Over the next few days, whether eating, sleeping, or even using the toilet, Duan Mu and Iwao never left the Great Kūkaku Training Ground. Every day, they were subjected to Shiba Kūkaku's training.
For several hours each morning, the two trained separately. Iwao practiced the Shiba secret techniques and the Shiba Clan's miraculous fireworks, while Duan Mu learned how to increase his spiritual pressure under Kūkaku's rigorous training.
There were many ways to increase spiritual pressure. The most common was the haphazard method Duan Mu had always used. In short, one could practice techniques such as Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kido, or constantly fight others, allowing one's spiritual pressure to gradually grow.
Increasing spiritual pressure this way could not be said to be completely useless, but it was little more than a drop in the bucket.
For Soul Reapers, however, the most common method was communicating with their Zanpakuto. In a manner similar to seated meditation, they allowed Spiritual Power to circulate between themselves and their Asauchi, thereby increasing their spiritual pressure. Although this method progressed slowly, it was still much faster than Duan Mu's.
Most importantly... it could be combined with Duan Mu's haphazard method.
However, it was not the "Blade Zen" used by Kurosaki Ichigo in Duan Mu's memories, but a method Kūkaku called "Blade Meditation."
Without a Zanpakuto, this method was clearly unsuitable for Duan Mu.
The spiritual-pressure training Kūkaku arranged for Duan Mu involved borrowing external force.
Or rather...
Pressure!!
The area around the platform where he trained was covered in the Shiba Clan's unique spiritual patterns. According to Kūkaku, these patterns had been simplified from the "Crane Cannon." They released pressure inward in a manner similar to launching fireworks, thereby increasing the density of Duan Mu's reishi.
Inside the platform, Duan Mu's movements were unaffected, but the flow of spiritual pressure within his body seemed to have solidified. Under these conditions, he also had to practice various Kido techniques under Kūkaku's instruction.
After lunch, the two followed Kūkaku in studying theoretical knowledge concerning the "use of Spiritual Power."
This knowledge was extremely dull. Although Iwao and Duan Mu studied together, Duan Mu was basically the only one listening attentively. Iwao would often enter a drowsy state not long after the lesson began, only to be awakened by Kūkaku's "Fist of Love."
After several days, he had not memorized much theoretical knowledge, but his head's defensive power had clearly improved...
"Although Spiritual Power can be strengthened through training, everyone's starting point is different. Take me and Iwao's elder brother, for example. Before entering the Soul Reaper Academy, the Spiritual Power within his body had already reached Sixth Class Spiritual Might, equivalent to the level of a Lieutenant Captain in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads."
Pride colored Kūkaku's voice when she mentioned her elder brother. Upon hearing the words "elder brother," Iwao, who had been nodding off, widened his eyes as well.
"Of course, I'm not telling you this to discourage you. I want you to understand that the strength of Spiritual Power does not mean the strength of spiritual pressure. Even with Sixth Class Spiritual Might, our elder brother still took two years to graduate from the Soul Reaper Academy, then another five years to truly reach the level of a Lieutenant Captain."
"During those seven years, all he did was increase the density of the Spiritual Power within his body, thereby raising the strength of his spiritual pressure."
"Only when the density of the Spiritual Power within the body is high enough can it be called spiritual pressure. If the density is insufficient, then no matter how powerful the Spiritual Power within the body is, it cannot display its proper might."
"Take the current captain of the 10th Division, for example. When he was in Rukongai, the strength of the Spiritual Power within his body had already reached captain level, giving him the highest caliber of talent. But forget displaying his proper might—I once heard an elder mention in passing that he could not even control it, and ultimately ended up affecting the relatives around him."
"For Soul Reapers, how to use the Spiritual Power within their bodies is undoubtedly the most important thing. That is why there are the four techniques of Zanpakuto, Kido, Hakuda, and Shunpo."
"A Zanpakuto is no exception. It is likewise an external extension of reishi manipulation. If the Spiritual Power within the body is compared to water, then a Zanpakuto is like a high-pressure water faucet with a special release method. If you find the proper way to release it, the density can skyrocket even without changing the total amount of Spiritual Power within the body, causing your combat ability to multiply."
"The same applies to Kido. If two people have comparable spiritual pressure, and they release the same Kido spell, then the one with greater mastery of Kido will definitely win, because they possess a more suitable release method. Naturally, its power will far exceed that of their opponent."
