Training the Soul Reapers Stationed in the World of the Living (6)

Tōshirō Hitsugaya lay on the cold ground, panting heavily, every part of his body aching. But his eyes gleamed with excitement—he did it! He really did it at his limit! Although it was only for a moment, he had indeed broken through his previous limits and reached a new height!

Liu Ziyun to his side, looking down at him. His eyes held approval, but also a hint of satisfaction. He raised the Life-Taker in his hand and softly uttered, "Heal."

As he whispered, a soft light appeared on the Life-Taker blade. He aimed the tip of the blade at the wounds on Tōshirō Hitsugaya's body and gently traced it. The wounds immediately began to emit a faint white glow and healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Wherever the blade passed, the wounds closed, the bloodstains disappeared, and the skin was restored to its original state.

Moments later, all of Tōshirō Hitsugaya's wounds had healed completely, leaving not a single scar.

Liu Ziyun withdrew his Life-Taker and stretched out his hands to set up a Kaidō Barrier around Tōshirō Hitsugaya. It was a hemispherical light shield made of Reiatsu, enveloping Tōshirō Hitsugaya within it. The light shield was filled with dense Reiatsu, warm and comfortable, as if one were soaking in Hot Spring.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya rolled over, lying on his back, and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Didn't you heal me completely? Why did you create Kaidō Barrier?"

Liu Ziyun smiled slightly and explained, "My Kaidō Barrier is created based on the Kaidō, and Kaidō principle is the same. It first restores the injured person's Reiatsu, and then uses the injured person's own Reiatsu to heal the injuries. Your injuries are healed now, but your Reiatsu is almost exhausted and urgently needs to be restored. Within this Barrier, your Reiatsu will recover even faster."

"Oh, I see..." Tōshirō Hitsugaya suddenly realized, relaxed his body and lay down in the Barrier, feeling his Reiatsu gradually recover.

Liu Ziyun sat down next to him, looked at him, and said, "You felt it, didn't you? That surge of Reiatsu at the last moment."

Tōshirō Hitsugaya nodded, a complex look flashing in his eyes. "Yes. It seems I still need more training." He paused, then turned to look at Liu Ziyun. "But how did you know about my abilities? How did you know I could do it?"

Liu Ziyun was silent for a moment, then smiled slightly, "I'll tell you that later. You haven't fully grown yet, and the burden of Bankai is too great, so your Bankai is incomplete right now. I just wanted to let you experience your true power in advance through this method."

He stood up, dusted himself off, and said with a smile, "Good luck, Captain Shiro-chan. Don't lose to me, the former Fifth Seat holder!"

Tōshirō Hitsugaya frowned again, several black lines appearing on his forehead. "I told you, call me Captain Hitsugaya..."

But Liu Ziyun just laughed it off, completely ignoring his protest. He turned to leave, but stopped after a few steps, turned back, and said, "Get some rest. Once you've recovered, we'll have plenty of opportunities to continue."

Tōshirō Hitsugaya looked at him and asked, "What are you planning to do next?"

Liu Ziyun and said, "I'm going to check on Ikkaku Madarame. That guy's still so stubborn. We don't have much time left; we need to get everyone's strength up as quickly as possible."

Upon hearing this, Tōshirō Hitsugaya frowned slightly. He recalled what Liu Ziyun said earlier, and the phrase "time is running out." He remained silent for a moment before finally asking the question that had been bothering him, "Isn't Aizen's ability ineffective against you? And aren't you already training Ichigo Kurosaki? Why are you so eager for us to both increase our strength?"

Liu Ziyun's smile faded slightly, and his gaze deepened. He remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "What we need to prepare for is not this battle, but the next war."

"The next war?" Tōshirō Hitsugaya asked, puzzled.

"Yes." Liu Ziyun's voice turned serious. "The battle with Aizen was at most a skirmish, a small-scale skirmish. The next battle is the real war. It could very well lead to the destruction of the world."

Tōshirō Hitsugaya's pupils suddenly contracted. He sat up abruptly, ignoring his exhaustion, and stared intently at Liu Ziyun: "What exactly do you know?"

Liu Ziyun looked at him, his eyes filled with complex emotions—a sense of heaviness, helplessness, and a hint of unspeakable worry. But he simply shook his head and said, "Alright, now is not the time to tell you. I will tell you when the time is right."

He turned and walked towards the door, saying without looking back, "I'm leaving now, I have a lot of things to do."

Before he finished speaking, he had already disappeared through the doorway.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya sat alone within the Kaidō Barrier, gazing in the direction where Liu Ziyun departed, his brow furrowed. The end of the world? What kind of concept was that? What kind of enemy could threaten the very survival of the world? Aizen was powerful, but all he sought was to replace the Soul King and rule the Soul Society. To say he would destroy the world was a gross exaggeration.

But Liu Ziyun wasn't one to exaggerate. If he said something, there must be a reason. Could it be... that behind Aizen, there's an even more powerful enemy lurking? Could it be that they're about to face a crisis far more terrifying than the battle against Aizen?

The more he thought about it, the more alarmed and uneasy he became. He clenched his fists and made a silent resolution—no matter what, he had to become stronger. Strong enough to handle any crisis, strong enough to protect everything he wanted to protect.

Meanwhile, after leaving Urahara Shop, Liu Ziyun went straight back to the Martial Arts Hall. He went to the room where Ikkaku Madarame was resting and pushed open the door to go inside.

Ikkaku Madarame was lying on the bed, his body wrapped in bandages. When he saw Liu Ziyun enter, his brows immediately furrowed, and a hint of wariness flashed in his eyes.

Liu Ziyun didn't say much, but walked to the bedside, drew his Life-Taker, and whispered, "Heal."

The soft light on the blade reappeared, gently gliding across the wounds on Ikkaku Madarame's body. The wounds began to emit white steam, healing at a visible speed. Moments later, all the wounds were healed, leaving not a single scar.

Ikkaku Madarame sat up, stretched his limbs, and looked at Liu Ziyun with some disbelief. "Your ability... is really convenient."

Liu Ziyun sheathed the Life-Taker and smiled faintly, "It's convenient, but you can't overuse it. Alright, your injury has healed. Now, get some rest and prepare for the next training session."

Ikkaku Madarame's brow furrowed again. "Again?"

"Of course." Liu Ziyun looked at him, his gaze carrying a meaningful glint. "You haven't learned to go all out in a battle yet. Wait until you've figured it out and are willing to give it your all, then we'll meet."

After saying that, he turned and left the room, leaving Ikkaku Madarame sitting alone on the bed with a complicated expression.

After leaving the Martial Arts Hall, Liu Ziyun rushed to the Visored's base. When he passed through the hidden door and arrived at the Underground Training Ground, the scene before him made him frown slightly.