assignment covered all of Honshu.
• A squad member explained the Feimou Corps' work and introduced Hu to Senior Xitang, who outlined the thirty-seven posts and their check-in schedule.
• Xitang showed Hu the Senkaimon and explained the area card used to travel between posts.
• Xitang taught Hu how to use Reiatsu Recorders and the Denreishinki, and Hu successfully contacted a stationed Soul Reaper after clarifying a recorder's location.
• Hu studied the post information until evening, then left the office eager for his first trip to the World of the Living.

Hu accompanied Xitang on his first field assignment in the World of the Living, learning to collect Reiatsu data, defeat a Hollow, and perform Konsō. In Karakura Town, Hu rescued Rukia from a Hollow and sent it to Hell, then left her with Ichigo and Chad while he continued his assignment.

• Hu learned from Xitang how to record Reiatsu at Spirit Vein Nodes and set up a Reiatsu Recorder in Kyoto.
• Hu defeated a newly formed Hollow and performed his first Konsō for a recently deceased man in a cemetery.
• Hu returned to the office, received a Karakura Town assignment, and traveled there to place a Reiatsu Recorder and notify Rukia Kuchiki.
• Hu found Rukia wounded and fighting a birdlike Hollow, pinned it with Summoned Swords, and sent it to Hell after hearing it boast about killing a woman and tormenting her child.
• Hu spoke with Rukia, then left her to help the unconscious Chad while Ichigo emerged from hiding and asked about Hu.

Hu was brought to Urahara Shop, where Cilian arranged for Urahara, Yoruichi, and Tessai to train him because his Zanpakuto might become crucial in a future battle. Meanwhile, Aizen demonstrated Kyōka Suigetsu to his students and encouraged Shimizu to develop Daku.

• Hu was punished for letting personal feelings affect his Hollow encounter, but Cilian took him to the World of the Living and left the sign behind.
• Cilian introduced Hu to Kisuke Urahara and arranged for Hu to monitor Urahara Shop’s operations during his visits to Karakura Town.
• Cilian asked Urahara to train Hu, and Tessai carried the reluctant Hu into the shop’s Underground Training Ground as Yoruichi and Urahara agreed to help.
• Cilian told Urahara and Yoruichi that Hu’s unusual Zanpakuto could make him vital in a future battle, and asked them and Tessai to prepare him.
• Aizen showed Kyōka Suigetsu to his students, then examined Shimizu’s Daku and encouraged him to explore the Zanpakuto’s potential.

Yexing Hu began training with Urahara, Yoruichi, and Tessai Tsukabishi, revealing a formidable combat style built around Jiku'a and techniques that affected space and time. After Tsukabishi neutralized Hu’s ultimate attack, he agreed to train him, while Urahara concluded that Hu’s abilities could disrupt Aizen’s plan.

• Cilian left through the Senkaimon, and Urahara and Yoruichi found Hu waiting at the training ground entrance.
• Urahara explained that Tsukabishi had no obligation to teach Hu and said Hu would have to impress him to earn his guidance.
• Hu demonstrated Jiku'a and combined Shunpo, Kidō, spatial techniques, and Reishi armaments in a sparring match against Tsukabishi.
• Hu unleashed Void Blade Realm and Judgment Cut End, but Tsukabishi used forbidden techniques to stop time and reinforce space, leaving Hu nearly exhausted.
• Tsukabishi agreed to teach Hu Kidō and spacetime knowledge, while Yoruichi took responsibility for Hakuda and Shunpo and Urahara offered Zanjutsu and combat training.
• Urahara arranged training twice a week and asked Hu to bring recent Reiatsu data from Karakura Town on his next visit.

Yexing Hu began training without Shikai after Tessai Tsukabishi sealed Jiku'a, then joined Ichigo Kurosaki and Uryū Ishida during their Hollow-hunting contest and helped contain Ichigo’s runaway Reiatsu. The chapter ended with Rukia arriving just as Hu pulled his Phantom Blade out of Ichigo, prompting her to shriek.

