The Supreme Soul, Starting with Death

“Urahara is right, Tenpeng, your jealousy is a bit unreasonable.”

Tianpeng rolled his eyes, glared at Erlang, grabbed a stone and threw it at him.

"What's there to be jealous of! A thousand years from now, I'll be the ancestor who left behind the alchemy legacy of Hueco Mundo. What do I have to be jealous of!"

"Oh! That's well said! What's there to envy about those who inherit the legacy of their predecessors? If anyone should be envious, it should be those who leave behind that legacy. A thousand years from now, I will be the ancestor who leaves behind the legacy of Hueco Mundo's martial arts!"

Erlang dodged the flying stone by tilting his head, and gave Tianpeng a big thumbs up with a bright smile.

Glancing at Jiro's beaming face, Kisuke Urahara shook his head in disapproval, but didn't try to dampen his spirits at this moment.

In Kisuke Urahara's view, Jiro and Tenpō might actually create something like martial arts or alchemy. After all, whether they are Shinigami or Hollows, their lifespans are exceptionally long. As long as they live long enough and persevere long enough, it's not impossible for them to create something.

However, it is impossible for what they created to be passed down in Hueco Mundo, as Hueco Mundo lacks the fertile ground for such a legacy.

The Hollows like Gu Shi who can communicate normally are the exceptions among the Hollows. Other Hollows, when they see a weaker member of their kind, only think about devouring the other. How could they possibly patiently teach the other a thing? Aren't they afraid that their apprentice will become stronger after learning it and then eat them in return?

"...Eh? So Zanpakuto and Kido were created by Shinigami? I thought they were bestowed upon us by the Soul King!"

At this moment, Asido seemed to wake up from a dream, belatedly widening his eyes, looking as if his worldview had been shaken.

"...It seems that the Grim Reaper only leaves behind the content of the legacy, but does not tell his descendants who the legacy originated from. Is it because he is afraid that some Grim Reapers who leave behind the legacy will become too famous and affect the nobles' control over the lower classes?"

Tianpeng squinted and teased Urahara Kisuke a few times. The reason why this clever Shinigami shook his head just now was not hard to guess. He probably thought that Hueco Mundo was not suitable for inheritance. But now it seems that Soul Society is not very suitable for creation.

Later generations believe that everything is a gift from "Heaven," so how many young people are willing to put in the effort to create? Perhaps the more traditions are passed down, the fewer people will be willing to create?

After all, if you want something, you can just ask the Spirit King to grant it to you. Why bother researching and creating it yourself?

Kisuke Urahara, who froze halfway through shaking his head, couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Tracing the history of Soul Society, it's not hard to find that the increase in the number of Shinigami successors follows a clear pattern.

Generally speaking, if a Shinigami with research interests and sufficient strength becomes a captain, a large number of new technologies will emerge in the next hundred years. Once the captain dies, his name and legend will quickly disappear. New Shinigami use the technologies he developed, but they have no idea that such a person existed, let alone want to inherit his research.

There is no doubt that the aristocracy played a role in this, and Kisuke Urahara was angered by it more than once.

Fortunately, in the last hundred years, with the emergence of a large number of commoner Shinigami, the number of commoner captains has increased, and the influence of the nobles has been declining. Kisuke Urahara has already thought of a solution.

Just like the great demon master three hundred years ago who used his influence to force the demon sect to separate from the barrier class, Kisuke Urahara plans to establish a research institution within his own squad after becoming a captain. Once the public has accepted the existence of this research institution, he will get Yoruichi to endorse him and completely separate the research institution from the barrier class.

Soul Society, especially the nobles, prefers to maintain stability and resist change. As long as the research institution can become independent and continue to operate for several decades, becoming part of the "stability and overall situation," even if it dies in the future, there is no need to worry about the nobles shutting it down, and new technologies will continue to be developed.

At that time, Soul Society will be both a fertile ground for inheritance and a fertile ground for creation.

Kisuke Urahara had this ambition and confidence, so although Tenpō's blunt truth was embarrassing, he didn't find it too unacceptable. In any case, it wouldn't be long before he changed this disgusting situation.

