Hiroki walked with a light step, arriving at the Kidō Corps barracks.
As he passed through the solemn streets of the Seireitei, the concentration of reishi permeating the air gradually increased, hinting that he was approaching the core of the Seireitei.
From afar, before even reaching the iconic building complex of the Kidō Corps—inscribed with complex sealing runes—Hiroki's keen ears had already captured sounds vastly different from those of the past few days.
It was no longer the deathly silence, nor the trembling whispers.
Replacing them were the rising and falling, power-filled chants, along with the humming and cracking sounds of reishi being violently stirred, colliding, and condensing.
Getting closer, one could see lights of different colors frequently flashing above the training grounds—the crimson flames of Hado, the azure light walls of Bakudo, or the fleeting pale lightning—these were the Kidō Corps Squad Members diligently practicing their Kidō and spiritual pressure manifestations.
"Hah!" "Bakudo #30, Kuchitsukishisan!" "Hado #33, Sōkatsui!"
Shouts, commands, and the sounds of exploding spiritual pressure intertwined, forming a surging wave of vitality.
The training ground was divided into several areas: some were practicing the precision of basic incantations, some were testing the power of intermediate Kidō, and a small group of elite-looking Squad Members were gathered together discussing something, holding the simplified rubbings of the "Combined Kidō Node Formula Analysis Charts" that Hiroki had given to Uchiha Izumi.
They looked focused, occasionally arguing, occasionally gesturing, their eyes sparkling with a thirst for knowledge and a desire to become stronger.
The air was filled with a faint scent of ozone and sweat, a world of difference from the previous decadence and confusion.
Hiroki stood under the shadow of the corridor at the edge of the training ground, hands behind his back, quietly observing the bustling scene.
He recalled the dispirited state of the Kidō Corps barracks when he first arrived: the Squad Members had hollow eyes, sluggish movements, and showed no interest in training, as if they were tools abandoned in a corner.
The defection of the former Grand Kido Master Tsukabishi Tessai and the disappearance of the Vice Grand Master of Kidō Hachigen Ushōda had pulled the spine out of this special unit, leaving behind only bewilderment about the future and doubt about their own value.
Coupled with the Thirteen Court Guard Squads' tight budget, resource allocation naturally prioritized the combat divisions, making the Kidō Corps' situation even worse, almost reduced to a logistics unit purely for paperwork and Barrier maintenance.
It was he, Shihōin Hiroki, who brought disruptive technology and the endorsement of powerful strength.
That successful test of the Combined Kidō "Flying Dragon Strikes Thieves Shaking Heaven Thunder Cannon" in the underground testing ground was like throwing a boulder into stagnant water.
That terrifying power surpassing Level 90 Hado, that miracle they—ordinary Squad Members—had participated in creating with their own hands, instantly ignited the souls of this group that had been suppressed for too long.
Hiroki's image in their hearts suddenly rose from "High Noble" to a leader capable of leading them to regain glory and master powerful strength.
Now, every figure training hard, every successful Kidō release, was a concrete manifestation of this newfound hope and loyalty.
Feeling this burgeoning vitality, Hiroki's thoughts stirred.
The "Eye of Insight (Beginner)" ability activated silently.
His vision was instantly covered with a layer of pale golden shimmer, and concise data streams began to appear beside those figures sweating profusely before him.
Name: Amano Shintarō | Identity: Kidō Corps Squad Member | Spiritual Pressure: Level 16 | Loyalty: 82
Hiroki's gaze fell upon that young squad member who was struggling to maintain the stable form of "Shakkahō," his forehead covered in beads of sweat.
"82?" His heart stirred slightly. "Not bad. It seems the effect of that demonstration was very significant; he is full of expectations for the future, and his trust in me is quite high." This level of loyalty was definitely considered excellent within the current Kidō Corps.
Immediately after, his gaze swept over Amano Shintarō's Level 16 spiritual pressure value, and a trace of emotion flashed through his mind: "It's just this spiritual pressure... it's too weak."
