Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero.

The team dormitory doors were wide open, and the members of the Fourth Division hurried along, their expressions focused.

In the spacious treatment area and corridors, many beds and seats have been temporarily added, where many Shinigami with injuries and unstable spiritual pressure lie, most of them members of the Eleventh Division.

Groans, conversations, and the rapid commands from medical staff filled the air.

Yanagawa was not surprised by this scene. Among the Gotei 13, the 11th Division was a well-known gathering place for battle maniacs, and internal sparring, missions, and even street fights often occurred.

As a medical and logistics unit, the Fourth Division naturally became their most frequented "second home ground".

His gaze calmly swept across the bustling crowd, and soon he spotted two familiar figures in a relatively crowded corner—

It was Ikkaku Madarame, the third seat of the 11th Division, and Renji Abarai.

The two looked quite disheveled. There were several fresh abrasions on Ikkaku's shiny bald head, and half of his face was swollen.

His bare upper body was wrapped in bandages, and bloodstains could still be seen seeping out, but he still sat cross-legged on the ground with his arms crossed over his chest, his signature thick eyebrows furrowed, his face full of displeasure and resentment.

Across from him, Renji Abarai wasn't in much better shape. His flamboyant red hair was somewhat disheveled, and his arms and chest were also bandaged. He was sitting against the wall, looking equally resentful and unwilling to back down.

The air between the two seemed to still carry the lingering smell of gunpowder and the volatile energy resulting from the clash of spiritual pressure.

"Hmph! If the space weren't too small to move around freely, my final strike would definitely have cleaved that snake-tailed mace of yours in two!"

Madarame Ikkaku's loud voice aggravated his wound, causing him to wince in pain, but he still stubbornly roared.

"Stop talking big, bald guy! If I wasn't worried about destroying the barracks, do you think you could fight me to a draw?!"

Renji Abarai immediately retorted, so excited that he almost stood up, but was pressed back down by the nurse next to him.

"Huh? Who are you calling bald! Want to fight again, you red-haired monkey!"

"Come on! Who's afraid of who! It's convenient to treat injuries here!"

Just as the two were about to start arguing again, a female Shinigami with short silver hair walked over. She was none other than Kotetsu Isane, the vice-captain of the Fourth Division.

Holding her notepad, she looked at the two clowns, sighed helplessly, and skillfully blocked their view.

He nodded slightly to Liu Chuan, who was about to step forward to dissuade him, and explained:

"Yanagawa-kun, please excuse my rudeness. It's the norm for the Eleventh Division; they send over a batch every few days."

This time, Ikkaku and Renji went too far in their 'sparring' at the team's training ground. The clash of their spiritual pressure was too intense, causing them both to injure their internal organs. They even managed to keep fighting for a while before their teammates carried them away.

As she spoke, she deftly checked both of their IV tubing, her tone calm and collected, as if it were commonplace:

“We’re used to it. As long as we’re alive, we’ll let them do whatever they want.”

Upon hearing this, Yanagawa nodded knowingly and stepped forward. Madarame Ikkaku and Renji also noticed Yanagawa.

"Hey! Yanagawa!"

Renji Abarai couldn't even bother arguing with the bald guy anymore.

"I heard you were the one who sent that old bastard Tsunayoshi to Sokyo? Well done! By the way, what brings you to the Fourth Division?"

"I had something to discuss with Captain Umono, so I just stopped by," Liu Chuan replied.

After chatting for a while, Yanagawa didn't linger any longer. He nodded to Kotetsu Isane and then headed deeper into the Fourth Division's barracks.

He sensed Retsu Unohana's spiritual pressure, located in an area behind the barracks.

After passing through a quiet medical records area, we arrived at a separate building.

The gate was open, revealing a traditional-style kendo hall inside.

At this moment, the dojo was empty. Retsu Unohana was standing in the center of the dojo, but her overall demeanor was still striking.

However, he was completely different from the gentle doctor in the consultation room, possessing a calm and restrained sharpness.

Seeing Yanagawa walk in, Unohana Retsu turned around, her face still bearing that signature gentle smile, but her eyes were more focused than usual.

"Yanagawa-kun, you've arrived." Her voice was soft, yet exceptionally clear in the empty dojo.

"I apologize for the noise outside."

Liuchuan entered the dojo, gently closed the sliding door behind him, shutting out all outside noise.

He took off his Zero Division haori and neatly folded it in the corner.

He walked a few steps away from Retsu Unohana and stopped.

"It's alright, I'll leave the rest to Captain Unohana."

Chapter 61 Sparring

“Then, Yanagawa-kun,” Retsu Unohana said, holding her wooden sword. Her gentle smile remained, but her eyes had subtly hardened, becoming like a calm lake reflecting every subtle movement of her opponent.

"Let me see your current level of swordsmanship first. Don't be shy or hesitant. This is just a test."

Liu Chuan nodded, also holding a wooden sword in his hand.

He adjusted his breathing, lowered his center of gravity, and assumed the most standard posture.

Although he did not specialize in swordsmanship, during his time at the Shinigami Academy, as the most outstanding graduate of that year, he also scored high in the basic swordsmanship assessment, demonstrating a solid and impeccable foundation.

