The battle between Kana Azashiro and Sōjun Kuchiki caused a massive uproar in the spectator stands.
"That Kana Azashiro has also learned Shikai!"
"In this year's class, five students have already learned Shikai. This must be a sight not seen in hundreds of years!"
"Compared to them, we're just making up the numbers..."
"Why are Class One's results so bad? Weren't they supposed to have the better students? Now the entire top four is from Class Two!"
"Yeah, and isn't Sōjun Kuchiki the next head being groomed by the Kuchiki family... How did he fall in the quarterfinals..."
"Shh— Captain Kuchiki is coming down."
Seeing Sōjun lying there motionless, Ginrei Kuchiki could no longer sit still.
When he came down, the other guests from the stands followed.
"Captain Unohana, please take a look at my son's condition. He's in a very strange state," Ginrei said after checking on his son. Sōjun was still lying there, eyes open, unable to even blink.
Unohana first checked his injuries, then shone a light in his eyes. After a good while, his pupils began to constrict slightly.
Unohana looked up at Ginrei and said, "Captain Kuchiki, please rest assured. Sōjun has no fatal injuries. He should just be under the influence of Kana Azashiro's Zanpakutō effect. She has already released her Shikai, and his physical senses are already starting to recover."
"Thank you, Captain Unohana," Ginrei nodded lightly. "My son has made a fool of himself in front of everyone."
Seeing Ginrei's dark expression, Kyōraku Shunsui tried to comfort him. "Sōjun's strength is already quite impressive. It's just that Kana Azashiro was a step ahead. Captain Kuchiki need not dwell on it."
After hearing that, Ginrei's face grew even darker.
Kyōraku scratched his head. "Uh... Sōjun still has a lot of room for improvement, plenty of chances to grow..."
Jūshirō Ukitake tugged on Kyōraku's sleeve, signaling him to stop talking if he didn't know how to comfort people.
Ginrei waved his hand. "Say no more. The Kuchiki clan knows how to accept a loss. This can be considered a lesson for Sōjun. His growth has been too smooth."
Ginrei walked towards the edge of the stage.
Katori Sora was still treating Kana. Her family had also come to watch the match, and seeing her so heavily injured, they had come to the stage as well.
Ginrei offered pleasantries. "The Azashiro family has raised a fine daughter. I, Ginrei, am truly impressed."
The head of the Azashiro family replied, "Not at all, not at all. When it comes to raising the next generation, I still have much to learn from you, Captain Kuchiki. My daughter's growth is all thanks to Professor Katori's guidance!"
Ginrei turned to look at Katori Sora and said with sincerity, "Professor Katori, for you to enable disciples with little foundation in swordsmanship to grow to this level in such a short time, your talent is truly admirable."
"If it is possible, I would like to invite you to serve as a part-time swordsmanship master for the Kuchiki family."
Sora was somewhat surprised by Ginrei's attitude.
As the heir the Kuchiki family had heavily invested in, Sōjun had fallen in the quarterfinals, which could be seen as a great loss of face for the family.
Yet Ginrei didn't seem to care about losing face and had instead come to invite him to be the family's swordsmanship master.
"I am grateful for your recognition, Captain Kuchiki. If it is a part-time position, I would be happy to accept," Sora agreed after a moment's thought. He could accept a concurrent teaching position.
Head Professor Nakano of the Hakuda department also served as the Hakuda instructor for the Onmitsukidō; it wouldn't conflict with his duties at the academy.
Neither the Onmitsukidō nor the Kuchiki family would have only one or two instructors. These part-time instructors wouldn't be there all the time, just occasionally, so it wouldn't take up too much of his time.
"Then it's settled," Ginrei said with a warm smile.
Unohana came over to look at the injury on Kana's hand and couldn't help but frown. "Lord Katori, I'm afraid she will need a rather long time to recuperate. Otherwise, she might suffer a permanent disability."
Sora nodded. "Kana will withdraw from the next match. We'll let her focus on healing."
He certainly couldn't let Kana continue to fight. There was no need for her to risk her future for a swordsmanship competition.
Ayane Kotetsu said, "Then there are only two matches left. The opponent will be decided by a draw. The student who draws Kana Azashiro will advance directly to the finals."
All of the semifinalists needed treatment, so the semifinals were scheduled for two days later.
Sora took Kana back to the dojo to treat her personally.
...
Sora finally had time to check his panel.
It showed two rewards waiting to be claimed:
[Guided Kensei Muguruma to complete Shikai training. Reward settlement.]
[Reward received: 10,000 General Experience.]
[Reward received: Sakketsu Ore Vein Survey Map.]
[Guided Shinji Hirako to complete Shikai training. Reward settlement.]
[Reward received: 10,000 General Experience.]
[Reward received: Reishukaku Manufacturing Formula.]
The Shikai training missions for Kensei and Shinji had been triggered during the summer vacation.
"Sakketsu Ore Vein Survey Map? The system's rewards really include everything..." Sora took out the two item rewards to examine them.
[Sakketsu Ore Vein Survey Map: A survey map of a Sakketsu ore vein located in the Soul Society.]
Sakketsu ore was a rare mineral that could completely block reishi and spiritual pressure.
The Seirei Wall that separated the Seireitei from the Rukongai and protected the Soul King Palace was built from Sakketsu ore.
The map recorded the location of a Sakketsu ore vein in great detail.
Upon opening it, the surrounding reishi constructed a three-dimensional illusion of a mountain range, with the location of every single piece of ore clearly marked.
"Sakketsu ore is good stuff... If I want to build a secret laboratory, Sakketsu ore is the best material," Sora thought to himself.
The upper limits of reishi-based technology in the world of Bleach were very high. Many of the future achievements of Kisuke Urahara and Mayuri Kurotsuchi had a significant impact even on captain-level powerhouses.
If he were to walk the path of a transcendent being in the future, he would definitely need to research the powers of Hollows, Quincies, and the Soul King. A sufficiently secret laboratory was indispensable.
He then looked at the other reward item:
[Reishukaku: Infuse it with spiritual pressure to deploy a hard protective shield, allowing one to pass through the Seireitei's Shakonmaku without harm.]
Only the Shiba family, one of the five great noble families, could produce the Reishukaku. Now, Sora had also mastered its manufacturing method.
The sky of the Seireitei was protected by a barrier called the Shakonmaku. When a spiritual body passes through it, it is disintegrated into reishi. Therefore, spiritual bodies could only enter the Seireitei through the various gates.
But the protective shield released by the Reishukaku could withstand the damage from the Shakonmaku.
With the Reishukaku, he could even bring others through the barrier, making entering and exiting the Seireitei much more convenient
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