Daily Sparring (Part Three)

Liu Ziyun's figure vanished from his spot in an instant—not by Shunpo, but by some other, more bizarre and elusive method of movement. The next second, he appeared before Shinji Hirako. A Life-Taker blade, accompanied by a piercing whistle that tore through the air, slashed down.

Shinji Hirako's expression changed drastically, and he instinctively retreated hastily. But Liu Ziyun's attack was like a shadow, catching up almost the instant he retreated.

"Clang--!"

Shinji Hirako barely managed to raise his sword to parry, but the immense force made his arm go numb, and he slid backward several meters, his shoes screeching as they scraped against the ground.

However, Liu Ziyun's attack did not stop. He charged forward again, and this time the attack was even more cunning—the blade did not slash straight down, but rather diagonally, and the target was not a vital point, but Shinji Hirako's left shoulder.

Shinji Hirako tried to block, but Liu Ziyun was too fast and the angle was too tricky. He could only barely turn to the side, trying to avoid the attack.

But we were still a step too late.

The blade sliced across his left shoulder, drawing a spray of blood— Liu Ziyun could "smell" the blood and "hear" the sound of flesh being cut. The wound wasn't deep, but it precisely severed several key muscles and nerves in his shoulder, instantly rendering his left hand numb and unable to lift.

"Look," Liu Ziyun his sword and stepped back, his tone as calm as if stating a perfectly ordinary fact, "Just a light slash, and you're injured to the point of being unable to use your hand. In a real battle, this kind of injury is enough to decide life or death."

He paused, then continued, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and use your skills— Visored, Cero, Kidō, Sonído —use whatever you have. Don't tell me you only know how to slash people with a sword."

After saying that, he stood still, his hands resting on his Life-Taker, silently "watching" in the direction of Shinji Hirako, waiting for the next attack.

Shinji Hirako looked down at his bleeding left shoulder, then looked up at Liu Ziyun, a helpless expression on his face. "Ziyun, you really didn't hold back. Look, you've injured me. Can you heal me? Otherwise, how am I supposed to fight?"

These words elicited strange expressions from everyone at the edge of the training ground—asking an opponent for healing during combat was utterly unheard of.

Liu Ziyun raised an eyebrow, his tone laced with undisguised sarcasm. "Why don't you go ask Aizen to heal you? Can an enemy heal you in battle? Hurry up and use all your moves so I can 'feel' your limit—don't tell me your limit is begging an enemy to heal you."

Shinji Hirako was speechless. He knew that Liu Ziyun was right—in a real battle, no one would give you a chance to catch your breath, much less heal you.

He gritted his teeth, wiped his face with his right hand, and the mask made a soft sound as it rubbed against his skin. The white Visored instantly covered his face. The moment the Visored appeared, his Reiatsu surged, and the bleeding from the wound on his left shoulder temporarily stopped under the effect of the Hollowfication power.

"Cero--!"

Shinji Hirako raised his right hand, and dark red light gathered in his palm. The light quickly condensed and compressed, eventually transforming into a thick beam of light that shot towards Liu Ziyun —the beam of light traveled through the air, emitting a low hum.

This attack was extremely fast and far more powerful than a normal Cero. Clearly, in his Hollowfication state, Shinji Hirako's abilities in all aspects were greatly enhanced.

However, Liu Ziyun's response was still so simplistic it was almost despairing.

He didn't even dodge; he simply raised his right hand, palm open, to meet the Cero.

"Puff--"

The Cero his palm, but the expected explosion did not occur. The energy, powerful enough to destroy a building, seemed to be "grasped" by an invisible hand the moment it touched Liu Ziyun's palm; its light quickly dimmed and eventually dissipated completely.

Liu Ziyun clenched his fist, as if savoring the power of the attack. "That's it? Do you have any more powerful moves?"

Shinji Hirako's breathing became rapid. He could feel that he had used all his strength in that attack, but Liu Ziyun had easily taken it without even moving his feet.

The difference is... too big.

"Um..." Shinji Hirako hesitated for a moment, then finally said with a wry smile, "How about I surrender? I can't beat you."

"Surrender?" Liu Ziyun laughed, but there was no warmth in his smile. "In a real battle, do you think the enemy will stop if you surrender? Do Aizen will let you go just because you surrender?"

His figure vanished again, and the next second, he appeared in front of Shinji Hirako.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The clanging of metal clashing rang out again. Liu Ziyun's attacks were like a storm, each strike precise and deadly, forcing Shinji Hirako to defend with all his might, leaving him no chance to counterattack.

In this one-sided battle, Shinji Hirako's wounds multiplied—arms, thighs, chest... Although each wound was shallow, they accumulated, turning him into a blood-soaked figure. Liu Ziyun could "smell" the increasingly strong stench of blood and "hear" Shinji Hirako's increasingly rapid breathing.

What's even more frightening is that Liu Ziyun's attack rhythm is getting faster and faster, and the angles are becoming more and more tricky. Shinji Hirako can feel that he is about to fall behind his opponent's pace.

Just then, Liu Ziyun's attack suddenly paused.

Shinji Hirako was overjoyed, thinking that his opponent was finally going to stop. But the next second, he realized he was wrong.

Liu Ziyun raised his left hand, his fingers rapidly forming hand seals—the speed of which was dazzling, but Liu Ziyun didn't need to "see" at all; his fingers seemed to have their own memory.

"Bakudō #63-- "

His voice was calm and clear.

"Chain Bindings!"

A thick chain made of Reishi appeared out of thin air, rattling in the air, and shot towards Shinji Hirako like a venomous snake.

Shinji Hirako's expression changed drastically, and he instinctively retreated hastily. But Liu Ziyun's attack was relentless; the moment he took a step back, Liu Ziyun's second Kidō was already prepared: "Bakudō #61— "

"Six Rods Prison of Light!"

Six enormous light shards appeared simultaneously from six directions, emitting a slight hum in the air, firmly locking Shinji Hirako in place. He tried to struggle, but the power of the Six Rods Prison of Light far exceeded his imagination; no matter how hard he tried, he could not break free.

Liu Ziyun his Life-Taker and slowly walked to the bound Shinji Hirako. He didn't need to "see" him; he could accurately determine Shinji Hirako's location and condition through sound and Reiatsu.

"Look, after all that fighting, you're nothing." His voice was soft, but every word struck Shinji Hirako's heart like a hammer blow. "Come on, I'll teach you a lesson."

The Life-Taker blade was drawn once more.

This time, Liu Ziyun no mercy.

The blade, whistling through the air, slashed fiercely into Shinji Hirako's chest.

"Puff--"

The sound of gushing blood was particularly jarring in the silent training ground. A deep, bone-revealing wound stretched from his right shoulder to his left abdomen, almost splitting Shinji Hirako in two. The Six Rods Prison of Light shattered under this terrifying blow, and Shinji Hirako's body flew backward like a rag doll, crashing heavily against the wall of the training ground before sliding to the ground, motionless.

The training ground fell into dead silence.

Everyone stared in disbelief at the scene.

Liu Ziyun... did he really kill him?

Just then, Liu Ziyun around, facing the stunned others, and said in a frighteningly calm tone, "Now, do you understand? What is true 'sparring'?"