Unohana: Come, Entertain Me!

The spacious, ancient Japanese-style room; the two seated cross-legged across a tea table on tatami mats; the scene of tiger and demon fighting amid the woods; and the faintly rising tea mist together formed a picture of utter stillness.

Yet the fighting spirit, killing intent, sparks from clashing blades, and the intensely dynamic spectacle of joyous slaughter were all hidden within the thoughts of these two.

If this truly were an old silent film, the audience would seemingly be able to foresee blood being spilled in the next moment. Yet this deathly silence, deep as an abyss, was difficult to break.

In the end, what shattered that utter stillness was merely a leaf drifting down on the wind and falling into the pond.

At just that moment, the water boiled. Steam surged, and a shrill whistle emerged from the kettle's spout.

Ripples spread. Utter stillness turned into utter motion amid the waves, and the entire scene gained sound.

The water mist was sliced apart. The ethereal fragrance of tea took on the scent of blood. Killing intent and fighting spirit collided, sending up dazzling sparks.

Amid the clash of steel and the kettle's whistle, Lu Li and Retsu Unohana slid backward, leaving long drag marks across the tatami.

Unohana glanced at Lu Li, then at the bloodless Zanpakuto in her hand. A bewitching smile curled across her lips.

Her pale hand swept across her chest, and her waterfall-like black hair came loose. Yet because most of it fell in front of her, it created a strong sense of unnaturalness.

The Setting Sun filtered through the paper windows, bathing the entire room and adding crimson makeup to the woman's pale face.

With her hair loose, a bewitching smile on her face, and blood-red light cast upon her, she looked like a vicious ghost emerging from hell.

On the other side, the man held his Asauchi across his side, its tip lowered. His taut body resembled a fierce tiger descending the mountain.

"The little thing Captain Hikifune recently developed is quite good."

Unohana smiled. "It allows me to stop holding back and give Student Lu his final test."

Lu Li was intensely focused. This was the result he and Aizen had predicted long ago. The final test was to challenge a Captain under equal Reiatsu conditions. It was just that, with Unohana as his opponent, the difficulty had risen considerably.

For Lu Li, this was the worst nightmare—and the greatest delight.

His lips split open involuntarily, revealing a mouthful of stark white teeth. "As long as I defeat Teacher Unohana, I can graduate, right?"

"Defeat me?"

As Unohana said this, she covered part of her face with one hand, hiding her slightly crazed expression. Her voice trembled faintly. "Student Lu... why must you graduate early?"

As if asking and answering herself, her voice emerged from beneath the hand covering her face. "This way, I won't be able to stop myself from becoming your Examiner... This way, I won't be able to stop myself... from picking your fruit early."

As she spoke, her pale hand slowly lowered from her face, revealing features twisted slightly by excitement. No one would have imagined that the gentle and beautiful Unohana could have such a side to her.

She stared into Lu Li's eyes and spread her arms. "Come, entertain me!"

In the next instant, the wind swept Unohana's long hair backward. A spray of blood rose from her Gray Cherry Haori, and droplets streaked past her excited eyes.

Lu Li passed by Unohana. Behind him was a string of footprints embedded in the tatami. He slowly turned around, the ends of his hair slightly disheveled from his charge, his eyes filled with soaring fighting spirit.

"Teacher, after you've cut me so many times, are you satisfied with this slash of mine?"

Lu Li was somewhat surprised that he had managed to wound Unohana. He had thought that even with her Reiatsu suppressed, her physical strength would remain. But now it seemed that this Reiatsu Limiter was extraordinary. It had truly reduced Unohana to 16th-Class Reiatsu, removing the protection that high Reiatsu provided to her body's surface.

Kirio Hikifune had most likely not developed this thing for Spirit Arts Academy students to spar with. It was probably some kind of tactical device for trapping and killing enemies.

Unohana stood with her back to Lu Li, a crazed smile on her once-gentle face. As she turned, her pale hand brushed over her shoulder, and the wound healed in an instant.

"This is how it should be."

Unohana was exhilarated. The sensation of pain, which she had not tasted in a long time, further stirred her savagery.

At this point, she had cast the Captain-Commander's words to the back of her mind. Two ferocious beasts had met on a narrow path in the wilderness; there was no way either side would leave unscathed.

When both their killing intent and fighting spirit reached their peak, the two figures in the Japanese-style room vanished almost simultaneously.

Clang—

The Asauchi and Minazuki collided, igniting a blinding flash in the dim room. By that light, their eyes met, killing intent overflowing.

It was as though a storm had arisen within the room. In an instant, they had exchanged dozens of slashes.

The tatami caved in and shattered, exposing the pine floorboards beneath. Blood blossoms and shredded scraps of clothing danced together through the air.

After one exchange, both retreated from the force of the collision. Once they steadied themselves, their forms became clear: Unohana's haori was still relatively intact, while Lu Li's martial robe was in ruins.

Lu Li grabbed a corner of his robe, tore off the tattered cloth covering his upper body, and casually tossed it onto the floor, revealing his lean, muscular torso.

His upper body was now covered in numerous small wounds. They had not been left by direct slashes, but by invisible blades.

