Spiritual Power and Spiritual Pressure

For the next few days, whether eating, sleeping, or using the restroom, Duan Mu and Iwao didn't leave Kūkaku's training grounds. They were constantly being drilled by Shiba Kūkaku.

During the morning hours, the two trained separately. Iwao practiced Shiba secret techniques and the Shiba Clan's wondrous fireworks, while Duan Mu, under Kūkaku's tutelage, learned methods to increase his Spiritual Pressure.

There were many ways to increase Spiritual Pressure. The most common was Duan Mu's usual go-with-the-flow method, which, in simple terms, involved gradually improving Spiritual Pressure by practicing techniques like Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kido, or by constantly fighting.

Increasing Spiritual Pressure through this method wasn't entirely useless, but it was like trying to bail out a sinking ship with a single bucket.

For Soul Reapers, the most common method was communicating with their Zanpakuto. In a manner similar to Zazen meditation, they would create a cycle of Spiritual Power between themselves and their Asauchi to increase their Spiritual Pressure. While this method was slow, it was still much faster than Duan Mu's.

Most importantly… it could be combined with Duan Mu's go-with-the-flow approach.

However, it wasn't the "Blade Meditation" that Duan Mu remembered Ichigo Kurosaki using, 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 using external forces.

Or rather…

Pressure!!

The training platform he was on was covered in the Shiba Clan's unique Spirit Crests. According to Kūkaku, these Spirit Crests were simplified versions derived from the "Crane Cannon." They released pressure internally, much like launching fireworks, to increase the density of Duan Mu's Spirit Particles.

While Duan Mu's movements within the training platform were not affected, the flow of Spiritual Pressure within his body felt as if it had solidified. Under these conditions, Duan Mu also had to practice various Kido under Kūkaku's guidance.

After lunch, the two followed Kūkaku to learn theoretical knowledge about "Spiritual Power application."

This knowledge was extremely dry. Although Iwao and Duan Mu studied together, basically only Duan Mu listened attentively. Iwao would often fall asleep after a short while and be woken up by Kūkaku's "fist of love."

After a few days, they hadn't remembered much theoretical knowledge, but their head defense had noticeably improved…

"While Spiritual Power can be strengthened through training, everyone's starting point is different. For example, my elder brother and I, before entering the Soul Reaper Academy, his Spiritual Power was already at Sixth Class Spiritual Might, equivalent to a Lieutenant of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads."

Kūkaku's tone carried pride for her elder brother. Hearing the word "elder brother," Iwao, who had been dozing off, widened his eyes.

"Of course, I'm not telling you this to discourage you, but to let you know that the strength of Spiritual Power doesn't necessarily mean the strength of Spiritual Pressure. Our elder brother, even at Sixth Class Spiritual Might, still took two years to graduate from the Soul Reaper Academy, and then another five years to truly reach the Lieutenant level."

"During these seven years, he focused on increasing the density of his Spiritual Power, thereby increasing his Spiritual Pressure."

"Only when the density of Spiritual Power within the body is high enough can that Spiritual Power be called Spiritual Pressure. If the density is insufficient, no matter how strong the Spiritual Power within the body, it cannot exert its full power."

"Take the current Captain of the 10th Division as an example. When he was in Rukongai, his internal Spiritual Power had already reached Captain level, possessing top-tier talent. But let alone exerting its full power, I once heard an elder mention in passing that he couldn't even control it, and it ended up affecting his loved ones."

"For Soul Reapers, how to use their internal Spiritual Power is undoubtedly the most important thing, which is why there are the four techniques: Zanpakuto, Kido, Hakuda, and Shunpo."

"Zanpakuto are no exception. They are also an external extension of Spiritual Power application. If we compare internal Spiritual Power to water, then a Zanpakuto is like a high-pressure faucet with a special release method. If the right release method is found, even with the same total amount of internal Spiritual Power, the density can surge, increasing one's combat capability exponentially."

