Not long after—
At the center of the hidden base.
On the open ground that had been riddled with damage from the past half month of training—
Bai Chen and Soi Fon stood facing one another.
Yet the expressions on their faces were completely different.
One was calm and composed.
The other was solemn and tense.
Despite being a captain-class Shinigami,
despite holding a far higher status—
Soi Fon looked like a nervous trainee standing before her instructor.
Meanwhile, Bai Chen remained as steady as ever.
After all, in his eyes,
fighting or training with captain-level Shinigami had long ceased to feel special.
Over the past half month—
Shiba Isshin and Matsumoto Rangiku
had already been thoroughly beaten countless times by his Wood Clone techniques.
"Unbelievable…"
"A captain who's always proud and domineering…"
"To think she'd one day humble herself and learn from someone else!"
Watching Soi Fon's tense expression from the sidelines,
Ōmaeda still found the situation surreal.
Who could have imagined—
That the queen-like Soi Fon, high above everyone else—
Would end up being completely tamed by Bai Chen,
a student who had only entered the academy a month ago?
Even seeing it with his own eyes,
Ōmaeda still felt the whole thing was absurd.
"Ah…"
"Vice-Captain Ōmaeda, you'll get used to it."
Walking over and patting him on the shoulder,
Shiba Isshin chuckled as he offered consolation.
"We've already experienced this kind of thing countless times over the past half month."
"So don't be surprised."
"Give it time—you'll get numb to it."
As a former victim himself,
Isshin had long since lost the ability to be shocked by Bai Chen's feats.
What he was truly curious about now was—
How long it would take before Soi Fon put on the same pain-stricken expression they once had.
It probably wouldn't take very long.
Meanwhile—
Ignoring the murmurs around them,
Bai Chen looked directly at Soi Fon and spoke in a low, firm voice:
"Captain Soi Fon."
"If you want rapid progress, the most effective method is imitation."
"So later, I need you to focus completely."
"Imitate every single movement I make—
including the precise timing of reiatsu flow."
With that—
Bai Chen extended both arms.
At a deliberately slower pace,
He began mobilizing the reiatsu within his body
while guiding it to wrap tightly around himself.
Boom!!!
In less than three seconds—
The sound of spirit particles detonating violently ripped through the air!
Caught completely off guard—
Soi Fon failed to react in time.
The captain's haori draped over her shoulders
was instantly blown away by the pressure of Bai Chen's reiatsu.
Her pale shoulders were exposed,
and the lines of her well-trained figure became even more pronounced.
"So this is it…"
"Bai Chen's control over reiatsu has already reached an extreme, microscopic level!"
"No wonder he can so easily accomplish what I've long dreamed of!"
At this moment—
Soi Fon didn't even spare a glance at her fallen haori.
Her eyes were wide open.
She studied every single movement Bai Chen made,
afraid of missing even the tiniest detail.
Following Bai Chen's guidance—
She began activating Kidō while carefully controlling her reiatsu,
attempting to guide it toward her shoulders and back.
However—
The same process.
The same movements.
Under near-perfect imitation—
Bai Chen succeeded effortlessly.
But Soi Fon—
As expected—
Failed due to instability during the reiatsu redirection.
"…I see."
"So it really comes down to the difference in reiatsu control."
Though disappointed by her first failure,
Soi Fon immediately identified the core issue.
Before, she had been experimenting alone.
Now she had direct instruction.
All she had to do was copy him.
The difficulty had already dropped drastically.
"Captain Soi Fon, don't be discouraged."
"High-density Kidō compression isn't as difficult as you think."
"With your talent, a few more attempts will be enough."
Seeing the frustration on her face,
Bai Chen immediately offered encouragement.
He patiently explained the key points involved in compressing Kidō.
That combination—
Instantly dispelled Soi Fon's dejection.
At the same time, it allowed her to see a side of Bai Chen
that was considerate, meticulous, and sincere.
"So I misunderstood him before…"
"Unlike other geniuses, Bai Chen doesn't show off."
"He helps others selflessly instead."
"With this level of trust…"
"I have to succeed!"
Soi Fon was deeply encouraged.
Confidence reignited in her eyes.
As a captain who had stood at the top for years,
her resolve and fighting spirit far surpassed that of ordinary Shinigami.
Thus—
Under Bai Chen's hands-on guidance—
She began attempting again and again.
Failure.
Second attempt—failure.
Another attempt—still failure.
Yet with each attempt—
Her control over compressed Kidō improved steadily.
At first, the Kidō detonated the moment reiatsu reached her arms.
Then it progressed to her shoulders.
Finally—
Following Bai Chen's suggestion—
She focused exclusively on wind-type Kidō.
After countless attempts—
After repeated minor injuries from Kidō backlash—
"Good, keep it stable!"
"Relax—don't force it!"
"Synchronize with the Kidō's reiatsu. Let it flow and distribute naturally!"
With Bai Chen's guidance echoing beside her—
Soi Fon, her face dirty from repeated detonations,
focused with absolute concentration.
Moments later—
She successfully stabilized the reiatsu
across her shoulders and back.
"I did it!!!"
Her heart surged with excitement.
Joy practically spilled from her dark eyes.
Then—
BOOM!!!
The wind-type Kidō erupted outward!
Soi Fon's body burst into radiant white light,
as violent reiatsu cyclones tore through the air around her!
"So powerful!!!"
"My White Combat has advanced an entire level!"
Standing within the roaring storm—
Soi Fon clenched her fists tightly.
Feeling the violent destructive force now surging within her body,
her voice trembled uncontrollably.
Strength.
Power.
Growth.
These were things everyone longed for.
And Soi Fon—proud and unyielding—was no exception.
She had never imagined—
That under Bai Chen's patient, hands-on instruction—
A problem that once felt insurmountable
could be resolved so cleanly.
At that thought—
She looked up sharply.
Meeting Bai Chen's gaze head-on,
she smiled from the bottom of her heart.
"Bai Chen… thank you!"
"It's because of your help that I was finally able to complete this technique!"
Her eyes, dark and brilliant,
were filled not only with gratitude—
But with a softness that had never existed before.
At that moment—
Soi Fon's favorability toward Bai Chen
shot straight to the maximum.
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