Bankai Training, Power

The red-haired Liu Hao's figure vanished the instant the strike landed, and the next moment he appeared in front of Liu Hao. He did not dodge or block, but simply extended his left hand, fingers spread, and gently pressed it against the blade of the Imperial Sword that Liu Hao had swung.

That massive slash, powerful enough to cleave the entire starry sky, was actually suppressed by him with a single hand on the blade, like a tamed wild beast, unable to move.

"A very powerful strike," the red-haired Liu Hao calmly commented, his crimson pupils reflecting the seven-colored sword light. "But power isn't used like that."

Before the words were even finished, the countless weapons suspended in the starry sky suddenly moved. Like a swarm of bees returning to their hive, they flew towards the blood-red Imperial Sword in the hand of the red-haired Liu Hao, one after another merging into the sword's blade.

Swords, spears, halberds, bows, crossbows... each weapon represents a power system, and each power is perfectly harmonized and absorbed in the process of integration.

As the weapons were continuously integrated, the Crimson Imperial Sword shone brighter and brighter, from dark red to bright red, and then to a fiery golden-red. When the last weapon was completely integrated, the light on the sword reached its peak, as if a miniature sun was held in one's hand.

However, immediately afterward, all the light suddenly receded, converging back into the sword's body. At this moment, the blood-red Imperial Sword looked plain and unadorned, even dimmer than before, but Liu Hao could clearly feel that the power contained within the sword had reached a terrifying level.

The red-haired Liu Hao raised his sword and gently swung it down in Liu Hao's direction.

There was no sound.

There was no light.

There are no energy fluctuations.

It was just a simple, casual slash, like brushing dust off one's shoulder.

But just as the blade was about to fall, the Seven-Colored Imperial Sword in Liu Hao's hand suddenly broke in two. It wasn't cleaved in two or shattered by a shock, but rather as if a section of it had been erased by an invisible eraser, disappearing directly from the middle.

At the same time, the massive slash that had been suppressed on the blade broke off and dissipated into the starry sky.

Suddenly, a deep, bone-revealing wound burst open on Liu Hao's body, from his right shoulder to his left abdomen. Blood gushed out like a fountain, staining his white feather robe and the void beneath his feet.

He groaned and staggered backward involuntarily, leaving bloody footprints in the starry sky with each step.

Red-haired Liu Hao did not pursue. He stood still, watching Liu Hao, who had barely regained his footing, and said in a terrifyingly calm voice, "Your slash looks magnificent, but the power is not concentrated. You should know that only concentrated power can have tremendous destructive force."

Liu Hao pressed his left hand tightly against his right shoulder, trying to stop the gushing blood, but the wound was too deep, almost splitting him in two. He raised his right hand, looked at the half-broken Seven-Colored Imperial Sword in his hand, and remained silent.

"So you're afraid I'll evade you," the red-haired Liu Hao continued, a hint of disappointment in his voice, "That's why you had to disperse your power to block all my escape routes. But you forgot—dispersing your power means I can easily suppress you."

Blood seeped continuously from between his fingers, dripping into the air and dissipating into specks of light. Liu Hao's breathing became rapid, each inhale aggravating his wounds and causing intense pain.

"Now," Liu Hao, with his red hair, raised his sword, the tip pointing at Liu Hao, "Do you still have the confidence to defeat me?"

Liu Hao raised his head, a near-maniacal smile appearing on his pale face, "Why wouldn't I have confidence? It's just a broken sword."

The moment he finished speaking, the broken half of the Seven-Colored Imperial Sword in his hand suddenly burst forth with an unprecedented light. It was not a light of attack, but a light of healing—warm, gentle, and full of vitality.

A beam of light enveloped Liu Hao's entire body, and his wounds began to heal at a visible speed. Fibrous tissue grew from the deep, bone-revealing wounds, severed blood vessels reconnected, and the gushing blood was stopped. Even more astonishingly, the severed half of the sword also slowly grew and extended in the light, eventually restoring itself to its original state.

Upon seeing this, Liu Hao, with his red hair, showed a hint of surprise in his eyes, but his actions were without the slightest hesitation. He raised his sword, the tip pointing at Liu Hao, and a blood-red sword light, condensed to the extreme, shot out from the tip, its speed exceeding the perception of time.

