With the dull thud of a ceremonial drum, the graduation assessment officially began.
The exam was divided into two main parts.
The first covered the Four Basic Arts of the Shinigami: Zanjutsu (swordsmanship), Hakuda (hand-to-hand combat), Shunpo (flash step), and Kidō (demon arts).
Students proceeded to their designated rooms to demonstrate their mastery in each subject. Invigilators graded performances on a 100-point scale—60 to pass, 80 for excellence, and 90 or above for Penultimate. A total of 240 across all four subjects earned a diploma. A total of 320 or at least one Penultimate score qualified students for the second phase.
Students moved in orderly lines. Su Li followed quietly to his designated room.
The first subject was Zanjutsu—sealed Zanpakutō form.
"Name, class?" the proctor asked without lifting his eyes.
"Su Li, Class One, Grade Six," he replied evenly.
"Alright. Begin."
"I abstain."
"...What?"
The proctor's head snapped up, shock etched across his face.
"I abstain, sensei."
The proctor blinked, stunned. In all his years, he had never seen a student give up a practical exam.
"You sure?"
"I'm sure," Su Li answered lightly.
His Zanpakutō's glue wasn't even dry—taking it out now was asking for public shame.
Might as well die in the street.
The proctor, clearly irritated, scrawled a heavy red X in the scorebook.
"Su Li, Zanjutsu, 0 points."
Su Li nodded calmly and left without another word.
The proctor stared after him, anger still simmering under disbelief.
—
Later, at the Kidō assessment room.
"Hadō #31—Shakkahō!" a student shouted.
"Excuse me, student, smoking isn't allowed in the exam room."
"What?! That was my spell!"
"Was that a fireball or your grandfather's lighter?"
"Pfft...hahaha...apologies...we're trained to be professional but—hahaha..."
"We'll give you 5 points. One for technique, four for making us laugh."
"Next!"
Su Li exited the hall, face burning.
His Kidō was on par with Abarai Renji—abysmal.
Still, he shook it off.
He never planned to pass Kidō or Zanjutsu anyway.
His goal was the second phase—only achievable by scoring Penultimate in at least two subjects.
Passing that would guarantee both Gotei 13 admission and a diploma, regardless of his earlier failure.
That was his strategy.
He took a breath and walked to the third assessment.
—
Outside, students rested and chatted.
"You won't believe it—a guy scored zero in Zanjutsu!"
"What?! Not even drawing the sword? How'd he make it this far?"
"He literally gave up! The proctor almost had a heart attack."
"Hahaha who even does that? Is he trying not to graduate?"
"Name was Su Li or something, from Renji's class..."
"Damn, that was the guy ahead of me in the Kidō room. Know what he scored?"
"How much?"
"Five! His Shakkahō looked like a flicker from a busted lighter. The examiners were crying."
"Haha, King of Trash! Truly unmatched!"
"He should duel Renji—he got six in Kidō."
"But Renji got 92 in Zanjutsu and can use Shikai! He's the only one in our year who can!"
"So yeah, even among failures, there's a hierarchy."
—
Meanwhile, at the Hakuda assessment grounds.
A towering wooden puppet stood silently. Developed by the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, these dummies were strong, reactive targets for hand-to-hand combat tests.
The exam was simple—destroy the puppet using only Hakuda.
Fewer hits taken, faster destruction, higher score.
Under five minutes with fewer than three hits taken scored above 90.
Under three minutes without being hit earned a perfect score.
But it was extremely difficult. Only two people had ever scored Penultimate:
Shihōin Yoruichi, former Second Division Captain.
And her successor, current Captain Sui-Feng.
No one had ever earned full marks.
"Begin!" said the examiner, hand on the timer.
Su Li nodded.
The moment the switch flipped, the puppet twisted into attack mode.
"Boom!"
A single explosive punch from Su Li shattered the entire puppet into flying splinters.
He stared at his hand, surprised by his own strength.
Then calmly dusted off his clothes.
"Sensei, I'm done."
The invigilator blinked at the shattered remains, then at the calm student.
He was completely speechless.
—
Later, at the Shunpo testing arena.
"The exam is dodgeball," the proctor explained. "Each successful dodge adds a ball. One hit, and you're out. 16 is pass, 32 is excellent, 64 is Penultimate."
"Don't try anything wild. Only the former Second Division Captain ever reached 64."
"..."
"Hey, this student just hit 32."
"Impressive... now he's at 48."
"...64? Wait, he's still going?!"
"87...101...112..."
"128?! That's every ball in the machine!"
Inside the sealed room, Su Li danced through a storm of high-speed orbs with precise, blurring footwork.
"Sensei, I think the machine broke—it stopped spitting balls."
The proctors stared at the screen, stunned.
Su Li had dodged all 128 projectiles without a single hit.
They had no words left.