In the dojo's backyard, several wooden training posts were arranged in an array. To reduce wear and tear, Katori Sora was practicing with an unsharpened wooden sword; as long as he didn't use the Spiritual Pressure blade technique, the posts wouldn't need to be replaced frequently.
The technique he was practicing now, much like 'Shunpo Iaijutsu,' was strongly related to his Shunpo skill. Previously, his progress had been slow because his Shunpo wasn't good enough. Now, with the "Kenshin Tsūmei" ability, he wanted to see if he could finally master this move.
Sora stood before the array of posts, concentrating his mind and spirit. In the next instant, his figure vanished. Three afterimages flashed before the posts, then disappeared almost simultaneously. Sora was now standing on the other side of the array. The posts where the afterimages had appeared now bore fresh cuts.
Katori Style: Four-Directional Shungeki!
This technique utilized the speed of Shunpo to attack from different positions. If one's Shunpo and sword-swinging speed were fast enough, it could create afterimages, giving the illusion of simultaneous attacks.
Sora went to inspect the posts. Three of them had cuts. "My sword speed is sufficient, but my Shunpo is still lacking..." he thought to himself. When he had practiced this move before, his speed wasn't even enough to strike three posts. But recently, his swordsmanship had improved, and with the boost from his "Kenshin Tsūmei" ability, all three afterimages had successfully struck their targets. However, to truly master the basics of "Four-Directional Shungeki," he needed to create four afterimages.
The difficulty lay in leaving an afterimage, which required an instantaneous stop during high-speed movement to stabilize the body and swing the sword. Sora practiced for the entire afternoon. The effect of his ability was remarkable. After a full afternoon of training, he finally broke through the threshold, and from time to time, he could successfully execute four afterimages.
"Four-Directional Shungeki" had reached the Beginner level!
...
At the Tsunayashiro residence, Tokinada Tsunayashiro sat in a spacious, brightly lit room. Opposite him sat a man in a yellow haori. The man had a long, thin face, a broad forehead, a somewhat pointed nose, and graying hair and beard.
"Tokinada, the results of this exam are out. Your class's performance in swordsmanship was very unsatisfactory," the man said sternly.
"Well, now, isn't that because you missed a few talented students when you were making the class assignments?" Tokinada's expression was the complete opposite of the man's. There was a hint of contempt, or rather, a lack of proper respect in his brow. The man before him was his elder, yet he showed no deference.
The man was the vice-headmaster who had been in charge of class assignments—Akito Tsunayashiro. Tadashi's face darkened, a flash of anger in his eyes. He found his junior's attitude to be utterly atrocious. Unfortunately, he was not from the main family. Even though Tokinada was of the lowest rank in the main family, his status within the clan was still higher than his. He could only follow the clan's arrangements and support Tokinada's rise.
"That was indeed my mistake. However, I've heard that since the start of the semester, you haven't taught a single class, either taking leave or letting the students have study hall. Isn't that a bit much!" Tadashi said, his voice a mix of anger and disappointment. "Before the semester began, I used the procurement opportunity to specifically swap the new students' supplies with a batch of refurbished wooden swords, slowing their learning progress, all so that Class 1-1 could win the autumn exam with a huge advantage."
"And yet, you paid it no mind at all! While the students in Class 1-1 have a good foundation, their family training focuses on balanced development. Their advantages in other areas are of no use to you in competing for the Head of the Swordsmanship Department position. You need to give them further guidance in swordsmanship!"
A flicker of impatience crossed Tokinada's eyes. Tadashi made it sound as if everything he did was for his sake, but in reality, the money saved from swapping the wooden swords had gone into his own pocket. Besides, he had no interest in the position himself. He was only doing this because the clan elders had made it a condition of his release after his last... incident.
"There are so many people, how can I teach them all? I will visit the students' families and have them place more importance on swordsmanship," Tokinada said, standing up and leaving the room.
...
One month later.
In the academy's Blade Meditation meditation room, smoke from the incense burner curled upwards. Sora was pacing back and forth, checking for any students who were losing focus.
"You're being impatient. The more anxious you are, the harder it will be to enter the Blade Meditation state. Calm your mind," Sora said, tapping a student's forehead with a wooden sword.
"Yes, Professor Katori!" The student wiped the sweat from his brow and tried again. After a period of training, more than half of the new students could now enter the meditative state, but this only made those who still couldn't feel more anxious.
"Take a deep breath, adjust your emotions, and empty your mind before meditating," Sora said gently. "I feel you are already on the threshold. There is no need to be so anxious." The student's expression relaxed, and after a deep breath, he slowly entered the state. A moment later, Sora sensed an abnormal fluctuation of Spiritual Pressure. The student had succeeded.
That evening, after the last student had finished their meditation, the teaching feedback reward was settled.
[Lesson complete, calculating rewards.]
[Reward obtained: 10 Blade Meditation experience points.]
[Under your careful guidance, twenty-one students entered a state of Blade Meditation meditation. Obtained extra reward.]
[Reward obtained: 210 Blade Meditation experience points.]
Not only that, but his four disciples completing their meditation also brought reward settlements, giving Sora another 130 Blade Meditation experience points.
Sora resisted the urge to immediately begin his own meditation. He had used up all the Blade Meditation experience he had acquired during his previous sessions. Each time he entered his inner world, he could feel massive changes occurring. Sora had a strange feeling—his inner world was about to fully form. He would soon meet his Zanpakutō!