Soul Society, Sasakujorei Training Grounds.
After capturing the Bounts hiding in Naruki City, Sora returned to the Soul Society.
The graduation assessments for Sōya Azashiro and Kaname Tōsen were also completed.
[Disciple Sōya Azashiro has completed the graduation assessment with an excellent rating. Rewards settled.]
Received 30000 general experience points for basic abilities. Random skill proficiency level +1.
[Disciple Kaname Tōsen has completed the graduation assessment with an excellent rating. Rewards settled.]
Received 30000 general experience points for basic abilities. Random skill proficiency level +1.
The skill proficiency level was added to 'Licht Regen', raising its level from Beginner to Mastered.
'Licht Regen' was a Quincy skill.
Sora had obtained some Quincy books from Mayuri Kurotsuchi a few days ago.
These books contained Quincy training notes, from which Sora learned 'Licht Regen'.
The purpose of 'Licht Regen' was to fire a large number of Reishi arrows in a short amount of time. The power of a single arrow was less than 'Heilig Pfeil', but its advantage was its quantity and wide area of effect.
The rewards from his two disciples' graduation missions would allow Sora to improve his Quincy abilities once more.
He also had 30,000 unallocated general experience points from the last Shinken Taiketsu settlement, giving him a total of 90,000 to distribute.
Sora invested 75,000 general experience points into 'Reishi Manipulation', and the Quincy power deep within his spiritual body grew rapidly.
[Reishi Manipulation lv. 75 (0/10000)]
Reishi Manipulation was raised from level 50 to level 75.
After the upgrade, Sora felt that his perception of the world had changed.
His ability to control external Reishi had increased dramatically.
He had enough remaining general experience to raise Reishi Manipulation one more level, but he had a test to perform first, so he saved the points for now.
"It's as if the external Reishi is an extension of my spiritual body..."
External Reishi condensed into strands of blue thread, flowing in the palm of Sora's hand.
Controlling the external Reishi was now effortless.
"A Quincy's combat strength largely depends on the ambient Reishi concentration and their own stamina..."
In an environment with dense Reishi like the Soul Society, while not as exaggerated as having an infinite energy bar, he would basically never run out of energy by alternating between his Quincy and Shinigami abilities.
"According to the system's standards, a level 76 Reishi Manipulation should be comparable to the basic abilities of a seated officer-level Shinigami."
The blue threads wrapped around his right hand condensed into a Reishi arrow.
'Heilig Pfeil' was the signature skill of the Quincy, making it perfect for testing the strength of his Reishi Manipulation ability.
The silver ring on his left middle finger glowed blue. The blue light expanded and transformed into a spirit bow.
In reality, 'Heilig Pfeil' could be fired without a spirit bow, but a high-quality spirit weapon could greatly increase its power and speed.
The spirit bow Yoruichi had given Sora was from the Shihōin clan's collection, so it was naturally no ordinary item.
Once the Heilig Pfeil was nocked on the bow, a hurricane immediately erupted from the bow, wrapping around the arrow.
The powerful airflow tore through the air in front of him, creating a vacuum.
He released the bowstring, and the Heilig Pfeil on the bow instantly vanished.
A dazzling blue light streaked across the training ground.
The arrow arrived before the sound, making no noise before it struck the Sasakujorei target.
The speed of the Heilig Pfeil had already surpassed the speed of sound.
The next moment, the Sasakujorei target in front of him shattered.
Sasakujorei could block Reishi and Spiritual Pressure, but it couldn't negate the terrifying kinetic impact of such speed.
"With the boost from the spirit bow, it's even stronger than a Kidō cast by a high-ranking seated officer."
The Heilig Pfeil Sora had just fired only used external Reishi and none of his own Spiritual Pressure.
"Condensing a 'Heilig Pfeil' with my own Spiritual Pressure is relatively simple, but trying to cast Kidō with external Reishi is a bit difficult."
Sora wanted to try using his ability to control external Reishi to cast Kidō.
This wasn't an easy task. Kidō spells were "formulas" tailored for Shinigami, relying on the Spiritual Pressure within their own spiritual bodies.
To bypass the spiritual body and cast Kidō with external Reishi, he would have to change its fundamental logic.
Sora's current knowledge of Kidō was already sufficient for him to modify the spells.
However, with the vast number of Kidō, it would be a massive project.
"Modifying Kidō is a high priority. If I can use Reishi Manipulation to cast Kidō... it would be less conspicuous, and it would also reduce my own Spiritual Pressure consumption in battle."
