The Seireitei Arc Begins

The night was as dark as ink, Seireitei gleamed coldly in the moonlight. Liu Ziyun quietly emerged from the Captain's Office's bedroom, donned the Black Cloak that could completely conceal his Reiatsu and whereabouts, and vanished silently into the darkness like a true ghost.

In the bedroom, Retsu Unohana leaned against the headboard, gazing in the direction he had left, a complex expression on her face. She murmured softly, her voice tinged with shyness, satisfaction, and an indescribable sweetness. "That damn brat... he got him again."

Just then, piercing alarms suddenly blared from all directions of the Seireitei. The sound tore through the night sky, echoing in every corner and awakening countless sleeping Soul Reapers.

Retsu Unohana's eyes sharpened instantly. She stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the chaotic scene in the distance, silently thinking: [Is it about to begin?]

In the night sky, a gigantic sphere was hurtling toward the Soul-Shielding Membrane that enveloped the Seireitei at an astonishing speed. The sphere shimmered eerily in the moonlight, carrying an aura of annihilation as it slammed into the Soul-Shielding Membrane.

"Boom--!"

Amidst the deafening explosion, the Soul-Shielding Membrane was blasted open, creating a massive breach. The sphere instantly split into four parts, transforming into four streaks of light that plummeted in four different directions towards Seireitei.

Liu Ziyun stood in the shadows, watching this scene, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. His spiritual sense, like an invisible spider web, instantly captured the familiar aura among the four Reiatsu — Uryū Ishida.

[I need to find Uryū first.] He quickly calculated in his mind, [I don't Mayuri Kurotsuchi to kill Uryū because I saved Sōken Ishida.]

He flashed and sped off in the direction where Uryū Ishida had fallen.

Uryū Ishida and Orihime Inoue landed in a dense forest. Awakening from unconsciousness, they looked around at their unfamiliar surroundings, bewildered. They didn't know where they were, or what to do next.

Liu Ziyun arrived nearby silently, hiding in the shadow of a large tree. He didn't show himself, but quietly followed behind the two, like an invisible shadow.

The two made their way through the woods, eventually finding a secluded cave where they decided to rest for the night. Liu Ziyun also found a spot nearby, leaned against a tree trunk, and closed his eyes to rest.

The night wind blew, and the leaves rustled.

In the darkness, only the moonlight shone silently.

The following morning.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Uryū Ishida and Orihime Inoue emerged from the cave to continue their journey.

Liu Ziyun continued to follow behind them, like an invisible shadow.

Around noon, they encountered their first enemy— Jirōbō. He was a burly Soul Reaper wielding a massive Zanpakuto, charging menacingly towards them.

Uryū Ishida and Jirōbō engaged in a fierce battle. Orihime Inoue watched nervously from a distance.

Liu Ziyun stood in the shadows, watching the battle. He could see that Uryū Ishida's strength had improved significantly compared to before; his years of training at the Martial Arts Hall were now fully manifesting.

Just as Uryū Ishida and Jirōbō were locked in fierce combat, Liu Ziyun's spiritual sense suddenly detected two familiar Reiatsu — Ichigo Kurosaki and Ikkaku Madarame.

Their Reiatsu are meeting somewhere, and a battle has already begun.

Liu Ziyun frowned slightly. He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to check on Ichigo Kurosaki's condition first. He flashed away and sped off in that direction.

When Liu Ziyun arrived at the scene, Ichigo Kurosaki and Ikkaku Madarame had already exchanged several blows. The two stood facing each other, and a tense atmosphere filled the air.

Ikkaku Madarame looked at the orange-haired boy before him, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes. He asked, "Ichigo, who is your master?"

Ichigo Kurosaki paused for a moment, then scratched his head, a gesture tinged with naivety. "I don't know if I count as a master. A teacher who taught me fist techniques and swordsmanship since I was little, named Liu Ziyun. But he never let me call him master, only teacher."

He paused, then continued, "And another one is Kisuke Urahara. He helped me regain my Soul Reaper Powers, and we fought for the next few days. He didn't actively teach me anything, but fighting him taught me a lot."