Unohana's sword strikes were extraordinarily powerful. Even when her blade did not touch his flesh, the invisible sword energy seemed like an extension of the blade itself, shredding his clothes and cutting open his skin.

"Oh? You've actually trained Healing Kidō to this level already?"

Unohana looked at the wounds on Lu Li's body as they gradually closed, somewhat surprised. Lu Li was not raising the light of Healing Kidō with his hands to treat them one by one, and from the outside, there was no obvious Healing Kidō glow around the wounds that were healing.

Though Lu Li's injuries were only superficial, continued blood loss would be detrimental in battle, so he needed to use Healing Kidō to treat them slightly.

"Teacher Unohana never said I had to use my hands to perform Healing Kidō, did she? Once you understand the principle, isn't directly repairing the body itself a method more suited for combat?"

Lu Li explained. This was a new application of Healing Kidō that he had developed through careful thought.

The principle of Healing Kidō was simply controlling Spirit Particles to repair the body. Hands were used because they were the most commonly used and flexible parts of the human body, allowing for finer control. But as long as one's control was sufficient and one could divide one's attention, he could directly control the "threads" of Spirit Particles to mend wounds.

Of course, this was only a new technique he had just begun exploring, and he was not proficient enough with it yet. At present, he could only heal superficial wounds. Serious injuries still required hands-on treatment.

"Hahaha..."

Unohana let out a pleasant yet bewitching laugh. "Student Lu, you truly are a genius. But Healing Kidō of this level cannot save you."

Lu Li neither agreed nor disagreed. He knew that Unohana before him had already gotten carried away. She would most likely not hold back during this examination. Once he proved no match for her, Unohana in this state would absolutely kill him.

He did not know what it would take to pass this examination, but he could not lose. The consequence of defeat was death!

The scent of death bore down on him. Lu Li could not stop trembling, but it was not from fear. It was from excitement.

Even with her Reiatsu restrained, Unohana was still the strongest opponent he had encountered in his life.

This was different from the Captain-Commander teaching him. What lay before him was a true fight to the death—the kind of battle he had longed for.

The person standing before him now was the kind of opponent he had prayed to the heavens for all his life, yet had never encountered.

How could he not be excited?

An examination? A mission?

None of that mattered. Right now, he only wanted to enjoy this fight to the death.

Boom—

In the next instant, as Lu Li moved, the tatami behind him was completely overturned. His lightning-fast charge came with a strike of divine speed.

Faster, heavier, deadlier.

He slashed downward from above, but after Unohana blocked the blow, her blade swept it aside, knocking Lu Li's strike away.

Immediately afterward, Unohana stepped forward and entered Lu Li's inner range, thrusting a palm toward his chest.

Just as she believed she was about to succeed, she saw a strange sight. Lu Li drew one hand back beneath his chest, while his other elbow came crashing down, actually trapping Unohana's wrist and preventing her palm strike from landing with full force.

Both hands!?

Unohana was startled. Then, from the corner of her eye, she saw the Asauchi falling beside Lu Li.

He had actually abandoned his sword at a time like this!?

But she had to admit that Lu Li's judgment had been correct. If that palm strike had landed, it would have severely injured Lu Li's heart. She could then press forward and bring down one slash, ending the battle.

Lu Li was forced backward by the momentum of Unohana's palm. As he retreated, he stomped fiercely on the edge of the tatami. That section of tatami flipped upward and struck the hilt of the Asauchi spinning through the air. The Asauchi changed direction and fell perfectly into his hand.

After this exchange, Unohana did not pursue. Her eyes merely shone as if she had discovered some priceless treasure.

As she watched the man charge toward her again, realization dawned on her.

Ah, he was free.

That wildly imaginative combat style was like a master painter freely wielding brush and ink, every stroke a perfect finishing touch.

Boom—

After another exchange, Unohana's body retreated lightly, while Lu Li was hurled into the wall by the recoil.

Unohana looked at Lu Li as though admiring a piece of fine jade. She sighed, she was exhilarated, yet she also felt a trace of regret—that such a delicious fruit would have to be eaten by her so early.

Even a device developed by Kirio Hikifune could not completely suppress her Reiatsu. Lu Li's previous move should instinctively have shattered her wrist, but her spiritual body had originally possessed an extremely high density. Even if its surface was suppressed, the toughness of her bones and muscles would not disappear. Thus, Lu Li's strike had not taken effect.

This Reiatsu Limiter could at most allow Lu Li to cut open her skin. Even cutting deeply into her muscles would be difficult.

Her blood had begun to heat up as well. Immersed in the thrill of fighting, she could no longer turn back. Only if Lu Li truly defeated her in this battle would she regain her senses.

But that was impossible. She could see through all of Lu Li's moves, possessed over a thousand years of combat experience, and in terms of Reiatsu, she was still slightly stronger than Lu Li.

Kirio Hikifune's device was not that precise. By rank, she had merely been suppressed to the peak of 16th-Class Reiwei, while Lu Li's 16th-Class Reiwei was only above average.

She possessed nearly every advantage in this battle. Lu Li seemingly had no chance of victory at all.

She looked at the young man stepping out of the dent in the wall, gazing at his body covered in sword wounds, and sighed at the seemingly inevitable outcome.

There will be two more updates at noon.