Before Liu Hao could even think, his body reacted instinctively—he swung his sword horizontally, trying to block the sword light.

Clang!

A deafening crash resounded. Liu Hao was propelled backward by the sword light, his feet carving deep furrows in the starry sky. He gritted his teeth and persevered, gripping the sword with both hands and putting all his strength into it, finally managing to stop after flying several hundred meters.

But the moment he stopped, red-haired Liu Hao appeared behind him.

Without any warning, without any spatial fluctuations, it appeared out of thin air, and the blood-red Imperial Sword in its hand had already slashed down.

Liu Hao didn't even have time to turn around; he could only raise his left hand and grab the incoming sword blade with his bare hands.

Thud—The blade sliced into flesh and blood, shattered bones, and embedded itself deeply in the palm. Blood flowed down the blade, dripping into the starry sky and transforming into specks of crimson stars.

"I knew it," Liu Hao gritted his teeth, forcing out the words, "You definitely won't talk much like a villain. But... that sword strike just now must have taken up most of your strength, right?"

"But your condition seems more serious than mine." Red-haired Liu Hao's voice was eerily calm. "With your strength focused on healing your injuries and weapons, how much strength do you have left to defeat me? Catching a blade bare-handed... that's not something everyone can do."

He strained his wrist, trying to press the sword down and completely sever Liu Hao's arm.

But Liu Hao did not take the blow head-on. He turned around following the momentum of the sword, guiding the blade with his left hand, causing it to cleave through the air beside him. At the same time, the Seven-Colored Imperial Sword in his right hand slashed towards the neck of the red-haired Liu Hao.

The red-haired Liu Hao raised his left hand and accurately grabbed Liu Hao's wrist. At the same time, the blood-red Imperial Sword in his right hand was withdrawn and slashed diagonally upwards towards Liu Hao's chest.

At the critical moment, Liu Hao raised his right foot and slammed it hard into the abdomen of the red-haired Liu Hao. The immense force separated the two, sending them flying backward.

"Huff... huff..." Liu Hao landed on the ground, panting heavily. "This is troublesome. Your speed and strength are far superior to mine now... I have no choice but to give it my all."

Red-haired Liu Hao steadied himself, a disdainful expression on his face. "I know everything you can do, what do you have to compete with?"

Liu Hao grinned, a smile that carried a certain resolve. He wiped the wound on his right hand with his left hand and pressed his blood-stained palm onto the blade of the Seven-Colored Imperial Sword.

Then, he swung his sword.

It wasn't a single slash, but dozens—blood blades formed from fresh blood—that rained down on the red-haired Liu Hao.

The red-haired Liu Hao didn't even move; he simply raised the crimson Imperial Sword and casually swung it left and right, easily deflecting and shattering all the blood blades. The shattered blades turned into specks of blood mist, filling the space between the two.

Liu Hao himself charged forward, right behind Blood Blade.

All of this was within Liu Hao's expectations. He raised his sword and accurately blocked Liu Hao's thrust.

"Is that all?" Red-haired Liu Hao scoffed. "What kind of effort is this..."

Before he could finish speaking, his expression suddenly changed.

He sensed that the shattered blood mist hadn't dissipated, but instead reformed behind him, forming a massive blood sword. And that blood sword was hurtling toward his back at an astonishing speed.

Red-haired Liu Hao tried to pull away and move to the side, but Liu Hao's hand suddenly grabbed his sword-wielding arm.

"They said they were risking their lives," Liu Hao's smile was almost maniacal, "How could I let you escape?"

The moment the words left his mouth, the blood-stained sword had already pierced through both of them.

It didn't just pierce through, but simultaneously pierced both the back and chest of the red-haired Liu Hao —the two were standing too close, and this sword pinned them together.

Red-haired Liu Hao looked down at the tip of the blood-stained sword protruding from his chest, his voice still calm. "An attack of this magnitude can't kill me. You should know that."

"Of course," Liu Hao coughed up blood, but a smug smile remained on his face, "But it should be enough to seriously injure you."

"What a joke, this kind of process..." Red-haired Liu Hao's words came to an abrupt halt.

Because Liu Hao softly uttered a single word:

"Burst."

Boom--!

The blood sword exploded inside both of them.

It wasn't a simple explosion, but a complete and utter collapse from the inside out. Countless tiny blood blades burst forth from the blood sword, like thousands of steel needles, raging wildly within the two people's bodies.

