The Wager

"Oh, you said it was impossible, so what was the point of competing with you?"

Lu Li found Yoruichi rather amusing. Was this the bizarre thought process of nobles?

Yoruichi was briefly embarrassed by his words. Looking at Lu Li's face, she found him increasingly infuriating—he was even more aggravating than her lazy childhood friend.

"Then... how about this? You run half the distance, and I'll run the full course. We'll see who takes less time. Is that acceptable?"

Yoruichi said, "It's unlikely, but if you really win, then from now on, I... I'll call you big brother."

Lu Li raised a hand to stroke his chin, imagining Yoruichi reluctantly and shamefully calling him that. Ehh... better not. He did not have that kind of strange hobby.

"That won't be necessary. If I win, teach me some advanced Shunpo techniques."

Lu Li's goal was clear. He had not come to this mission world to tease little girls. What he wanted was Yoruichi's advanced Shunpo technique—Utsusemi.

Judging from its portrayal in the original work, Utsusemi was definitely a technique distinct from Shunpo, a movement art almost akin to "blinking."

Yoruichi frowned at first when she heard that. She had not expected Lu Li to be so eager to learn, but upon careful consideration, she seemed unable to lose under the terms of this wager.

If she won, she would regain some ground and make this flamboyant Transfer Student properly call her big sister from then on. And though it was impossible, if she somehow lost, she would still become Lu Li's teacher. Thinking about it, that was quite an accomplishment too.

"Fine, it's settled."

Yoruichi nodded and beckoned Lu Li over. "I'll teach you the basic Shunpo techniques first."

Lu Li moved closer and began receiving Yoruichi's "personal instruction."

It had to be said that Yoruichi's teaching ability... was terrible, utterly incomparable to Aizen's.

The fact that Ichigo had managed to learn anything from Yoruichi truly showed that his comprehension was exceptional.

Still, although Yoruichi's teaching was poor, Lu Li understood everything. Fortunately, he had an extremely strong aptitude for absorbing martial techniques.

"I see. I'll give it a try first."

Under Teacher Yoruichi's close guidance, Lu Li felt that he had grasped the trick. He walked to an open area nearby.

The basic principle of Shunpo was to use explosive muscle power at a "foothold" to advance in a straight line and reach another foothold. Put simply, this footwork was not particularly flexible. It also relied on "footholds" and required the target point to be planned in advance.

Because of Shunpo's principles, the training ground was divided into sections. Each section ran from one foothold to the next and was around twenty meters long. There were ten sections in total, making two hundred meters altogether.

What Yoruichi had meant by the earlier competition was that she would run two hundred meters while Lu Li ran one hundred, and they would see who took less time.

After taking his stance, Lu Li focused his mind and steadied his breathing. He lowered his body slightly, and the muscles in his calves tightened and bulged as though they contained a ferocious beast.

The next instant, power surged through him like a tide. The reactive force generated after he injected power into the foothold gave him explosive forward momentum, and he shot across the distance as if flying, arriving at the next foothold.

After steadying himself, he looked at the display screen beside him. It recorded the time he had taken to cross that section—0.973S.

Seeing that number, Lu Li frowned. Shunpo had not given him a dramatic increase in speed, because after a normal start and acceleration to top speed, he could also run twenty meters in one second.

Yet after crossing just one foothold, his calves already felt mildly sore and swollen. That proved Shunpo was not currently a technique he could use continuously for long periods.

"Oh? Not bad."

Yoruichi looked somewhat surprised. Not only had Lu Li succeeded on his first attempt, but considering his Reiwei level, his speed was above average at the Spirit Arts Academy.

She took a light step and instantly appeared beside Lu Li. The screen showed a count of "0.491."

Lu Li pondered for a moment, then realized that he had apparently fallen into a misunderstanding.

He could indeed run twenty meters in a second, but that was after accelerating. Shunpo's advantage was that it allowed his speed to instantly reach its peak, compressing the acceleration required for normal running into an almost negligible amount of time.

It was a method of instantaneous explosive movement, perfect for emergency repositioning in battle or pursuing an opponent.

And the Shunpo Yoruichi had just used was overwhelmingly faster than his. Moreover, he could sense that Yoruichi had deliberately suppressed her Reiwei to roughly his level.

This girl had no intention of playing dirty. She truly possessed an extremely high level of mastery over Shunpo. Her speed was determined not by "attributes," but by "technique."

As expected of the future Flash Goddess, Lu Li mused inwardly. Yet he had no intention of giving up on this contest, because that had only been his first attempt at Shunpo. He still had room to improve.

After repeatedly practicing Shunpo, the soreness in Lu Li's legs actually became less severe, because he gradually got the hang of it.

After around twenty attempts, he stopped practicing Shunpo and instead sat down to meditate with his eyes closed.

"Hey, there are only twenty minutes until class ends. Aren't you going to practice some more? You'll lose if this keeps up, you know~"

Yoruichi spoke beside Lu Li, her eyes and brows brimming with amusement. She was in an excellent mood now. Though Lu Li was a genius, she had completely crushed him in Shunpo.

Lu Li had practiced many more times just now. Although he had improved, the progress was not especially obvious.

"Don't worry. I never go back on my promises. I'll accept the result of the competition. Let me have some quiet for now."

As Lu Li spoke, he waved his hand as if shooing away a fly.

Yoruichi was not angry. In any case, she felt victory was already in the bag. To her, every one of Lu Li's actions and words now sounded like the barking of a defeated dog.

Lu Li sat cross-legged, and another version of himself appeared in his mind. It continuously recreated the process of Shunpo, while he "watched" it, observing the rhythm of its muscles and the transmission of power.

The instant the dismissal bell rang, Lu Li opened his eyes. Yoruichi, who stood beside him, felt that the man's aura seemed to have changed. Those black eyes appeared even deeper than before.

But she did not dwell on it. Instead, she went to the starting point first and moved beneath the gazes of the many spectators.

Afterimages lingered in the air, with almost no other sound. A moment later, Yoruichi's figure solidified at the finish line.

A string of numbers stood clearly displayed on the screen at the finish line: 4.396S.

She came to a stop just as quietly, with only her dark purple hair gently fluttering.

Elegant. Too elegant.

Even Lu Li could not help but admire her. No wonder Yoruichi could serve in the Stealth Force. With Shunpo skills like these, she could kill without leaving a trace or making a sound.

"Your turn, little brother."

Yoruichi stood at the finish line and crooked a finger at Lu Li. Even the way she addressed him had changed. She had clearly already decided that she had won.

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