With an indifferent smile, Kisuke Urahara rummaged through the rubble and found a small fragment, waving it at Tenpō.

"Good news, this attempt wasn't a complete failure after all. This should be a fragment of the elixir."

In Urahara Kisuke's work, the charcoal-like fragments are dotted with scattered blue crystals the size of millet grains, which look quite tempting.

P.S.: I finally got a holiday, but my parents dragged me back to my hometown to visit my elders. There's no computer there, so I'm really sorry for the two-day break from updating!

Chapter Ninety-Six: Degraded and Reduced Material, Crude Version

Gu Shi held the small fragment of the pill in his hand, staring at the tiny blue crystals on it that seemed to be shimmering with light. His eyes narrowed into slits, and his expression grew more and more serious as time passed.

"True Lord, did I...did I do something wrong?"

The 30-meter-tall Tianpeng nervously twisted its two claws together, looking like a primary school student who had done something wrong and was being dragged in front of the homeroom teacher. It even looked somewhat pitiful. Urahara Kisuke, who was standing next to him, did not show it so obviously, but he was also a little uneasy.

Through this period of time together, Kisuke Urahara has come to fully appreciate Gu Shi's erudition. Although he has also secretly wondered more than once where Gu Shi's knowledge, which is far ahead of its time, came from.

But no matter how doubtful, knowledge is knowledge. In Urahara Kisuke's mind, Gu Shi now possesses a certain authority. This authority is different from that of nobles; it is not granted by status, nor is it accompanied by any real power. But in the mind of someone like Urahara Kisuke, this authority derived from knowledge is more worthy of respect than the four noble families or the position of captain.

Therefore, when Gu Shi showed a questioning and disapproving attitude, Urahara Kisuke unconsciously became nervous.

"...No, Tianpeng, you did nothing wrong. I was just thinking about something else."

Gu Shi paused for a moment before shaking his head with a smile. He didn't intend to return the fragment of the pill to Tian Peng, but instead gently patted Tian Peng's shoulder with his other hand.

"I need to study this further. You go and do your own thing."

Tianpeng was still somewhat uneasy, but since Gu Shi had already said so, she could only nod and turn to leave.

Tianpeng left, but Urahara Kisuke, who had come with her, didn't go with her. Instead, he stayed behind, examining the fragment of the pill in Gu Shi's hand with a hint of inquiry. "Gu Shi, is this crystal very special?"

"...Is it special?" Gu Shi repeated Urahara Kisuke's question in his mind, and couldn't help but shake his head. If this blue crystal was really as he guessed, then it would be extraordinary.

Looking at the entire Bleach series, if we were to create an outrageous ranking, in Gu Shi's mind, the first would naturally be the Soul King, who is "omnipotent" in the setting; the second would be Aizen, who is close to "omnipotent" through his wisdom; and the third would be the Hogyoku, which is almost "omnipotent" under Aizen's control.

As for Yhwach, who claims to have foreseen the future, and Ichigo Kurosaki, the protagonist blessed with good fortune, they all have to rank after these three.

There's no explanation for why the first Soul King was born almost like a god, or why the second Aizen's mind was so outrageous; it seems they were just born that way. But the third Hogyoku is described in great detail in Bleach, with even its birth process clearly recorded.

If we set aside those complicated explanations and describe the birth of the Hogyoku in simple terms, it would be that it was "formed from the accumulation of countless souls".

Kisuke Urahara used a large number of Hollow souls to create a half-finished Hogyoku, while Aizen used a large number of Shinigami and souls with Shinigami abilities to create another half-finished Hogyoku. The two half-finished products were then merged to finally create the complete Hogyoku, which can grant almost any wish.

The shape of the Hogyoku is a mysterious crystal that emits a blue and white light.

...and bears a striking resemblance to the tiny blue crystals on this fragment of the elixir.

Gu Shi understood, of course, that the creation of the Hogyoku could not have been a simple, crude, and mindless compression process that forcibly compressed a large number of souls into crystals; there must have been a complex preparation process involved.

But, if we trace it back to its essence, isn't the Hogyoku just made up of a large number of Hollows and Shinigami souls?

