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"Still not right… The direction is correct, but how exactly should I proceed?"
"I need to compress it further…"
"…"
Inside Ōkaku Training Hall, a shirtless figure, clad only in shorts, stood in the center of the arena, muttering to himself.
The arena was still the original one, but the Spiritual Crests surrounding it were no longer the initial ones.
Originally, the arena was covered with Shiba's unique Spiritual Crests, simplified from the 'Kukaku Cannon'. They released pressure inwards, similar to firing fireworks, to increase the density of Ishikawa's spiritual power.
Ishikawa, in the center of the arena, would not be affected in the slightest, but the flow of Reishi within his body would feel as if it had solidified.
However, after Ishikawa and Kukaku improved it together, the pressure of this arena was no longer limited to spiritual power but acted on both spiritual power and the Spirit Body simultaneously. In short, its effect was somewhat similar to a gravity chamber.
After a long period of contemplation, Ishikawa in the arena began to move.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Fists whistled through the air as Ishikawa, with a focused expression, continuously threw punches.
The longer the arena was activated, the stronger its pressure became.
According to Kukaku, the arena's Spiritual Crests simulated the process of the Kukaku Cannon accumulating power, but instead of firing outwards, all the energy was pressed inwards towards the arena.
Under this pressure, even with Ishikawa's physique, he felt as if he were at the bottom of a deep sea.
Ishikawa's expression, however, showed little change. As he punched, his feet continuously moved back and forth.
Punch, retract, punch…
Step, retract, step…
While training, he continuously observed various parts of his body.
If it weren't for Kukaku occasionally coming to observe his training, Ishikawa wouldn't even want to wear shorts, so he could observe every part of his body more clearly to study the changes in his physique.
As time rapidly passed, the sweat-soaked shadow on the arena floor beneath Ishikawa's feet continuously expanded.
His shirtless upper body's muscles bulged, and sweat flowed down the crevices between his muscles, soaking his shorts. With each step and punch, it was shaken into scattered droplets, gradually expanding the shadow beneath his feet.
Not enough…
Just this isn't enough!!!
A fierce glint flashed in Ishikawa's eyes. This ferocity was not directed at anyone but at himself.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
Almost instantly, his punching speed accelerated again, turning into complete afterimages. Sweat beads that formed on his forehead would often be shattered by the swirling punch winds before they could even drip down his chin.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump…
His constantly crossing legs were like a rapidly spinning fan, with countless overlapping shadows. It was hard to imagine that this was a movement a human could achieve.
Still not enough!
Just this alone wouldn't push his body to its limit.
What Ishikawa wanted to observe were the changes that could occur when his physique reached its limit, so he could constantly experiment and correct, or rather, transform.
He had forgotten how long he had been conducting these experiments.
Basically, except for eating and resting, he had been performing repetitive actions.
As time passed, the shadow on the ground was no longer just damp but covered by a layer of sweat.
With a dripping sound, sweat continuously dripped along the edge of the arena.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
The original whistling of punches was gradually replaced by Ishikawa's rapid breathing, like a bellows.
Abandoning all Reishi and relying solely on his physique to withstand the increasingly strong surrounding pressure, while continuously using Hakuda, it still took him most of the day to reach his initial limit.
An indescribable fatigue made Ishikawa feel as if everything in his vision had become somewhat blurry.
But Ishikawa's eyes were extremely sharp, staring intently at his body after it reached its limit, not missing even the slightest change.
During this process, even though his body had reached its limit, Ishikawa continued to operate like a machine without feeling anything.
This caused his biceps, triceps, and deltoids to tear from continuous full-power punching, but then heal during the retraction, repeating endlessly.
Blood and sweat stained the arena beneath him.
Destruction, regeneration, destruction…
In this process, Ishikawa's focus became even more intense. He watched his body tear and squirm, combining the changes in his body with his research on spirit bodies in his mind.
This made the desire for exploration in Ishikawa's eyes grow even more fanatical, completely disregarding his body's endurance. Not only did he not stop stepping and punching, but he further increased the intensity of his training.
This also made the arena beneath him become even redder, and the vast Ōkaku Training Hall was enveloped in an unpleasant and pungent smell of blood.
…
At the same time, at the entrance of the training hall.
Ganju slowly walked out. Upon entering the training hall, he frowned slightly, but then quickly adapted.
Initially, it was a bit uncomfortable, but once he got used to the smell, it didn't seem so bad anymore.
"How long has he been at it this time?"
Looking at the blood-stained arena, Ganju's face couldn't help but turn a little pale.
In front of Ganju, the tall Kin'en and Gin'en each held a tray with cold food on it.
"I don't know, but ever since I arrived, Young Master Ishikawa has been in this state."
"Lady Kukaku told us not to disturb Young Master Ishikawa's training. We can only deliver the food after he finishes training… Hmm… I came in the morning… Gin'en came in the evening… Lady Kukaku said we're not allowed to go back until he finishes his meal."
