Death: This Death is a bit unorthodox.

"Interesting. Are you saying you can surpass me?" Aizen sneered. "If you think you can, then go ahead and try..."

Aizen's thoughts returned to reality.

Looking back now, I realize how hasty I was in agreeing to that.

When did this damn competitive spirit begin? Did that man even realize it?

Thinking back on his words, that clever man should have realized it!

"I gave him all the information; I just wanted to see what he could do!"

"Now it seems, perhaps he..."

Aizen felt a surge of excitement, a feeling he hadn't experienced in years!

Chapter 136 Captain's Exam

After the initial excitement, Aizen was forced to consider a more practical problem.

That is the threat posed by Aozaki Mayuki.

With exceptional talent and an intelligence that may rival his own, he could pose a greater threat than Yamamoto Shigekuni in the future!

But a collapsed secret room doesn't necessarily mean he figured out anything.

It's also possible that they destroyed the place simply to prevent the experiment from being discovered.

After all, being the Captain-Commander's disciple is a sensitive position, and the Captain-Commander himself is a stubborn person.

Moreover, Aozaki Mayuki cannot act rashly now.

The thought of the group of people gathered around Aozaki Mazuki gave Aizen a headache.

None of those people were easy to mess with.

Yamamoto's combat prowess goes without saying. As his disciple, Aozaki Mayuki will definitely investigate thoroughly if something happens to him, which could very well ruin years of planning.

Kiryu and Kisuke Urahara are no ordinary people either, especially Kisuke Urahara, whose intelligence may even surpass that of Kiryu.

Furthermore, Kiryu Hikifune was accompanied by a member of the Zero Squad.

The spiritual pressure surpassing that of a Shinigami rendered Kyoka Suigetsu useless, and his own Stand had to walk around the 12th Division most of the time.

This is really troublesome! Was this also part of your plan, Shinju-kun?

As expected of a man whose intelligence is no less than mine, he really thought of everything!

If Aozaki Mayuki knew what he was thinking, he would definitely tell him he was overthinking things.

He certainly has the confidence.

Not only because he was surrounded by talented people, but also because he knew what kind of person Aizen was.

But he was self-aware enough to know that his intelligence was only average, and he couldn't win in a battle of wits.

The development of the Hogyoku was made possible by the technical support of three research giants: Kiryu Hikifune, Kisuke Urahara, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

Compared to these three big shots, he can only be considered mediocre.

Aizen, under the moonlight, looked at his reflection in the water, pursed his lips, and smiled gently.

He knew that the reasons he had just come up with were both facts and excuses he had made for himself.

He knew clearly that he did not want to kill Aozaki Mayuki, and even wanted to see how far he could grow!

"...Let's wait until Squad Zero returns to the Soul King Palace before considering anything else."

Aizen arrived at the lakeshore, looked at the quiet woods, and said with narrowed eyes,

"Shinjuku, let's see who wins in the end!"

Kaname Tosen, who was waiting for orders, was immediately stunned. "What?"

"It's nothing, we don't know how far Shingetsu-kun has progressed yet." Aizen turned to look at the serious-looking Tosen Kaname and said, "I want to know more, take some people and investigate."

"Do you think he can accomplish something that even you couldn't create?" Tosen asked incredulously.

"Of course not. It's not that easy to research that thing. Just gathering the experimental materials alone is not easy, not to mention the various technical support required. These technologies are not in the information I provided."

Aizen shook his head in disappointment.

Even you can't understand me, Tosen?

You're definitely far inferior to that man!

"What, do you have any more questions?" Aizen asked without turning around, still looking at his reflection in the water.

"No, I just want to know where to start the investigation. Should we directly question Aozaki Mayuki, or should we start with the people around him?" Tosen Kaname frowned.

If Aozaki Mayuki is truly intelligent, it would be difficult for her to find anything useful in any aspect.

"Oh? Let's start with this basement and see if we can find any clues."

Tosen's words immediately made Aizen turn around, and he reluctantly gave the order.

In the dead of night in the Flower-Withered District of Dongruhunga, two young men stared at each other with strange expressions.

Tosen is blind, but his other senses are extremely sharp, allowing him to feel Aizen's piercing gaze.

Kaname Tosen wasn't stupid; on the contrary, he was a clever man skilled in strategic warfare. He immediately realized that he had just made a foolish mistake.

Since we can't touch Aozaki Mayuki before the Zero Division leaves, we can only start by investigating places of lower importance, and this abandoned basement is the best entry point.

He marveled inwardly at Aizen's keen insight.

…………

Eleventh Division, Captain's Dormitory.

As the third officer, Gu Nanbai took the initiative to take on the responsibility of cleaning the captain's dormitory.

After a quick tidying up for about ten minutes, Jiu Nanbai was ready.

