Chapter Summaries

In Muken, Lu Li and Unohana began a no-holds-barred training duel while Head Captain Yamamoto assessed Kenpachi Zaraki and urged him to study their fighting. After matching each other with martial arts, Unohana announced that the appetizer was over and reached for Minazuki.

• Head Captain Yamamoto supervised Lu Li, Unohana, and Kenpachi Zaraki in Muken under strict orders to keep the prison’s secrets.
• Yamamoto recognized Kenpachi’s immense potential but criticized his lack of swordsmanship and told him to study the duel’s footwork and timing.
• Unohana revealed that she had once called herself Yachiru and mastered every school of combat, then challenged Lu Li without drawing her sword.
• Lu Li and Unohana exchanged thousands of rapid hand-to-hand attacks without either being injured, astonishing Kenpachi.
• Unohana praised Lu Li’s Hakuda and reached for Minazuki, declaring their opening exchange finished.

Lu Li and Unohana unleashed their Bankai in Muken and fought at full strength, with Unohana revealing that All Things End let her manipulate blood. The Captain-Commander stopped their decisive clash, knocking Prison Demon from Lu Li’s hand and leaving the duel unresolved.

• Lu Li and Unohana released Demon Advent and All Things End, transforming the battlefield into a clash between violet-black mist and a sea of blood.
• Unohana overwhelmed Lu Li with blood-blade sword strikes, injuring him and forcing him to heal with Kidō.
• Lu Li charged through Unohana’s blood blades with his sword intent, but she redirected the blood into a sudden attack that he barely evaded.
• Unohana revealed that All Things End controlled blood, then used blood spikes and Lu Li’s spilled blood to attack him.
• Lu Li countered with Reverse Universe and Silent Soaking, and both fighters launched their strongest attacks without defending.
• The Captain-Commander intervened with Ryūjin Jakka, evaporated Unohana’s blood blade, and knocked Prison Demon from Lu Li’s hand.

Lu Li and Unohana ended their dangerous Bankai spar when Head Captain Yamamoto intervened, then Lu Li continued training and hunting for the remaining violator. More than two months later, Aizen completed a second Hōgyoku infused with the Soul King's lung, and Blood Rain arrived at the Hueco Mundo laboratory.

• Head Captain Yamamoto stopped Lu Li and Unohana's duel and forbade Lu Li from using Bankai in sparring matches, while Unohana recognized that their clash could have killed them both.
• Head Captain Yamamoto offered to train Kenpachi Zaraki, but Central 46 soon banned the lessons, so Lu Li secretly continued teaching Kenpachi swordsmanship through their sparring.
• Lu Li worried that the remaining violator had not been killed and that the mission could cost him two points from every attribute if it remained unresolved.
• Aizen completed a second Mythical-grade Hōgyoku using the Soul King's lung and explained to Lu Li that the Hōgyoku could absorb nearby hearts and manifest them over time.
• Szayelaporro brought Blood Rain to the Hueco Mundo laboratory, and Aizen let her enter after learning she was a Quincy Lu Li was interested in.

Blood Rain warned Lu Li that the violator Kukisha had issued an arrest warrant against him and explained Kukisha’s ability to extract and materialize existing concepts. She proposed that Lu Li follow Soul Society’s response so Kukisha would be tempted to isolate and target him, giving them a chance to lure the violator out.

• Ulquiorra threatened Blood Rain until Lu Li sent him away, then Lu Li and Aizen gave her a private room to speak with Lu Li.
• Blood Rain said she wanted to cooperate against Kukisha, whom Soul Singer had allowed to grow into a serious threat.
• Blood Rain revealed that Kukisha could extract and materialize concepts already present in the world, potentially including the Hōgyoku and other powerful things.
• Blood Rain told Lu Li that an arrest warrant had been issued for him and suggested that Kukisha was using Soul Society to target him.
• Lu Li prepared to contact Sōsuke, but Blood Rain urged him to follow Soul Society’s lead because Kukisha would try to isolate and kill him.
• Blood Rain proposed using the arrest warrant to lure Kukisha out and turn the situation against him.

