The Methods of a Genius

Lin Nan sighed inwardly, thinking that the current Kyoraku Shunsui showed no signs of the seemingly frivolous, lazy, yet deeply complex character he would become. One had to wonder what he would experience to turn into that future version of himself.

Despite the questions in his mind, his long chopsticks were already in motion, thrusting straight upward at an angle. The tip of the chopstick struck directly against the nerve point on Kyoraku's right elbow.

At the same time, that spinning top from a moment ago suddenly emerged from the shadow of the nearby wall, heading straight for Lin Nan's temple!

Without a second thought, Lin Nan instinctively extended his left hand, using the long chopstick to deftly flick the spinning top flying out of the darkness away.

A flash of insight struck him: the angle of the top's attack was almost perpendicular to the wall; it was impossible for it to have flown from anywhere else.

Could it be Kyoraku Shunsui's Kageoni?

This was an ability that allowed him to enter and hide within shadows, not only traversing through them but even launching attacks from within. It could be considered one of Kyoraku Shunsui's signature techniques.

However, Kageoni should be an ability of his Zanpakuto. Could it be that Shunsui already possessed a Zanpakuto at this stage?

Kyoraku Shunsui felt a wave of soreness and numbness in his right arm, and the short whip in his hand nearly slipped from his grip. Shocked and suspicious, he retreated a few steps after landing, rubbing his elbow as he asked, "Did you practice swordsmanship before visiting the old man? Which school did you learn from?"

Lin Nan put on an innocent face, shaking his head. "No, I haven't learned anything at all."

A hint of anger appeared on Kyoraku's face as he shouted, "Impossible! Don't try to lie to me! That move just now—it's impossible to execute unless one is proficient with weapons in both hands!"

"I'm telling the truth, I really haven't learned anything. Those movements were just instinctive; the atmosphere was right. If I'm lying, may your whole family perish."

"Are you telling me you've never had any contact with swordsmanship?!"

Lin Nan stood where he was, holding a long chopstick in each hand, blinking blankly. He hesitated and said, "If you count contact... I did trade a few blows with Unohana Yachiru... does that count?"

"W-what?" Kyoraku Shunsui's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Are you saying you fought Captain Unohana and came back completely unscathed?!"

Lin Nan looked down at himself and said, "That's not true. I was injured and it took about three days to recover."

Kyoraku's eyes narrowed once more. It seemed this fellow had no intention of telling the truth. How could anyone be slashed by Unohana Kenpachi and recover after only three days of rest?

"It seems you won't tell the truth unless I show you some real skill. Let me show you the power of a genius!" Kyoraku Shunsui tucked his short whip into his waist, held the spinning top between his hands, and formed a triangular hand seal.

Following this, he pressed his hands together, shielding the top from the moonlight.

"Hado #11, Tsuzuri Raiden!"

The spinning top, flickering with a faint blue light, flashed between his palms and vanished in an instant.

He can use Kido already?? Lin Nan's nerves tightened, and he immediately became vigilant.

Kido was a type of spell-like ability in Bleach. It was divided into "Hado," which focused on offense, "Bakudo," which focused on defense and control, and "Kaido," used for healing.

According to their rank, Hado and Bakudo were each assigned a number from one to one hundred. By chanting the "incantation," the practitioner could perform a "full chant" to release the complete Kido.

However, during battle, in order to seize fleeting opportunities, Shinigami with enough Reiatsu to master a certain Kido would usually forgo the chant, instead quickly releasing it by simply reciting the number and name of the Kido.

Correspondingly, a Kido released without a chant for the sake of speed would only have one-third of the power of a full chant.

Lin Nan focused his gaze, remaining alert to the shadows around him. If this guy could use the power of Kageoni now, then this spinning top must be launching its attack from the shadows all around!

In a flash, the electric-charged top suddenly appeared like a phantom from the shadow beneath Lin Nan's feet! With a crackling sound, it dragged a bright arc of electricity through the air, heading straight for the center of Lin Nan's brow!

Lin Nan cursed inwardly, having neglected his own shadow. He instinctively leaped high into the air, performed a backflip, and landed far away on the ground behind him, well outside the potential attack range of the electrified top.

