Hollowfication Fragment

"What do you think of Kaien Shiba?"

Nanao suddenly asked as they chatted by the roadside after dinner.

"A genius."

Wang Xun's response was matter-of-fact.

"Really? But you weren't surprised at all when you saw his test results."

"Well, no. After all... his name is Shiba."

Wang Xun yawned as he spoke.

"A noble clan in decline is still a noble clan, especially one that used to be a great noble clan. It's no surprise that a member of the family would have talent like that."

"I get the feeling he doesn't need the academy's teachers to teach him anything. His family's teachings alone would be enough to give him a good education. Coming to Shin'ō Academy might just be a formality. Do you believe that?"

"Mm-hm..."

Nanao gave a soft hum.

She had read many books about the history of Soul Society, and the subject had also come up in class, so she naturally knew some of the stories about the Five Great Noble Clans.

Though now there were only Four Great Noble Clans.

She gazed at the setting sun as it gradually sank below the horizon, a trace of melancholy entering her eyes.

This was her fifth academic year at the academy, and she still hadn't transformed the Asauchi assigned to her by the Spiritual Arts Academy into her own Zanpakuto.

As for which division she would choose after graduation, she had even less of an idea.

Although her talent for Kidō far surpassed that of ordinary people, could she still become a Soul Reaper without awakening her Zanpakuto...?

A large hand rested on her head, interrupting her thoughts.

"All right, don't think so much. Things will work themselves out when the time comes. Thanks for your hard work today. Head back and get some rest."

Seeing the smile on Wang Xun's lips, Nanao felt her face grow warm. She turned her head sharply, shaking his hand off.

"Mm, you too."

With that, she turned and left, clutching her books. Just before they parted, she turned her head slightly.

"By the way, tomorrow's our day off. Are you still going to the library?"

"Yes. I haven't finished reading 'On the State of Soul Society over the Past Three Hundred Years' yet."

"All right, I'll wait for you at the usual place."

Nanao walked away with a spring in her step. Wang Xun watched her go before heading toward his own dormitory.

Back in his room, he slowly let out a long breath.

"System, open the panel."

A translucent blue screen unfolded before his eyes.

[Name: Wang Xun]

Spiritual Might: Tenth Class (experience: 2665/3000)

Kendō: lv2 (experience: 1825/2000)

Hakuda: lv2 (experience: 1760/2000)

Shunpo: lv2 (experience: 1695/2000)

Kidō: lv3 (experience: 1450/3000)

Zanpakuto: Asauchi resonance 82%

[Special abilities]

Hollowfication: lv1 (experience: 10/1000)

These were the attributes he had accumulated over the past four years at Shin'ō Academy.

He could gain experience through his own training, or by absorbing fragments dropped while others trained.

The more skilled a person was, the more likely they were to drop fragments.

With his Zankensōki at lv1, Wang Xun had already been among the best students, no weaker than an ordinary division member.

At lv2, he had improved tremendously, reaching a level comparable to some of the veteran Soul Reaper instructors who taught at the academy.

His strongest attribute, lv3 Kidō, had just barely reached the level of a lower-ranking Seated Officer, thanks to the Nanao-brand Kidō experience pack.

Looking over the figures on the panel, Wang Xun's gaze finally settled on the line at the very bottom.

Hollowfication.

It had come from a strange fragment he had chanced upon a few months ago during a patrol exercise in Rukongai.

It had given off a strange, dark red glow, unlike any fragment he had found before.

At the time, he hadn't known what it was, but out of trust in the system, he had reached out and touched it.

Afterward, a trace of eerie Reiatsu had appeared inside him.

A Hollow's Reiatsu.

Wang Xun had never tried to draw on that trace of Reiatsu, nor had he deliberately triggered Hollowfication.

A Soul Reaper possessing a Hollow's power was absolutely taboo in the present-day Seireitei.

Even the captains in the Visored who had undergone Hollowfication in the original story rarely used that power in front of others after returning to the Seireitei.