Ganju was speechless upon hearing this: "Then why don't you just wait until he finishes training before coming over?"
"Uh… If no one reminds him, Young Master Ishikawa usually passes out immediately after training, and no matter how much you call him, he won't wake up. He just starts training again the moment he opens his eyes the next day."
Kin'en's tone was a bit helpless, but his face was filled with admiration.
Because of Lady Kukaku's orders, the two brothers had been accompanying Ishikawa in his training here these past few days, lest he injure himself and not receive timely assistance.
So they knew how insane Ishikawa's training was. It didn't feel like training; it felt more like… well, suicide!!
He was completely training himself to death.
Ganju sighed slightly. Although he wanted Ishikawa in the arena to rest, having trained with Ishikawa for so many years, he knew how crazy and stubborn Ishikawa was when training. He would absolutely not listen to anyone's advice until he was satisfied.
Moreover, he could tell that Ishikawa wasn't just training now; he seemed to be researching something.
No matter when he came, and no matter Ishikawa's physical condition, his gaze never left his own body, as if he wanted to see through it.
Ever since about half a year ago, he had been in this state, as if he had become possessed.
Initially, he would just space out occasionally.
Then, according to Ikkaku Madarame…
While treating people at the Comprehensive Relief Station, he suddenly developed a hobby of… tearing off patients' clothes in empty wards, and then observing their bodies with an incredibly fanatical gaze.
Fortunately, he knew not to tear off female patients' clothes… so the patients he 'persecuted' were mostly Eleventh Division Squad Members.
If that was all, it would be fine, but even Ōmaeda, who spoke very arrogantly and often called people poor, said that Ishikawa's behavior was a bit strange.
It was said that in a certain prison he managed, Ishikawa suddenly started some kind of body examination, making all the prisoners in the cell strip naked.
Then…
Under the guise of examination, he would beat them senseless while they were naked, then heal them again, repeating the process over and over…
After a few days of this, the Onmitsukidō's Captain personally threw him out of the cell.
And after that…
Ishikawa seemed to realize he had done something wrong. After being well-behaved for a few days, he suddenly threw himself into Ōkaku Training Hall again.
He had been there ever since.
He hadn't left Ōkaku Training Hall for several months.
Whether it was the business from the Everything Store, the commissions from the Golden Seal Association, or even the work for the Second Squad, Fourth Squad, and Fifth Divsion, he had completely thrown them all to the back of his mind, as if he had become completely obsessed.
Day after day, he repeated the same actions.
(I'm not some crazy scientist.)
For some reason, Ganju suddenly remembered what Ishikawa had said before, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
That bastard kept calling Kurotsuchi Mayuri a research maniac, but in reality…
Once he encountered a problem, Ishikawa's desire for research was not necessarily any less than that madman Kurotsuchi Mayuri, and when it came to tormenting himself, his methods were simply appalling.
…
"Hoo…hoo…hoo…"
His breathing went from rapid to weak, his stamina reached its limit at this moment, but Ishikawa's eyes became even brighter.
The speed of his punches became slower and slower, and the healing of his body's wounds seemed to have reached its limit as well, becoming somewhat sluggish.
Blood completely replaced sweat, flowing down between the muscle gaps.
Physique: Top (98377 / 1000000)
Reiatsu: Top (460193 / 1000000)
This was not entirely due to stat allocation; it was the result of Ishikawa's half-year-long study of countless spiritual bodies and his intense exploration of his own body.
The extreme barrier was broken, but…
It was as if it hadn't been broken!
The Reiatsu intensity had indeed become stronger, but the total amount of spiritual power that the original container could hold had not changed.
Because through Ishikawa's continuous research into spiritual bodies, combined with constant self-comparison, he discovered that even when encountering the extreme barrier, he could still further compress his own Reiatsu.
To give a simple example, it's like the size of the container itself hasn't changed, but the liquid inside has been further compressed, and then, without changing the original total volume of liquid, some new liquid was injected back in.
Inject, compress, inject, compress…
For the past six months, Ishikawa had been repeating the same process.
After compression, he would directly use experience points to max out the proficiency, thereby compressing again, and when his physique could no longer bear it, he would allocate points to his physique…
Constant and repeated experiments had already depleted Ishikawa's remaining seventy thousand experience points, but the gains were equally immense.
What he was researching was not the increase in spiritual power, but…
The metamorphosis of Reiatsu.
Since encountering the extreme barrier more than half a year ago, Ishikawa had been researching how to break through it.
Initially, he planned to do so by allocating points to his physique, but not long after, Ishikawa abandoned this approach.
Because he found that to break through the upper limit of Reiatsu by allocating points to his physique, he would have to raise his physique to a level equal to his Reiatsu.
Overall, the experience points required were simply too much!
