The End

Name: Duan Mu

Race: Human

Level: Sixth Stage

Physique: Novice (108/500)

Spiritual Pressure: Intermediate (84/10000)

Hakuda: Low-level (894/1000)

Shunpo: Low-level (576/1000)

Zanjutsu: Low-level (203/1000)

Zanpakuto: Inactive (Activation conditions unknown)

Kido:

[Hado]:

Low-level Hado "No. 1-29": Quantity (4) (↓ Expand to view details)

Intermediate Hado "No. 30-59": Quantity (2) (↓ Expand to view details)

[Bado]:

Low-level Bado "No. 1-29": Quantity (5) (↓ Expand to view details)

Intermediate Bado "No. 30-59": Quantity (2) (↓ Expand to view details)

Special Techniques:

[Canceled Incantation] Low-level (486/1000)

[Kido (Healing)]: Low-level (64/1000)

Current Experience: 11400

↓ Expand to view favorability interface.

In the past six months, Duan Mu's "Soul Reaper Cram School" has recruited over a hundred students. Among them, there are about 60 female students. These female students have provided Duan Mu with anywhere from 10 experience points to several hundred experience points each.

In total, this amounts to over 5000 experience points. However, in order to better guide his students and attract more of them, Duan Mu has invested all of this experience into Kido.

To possess sufficient knowledge to teach students, one needs at least the corresponding Kido to reach the low-level.

Activating one Kido requires 50 experience points, and progressing from novice to low-level requires 500 points. Duan Mu needs to spend at least '550' experience points on each Kido, constantly being in a state of 'spending more than he earns'.

Thanks to this, his level has risen from the 'Seventh Stage', equivalent to an elite Soul Reaper, to the 'Sixth Stage', which allows him to contend with low-level officers.

To fill the deficit, he has also invested all the experience points he gained from others into Kido.

And these "others" naturally include 'Shiba Kūkaku'. However, starting a few months ago, after Shiba Kūkaku provided him with 2700 experience points, her favorability reached a bottleneck. No matter how much Duan Mu tried to make his presence known to her, her favorability remained stuck at '9' points, unchanged.

Simply making his presence known was no longer enough to increase Shiba Kūkaku's favorability towards him.

Ultimately, Duan Mu had no choice but to give up the idea of gaining experience points from Shiba Kūkaku and instead focus on finding ways to increase his students' favorability towards him.

Thoughts flashed through his mind, and a hint of regret flickered in Duan Mu's eyes.

If he had known he would encounter such a powerful enemy in Rukongai, he would have held onto his experience points, even at the cost of his shop's reputation, to deal with the current situation, instead of squandering it...

Empty?

Duan Mu's pupils dilated sharply as he focused his intent on the system interface in his mind once more.

Current Experience: 11400

How is this possible???

Duan Mu felt his head buzz. The spiritual pressure output from the White Thunder in his hand stopped. Without the replenishment of spiritual pressure, the White Thunder quickly dissipated and vanished!

In the distance, Daimaru's right fist was enveloped in swirling smoke, emitting a faint aroma of cooked meat. The intense pain caused his expression to contwist slightly.

Even with the enhancement of his own formidable spiritual pressure, his right hand was still severely injured. However, Daimaru, who had been struggling on the brink of death for years, paid no mind to such pain. His gaze towards Duan Mu was even extremely fervent.

A person with far less spiritual pressure intensity than himself had already posed such a significant threat to him using low-level Kido.

If he could learn it...

A sinister grin spread across Daimaru's face. He had made up his mind. Not only Shiba Ganju, but this black-haired youth before him, he would also obtain!

Judging from the situation just now, this youth had clearly reached his limit and was no longer capable of posing a threat to him.

With this thought, so as not to give Duan Mu a chance to recover and regroup, he charged at Duan Mu again, the fanaticism in his eyes growing even more intense.

At this moment, Duan Mu's attention was no longer on him, because Duan Mu finally understood where this '11400' experience points had come from!

