Chapter 411: Aizen, Who Shocked Soul Society with Early Graduation
A few days later, a piece of news that stunned Soul Society spread from the Spiritual Arts Academy in every direction.
A newly admitted student named Aizen applied for early graduation after only a few days at the Spiritual Arts Academy.
Moreover, he completed the assessment with flawless results.
Even the examiner was astounded, as this Shinigami achieved the highest scores in all four techniques: zanjutsu, hakuda, kidō, and hohō.
The news swept through Soul Society like a whirlwind.
Both spiritual beings and those who had become Shinigami were shocked by the revelation.
It must be noted that even the fastest graduate from the Spiritual Arts Academy, the current Captain Soralin, took just over two months to complete her training.
Other current captains took at least half a year.
This is because early graduation requires passing extremely rigorous assessments.
For standard graduations, the passing criteria are much less demanding.
However, lower standards also mean it is challenging to join elite units like the Gotei 13.
There is no doubt about it.
Those who aim for early graduation typically aspire to join the Gotei 13, but the requirements—mastery of a Zanpakutō and Shikai—are formidable.
Now, this student named Aizen had graduated in mere days and earned the highest grades.
This set an unprecedented record.
It is difficult to imagine what heights this man might reach in the future.
While Soul Society buzzed with uproar over Aizen's news, a captains' meeting convened in the office of the First Division.
The captains' meeting is an exclusive gathering, attended only by captains and vice-captains.
At the entrance to the conference room, a striking japanese character "一" adorned the door.
Like the surrounding buildings, the conference room was designed in a traditional Japanese style, with polished wooden floors.
Inside the conference room, a massive, ancient wooden table stood at the center.
The captains took their seats around the long table, one by one.
Currently, the Gotei 13 was fully staffed, with either a captain or a vice-captain serving as a temporary acting captain in each division.
As a result, all thirteen seats around the table were occupied.
In addition to the thirteen chairs encircling the table, rows of seats lined both sides of the room for the vice-captains.
This arrangement was for observation, as ordinary vice-captains typically had little voice in such meetings unless they possessed exceptional strength.
Coincidentally, the current vice-captains of the Gotei 13 were remarkably powerful.
These were souls of warriors who had endured centuries in the underworld, resisting the erosive winds of that realm for hundreds of years.
After the division of the four realms, they had found a new dawn.
Excluding some renowned figures from recent history who were not recruited and others absorbed by Hueco Mundo, many still arrived in Soul Society.
Among them, those who had died within the past century were the least affected by the underworld's winds.
Their souls were exceptionally potent, allowing them to convert their spiritual energy into Reiatsu with remarkable speed in Soul Society.
Compared to ordinary geniuses, who built their power from scratch, these individuals carried forward accumulated strength from their past lives.
This situation meant that the current captains and vice-captains of Soul Society were largely individuals of great virtue or power from their mortal lives.
Only those with extraordinary strength and soul could rise to the rank of captain or vice-captain in such a short time.
This carryover from their past lives might be called a form of cheating genius.
If they truly started from nothing, even these geniuses would require years to build their power.
This disparity stems from a key factor: the perception of time for spiritual beings differs vastly from that of the living world.
Living geniuses might grow rapidly in strength within a few years.
For spiritual beings, achieving the same level could take ten times as long.
This is due to the fundamental difference in how immortal beings and mortal lives perceive time.
"The primary purpose of gathering everyone today is to discuss Aizen, the genius who graduated early from the Spiritual Arts Academy," announced Captain Soralin of the First Division, seated at the head of the long table. Her voice was calm as she outlined the main topic of the meeting.
Now, this woman with fiery red hair appeared more mature than she had two years ago.
She wore the traditional Shinigami attire: a black kimono-style top paired with wide-legged trousers that reached her ankles, cinched at the ends.
Over this, she donned a captain's haori robe, with the white back emblazoned with her division's insignia.
Her presence exuded authority.
"Oh? I heard Aizen graduated in just a few days and achieved perfect scores in all four Shinigami disciplines," remarked a captain.
A woman with blonde braids and striking figure sat at the captains' table.
Her dark eyes narrowed slightly as she spoke with intrigue.
A gentle smile played on her face, though few appreciated her beauty.
This woman was the acting captain of the Twelfth Division, affiliated with the Technology Development Bureau.
As a researcher, she possessed an insatiable curiosity.
Anyone who rose to the rank of captain piqued her interest as a potential subject of study.
However, few present cared for her inquisitive nature, as most valued their privacy and had little patience for her probing.
Her question, though, stirred the room's atmosphere.
To be frank, nearly everyone seated here could be considered a "cheater" in some sense.
They had soared to their positions thanks to the experience of their past lives.
Even so, only a few, like Captain Soralin of the First Division and Vice-Captain Scarlett, stood out as exceptionally gifted.
Among the others, the fastest to master Shikai had taken half a year.
Moreover, the four disciplines tested in the early graduation exam were notoriously difficult.
While some excelled in zanjutsu, Zanpakutō mastery, or Reiatsu control, they often struggled to keep pace with kidō.
As a result, many faced setbacks during the graduation assessment.
Now, someone had achieved the highest scores in all four Shinigami disciplines in just a few days.
This led some to speculate whether this individual had spent a year or two quietly training on Rukongai's streets before arriving at the Spiritual Arts Academy to make a dramatic debut.
However, such loopholes seemed unlikely.
Some captains had already investigated before the meeting.
It was nearly certain that Aizen had only recently arrived in Soul Society.
"After review by the Spiritual Arts Academy, it is clear that this man possesses extraordinary potential," said a small girl with brown skin and a pair of black wings, who appeared no older than ten. Her voice was cute but serious.
Her earnest demeanor elicited a few chuckles.
She was Simifu, the acting captain of the Seventh Division.
For a Shinigami to rise to such a position in a short time with considerable strength, her background was far from ordinary.
Unlike others, she had no past life but was a completely new spiritual entity.
This brings us to the two paths through which spiritual beings are currently selected for Soul Society.
The first is the reincarnation mode.
Spiritual beings arriving in Soul Society retain memories of their mortal lives, but these memories feel like watching another person's life through a distant lens.
It is akin to someone who drank the mythical Meng Po soup suddenly glimpsing memories of a past life.
For those who lingered long in the underworld and lost their memories to its winds, their souls are like blank slates.
The reason for adopting this reincarnation mode is simple.
If a soul retained the full emotions of their mortal life, they would constantly yearn to return to that life.
This would create complications, so the reincarnation mode is used.
As a result, most who arrive in Soul Society are reincarnated spirits.
Their faint memories influence their personality and behavior, but they inherit little of their former emotions.
Yet, their soul remains the same, making it a true reincarnation.
( End of this chapter )