Chapter Summaries

The students at the Shinigami Academy hoped to awaken powerful Zanpakuto, and Asai Reiko asked Lin Feng what ability his Battle Soul Blade might gain. Lin Feng considered her hopes unrealistic and prepared to steer her away from them.

• The chapter explained that Shinigami needed to carry an Asauchi and practice Sword Meditation to awaken a Zanpakuto.
• Nagano Yakumo trained diligently and hoped to awaken his Zanpakuto before Lin Feng so he could challenge him.
• Sanada Torataro and Kitayama Mai also dreamed of growing stronger through their Zanpakuto, while Sanada Torataro prayed for a chance to change his fate.
• Asai Reiko asked Lin Feng what ability his Battle Soul Blade might awaken.
• Lin Feng reflected that Zanpakuto were limited without Bankai and decided to persuade Asai Reiko away from her unrealistic expectations.

Lin Feng told Asai Reiko that a Soul Reaper’s strength mattered more than their Zanpakuto, and she decided to focus on her spiritual pressure instead of worrying about awakening Shikai. As the class prepared to visit Hazama and choose Asauchi, Sanada Torataro privately imagined awakening a powerful blade and proving Lin Feng wrong.

• Lin Feng told Asai Reiko that personal strength mattered more than a Zanpakuto’s abilities.
• Asai Reiko recalled Kenpachi Zaraki’s strength and resolved not to agonize over her Zanpakuto.
• Lin Feng said spiritual pressure was what truly mattered and used Sanada Torataro as an example of someone he could overpower.
• Sanada Torataro silently imagined awakening a powerful divine blade and getting his revenge on Lin Feng.
• The homeroom teacher introduced Asauchi and Zanpakuto, then told the students to prepare to visit Hazama.

The Shinigami students entered Hazama to choose their Asauchi, which would be theirs only after graduation. Lin Feng offered Asai Reiko advice, ending with a joke that she should simply pick the hilt color she liked best.

• The homeroom teacher explained that the students had four hours to choose an Asauchi in Hazama, and that they would be teleported out once they pulled one free.
• Asai Reiko felt nervous about choosing, despite Lin Feng’s earlier advice not to obsess over her Zanpakuto.
• Lin Feng casually grabbed a red-hilted Asauchi, making Asai Reiko think he had quickly found the one meant for him.
• Lin Feng told Asai Reiko to choose whichever exposed hilt color she liked best.

Lin Feng chose an Asauchi almost immediately, insisting that his racing heart proved it was the right one. After leaving Hazama, he defended his choice while his homeroom teacher suspected he had simply been slacking off.

• Asai Reiko tried to persuade Lin Feng to choose carefully, but he drew an Asauchi and left Hazama before she could speak.
• Lin Feng reasoned that all Asauchi had limitless potential and that a Soul Reaper's own spiritual power shaped the Zanpakuto abilities they awakened.
• Lin Feng tucked his chosen Asauchi into his belt, startling the homeroom teacher by finishing far earlier than the allotted two hours.
• Lin Feng told the homeroom teacher that his heart had raced when he saw the Asauchi and claimed he could not be wrong.
• The homeroom teacher doubted Lin Feng had listened to his inner voice and believed he had been slacking off again.

Lin Feng entered his Asauchi’s Sword Soul Space and found a Lightning Kirin waiting for him. He chose to subdue it by force and began binding it with Kido.

• Lin Feng began Sword Meditation and guided his spiritual power into the Asauchi.
• Lin Feng entered a blood-red space beneath nine blood moons and recognized the Lightning Kirin as his sword soul.
• The Lightning Kirin attacked Lin Feng with thunder, and Lin Feng chose to subdue it by force.
• Lin Feng used Binding Art Number 30: Mouth Thrust Three Flashes to restrain the kirin, then began casting Binding Art Number 4: This Rope.