Each of the pills refined by Tianpeng condenses the entire spiritual power and soul of an entire Gillian. When she tries to fuse multiple pills together, is it equivalent to fusing and piling up the souls of multiple Hollows?

During this process, she also asked Ashido and Kisuke Urahara, two Shinigami, to help her by using the Kido, which contains Shinigami spiritual power, to ignite and seal the furnace. Was this an accidental coincidence that secretly aligned with part of the Hogyoku's manufacturing process?

Gu Shi didn't crave the complete Hogyoku. Even if the complete Hogyoku were handed to Gu Shi, he would definitely try to get rid of it as soon as possible. After all, that thing was too dangerous, and ordinary people simply couldn't control it. Even Aizen couldn't say that he could completely control the Hogyoku.

However, the magic of Hōgyoku lies in the fact that a complete Hōgyoku is almost omnipotent, and even a half-finished Hōgyoku has many magical properties.

Judging from the plot alone, Aizen's unfinished products can be used to create Arrancar, and Urahara Kisuke's unfinished products can activate Fullbring. What they have in common is that they can fulfill the holder's wishes in a "reasonable" way based on reality.

[If Tianpeng could truly create a semi-finished product of the Hogyoku, no, even just a semi-finished product of a semi-finished product, it would likely be of considerable help.]

Perhaps this will allow us to "legitimately" gain the ability to move freely in outer space, thus resolving the biggest hidden danger to our future exploration of the universe?

Thinking of this, Gu Shi felt a surge of excitement, but he didn't intend to explain to Urahara Kisuke in detail. Urahara Kisuke was indeed a good person, but at the same time, he was also a person with very firm principles.

Don't be fooled by how well everyone gets along now. If one day Kisuke Urahara believes that the existence of Koji and the others poses a danger to Soul Society and becomes a threat to Seireitei, he will definitely break ties with Koji without hesitation and stab him in the back.

Therefore, Gu Shi simply shook his head seriously and said, "Well, I'm not quite sure either. Perhaps we need to study it further to determine if it's really special," before ignoring Urahara Kisuke.

Seeing that Gu Shi's attitude was somewhat perfunctory, Urahara Kisuke laughed it off and didn't press the matter further. In any case, as long as Tianpeng continued to research fusion pills, he would definitely continue to refine this blue crystal. At that time, he would secretly get some and study it slowly, and he would still be able to understand the special features of this thing.

"Alright, alright, Gu Shi, you take your time studying it. I'm going to go help Tianpeng now~"

With a wave of his hand, Kisuke Urahara quickly left using Shunpo.

The surroundings finally quieted down, and Gu Shi carefully examined the fragment of the pill. Compared to his 30-meter height, this fragment of the pill, which was only the size of an ordinary person's fist, was far too small. And the blue crystal attached to the fragment, which was only the size of a millet grain, was even more pitifully small.

Even so, with the perseverance of Zhang Fei embroidering, Gu Shi carefully used his claws to accurately pluck a small "degraded and crudely made semi-finished product, the Bengyu (questionable)" from the fragment of the elixir.

Holding the blue crystal that looked no different from dust, Gu Shi frowned and thought for a long time before finally deciding to treat it as a "pill" for the time being and carefully put it into his mouth.

Chapter Ninety-Seven Boundaries

The real Hogyoku, even if it is only a half-finished product, has the property of being almost indestructible. In the story, Kisuke Urahara spent more than a hundred years but still failed to destroy the half-finished Hogyoku he created.

Therefore, when Gu Shi bit down, he was prepared to have his teeth hurt, but unexpectedly, he easily crushed the dust-like blue crystal.

The blue crystal shattered, and a faint stream of spiritual energy flowed smoothly into Gu Shi's body. However, the amount was pitifully small, less than one percent of the standard spiritual energy of a Killian.

However, perhaps it was just psychological, but after the faint spiritual energy flowed into his body, Gu Shi felt a little "lighter," as if a burden he himself was unaware of had been lifted.

After carefully examining his body, Gu Shi didn't find any obvious changes, only that his height seemed to have shrunk slightly... by a few centimeters?

