"Line up, one by one, from Third Seat to twenty seats!"
Zero took out a cylindrical, semi-transparent container, about twenty centimeters long and only as thick as a finger, with a spherical part at the bottom. Overall, it looked like a large thermometer.
The spherical part contains a special substance; by drawing a small amount of the Reiatsu released by the opponent into it, the intensity of the Reiatsu can be calculated.
The substance is called Water Spirit, and it is one of the items used by the Shin'ō Spiritual Arts Academy to test the level of Reiryoku. They will determine the ability of the students by observing the release of Reiryoku, and then check the level of Reiryoku through Reiryoku testing.
Zero simply amplifies its function, turning it into a tool for measuring Reiatsu, since Reiatsu proves that the other party's Reiryoku is also strong.
The scale above ranges from 0.1 to the integer 6, with each 0.1 representing a level of strength, while the standard 1 in the middle signifies the standard Captain-level. The counterpart is none other than Kensei, the Third Seat holder...
Five years have passed since he was instantly killed by Zero's punch. He has been eating and training like crazy, and his Reiatsu has increased to a level that is only slightly lower than that of Seigen Kyōshiba.
Zero could sense that Kensei's Reiatsu was similar to that of Hideaki Tsunayashiro back then, both being slightly lower than Seigen's.
Kensei was initially strongly opposed, but after Zero persuaded and tempted him many times, he agreed, because Zero promised to teach him Bankai whenever he had time.
There was no way around it; the temptation was too great. When Kensei first heard about it, his hands trembled with excitement: Bankai! Captain-level! I'd even run naked around the Seireitei without hesitation!
To put it another way, so what if he exposes his strength in public? Once he learns Bankai, nothing will be a problem.
Mastering Bankai is equivalent to meeting the basic requirements to become Captain, and your combat power will increase significantly.
The Shikai of Shikai and Bankai at the Captain-level varies from person to person. Some people may increase their combat power tenfold after Bankai, but the increase in Reiatsu is not significant enough to be fully reflected by the measuring device.
"Fujiwara, fifteen seats, 0.1 car!"
"Jin He twelve seats, 0.2 cars!"
"Yuanshan..."
The word "car" at the end really annoyed Kensei, but he endured it for the sake of his Bankai.
"By the way, why isn't the company called 'Muguruma,' but instead just uses the character 'vehicle'?"
Seigen couldn't help but ask Ling, "Kensei's surname is 'Muguruma', why did you split it up like that?"
"Six is already a number. For example, if I said your Reiatsu value was 'one six carts,' that would be even stranger! It's two numbers!"
"Uh, that makes sense."
"Why don't you take his place and use the Seigen as the unit of measurement?"
"No need, thank you."
Zero and Seigen were discussing the advantages of using the word 'vehicle' as a unit of measurement, while Kensei, standing to the side, once again suppressed his anger.
He was a person with a bad temper, and he was straightforward in his words and actions.
At that moment, Hirako's distinctive voice rang out. "I say... with your shamelessness, how could you agree to make it a unit of measurement? What were you thinking?"
Hirako was now the Third Seat of the Fifth Division. He had something to discuss with Seigen, and having heard from his subordinates that he was in the 11th Division Captain, he came here specifically to see him.
On the Road, I overheard the Squad Members of the 11th Division discussing Reiatsu: "What's your Reiatsu, a fraction of a car?"
"One train at midnight! What about you?!"
"Hey, it's not even 0:10 yet."
"Hahaha, you weakling..."
Such exchanges piqued Hirako's curiosity, and upon inquiring, he learned the reason behind it; mainly because Hirako's Reiatsu was not weak, and Zero had approached him but was refused.
"I didn't think much about it, it's just that the guy offered me a condition I couldn't refuse." After a moment of silence, Kensei replied to Hirako.
When he recalled what Zero had said, he suddenly didn't find the idea of becoming a unit of measurement unacceptable. Once he learned Bankai, he would beat up anyone who dared to laugh at him.
What are the conditions?
He said he would teach me Bankai!
Hearing that Kensei's answer didn't sound like a joke, Hirako's face showed surprise. He hadn't expected Zero to be the kind of guy who wanted to teach others.
"Then you'd better work hard, I might be one step ahead of you!"
After a moment of slight surprise, Hirako gave a meaningful smile, which startled Kensei as well: 'One step ahead? Could it be that he's already Bankai? Looks like I'll have to urge that guy on...'
The current Gotei 13 is no pushover; they have veteran Captains at the front and rising elites at the back. It's precisely because of this accumulation of power that Yama-jii has some ideas...
"What's your Reiatsu? A fraction of a car?" This seems to be a common topic of conversation among ordinary Soul Reaper.
According to the calculations and assessments made by the 11th Division Captain, Nangong Kenpachi, 0.1 is the Reiatsu level that Seated Officer of the fifteenth to twentieth rank should have.
0.2 corresponds to 10th Seat through Fourth Seat, 0.3 to seats 6 through 9, 0.4 to seats Fourth Seat through Fifth Seat, and 0.5 through 0.9 are considered standard Vice-Captain level.
Of course, this is just a normal ranking system. People like Kensei, Hirako, and Kōga are only Third Seats, but their Reiatsu levels have reached the standard Captain-level, and Kōga even exceeds it by a lot.
As the Vice-Captain of the First Division, Sasakibe possesses Captain-level strength and has already mastered Bankai.