Combining Kaien Shiba's appearance today with the earlier Hollowfication fragment, Wang Xun could roughly deduce where he was in the timeline.

Aizen's Hōgyoku experiments had already begun.

Soul Society had never been particularly peaceful, and now there was another danger lurking in the shadows.

In a little over a decade, the major incident that shook the entire Seireitei would occur.

The captains would undergo Hollowfication and defect.

Several decades after that, Aizen would select a few students with clean backgrounds and exceptional talent from the Spiritual Arts Academy and groom them as his pawns.

Izuru Kira, Momo Hinamori, and Renji Abarai.

Meanwhile, the Soul Reapers and souls with high Reiryoku whom Aizen crushed and threw into the Hōgyoku were too numerous to count.

With Kyōka Suigetsu's ability, Aizen covered up these incidents flawlessly.

Wang Xun didn't claim to have Momo Hinamori's health bar.

Nor was he a prodigy with exceptional talent who deserved much attention.

Thus, the ability he normally showed was only at lv1.

That put him at the bottom of the elite class, but made him stand out among ordinary people.

Until he had enough strength, it was best to avoid drawing too much attention from those dangerous individuals.

Outside the window, night fell over Soul Society.

The outline of Sōkyoku Hill appeared and disappeared in the dusk as lights came on one after another throughout the Seireitei.

The barracks of the Gotei 13's divisions lay across the Seireitei like silent, hulking beasts.

Wang Xun walked to the window and gazed in the direction of the Fifth Division Barracks.

The people living there now should be the current captain, Shinji Hirako, and that lieutenant who always wore a smile, Sōsuke Aizen.

"There's still time."

Wang Xun spoke softly and clenched his fist.

His current strength was still far from enough.

But he had the system.

As long as he could lie low and survive, sooner or later he too would have the strength to face any danger without fear.

Before long, several of his roommates returned, and they exchanged greetings.

Wang Xun closed the panel and lay down on his bed. Nothing else happened that night.

Early the next morning, Wang Xun left his room.

After breakfast, he headed to the training grounds.

Some hardworking students had already begun practicing there.

As they moved, fragments of Reiatsu and training insights dropped from time to time.

Wang Xun had tested them before; these fragments could remain for several days before dissipating.

So every so often, he would come to the training grounds to collect them.

He had spent the previous few days helping with the new students' entrance tests. Today happened to be his day off, so he went straight to the training grounds and absorbed the fragments left scattered across the ground.

Some people saw Wang Xun and greeted him.

Most of them already knew the guy who liked to wander around the various training grounds.

To keep his behavior from looking strange, Wang Xun would occasionally help replace training equipment and clear damaged items from the grounds.

As a result, he was unexpectedly well liked among the teachers and students.

[Obtained Reiryoku fragments ×15, Spiritual Might experience +45]

[Obtained Kidō insights ×2, Kidō experience +10]

[Obtained Hakuda insights ×9, Hakuda experience +45]

[Obtained Shunpo insights ×8, Shunpo experience +40]

[Obtained Kendō insights ×12, Kendō experience +60]

Wang Xun quickly absorbed and digested the training insights and various realizations contained in the fragments.

His proficiency with some techniques he had found difficult was also steadily improving.

Having them directly imprinted on his body and mind felt far better than gritting his teeth and training on his own.

As he collected fragments, Wang Xun occasionally looked over the students practicing on the field.

In Wang Xun's eyes, the lower-year students' techniques were riddled with mistakes and omissions, and they could hardly provide him with any experience.

Now, only the skilled upper-year students could drop experience for Wang Xun.

Before long, once Wang Xun's Zankensōki had all reached lv3, the rate at which he gained experience at the academy would probably drop even further.

"I still need to find more ways to collect fragments. This little Spiritual Arts Academy can't satisfy me anymore."

Wang Xun looked at the clear sky.

The timing was just right. It was time to meet Little Nanao at the library.