The two were violently blasted away by the shockwave of the explosion, tumbling and colliding in the starry sky like kites with broken strings, before finally crashing heavily hundreds of meters away.

Red-haired Liu Hao barely managed to prop himself up, his left hand tightly clutching his abdomen—a fist-sized hole had been blasted open there, revealing his internal organs. Blood gushed out like a fountain, staining the starry sky below him red.

He looked up, his eyes dark as he stared at the equally disheveled Liu Hao: "Not bad. If you had been any slower to pull away, you would have blown a hole in your stomach like me."

Liu Hao touched the wound on his abdomen—there was a deep gash there, but it wasn't fatal. He grinned, revealing a bitter smile, "I was a little too slow, otherwise my stomach wouldn't have been injured in the explosion. But it's not bad, compared to yours, my injury is just a scrape."

"This injury isn't fatal to either of us." Red-haired Liu Hao slowly stood up, the wound on his abdomen healing slowly in the crimson light. "What's the point of your suicidal fighting style?"

"Let's even out the energy expenditure." Liu Hao struggled to his feet, his entire body enveloped in a seven-colored light, his wounds healing rapidly. "Otherwise, I can't guarantee a win. After all... we possess the same power and abilities."

Red-haired Liu Hao fell silent. The crimson Imperial Sword in his hand emitted light once more, and the hole in his abdomen healed and restored itself at a visible speed. A few seconds later, he was completely recovered, as if he had never been injured.

"Since that's the case," he raised his sword, the tip pointing at Liu Hao once more, "Then let's begin."

The moment the words left their mouths, the two of them moved simultaneously.

There was no probing, no holding back. From this moment on, the battle entered its most brutal phase.

The two clashed wildly in the starry sky, their seven-colored sword light and blood-red sword shadows intertwining to create a magnificent yet cruel spectacle. Each clash erupted with a deafening roar; each near miss left new wounds on each other.

Liu Hao's left shoulder was cleaved open, the bone was visible; the red-haired Liu Hao's right abdomen was pierced, blood gushing out.

A long gash was slashed across Liu Hao's chest; the red-haired Liu Hao's left arm was almost severed.

Both were injured and bleeding, but neither retreated. After each injury, they would use their strength to quickly heal their wounds and continue fighting.

Seven-colored light and blood-red light flashed continuously in the starry sky, like two shooting stars colliding wildly. Countless deep pits were plowed into the ground, and cracks were torn in space. Even the distant stars swayed and flickered in the aftershocks of the two's battle.

I don't know how much time passed, maybe an hour, maybe a day—in this trial space, time lost its meaning.

Finally, they both stopped at the same time.

They stood facing each other, dozens of meters apart. Both were covered in blood, their haori (traditional Japanese jackets) were tattered, their hands holding swords trembled slightly, and their breathing was heavy, like that of a broken bellows.

The wounds on my body have stopped healing, or rather, they no longer have the strength to heal.

Neither of them spoke, but both knew that what followed would be the final blow that would decide the outcome.

They raised their swords at the same time.

The Seven-Colored Imperial Sword erupted with unprecedented light, all colors converging together to form a pure white pillar of light that shot straight into the starry sky.

The Crimson Imperial Sword concealed all its light, its blade becoming like the deepest night sky, with only the ruby at the hilt pulsating like a heart, emitting dangerous pulses.

The two began to gather their strength.

The surrounding starry sky began to distort, space began to collapse, and even light bent and shattered in the face of the power the two combined.

There was no sound, no movement, only two terrifying forces rising, condensing, and compressing wildly.

Finally, the summit was reached.

Both of them pushed off the ground at the same time.

There are no fancy moves, no complicated trajectories, just the simplest charge and the most direct slash.

The two swords met in mid-air.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still.

There was no explosion, no impact, no light. The two swords merely touched lightly before passing each other.

The two stood back to back, maintaining their sword-wielding postures.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Pfft--

Blood spurted from both of them at the same time.

On Liu Hao's chest, from his left shoulder to his right abdomen, appeared a deep wound that exposed bone, almost splitting him in two.

On the back of red-haired Liu Hao, from his right shoulder to his left waist, there was also a horrific wound, with his spine faintly visible.