• Hu delivered Karakura Town’s recent Reiatsu data to Urahara, then followed him to train with Tessai Tsukabishi.
• Tsukabishi sealed Jiku'a’s Shikai and made Hu practice Phantom Blade and Summoned Swords without its power.
• Hu responded to a red alert and found Ichigo and Uryū fighting Hollows during their contest, while Rukia also helped clear them.
• A Gillian emerged, and Ichigo wounded it by meeting its Cero with his Zanpakuto before his Reiatsu began running wild.
• Hu used Reiatsu Integration through his Phantom Blade to help stabilize Ichigo while Uryū released the excess Reiatsu with arrows.
• Hu introduced himself to Ichigo, then pulled the Phantom Blade from his back as Rukia arrived and shrieked.

Hu’s internship and training brought him under scrutiny when Fon Shaoling discovered Tessai’s powerful seal limiting his Reiatsu. After Hu reassured her and explained his training, Fon Shaoling warned him about Urahara’s dangerous tools and asked him to visit her office regularly, leaving Hu smiling as he returned home.

• Hu left Rukia and Ichigo after Rukia described Ichigo as her assistant, then returned to the Feimou Corps and found Fon Shaoling waiting at his desk.
• Fon Shaoling noticed the Restriction Seal on Hu’s wrist and took him to the Kidō Corps, whose members could not identify or remove the unfamiliar seal.
• Tessai told Urahara that he had imposed Constant Sealing on Ye Xing, limiting him to twenty percent of his Reiatsu until he could match his Shikai strength without using Shikai.
• Fon Shaoling questioned Hu about his seal and Urahara’s training, warned him against using the Tenshintai, and told him to visit her office regularly.
• Fon Shaoling said she did not like Hu calling her Soi Fon, and Hu returned to the Qinghui Clothing Shop, where he ate Keiko’s saved meal and thought of her.

Hu met Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai during a break from Kidō class and learned a Reishi-control exercise while practicing with Shimizu. Later, Hu shared a meal with Renji and sake with Gin Ichimaru, ending the night by assuring Gin he trusted him.

• Hu struggled to cast Kidō under the Restriction Seal, and Shimizu helped him leave the classroom for fresh air.
• Hu and Shimizu met an old teacher roasting sweet potatoes, who revealed himself as Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai and taught them to use small amounts of Reishi to cut rocks cleanly.
• Hu practiced the exercise while working in the Feimou Corps office, then met Renji for noodles and offered to pass a message to Rukia in Karakura Town.
• Hu rescued Gin Ichimaru from a sake-stall dispute in Bamboo Creek Plain and paid for the broken jar.
• Hu drank bamboo sake with Gin and told him he would trust him as long as he remained willing to face anything for the woman in his heart.

Xitang went to Karakura Town to investigate Rukia's abnormally low Reiatsu and encountered Grand Fisher during its attack on Ichigo's family. Hu arrived as Xitang was gravely wounded, killed Grand Fisher with a new sword technique, and found that Xitang had survived.

• Xitang received orders to check on Rukia and bring her back to Soul Society if nothing unusual had happened.
• Xitang confronted Rukia at the cemetery, but they rushed toward a Hollow after hearing a scream.
• Grand Fisher revealed its disguise and provoked Ichigo by impersonating the Hollow that had killed his mother, while Xitang protected Karin and was badly wounded.
• Grand Fisher's imitation of Masaki spoke to Ichigo, allowing him to wound the Hollow, but Grand Fisher began escaping toward Hueco Mundo.
• Hu arrived and used Nadegiri to cut Grand Fisher in half, though its upper body escaped through the rift.
• Hu discovered Xitang was still alive, and the two returned to Soul Society together.

Hu began training in the Dangai under Yoruichi to grow strong enough to help protect Rukia and possibly destroy the Hōgyoku. Urahara suspected Aizen was targeting Rukia, while Aizen watched the battle footage and discovered where she was.

• Hu remembered Xitang agreeing to omit Ichigo's name from his report, then told Urahara he wanted to get stronger.
• After Hu failed to understand a book about time and space, Urahara took him into the Dangai through his homemade Senkaimon.
• Urahara held the Kōryū in place while Yoruichi trained Hu in cat form, but Hu could not catch her.
• Urahara explained to Yoruichi and Tessai that Rukia appeared to be targeted and that Hu's Zanpakuto might one day destroy the Hōgyoku.
• Aizen watched footage of the battle in Karakura Town and Rukia's Reiatsu data, then said he had found her.