"Similarly, Kido is the same. When two people have equivalent Spiritual Pressure, if they release the same Kido, the one with a better grasp of Kido will win, because they have a more suitable release method, and its power will naturally far surpass their opponent's."

Kūkaku paused here and looked at Duan Mu, who was sitting cross-legged below. "Duan Mu does very well in this regard. His mastery of White Thunder is something many members of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, and even low-ranking officers, cannot match."

Iwao glanced sideways at Duan Mu, noticing that he still had that gentle smile, showing no sign of being praised.

Before, when he saw that gentle smile, he just thought Duan Mu was a nice guy who lacked drive.

But after experiencing the battle a few days ago, looking at him now…

Iwao felt that this guy had some kind of mental illness.

Bang!!

"Listen to me seriously, do you want to die?!"

"..."

Duan Mu looked at Iwao, who had been slammed to the ground with smoke rising from his head, then at the table that had shattered upon contact with Iwao's head. His smile grew even gentler, with an increasing hint of appeasement within it…

Ahhh… I really want to drink.

He hadn't touched alcohol in a week. While he didn't deny his fondness for it, for him, the best way to release stress was to have a few drinks and then lock himself away to sleep soundly.

Unfortunately…

His state after drinking was clearly not suitable for display here, especially since he was supposed to be releasing pressure…

These past few days of training, without an outlet, his stress seemed to be growing.

And not working for so many days made Duan Mu, who was accustomed to relieving stress through various jobs, feel completely uncomfortable.

What joy for capitalists to have such a hardworking and dutiful employee like me, right?

However, I suppose I'm exploiting myself, since I can't say I'm working for a butler like that vigilante. Although Uzuki's role is increasingly resembling that butler, and Duan Mu is becoming more and more like a errand boy running around…

Bang~~

"What are you spacing out for?!"

Amidst the heavy impact, Duan Mu landed on the cold ground. He could clearly feel a large lump rapidly forming on his head.

After the table, the chair also became wreckage.

With his face pressed against the cold ground, Duan Mu and Iwao's eyes met, and they remained silent.

"Stop dawdling and get up, both of you."

Under Kūkaku's roar, Duan Mu and Iwao simultaneously sat up with lumps on their heads. One knelt straight, the other sat cross-legged as if in deep meditation.

Indeed, I still really want to drink…

The pressure this woman put on him was increasing day by day.

Duan Mu's smile deepened. If his previous smile was more gentle and his desire to please more subtle, then now the desire to please was extremely obvious.

"Are you some kind of pervert who gets excited when you're hit?" Kūkaku asked with disgust.

"..."

Duan Mu's smile froze.

"If you have any complaints, feel free to speak up. I'm not an unreasonable person," Shiba Kūkaku replied with a brilliant smile.

Duan Mu and Iwao showed no reaction, adopting a posture of "listening intently."

In this state, not a single punctuation mark Kūkaku said could be trusted.

Iwao had naively believed her once, and the result was a devastating outcome. His dissatisfaction was ultimately "eliminated" in a "physical" manner.

"Mm."

Kūkaku nodded with satisfaction. "Where was I? Ah, right. While White Thunder is practical, there's one thing I must warn you about: never treat a single Kido as your trump card. Without a Zanpakuto, a Kido master fighting a Soul Reaper with a Zanpakuto has only one advantage, and that's 'versatility' applicable to all situations. Treating one Kido as a trump card will cause you to lose this versatility."

"Binding Kido and Destruction Kido, when combined, can be called Kido."

As Kūkaku said this, she seemed to recall something and looked at Duan Mu. "You have strong talent in Kido and Hakuda. The most suitable training method for you is actually to find a way to combine Hakuda and Kido. However, I'm not particularly skilled in Hakuda, so I can't offer much help in that regard."

"I have an old friend I haven't seen in decades who walks this path."

"Of course, it's not that only practicing Kido is impossible. In the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, there are people who have been promoted to vice-captain with 'Kido' attainments that many captains can't even match."

Requesting recommendation tickets... Let me see if anyone is reading this book?