So, is it really just a placebo effect?

Or is it that the spiritual power of the Great Hollow is too vast, while the spiritual power of this blue crystal is too small, making it difficult to exert its effect?

Frowning and thinking for a moment, Gu Shi stood up, scanned his surroundings, and quickly locked onto a group of Kylian people not far away. Carrying the fragments of the pill, he strode over.

Urahara Kisuke glanced curiously at Gu Shi's retreating figure, pondered for a moment, then abandoned the urge to follow him and lowered his head to continue adding seals to Tianpeng's alchemy furnace.

Soon, Gu Shi entered the Gillian group, but this time, his target was not these Hollows. He simply stood in the Hollow group and released a portion of his spiritual pressure.

This level of spiritual pressure was nothing more than a gentle breeze to the Hollows. The surrounding Killian continued to stare blankly and wander around, completely ignoring Gu Shi.

But the smaller Hollows who lived at the feet of the Great Hollows and longed for a piece or two of their flesh to fall from the Great Hollows in the battle were quite frightened.

The stronger Hollows didn't hesitate and immediately turned to run away, while the weaker Hollows didn't even have a chance to escape. They were directly stripped of their mobility by the spiritual pressure and, like frogs crushed by a wheel, were pressed to the ground, unable to move.

After observing for a moment, Gu Shi quickly found the weakest one with the lowest spiritual power among the remaining small voids and grabbed it.

Thanks to Asido's regular cleaning, there's been no trace of Xiao Xu's activities at the camp. Normally, this ensures that everyone's information and privacy are not leaked, but now that Xiao Xu is needed, we have to make a special trip. It's a double-edged sword.

After muttering something to himself, Gu Shi took another blue crystal from the remaining pill fragments, carefully placed it in Xiao Xu's mouth, and pinched his chin to help him crush the crystal in his mouth.

As the blue crystal shattered, a surge of spiritual power, approximately three to five times that of an ordinary Void Spirit, was released and flowed into the Void Spirit's body. Instantly, the Void Spirit's body swelled up like an inflating balloon, quickly reaching the edge of bursting.

However, just when Gu Shi thought the experiment had failed, a new change occurred. The mask on Xiao Xu's face began to dissolve rapidly, turning into a pale, viscous liquid, as if it were alive. It completely enveloped Xiao Xu's swollen body, and then quickly hardened, turning into a large white cocoon.

Gu Shi was certainly familiar with this scene. This was the process when an ordinary soul became ethereal: white liquid would gush out from the newly formed void, envelop the whole body, harden into a bone cocoon, and once the bone cocoon broke, a new void would be born.

Can it become even more ethereal? What would it be called after becoming ethereal, like "Void Void"? That name doesn't sound very proper.

Gu Shi was mentally complaining when he suddenly noticed that the spiritual pressure reaction of the bone cocoon, which was originally full of vitality and steadily increasing, was beginning to decline rapidly. After only a brief moment of hesitation, he immediately made a decision, forcefully knocking a large hole in the surface of the bone cocoon with his claws, exposing its contents.

Within the shattered cocoon of bones, a twisted, almost humanoid figure was melting rapidly, much like a snowman placed on a radiator. In contrast, beside him, a long, hard lump was quickly taking shape, its surface revealing increasingly intricate patterns.

Gu Shi remembered very clearly that he had chosen a small Void that resembled an ostrich, not a humanoid individual like an ape. In other words, the humanoid form in the bone cocoon was a product of the small Void's transformation under the influence of the blue crystal.

However, this transformation failed for some reason? So it couldn't continue halfway through, and could only collapse and dissolve itself?

Could this be a failed attempt at "Arrancar transformation"?

Can even a Hollow become an Arrancar?

No, no, no, that's not right!

That's not the point!

The essence of the Arrancar is that Hollows break the boundary between Shinigami and Hollows, and while retaining their essence as Hollows, they gain the power of Shinigami and undergo a change in form, right?

How could such a small amount of blue crystal help Xiaoxu break through the limits?

If this is truly an "Arrancar transformation," isn't the boundary between Shinigami and Hollows too fragile?

……and many more.