Bankai Training: Imperial Heart

Standing before the last set of steps, Liu Hao raised his head, his eyes no longer showing any fear. His clear and determined gaze was like a sword honed for a thousand years, both sharp and steady.

His gaze swept across the nine steps before him, finally settling on the side of the throne high above—where the Imperial Princess, cradling the Imperial Sword, waited quietly. Her expression remained solemn, but in her star-like eyes, an indescribable anticipation flickered.

Liu Hao took a deep breath and, without hesitation, took the first step.

The moment his left foot stepped onto the first step, the world did not change, there were no illusions, no trials. Only an overwhelming pressure, like an invisible mountain, suddenly descended upon him.

Caught off guard, Liu Hao was forced to bend over, his knees almost touching the steps. He could clearly hear his bones groaning under the pressure, and his muscle fibers trembling under the extreme stretch.

But he did not fall.

Gritting his teeth and using all his strength, he slowly straightened his back. His spine cracked under the immense pressure, like a bridge about to collapse, yet the Miracle it did not break.

Then, he lifted his right foot and laboriously stepped onto the same step.

When both feet touched the first step, Liu Hao was trembling violently. It wasn't a tremor of fear, but an instinctive reaction of the body under extreme pressure. Every cell was screaming, and every nerve was sending out signals of overload.

He did not back down.

A new, ancient, and sacred power began to surge within him. At first, it was just a weak trickle, but it gradually grew stronger, like a dragon awakening from hibernation, slowly stretching its body.

Power rose from the dantian, surged along the meridians, and finally condensed into a faint golden halo on the body's surface. The halo was not dazzling, but it was exceptionally tough, like an invisible armor, resisting pressure from all directions.

As the force was released, Liu Hao's trembling gradually subsided. He straightened up little by little, his spine as unyielding as a spear shaft, standing tall under the immense pressure.

Then, he lifted his foot, preparing to step onto the second step.

The pressure suddenly doubled as soon as my right foot touched the surface of the step.

It wasn't a simple doubling, but a geometric increase. In that instant, Liu Hao felt as if he had been thrown into the deepest part of the ocean, surrounded by water pressure strong enough to crush steel. His body was bent over again, his knees were only inches off the ground, and he had to support himself on the steps with his hands to barely avoid falling completely.

"Hmm..."

A muffled groan escaped from deep within his throat. Liu Hao clenched his teeth, his gums even bleeding. He mobilized all the power within his body, and the golden halo grew from faint to dense, from transparent to substantial, like a flowing golden armor tightly enveloping his body.

Even so, his body was still trembling violently. It wasn't the slight tremor from before, but a violent shaking like a candle flickering in the wind, as if he would collapse completely at any moment.

It seems this is the best you can do.

The Imperial Princess's voice came from above, calm and indifferent, as if stating an irrefutable fact.

"Give up, you might not be able to master Bankai."

Liu Hao barely managed to lift his head, his vision blurred by sweat, but he still tried to look at the Imperial Princess: "Uh... what does this mean? Did I fail?"

"You haven't failed yet," the Imperial Princess's voice remained calm, "But with your current abilities, you are not capable of mastering Bankai."

"Since I haven't failed, why do you say I can't master Bankai?" Liu Hao asked through gritted teeth, each word seeming to be squeezed out of his throat.

The Imperial Princess did not answer directly, but instead asked, "Do you know the nature of your power?"

Liu Hao fell silent. He truly didn't know—what exactly was that entirely new power, which didn't belong to any known system in this world?

"The essence of my power?" he finally spoke, his voice tinged with uncertainty, "It seems... unlike any other power in the world of Soul Reaper!"

"Your power is indeed different from that of Soul Reaper, Hollows, Quincy, Fullbringers, and even the Soul King," the Imperial Princess acknowledged, "But these are not reasons why you cannot master Bankai."

"What's the reason?" Liu Hao pressed.

The Imperial Princess stepped out from beside the throne, and an ordinary Asauchi appeared out of thin air in her hand—it was a prototype of the standard Zanpakuto issued by the Shin'ō Academy, and every Soul Reaper student would receive one.

"Of the elements required to master power, you already possess the physique to do so, and the determination to acquire it." The Imperial Princess held the Asauchi sword in front of her. "But there's still one more thing, which cannot be achieved through determination alone."

She paused, then continued, "This is the Asauchi you received at the Shin'ō Academy. Your power and soul cannot be contained by an Asauchi made from low-level soul fragments, so this Asauchi... I've kept it as a keepsake."

After saying that, she gently tossed the Asauchi towards Liu Hao.

Liu Hao barely managed to raise his hand to catch it. It was an ordinary Asauchi, with a wooden hilt and an uncarved blade, nothing special about it.

"You can try infusing your soul and Reiatsu into this Asauchi," the Imperial Princess said.

Liu Hao did as instructed.

He immersed his consciousness into his body, guiding the new power and attempting to infuse it into the Asauchi in his hand. At first, everything went smoothly, the power flowing into the blade like a gentle stream. The Asauchi began to glow faintly, the blade emitting a pale golden hue.

But just as he was trying to inject more power, a sudden change occurred.

