Elegant Combat

"You think I'm like you?"

Gaoyu said without politeness, "You throw your work at the Captain's office every day and then run off. I'm very responsible, and there's a lot going on lately."

"!" Rangiku's eyes widened, as if she had never seen such a shameless person.

"How dare you talk about me!"

Rangiku exclaimed, "I heard from Toshiro that you even give missions to Hinamori, a Shinigami who just joined the squad!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Gaoyu was a little confused. "Setting aside why Toshiro knows such things, how did you hear about it from Toshiro?"

"Of course, it's because I haven't given up on my plan to lure Toshiro to the Tenth Division yet~" Rangiku chuckled.

"Toshiro," Shunsui Kyoraku said at this moment, "Oh, the genius kid? Are you all very familiar with him?"

"Of course, we're familiar. Captain Kyoraku, didn't you know? Toshiro was brought into the Seireitei by Gaoyu."

"Is that so? I really didn't know that," Kyoraku said with some surprise.

Toshiro Hitsugaya, the most famous child prodigy recently. Many divisions were thinking about bringing him into their teams in the future.

But looking at it now, they didn't need to fight over him. He would definitely go to the Fifth Division in the future.

"Actually, I'm not saying he has to come to the Fifth Division," Gaoyu sighed. "To be honest, with Toshiro's talent, he's destined to become a Captain in the future."

"Which means he's destined to leave the Fifth Division. Perhaps he'll even become your superior in the Tenth Division, Rangiku."

"Hmph!" Rangiku snorted, saying with a displeased look, "Who wants to be that brat's subordinate? Besides, my Captain just took office not long ago, and he's far from retiring."

"If anything, it's I who should be retiring," Shunsui Kyoraku said with some emotion at this moment. "Among the Gotei 13, I must be one of the oldest Captains."

"Not at all," Gaoyu smiled. "Captain Kyoraku is Captain-Commander Yamamoto's prized student. I think if Captain-Commander Yamamoto retires, the next Captain-Commander will have to be you."

"Spare me," Shunsui Kyoraku said with a wry smile.

He didn't want to be the Captain-Commander.

And...

"Old man Yamamoto is still far from retiring."

Even though Yamamoto looked frail now, he wouldn't change much even after another thousand years.

In another thousand years, who knew what the Soul Society would look like.

Gaoyu and the others didn't continue this topic. After all, they had come to drink and have a good time. It wouldn't be good to keep talking about retirement.

When people drink, they should talk about happy things and brag a little. If they keep talking about depressing things, then there's no point.

Around nine o'clock in the evening, the three of them, having eaten and drunk their fill, prepared to leave.

Shunsui Kyoraku paid the bill. Compared to Gaoyu and Rangiku, Kyoraku was the adult. Where would an adult let children pay the bill?

However, as the three of them walked out of the Daruma House, they saw a group of people walking by.

Gaoyu froze because he saw that the person leading the group was wearing a very expensive-looking kimono, and on his head was a 'Star-Grasping Pin' that only great nobles could wear. Coupled with his Soul Ability, 'Noble Self-Cultivation,' Gaoyu immediately recognized his identity.

Captain of the Sixth Division, Byakuya Kuchiki.

'Elegant Combat: When used during combat, it allows the user to fight elegantly.'

Heh, the skill description is so brief.

It sounds useless, and it probably is useless in practice?

Anyway, Gaoyu was sure of one thing.

That using this skill would definitely be very flashy.

And then he remembered something else.

What does it mean to fight elegantly?

Would getting injured during combat affect one's elegance?

If it did, would using this ability prevent him from getting injured?

Would getting beaten up during combat affect one's elegance?

If it did, would using this ability prevent him from getting beaten up?

Although it seemed to have little effect, Gaoyu saw some potential in this ability.

Ahem, forget it. He'd wait until the real situation arose before testing it. What if it was completely useless and just gave him some aristocratic aura?

"No wonder, so this is near the Kuchiki family's ancestral shrine. No wonder we can see Captain Kuchiki," Kyoraku rubbed his chin. "Is it a day of ancestral worship for the Kuchiki family today?"

"So grand," Rangiku said, looking at Byakuya Kuchiki's aura as he walked past. "As expected of a great noble."

"Yeah, it's different from us commoners. They have such presence," Gaoyu also said.

"Heh, that's a bit much," Kyoraku smiled. "Gaoyu, you're not a commoner anymore. If you are, then how many people in the Seireitei aren't commoners?"

"Heh heh..."

Gaoyu didn't say anything. In the eyes of some powerful people, wasn't he just a commoner?

"Let's go, let's go," Gaoyu said. "We have to go to work tomorrow."

The three parted ways. After they separated, Gaoyu returned home, his somewhat drunken eyes clearing up.

He couldn't wait to begin training his Hollow Power.

Actually, it couldn't really be called training, because the 'Hollowfication' ability he obtained simply stated that he needed to break his own soul's limits and accept Hollow Power to achieve Hollowfication.

This was unlike the systematic training of a Quincy Inheritor.

After becoming a Quincy Inheritor, Gaoyu truly gained the Quincy's training system. He not only obtained the ability to condense a spirit particle bow but also acquired some Quincy knowledge.

It was foreseeable that he might eventually master the subsequent Quincy power systems, such as Saint Cantus, Saint Training, Shadow Power, Blood Power, and even the Quincy Final Form.

Hollowfication, however, was different.

The Quincy aspect had essentially given him a complete system, with the power needing to be cultivated slowly.

Hollowfication, on the other hand, directly granted him the power of a Hollow, but how he mastered it was his own business.

However, this was, after all, a Soul Ability. Hollowfication wouldn't cause him to lose control like the Visored Legion.

The greatest benefit of the Hollowfication ability was that once he used it, the soul boundary between himself, a Shinigami, and a Hollow would be permanently broken.

Although he couldn't freely transform via Hollowfication without permanently obtaining the Soul Ability, as long as he slowly mastered this power, he would eventually be able to achieve Hollowfication independently without the aid of a Soul Ability.

With this thought, he entered his Safe House.

He adjusted the Safe House's appearance to that of him normally washing up and sleeping after returning home, then stood in the room, placing one hand on his face.

"Hollowfication..."

Gaoyu whispered.