Since it is an institution of violence, what is most valued by everyone is naturally combat strength.
The higher-level situation is beyond the head instructor's understanding.
But at the very least, during their time at the Shin'o Academy, the head instructor felt that Gin's strength was slightly inferior to Kyoya's.
After all, no matter how you look at it, Gin's power still fell within the comprehension range of most Shinigami.
Geniuses like Gin rare in the Soul Society, but they are not entirely unheard of.
To put it bluntly, every individual who becomes a Captain of the Gotei 13 is someone who grew from being a prodigy under the spotlight.
If the life stories of each Captain were written into a novel, they would all be legends.
And what about Kyoya?
In terms of Reiryoku class, Kyoya could only be considered above average.
However, Kyoya's talent in swordsmanship defied all logic.
To this day, the head instructor had never heard of anyone who could wield Zanjutsu to such an extent.
Keep in mind, this was merely the most basic Zanjutsu taught in the Seireitei, not the advanced techniques of secret sword styles.
The head instructor was not unfamiliar with Shinigami capable of launching slashing attacks.
However, those Shinigami's slashes were, in the end, only possible due to their immense Reiatsu or their Zanpakuto's abilities.
As for Kyoya...
The head instructor shook his head.
With Kyoya's current level of Reiatsu, it should have been impossible for him to unleash slashes of that caliber.
Who knows how much stronger Kyoya will become once he learns the secret techniques of other sword styles?
At the very least, a seated officer position would not be his limit.
Bang!
The head instructor stamped his seal on the application and handed it to Kyoya.
"Go ahead."
"Later, if you feel you've mastered everything the academy has to teach later on, you can come to me anytime. I'll personally fast-track you… no need to wait three months."
This wasn't special treatment just for Kyoya. Over the past few centuries, the Shin'o Academy had developed a well-established system for handling prodigies.
The Shin'o Academy originally evolved from the [Genji School] founded by Captain-Commander Yamamoto. Everyone there could be considered students of Yamamoto Genryusai.
After Yamamoto forcefully established the Gotei 13 as the sole legitimate military force within the Seireitei, the Genji School was renamed the Shin'o Academy, becoming the institution for training future Shinigami.
Without Yamamoto Genryusai serving as the academy's headmaster, the teachings at Shin'o Academy were truly limited to the most fundamental basics.
Shinigami who wished to learn more advanced techniques had to join the Gotei 13 and receive guidance from senior members of their respective divisions.
For ordinary students, or even average geniuses, the six years at Shin'o Academy were just enough for them to master the four fundamental Shinigami combat arts and develop a certain level of combat ability.
But for those true monsters, mastering the knowledge taught at Shin'o Academy doesn't take anywhere near six years.
Graduating early means they can receive advanced training from senior officers in the Gotei 13 sooner, allowing them to grow stronger at a much faster pace.
Thus, the concept of 'grade skipping' was born.
The four annual exams serve as promotion tests for these prodigies.
According to this system, the fastest a genius can graduate from Shin'o Academy and join the Gotei 13 is a year and a half.
But in this world, there are always even more monstrous talents.
For them, even a year and a half is too long.
Last year, Gin was one such case.
This year, in the head instructor's eyes, Kyoya is another.
Given Kyoya's mastery of the academy's curriculum, even though half a year has already passed, the head instructor believes that if he gives Kyoya the green light now, there's still a chance for him to match, or even surpass, Gin's record from last year.
"Thank you, sensei."
Kyoya took the application and bowed slightly in gratitude.
With the head instructor's approval, he could save a considerable amount of time.
The remaining four grades could be cleared at maximum speed, allowing him to enter the Gotei 13 and unlock new achievements.
…
Kyoya only spent a month in the third grade of the academy before fully mastering all Hado and Bakudo spells up to number 40.
Fourth grade didn't slow him down either, and in less than a month, he advanced to fifth grade.
This rapid progression sparked heated discussions among both instructors and students at Shin'o Academy.
At the moment, what everyone cares about most is whether Kyoya can tie or even surpass the record for the fastest graduation set by Gin last year.
Last year, the monstrous genius Gin completed six years' worth of training in just one year before joining the 5th Division.
Rumors say he's already earned the trust of 5th Division's Vice-Captain, Aizen.
As for Kyoya, it has only been eight months since he started school.
And at this point, he only has fifth and sixth grades left.
If Kyoya can finish both within four months, he'll equal Gin's record.
But if Kyoya could graduate even earlier, he could rewrite Shin'o Academy's history once again.