[send power stones please]
Not long after—
Inside the hidden training base.
"Bai Chen… do you know something?"
"It's because whenever Kaien mentioned you in front of me, that kid would get so excited his spit was flying everywhere."
"That's what made me more and more curious about you."
Beside the steaming hot spring, Shiba Isshin lounged lazily against a stone platform, his posture relaxed as he spoke.
The moment his words fell—
Matsumoto Rangiku rolled her eyes without hesitation.
"Captain, spare us."
"You're really going to pretend this wasn't because you wanted an excuse to slack off during work hours and dump all the Tenth Division paperwork?"
She dismantled him mercilessly, right in front of Bai Chen.
The night before, when the Head-Captain's order came down—
Isshin hadn't hesitated at all.
He volunteered on the spot, brimming with enthusiasm, and even boldly declared in front of the old man that he was confident he could turn Bai Chen into a fully qualified graduate within half a year.
That confidence was precisely why—
Shiba Isshin and Matsumoto Rangiku had been selected as Bai Chen's exclusive instructors.
Clearly, the Head-Captain was just as curious—
With the talent Bai Chen had displayed so far, perhaps even the graduation timeline could be shattered.
"Graduating in half a year…?"
Bai Chen was genuinely surprised when he heard Rangiku explain it.
"So the old man really thinks that highly of me…"
But after a brief moment of thought, he shook his head inwardly.
Half a year was far too long.
If the timing was right, Bai Chen was already confident he could pass the graduation assessment immediately.
The topic didn't continue further.
After a short discussion, Isshin and Rangiku decided to begin with Kidō.
Bai Chen's very first lesson—
Kidō.
"Bai Chen, watch carefully."
"I'll demonstrate once. Just observe."
At the center of the training grounds, golden hair cascading down her back, Rangiku spoke gently.
Unfortunately, as she spoke—
The impressive curves beneath her Shihakushō swayed ever so slightly, nearly making Bai Chen dizzy.
"So this is the legendary… milk-induced dizziness."
"I have to admit—compared to Hinamori's still-developing figure, Vice-Vice-Captain Matsumoto's firepower is completely out of bounds."
Bai Chen felt thoroughly pleased.
And even more grateful that he'd earned the Head-Captain's favor.
After all—
Training here was far better than sitting in classrooms.
No constraints. No wasted time.
And most importantly—
Bai Chen glanced sideways at the hot spring nearby.
"Once training's over, if I find an excuse to send Isshin away…"
"Sharing a soak with Rangiku alone wouldn't be bad at all."
"Playing with two little bears in the water—now that would be refreshing."
Just as Bai Chen's imagination wandered—
Rangiku began her incantation.
"O ye who reigns—
Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, bearer of the name of man!
Scorching heat and strife, crossing the sea, surging southward, advance and fall!"
"Hadō Number Thirty-One—Shakkahō!"
Given Bai Chen's talent, teaching low-level Kidō would have been pointless.
So Rangiku skipped ahead and chose Shakkahō, a commonly used offensive spell.
"Boom—!"
Reiatsu surged from her palms.
The instant the incantation ended, a blazing fireball burst forth, radiating intense heat.
Despite being a mid-tier Hadō, when cast by a Vice-Captain—
Its power was anything but ordinary.
The temperature of the entire training ground spiked sharply.
"Bai Chen, you can feel it, right?"
"This is the power of Kidō—the most commonly used combat method for Shinigami aside from their Zanpakutō."
After a brief explanation, Rangiku thrust her palms forward.
The fireball shot out.
BOOM—!!!
A violent explosion followed.
Flames roared, heatwaves surged, and a sharp, scorched stench spread through the air.
A deep crater was left where Shakkahō detonated.
"Well done, Rangiku."
"With you here, I don't even need to worry. I can just sit back and relax."
Isshin yawned, fully committed to slacking.
Rangiku shot him a look of pure disdain.
Then she turned back to Bai Chen, her warm smile returning.
"Well? Want me to demonstrate again?"
"Shakkahō is actually very simple. Just condense reiatsu in your hands and release it in one burst."
She had just finished speaking—
Before Bai Chen could even be given time to think.
"Vice-Vice-Captain Matsumoto, I've already learned it."
"…What?"
Isshin, who had been half-lying down, shot upright like a spring.
"You learned it… already?"
"No way."
"Even a common Kidō like Shakkahō requires precise reiatsu shaping."
"How could you learn it from just one look?"
Isshin simply couldn't believe it.
Back when he learned Kidō, he'd started from the very lowest spell—Shō—and practiced each one repeatedly before barely mastering them.
And now—
Bai Chen was claiming instant comprehension?
That defied common sense.
If Kidō were that easy, there wouldn't be so few true Kidō experts in the Gotei Thirteen.
Bai Chen didn't argue.
He answered with action.
"Hadō Number Thirty-One—Shakkahō."
He raised his hand.
Reiatsu surged.
No incantation.
Just intent.
BOOM—!!!
Even without deliberately releasing pressure—
Bai Chen's absolute control over reiatsu caused an enormous fireball to form.
Its size dwarfed Rangiku's by more than ten times, instantly filling half the sky.
The entire hidden base was swallowed by scorching heat.
Isshin.
Rangiku.
Both stared in silence.
Doubt.
Shock.
Then complete numbness.
Finally—
"WHAT THE HELL—?!"
"Instant mastery—and without incantation?!"
"And even without chanting, its power completely eclipses Rangiku's!"
"Bai Chen… your Kidō talent is utterly ridiculous!"
Shiba Isshin was completely dumbfounded.
Frozen in place.
He never would have imagined—
That aside from Hakuda, Bai Chen's Kidō aptitude would also be maxed out.
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