And if it was purely through cultivation…
Physique cultivation was actually more difficult than Reiatsu cultivation, so it was impossible to make his physique catch up with his Reiatsu in a short period of time!
Therefore, Ishikawa temporarily shelved his physique and turned to research on Shinigami spiritual bodies.
More precisely… not just Shinigami; while researching Shinigami spiritual bodies, he also combined all the knowledge gained from researching Hollow Marks, integrating the two completely, hoping to find a suitable path through this.
Ultimately, he chose the direction of Reiatsu metamorphosis.
Or rather, it should be called…
Soul Combination Exchange!
This was not something Ishikawa researched himself, but rather an inspiration he gained from Aizen.
Of course, not the current Aizen, but the Aizen from Ishikawa's memories who researched it after fusing with the Hōgyoku.
After Aizen underwent 'Soul Combination Exchange,' his transformed Reiatsu could easily destroy the Kogotu in the Dangai, and he could also cause people to die on the spot, unable to withstand his power while being unable to perceive it.
From this, it can be seen that Aizen's Reiatsu density at that time had reached an extremely terrifying level.
He began his research based on this point.
Although Ishikawa did not have the Hōgyoku, he found another way, after a maniacal, almost demonic, period of fervent research.
He used Hollow Marks within his body, based on Reiatsu, to condense a soul core similar to an Arrancar, and then fused it with the Spirit Core of his own Spirit Body.
This was to mimic the effect of 'Soul Combination Exchange' that Aizen achieved after fusing with the Hōgyoku.
The fusion process was incredibly perilous; even with the system's assistance, Ishikawa's Spirit Core lost control several times, causing it to rampage and devour Reishi, nearly leading to the destruction of his own Spirit Body.
But…
The extreme barrier of the Spirit Body, at this point, became his aid, allowing Ishikawa's spiritual power within his Spirit Body to remain unchanged in quantity, no matter how he underwent Reiatsu metamorphosis.
The only thing that changed was the quality of the spiritual power, which was the Reiatsu!
In simple terms, it was about continuously reorganizing the Spirit Core to increase the density of the existing Reiatsu, achieving the same 'Soul Combination Exchange' effect as Aizen's fusion with the Hōgyoku, without relying on external forces.
Crossing the river by feeling Aizen was undoubtedly the best path for Ishikawa.
As long as he didn't go bald from it, he would keep feeling his way forward!
…
Name: Ishikawa
Race: Human
Level: Third Stage
Physique: Top (98377 / 1000000)
Reiatsu: Top (460193 / 1000000)
Hakuda: High (43654 / 100000)
Shunpo: Top (7642 / 1000000)
Zanjutsu: High (17240 / 100000)
Zanpakuto: High (53642 / 100000)
…
…
Special Skills:
[Chantless Kido] Top (18649 / 1000000)
[Kaido]: High (39654 / 100000)
[Post-chanting]: High (48654 / 100000)
[Kaminawa] High (28947 / 100000)
[Shunko]
[Utsusemi] High (896 / 100000)
[Reiatsu Imprint] Top (132 / 1000000)
…
The Hollow Mark and Development Spiritual Mark created by Ishikawa had disappeared, and in their place, the Reiatsu Imprint was the product of their combination; under Ishikawa's continuous research, both had been raised from their original High level to Top.
It was with the help of the Reiatsu Imprint that Ishikawa was able to break through his own Reiatsu.
Although the extreme barrier was not broken, with the extreme barrier still in place, Ishikawa's Reiatsu metamorphosis using 'Reiatsu Imprint' allowed his Reiatsu proficiency to increase.
This compression might still have a limit, but even so, the power that Ishikawa's Reiatsu could exert would be like Aizen after fusing with the Hōgyoku, exerting stronger power and pressure at the same proficiency level.
The reason why the Kogotu in the Dangai is terrifying is precisely because it is itself condensed from ultra-high-density Reiatsu; its existence itself does not need to rely on Reiatsu to survive, and any attack with Reiatsu density lower than the Reiatsu density constituting the 'Kogotu' itself cannot affect the Kogotu.
However, the super Reiatsu wall released by Aizen after 'Soul Combination Exchange' easily shattered the high-Reiatsu density Kogotu.
Although Ishikawa was far from reaching that level, he could continue to transform his own Reiatsu through the Reiatsu Imprint; even now, with the same Reiatsu proficiency, his own Reiatsu could exert far greater power than the opponent's.
Break through the extreme barrier with a powerful physique, then use the extreme barrier and Reiatsu Imprint for 'Soul Combination Exchange.'
As long as this process is repeated, his ultimate Reiatsu, whether in intensity or density, may not be weaker than Aizen after fusing with the Hōgyoku.
Thereby, without relying on external objects, truly and completely breaking through the so-called barrier.
Of course, before that, he still had to keep feeling him out.
Bang—
Accompanied by the sound of a body hitting the ground, Ishikawa fell face down, plunging onto the arena.
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