The two men knelt down simultaneously, their swords broken—not cleaved in two, but shattered on their own during the collision, unable to withstand the internal force.

Only half of the sword remained, barely keeping them from falling.

"What do you think..." Liu Hao's red-haired voice was weak and hoarse, "Who won?"

"We're all the same," Liu Hao coughed up blood, his voice equally weak, "How could there be a winner?"

"Is that so?" Red-haired Liu Hao responded.

Then, to Liu Hao's astonishment, he slowly stood up. Despite his trembling body and bleeding wounds, he did indeed stand up.

He turned to the side, glancing at Liu Hao who was still kneeling, a weak yet determined smile playing on his lips, "I think... I will win."

Liu Hao, half-kneeling, turned to the side, looking at the standing red-haired Liu Hao, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Why do you think you can win? Just because you stood up?"

Red-haired Liu Hao did not answer. He simply gave Liu Hao a final, crooked smile—a smile devoid of mockery or disdain, containing only a complex and indescribable emotion.

Then, his body began to disintegrate.

Starting from the feet, they transformed into countless red specks of light, like ashes in the wind, slowly dissipating. Then came the legs, the torso, the arms, and finally the head.

The whole process was slow and peaceful, without pain or struggle.

As the last glimmer of red light dissipated into the starry sky, Liu Hao felt a cold wind blow over him, and involuntarily shivered.

Then, everything around began to dissipate. The starry sky, the ground, the bloodstains, the broken sword... everything, like a faded painting, peeled away and dissolved little by little from the edges.

As the last glimmer of light faded, Liu Hao found himself standing before a new set of steps—the seventh set of steps.

He remained in a kneeling position, but the broken sword in his hand had vanished, and his injuries had fully healed. Only his Reiatsu had plummeted to its lowest point, as faint as a candle flickering in the wind.

He struggled to his feet, swaying as if he were about to fall. But he gritted his teeth, gripped the handrail, and staggered up the next step.

The moment Liu Hao stepped onto the seventh step, the scene before him changed once again.

This time, there was no battle, no opponent, no starry sky. What appeared before him was a vast and bright space, with smooth, mirror-like white stone slabs on the ground that stretched to the horizon.

In the center of the space, five enormous images are suspended.

In each image, there is a "Liu Hao", but each "Liu Hao" displays a completely different form of power.

In the first image, he is dressed in Shinigami armor, holding the Imperial Sword, and surrounded by the familiar Shinigami spiritual pressure—that is his current power system.

In the second image, he is dressed in a white battle robe, holding Spirit Bow, with wings made of Reishi unfolding behind him—the power of the Quincy.

In the third image, he wears a bone mask on his face, has Hollow Hole in his chest, and holds a longsword formed from Cero —the power of the Hollow.

In the fourth image, he is dressed in modern clothes and playing with various objects materialized by "Fullbring"—that is the power of the Fullbringer.

In the fifth image, he floats in the void, surrounded by a rainbow of light, with a halo resembling a "Oken" behind him, and four pupils in his eyes—that is the power of the Soul King.

At the edge of these images, there is a sixth image—a blurry and unstable image, in which one can only vaguely make out a figure dressed in a black dragon robe with an ancient sword at his waist, in a style similar to that of ancient Chinese Emperors.

Looking at these images, Liu Hao was momentarily confused.

Just then, the Imperial Princess's voice echoed through the space—not from any one direction, but from all directions simultaneously, like a whisper from the heavens:

"Each scene before you represents a power system you can control. These include the powers of Soul Reaper, Quincy, Hollows, Fullbringers, and even the Soul King. The last one... is an unknown power. For now, you can only use the Soul Reaper Powers."

The voice paused for a moment, then continued:

"However... you now have the opportunity to master other power systems. As long as you choose one, your power will be transformed into the corresponding system in the future, allowing you to leap to a higher level of strength."

Looking at these images, especially the four pupils in the fifth image, Liu Hao couldn't help but shudder.

"You're not kidding, are you?" He scratched his head. "If that's the case, why don't I just choose the Soul King's power? That power encompasses all power systems."

"Of course it's possible." The Imperial Princess's voice was calm and even. "For us, this level of power is easily attainable. I think you understand—after all, you know better than anyone how quickly your spirit has improved over the years. After all, you had Renji try it before, and the result... you know."