"Excuse me."

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Chuan exerted force with his feet, the wooden plank made a very slight creak, and his figure shot out like an arrow, the wooden sword cutting through the air.

Speed, power, and angle are all excellent, without any unnecessary frills.

A hint of approval flashed in Unohana Retsu's eyes. Without moving, she swung her wooden sword upwards with a seemingly slow but actually swift motion.

Snapped!

The two wooden swords clashed in mid-air, producing a crisp, solid sound.

Liu Chuan felt a smooth and continuous force coming from the blade, easily neutralizing his straight slash.

He smoothly changed his move, flipping his wrist and drawing an arc with the wooden sword, the transition was fluid and natural.

Unohana Retsu calmly responded, the wooden sword in her hand seemed to have a life of its own, always appearing precisely at the weak points of Yanagawa's attacks to neutralize them one by one.

She did not launch a preemptive attack, but merely endured wave after wave of probing and assaults from Liu Chuan.

After a brief exchange of a few minutes, Retsu Unohana had already formed her judgment.

"Yanagawa-kun's swordsmanship is just as I expected."

She smiled and gently parried Liu Chuan's swift thrust. Their wooden swords clashed, and they temporarily separated.

"With a solid foundation, a steady demeanor, and no bad habits whatsoever, it seems that the title of 'Chief' of the True Central Spiritual Arts Academy back then was truly well-deserved."

Liu Chuan remained calm and sheathed his sword, returning to his original stance: "This is just the basics; compared to Captain Unohana, I am far inferior."

He could sense that Unohana Retsu was far inferior to him in terms of timing and distance control.

Every response she made seemed to anticipate his movements; it was a "sharp mind" honed through countless trials and tribulations.

"Hehe, no need to be so modest. The foundation is the beginning of everything."

Unohana Retsu gently twisted her wrist, and the wooden sword drew a perfect arc in the air before pointing back at Yanagawa.

The gentle aura surrounding him suddenly changed; although he didn't exude murderous intent, he gained a chilling, menacing aura.

"Well then, Yanagawa-kun, that concludes the test. Now, I'm going to speed things up."

Only through constant real combat can one accumulate the most profound and instinctive experience, which is also the fastest way to master swordsmanship.

"I couldn't ask for more." Liu Chuan's gaze sharpened, his focus completely on this; it was exactly what he wanted.

"Be careful."

Before he finished speaking, Retsu Unohana swayed slightly, as if leaving an afterimage in place.

Liuchuan's wooden sword suddenly swung to the left side of the barrier!

Snapped! !

A loud explosion, several times louder than before, rang out!

Unohana Retsu's wooden sword had appeared unnoticed in the gap under his left ribs. If it weren't for his amazing intuition, the attack would have already hit him.

However, Retsu Unohana's offensive came one after another like a storm!

Her movements weren't necessarily exaggerated or high-speed, but every step she took and every swing of her sword was precise.

They all landed precisely in the most unexpected positions, each sword strike aimed at the most vulnerable blind spot in his defense!

The wooden sword in her hand transformed into countless afterimages, sometimes thrusting like a venomous snake, sometimes slashing heavily like Mount Tai.

At times, it is as tender and lingering as willow catkins in the wind, with moves and artistic conceptions switching at will and without any discernible pattern!

This is the true "Kenpachi" level! Even without using his Zanpakuto, his unparalleled swordsmanship and combat wisdom alone are a despair wall that most Shinigami cannot reach!

Yanagawa was instantly put on the defensive! His basic swordsmanship seemed so clumsy and slow in the face of Unohana Retsu's storm of attacks.

He could only strain his mind to the limit, frantically calculating the opponent's attack trajectory in his mind, wielding the wooden sword with impenetrable force, yet he was still frequently hit.

The dull thuds of the wooden sword striking his body continued incessantly. Although no bones or tendons were broken, it clearly demonstrated the vast gap in his swordsmanship skills.

He was like a small boat tossed about in a storm, ready to capsize at any moment.

But Yanagawa didn't panic. Just as Unohana said, he was "fighting".

Every time you get hit, it's a valuable lesson.

Each parrying mistake gave him a deeper understanding of the "traps" and "lures" in Unohana's swordplay.

He abandoned all distractions and devoted all his energy to defense and observation. Under high pressure, his body instinctively began to imitate, adjust, and evolve.

Time slipped away quietly amidst the intense clash of wooden swords. The sunlight outside the window slowly slanted westward, casting increasingly longer shadows of the two figures inside the dojo.

As the fight progressed, Unohana Retsu, who had initially appeared calm and focused on guiding the fight, gradually revealed a growing sense of surprise deep within her gentle eyes.

too fast.

Liu Chuan's adaptation and progress were so rapid that even she found it hard to believe.

Initially, Yanagawa could only withstand two or three moves from her before being struck by her sword.

But just a quarter of an hour later, the frequency of his being stabbed began to decrease significantly.

He no longer relied solely on instinct to block, but began to consciously anticipate her starting moves and block her most effective attack routes.

His footwork was no longer stiff and backward; he began to use the dojo space to create tiny gaps to catch his breath and counterattack.