Lin Feng subdued the newly awakened Sword Soul Kirin with his spiritual pressure and the Heavenly Dao Tower after it refused to reveal its Zanpakuto’s true names. Inside the Sword Soul Space, Lin Feng suspected that the Sword Souls and Asauchi forging were connected to the imprisoned Spirit King.

• Lin Feng repeatedly used Hainawa to bind the Sword Soul Kirin until it was wrapped in Reishi cords.
• Lin Feng released his 8,000 points of spiritual pressure and forced the Kirin to the ground.
• Lin Feng demanded the true names of the Kirin’s Shikai and Bankai, but the Kirin refused.
• Lin Feng used the Heavenly Dao Tower to suppress the Sword Soul Kirin.
• Lin Feng examined the Sword Soul Space and suspected that Sword Souls and Asauchi were connected to the imprisoned Spirit King.

Lin Feng questioned the Sword Soul Kirin inside the Heavenly Dao Tower after using its Heart Demon ability to subdue it. The kirin remained wary as Lin Feng asked for its name.

• Lin Feng entered the Heavenly Dao Tower to speak with the Sword Soul Kirin.
• The kirin demanded to know where it was and asked Lin Feng to release it.
• Lin Feng explained that the tower’s Heart Demon ability had made the kirin experience its deepest fear.
• The kirin asked whether other sword souls were imprisoned in the tower, and Lin Feng said it was the first and likely last.
• Lin Feng asked the Sword Soul Kirin to tell him its name.

Lin Feng learned that his Zanpakuto spirit was named Chidori and discovered its Shikai command, then went to the academy training grounds to test it. The training-ground attendant registered his blade and was surprised to see that Lin Feng was only a first-year student.

• The qilin revealed that its name was Chidori and gave Lin Feng the Shikai command, "Sever the lightning, Chidori."
• Lin Feng left the Sword Soul Space and decided to test his Zanpakuto at the Shinigami Academy training grounds.
• The elderly attendant asked Lin Feng to use a testing device while communicating with his blade spirit, and the device confirmed he had obtained his Zanpakuto's true name.
• Lin Feng handed over his student ID, and the attendant widened his eyes when he saw Lin Feng was a first-year.

Lin Feng received a training room and released Chidori for the first time, revealing its lightning-wreathed sword form. He then entered the Sword Soul Space, where Kirin was resting.

• Old Man was astonished that Lin Feng had awakened his Zanpakuto and learned its name so soon, then gave him a training-room token.
• Lin Feng went to the assigned room and released Chidori, transforming his Asauchi into a lightning-wreathed sword.
• Lin Feng admired Chidori’s power and compared its lightning with Sasakibe Chojiro’s Gonryōmaru.
• Lin Feng practiced using Chidori, performed Sword Meditation, and entered the Sword Soul Space.
• Kirin saw Lin Feng return and snorted in surprise.

Lin Feng returned to Sword Soul Space and forced the Great Kirin to reveal its Bankai name, then tested Chidori’s Shikai. Meanwhile, the students returned from Hazama with Asauchi, and Asai Reiko wondered where Lin Feng had gone.

• Lin Feng praised the Great Kirin’s lightning-type Shikai and asked it to tell him its Bankai name.
• The Great Kirin hesitated because revealing its Bankai would mean accepting Lin Feng as its master.
• Lin Feng bound the Great Kirin with spells, suppressed it with the Heavenly Dao Tower, and left Sword Soul Space.
• Lin Feng released Chidori’s Shikai and found that its power remained even while the Great Kirin was suppressed.
• The students returned to class after choosing Asauchi in Hazama, but many could no longer hear the voices they thought they had heard.
• Asai Reiko returned to her seat, noticed Lin Feng was missing, and wondered where he had gone.

After returning to class, Lin Feng revealed that he had awakened his Zanpakuto’s spirit and practiced Shikai, but his classmates dismissed his claim as a lie. The chapter ended with the students laughing at him while Nagano Yakumo coldly scoffed.

