"I'm truly amazed. Your Kido talent surpasses even mine back in the day."
Tessai exclaimed—he hadn't expected Gusion to succeed, and with such high completion.
He was called a once-in-a-millennium Kido genius, but even he had only managed Shakkahō after working through lower-level Kido step by step.
If Gusion's background was legit, then this was his first day with Kido, and he succeeded with Shakkahō on his second try—his talent was astronomical.
"Sensei flatters me. I'll need your guidance going forward..."
Gusion replied modestly, glancing at Aizen and smiling, "I'll need Sōsuke's help too."
Aizen was genuinely shocked. Like Yoruichi, he'd assumed Gusion wouldn't be good at something as delicate as Kido, but he'd succeeded in one try.
He wasn't inferior.
Aizen himself had succeeded with Shakkahō on his first attempt, too.
Aizen's eyes narrowed slightly behind his black-framed glasses before he flashed his familiar bright smile. "Gusion-kun, let's learn from each other and improve together."
The students were still in shock. Then Tessai made them gape even more: "Would you like to join the Kido Corps after graduation? That way your talent won't be wasted."
Gusion was surprised—he didn't expect Tessai to try recruiting him on their very first meeting.
The nearby students were envious. The Kido Corps was a special unit independent of the Gotei 13; only the top students made it in, and the benefits were great.
And from Tessai's attitude, if Gusion joined, he'd probably rise quickly—a golden opportunity.
The Kido Corps offer was tempting, but unfortunately, even with a long stay, Lu Li didn't plan to join.
To him, that was a mage class, and he was a warrior at heart—he loved close combat. The Kido Corps didn't suit his style.
He wanted to learn Kido just to add options to his combat strategies.
"Thank you for your kindness, Sensei. But I've just enrolled and haven't decided on my future path—can I have some time to consider?"
Gusion's reply was a tactful refusal, giving face to the Grand Kido Chief.
Tessai was a little disappointed. He'd heard this young man was brought in by Captain Unohana, and that his Zanjutsu and Hakuda skills were top-notch—a true all-round genius with limitless potential. He certainly had the right to choose his path.
Thinking further, the Kido Corps was limited—Tessai himself was the chief and couldn't give up his role, and with Gusion's talent, he could one day become a Gotei captain.
"Alright, continue practicing for now. If you have questions about Kido, ask me directly."
Tessai made no effort to hide his admiration, even after being turned down; he was happy to mentor such a prodigy.
For the rest of the session, Gusion tried all the Kido in the textbook.
Watching his classmates struggle with Byakurai, Gusion found it odd—was Kido that hard to learn?
He was naturally skilled at controlling his body, and after learning how to manipulate reishi, he found he could precisely control his inner energy.
To him, Kido was just arranging reishi in set patterns to form offensive spells.
But now he had a problem: even though Kido wasn't hard, he wasn't interested in Hadō anymore.
From his perspective, Hadō existed to harm enemies—so why not just use his sword?
Bakudō and Kaidō, on the other hand, had more support uses. Bakudō could capture enemies, and Kaidō could heal.
Especially the latter—if his healing was strong, could he just go all offense in future fights?
But Kaidō was complex and not in the first-year textbook; only a few low-level Bakudō were. He wanted something more advanced.
So, Gusion turned to his all-knowing roommate: "Sōsuke, can you teach me some Bakudō not in the textbook?"
"Bakudō? I know a few, but why are you interested?"
Aizen was curious—most people wanted powerful Hadō like he was currently researching Kurohitsugi.
"Hadō is too much trouble for killing. Bakudō has more applications, like restraining people."
Gusion explained casually, then added, "Sōsuke, why don't you cast a Bakudō on me so I can feel it?"
"Why are you looking at me like that? Go ahead—the teacher only said no more dangerous Hadō. Bakudō should be fine, right?"
Gusion urged him, "The higher the level, the better!"
Even Aizen couldn't help but facepalm briefly. Then he said, "Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini!! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat! Bakudō #9: Geki!"
Gusion didn't dodge. A red light spiraled around him, and he instantly felt his movements restricted, with a burning, choking sensation at his throat.
Bakudō #9: Geki was for both restraint and harm. Gusion could barely move, but the choking seriously weakened him.
If caught by it in battle and unable to break free quickly, defeat was almost certain.
Bakudō was indeed a powerful support skill.
Gusion then used his reiryoku to resist and tore at the Bakudō with brute strength; at his limit, the red light shattered.
"With similar spiritual pressure, low-level Bakudō can only temporarily restrain or disrupt—they rarely completely immobilize an opponent."
Aizen explained, "Only high-level Bakudō can fully lock down an enemy's movements, but that requires great control."
Gusion nodded, "Then, Sōsuke, show me some advanced ones—you can do them, right?"
Aizen smiled and shook his head, "You overestimate me, Gusion-kun. I may have some Kido talent, but like you, I'm just a first-year. I can't do high-level Bakudō yet. If you're interested, ask Tessai-sensei—Bakudō isn't considered dangerous, so he should teach you."
Gusion looked at Aizen's innocent face and thought, "Yeah, right!" Maybe Aizen couldn't do Kurohitsugi yet, but he could probably do 60- or 70-level spells easily.
But Aizen wouldn't reveal his hand, so Gusion could only turn to Tessai.
"Oh? Bakudō and Kaidō? I can teach you some Bakudō you can handle at your current level, but if you're interested in Kaidō, wait until Captain Unohana comes to substitute. She'll be happy to teach you."
Tessai said, "I'm sure Captain Unohana would be glad to help."