Long Time Apart

Aizen Sousuke watched Yamamoto Shigekuni coldly, neither angry nor irritated.

Clashing with Yamamoto Shigekuni at a time like this would be extremely unwise.

Leaving Yamamoto Shigekuni and going some distance away, Aizen began raising his Soul Power.

He laid a foundation of strength for everything to come.

Time flew by, and graduation soon arrived.

Everyone was already eleven or twelve years old.

By now, Aizen's relationship with Xiao Wu and Tang San had grown increasingly close.

Under Aizen's special instructions, Ulquiorra had begun going easy on Tang San.

Being able to stand toe-to-toe with Ulquiorra, Tang San felt that his years of hard cultivation had not been in vain.

After training with Aizen and Ulquiorra, Tang San had reached level thirty early on. However, because Yu Xiaogang said there were no suitable Soul Rings for Tang San in the Soul Hunting Forest, he had never added one.

Unlike Tang San, Xiao Wu had reached level thirty-four, becoming a star student of immense promotional value to Notting Junior Soul Master Academy.

Especially when she broke through level thirty and obtained a thousand-year Soul Ring, the entire Notting Junior Soul Master Academy was shaken.

Even Yu Xiaogang called Xiao Wu a genius seen only once in a thousand years.

Thus, the entire academy regarded Xiao Wu as their supreme big sister, an absolute top figure in the school.

Yet at the graduation ceremony, while receiving such an honor, Xiao Wu said,

"Actually, it's all thanks to Master Aizen's excellent teaching. Without Master Aizen, there would be no me today. I'm especially grateful to Master Aizen!"

As she spoke, she happily greeted Aizen below the stage, showing off the honor she had received in hopes of earning his praise.

Aizen smiled back at Xiao Wu and nodded gently.

Although she did not receive verbal praise from Aizen, that nod of approval alone was enough to keep Xiao Wu excited for a long time.

Under Xiao Wu's radiance, Tang San, who had reached level thirty even faster than her, did not stand out nearly as much.

Seeing Xiao Wu enjoying herself so much, Tang San was also very happy.

"Actually, you could have been even more outstanding than Xiao Wu," Aizen said with a smile as he came to Tang San's side.

"It's fine. I don't like being exposed before everyone's eyes," Tang San said modestly.

"As long as your mindset is good." With that, Aizen returned to the crowd and had Kurosaki Ichigo, Yamamoto Shigekuni, Aizen Sousuke, Ichimaru Gin, and the others pack their things. They planned to head to Suotuo City, meet up with Retsu Unohana and Grimmjow, and enter Shrek Academy together.

The current Aizen was vastly different from who he had been years ago.

Name: Aizen

Race: Human (Convertible)

Age: Twelve

Level: Soul Power Level 68

Martial Soul: Zanpakuto (Kyoka Suigetsu, Hyōrinmaru Zangetsu, Ryūjin Jakka, Shinso, Benihime.)

Skills: Complete Hypnosis, Kido Numbers One through Seventy-Nine, Flock of Birds Ice Pillar, Getsuga Tenshō, Stroke Slash, Hakuda, Shunpo, swordsmanship, scientific mind (passive).

Aizen Sousuke Template 40%, Hitsugaya Toshiro 30%, Kurosaki Ichigo 20%, Ichimaru Gin 20%, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni 30%, Urahara Kisuke 10%, Shihouin Yoruichi 0%...

It had to be said that even though he had spent time with Aizen Sousuke, Aizen had not learned much from him. Before Aizen, Aizen Sousuke had always appeared gentle and refined, with no desire to compete.

If it was not because of loyalty, then Aizen Sousuke must have been deceiving Aizen.

Therefore, Aizen could not help remaining wary of Aizen Sousuke. He did not dare communicate deeply with him, and especially did not dare watch Aizen Sousuke release his Zanpakuto, afraid that he himself would fall under Kyoka Suigetsu's influence.

Even when Aizen summoned everyone, he had used Kyoka Suigetsu at the very first opportunity to ensure that nothing unusual happened.

But the psychological shadow Aizen Sousuke had left on him was simply too great.