Ikkaku Madarame's pupils contracted slightly, and a look of surprise appeared on his face. "So it's former Fifth Seat of the Fourth Division, Liu Ziyun, and former Twelfth Division Captain Kisuke Urahara?"

Ichigo Kurosaki nodded, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes. "Oh, Kisuke Urahara is the captain? But every time I ask him about my teacher, Liu Ziyun, his evasive answers give me the feeling... he seems a little afraid of my teacher."

Ikkaku Madarame's expression grew even more serious. "Liu Ziyun? That's a remarkable figure. He severely injured the Captain of the Seventh Division Sajin Komamura with a single move, and still managed to escape unscathed despite being surrounded by the Captain of the Ninth Division Kaname Tōsen and the Third Division Captain Gin Ichimaru. That's a truly impressive feat."

Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes lit up. "Oh? My teacher... is he that strong?"

Ikkaku Madarame nodded, a hint of fighting spirit flashing in his eyes. "Yes. It seems I can't treat you like an ordinary brat anymore."

After saying that, he released his Zanpakuto and charged at Ichigo Kurosaki once again.

The clash of swords and the flash of blades escalated once more.

Liu Ziyun stood in the shadows, watching the fight between the two, inwardly thinking: [When did I become so awesome? Severely injuring a captain with one move and escaping the encirclement of two captains? That was clearly a staged performance by Aizen, wasn't it? Only Sajin Komamura was injured; Kaname Tōsen and Gin Ichimaru were originally in cahoots.]

He shook his head and continued watching the game.

In the end, the battle between Ichigo Kurosaki and Ikkaku Madarame, just like the scenes in the anime that Liu Ziyun remembered, ended with neither of them killing the other because they admired each other. The two found a strange tacit understanding in the battle, and in the end, they ended the fight with mutual respect.

Liu Ziyun watched this scene, a complex emotion welled up within him. He knew that this was an essential step in Ichigo Kurosaki's growth. Every battle, every encounter, would make him stronger.

He turned and left to continue his search for Uryū Ishida and Orihime Inoue.

When Liu Ziyun found the two, it was already dark. He saw Uryū Ishida and Orihime Inoue knock out two members of the Fourth Division and then change into their clothes.

After changing their clothes, the two walked openly in the Seireitei, their arrogance reaching its peak.

Liu Ziyun, hiding in the shadows, watched this scene and couldn't help but think to himself, "[How stupid! They didn't even investigate properly before walking off like that. If they get caught, aren't they just asking for trouble?]"

But he followed the two men for a whole day, and nothing happened.

[Wait, am I remembering something wrong?]

Just as he was wondering, his spiritual senses suddenly detected two rapidly approaching Reiatsu — Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai.

Liu Ziyun frowned: [I misremembered the order in which they fought.]

Thinking of this, he immediately turned around and sped off in that direction.

When Liu Ziyun arrived, Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai had already begun a fierce battle.

The two exchanged blows, their swords flashing and clashing under the moonlight. Renji Abarai's Zabimaru was like a true venomous snake, attacking from all sorts of tricky angles; Ichigo Kurosaki's Zangetsu was like a black lightning bolt, each swing carrying an unstoppable momentum.

As the battle reached its climax, Renji Abarai no longer held back in his attacks, unleashing a torrential downpour that forced Ichigo Kurosaki.

But just as Renji Abarai was about to retract his Zanpakuto after Zabimaru reached its limit of extension, Ichigo Kurosaki seized the opportunity and rushed forward.

Renji Abarai narrowly dodged the attack, but his slash also struck Ichigo Kurosaki at the same time. The blade instantly extended, carving a deep wound on Ichigo Kurosaki's back.

Blood splattered.

But Ichigo Kurosaki didn't stop. He gritted his teeth, swung his final sword, and slashed hard at Renji Abarai.

Renji Abarai collapsed, severely injured.

But he still struggled to lift his head, looking at Ichigo Kurosaki with pleading eyes. "Ichigo... you must... save Rukia..."

After saying that, he fainted.

Liu Ziyun stood in the shadows, watching the battle, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.

[The fights in the anime look so interesting, but watching them live... it's a bit boring. Maybe it's because my skill level is higher than theirs right now.]