Lu Li and Aizen returned to Soul Society after Central 46 issued an arrest warrant, convinced that the vague accusations did not prove they had committed a crime. Lu Li let Yoruichi escort him from the Eleventh Division barracks, where his soldiers nearly resisted, and hinted that he had already chosen someone to defend him.

• Aizen reasoned that Lu Li and he had committed no proven crime and advised returning to Soul Society before the Stealth Force arrived.
• Yoruichi learned that the Shihōin elders had backed the arrest warrant without consulting her, while Kisuke Urahara admitted researching dangerous subjects with Aizen.
• Yoruichi led the Stealth Force to the Eleventh Division barracks, where Kenpachi Zaraki threatened to fight until Lu Li calmed him and ordered the soldiers to obey.
• Lu Li went with Yoruichi for questioning, and she warned him that the Tsunayashiro Clan's new patriarch had deeper plans behind the arrest.
• Kisuke Urahara offered to defend Lu Li, but Lu Li said he already had someone in mind.

Lu Li faced a public interrogation by Central 46 over suspected Hollowification, collusion with Hueco Mundo, and rebellion, while Aizen defended him and the Captains voiced their support. The trial began with a lie detector, and Lu Li’s denial that he had mastered Hollowification registered as true, confounding the Sages.

• Mandala suspected Tokinada Tsunayashiro had targeted Lu Li because of a deal with the remaining violator, Kukisha.
• Lu Li entered Central 46’s trial hall, where Aizen invoked the law to defend his right to speak.
• Head Captain Yamamoto and several Captains supported Lu Li, angering Central 46’s Sages.
• Kirio Hikifune introduced a Spirit Particle Lie Detector, and Lu Li’s remark about equipping the Stealth Force registered as true.
• When a Sage asked whether Lu Li had mastered Hollowification, Lu Li said no, and the device turned green, puzzling the Sages.

Lu Li passed three questions in Chamber 46’s interrogation, but a Tsunayashiro Clan sage rephrased his questions to expose his connection to Hueco Mundo. Lu Li admitted he could draw upon Hueco Mundo’s power, leaving the hearing in uproar.

• Kirio Hikifune confirmed that Lu Li had no Hollow Spirit Particles, and his answers about Hollow power, collusion with Hueco Mundo’s Master, and treason all made the lie detector turn green.
• A Tsunayashiro Clan sage objected to the questioning and asked whether Lu Li had any connection to Hueco Mundo; Lu Li answered yes because he had spent seventy years in exile there.
• Lu Li explained that having contact with Hueco Mundo did not mean he had colluded with Hollows, and Aizen confirmed that knowing Hollows was not a crime.
• The Tsunayashiro sage asked whether Lu Li could draw upon Hueco Mundo’s power, and Lu Li admitted that he could, shocking the sages and Captains.

Lu Li revealed during his Central 46 trial that he had conquered and unified Hueco Mundo, while Aizen argued that his actions were not a crime and had helped Soul Society. The lie detector supported Lu Li’s claims, leaving the jury sympathetic and the sages unable to establish his guilt.

• Aizen challenged Central 46 to identify a law Lu Li had broken by befriending Vasto Lorde-class Menos Grande, while Lu Li confirmed that he knew every Vasto Lorde in Hueco Mundo.
• Head Captain Yamamoto questioned Lu Li about his connections to the Vasto Lordes, and Lu Li explained that they had helped him survive after he was stranded in Hueco Mundo.
• Lu Li declared that he was Hueco Mundo’s Master and said he had conquered its royal palace after the Gotei 13 failed to rescue him.
• Aizen argued that Lu Li had never intended to harm Soul Society, and Lu Li said he had summoned the Vasto Lordes to help repel enemies during the Seireitei battle.
• Lu Li said he had eliminated violent Hollows and appointed five rational Vasto Lordes to govern Hueco Mundo, helping stabilize the Three Realms and reduce the Gotei 13’s mission burden.

