Konsō Practicum

At Hasegawa's command, the Senkaimon blazed with dazzling spiritual light.

"Groups one through five, follow the Hell Butterflies in order. Hold your formations and keep your minds steady!"

Hasegawa's voice carried clearly to everyone's ears through the hum of Reiatsu.

Wang Xun's group moved immediately.

He glanced back at Nanao and Harada, as well as the three nervous third-years behind him, nodded, and stepped into the light first.

The moment he passed through the Senkaimon, a familiar sensation of weightlessness and spatial distortion washed over him, as though he were passing through a thick membrane of water.

A brief darkness and silence followed, as though he were suspended in an endless void.

This was the Dangai, which connected Soul Society to the World of the Living.

Here, time flowed differently from the outside world, and perception became blurred.

Only with firm will and stable Reiatsu could one carve a path through the chaos and find the way forward.

For Wang Xun, none of this was unfamiliar anymore.

He steadily guided his Reiatsu, forming a path beneath his feet while keeping an eye on his teammates behind him.

Nanao and Harada both managed to steady themselves. Though the three third-years were uncomfortable, they could just about keep up with the group.

After several minutes of running, a point of light finally appeared ahead and rapidly expanded until it filled their entire field of vision.

Solid ground met their feet, and an atmosphere utterly different from Soul Society's washed over them.

The World of the Living.

The first thing they noticed was the slightly thinner concentration of Reishi in the air, which made the third-years, accustomed to Soul Society's environment, a little uncomfortable.

Then a city district somewhat different from those in Soul Society came into view.

Low wooden houses stretched on and on. The streets were fairly wide, but they were only packed dirt, with murky puddles gathered in the potholes.

Almost no lights could be seen, and only the cold moonlight outlined the buildings.

By comparison, the orderly buildings and Reishi lamps in the Seireitei seemed far more advanced.

"So this is the World of the Living..."

"It seems pretty similar to Soul Society."

The third-years looked around, their eyes full of curiosity.

"All right, focus. We can start looking for wandering souls now. Do you still remember the Konsō procedure?"

Hearing Wang Xun's voice, they quickly came back to their senses.

"Yes, senior!"

"Calm the soul, confirm their basic information, issue a numbered ticket, then guide Reiryoku to the hilt and stamp it on the soul's forehead to complete the Konsō ritual."

"And what should you do if you encounter a soul with deep attachments who refuses to cooperate?"

"First, try to talk it out. If that doesn't work... depending on the situation, we can use Bakudō to restrain them briefly and help complete the Konsō procedure."

"You remember the theory well."

Wang Xun nodded.

"Then your Konsō practicum begins now. Do your best. At the end, we'll grade you based on your performance."

With that, Wang Xun signaled for everyone to gather Reiatsu beneath their feet. With a light leap, he landed on a higher rooftop nearby, where the view opened up before him.

The others followed his example.

"All right, as planned, we'll clear the souls from this area first. Keep an eye on your surroundings and stay in communication."

Wang Xun gave the order, and the Konsō work began immediately.

The process of guiding souls was not complicated.

Most wandering souls were ordinary people whose lingering attachments had not faded after death, leaving them to wander about in a daze.

Even new students at the Spiritual Arts Academy could describe Soul Society as a wonderful place in a few words and persuade them to submit obediently.

A light touch to the center of the forehead with the end of an Asauchi's hilt, followed by a trace of Reiatsu to complete the ritual, was all it took for their souls to turn into specks of spiritual light.

The light would then attach itself to a Hell Butterfly prepared beforehand, and the butterfly would guide them to Soul Society.

Wang Xun and his two companions were mainly responsible for keeping watch, offering guidance, and handling any unexpected situations.

The third-years, meanwhile, learned the procedures and techniques of Konsō through practice.

"Aim for the center of the forehead and be as gentle as you can. Otherwise, the soul will feel uncomfortable."

"Watch your back. You still need to stay alert when performing Konsō."

Nanao and Harada patiently guided the somewhat flustered students.

Wang Xun moved around the group's perimeter, keeping watch for any danger that might appear.

Under the guidance of Wang Xun and the others, the third-years all successfully performed their first Konsō.

The work progressed smoothly.

After several hours, the group they were leading had successfully performed Konsō on more than ten souls, a fairly high rate.

The third-years gradually relaxed from their initial nervousness, and their words and movements grew more practiced.

Whenever they encountered a soul unwilling to leave and ready to put up a desperate fight, Wang Xun simply used them as a moving target for the juniors to practice low-level Bakudō on.

"Watch closely. With this kind of scoundrel, it doesn't matter if you're a little rough. Remember to send him somewhere beyond the sixtieth district."

Wang Xun brought his sword down, nearly smashing the cursing fellow's skull.

Yet as the new students watched Wang Xun's brutal technique, their eyes sparkled with little stars of admiration.

Nanao looked at the eager juniors with a hint of resignation.

"Although what he did wasn't wrong, you should still try not to copy him. Remember to be gentle..."

After a long while, the juniors began to look tired as their Reiatsu was depleted.

Wang Xun led them to a relatively flat rooftop to take a short break and eat the rations they had brought to replenish their strength.

"So this is the World of the Living. It doesn't feel as prosperous as Rukongai."

Satō spoke in a low voice.

"That's because you haven't been to the higher-numbered districts. Once you've seen what they're like, you won't say that."

Yoshida's tone was somewhat subdued.

Kobayashi did not respond.

As one of only two girls in the group, she quietly leaned against Nanao and ate her food in small bites.

"All right, make the most of this break. We'll make another sweep in a bit. If there aren't any souls left in this area, we can head back."

Wang Xun interrupted their reflections at the right moment.

"We've been lucky this time. We haven't run into a single Hollow."

Hearing Nanao's words, Wang Xun felt a slight stir in his heart.

The density of souls in this area was not low. Normally, there should have been souls that had turned into Hollows, or Hollows drawn here.

It was indeed a little strange.

"Having no Hollows around is a good thing."

Heita Harada nervously looked around the pitch-black streets and alleys, tightening his grip on his Asauchi.

"But it just feels... too quiet."

Wang Xun gazed into the darkness of the night, the tension in his heart undiminished.

If today's practicum could end this smoothly, that would be quite good.

But if something really did go wrong, there was not much time left.

Once they had finished resting, the group stood up and prepared to make one final sweep.

Even if there were no wandering souls left nearby, they had already met their Konsō quota.

According to the plan, they could already head to the meeting point.

Just then, however, the Denreishinki in Nanao's robe suddenly sounded an alarm.

Nanao took it out and checked it, her voice urgent and grave.

"Attention, we've just received notice of an abnormal Reiatsu reading nearby. It's a Hollow..."

Before she could finish speaking,

A roar filled with savagery and hunger tore through the night sky like a thunderclap.