He saw the grand vermilion classical courtyard from afar and was about to step forward.
But at the academy gates, he saw a silver-haired boy dressed in coarse hemp clothes, looking only thirteen or fourteen years old, pulling and pushing with a middle-aged Shinigami wearing a shinigami uniform.
"Sigh! Didn't I tell you? The enrollment period for this session hasn't started yet!"
The middle-aged Shinigami looked impatient, waving his hand to drive him away.
"If you want to register, come back in three months!"
The silver-haired boy, whose face was youthful but whose eyes held a fox-like cunning, maintained a smiling expression throughout, unmoved.
He just stood quietly at the academy entrance, striking a pose of "I won't leave unless you let me in."
"Hmm? It's him...?"
Seeing this, Lin Huang walked forward expressionlessly.
Seeing Lin Huang holding a noble token and wearing a plain white robe that looked expensive at a glance, the middle-aged Shinigami immediately put on a flattering smile and bowed to guide him.
Seeing Lin Huang pass through without hindrance, the silver-haired boy, who was still smiling, immediately followed suit, trying to slip in behind him, but was stopped by the middle-aged Shinigami.
The silver-haired boy's mind raced, and he immediately shouted to Lin Huang:
"Big brother, why did you only just arrive? I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Hearing this, Lin Huang was slightly taken aback.
He glanced playfully at the boy in the coarse hemp robe and spoke leisurely:
"This kid is with me, let him in."
Hearing these words, the middle-aged Shinigami's mouth twitched involuntarily. He wanted to say something but hesitated, finally only uttering one word:
"Yes!"
Then, he guided Lin Huang and the silver-haired boy, who always had a smile on his face, into the registration channel specially established for nobles in the Shino Academy.
Although the Shino Academy was called an academy, it actually occupied a vast area, comparable to nearly half of the Zaraki District.
Since stepping inside, Lin Huang noticed that the concentration and purity of spirit particles here were more than dozens of times higher than in Rukongai.
No wonder the descendants of nobles who lived in the Seireitei for a long time had Spiritual Pressure talents far superior to the wandering souls of Rukongai; they were born to be seeds for becoming Shinigami.
After walking for a long time, the smiling silver-haired boy in coarse hemp clothes stepped forward quickly and walked to Lin Huang's left:
"Thank you for helping me get in. May I ask what your name is? I will repay you."
Hearing this, the corners of Lin Huang's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a playful expression. He turned to look at the boy beside him, who was nearly two heads shorter, and spoke with a half-smile:
"What, am I not your big brother? How can you not even know your own big brother's name?"
The silver-haired boy scratched his head with a bit of embarrassment. The smile on his face faded, and he narrowed his eyes, speaking to Lin Huang with a solemn expression:
"That was out of desperation... I have a reason why I must study here. Thank you, truly."
Lin Huang chuckled: "No matter. I am Yagami Light, you can just call me Light."
Hearing this, the silver-haired boy's smiling expression immediately reappeared:
"Thank you, Big Brother Light. I am Ichimaru Gin, you can call me Gin."
"Gin? That's a good name."
The boy in front of him was indeed the number one undercover agent of the Soul Society in the original work, the pure-hearted warrior—Ichimaru Gin.
Lin Huang recognized him at first sight.
It was just that he was still a boy now, far from growing into his young adult state.
Lin Huang sensed slightly with his keen Spiritual Sense and found that Ichimaru Gin's Spiritual Pressure at this moment was actually quite a bit stronger than the innate Spiritual Pressure that came with his own human spiritual body.
This was reasonable. Before Tōshirō Hitsugaya was born, Ichimaru Gin was already a famous child prodigy in the Soul Society. Having such innate Spiritual Pressure was normal.
Because Ichimaru Gin had not yet undergone systematic study, he could not freely use the Spiritual Pressure in his body.
And the previous gatekeeping Shinigami was too weak to perceive the strength of Ichimaru Gin's Spiritual Pressure.
That was why such a fine piece of jade had been blocked outside the gate.
The interior of the Shino Academy was very vast. Lin Huang and Ichimaru Gin walked for over an hour and still hadn't reached the registration office.
If it weren't for the need to keep a low profile in the Seireitei and avoid attracting too much attention, Lin Huang would have already used Shunpo to travel.
After walking for about another half hour, a natural lake appeared ahead, with a long vermilion corridor built over it.
The two crossed the corridor bridge and finally saw the registration office the middle-aged Shinigami had mentioned.
A Shinigami with weak Spiritual Pressure, wearing a shinigami uniform, was sitting bored behind a desk at the end of the courtyard, dozing off.
It wasn't until Lin Huang slapped the noble token given by Madarame Ikkaku on the desk that the dozing Shinigami suddenly woke up.
He was about to get angry, but seeing Lin Huang holding a noble token and wearing plain white finery, his anger vanished instantly, and he pushed open the door behind him with a face full of smiles.
"Please come in, both of you! Please test your Spiritual Pressure here first. Once you meet the standard, I will take you to collect your school uniforms!"
Lin Huang and Ichimaru Gin then stepped into that seemingly simple wooden door.
Inside, it was a completely different world.
As the two entered, a "whoosh" was heard, and twenty lamps hanging from the top on both sides of the room lit up instantly, revealing a large and enclosed secret room.
A special room layout appeared before them: a dozen large instruments were lined up in front, with transparent crystal balls embedded in their bases and oval screens hanging above, connected by various colored wires below.
At the very front of the room were dozens of huge cabinets that looked like they were cast from black iron, each slot filled with standard long swords of various shapes.
Looking closely, they were all Zanpakuto!
"Ha—"
A long yawn sounded, and a withered palm suddenly grabbed Ichimaru Gin's ankle.
Ichimaru Gin reacted extremely quickly, kicking out fiercely!
Faced with this sudden scene, Lin Huang also subconsciously added a kick to the figure shrouded in a black robe on the ground.
"Bang!"
With a muffled sound, the figure crashed directly into the iron cabinet holding the Zanpakuto behind him.
"Ouch! My old back!"
The figure that had been kicked away let out a scream and only slowly crawled up after a long while.
"Young people nowadays really have a violent temper..."
After a while, the person stood up covered in dust, revealing an old man completely shrouded in a black robe.
"Who are you?" Lin Huang said vigilantly.
The old man spoke unhurriedly:
"As for the name, I've long forgotten it. But they all call me the 'Pavilion Keeper'. You two go and test your Spiritual Pressure on those measuring instruments first.
As long as your Spiritual Pressure is qualified and you have the talent of a Shinigami, you can light up the crystal ball on top of the machine.
At that time, you can take an 'asauchi' from the Sword Pavilion behind."
He paused and continued to explain:
"Afterward, stay inseparable from this sword, soaking it day and night with your own spirit particles, and you can transform it into your exclusive Zanpakuto.
This action can improve the compatibility between person and sword, making the flow of Spiritual Pressure smoother when swinging the sword, and it also helps you comprehend the 'Release' of the Zanpakuto in the future."
At this point, the gray-robed old man suddenly gave a self-deprecating smile:
"When one gets old, one talks too much.
Why am I telling you two newcomers all this? In a single class of students, there might not even be a few who master 'Shikai'."