Now comes the main event: Tank 1 is called Standard Captain-level, Tank 1.5 is called Intermediate Captain, Tank 2 is called Upper-Intermediate Captain- level, Three Carriages is called Super Captain -level, and Tank 4 is called Super Captain -level.
Car 5 is the standard Captain-Commander, cars 6 to 8 are the zero Captain-Commander level, and cars 9 to 10 are the pinnacle of the Soul Reaper level.
Above the tenth level is the level that Zero can only slightly break through through Bankai; he calls it the 'First Dimension,' where one can feel the Reiatsu sublimating upon breaking through.
Despite the physical strain of Bankai, Zero secretly attempted Bankai several times before confirming its existence. Perhaps there are even higher levels, but he is not yet at that level.
In Zero's understanding, Yama-jii may have come into contact with it, but it's uncertain whether Yama-jii has reached that level.
At first, when he was knocked down by Yama-jii's punches, Zero didn't quite understand why the difference in their physical abilities was so great. It wasn't until he experienced that level of power through consecutive Bankai that he began to understand:
Yama-jii's Bankai similar to his own, both are very powerful, even stronger than Yama-jii's. If one's physical strength isn't sufficient, they couldn't withstand it, which is why he trained his body to such an extent...
Many Captain-level were dismissive of the Reiatsu standards set by Zero, but some showed great interest.
After the 11th Division partnered with a noble factory to produce [something], some interested Captains secretly bought several to measure their own Reiatsu, and also secretly measured the spiritual pressure of other Captains...
"What a piece of junk Reiatsu measuring device! It's completely inaccurate. How could I possibly only have a spiritual pressure of 1.8? Kyōraku's 4.5? That's utter nonsense."
Shiba Kūsei looked disdainful. He had sparred with Kyōraku several times and thought he had a decent understanding of the guy's strength... well, that was just his opinion.
The huge discrepancy led Shiba Kūsei to perform several more tests, which he found quite accurate. He gradually began to doubt Kyōraku, 'Could it be that that guy never used his full strength when sparring with me?'
Many individuals who had been hiding their strength have now revealed themselves. They can freely control the intensity of their Reiatsu, but they cannot control its density.
The measuring device calculates based on the density of Reiatsu; the higher the density of Reiatsu introduced, the higher the Water Spirit within will rise to the specified level...
"I never expected that Captain Nangong's small invention would expose all the hidden strength of the Gotei 13. Excellent!"
Yama-jii at the list of those who had previously refused to reveal their strength in the report, there were more than a dozen whose Reiatsu reached the level of Vice-Captain, yet they were content to serve as minor Seated Officer.
Moreover, most of them are in the Third Division and Fifth Divisions, which are rescue units that don't have much to do on a regular basis. They probably just want to collect their salaries and get by!
"I never imagined that my Eighth Division had so many hidden experts!"
Kyōraku also smiled. The more skilled the Squad Members were, the more free he became, as he no longer had to handle many trivial matters himself.
The smiling Yama-jii suddenly became serious and said, "Shunsui, I'm assigning you a task: investigate the exact location of the current Holy City..."
Kyōraku's expression also changed, and he said in a deep voice, "Teacher, are we really going to take action? Isn't there any other solution?"
"Their numbers have now exceeded tens of thousands. The Void beings shot down every day can no longer be reborn. If this continues, it will disrupt the balance. Shunsui, remember, what we are protecting is no longer just One King and Five Nobles."
When Yama-jii opened his eyes, he was no longer willing to try to coexist peacefully, because no matter how many times he tried, it always ended in failure.
After responding, Kyōraku disappeared into thin air. He needed to go back and assign some tasks, as it would probably be troublesome for him to gather intelligence in the World of the Living on his own.
The Holy City —that's the Headquarters of the Quincy!
Kensei forced a forced smile and said, "Captain, when will you have time to teach me Bankai?"
Ling, having just finished lunch, picked her teeth with her fingers and said, "Let's do it after my afternoon nap!"
Just then, a guy responsible for liaising with the Squad Member at the front ran over and loudly reported, "Captain, there's a guy in the 19th ward of East Rukongai with a Reiatsu levels of 0.7. He and his men intercepted a congratulatory gift that a merchant was sending to the Ise Clan. What do you think we should do...?"
"Hmm? Let's go now!"
Yes! Wow!
Upon hearing this, Zero realized someone had committed another crime and ordered his Squad Member to absorb Reiryoku. However, the person who reported the incident was instead knocked away by Kensei.
He roared angrily, "How many times has this happened? Every time you're supposed to teach me Bankai, you go out and kill criminals. Are you making excuses?"
Zero would go to Rukongai every time, returning in a few days for nearby places and a month or two for farther ones. A whole year had passed since Zero said he would teach Bankai, and Kensei could no longer hold back his temper.
God knows how others mocked him throughout the year. Someone asked him, "As a unit of measurement, how can you be considered a standard Captain-level if you don't Bankai?"
Kensei couldn't answer this question at all. After all, one had to know Bankai to be recognized as a true Captain-level, and he hadn't mastered it on his own yet, so he could only rely on Zero's guidance.
"Uh... okay! One last time, you come along this time too! Let's practice outside!"
Zero thought about it and realized that it made sense. They'd been talking about it for a year, and if they didn't teach him soon, Kensei would probably get really angry.
240 years before Aizen was sealed away, Zero began teaching Kensei Muguruma how to use Bankai.