Magic Power

A few days later, Seireitei, at an izakaya built along the river.

At dusk, the sunset dyed the river a warm gold and cast a cozy glow over the small establishment.

The place had been reserved in advance, with a wooden "Closed" sign hanging outside.

Inside, the atmosphere was lively and boisterous, a stark contrast to the tranquil river scenery outside.

The long tables had been pushed together and were covered with dishes and sake. The aromas of food mingled with the mellow fragrance of the liquor, filling the air.

Seated around them were Liu Chuan's former classmates from Shin'ō Academy.

Renji Abarai was still the loudest one there. Raising a sake bowl in one hand, his crimson hair especially striking beneath the lamplight, he shouted,

"Hahaha! Liu Chuan! We're drinking you under the table today! Otherwise, once you head up to the heavens, it'll be hard to find you for a drink!"

As he spoke, he filled Liu Chuan's cup again, nearly making the liquor spill over.

Momo Hinamori sat on Liu Chuan's other side. "Liu Chuan, Shiro asked me to make sure I thanked you."

At the mention of Toshiro Hitsugaya, her eyes shone. She was clearly deeply grateful that Liu Chuan had saved her childhood friend.

Izuru Kira raised his cup, his posture as meticulous as ever.

"Liu Chuan, congratulations. Though I fear we'll have very few chances to meet from now on." He always spoke so formally, but the sincerity in his eyes was beyond doubt.

Shuhei Hisagi also held up a cup, his steady face carrying a hint of emotion.

"Liu Chuan, this incident was only resolved thanks to you. Zero Division... truly is a stage better suited to you. Take care."

As a lieutenant, he understood better than most what Zero Division represented in terms of distance.

Rukia Kuchiki sat quietly a little farther away, with only a cup of tea before her.

Isshin Shiba was another force driving the mood. He laughed heartily, constantly competing with Renji in drinking while still finding time to tease Liu Chuan.

"Hey, Liu Chuan! When you get to the Soul King Palace, don't forget us old friends down here! If you ever come back, remember to bring some local specialties!"

Faced with everyone's sincere blessings and enthusiastic teasing, Liu Chuan sat at the head of the table with a calm smile, responding to them one by one.

Yet as he looked at those familiar faces and listened to their regret over his "departure for the Soul King Palace" and the likelihood that they would rarely meet again, he quietly buried one fact in his heart—

He would not be living permanently in the Soul King Palace.

Ichibē Hyōsube's special permission meant that he would still spend most of his time in Seireitei.

He would continue living here. Perhaps he would still run into them on the streets or during missions from time to time.

But at this moment, faced with the heartfelt affection of classmates and friends who were happy for his "promotion" yet reluctant to part with him, Liu Chuan chose to keep it hidden for now.

"Thank you, everyone." Liu Chuan raised his cup once more, his gaze sweeping over every familiar face as his voice rang clear and gentle.

Late at night, all was silent.

The bustling Seireitei of the day had sunk into its deepest sleep. Only the footsteps of patrolling Soul Reapers and the faint, distant sound of wooden clappers regularly broke the stillness of the night.

The Kido Corps' area had always been secluded, and Liu Chuan's room was simply furnished, piled high with books and calculation drafts.

The windows were tightly shut, the curtains drawn closed. Only an old Spirit Particle lamp at the corner of the desk gave off a steady, gentle white light, illuminating a small portion of the room.

The warmth and clamor of the farewell party seemed to still linger in the air, carrying a faint scent of alcohol.

But there was no trace of drunkenness on Liu Chuan's face. Seated behind his desk, he had several scrolls spread out before him—diagrams he had drawn himself, covered in complex runes and Spiritual Power flow routes—along with notes densely packed with data and derivations.

Yet his attention was not on any of those external things.

He slowly closed his eyes. His breathing became deep and even, as though he had merged with the silence around him.

The Spiritual Power within him—the power belonging to a Soul Reaper—was like a tranquil lake. Guided by his will, it began to circulate slowly in an extraordinarily delicate manner unlike any known Soul Reaper training method.

