A Captain's Test of Strength
Unohana didn't say anything more.
She turned around and walked down the mountain.
After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped.
"Wang Xun."
"What's wrong, Captain?"
"You can't practice swordsmanship here anymore."
Wang Xun was taken aback.
"Why?"
Unohana did not look back.
"As you just said, if I release any more Reiatsu, it will attract attention. This place is too close to the barracks; it's not suitable for me to exert my full power here."
Wang Xun fell silent.
He knew that Unohana was right.
As a captain with a thousand-year-old reputation, if Unohana were to go all out, not only the Fourth Division, but the entire Seireitei would likely be able to sense Unohana's Reiatsu.
The Zhu Xun thought for a moment and suddenly remembered a place.
"If the captain wants to switch, I do know a place."
Unohana turned around and looked at him.
"Beneath Sōkyoku Hill lies an underground cavern. It's surrounded by a barrier that isolates Reiatsu detection, making it well-hidden."
Unohana's eyes brightened slightly.
"There are places like this below the Sōkyoku regions?"
"Yes."
Unohana nodded without asking any further questions.
"Okay, let's go take a look there."
The next day, at Sōkyoku Hill.
Wang Xun led Unohana through the hidden passage and arrived at the underground cavern.
The cavern is very large, about the size of several football fields, and there are many traces left from training sessions on the surrounding rock walls.
Unohana stood at the cave entrance, her gaze sweeping across the entire space.
A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. "This is really... unexpected."
Wang Xun walked to the center of the hollow and turned around.
"Third Seat Urahara said that the rock walls here have been specially reinforced to withstand high-intensity Reiatsu impacts."
"The surrounding barrier can also isolate Reiatsu detection; no one will discover it."
Unohana nodded, then her gaze fell on the experimental equipment in the corner.
Several instruments, some utensils, and notebooks scattered around.
A thoughtful look flashed in her eyes, but she didn't ask any further questions.
"You and Kisuke Urahara are getting very close?"
Wang Xun did not hide anything.
"Yes, he helped me a lot."
Unohana nodded and said nothing more.
She walked to the center of the hollow and drew her Zanpakuto.
Moonlight shone on the blade, giving it a cold, gleaming appearance.
"This place is really nice."
She turned around to face Wang Xun.
"From now on, I'll practice my sword here."
"Why don't we do it now?"
Unohana turned around, and the way she looked at Wang Xun changed.
It was no longer the usual gentleness, but a look of expectation that Wang Xun had never seen before.
"Wang Xun, you've made a lot of progress behind my back."
Her voice was soft, but every word reached Wang Xun's ears clearly.
"Kendō, Kidō, Reiatsu... bring out everything you've been hiding today."
Wang Xun's pupils contracted slightly.
Unohana raised her knife, the tip pointing at him.
"The last battle wasn't exciting enough."
"To be honest, I can sense that you're hiding something. There's still a lot you haven't revealed to me."
"If you don't intend to kill me today, you'd better watch out, you might not even make it out of here unscathed."
A slight smile curved her lips, a smile Wang Xun had never seen before.
Wang Xun swallowed hard.
He sensed that the Unohana, was completely different from usual.
A palpable Reiatsu emanated from her, a long-suppressed excitement.
"Let me see your true strength."
Wang Xun gripped the hilt of the knife tightly and took a deep breath.
He wasn't surprised that Unohana could detect what he was hiding.
Wang Xun also wanted to know how long he could last against Unohana.
He whispered the release incantation, and his Zanpakuto was instantly released.
Wang Xun could even feel the excited buzzing of the Shackle Lotus in his hand.
"Team leader."
He spoke, his voice calm.
Please advise.
Unohana smiled, but the smile was fleeting.
Then, her figure disappeared from the spot.
Before Wang Xun could even react, the blade was already in front of him.
He instinctively raised his knife to block, but a tremendous force emanated from the blade, sending him flying.
He flipped in the air and landed with difficulty, his feet leaving two deep tracks on the ground.
Is this your limit?
Unohana's voice came from ahead, calm, but tinged with disappointment.
Wang Xun raised his head.
She stood still, without even moving a step.
That last strike was just a casual flick of the wrist.
He gritted his teeth and channeled his Reiatsu.
The wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
This is Kaidō; he is healing himself.
"Of course not."
His figure vanished from the spot.
This time, he didn't hold back.
He pushed the Shunpo to its limit, leaving several afterimages in the void.
Blades flashed from different angles toward Unohana, each strike carrying a sharp Reiatsu.
Unohana did not retreat; her sword drew an arc in the air, calmly parrying all of Wang Xun's attacks.
Wang Xun his sword, Shunpo to slash at her from behind.
Unohana didn't even turn around; with a backhand slash, she precisely parried his attack.
"Still a long way off."
With a flick of her wrist, a tremendous force emanated from the blade, sending Wang Xun staggering back several steps.
He didn't stop; the instant he landed, he raised his left hand.
Raikōhō, without chanting.
Lightning shot out from his palm, heading straight for Unohana's face.
Unohana turned her head to avoid the lightning, which grazed her cheek and blasted a deep crater in the rock wall.
Before she could turn around, Wang Xun's second Kidō had already arrived.
Sōkatsui.
A bluish-white flame shot out from her right hand, blocking Unohana's retreat.
She lightly touched the ground with her feet and leaped upwards, avoiding the area covered by the flames.
But this was the moment Wang Xun waiting for.
Black Coffin.
A small black cube coalesced above her head and suddenly descended.
Unohana's pupils contracted slightly as she slashed upwards with her Zanpakuto, splitting the Black Coffin in two with a single strike.
Reiatsu Fragment scattered and flew everywhere, shimmering with an eerie light within the cave.
She landed and looked at Wang Xun.
"Interesting."
With a hint of approval in her tone, she raised the knife in her hand.
This time, she didn't give Wang Xun his breath.
Her figure vanished from the spot again, so fast that Wang Xun could only block her attacks by instinct.
With each strike, Wang Xun was forced to retreat, his arms feeling numb.
His Reiatsu was being depleted very quickly.
With the blessing of the Shackle Lotus, he continuously healed his wounds with the Kaidō, continuously dealt damage with the Kidō, and continuously dodged with the Shunpo.
Under such intense output, he could feel his Reiatsu rapidly depleting.
But he can't stop.
Because if she stops, Unohana's sword will strike.
The cold, icy blade, like a scythe from hell, slashed towards Wang Xun with a murderous intent capable of destroying the heavens and the earth.
Kenpachi's fangs, for a thousand years, are finally fully revealed at this moment.
The moment the two Zanpakuto clashed, his sword involuntarily deviated by half an inch, Unohana's sword slid in through the gap, aiming straight for his chest.
He abruptly stepped back, barely avoiding the attack.
A gash was cut into the chest of the Shinigami armor, leaving a shallow bloodstain on the skin.
Is this all you've been hiding?
Wang Xun looked down at the wound on his chest and remained silent for a moment.
Then, he looked up and smiled.
"Captain, watch out!"
The next moment, a violent Reiatsu erupted from the depths of his soul.
The dark red Reiatsu condensed on his face, eventually transforming into a white bone mask with dark red patterns.
The next moment, a roar unique to the void echoed through the hollow.
Unohana sensed the sudden change in Reiatsu emanating from the person in front of her, as well as the strange bone mask on their face.
Her eyes widened slightly involuntarily.
"This is?"