Liu Hao fell silent. He had indeed tried to guide Renji in their training, but the results were not ideal. It wasn't that they weren't working hard enough, but rather that some things... seemed to truly be "innate."

"Then how should I choose?" he finally asked.

"Simply walk into the corresponding scene," the Imperial Princess replied.

"Sigh..." Liu Hao sighed deeply, and just as he was about to continue speaking, the Imperial Princess's voice rang out again:

"You chose this path yourself. To me, all these paths... are the same."

"Okay," Liu Hao replied helplessly.

He no longer hesitated and began to wander through the scenes. He took each step slowly and cautiously, as if choosing his own destiny.

He first walked up to the image of the Soul Reaper's power, looked at himself holding the Imperial Sword, and suddenly felt a strange sense of absurdity.

I don't think I was originally from this world. Although I came to this world, it doesn't change the fact that I could never become Soul Reaper. What is it that resides at the center of my power? He wondered.

Then he walked up to the image of the Quincy's power, looked at the figure holding the Spirit Bow, and shook his head—that didn't belong to him.

Next came the power of the void. The image of himself in the picture wore a bone mask, his eyes crazed and empty. Liu Hao only glanced at it before looking away—that wasn't the person he wanted to become.

The image of Fullbringer made him pause for a moment. He saw himself playing with various objects, looking relaxed and at ease. But Liu Hao knew that was not his path.

Finally, he arrived before the image of the Soul King's power.

The image shows the self floating in the void, surrounded by colorful light, with a huge halo behind them, and four pupils in their eyes.

The moment Liu Hao saw those four pupils, he felt a chill run down his spine. It wasn't fear, but an instinctive repulsion—as if they weren't "eyes," but something distorted and shouldn't exist.

"It's disgusting to look at," he muttered to himself, then turned and left without hesitation.

Finally, he arrived before the image of that unknown power.

The image was blurry and unstable, only vaguely showing a figure dressed in a black dragon robe with an ancient sword at his waist. The style was similar to that of ancient Chinese Emperors, completely out of place with the art style of this world.

But for some reason, looking at this blurry image, Liu Hao suddenly felt a strong tremor in his heart. It was a resonance from the depths of his blood, a call that transcended time and space.

Since I am not from this world, the power I possess should not be a power born from this world, and naturally it is not one of the four power systems possessed by the Soul King. He thought to himself.

Once the thought arises, it can no longer be suppressed.

Liu Hao stood before the screen, silent for a long time. He stared at the blurry figure, at the familiar black dragon robe, at the ancient longsword...

Then he smiled.

It was a smile of relief, enlightenment, and finding one's place.

Without hesitation, he stepped into that scene.

The moment he passed through the screen, Liu Hao felt as if he had entered a long corridor. On both sides of the corridor were flowing light and shadow, each reflecting a different scene—some were his memories from his previous life, some were his experiences in Soul Society, and some were even unfamiliar and ancient scenes that he had never seen before.

He walked forward along the corridor, and with each step he took, a bit more power began to awaken within him.

It wasn't an increase in the Shinigami's spiritual pressure, but rather the awakening of a completely new and unprecedented power within him. That power was gentle yet vast, ancient yet sacred, like a sleeping dragon slowly opening its eyes.

One step, two steps, three steps...

As he continued forward, that power grew stronger and clearer. He felt his spirit transforming, sublimating, and evolving towards a higher level.

Finally, he reached the end of the corridor.

The light before him suddenly intensified, engulfing him entirely.

When the light faded, Liu Hao found himself standing in front of a new set of steps—the eighth set of steps.

His power had reached an unprecedented peak.

That was no longer simply the spiritual pressure of a Shinigami, nor any known power system. It was a completely new power, unique to him—ancient, sacred, and vast, like an emperor reigning over the world.

Liu Hao raised his head and looked up.

The throne still stands at the edge of the void, Imperial Princess still holds the Imperial Sword, standing beside the throne.

But this time, the Imperial Princess's gaze towards him held no disappointment, no scrutiny, only pure expectation.

The Imperial Sword in his hand trembled gently in its sheath, as if rejoicing and resonating.

Seventh staircase, passed.

Liu Hao took a deep breath, feeling the surging new power within him, and experiencing that wondrous state of being both in harmony with and detached from the world.