Sora decided to prioritize research on Kidō modification.
At this stage, he didn't want to reveal that he possessed Quincy abilities.
If he could use Kidō as a cover, he could increase his combat power with Quincy abilities without exposing them.
...
Several days later, at the Technology Development Bureau.
Sora arrived at the laboratory early in the morning.
Mayuri Kurotsuchi had said that the repair of the 'Seiren' spiritual weapon was complete.
To gain the research rights to the Bount with water-fusing abilities, Mayuri had been working overtime to repair the 'Seiren'.
As soon as Sora walked into the lab, he saw Mayuri injecting himself with a tube of blue liquid.
It was a potion Mayuri had developed to refresh the mind and restore stamina. It was currently in the clinical trial phase and had not yet been released to the public.
"You really don't need to rush so much..."
Sora felt that if anyone else saw this, it would probably start rumors about Captain Katori exploiting his subordinates.
"I developed Reagent 007 precisely so I wouldn't have to waste time resting."
Mayuri's face was covered in a layer of lime-white paint, so no change in his complexion could be seen.
"You still need a balance between work and rest. I don't want to lose a general like you!"
Sora was a little worried that he would one day hear news of Mayuri dying of exhaustion in the lab.
"Thank you for your concern, Captain," Mayuri grinned. "But all my spiritual body indicators are normal."
Mayuri viewed things from an even more "detached" perspective than Kisuke Urahara.
He believed that as long as the spiritual body's test data met the standards, there was no problem.
This work style invisibly put some pressure on the other members of the Technology Bureau.
Except for Akon, none of the assistants in Mayuri's lab lasted long.
Kisuke Urahara's popularity in the Technology Bureau was much better than his.
"I hope rumors don't spread about Captain Katori exploiting his subordinates..."
Sora sighed softly. He had tried to persuade him several times, but it was no use.
Mayuri's lack of humanity still needed to be healed by the 'Nemuri Project'.
Perhaps only the life he created with his own hands could awaken the humanity hidden deep within his heart.
"The repair of 'Seiren' was more difficult than expected. It's not a standard-issue Quincy spiritual weapon, and there's little information on it. However..." Mayuri gave a strange laugh, "Of course, that couldn't stop me!"
Mayuri walked to the table, moved aside a large pile of paper documents, and took out the silver chain that was underneath.
"After 'Seiren' was repaired, its effect of controlling Reishi is much more obvious. I went to the Rukongai yesterday to test it on a resident with no Reishi potential, and the effect was quite astounding!" Mayuri remarked with some emotion. "Giving it to an ordinary soul with no potential at all produced an effect no less than a Shinigami of the 20th spiritual class!"
"The Quincy's Reishi technology is not to be underestimated!" Sora took the silver chain and wrapped it around his right arm.
In an instant, Sora once again experienced the illusion of the surrounding Reishi becoming more active, just like when his Reishi Manipulation improved.
His panel also changed:
[Basic Abilities (Quincy): Reishi Manipulation Lv 75 (+5), Blut Vene Lv 50, Blut Arterie Lv 10, Hirenkyaku Lv 10]
His Reishi Manipulation ability had increased by a full 5 levels, reaching level 80!
Level 80 Reishi Manipulation was another qualitative leap.
This meant that by relying solely on his Reishi Manipulation ability, Sora could exert power no less than a Shinigami lieutenant-level Spiritual Pressure.
With a thought, Sora allocated the general experience he had saved from last time to 'Reishi Manipulation'.
[Reishi Manipulation Lv 76 (5000/10000)]
Reishi Manipulation increased from level 75 to 76.
The basic abilities panel changed again:
[Basic Abilities (Quincy): Reishi Manipulation Lv 76 (+5), Blut Vene Lv 50, Blut Arterie Lv 10, Hirenkyaku Lv 10]
The spiritual weapon didn't affect the experience needed for leveling up.
The boost from 'Seiren' to 'Reishi Manipulation' was an extra bonus!
When Sora wore 'Seiren' last time, he had noticed that its effect on Mayuri was far less than on him.
Therefore, he guessed that as his 'Reishi Manipulation' ability increased, the bonus from 'Seiren' would become stronger.
If Mayuri also had a basic panel, his 'Reishi Manipulation' level would be 0, and wearing 'Seiren' would give a 0+5 effect.
But when Sora wore 'Seiren', the effect was 76+5.