He watched Ichigo Kurosaki's departing figure, then glanced at Renji Abarai lying on the ground, silently thinking: [Because of my intervention, Ichigo's strength has noticeably increased. But, will this change the plot? If his Zanpakuto doesn't awaken its Hollow power, will his future growth face a bottleneck...?]

He walked over to Renji Abarai, squatted down, and said softly, "Knowing that the goal is the same, why did you still come out to fight?"

But the severely injured Renji Abarai was unable to respond to him. Liu Ziyun the Kaidō to give him some basic treatment, ensuring he wouldn't die before anyone else arrived. Then, he stood up and disappeared into the darkness once more.

In the days that followed, Liu Ziyun continued to follow Uryū Ishida and Orihime Inoue. They walked for another day, but still did not encounter Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

Liu Ziyun's brows furrowed more and more deeply.

[Could it be that my appearance changed the original trajectory?]

Just then, he suddenly sensed through his spiritual intuition that a large number of Soul Reaper were rapidly gathering in a square.

A thought flashed through Liu Ziyun's mind: [Is this... Aizen faking his death?]

He quickly reduced his Reiatsu, blended into the crowd, and arrived at the outer edge of the plaza, pretending to be an ordinary Soul Reaper watching the spectacle.

In the center of the plaza, a corpse was pinned to a high wall in the distance by Zanpakuto. People around were talking about it, saying that it was the corpse of Sōsuke Aizen.

Liu Ziyun looked at the corpse and sneered inwardly: [So this is the power of "Kyouka Suigetsu"? It's really useful.]

Just then, Gin Ichimaru stepped out. His face still bore that signature, enigmatic smile, and his tone was laced with provocation. "Oh dear, Captain Aizen is dead just like that. What a pity."

Upon hearing this, Momo Hinamori turned around abruptly, her eyes filled with rage. Without a word, she drew her Zanpakuto and charged towards Gin Ichimaru.

Izuru Kira immediately stepped in front of Gin Ichimaru, blocking Momo Hinamori's attack.

Just as the two were about to attack again, a figure suddenly appeared between them.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya.

He looked at the two of them coldly, his eyes filled with authority and warning. "Enough."

He ordered his men to detain Momo Hinamori and Izuru Kira, and then had the corpse removed. He turned to Gin Ichimaru, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "Gin Ichimaru, you'd better pray this has nothing to do with you. Otherwise, I'll kill you myself."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Liu Ziyun watched this scene and nodded inwardly. This young man would be a pillar of the Tenth Division in the future.

He was about to leave to continue searching for Uryū Ishida when he suddenly sensed Ichigo Kurosaki's Reiatsu —it was approaching Kenpachi Zaraki's direction.

Liu Ziyun frowned: [Damn! Did I misremember the plot, or did my appearance change the original trajectory?]

Without a second thought, he immediately turned around and sped off in that direction.

When Liu Ziyun arrived, Ichigo Kurosaki was playing hide-and-seek with Kenpachi Zaraki.

Kenpachi Zaraki, like a lazy lion, chased Ichigo Kurosaki all over the streets. Ichigo Kurosaki, was like a nimble rabbit, weaving between streets and rooftops, dodging Kenpachi Zaraki's attacks.

Finally, Kenpachi Zaraki got tired of chasing and simply squatted in the corner, remaining motionless.

Ichigo Kurosaki also stopped and looked at him warily.

Just then, in Liu Ziyun's spiritual perception, Yasutora Sado's Reiatsu suddenly dropped.

Ichigo Kurosaki seemed to sense something as well. His body suddenly froze, and he turned around to look at Kenpachi Zaraki.

He walked up to Kenpachi Zaraki, his eyes hardening. "Come on."

Kenpachi Zaraki stood up, a ferocious smile on his face, "Finally willing to fight?"

The two stood facing each other, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

Just then, a small figure appeared on the rooftop.

Yachiru Kusajishi squatted there, her chin resting on her hands, watching the two of them with a smile, her big eyes sparkling with excitement.

Liu Ziyun stood in the shadows, watching this scene, a complex emotion welling up inside him.