• The homeroom teacher noticed Lin Feng was missing, and Sanada Torataro and Kitayama Mai mocked him for supposedly choosing an Asauchi at random.
• Nagano Yakumo felt relieved, believing Lin Feng had ruined his chances of awakening a Zanpakuto spirit.
• Lin Feng returned, and the homeroom teacher tried to comfort him about his choice of sword.
• Lin Feng told the teacher that he had awakened his Zanpakuto’s spirit during Sword Meditation and gone to the Underground Dojo to practice Shikai.
• Sanada Torataro laughed at Lin Feng’s claim, while the noble students and Nagano Yakumo dismissed it as a lie.

Lin Feng dismissed his Shikai as nothing special and insisted that he had been keeping a low profile. The Underground Dojo’s senior presented him with a certificate honoring his achievement, leaving Lin Feng worried that the recognition would draw attention to him.

• The homeroom teacher warned Lin Feng not to make careless boasts, but Lin Feng said Shikai was not worth being proud of.
• Asai Reiko sprayed out her water, while Nagano Yakumo declared Lin Feng unworthy of being his rival and drew praise from the class.
• Senior Guan Kou arrived and praised the homeroom teacher for having a genius in his class before presenting Lin Feng with a Shikai certificate.
• Lin Feng accepted the certificate reluctantly and asked whether Guan Kou could have waited until he achieved Bankai so he could keep a low profile.

After Lin Feng quickly achieved Shikai with a lightning-type Zanpakuto, Old Man urged him to train for Bankai and ordered the students to keep the revelation secret. The homeroom teacher then asked Lin Feng to explain his knack for choosing an Asauchi, and Lin Feng began to answer.

• Old Man used his spiritual pressure to make the students promise not to spread news about Lin Feng's Zanpakuto, then told Lin Feng to train for Bankai.
• Nagano Yakumo doubted Lin Feng's achievement but tried to reassure himself that the Zanpakuto must have a weak ability.
• Asai Reiko asked Lin Feng about his Zanpakuto's type, and Lin Feng said it was a mediocre lightning type.
• The homeroom teacher sealed the classroom and asked Lin Feng to share his secret for choosing an Asauchi.
• Lin Feng said choosing an Asauchi was simple.

Lin Feng teased his classmates about choosing a Zanpakuto by its hilt color. At the Gotei 13 captains' meeting, Yamamoto ordered the 8th Division to continue investigating the mysterious spiritual pressure in Rukongai with technical support from the 12th Division.

• Lin Feng told his classmates they could choose a Zanpakuto based on its hilt color, then smugly reminded them they had missed their chance.
• Yamamoto asked Kyoraku Shunsui whether the 8th Division had found leads on the unusual spiritual pressure detected in Rukongai.
• Kyoraku Shunsui reported that the 8th Division had searched extensively but found no trace of the mysterious expert.
• Kenpachi Zaraki dismissed the report as a possible mistake, and Kurotsuchi Mayuri challenged his criticism.
• Yamamoto stopped Kenpachi Zaraki and Kurotsuchi Mayuri from fighting, assigning the investigation to the 8th Division and technical support to the 12th Division.

At the captains’ meeting, Yamamoto revealed that new student Lin Feng had released a lightning-type Zanpakuto on the first day he received an Asauchi. He warned the captains to watch developments in Soul Society because Lin Feng and a Mysterious Expert had appeared around the same time.

• Yamamoto told the captains that Lin Feng had achieved Shikai on his first day with an Asauchi.
• Ukitake recognized Lin Feng and recalled that he had reported the student’s Captain-Level spiritual pressure to Yamamoto.
• Unohana and Aizen remarked that talented Shinigami had come from Rukongai, while Gin responded that he did not consider himself a genius.
• Yamamoto told the captains to monitor Soul Society for unexpected developments involving Lin Feng and the Mysterious Expert.
• Shunsui teased Yamamoto about being sensitive, and Yamamoto adjourned the meeting, expecting Shunsui to investigate Lin Feng’s connection to the Mysterious Expert.