At this point, Kūkaku paused and looked at Duan Mu, who was sitting cross-legged below. "Duan Mu does this very well. His mastery of White Lightning is beyond that of many members of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, and even many lower-ranking seated officers."
Iwao shot a sidelong glance at Duan Mu and found that the man still wore that same gentle smile, showing no sign at all of having been praised.
In the past, whenever Iwao saw that gentle smile, he had only thought Duan Mu was a harmless good-for-nothing who made people lose interest.
But after witnessing the battle a few days ago, and seeing that expression again...
Iwao felt that this man might have some kind of mental illness.
Bang!!
"Listen seriously when I'm talking to you! Do you want to die!!"
"..."
Duan Mu looked at Iwao, who had been smashed to the ground with smoke rising from the top of his head. He then glanced at the table that had shattered after colliding with Iwao's head. The smile on his face grew gentler, and the ingratiating look within it became even more obvious...
Ah~~~ I really want a drink.
It had already been a week since he had touched alcohol. He did not deny that he loved drinking, but for him, the best way to relieve stress was still to have a few drinks, lock himself away, and sleep soundly.
What a pity...
The state he entered after drinking was clearly unsuitable to reveal here. After all, he drank to relieve stress...
After several days of training, with no outlet for his stress, the pressure within him seemed to be growing greater and greater.
Moreover, not working for so many days made Duan Mu, who was already accustomed to easing stress by doing all kinds of work, feel uncomfortable all over.
I'm such a tireless working man—are the capitalists celebrating or what?
Though I suppose I'm exploiting myself. It's not like I can be as shameless as some masked vigilante and claim I work for my butler. Although Uzuki's role has been getting closer and closer to that butler's, Duan Mu is also increasingly resembling a laborer running errands everywhere...
Bang~~
"What are you spacing out for!!"
Amid the heavy impact, Duan Mu sprawled facedown on the cold floor. He could clearly feel a large bump rapidly swelling on the top of his head.
After the table, the chair had also become a pile of debris.
With his cheek pressed against the cold floor, Duan Mu and Iwao's eyes met. The two were speechless.
"Stop dragging your feet. Both of you, get up."
Under Kūkaku's roar, Duan Mu and Iwao sat up at the same time, each with a bump on his head. One knelt upright, while the other sat cross-legged like an old monk in meditation.
Sure enough, I really want a drink...
The pressure this woman gives me is increasing day by day.
The smile on Duan Mu's face grew even broader. If his smile had previously been mostly gentle, with the ingratiating look relatively subtle, then now that ingratiating look was extremely obvious.
"Are you a pervert who gets excited when beaten?" Kūkaku asked with disgust.
"..."
The smile on Duan Mu's face froze.
"If you're dissatisfied with something, you can say it. I'm not an unreasonable person." Shiba Kūkaku smiled back, looking radiant.
Duan Mu and Iwao, however, showed no reaction at all. They put on expressions of "listening attentively."
Nothing Kūkaku said in this state could be trusted—not even a punctuation mark.
Iwao had once naively believed her, only to meet an incomparably tragic end. In the end, she had "eliminated" his dissatisfaction through "physical" means.
"Mm."
Kūkaku nodded in satisfaction. "Where was I? Ah, right. Although White Lightning is practical, there is one thing I must remind you of: never treat a single Kido spell as your trump card. Without a Zanpakuto, a Kido expert fighting a Soul Reaper who possesses a Zanpakuto has only one advantage—the 'versatility' applicable to all kinds of situations. Treating one Kido spell as a trump card instead causes you to lose that versatility."
"Only when Bakudo and Hado are combined can they be called Kido."
At this point, Kūkaku seemed to think of something. Looking at Duan Mu, she said, "You have exceptional talent in both Kido and Hakuda. The training method most suited to you is actually finding a way to combine Hakuda and Kido. Unfortunately, I'm not especially skilled in Hakuda, so I can't offer you much help in that regard."
"I have an old friend I haven't seen in several decades who followed exactly this path."
"Of course, it's not that focusing only on Kido won't work. Within the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, there is someone who used Kido mastery that even many captains could not hope to match to rise to the rank of Lieutenant Captain."
Please recommend this book... Let me see whether anyone is actually reading it.
Before you continue