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Soaking in the hot spring, with a rosy-cheeked Yoruichi Shihōin in his arms, Aozaki Reiji couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
This was the immortal life he had always dreamed of.
What was the point of improving his strength if not to live a carefree and happy life?
Although he hadn't practiced Shunko during this period, he had made progress in his Reiatsu, so it wasn't a waste of time.
Aozaki Reiji experienced the miraculous effects of the hot spring, and his body felt incredibly comfortable.
As a replica of White Bone Hell and Blood Pond Hell, the recovery hot spring's efficacy naturally couldn't compare to the original, nor could it possibly.
The original White Bone Hell and Blood Pond Hell's raw materials were Kirinji Tenjiro's Reiatsu.
Urahara Kisuke couldn't find Reiatsu of equal efficacy, so he could only use other materials as substitutes to achieve an effect similar to the original hot spring.
The materials were different, and the effect was much weaker, but correspondingly, the side effects were also much smaller.
Even so, it was more than enough to replenish the energy consumed by aerobic exercise.
In less than fifteen minutes, Aozaki Reiji and Yoruichi Shihōin felt their vitality restored, as if they could fight another three hundred rounds.
Aozaki Reiji stood up, stretched a few times in the hot spring, and smiled.
"Completely recovered. Now it's time to get down to business. I absolutely cannot continue to indulge in this and be unable to extricate myself."
Aozaki Reiji made up his mind to continue his Shunko training.
Shinigami have lifespans of thousands of years, so there's plenty of time for aerobic exercise; there's no need to rush.
However, Shunko's improvement in strength is tangible.
The world of Bleach is full of various dangers, and strength is the capital for survival!
Yoruichi Shihōin also stood up and stretched herself generously.
She placed one hand on her shoulder, raised her arm, and rotated it twice.
The soreness caused by prolonged, continuous high-difficulty movements disappeared as she soaked in the hot spring.
She only felt refreshed.
"Alright, I'm fine too. Let's begin."
Yoruichi Shihōin flashed out of the hot spring, quickly put on her clothes, and winked at Aozaki Reiji.
Aozaki Reiji was very happy; this girl had regained her usual vitality.
This vitality was also part of her charm.
He glanced at Yoruichi Shihōin, put on his pants, and folded his top, placing it aside.
When practicing Shunko, a top would only get in the way, and he'd have to take it off at night anyway, so he simply didn't wear it.
The two stood facing each other in the training ground.
White, lightning-like Reiatsu flickered around Yoruichi Shihōin's shoulders.
A faint white glow emanated from her body as she extended her hand towards Aozaki Reiji.
Aozaki Reiji was momentarily stunned, realizing she was asking him to hold her hand.
He looked down and saw Yoruichi Shihōin extend her other hand, pulling him into her embrace, then she looked up at him with a smile.
Aozaki Reiji wanted to consider this part of the training, but he also felt that Yoruichi was taking advantage of him.
This was a girl who was occasionally a bit willful; when she wanted to play a 'prank,' no one could stop her.
He also extended his arms and hugged her tightly, suddenly realizing that Yoruichi's body was truly soft, like a kitten.
Yoruichi Shihōin's heart stirred slightly; she didn't know what had put her in such a good mood, and her eyes softened.
"Hey, hey, don't move around. We're training. Feel my Reiatsu."
This was her best day, and it seemed like a good omen. She suddenly felt that her future life could be even happier, and she couldn't help but grin.
She remembered what she had promised him, so she looked up.
The narrow-minded man's expression had indeed changed, but she didn't dislike this change; in fact, she felt a small thrill of delight.
Aozaki Reiji said with a troubled expression, "You weren't like this when you taught Yushiro Shihōin, were you?"
Yoruichi Shihōin shook her head and said with a smile, "Are you an idiot? I've only used this method on you."
"But... you look cute when you're angry too, I really like it!"
Upon hearing this, Aozaki Reiji's brows relaxed, but he quickly realized something was off.
Such words were usually spoken by him to Yoruichi Shihōin, but today it was the other way around.
"Yoruichi, you look cute right now too, and I like it very much." Aozaki Reiji hugged her tighter.
Yoruichi Shihōin seemed to become embarrassed, her pretty face slightly flushed, and her golden eyes began to dart away.
"Focus on training." Yoruichi Shihōin bit her lip, feeling a mix of triumph and shyness, "Now is not the time for such talk."
Aozaki Reiji nodded.
This girl was still the same as before.
That was good.
He loosened his grip slightly, closed his eyes, and carefully felt Yoruichi's Reiatsu.
Yoruichi Shihōin looked at his serious face, smiled faintly, and whispered:
"Don't be nervous, relax..."
"Don't forget, Reiatsu is you, and the Spirit Body is also you. Both are part of the existence 'Aozaki Reiji.'"
"You need to focus on using your sixth sense, 'Spiritual Awareness,' to perceive the changes in Kido Reiatsu. Once it forms outside your body, try to integrate it into your body."
"Imagine it as your bones, your blood, your limbs."
Her soft voice was like a gentle breeze, softly caressing Aozaki Reiji's ears and slowly echoing in his mind.
As this voice sounded, the surrounding environment gradually became quiet. The original noisy sounds slowly disappeared, leaving only a serene tranquility.
In this silence, Aozaki Reiji could feel a special power—Reiatsu.
This Reiatsu was not visible to the naked eye, but it truly existed around him.
It was like an invisible aura, tightly enveloping him.
And at this moment, the presence of this Reiatsu became increasingly strong and clear in his Spiritual Awareness.
Spiritual Awareness, as it was called, was a unique ability in the world of Bleach. In addition to the five normal human senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, it could be called the sixth sense.
Specifically, Spiritual Awareness was actually the ability to perceive Reiatsu.
Those with Spiritual Awareness could keenly detect changes in surrounding Reiatsu and even use it to sense the strength of others.
However, although the ability of Spiritual Awareness sounded quite miraculous, its practical use was not very widespread.
In combat, Shinigami often relied on this ability to detect the enemy's position and movements, thereby better grasping the situation.
However, if they encountered masters skilled in Reiatsu concealment techniques, the effectiveness of Spiritual Awareness would be greatly diminished.
In combat, Reiatsu is inevitably exposed, but for true masters, it is not difficult to conceal their Reiatsu in non-combat situations.
Aozaki Reiji tried to merge Reiatsu with his body, and his heart skipped a beat, feeling a sense of déjà vu.
But he knew he had never practiced Shunko. The most similar thing he had done was coordinating his body and Reiatsu to use Ikkotsu and Sokotsu.
That feeling was very similar to now, but fundamentally different.
Piercing white currents of electricity shot out from his shoulders and back. All spiritual particles were attracted and entered his body, and the lights in the training ground seemed to become even brighter.
He was absorbing spiritual particles from the external environment!
He had only seen this ability in Kurotsuchi Mayuri's experimental data; this was an ability belonging to a Quincy.
But he was a Shinigami, not a Quincy, so this ability shouldn't belong to him!
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