Even if Aizen Sousuke had fallen under his Kyoka Suigetsu, Aizen could not help wondering whether what he saw was truly real, or merely what Aizen Sousuke wanted him to see.

If he kept thinking about that question, Aizen felt that his brain would not be enough.

To keep everything under control, he needed absolutely overwhelming strength to suppress it all.

Looking at their levels, Aizen felt that things were not so bad yet.

Because of the Hogyoku, everyone only displayed two Soul Rings, yet their levels were extremely high.

Ulquiorra, level forty-six.

Kurosaki Ichigo, level forty-one.

Yamamoto Shigekuni, level fifty-two.

Aizen Sousuke, level forty-eight.

Urahara Kisuke, level forty-five.

Ichimaru Gin, level forty-seven.

Matsumoto Rangiku, level thirty-six.

Inoue Orihime, level thirty-two.

In Suotuo City, Grimmjow and Retsu Unohana had been discovered by Shrek Academy's headmaster, Flender, as planned and invited to join Shrek Academy.

After being apart for so long, Aizen wondered how much they had grown.

Their departure time had been staggered from Tang San and Xiao Wu's. When Aizen arrived in Suotuo City, it happened to be the time for Shrek Academy's enrollment.

Looking at Shrek Academy, which resembled a small village, Aizen and the others could not help shaking their heads and laughing.

Yamamoto Shigekuni looked at Shrek Academy with utter disdain.

"For an academy to be run like this, its headmaster must be incompetent."

Kurosaki Ichigo did not particularly care. The place did look somewhat shabby, but as long as it could make him stronger, that was enough.

Urahara Kisuke, on the other hand, was filled with interest and looked eager to get started.

Back at Notting Junior Soul Master Academy, Urahara Kisuke had loved tinkering and modifying things.

Because of Urahara Kisuke's presence, Dormitory Number Seven had begun to change.

In less than a year, Dormitory Number Seven, once the worst dormitory, had actually become the one with the best conditions.

It was hard to believe that this was the dormitory of Work-Study Students rather than that of nobles.

The Soul Tools created by Urahara Kisuke had completely transformed Dormitory Number Seven, making everything fully automated.

Automated cleaning, automated treadmills, automated massage machines...

The Work-Study Students' quality of life instantly reached the peak, leaving the residents of other dormitories endlessly envious.

Some people even paid high prices to purchase Urahara Kisuke's Soul Tools, allowing Aizen to make a fortune.

Since they had money, and Shrek Academy was so rundown, they might as well kindly help Flender renovate it. It would also improve their own quality of life.

After all, Shrek Academy would be their residence for the next few years.

And there would be far more than just these people living here.

At the village entrance stood a table, with an old man seated behind it.

At the village entrance, Aizen and the others saw a crude wooden archway with a dilapidated plaque hanging from it. Written on it were the words,

"Shrek Academy"

Beside it was a strange creature that looked like a puddle of green mud.

The same bizarre image was also on the old man's chest.

Although the academy looked extremely shabby, with neither facilities nor any respectable appearance, perhaps the only thing it had to show for itself was this old Soul Emperor.

Even so, many people had come to enroll in the academy.

There were more than a hundred of them.

Because the academy used the promise of becoming an Imperial Viscount upon graduation as a selling point, it had attracted many people to register.

No matter how good the promise was, the dilapidated state of the place inevitably made people wonder whether it was true.

As they entered the line, the group suddenly saw a long-haired woman in white robes approach, followed by a handsome man with heterochromatic eyes.

When they passed by Aizen, the woman in front gave him a faint smile. Aizen returned it with one of his own.

The sight made them seem like close friends who had been separated for a long time.

The newcomer was none other than Retsu Unohana.

And if Aizen was not mistaken, the person behind her was Dai Mubai.

Dai Mubai looked at Retsu Unohana in horror, as if he could not believe what he was seeing.

Retsu Unohana had actually smiled!

"It's you!"

A loud, familiar voice suddenly came from behind him.

Aizen turned around.

Tang San was carrying Xiao Wu on his back, pointing at Retsu Unohana with one hand as he cried out.

Watching all this, Aizen revealed an amused smile.