The Asauchi suddenly let out a sharp, mournful cry, like that of a wounded wild beast. The light on the blade dimmed instantly, and countless fine cracks appeared on its surface, like porcelain about to shatter.

Liu Hao hurriedly stopped channeling his power, but it was too late. The Asauchi shattered completely in his hand, turning into countless points of light that dissipated into the air.

"What's there to question?" The Imperial Princess calmly observed everything. "Didn't I just say? Asauchi cannot contain your power and soul. It's like trying to fill a cup with a bucket of water; it will either overflow or... it will simply shatter."

Looking at his empty palm, Liu Hao felt a sudden realization.

"Is that why I can't master Bankai?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yes and no." The Imperial Princess's answer was unexpected.

She walked back to the throne and continued, "First, if you use Asauchi, you only need to subdue and utilize Asauchi's materialized power form. This method is very simple and allows you to use Bankai. However, your power and soul are Asauchi's capacity to contain."

The Imperial Princess paused, her voice becoming even more serious. "Therefore, you can only master your power through your own abilities. This is why your Bankai training process is different from others, and why you cannot easily obtain Bankai."

Liu Hao remained silent for a long time before finally speaking slowly, "So... those who obtain Asauchi have gained early access to their true power essence through a clever trick. And I need to understand the essence of my own power before I can use Bankai?"

"Yes," the Imperial Princess replied affirmatively. "At your current level, it would be easy for you to subdue the Asauchi form of Asauchi's power. Then, after obtaining Bankai, you could gradually understand the essence of your power and continuously improve yourself—that would be no problem at all. Unfortunately... Asauchi cannot contain your power and soul. So there is no shortcut for you."

"So that's why... I didn't understand the essence of my power, which is why I can't achieve Bankai, right?" Liu Hao concluded.

"Yes," the Imperial Princess nodded, "That's why I said you couldn't achieve Bankai."

Liu Hao took a deep breath and steered the question to its core, "But what exactly is this essence? What distinguishes it from any other power in this world!"

"You still don't understand?" For the first time, a hint of disappointment appeared in the Imperial Princess's voice.

She was silent for a moment, then sighed helplessly, "Don't always get stuck on the details, thinking about how your power is different from other systems. You can think about the abilities Aizen used when he came into contact with Yhwach. And... when Kuchiki Kōga abandoned his Zanpakuto."

"Uh... I see." Liu Hao replied somewhat embarrassedly, then suddenly realized something, his eyes lighting up, "Is it an ability? It's the ability of my power!"

A hint of relief finally appeared on the Imperial Princess's face. "Yes. The essence of your power is the ability you wield. If you can't match the mental state to that ability, you can't use it. Bankai... naturally, you can't do it."

"But I haven't even mastered Bankai, so how can I know what an ability is?" Liu Hao felt a sense of helplessness. "Isn't this a dead end!"

The Imperial Princess glanced at Liu Hao and sighed helplessly again, "Sigh... that's why I thought you couldn't master Bankai."

Just when Liu Hao felt despair, that familiar voice rang in his heart again:

"Idiot, she's explained it so clearly, don't you understand?"

Liu Hao's red-haired voice was full of impatience, but this time, Liu Hao didn't feel any resistance; instead, he seemed to have grasped at a lifeline.

"Um... you understand?" he asked in his mind.

"What an idiot." Red-haired Liu Hao mocked mercilessly, "How could the power of Bankai possibly be outside the scope of Shikai? Can't you even understand this?"

These words were like lightning, cleaving through the fog in Liu Hao's mind.

Yes, Bankai is an advancement of Shikai, a release of deeper power. If Shikai's power is a "seed," then Bankai is a "towering tree." A tree cannot exist apart from a seed, and Bankai cannot exist apart from the power of Shikai.

He suddenly raised his head and looked at the Imperial Princess: "I understand! The essence of my power is actually related to the power of my Shikai! As long as I understand the power of Shikai, I will naturally be able to master Bankai!"

The Imperial Princess's expression returned to calm. "Did he tell you? But... did you really understand?"

"Um..." Liu Hao said somewhat embarrassedly, "But now we have a direction, don't we?"

The Imperial Princess shook her head. "Is that so? Then please continue."

"No, you can't master Bankai, let me do it." The red-haired Liu Hao's voice rang out again, but this time, Liu Hao ignored it.

Liu Hao sat cross-legged on the steps, ignoring the increasing pressure on his body, and began to deeply contemplate the essence of his power.

What are the abilities of Shikai: Imperial Sword?

Control all things, command everything.

As long as one wields the Imperial Sword, one can manipulate the surrounding space, time, and Reishi to a certain extent... even create and materialize objects out of thin air. The feeling is like...

"The supreme Emperor."

Liu Hao uttered those four words in a low voice.

Yes, only the supreme Emperor can rule over all things, can make his words law, and can make all things in heaven and earth follow his will.

So, what should match this "Emperor power"?

It's not power itself, not skill, not knowledge...

It is "heart".

A "Imperial Heart" capable of bearing the power of Emperor.

With this in mind, Liu Hao struggled to his feet. This time, he didn't just mobilize his strength to resist the pressure; instead, he began to adjust his "mental state."