Lu Li turned his public trial into a chance to propose cooperation between Hueco Mundo and the Seireitei, winning the Captains’ support and leaving Chamber 46 ready to clear him. While Soul Society focused on the hearing, Kukisha completed his ritual in the Living World and unleashed a death plague that caused Hollows across Hueco Mundo to explode.

• Lu Li admitted fault for keeping his actions secret and proposed diplomatic relations between Hueco Mundo and the Seireitei, prompting the Captains and Chamber 46 to favor ending the trial with his acquittal.
• Tokinada Tsunayashiro watched the trial collapse into a commendation ceremony and considered abandoning Kukisha, while Blood Rain realized the plan had gone awry and hurried to the Living World.
• Kukisha revealed himself at a mountain shrine, explained that he had used Tokinada Tsunayashiro to distract Soul Society, and completed the ritual he had prepared in Hueco Mundo and the Living World.
• Kukisha opened a Black Portal and used his black compass to activate the death plague, causing Adjuchas and Gillian across Hueco Mundo to explode.
• Halibel and her companions tried to contain the outbreak and saved several Adjuchas, but the plague continued spreading through Hueco Mundo.

Kukisha destroyed nearly half the Menos Grande in Hueco Mundo and opened the Hell Gate at Kabukichō, drawing the Gotei 13 into a battle against powerful spirits returning from Hell. Lu Li and Kenpachi Zaraki charged into the fight as Kukisha waited at the shrine, ready to face Lu Li.

• Kukisha used Death Plague to destroy nearly half the Menos Grande in Hueco Mundo, throwing the Three Realms out of balance and opening the Hell Gate.
• The 12th Division detected the Hell Gate at Kabukichō, and Head Captain Yamamoto ordered the Gotei 13 to rush to the Living World with their Reiatsu restrictions lifted.
• Kukisha completed his ritual to set the Hell Gate's location as evil spirits emerged, including Hollows that had grown stronger in Hell and could not be sensed through Reiatsu.
• Head Captain Yamamoto assigned Captains to contain the gate and fight the spirits, then ordered Lu Li to purge them and execute their ringleader.
• Lu Li and Kenpachi Zaraki led the Eleventh Division into battle, while Kukisha watched Lu Li approach the shrine without showing concern.

Kukisha escaped Lu Li by teleporting, but the Hell Gate was briefly contained when the Original Gotei 13 Captains emerged from Hell. As rival Hollow forces broke through and Baraggan confronted Lu Li, Ulquiorra arrived to help, leaving Lu Li free to pursue Kukisha.

• Kukisha activated a Teleportation Scroll and vanished before Lu Li could catch him.
• The Original Gotei 13 Captains emerged from Hell, recognized Head Captain Yamamoto, and fought to stem the flow of evil spirits.
• Other powerful Hell factions broke through the blockade, and Baraggan appeared with reinforcements to attack the Shinigami.
• Lu Li ignored Baraggan and charged toward Kukisha, while Ulquiorra intercepted Baraggan and activated Resurrección.

Ulquiorra unveiled a third Resurrección and overwhelmed Baraggan’s Hell spirits, giving the Shinigami a powerful defender at the Hell Gate. Lu Li found Kukisha waiting on a barren mountain and discovered that the violator could create unlimited copies of defensive items.

• Baraggan realized Ulquiorra had devoured his corpse, but Ulquiorra released Resurrección: Segunda Etapa and revealed Vasto Lorde-class Reiatsu.
• Ulquiorra unveiled Resurrección: Tercera Etapa, Lucifer, erased the attacking Hell spirits, and confronted Baraggan with a Dark Prison Lance.
• Lu Li sensed Ulquiorra’s power, traveled to Kukisha’s location, and found him waiting on a barren mountain.
• Kukisha tried to steal Lu Li’s Bankai with a Medallion, but Lu Li’s precautions and Prison Demon prevented him from succeeding.
• Kukisha used one-use items to evade and block Lu Li’s attacks, then revealed that he could produce unlimited Space-Piercing Orbs by extracting their concept.

