Katori Nanatsuki continued reviewing the rest of the rewards.
This time, he had received a total of 70,000 points of General Ability EXP.
He hadn't used the EXP gained previously, so with the rewards from this competition added in, his total General Ability EXP had accumulated to 125,000.
Nanatsuki invested 100,000 EXP into Reiatsu, raising its level from 82 to 84.
There were also seven Skill Mastery Level Ups.
Four of them were allocated to Kidō.
"Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō" and "Black Coffin" each rose by one level, reaching Proficient.
"Byakurai" increased by two levels, reaching Mastery.
"Shunko" also rose by one level, now at Proficient.
The remaining two upgrades were applied to a sword technique Nanatsuki had created by combining "Raikiri" and "Crimson Tide": "Thunderfire Wild Blaze".
"Thunderfire Wild Blaze" had now reached the Advanced level.
Previously, using "Thunderfire Wild Blaze" dealt more self-damage than either Raikiri or Crimson Tide, so Nanatsuki hadn't been able to use it as a standard technique.
But now that it had reached Advanced level, it was finally ready for combat use.
Nanatsuki glanced at the upgrade prompts for "Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō" and "Black Coffin" — further upgrades for these high-tier Kidō would require raising his Kidō level again.
So he invested the remaining 25,000 EXP into Kidō, raising it from level 53 to 62.
His Status Interface had undergone a significant change:
Basic Abilities: Reiatsu Lv84, Zanjutsu Lv80, Kidō Lv62, Hakuda Lv35, Shunpo Lv55
Thanks to the "Swordheart Clarity" passive, Nanatsuki's swordsmanship growth had also accelerated.
Even daily sword training sessions would now yield experience bonuses.
Most importantly, the Katori-ryu Secret Art he had grasped over the summer had deepened his understanding of swordsmanship, raising his Zanjutsu level from 61 to 80.
After the tournament concluded, Kotetsu Ayane summoned Katori Nanatsuki to her office for a meeting.
"Congratulations, Katori-sensei. Head Captain Yamamoto has made the decision — you'll be taking over as the new Swordsmanship Department Head of the Shin'o Spiritual Arts Academy."
Kotetsu Ayane offered her congratulations.
"Thank you for the trust, both from the Head Captain and from you, Director Kotetsu. I'll carry out the duties of department head to the best of my ability," Nanatsuki replied with a smile.
"I believe in your capabilities, Katori-sensei. I'm sure you'll lead the swordsmanship division well," Ayane nodded slightly before continuing. "But there's one more thing I'd like to get your opinion on."
"This year, six students have already achieved Shikai. Their strength far surpasses the rest of the academy."
"Kuchiki Sōjun and Ōmaeda Kishinosuke are set to graduate next year."
"I'm considering assigning a special mission to serve as an early graduation exam."
"Your four disciples have also attained Shikai. Would you like them to graduate early as well?"
Nanatsuki considered it. Indeed, Hirako Shinji and the others had already surpassed the average academy student by a large margin. The academy's curriculum no longer benefited them.
Keeping them in class would only be a waste of time.
Graduating early and growing through real combat would be far more valuable.
"I agree. I'll speak with them about it," Nanatsuki nodded.
"Then I'll prepare a suitable mission and arrange for all six to take the graduation exam together," Kotetsu Ayane said.
After parting with Kotetsu, Nanatsuki returned to the sword training hall and gathered his four disciples.
He told them about the early graduation opportunity.
"What? We're graduating already?" Azashiro Kana looked like she'd been struck by lightning. "Then I won't be able to freeload meals at the Katori-ryu Dojo anymore!"
But she quickly recovered and started calculating which Gotei 13 squad was closest to the dojo, to make visiting more convenient.
"A graduation exam, huh? Yoruichi-san said it's tough… but I love a challenge!" Muguruma Kensei clenched his fists.
"Graduating next year sounds good. Staying here won't teach me anything new anyway," Hirako Shinji said while scratching his cheek. He'd basically mastered everything the academy had to offer.
"This is a rare chance. I heard early graduates get promoted to seated officer ranks quickly," Kobane Jin'emon shared a rumor he'd heard.
The disciples all agreed with Nanatsuki's decision.
"Then it's settled. You'll all graduate early next year. Don't slack off in the meantime. Train hard and prepare for the graduation exam," Nanatsuki said.
A few days later, at the Katori-ryu Dojo.
Swish swish.
Kobane Jin'emon swept the fallen leaves into a pile.
Autumn meant more leaves than usual, and both the front and back courtyards needed daily cleaning.
With the increase in disciples, even rotating shifts meant you only got assigned once every few days.
Today was Kobane Jin'emon's turn.
Knock knock.
He heard someone knocking and quickly walked to the front gate.
"This lock really needs fixing..."
He jiggled it but couldn't get it to turn.
Knock knock knock. The knocking continued.
"Hang on! This lock's a bit jammed..." Jin'emon muttered.
Standing right in front of the door, he spoke loudly enough for the visitor to hear, and the knocking stopped.
He fiddled with the lock a bit longer, but still couldn't open it.
Then a voice came from atop the wall:
"Uncle, need a hand?"
Jin'emon looked up — and froze.
A black-haired teenager was crouched on the wall, about the same age as Muguruma Kensei or Hirako Shinji.
Though Jin'emon was older than those two, they were still of the same generation.
But this punk had the nerve to call him uncle?! Unforgivable!
"Uncle?!" Jin'emon pointed at the teen. "You little brat, who are you calling uncle?!"
"What? You look about the same age as my parents. Isn't that about right?" the teen scratched his cheek.
His words pierced Jin'emon like a blade.
'I just look a bit mature, that's all!' he thought, now wondering whether he should shave his beard.
"I see... Then... Big bro, need a hand?" the boy corrected himself.
"You know how to fix this?" Jin'emon asked.
"Of course!" The black-haired teen Shunpoed right in front of him.
The speed he showed made Jin'emon raise an eyebrow.
"Got any wire or tools? No? Figures. Lend me your Zanpakutō then," the boy asked, seeing Jin'emon was armed and he wasn't.
Jin'emon could sense no malice from him, so he handed the Zanpakutō over.
The teen unsheathed the blade and fiddled with the lock a few times.
Click—
The lock opened.
"This thing's busted. You'll need to take it apart to fix it," the teen said.
"How'd you do that?" Jin'emon was amazed. He inspected the lock — there were no marks from being cut.
"The Shiba Clan specializes in mechanical stuff. Surprised?" the teen grinned.
"Oh, right — I haven't introduced myself yet."
"My name's Shiba Isshin."