He imagined himself as a true Emperor —not a tyrant, not a foolish ruler, but a wise ruler. An Emperor who possessed both the domineering power to rule over all things and the magnanimity to embrace all living beings.

As his state of mind changed, the power within him began to shift.

The golden aura gradually subsided, no longer flamboyant and outward, but transformed into a deeper and more restrained "aura." It was not a simple Reiatsu, but a "sense of presence"—as steady as a mountain, as vast as the ocean, and as profound as the starry sky.

The moment this "momentum" was formed, Liu Hao felt the pressure on his body suddenly decrease.

It's not that the pressure has actually decreased, but rather that he has "adapted." Just like deep-sea fish can withstand the pressure of ten thousand meters of water without being crushed, not because they are stronger, but because they "belong to that place."

Liu Hao continued upwards.

This time, he walked very steadily. One step, two steps, three steps... until he reached the fifth step, then he stopped again.

Because he felt a new kind of "discomfort".

This time it wasn't just pressure, but a kind of... contradiction.

Emperor cannot only possess the domineering power of having his word carry on, but must also have the benevolence of loving his people like his own children. Domineering alone makes one a tyrant; benevolence alone makes one a mediocre Emperor.

Liu Hao closed his eyes and began to adjust.

He imagined himself standing on a high platform, looking down at all the living beings below. Some of them were strong, some were weak, some were good, some were evil, some were loyal, and some were treacherous... But in any case, they were all "subjects," all objects that the Emperor should "rule" and "protect".

Domineering behavior is used to maintain order and to deter troublemakers.

The purpose of appeasement is to unite people's hearts and minds and to educate the masses.

Both are indispensable.

With this realization, Liu Hao's power changed once again. The previously deep and restrained "aura" began to expand outward, becoming both majestic and gentle, powerful and inclusive.

Like sunlight—both intense, capable of melting ice and snow; and warm, capable of nourishing all things.

When this transformation was complete, Liu Hao felt the last bit of discomfort in his body disappear.

He opened his eyes, and what he saw was no longer simply determination or fearlessness, but a more complex and profound light—a clarity born from understanding his responsibilities and mission.

Then he continued walking uphill.

Level 6, Level 7, Level 8...

He walked each step steadily and firmly. The pressure remained, but it could no longer hinder him. Because he had found a way to "coexist" with the pressure—not to confront it, not to escape it, but to... embrace it.

Finally, he stepped onto the last step.

He stood before the throne.

Liu Hao raised his head and looked at the throne in front of him. It was an ancient and majestic chair, made entirely of dark gold metal, with two coiled dragon carvings on the armrests and a complete star map on the backrest.

Beside the throne, the Imperial Princess, cradling the Imperial Sword, watched him silently.

A genuine smile finally appeared on her face—not the faint smile from before, but a heartfelt and gratified one.

"So all this pressure," Liu Hao said slowly, his voice calm and clear, "Was caused by my own inability to control my own power. The pressure along the way... clearly came from within my own heart."

The Imperial Princess nodded without speaking, but her eyes were full of approval.

Liu Hao continued, "It seems I really am stupid. The Imperial Sword is merely a symbol of status, a manifestation of Emperor power. Yet I used it to kill people everywhere... It's as ridiculous as using an imperial seal to crack walnuts."

"It's not too late to understand now," the Imperial Princess finally spoke, her voice carrying a rare hint of playfulness. "Besides, the Imperial Sword is a weapon, and as such, it can't just be a symbol. It can be used to strike people occasionally, too."

Liu Hao laughed, "Alright, it's not bad to cut down trees once in a while."

The two looked at each other and smiled, their tacit understanding like that of old friends who had known each other for a thousand years.

After laughing, the Imperial Princess's expression turned serious. "Now, is he still in your heart...?"

Liu Hao was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "No, he's not in my heart."

Under the Imperial Princess's slightly surprised gaze, he continued, "As long as I am here, he is here. He is not an independent individual, not my inner demon, not my enemy... He is me. He is a part of me, the part of myself that I once rejected, suppressed, and feared."

"And now," Liu Hao opened his arms as if embracing the whole world, "I accept him. I accept all of myself—past, present, and future; cautious and impulsive; rational and emotional; domineering and gentle... all of me is me."

The Imperial Princess's smile widened even more, "You've finally made peace with yourself."

"Yes," Liu Hao nodded. "My power is the power of Emperor, but that doesn't mean I must become Emperor. I only need an Imperial Heart —a heart that can govern itself, encompass all things, and combine strength and gentleness... Imperial Heart."

After saying this, he turned around and faced the throne.

Without hesitation or delay, he stepped forward and sat firmly on the throne.

The moment he sat down, the entire space began to shake.

It wasn't a violent collapse, but a deeper kind of "resonance." The star map behind the throne began to shift, the stars moving along some ancient trajectory; the Imperial Sword in the Imperial Princess's hand began to hum, its scabbard trembling slightly; and the power within Liu Hao began to resonate, merge, and sublimate with all of this...

The Imperial Path, with its nine stages and nine steps, now comes to an end.