Soul King's Palace. A Zero Squad Detached Palace.
The Kirinden.
Each member of the Zero Squad who guards the Soul King can be said to represent a facet of Soul Society's history. The Kirinden, then, probably represents the very concept of healing. Perhaps, before Kirinji Tenjirō, the technique known as "Kaidō" did not exist in the world.
However, Kirinji Tenjirō didn't just use clear and red baths to treat his patients. As a member of the Zero Squad, he naturally had his own unique specialties.
Each detached palace was unusually large, with vast amounts of space within the giant floating discs, capable of satisfying any and all of the Zero Squad members' requirements.
In one particular area of the Kirinden, there was a massive space. But unlike the emptiness outside, this place was crammed full of all sorts of things. A single glance was overwhelming, making it impossible to know where to look first.
But! Although it was crowded, it was not chaotic.
This was because the vast space was filled with a variety of small environments. From barren wastelands to marshy swamps, from deep water zones to high mountain ranges—you name it, it was here. It was like a giant sandbox space where all kinds of environments had been mashed together.
And in this massive sandbox, there were only two people.
The master of this unique space—Kirinji Tenjirō—was perched on a rugged cliff face so treacherous that even monkeys would despair of climbing it. He looked down at Ling Qing, who was looking up at him from below, and a proud, arrogant, and slightly condescending smile appeared on his face.
"Kid, I'd advise you to give up sooner rather than later. I'll admit your rate of progress is fast, but at this speed, to catch up to me, Lightning-Fast Tenjirō... you're still 20,000 years too early!"
Squatting on a foothold no bigger than half a fist, where a slight shift in balance would likely send him falling, Kirinji Tenjirō was as stable as if he were standing on solid ground. He held up two fingers toward Ling Qing.
On the ground below, a short distance to Ling Qing's left, was a muddy swamp, its seemingly toxic surface churning with unsettling bubbles. To his right was a genuine lava pool—not the Blood Pond Hell—also bubbling with intense heat. Completely different environments had been forcibly crammed into one huge space. This was the "reception room" Kirinji Tenjirō had prepared for Ling Qing.
Ling Qing had asked Nimaiya Ōetsu if he could remodel his Zanpakutō to make it more portable. Ōetsu had not refused, only saying he needed to study it. This meant that while Ōetsu was conducting his research, Ling Qing was without his Zanpakutō. He couldn't use it for further training and was now in a rare unarmed state.
Because of this, Ōetsu seemed even more worried about Ling Qing wasting time than Ling Qing himself. So he contacted Kirinji, the "hot spring artisan," and asked him to find some time to give Ling Qing some remedial lessons in Shunpo.
Although Kirinji didn't understand what Hyōsube Ichibē and Nimaiya Ōetsu were thinking, life in the Soul King's Palace was indeed boring. Why pass up an opportunity for some fun? Besides, while the Zero Squad members didn't care much for raw power, they had to admit Ling Qing's talent was truly moving. Teaching him a thing or two wasn't a loss.
At the very least, when Ling Qing returned to the Seireitei with his god-like Shunpo, and people asked, he wouldn't say it was a Shihōin family technique. He would say it was the work of Lightning-Fast Tenjirō. It would be a classic case of, "He's no longer in the game, but the game still whispers his legend," wouldn't it?
The members of the Zero Squad were not saints; they could indulge in such minor vanities.
So, while he said he would just mess around a bit, Kirinji had actually created an overly exaggerated training ground in the Kirinden.
The so-called Shunpo is an advanced footwork technique for moving at speeds the enemy cannot perceive. But in reality, the "Ho" (Footwork) in Zankensoki (Fist, Sword, Footwork, Kidō) is not equivalent to Shunpo; Shunpo is just a general term. It's like how Kidō includes Hadō, Bakudō, Kaidō, the Kidō Corps' specialized techniques, and some self-created Kidō.
If you think that "Hoho" is just about flashing behind your opponent for a backstab, then flashing behind them for another, in an endless cycle of backstabs, you simply haven't understood the concept at all.
Unacceptable! You'd need to be sent back to the Shin'ō Academy for retraining!
Simply practicing speed in an open environment would achieve nothing. True Shunpo requires the ability to flexibly adapt to any condition, to use footwork to gain an advantage even in the most unfavorable circumstances.
That was the meaning behind this chaotic area.
Ling Qing and Kirinji Tenjirō were to train in this massive arena, where there were no open, flat spaces. A single misstep during practice could lead to falling into lava or an acid pool, resulting in serious injury. But what a coincidence! Kirinji's greatest specialty was healing. As long as you had a breath left in you, he could save you and then drag you back to continue training.
However, the above scenario did not actually happen. Kirinji's condescending tone was merely a tactic to ignite Ling Qing's fighting spirit.
Ling Qing's rate of progress had almost exceeded Kirinji's imagination. Most importantly, Ling Qing was not just blindly imitating him. He wasn't so intimidated by the name "Lightning-Fast Tenjirō" that he desperately tried to copy him. If that were the case, no matter how well Ling Qing learned, he would only be a second Kirinji Tenjirō, not Shihōin Ling Qing.
And Kirinji would only look down on him for that.
He wouldn't be like he was now, spending a great deal of time and energy to spar with him, just to see what the "Shihōin Ling Qing style" would look like when it was fully formed.
From Kirinji's professional perspective, Ling Qing's style would be fully formed, at the latest, within the next few training sessions.
"Hmph. The two fingers don't represent love and peace, but rather that I have two seconds left to live? That really does suit your personality, Kirinji-san."
Staring at Kirinji's two fingers, Ling Qing narrowed his eyes and spoke calmly. Faced with Kirinji's provocation, Ling Qing didn't explode like a powder keg touched by a spark. The smile on his lips didn't change at all.
"Hmm?!"
Kirinji was taken aback. Ling Qing wasn't wrong; that line really was to his taste. He showed no reaction on his face but secretly made a mental note to use it himself later.
"However, I came prepared today, ready to give you a surprise."
"Hmph. Don't you say that every day? Wait until you can actually produce a surprise before you talk."
Standing at the edge of the vast space, the brothers Kazuo and Kazuhiro looked back and forth between Ling Qing and Kirinji. Cupping their hands around their mouths like a megaphone, they shouted.
"Then—BEGIN—!!!"
Their voices had not yet faded.
With a flash, both Ling Qing and Kirinji vanished from their spots!
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