Bleach: From Rugum to Thousand-Year Captain

Is it that you can't even withstand spiritual pressure? Is it that you can't even swing your sword because of that?

However, the spiritual pressure pillar only lasted for a moment before Kirinji Tenjiro withdrew his aura.

"Not bad technique. I really didn't expect to almost get slashed." Kirinji shook his head helplessly, spreading his hands outstretched as he planted Asauchi in the ground.

Tenzuki Sussai was somewhat angry. He lowered his stance and raised his katana. "Hey, Tenjiro, may I call you that? Can you see my resolve in my katana?"

"What?" Kirinji Tenjiro didn't quite understand.

"Can you see my resolve in my sword, Kirinji Tenjiro!"

"When I'm cutting someone, I'm afraid of killing them; when I'm being cut, I'm afraid of getting hurt. There's hesitation in the moment I swing my sword, and when facing a stronger opponent, I think of running away. Have these weaknesses of mine been passed on to you through the sword in my hand, Kirinji Tenjiro!"

"The clash between Zanpakuto is the clash of souls, Tenjiro. Come on, cut me, show me your determination to kill me, and I will respond to you head-on. Do you think I'm asking for payment for your training? Don't worry, it's either you kill me or I kill you now!"

"Come on, I'm almost ready to experience the fear of being killed. Tenjiro, transmit your will to kill me to your sword, and then pierce me through. Don't hold back!!!"

In the end, Tengetsu Sukusai poured all his power into Asauchi. Asauchi emitted a fierce and dazzling white light, incredibly bright!

"So that's how it is, I was wrong. Since you're in such a hurry to die, I'll grant your wish."

"I've put aside my playful attitude. Now I'm going to kill you, Tengetsu Sussai!" A towering pillar of spiritual pressure erupted from Kirinji Tenjiro's body, suppressing Tengetsu Sussai to the ground, rendering him unable to move.

.....

Chapter 14 Liberation! Let them intersect! Divine Truth!

So heavy! It hurts! Why am I here? Where am I? That's right! I'm fighting!!!

Is it a battle? If it is, then even though I know for certain that I won't die and can use cards to revive myself, why am I still afraid? Afraid of the clash of swords, afraid of battle, and afraid of death?

Amatsuki Suzaku was overwhelmed by this level of spiritual pressure, his pupils constricted, and he was completely unable to move. Various thoughts floated through his mind. There was disappointment, longing, regret, indifference, fear, and retreat. Were these thoughts just the cowardice buried deep in his heart?

Tengetsu Sussai didn't know, but he knew that he had to temporarily and selectively forget the power of using cards to take someone's life, and instead devote all his power to Asauchi in his hands.

At that moment, Tianyue Quezhai seemed to hear the howling of the waves and the sea breeze, and someone calling his name from afar.

Tianyue Que Zhai!

"I seem to faintly hear your voice now, my Zanpakuto? Knowing the truth about Asauchi and possessing a cheat ability, I can actually fight without relying on releasing my Zanpakuto."

"But why, when I first picked up an asabu, did I keep asking myself, 'Am I really prepared every time I swing the sword?' Is it too sentimental to have those cowardly and powerless thoughts when I swing the sword?"

"After gaining a cheat ability, my morality becomes my most primal desire. To become stronger, to surpass, to dominate, to be free and unrestrained. I don't want to rely on a Zanpakuto that knows the truth about Asahi and might be used to steal my Bankai. Without a Zanpakuto, I would become a useless person."

"When I pick up Asauchi, with each swing I can't help but think: Is it fair for me, who relies on my cheat abilities, to say that I don't need the power of a Zanpakuto?"

"Before I fully gained the power of transcendence through my cheat system, this thought still echoed in my mind when I picked up the Asauchi sword. Could I at least use the sword in my hand to carry out my will and shout out the coolest Bankai? I had some longing in my heart, but I still restrained myself. I'm too weak, Amatsuki Susui!"

.....

"I heard it, Tianyue Quezhai. I heard it, Tianyue Quezhai!"

"You desire absolute freedom, free from all constraints, not even from your comrades and partners. Partners may drift apart, comrades may die in battle, and mounts may devour their masters. Knowing the true nature of Zanpakuto, you may not fully trust or rely on me, yet I will still help you, regardless of your inner thoughts or perceptions of me."

"Because I am your power! Do I need an excuse to use my own power?"

"Say my name, Tengetsu Sussai!!!"

A clear sound appeared in his mind. He knew that sound perfectly well. It was the soul of his Asauchi sword, his Zanpakuto, his true sword!

"How laughable, Tenzuki Sussai! You've actually been enlightened by your own Zanpakuto. Well then, I won't be coy anymore. Please, my Zanpakuto! Lend me your power!"

"Intertwine, Divine Truth!"

The moment Tenzuki Susuzai uttered the name of his Zanpakuto, a powerful spiritual pressure erupted from his body. The vortex of spiritual pressure echoed and resisted Kirinji Tenjiro's power, emitting a high-pitched buzzing sound. It was unexpected that Tenzuki Susuzai was able to unleash his Zanpakuto so soon after acquiring the Asauchi.

