Bleach: The Path to Transcendence

Night enveloped the True Spirit Arts Academy, and on the training grounds, Ito Makoto was giving Hitsugaya Toshiro private lessons.

"Hah!"

Hitsugaya Toshiro gripped his Asauchi tightly, leaped up, and swung his sword at Ito Makoto. Ito Makoto remained calm, extending two slender fingers to effortlessly catch the incoming Asauchi.

"Yah!"

Hitsugaya Toshiro gripped the Asauchi, which was almost as tall as himself, with both hands, his spiritual pressure erupting around him. He strained with all his might, but Ito Makoto's two fingers were like steel clamps, firmly holding the blade. No matter how much he exerted himself, he couldn't pull the sword free.

"Hado No. 11 - Tsuzuri Raiden (Binding Lightning)!"

Seeing this, Toshiro immediately activated Hado. In an instant, a surge of lightning power flowed along the blade and surged into Ito Makoto's body. Ito Makoto simply smiled faintly and released his grip.

Toshiro seized the opportunity to reclaim his Asauchi.

"Excellent. In just one month, you've made such significant progress in both Kido and Swordsmanship. You even thought of using Tsuzuri Raiden to force me to let go. Toshiro, your growth rate far exceeds my expectations!"

Ito Makoto didn't hold back his praise.

Since discovering Hitsugaya Toshiro at Granny San's place in the Rukon District a month ago, Ito Makoto had brought him back to the True Spirit Arts Academy.

Although it wasn't the academy's enrollment season, Ito Makoto had been teaching at the academy for many years and held a respectable position. It wasn't difficult to specially admit a student. Moreover, the Hitsugaya Toshiro before him was a genius, one in a hundred years.

As it turned out, Toshiro didn't disappoint him. He had skipped two grades in less than a month since enrolling and was now a third-year student. In this short month, his swordsmanship and Kido had gone from complete ignorance to a level where many veteran members of the Gotei 13 couldn't match him.

"Ito-sensei... the matter I asked you about before..."

Hitsugaya Toshiro hesitated, finally asking the question that had been hidden in his heart.

"You mean, me helping you inquire about the sister who took good care of you in the Rukon District?"

Hearing this, a light of hope instantly ignited in Toshiro's eyes, and he looked at Ito Makoto eagerly and expectantly.

Ito Makoto smirked and let out a strange laugh:

"I've found out. If you can force me to draw my sword, I'll tell you, how about it?"

"It's a deal!"

Toshiro agreed without hesitation, immediately taking a deep breath, adjusting his breathing, and firmly gripping the sword in his hand. His aura suddenly changed, and he attacked Ito Makoto again.

"Whoosh!"

The sharp Asauchi, wrapped in a fierce wind, was like a streak of silver light, aiming straight for Ito Makoto's face.

"Well done!"

Ito Makoto advanced instead of retreating, his eyes full of excitement and anticipation.

Hitsugaya Toshiro's attacks were as swift and fierce as a storm, the sword shadows flashing, impenetrable.

However, Ito Makoto remained calm, with a faint smile on his lips. Facing Toshiro's swift sword strikes, he either leaned back slightly, avoiding the edge by a hair's breadth, or gently turned his body, easily dodging the attacks.

Ito Makoto moved through the sword light and shadows, his steps light, every movement exuding composure and ease. As time passed, Hitsugaya Toshiro's breathing became more rapid, heavy gasps echoing in the air, and sweat constantly seeping from his forehead. His movements gradually slowed down, and his strength gradually weakened as his stamina waned.

"Clang!"

Hitsugaya Toshiro's arm seemed to have lost its strength, and the Asauchi in his hand slipped straight down, hitting the ground heavily. Then, his legs went limp, and he fell backward.

"Thump"

He lay directly on the grass of the training ground, his limbs spread out in a standard star shape.

He looked up at the sky, his chest heaving violently, panting heavily, sweat constantly sliding down his cheeks.

"I can't do it!"

