Training for Complete Shikai (1)

Time flows by like the clouds over the Seireitei, turning silently and imperceptibly. The power structure of Soul Society is undergoing subtle changes in silence, as if an invisible hand is plucking the strings of fate, playing the prelude to a new era.

In the eighteenth year of Liu Ziyun's seclusion, the Seventh Division's barracks welcomed a new owner.

It was a drizzly spring afternoon. Liu Ziyun stood by the window of the Fourth Division's Medical Room, looking at the blurred outline of Seireitei through the rain. In the distance, the faint sound of bells could be heard, the signal for the start of the captain's inauguration ceremony. He didn't go, nor did he show any sign of interest. He simply quietly treated the wounds of a member of the division who had been injured by a Hollow.

"Liu Fifth Seat, have you heard?" A young member of the medical team asked, handing over some cotton swabs while unable to resist gossiping. "The Seventh Division has a new captain. It's Lieutenant Love Aikawa who's been promoted. I heard he was in the same cohort as you?"

Liu Ziyun without pause, the tweezers precisely removing the crystalline toxins deep within the wound. "Focus on your work. The patient's condition is more important than gossip."

"Yes..." The young soldier lowered his head sheepishly.

Liu Ziyun glanced out the window out of the corner of her eye, silently thinking: [Love, congratulations. This is what you deserve.]

He knew this was just the beginning.

In the following years, the captaincy of Seireitei changed as regularly and inevitably as the changing of the seasons:

In the third year, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi succeeded Kamikawa Rensuke as the Third Division Captain. The inauguration ceremony was held during the cherry blossom season, and the entire Seireitei was immersed in a shower of pale pink petals. Liu Ziyun leave that day, citing "physical discomfort caused by Reiatsu training." He spent the entire day in his Underground Training Ground, engaging in twelve hours of intense battles with Life-Taker and Tulu.

In the fifth year, Kensei Muguruma succeeded Kumenoi Entetsu as the Captain of the Ninth Division. When this news came, Liu Ziyun was providing free medical care in the 78th ward of Rukongai. That area was a border region under the jurisdiction of Seireitei, where law and order were chaotic and diseases were rampant.

He led the Fourth Division's medical team and stayed there for three months, treating hundreds of souls. When the soldiers talked about the new Captain of the Ninth Division's iron-fisted style, Liu Ziyun just smiled and continued to clean an old man's festering wound.

Every time a captain changed, every time an old friend was promoted, Liu Ziyun never showed up. He was like a shadow in Seireitei, existing yet almost invisible. The members of the Fourth Division gradually got used to this mysterious Fifth Seat —a man of superb medical skills but taciturn, always appearing when needed and disappearing when not.

Only Retsu Unohana knows the kind of transformation this seemingly unassuming young man is undergoing.

In the Underground Training Grounds, time seems to pass differently than in the outside world.

Liu Ziyun knelt in the center of the space, his eyes closed, his forehead covered with fine beads of sweat. He had been cultivating here for seventy-two hours straight, his Reiatsu rising, compressing, and rising again with each battle with his Zanpakuto.

"Not enough." The Life-Taker voice echoed in his Inner World, "Your Reiatsu has reached the threshold of the first rank, but its stability is insufficient. Your eagerness for quick results will only destabilize your foundation."

A sneer of Tulu echoed, "What's there to be afraid of? The power of Soul Reaper is to dance with death itself. If you dare not take risks, you'll never reach the true pinnacle."

Liu Ziyun did not respond, but focused more intently on adjusting his breathing. He could feel the surging Reiatsu within his body, like a volcano about to erupt, violent and powerful, yet difficult to fully control.

This is the 127th time he has Blade Zen.

Each entry into the Inner World is a life-or-death struggle. The Life-Taker swordsmanship is as precise as a scalpel, targeting vital points; the Tulu offensive is as wild as a storm, using brute force to overcome skill. Under the combined attack of these two sword spirits with vastly different styles, Liu Ziyun's combat ability improves at an astonishing speed, but his mastery of the Complete Shikai remains separated by an invisible barrier.

"That's enough for today," the Life-Taker suddenly said. "Your spirit has reached its limit. Forcing it to continue will only damage the very essence of your soul."

Liu Ziyun opened his eyes, a weary golden light flashing in his pupils. "I can still..."

"No." Tulu interrupted him, his tone unusually serious. "Liu Ziyun, the power of Soul Reaper cannot be mastered through brute force. You need to understand us, understand the essence of Zanpakuto, instead of simply treating us as tools."

Liu Ziyun fell silent.

He recalled his years of cultivation, and every conversation with Life-Taker and Tulu. Life-Taker always calmly analyzed and pointed out his shortcomings; Tulu, on the other hand, used the most cruel methods to force him to break through his limits. But the two had never truly "merged"—until today.

"Your Reiatsu has stabilized now." Life-Taker voice grew deep. "It seems I can teach you. However, there's a big difference between 'mastery' and 'control.' I hope you don't die. Now, let's begin."

Liu Ziyun down his spine.

Life-Taker and Tulu exchanged a glance, their figures simultaneously blurring into countless shimmering dust particles. These dust particles swirled and intertwined in the void of their Inner World, forming a crimson-black whirlwind. The whirlwind grew increasingly violent, with a faint, thunderous vibration emanating from its center.

Liu Ziyun subconsciously took a step back, instinctively sensing danger.

When the whirlwind dissipated, there were no longer two people standing in the same spot.

She was a tall woman dressed in a crimson-black Mystic Robe, with long, flowing hair. Her face possessed both Life-Taker, cold gentleness and a ruthless, Tulu sharpness; these two contrasting qualities blended perfectly, creating an aura of majesty that made people afraid to look directly at her. She held no sword, yet the entire space was filled with a Reiatsu as sharp as a blade.

"Ziyun." The woman's voice had a dual timbre, possessing both Life-Taker gentleness and a Tulu ruthlessness. "I'm about to begin."

Liu Ziyun a deep breath and drew his twin swords from his waist. "Come on."

The woman—or rather, the complete embodiment of Life-Taker Tulu —slowly raised both hands. Her left hand loosely clenched, Life-Taker blade appearing; her right hand lightly lifted, the edge of Tulu subtly revealed. Her movements were as graceful as a dance, yet carried a deadly threat.

Fate Is but a Plaything in the Palm, Life-Taker Tulu.

The Release Phrase were uttered softly, echoing in the void like an ancient incantation.

In an instant, Liu Ziyun felt the surrounding air freeze. The physical blade of Life-Taker and Tulu turned to dust in the woman's hand, and that dust reformed, gradually taking Zanpakuto from the palm of her right hand.

It was a weapon with a Tang Dao style but completely different from others. The blade was about four feet three inches long, more slender than ordinary Tang Dao. The blade was dark red, like congealed blood, with golden patterns flowing across its surface like brocade. The Tsuba was shaped like a ferocious beast's head, and the hilt was wrapped with black and red silk threads. The entire sword exuded a chilling pressure; its mere existence made Liu Ziyun's soul tremble.

The Life-Taker Tulu held his knife in one hand, the tip lightly touching the ground. "Ziyun, don't die next."