Aozaki Mayuki sat cross-legged on the bed, his Zanpakuto resting on his lap, and was practicing Blade Zen.

To master Bankai, one must thoroughly understand the Zanpakuto. Banshou meticulously planned his daily training schedule, not wanting to waste a single second.

"Captain's exam?" Upon hearing Kunan Shiro's explanation, Aozaki Mazuki frowned, still somewhat confused by this familiar yet unfamiliar term.

“That’s right. At the next captain’s meeting, there will be a captain candidate. It’s said that someone has mastered Bankai and has submitted a promotion application to the Captain-Commander,” Kunan Shiro explained with a nod.

Aozaki Mayuki raised an eyebrow.

He should take over the captaincy of the Third Division, as the Third Division is currently the only one of the Gotei 13 without a captain.

The captain's position in the Third Division had been vacant for a long time, with Captain Iba Senteki acting as the captain to handle the division's affairs.

In the original timeline, the captain of the Third Division would be Rojuro Ootori.

Aozaki Mayuki knew that Rojuro Touhou was indeed training for Bankai, but had not yet succeeded.

Could it be that he suddenly had an epiphany recently and successfully mastered Bankai?

Or is it rotten wood echoing the river?

After the war ended, it was indeed inappropriate for a Shinigami with Bankai to continue staying in the special forces, but wasn't he just Kuchiki Ginrei's lackey?

"Actually, you don't need to worry. The captain selection has little to do with us. The candidate this time wants to succeed as the captain of the Third Division."

Having served as the Grim Reaper for nearly a century, Jiu Nanbai was very familiar with these procedures. With a confident wave of his hand, he said...

"You just need to be with the other captains and witness whether he is qualified to be a captain."

"So who is the candidate this time?"

As a transmigrator, Aozaki Mayuki believed he knew this world very well, but since the world had undergone considerable changes, he still needed to confirm things.

“I don’t know, the candidate’s identity has not been made public,” Jiu Nanbai explained, sitting in his lap.

"I see. I wonder what kind of person they are?"

With the completion of his training in the Myriad Manifestations of Nature, Aozaki Mayuki put his Zanpakuto aside, a strange feeling lingering in his heart.

"After cultivating for so long, you should want to relax, right?" Jiu Nanbai looked at the self-conscious Aozaki Mayuki and nodded with satisfaction. "You still smell nice, but you still need to wash yourself clean."

After saying that, Jiu Nanbai pointed to the bathroom.

Aozaki Mayuki hesitated for a moment, then went into the bathroom to wash up.

"Without realizing it, I've become qualified to participate in deciding the captain." Lying in the bathtub, Aozaki Mayuki clenched her fist and couldn't help but sigh.

Thinking back to when I first arrived in Soul Society, I couldn't even get enough to eat, but now I have the power to decide who gets the captaincy.

Chapter 137 This is talent

"Shocking! Another young genius in the Gotei 13 has mastered Bankai. The reasons behind this are thought-provoking..."

"Unbelievable, the captain candidate is so young!"

"The title of the eleventh Kenpachi, Aozaki Maki, as the greatest genius in history may be in jeopardy..."

It has to be said that the Ninth Division truly lives up to its reputation as having the only editing room among the Gotei 13; they have mastered the art of using gimmicks to increase appeal.

A whole host of shocking headlines appeared in the morning paper, making Aozaki Mayuki wonder if Kensei Muguruma had studied in the Shock Department.

What's most infuriating is that this guy, who looks so handsome, actually used his photo as the front page headline without permission. It's obvious that he's seeking revenge because Jiu Nanbai was taken away from him.

"The level of the Ninth Division's editing department is getting worse and worse. I thought it was some young genius, but they dare to try and compete with Aozaki Kenpachi with just a picture of his back."

Some people complained helplessly.

"In my opinion, it would be better to continue serializing Shui Zhongyue's masterpiece, or if that doesn't work, update 'The Rose-Colored Path'. Romance novels are more interesting than this piece of trash news."

"The world is going to the dogs! The Ninth Division will stop at nothing to make money, even daring to smear Lord Aozaki!"

"Hey lady, that's not right of you. What did our Ninth Division do to you? We're the official editorial department. Don't you know the weight of the word 'official'? Look at him, that figure is obviously young. What's wrong with guessing he's younger than Kenpachi Aozaki?"

"I remember you. Aren't you the editor from the Ninth Division? So it was you, you bastard, who wrote this report!"

"Brother, you're in trouble now. This lady is 'Moon Flower,' we can't afford to mess with her. If I were you, I'd run for my life!"

"What Moon Flower? I've never even heard of it."

"If you don't even know this, what kind of news editor are you? The secret society founded by the female members of the Second Division is also known as the Aozaki Mayuki Fan Club. It is said that all the female members of the Second Division are members."