Lu Li refused Kukisha’s offer to trade for the Fairy Spirit Seed, and the two began fighting inside Kukisha’s prepared battlefield. Kukisha gained an advantage with his extracted abilities and special items, but Lu Li’s speed let him evade some attacks as the fight continued.

• Kukisha shot Lu Li with All Things Piercing and offered to spare him in exchange for the Fairy Spirit Seed and future cooperation.
• Lu Li rejected Kukisha’s offer, suspecting his ability to create items had limits and refusing to work with a violator.
• Kukisha activated a formation that suppressed Lu Li’s attributes, though Blood Rain had sabotaged it and reduced its effectiveness.
• Kukisha attacked Lu Li with a sword and pistol, while Lu Li recognized that Kukisha’s weapons carried powers derived from World Harmony and the Scapegoat Shield.
• Lu Li used Shunkō and Lightning Release Chakra Mode to evade Kukisha’s shots, but Kukisha struck him repeatedly with World Harmony and claimed his defenses made him invincible.

Lu Li defeated Kukisha inside the barrier by overcoming his copied Zanpakuto abilities and exploiting Prison Demon's Blade Intent to prevent recovery. He killed Kukisha, shattered the barrier, and completed the Pioneer Mission before the return planned for the next day.

• Kukisha used an imitation Yanluo Mirror Codex to unleash Ryūjin Jakka's flames and Kyōka Suigetsu's Complete Hypnosis, but Lu Li resisted both and severed Kukisha's left arm.
• Lu Li healed through Scapegoat Shield's reflected damage and struck Kukisha with Blade Intent, whose effects bypassed the Absolute Defense Cube and crippled his recovery.
• Kukisha fled using Space-Piercing Orbs as Lu Li pursued him and filled the barrier with Blade Intent.
• Kukisha tried to bribe Lu Li, but Lu Li unleashed Reverse Universe across the barrier and killed him with a Silent Soaking slash.
• The barrier shattered, and the End Space confirmed that Lu Li had completed the Pioneer Mission.

After the Hell Gate closed, Lu Li returned to the Seireitei, accepted Byakuya Kuchiki and Isshin Shiba as disciples, and settled Hueco Mundo’s leadership with his allies. As he rested in the Eleventh Division, Kenpachi Zaraki called him to spar, just as a notification sounded.

• Lu Li and the others watched chains drag powerful escaping evil spirits back into Hell before the gate closed under an unseen power.
• The Captain-Commander ordered the Gotei 13 to check the area, while Ulquiorra thanked Lu Li and returned to Hueco Mundo.
• Lu Li accepted Byakuya Kuchiki and Isshin Shiba as disciples and taught them combat techniques, including Shadow Clone.
• Lu Li declined the Ise Clan’s proposal that he marry into the clan, while Nanao Ise said she hoped to join the Eighth Division.
• Lu Li visited Hueco Mundo, shared food with his friends, and arranged for Halibel and Ulquiorra to keep managing it together.
• Kenpachi Zaraki called Lu Li to spar, and a notification sounded as Lu Li rose from the barracks roof.

Tenjirō Kirinji invited Lu Li to join Zero Division, but Lu Li refused and agreed only to visit the Spirit King Palace. As Lu Li and Tenjirō began the journey, Lu Li learned that reaching the palace would take about twenty-three hours.

• Gosuke summoned Lu Li and Kenpachi to a meeting where Tenjirō Kirinji announced Lu Li's promotion to Zero Division for his achievements and invention of Shadow Clone.
• Lu Li refused the promotion, saying he preferred serving in the Eleventh Division, and agreed to visit the Spirit King Palace after the Captain-Commander encouraged him to see it first.
• Lu Li told Sōsuke he was leaving, and Sōsuke promised to look after Hueco Mundo while Lu Li was away.
• The next morning, Lu Li met Tenjirō at the Seireitei's north gate, and they departed aboard the Tenchūren.
• Lu Li was shocked when Tenjirō told him their journey to the Spirit King Palace would take about twenty-three hours.