Kyoraku Shunsui questioned whether Lin Feng was the Mysterious Expert, while Aizen Sōsuke defended the Captain Commander's judgment and left Kyoraku uneasy. Lin Feng continued training at the Shinigami Academy and eventually forced Sword Soul Kirin to reveal its Bankai name and submit.

• Kyoraku Shunsui asked Aizen Sōsuke whether Lin Feng might be the Mysterious Expert, and Aizen said he probably was not.
• Kyoraku Shunsui recalled Hirako Shinji's warning about Aizen and remained suspicious of the people who had pursued madness.
• Lin Feng spent the next few months training Kidō while the Seireitei let him continue at the Shinigami Academy.
• Lin Feng casually outmatched his classmates, and their homeroom teacher allowed it to motivate them.
• Sword Soul Kirin finally revealed its Bankai's true name, Heavenly Cloth Drifting Clouds, and submitted to Lin Feng.

Lin Feng tested his Bankai in Kamui Space, keeping its power hidden from the Shinigami Academy. After the students began their winter vacation, Asai Reiko invited him to spend the New Year at her home.

• Lin Feng returned to Kamui Space and tested his Bankai, summoning golden lightning and a Lightning Kirin that amazed He Xi.
• Lin Feng decided he had been right not to use Bankai at the academy, where it could have wrecked the dojo and drawn Aizen's attention.
• Shinigami Academy ended the first half of the school year and sent its students home for a half-month vacation.
• Lin Feng and Asai Reiko left the academy together, and she told him her home was on the outskirts of South Sixty-Third District in Rukongai.
• Lin Feng explained that he had nowhere to go for the holidays, so Asai Reiko invited him to her home for the New Year.

Asai Reiko invited Lin Feng to spend the year-end holidays with her, revealing that she had spent previous holidays alone since her father’s death. Lin Feng accepted and accompanied her to the Asai Family residence, where he saw that the former family head’s daughter had to enter through a side gate.

• Asai Reiko invited Lin Feng to join her for the year-end holidays, explaining that she lived alone in a side courtyard.
• Lin Feng accepted her invitation but asked whether visiting her home would cause trouble for her family.
• Asai Reiko told Lin Feng that her uncle had taken over as family head after her father died and that the family had fallen into decline.
• Lin Feng and Asai Reiko walked toward the Asai Family residence and spoke mostly about Shinigami training.
• Asai Reiko led Lin Feng through the residence’s side gate, leaving him struck by how harshly her family treated her.

Lin Feng accompanied Asai Reiko to her neglected family courtyard for the year-end break and helped her clean it. Her cousin barged in, mocked her, and accused her of bringing a Rukongai man home despite her marriage arrangement with the Nagano Family.

• Lin Feng noticed that Asai Reiko's family had left her courtyard dusty and uncleaned, but she showed little concern.
• Lin Feng joined Asai Reiko in sweeping the courtyard instead of resting.
• Asai Reiko's cousin kicked open the gate and taunted her about whether she had been expelled from the Shinigami Academy.
• Asai Reiko explained that she was home for the New Year holiday and would return to the academy afterward.
• Her cousin pointed at Lin Feng and accused Asai Reiko of bringing a wild man home despite her marriage arrangement with the Nagano Family.

Lin Feng punished Asai Yumi for insulting Asai Reiko, then encouraged Reiko to stand up for herself. Asai Yumi blamed Reiko’s late father for the Asai Family’s decline and said the family wished Reiko had died with him.

• Lin Feng grabbed Asai Yumi and hurled her into an earthen wall after she insulted him and Asai Reiko.
• Lin Feng told Asai Reiko not to suppress her emotions and to strike back when someone mistreated her.
• Asai Yumi got back to her feet and threatened to tell her parents that Lin Feng had hit her.
• Asai Reiko asked Asai Yumi why she kept targeting her despite Reiko keeping a low profile.
• Lin Feng suggested Asai Yumi was jealous of Reiko, and Asai Yumi retorted that Reiko’s late father had caused the family’s decline and that they wished Reiko had died with him.