The very moment his feet touched the ground, a relaxed smile suddenly appeared on the corner of Kyoraku Shunsui's mouth:

"Hado #12, Fushibi."

Lin Nan's eyes widened instantly, but it was too late to react.

A flame erupted from the ground beneath his feet, shooting toward the sky!

Flowing tongues of fire appeared instantly beneath Lin Nan, like a giant python radiating orange-red light, coiling around him to squeeze the life out of him. The raging flames were about to swallow him whole in the next second.

"Damn it!" Lin Nan felt a jolt of alarm and, the moment his feet touched the ground, he hurriedly leaped backward again to get away from the fire snake beneath him.

However, as he moved, the flowing fire, radiating a bright orange-red glow, changed its shape accordingly. Two bright branches flowed out from the flames, instantly generating dense, tree-like patterns of fire that surged rapidly toward where Lin Nan was about to land.

In an instant, a dense web of fire had been woven, waiting for Lin Nan to walk right into the trap.

Mid-air, cold sweat appeared on Lin Nan's forehead for the first time; he was about to step onto the web of fire in the next second!

In his desperation, he couldn't think of any good way to break it.

I can only use brute force to destroy the ground and use the shockwave to resist the burning flames... I just hope this fire is attached to the ground.

Accompanied by a vague thought in his mind, Lin Nan mobilized all his strength and slammed his right fist into the ground!

In the night sky, his right hand, and indeed his entire body, seemed to be wrapped in a faint, ethereal layer of pale blue fluorescence.

Boom!—

The bricks and stones of the ground were instantly shattered by the immense force. At the same time, surging flames erupted from the ground, enveloping Lin Nan's figure!

Debris and stones flew in all directions, and amidst the floating sparks and billowing thick smoke, a fire-ball-like human figure flickered in and out of sight.

Kyoraku Shunsui sneered, "It's useless. Fushibi is not a Kido that attaches to the surface of objects. Destroying the ground won't help you. Just rest easy and become a roasted pig!"

But the next second, he saw a figure rush out from the thick smoke from another angle, heading straight for him!

"It's a good thing I wore an extra layer of clothes!"

Lin Nan's figure instantly broke through the smoke, his right foot flying up to kick at Kyoraku's chest.

The moment the flowing fire erupted, he had quickly torn off the outer garment he was wearing, using it to block the tongues of flame for a moment. Before the garment could be ignited by the fire, he had already seized the chance to jump into the blind spot of the flame attack.

Kyoraku saw by the moonlight that Lin Nan was completely unscathed, his face merely slightly blackened by the flames, and raised an eyebrow:

"You're quick! Then let me give you another surprise to taste!"

He beckoned with his left hand, a metal spinning top appearing in his palm, and immediately rubbed his hands together with force, sending the top spinning toward Lin Nan's feet:

"Bushōgoma!"

Following Kyoraku Shunsui's shout, a visible, massive whirlwind suddenly rose from thin air, centered on the spinning top, and surrounded Lin Nan!

The ferocious whirlwind not only restricted Lin Nan's movements but also stirred the surrounding flowing flames. Driven by the gale, the flames surged instantly, transforming into a fire tornado twice the height of a man!

Lin Nan felt a jolt in his heart, thinking: Kido is truly troublesome! This thing is practically magic!

In his desperation, he shouted: "Bakudō #81, Dankū!"

Kyoraku Shunsui widened his eyes in shock, blurting out in surprise: "You can actually use number eighty-one Kido!?"

Immediately, a thought of doubt assailed his mind:

No, doesn't Dankū only defend against attacks from one direction? It should be useless for him to use it, right?

Although he could not yet use Kido above number fifteen, having been influenced since childhood by his older brother who was a Soul Reaper, Kyoraku knew the names and effects of Kido like the back of his hand.

The fact that Lin Nan used Dankū while surrounded on all sides made him instinctively feel that something was amiss.

Kyoraku fell into confusion for a moment, but after a second, he realized there were no traces of Kido within the flames and immediately snapped back to reality: "Damn it! You actually tricked me!"

Before the words had even faded, a figure shrouded in black smoke had already seized the moment of his distraction to break through the fire tornado and flash to his side: "That's right, this is called feigning an attack in the east to strike in the west!"

A massive fist struck Kyoraku's face in an instant.

"Go to hell!"