If a master proficient in Kido or Spiritual Power perception had been present, they might have vaguely sensed that the path of Spiritual Power within Liu Chuan's body was unusually strange.

It did not surge through conventional meridians or soul channels. Instead, it underwent some incomprehensible "conversion" in an almost bizarre fashion.

This was not any Kido, Hakuda, or Zanpakuto cultivation method of the Soul Society.

It belonged to Liu Chuan alone, founded on the profound knowledge he had accumulated in his previous life as a "genius mage," combined with ten years of deep research into the nature of Spiritual Power in this world and countless secret experiments.

Only then had he achieved this "conversion."

As his consciousness delved deeper, the Soul Reaper Spiritual Power, calm as a lake, began to undergo an extremely subtle yet fundamental change at a certain "node" deep within his soul.

Threads of pure azure spiritual radiance, carrying an icy sense of reason and order, were like ore cast into a furnace, tempered by an invisible "furnace core" and reconstructed through a "formula."

They gradually shed certain traits belonging to this world's Spirit Particles and took on a touch of deep, light-devouring... black.

This "black" was not emptiness. It was a highly condensed essence of power containing rules fundamentally different from those of Spirit Particles.

It was closer to "mystery," carrying a strange texture that faintly repelled the Soul Society's Spirit Particle environment while being forcibly constrained and controlled by Liu Chuan—Magic Power.

Yes, Magic Power. The source of power that had belonged to Liu Chuan the mage in his previous life.

In this world filled with Spirit Particles, it should have had no roots, no source, and no way to form. But Liu Chuan had found a "path."

Using a portion of his refined Soul Reaper power as material, his own soul as a foundation, the Magic Circuit reconstructed from otherworldly knowledge as a converter, and the Equivalent Exchange Formula derived from his deep understanding of this world's rules as a bridge—

He forcibly performed a "mass-energy conversion," transforming "Spiritual Power" into "Magic Power"!

The process was extraordinarily difficult. Its efficiency could hardly be called high, and the burden it placed on his soul was substantial. But it had truly allowed him to regain, in this world, a power of his own that was entirely different from the local power system.

At that moment, as the conversion continued, that deep black Magic Power flowed slowly through his reconstructed Magic Circuit like an awakening undercurrent.

Unlike the harmonious resonance between Spiritual Power and the Spirit Particle environment, wherever Magic Power passed, the free Spirit Particles in the surrounding air seemed to be invisibly repelled and squeezed away. They trembled and scattered, creating an extremely subtle yet abnormal zone of thin Spirit Particle density within the room.

Even the glow of the Spirit Particle lamp at the desk corner seemed to dim for an imperceptible instant.

Fine beads of sweat formed at Liu Chuan's temples, and his face looked somewhat pale beneath the lamplight.

This conversion was far from easy. Every attempt was a test of his control and the resilience of his soul.

Yet there was no pain between his brows, only the absolute focus of a researcher confronting successful experimental data.

At last, the conversion reached a stable critical point, and Liu Chuan slowly opened his eyes.

In an instant, a deep black gleam flashed through the depths of his eyes, then vanished.

He lightly clenched his fist. Within his palm, a condensed, restrained, yet profoundly strange power that seemed capable of distorting common sense and interfering with "anomalies" flowed quietly beneath his flesh.

This power belonged neither to Soul Reapers nor Hollows, nor even entirely to any known power system in this world.

It was Liu Chuan's deepest hidden trump card, the most crucial proof of his identity as an "otherworldly visitor," and the greatest foundation that gave him the courage to explore the unknown and even challenge certain established rules...

Feeling the Magic Power within him—far inferior in quantity to his vast Spiritual Power, yet more "unusual" and "independent" in nature—Liu Chuan let out a long, silent breath.

Conversion required steady accumulation over time as well.

He looked toward the copied records scattered across the desk, containing fragmentary information about the Soul King Palace, as well as the Zero Division haori neatly folded at one side.

The Soul King Palace—the pinnacle of the Soul Society, the residence of the Soul King, and the base of Zero Division. In a few days, he would officially set foot in that supreme land.

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