Hu visited Fon Shaoling after work, sparred with her, and told her about his training and the Dangai. On the way home, he spoke with Shimizu about their recent encounters and left unsettled by Shimizu's concern that he was hiding his feelings.

• Hu admitted that he had suggested several mischievous office games, so Fon Shaoling took him to the training ground to spar.
• Fon Shaoling tested Hu's Hakuda, Kidō defenses, Phantom Blade, Summoned Swords, and Zanjutsu, then asked him to bring more tea next time.
• Hu told Fon Shaoling that he had trained in the Dangai with Mr. Tsukabishi and that the Kōryū's resistance had improved his control.
• Hu met Shimizu on the way home, and Shimizu mentioned that Captain Aizen had been teaching him Kidō and advising him about his Zanpakuto.
• Hu told Shimizu about the Gillian, the Quincy, and the Hollow that had taken his loved one's form, which had escaped after Hu cut it in half.
• Shimizu told Hu not to shoulder everything alone, and Hu said he knew.

Hu trained with Yoruichi in the Dangai until his Beowulf armament resonated with the Beast of Light, awakening a powerful, instinct-driven state. In Hu’s Inner World, he met Jiku'a amid an eroded city and prepared to fight the Beast of Light that was consuming it.

• Hu returned to the Urahara Shop and went with Yoruichi to train in Hakuda in the Dangai.
• Yoruichi pushed Hu to stop relying on conscious analysis and fight through instinct, and Hu gradually improved under her attacks.
• Hu’s Reiatsu changed, the Beast of Light manifested behind him, and his white-lit attacks forced Yoruichi to defend herself while Urahara told her to keep him in the state.
• Hu woke in his Inner World, found part of the city eroded, and entered the ruined area through a barrier Jiku'a opened for him.
• Jiku'a explained that the Beast of Light was eroding Hu’s Inner World, transformed into a Zanpakuto, and joined Hu as he charged the beast.

Yexing Hu fought the Beast of Light in his Inner World while its phantom controlled his body in the Dangai. After defeating it and earning the true Beowulf Armament, Hu returned to Bamboo Creek Plain, determined to use his new power to protect what mattered to him.

• Yexing Hu and Jiku'a encountered the Beast of Light in the corrupted dungeon inside his Inner World, where it recognized Sparda's bloodline and attacked him.
• The Beast of Light's phantom took control of Hu's body in the Dangai, forcing Yoruichi to fight his projection while Urahara explained that Hu's consciousness was battling inside himself.
• Hu used his Beowulf gauntlets and Jiku'a to defeat the Beast of Light, which revealed that Hu carried Sparda's blood and had a deep mark left by the blue one, but was not Vergil.
• The Beast of Light dissolved and left behind the true Beowulf Armament, which Hu caught and claimed as his own.
• Hu awoke in the Dangai with the armament on his hands, then left with Urahara and returned to Bamboo Creek Plain, resolving to keep training and protect what he wanted to protect.

Hu met Renji while Renji was brooding over Rukia’s prolonged assignment in the World of the Living and Central 46’s questioning of Byakuya. Hu invited Renji to spar, revealed Beowulf’s real armament, and they were caught sleeping afterward; Byakuya took Renji away for etiquette instruction while Fon Shaoling made Hu repair the damage.

• Hu found Renji staring at an untouched bowl of soggy noodles, and Renji explained that Rukia had not returned from her assignment and Byakuya had been summoned by Central 46.
• Hu invited Renji to train with him, and they went to a Second Division training ground to spar.
• Renji used Zabimaru’s Shikai to bind Hu, but Hu revealed Beowulf’s real armament and broke free with a ground-shaking attack.
• Hu’s powerful Beowulf techniques forced Renji to defend himself, and Hu nearly depleted his Reiatsu while striking a large hole in a wall with Dragon Ascension.
• Hu and Renji rested and fell asleep against the training-ground wall until Byakuya and Fon Shaoling found them.
• Byakuya took Renji away for etiquette instruction, while Fon Shaoling ordered Hu to retrieve the missing piece of wall and repair the damage.