Looking at Toshiro, whose stamina and spiritual pressure were exhausted, a faint smile appeared on Ito Makoto's face, and he said softly:

"The sister you asked me to find, her name is Hinamori Momo, and she was once my student. Now, she is already a seated officer in the Fifth Division. When you officially join the Gotei 13, you'll be able to see her."

Hearing this, Hitsugaya Toshiro's small face, which was slightly pale due to fatigue, instantly glowed with radiance.

He suddenly sat up from the grass, completely disregarding his physical exhaustion, his voice filled with irrepressible joy.

"Thank you, Ito-sensei!"

"You and I are master and disciple, no need to be polite!"

A moment later, Ito Makoto glanced at Toshiro, who was lying on the ground making slight snoring sounds, and smiled.

......

Time passed quietly, and another half month flew by. At this moment, Hitsugaya Toshiro skipped another grade and successfully advanced to the fourth year.

At night, Ito Makoto, as usual, gave him targeted special training.

"Good, after more than a month of special training, your control over your spiritual pressure is already quite excellent. The next stage of cultivation will depend on yourself!" Ito Makoto looked calm, his tone light and breezy.

"Rely on... myself?"

Hearing this, Hitsugaya Toshiro's eyes widened instantly, and he looked at Ito Makoto with shock and disbelief.

"Listen carefully to the voice within your heart."

As soon as Ito Makoto finished speaking, with a bang, a hand sword swiftly struck Toshiro's neck from behind.

Toshiro, who was originally immersed in pondering the meaning of Ito Makoto's words, was caught off guard and immediately fainted.

Compared to gradually guiding Toshiro into his inner world, Ito Makoto preferred this more direct approach.

After being knocked unconscious by Ito Makoto, Toshiro slowly opened his eyes and subconsciously rubbed his aching neck.

Then, he suddenly looked up and was shocked to find himself in a vast, white, snowy world. This place seemed to be forgotten by time, with nothing but the enduring ice that spanned the heavens and the earth, and had existed for ten thousand years.

"Toshiro..."

"Toshiro..."

"Toshiro..."

Suddenly, a majestic and ancient voice echoed in his ears, like an echo from ancient times.

"Who are you?"

Toshiro looked around, his eyes filled with white, and a sense of unease welled up in his heart.

"Who is it, who is calling my name?"

He looked around warily, his whole body tense.

"Hoo!"

In an instant, the ice in front of him cracked open, and a giant dragon, thousands of feet tall, soared into the sky from beneath the ice. The giant dragon was carved from ice, crystal clear, and exuded a bone-chilling cold. Only its eyes were blood-red, like two dazzling blood crystals, shining with a strange and captivating light in this icy world.

"Call out my true name!"

"Call out my true name!"

"Call out my true name!"

The ice dragon roared, its voice spreading throughout the ice world, stirring up waves of air. Then, with the force of a thunderbolt, it rushed into the sky and circled around Hitsugaya Toshiro.

Hitsugaya Toshiro looked up at the majestic dragon in the sky, frowned, and fell into deep thought. A trace of confusion flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his clarity. Time seemed to stand still at this moment, and the whole world was left with him and the dragon facing each other.

Finally, after a moment, an excited look appeared on Toshiro's face, his eyes shining, he opened his mouth and shouted in a firm and powerful voice:

"I heard it, your name is... Hyorinmaru!"

As Hitsugaya Toshiro successfully called out Hyorinmaru's true name in his inner world, Toshiro on the training ground in the real world suddenly woke up. His eyes opened instantly, his eyes full of sharpness and excitement, then he suddenly reached out and grabbed the Asauchi beside him.

"Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyorinmaru!"

In an instant, a powerful spiritual pressure erupted from his body, sweeping across the entire training ground with overwhelming force. A giant dragon, condensed from ice, roared and surged out of the blade. The ice dragon's body was huge, and each scale shone with cold light, as perfect as a work of art.

At the moment the ice dragon appeared, the sky above the training ground changed dramatically. The originally clear blue sky was instantly covered by rolling dark clouds.

The clouds became thicker and thicker, and the color became darker and darker. A cold wind howled across the training ground, causing the trees around the training ground to shake violently, and the branches and leaves rustled.