['Shiba Kūkaku' Favorability +1, Gained 600 Experience Points, Current Favorability: 10.]

['Shiba Kūkaku' Favorability +1, Gained 600 Experience Points, Current Favorability: 11.]

[...]

['Shiba Kūkaku' Favorability +1, Gained 600 Experience Points, Current Favorability: 19.]

['Shiba Kūkaku' affection +1, gained 1200 experience points, current affection: 20.]

[...]

['Shiba Kūkaku' affection +1, gained 1200 experience points, current affection: 25.]

Shiba Kūkaku is nearby!!

Duan Mu immediately realized it. Only then could her affection for him have surged so much.

And...

She had likely been following them all along.

The bottleneck was broken!

After months of effort with no change in affection, it had suddenly increased so much.

Although the method of breaking through surprised Duan Mu immensely, it didn't stop him from looking with an incredibly gentle gaze at Daimaru, who was charging at him with a ferocious grin!

This guy...

Why does he look so cute?

Meeting Duan Mu's gentle gaze, Daimaru felt a chill run down his spine!

This kid...

What's wrong with his brain??

However, in that brief moment, Daimaru had already reached Duan Mu, his fist, carrying fierce momentum, smashing down towards Duan Mu's chest.

Bang—!

Amidst the dull thud of impact, Duan Mu was sent flying back, spitting blood like a kicked soccer ball.

"Duan Mu!!"

This scene caused Iwao, who had been keeping an eye on them, to change his expression and quickly rush towards Duan Mu.

However, at that very moment!

Duan Mu, clutching his chest, shakily got up from the ground. Without even wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he roared hoarsely:

"Brother Iwao, you go quickly, don't mind me!!!"

Upon hearing this, Iwao's footsteps didn't stop; instead, they quickened.

"Go quickly!"

Duan Mu shouted, blood flowing from his mouth as his Spiritual Pressure surged. He roared, "I'll hold them off, you take this chance to escape. Have Big Sister Kūkaku come for my revenge. If both of us die here, Hawk and the other four will be caught soon too. Don't let my efforts be in vain!!"

His words were heroic and deeply moving. If it weren't for the awkwardness of praising Shiba Kūkaku at a time like this, he would have added adjectives like gentle, considerate, beautiful, and kind before "Big Sister Kūkaku."

As soon as he said this, Iwao's charge towards them finally stopped, his eyes filled with struggle.

Just as Duan Mu said, if both he and Duan Mu died here, these guys would definitely concentrate their forces to pursue Hawk and the others. In that case... none of the six of them would be able to escape.

"None of you are getting away!!"

Daimaru sneered and charged at Duan Mu again.

However...

"My brothers, thank you for taking care of them."

An incredibly cold female voice reached Daimaru's ears. Before he could react, he felt an incredibly terrifying force from the back of his head. The next second, his entire upper body was forcefully driven into the ground.

The perpetrator of all this was merely a fair and delicate hand.

Seeing Shiba Kūkaku, who had suddenly appeared before him and was pressing the big man's head into the ground with one hand, Duan Mu's attention immediately shifted to the system interface!

['Shiba Kūkaku' affection +1, gained 1200 experience points, current affection: 26.]

[...]

['Shiba Kūkaku' affection +1, gained 1200 experience points, current affection: 29.]

['Shiba Kūkaku' affection +1, gained 2400 experience points, current affection: 30.]

Duan Mu closed his eyes in satisfaction, his consciousness sinking into darkness.

He hadn't touched the experience points he gained. He had endured the previous blow head-on; if he hadn't taken it, he would have already passed out.

The purpose of doing this was to make Shiba Kūkaku have a better impression of him.

Although Duan Mu really wanted to kill Daimaru himself and could have achieved it by consuming experience points.

But he had already shown a desperate attitude. If he suddenly gained immense power now and took down Daimaru, Kūkaku's affection for him might not increase, and there was even a risk of it decreasing.

It was better to end it this way. After all, Daimaru would die in the end!