The Reishi Manipulation level on the system panel was similar to the Spiritual Pressure level; the higher the level, the greater the difference between each level.
The difference in the wearing effect between the two was huge.
"There should be a limit to the boost, but my 'Reishi Manipulation' ability hasn't reached that limit yet."
Sora speculated in his mind.
Although 'Seiren' was a rare spiritual weapon, it must have a limit. At a certain level, the improvement would become less significant.
"The repair is perfect, it's like new."
Sora nodded with satisfaction. There was no trace of damage on the Seiren spiritual weapon; it looked as if it had just been forged.
"Of course it's new. I melted down the original one. This is one I made."
Mayuri nodded as if it were a matter of course.
"I've consulted a lot of materials and have mastered its principles. The Reishi formula inside amplifies the effect of Reishi-attracting materials.
The previous spiritual weapon was damaged, and the Reishi formula inside was severely destroyed, so its effect was greatly reduced.
I reconstructed the Reishi formula within it, making it effective again."
"So it really is newly made," Sora raised an eyebrow.
Sora couldn't help but be impressed that Mayuri had mastered a new and unfamiliar craft in such a short time.
"Can this process be mass-produced?" Sora was somewhat concerned about this.
The bonus 'Seiren' provided to Quincy was not small. If the Quincy of the Wandenreich were all equipped with 'Seiren', it would be a terrible disaster for the Shinigami.
"Impossible," Mayuri shook his head. "The Reishi technology involved is complex, but more importantly, its materials are very precious. It's impossible for the Quincy to mass-produce the 'Seiren' spiritual weapon."
"It seems only a few elite Quincy can be equipped with 'Seiren'," Sora nodded lightly.
'Seiren' provided the biggest boost to mid-tier Quincy. If it couldn't be widely used, it would have little effect on the lower and middle ranks of the Shinigami.
"The repair of 'Seiren' is complete, so hand over the Bount held in the public lab to me!" Mayuri's face showed excitement. "I've been looking forward to this for a long time!"
"I ran into Akon on my way here. He'll be sending that Bount over shortly," Sora naturally wouldn't go back on his word.
After leaving Mayuri's lab, Sora went to Kisuke Urahara's laboratory.
Kisuke's lab was on the same floor as Mayuri's.
Originally, Mayuri's lab was on the floor below Kisuke's.
But Mayuri felt that this implied he was being stepped on by Kisuke every day, so he moved his lab to the same floor.
If the floor above Kisuke's lab hadn't been completely occupied by the public laboratories, Mayuri probably would have moved his lab up there.
There was always a strange sense of rivalry between Mayuri and Kisuke.
When Sora arrived at the lab, Kisuke wasn't up yet.
"Ah... Captain, you're here," Kisuke got up from a bench. "You should have said you were coming... it's a bit of a mess here, haha!"
"I was just passing by," Sora saw the messy desk full of drafts and dismissed the thought of picking them up to read. He asked, "Is there any progress in the Bount research?"
Sora had been studying the Quincy training notes he got from Mayuri recently and hadn't paid much attention to the Bount research.
"We've tested the Bount's abilities in detail..." Kisuke rummaged through the desk, then scratched his head. "Where did I put the data file... I remember it was right here..."
Kisuke searched for a while and finally found the Bount's ability test data on another table.
"We've tested the Bount's 'Doll' ability in detail, and I have to say, the similarity between the Bount's special ability and a Shinigami's Zanpakutō is extremely high," Kisuke said with emotion. "Besides being able to absorb souls, the 'Doll' can almost be seen as a Shinigami's Zanpakutō. Both are powers born from one's own soul, and both can grant their master different abilities."
"However, their Dolls have more autonomy than a Shinigami's Zanpakutō," Kisuke pulled out a document from the papers. "According to the tests, they can also control their Dolls to act independently. The Captain was too strong; that leader didn't even get to use many of his abilities before he was defeated."
"I actually have a theory..." Kisuke stroked his chin, hesitating. "By analyzing their abilities, it might be possible to achieve the materialization of a Shinigami's Zanpakutō."
"As everyone knows, the way for a Shinigami to learn Bankai is to complete the materialization of their Zanpakutō and make it submit, obtaining the true name of the Bankai from it."
Kisuke continued, "Materializing a Zanpakutō usually takes a very long period of training. If we could materialize the Zanpakutō through external means, then training for Bankai would be much easier."
"Tenshintai..." Sora thought of a reward he had once received.
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