"In the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, this is probably just the level of a rookie who has just qualified to join, right?"
"The foundation is too weak; being able to participate in the node release of Combined Kidō is already the limit, and independently casting high-level Kidō is a long way off."
His gaze shifted, locking onto another middle-aged squad member who was practicing basic incantations.
Name: Yanagiwara Kinosuke | Identity: Kidō Corps Squad Member | Spiritual Pressure: Level 12 | Loyalty: 67
"67, on the passing line."
Hiroki silently evaluated in his heart, "It has definitely improved a lot compared to before, but it can't be called true trust yet. It's probably recognition of the improvement in the status quo, and a longing for new technology, more than allegiance to me personally."
The Level 12 spiritual pressure clearly indicated the bottleneck of his training limit—low-level Kidō was the main battlefield.
Hiroki's gaze, like an invisible probe, swept across the training ground calmly. Pale golden data streams quickly generated and faded beside each figure:
Name: Kimura Kazuya | Identity: Kidō Corps Squad Member | Spiritual Pressure: Level 19 | Loyalty: 75 (Loyalty is acceptable, spiritual pressure is mediocre)
Name: Akamatsu Miyuki | Identity: Kidō Corps Squad Member | Spiritual Pressure: Level 14 | Loyalty: 58 (Just passed the passing line, strength is weak)
Name: Tamai Kenichi | Identity: Kidō Corps Squad Member | Spiritual Pressure: Level 11 | Loyalty: 71 (Loyalty is good, spiritual pressure is even lower)
Name: Kawazoe Ryūnosuke | Identity: Kidō Corps Squad Member | Spiritual Pressure: Level 8 | Loyalty: 65 (Spiritual pressure is relatively prominent, loyalty is average)
Name: Matsumura Seiichirō | Identity: Kidō Corps Squad Member | Spiritual Pressure: Level 9 | Loyalty: 73 (Spiritual pressure is good, loyalty is acceptable)
The General Distribution of Loyalty and the Cruel Reality of Spiritual Pressure
After one round of scanning, Hiroki already had a clear picture in his mind.
As he had perceived, the overall loyalty was indeed above 60. This was a gratifying phenomenon, indicating that the hearts of the Kidō Corps were basically stable, and recognition of him generally existed.
But those above 70 were already considered the "activists" in the squad.
As for those with absolute loyalty above 90? There were none.
This was within his expectations.
After all, he had not been in the Kidō Corps for long; being able to pull the average loyalty above the passing line through a shocking experiment and resource injection was already a good result.
The true core team still needed time and shared experiences to cultivate, or... to rely on that absolutely reliable power.
As for spiritual pressure...
The spiritual pressure of the vast majority of Squad Members hovered between Level 10 and 20, mainly concentrated at Level 12-18.
This meant their individual strength was very limited, and casting Hado or Bakudo above Level 50 was extremely difficult or even impossible.
Those above Level 10 were rare.
And those who could reach Level 8 or 9 were only a handful.
Hiroki recalled the data, the two people with the highest spiritual pressure in his impression:
Name: Yano Hanzou | Identity: Kidō Corps Senior Squad Member | Spiritual Pressure: Level 8 | Loyalty: 69
Name: Iwasa Hajime | Identity: Kidō Senior Squad Member (Former assistant to Tsukabishi Tessai) | Spiritual Pressure: Level 8 | Loyalty: 61
"Two Level 8s..." Hiroki mused silently in his heart, "This is the current ceiling of the Kidō Corps' individual combat power."
"Iwasa Hajime's loyalty is only 61; it seems he still harbors resentment over Tsukabishi Tessai's departure, or holds a wait-and-see attitude toward me, the new commander."
"Yano Hanzou's 69 is better, but still not enough. However," a thought strengthened in his heart, "Weak strength? It doesn't matter! It's perfect to make the best use of them!"