After returning from Bleach, Lu Li settled his rewards, chose valuable prizes, and prepared to authenticate several items from the mission. He awakened his second talent, Martial Furnace, and learned it could strengthen and combine martial arts skills.

• End Space forcibly returned Lu Li from the Tenchūren before he could reach the Spirit King Palace, leaving Tenjirō Kirinji startled by his disappearance.
• Lu Li completed settlement for Bleach, earned an S+ evaluation, advanced to Tier 4 Pioneer, and selected six rewards, including the Lord of Emptiness title and a Grandmaster-Level specialization scroll.
• Lu Li counted his assets and prepared to authenticate Kisuke Urahara's Transfer Device, a Kido textbook, the Sword Dao Explanation, and Nel's Saliva.
• Lu Li requested the awakening of his second talent and received Martial Furnace, whose Rotten Miracle skill increased martial arts damage and whose Furnace Deduction skill fused compatible moves.

Lu Li studied the Martial Furnace’s derivation rules and discovered that its powerful techniques demanded more Soul Source and lifespan than he could currently afford. He awakened the Fairy Spirit Seed, gaining a Soul Source capacity and recovery boost, and began considering how it might support his other abilities.

• Lu Li examined the Martial Furnace interface, learning that it could derive new techniques but required meditation and consumed Soul Source, lifespan, or both.
• Lu Li reviewed the martial arts rankings and learned that Soul Intent could not be derived because it came from personal experience.
• Lu Li attempted an S-minus-weight derivation using Reverse Universe and other blade techniques, but its Soul Source cost and long completion time forced him to stop.
• Lu Li asked End Space to awaken the Fairy Spirit Seed and experienced its spiritual energy washing over him.
• Lu Li inspected the Fairy Spirit Seed and learned that it increased his maximum Soul Source by 10% and could greatly accelerate Soul Source recovery in spiritually rich environments.

Lu Li studied how Soul Singer’s Fairy Spirit Seed boosted his Quincy abilities and considered developing his Dragon Transformation Art with it. After strengthening his Thunder God Bloodline and learning how the 100-point attribute barrier separated Tier 4 from Fifth Order, he was left to keep building his base attributes before he could advance.

• Lu Li compared Soul Singer’s Fairy Spirit Seed and Quincy abilities with his Dragon Transformation Art, and concluded the seed could support future Martial Furnace deductions.
• Lu Li checked his attributes and strengthened his Thunder God Bloodline by two levels, gaining six points in his main combat attributes.
• Lu Li went to the Reinforcement Hall and allocated his 18 Free Attribute Points toward balancing his attributes.
• Lu Li asked End Space about the Tier 4 attribute barrier and learned that reaching 101 total attributes transformed attributes into true attributes and allowed further advancement.
• Lu Li realized that stacked limit-bursting skills became less effective near the barrier, leaving his peak Constitution at 99 instead of the theoretical 101.

Lu Li allocated his attribute points, then opened three valuable chests and drew several powerful items. His final draw from Soul Singer’s chest yielded a training ground card, leaving him excited to learn what it could do.

• Lu Li raised Constitution by 3, Strength by 6, agility by 7, and Spirit by 2, bringing all his attributes to 91.
• Lu Li opened the Dark Gold Grade chest and obtained the Evil God Mask, which he decided to keep for its combat and concealment benefits.
• Lu Li drew the World Unifying Sword, Scapegoat Shield, and Budget Hōgyoku from Kukisha’s Doomed Chest.
• Lu Li searched Soul Singer’s chest and obtained an Inheritance Crystal and a Master-level Swordsmanship Specialization Scroll.
• Lu Li made his final draw from Soul Singer’s chest and heard a notification mentioning a training ground, which excited him.