Yexing Hu dealt with the wall he had sent crashing into a soba shop, while Rangiku Matsumoto arranged to visit his sister’s clothing shop. Renji Abarai endured etiquette training with Byakuya Kuchiki, whose anger over Central 46’s treatment of Rukia surfaced briefly; that night, Hu rebuilt the training-ground wall and invited Gin to meet.

• Fon Shaoling explained that Hu’s punch had sent a reinforced wall from the Second Division’s training ground into a food-street shop, and ordered him to repair the damage.
• At the ruined shop, Rangiku Matsumoto had Hu break the Sekkiseki-reinforced wall apart with Beowulf, then agreed to visit Qinghui Clothing Shop with him the next morning.
• Byakuya Kuchiki made Renji Abarai practice posture and formal dressing before preparing him bitter tea in a tea room.
• Renji asked whether Central 46’s words about Rukia had troubled Byakuya, who briefly showed anger before saying Rukia’s return would resolve everything.
• Under the moonlight, Hu rebuilt the training-ground wall and sent Gin an invitation on his Denreishinki.

Hu brought Rangiku Matsumoto to the Qinghui Clothing Shop, where she commissioned new clothes and unexpectedly reunited with her childhood friend Gin Ichimaru. Gin bought outfits Rangiku chose, and the chapter ended with Rangiku joining Hu and Gin for drinks, curious about Hu.

• Hu recalled arranging for Gin to meet him at the Qinghui Clothing Shop, hoping to bring him together with Rangiku.
• Hu escorted Rangiku to Keiko's shop, where she admired the designs and tried on several outfits.
• Gin arrived as Rangiku emerged in a chestnut dress, and his composure faltered; Rangiku explained that she and Gin were childhood sweethearts.
• Hu teased Gin about liking Rangiku, and Gin grabbed Hu's cheeks before Rangiku returned from the fitting room.
• Rangiku helped Gin choose clothes, and Gin bought two outfits she approved of.
• Rangiku decided to join Hu and Gin for drinks, saying she wanted to talk with Hu; Hu worried about her drinking ability, while Gin suspected something interesting had happened to him.

Hu shared drinks with Rangiku and Gin on Bamboo Creek Plain, where Rangiku asked about Hu’s relationship with Shaoling and defended Gin against the Third Division’s gossip. After Gin took the drunken Hu home, he and Rangiku exchanged matching bracelets and parted with the suggestion that they could be each other’s way home.

• Rangiku pressed Hu about his closeness with Shaoling, and Hu explained how he had met her and Gin.
• Hu told Rangiku about Gin’s help and praised him as a fox with a soft heart, while Rangiku said Gin was no viper.
• Gin carried the drunken Hu home, and Hu urged him not to let Rangiku wait for nothing.
• Gin and Rangiku met again in the Seireitei and exchanged the gifts they had bought for each other.
• Rangiku fastened a persimmon-colored bracelet engraved with 帰 on Gin’s wrist, and they noticed that the two bracelets’ clasps formed a complete circle together.

Hu struggled with spatial Kidō and doubts about the coming conflict over Rukia and Aizen until Urahara’s brutal sparring forced him to confront his hesitation. Hu sharpened Phantom Blade with Reiatsu and overwhelmed Urahara with combined swordplay and Kidō, then broke Tsukabishi’s seal and released Jiku'a, cutting off Urahara’s sword arm before he could release his Zanpakuto.

• Hu noticed Renji submitting a Senkaimon application for himself and Byakuya to travel to Karakura Town with Restriction Seals, and suspected they were preparing to arrest Rukia.
• Hu failed to construct spatial nodes during Dangai training and worried that he could not stop Aizen or protect the future.
• Urahara sealed his own power to Hu’s level and attacked him, demanding that he fight without hesitation and explaining the meaning of Asura.
• Hu erupted with fierce blue Reiatsu, stabilized Phantom Blade by coating its edge, and attacked Urahara with rapid sword strikes and Kidō.
• Hu’s Reiatsu broke through the seal, allowing him to release Jiku'a; his Judgment Cut severed Urahara’s sword arm before Urahara could release his Zanpakuto.