The Corrupt and Chaotic Soul Society, Starting with Settling Scores

On the dojo grounds.

The defeated Kaname Tosen was carried away by Fourth Division soldiers. Though unwilling to accept it, he had no choice but to acknowledge the reality.

The gap in strength between him and Su Feng was simply too vast.

Just then, another figure stepped onto the dojo grounds and stopped before Su Feng.

The Kenseikan bound his neat, finely textured silver-white hair, while a snow-white Ginpakukazahana draped around his neck.

Wrinkles lined his aged face, yet he had lost none of his imposing dignity.

Su Feng recognized the man at once.

The current Captain of the Sixth Division, Ginrei Kuchiki.

"Truly, the young are to be feared."

Ginrei Kuchiki praised him in a familiar tone. "In merely three years since joining the Gotei 13, you have already risen to become Captain of the Ninth Division."

"Compared to Byakuya, you have surpassed him by far."

As members of the Five Great Noble Clans, Su Feng had dealt with the old man on quite a few occasions.

They had also met several times at Noble Council meetings.

"You flatter me, Captain Kuchiki."

The corners of Su Feng's lips rose slightly, his smile warm as the spring sun.

"Byakuya is quite strong as well."

He still held a measure of respect for such a senior veteran.

As for Byakuya Kuchiki's strength, he should have already reached captain level by now.

Perhaps before long, Ginrei Kuchiki would retire and hand both the position of Family Head and the captaincy of the Sixth Division entirely over to Byakuya Kuchiki.

"Haha, there is no need to spare this old man's feelings."

Ginrei Kuchiki laughed. "I know Byakuya's strength very well."

"He is still far from capable of shouldering such responsibility."

Their exchange of compliments drew the attention of the other captains, who joined in one after another.

After a round of praise, the Assessment Battle officially came to an end.

Ninth Division barracks.

When he returned to the barracks, Su Feng naturally made his way to the captain's private office.

The succession ceremony would still need a few days of preparation.

However, Su Feng had already settled into his new role.

As a disciplined Captain of the Ninth Division, he needed a deeper understanding of the division's duties and regulations.

"Captain, these are the case files that require your attention."

Before long, a Ninth Division soldier piled mountains of case files onto the desk.

Even with Su Feng's tall frame, he was completely blocked from view.

Looking at the mountain of files before him, Su Feng narrowed his eyes slightly, and the curve of his lips flattened.

The captain's position had only been vacant for three years, yet so many unprocessed case files had piled up?

Though he had never handled any cases as the former Third Seat, Fifth Seat Tosen had always worked diligently and had never taken a day off.

Seeming to notice Su Feng's confusion, the Shinigami Soldier hurriedly explained, "These files involve various nobles, division captains, and the Kidō Corps Commander. Seated Officers do not have the authority to handle them."

Su Feng nodded slightly at that.

He did not know much about the Gotei 13's exact situation.

But as a member of the nobility, no one understood its darkness and filth better than he did.

Soul Society was, by nature, a land of strict hierarchy.

Central 46 stood above the Gotei 13, while the Five Great Noble Clans stood above Central 46.

Otherwise, how could Tokinada Tsunayashiro have escaped punishment?

Had it been any ordinary Shinigami, with crimes like his, he would likely have been imprisoned in the Central Underground Great Prison.

Even if he was not sent to Mugen, he would at least have ended up in Sōgō Jigoku.

"Is that so?"

Su Feng leaned back in his chair and stretched, saying sympathetically, "Kensei Muguruma really had it rough."

"Dealing with that bunch of brainless idiots truly isn't an easy task."

Upon hearing such disrespectful words, Fujio Ryukawa's heart skipped a beat.

If those high-and-mighty nobles heard this, there would surely be another round of trouble.

"Don't look at your captain with such disrespectful eyes."

Su Feng had already settled into the role of captain. "Don't forget my surname."

"Tsunayashiro..."

Fujio Ryukawa silently repeated it, and his mood immediately calmed.

He had nearly forgotten that this new captain was the Tsunayashiro Family's chief heir. In terms of status alone, he stood at the very pinnacle of Soul Society.

Though his status was second to none, was that truly a blessing for the Ninth Division?

Beneath Fujio Ryukawa's calm exterior, his thoughts churned.

In his mind, nobles were synonymous with arrogance, conceit, and contempt for the law.

If Captain Su Feng was like those nobles as well, or even colluded with them, then Soul Society truly would not have even a shred of light left.

The more Fujio Ryukawa thought about it, the heavier his heart became.

Su Feng paid no mind to this "righteous" Shinigami Soldier. Instead, he casually flipped through the mountain of case files.

"March 7: The Lower Aristocrat Arisugawa Clan monopolized the drinking water resources of Inutsuke, South District 78 of Rukongai, causing a small-scale riot. Resolved by the Eleventh Division. The Arisugawa Clan was not punished."

"March 10: Multiple Lower Aristocrats joined forces against the remnants of the Ryūdōji Clan, attempting to divide its assets. Unresolved."

"June 16: Mayuri Kurotsuchi of the Department of Research and Development conducted a dangerous experiment, resulting in the deaths of thirty-two Shinigami Soldiers and serious injuries to fourteen Shinigami Soldiers. Unresolved."

"September 9: The Seventh Seat of the Sixth Division and several Shinigami disappeared in Zaraki, North District 80 of Rukongai. Unresolved."

With only a casual glance, Su Feng spotted many familiar terms.

Besides a general description of each case, the files also contained more detailed analyses and summaries.

Only the proposed resolutions were entirely blank.

"How impressively clean and efficient."

Su Feng casually closed the file, half-lidded his eyes, and muttered to himself, "Because of the previous Hollowfication incident, the Ninth Division's Lieutenant, Fourth Seat, Sixth Seat, and Seventh Seat all perished."

"Besides dealing with these case files, filling those vacant positions is equally important."

Su Feng did not have any particularly good candidates in mind for those positions.

In his view, although Kaname Tosen was reasonably strong, as Aizen's subordinate, he had far too many uncontrollable factors.

Paying lip service while acting otherwise would be a minor issue. If he stabbed someone in the back, that would be truly troublesome.

The matter of a Lieutenant could be put off for now.

"Forget it. I'll handle a few simple cases first."

Su Feng placed his hand on one of the files and opened it, his index finger landing on the ink-black text.

Fujio Ryukawa's eyes widened as he read the description in the file, and his heart skipped another beat.

"November 11: Ikkaku Madarame, Third Seat of the Eleventh Division, forcibly entered the Ninth Division Prison in order to challenge the strong, resulting in serious injuries to seventeen prisoners..."