Seeing this, Kirinji Tenjiro controlled his spiritual pressure slightly. He could tell that Tenzuki Sussai had released his Zanpakuto under his spiritual pressure.

So, to be a good Samaritan, he kept the intensity within Tengetsu Sukusai's acceptable range, and while observing the other's Zanpakuto, he sighed in admiration.

"Is this what Zanpakuto release looks like? It can even increase spiritual pressure by so many times. Zanpakuto is really interesting. So what is my Zanpakuto?" Kirinji decided to hold back a little to avoid killing Tengetsu Sussai directly.

Having unleashed his Zanpakuto, Tenzuki Susume's Asauchi was completely transformed. The 1.3-meter-long Asauchi suddenly became even longer, its blade thin and entirely grayish-white. The length of the hilt and blade was even longer than that of Kurosaki Ichigo's Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu, and together they were almost the same length as Tenzuki Susume's body.

The shallow tsuba (handguard) completely disappeared after the Zanpakuto, Shintei, was released. Without a handguard, it seems easy to cut one's fingers.

The release of the Zanpakuto was completed in an instant, and the blue spiritual pressure surrounding Tengetsu turned into silver-white light and then gradually disappeared.

"What happened? Did you fail to unleash your Zanpakuto? Even your spiritual pressure has dropped back to its previous level."

"No, Tenjiro, I have completed my Shikai. I am not yet very skilled at controlling this power. Come on, Tenjiro, strike!"

"You're really confident, aren't you? Don't think I won't go all out. You're too smug right now!" Kirinji Tenjiro stepped out with his left foot and instantly appeared above Tenzuki Susuzai's head, striking him squarely in the face from above.

To his surprise, Tengetsu Quezai neither dodged nor evaded, taking the powerful slash head-on. Moreover, the slash didn't draw blood, as if his blade had stopped abruptly on Tengetsu Quezai's forehead.

Tengetsu Chosai stepped forward and kicked Kirinji's sword away; "Isn't it strange? It clearly made a cut but there was no wound. It's really bizarre, I can't figure it out at all."

"Whether you attack me head-on or from the side, use your spiritual pressure to crush me to death. Don't you want to kill me? If you go all out, I won't blame you."

"What a strange Zanpakuto ability. You're this troublesome even after unleashing your Shikai. It seems I need to reassess the strength of every Shinigami who wields a Zanpakuto and can unleash it."

Tenzuki Suzaku stepped forward and slashed upwards, channeling his spiritual pressure from right to left. However, Kirinji Tenjirou grabbed the back of his Zanpakuto and threw Tenzuki Suzaku away with an over-the-shoulder throw.

Tianyue Quezhai glided and rolled four or five meters on the ground, then used the momentum to push off with one hand and rolled back to land steadily.

Tengetsu Sussai said coldly, "The first round is over. How about it, Tenjiro? Although your spiritual pressure is strong and your slashes were unstoppable, your slashes are ineffective against me after I unleash my Zanpakuto."

The moment Tengetsu Sussai unleashed his Zanpakuto, Shintei, he gained a preliminary understanding of its abilities. After Shintei's Shikai, it could release an invisible, silvery-white spiritual pressure, accelerating or decelerating spatial attacks within a small area.

Both slashing attacks and demonic attacks can accelerate or decelerate. For example, being slashed will delay the attack, allowing you to immediately move away from the slashed location and avoid the damage. The same principle applies to demonic attacks.

This was the power of Shinji, and Tengetsu Sussai quickly realized and summarized Shinji's weaknesses. They were vulnerable to close-quarters combat and dense area-of-effect (AOE) damage. Shinji's spiritual pressure and slashing amplification weren't high, but their consumption wasn't too high either, allowing him to maintain his Shikai form for a long time. This was achieved by condensing spiritual pressure around his Zanpakuto.

It can be described as a swordsman's nemesis; it is a Kido-type Zanpakuto.

"Oh dear, this is really troublesome. It seems I, Kirinji Tenjiro, have been underestimated. But it's alright, now we can put in a little more effort."

Upon hearing this, Tengetsu Chosai's eyes narrowed, keeping a close eye on Kirinji Tenjiro's figure and movements.

The asagi held by Kirinji Tenjirou in one hand emitted a violent roar, the effect of high-concentration spiritual pressure being poured into it.

In an instant, Kirinji Tenjiro appeared behind Tenzuki Sussai and slashed at his back with an asana. Even without seeing it, Tenzuki Sussai could feel the terrifying power contained in the blade's edge.

"Divine Truth!!!" Tengetsu Chosai activated his ability to delay the slash, which struck him but did not tear his body apart.

However, at the same time, a violent shockwave of spiritual energy transformed into a gale that tore open Tianyue Quezhai's chest, and countless tiny cuts seeped from his muscles. Soon, his upper body was stained red with blood.

"Although your Zanpakuto's ability is very strange, I haven't figured out how you dodged my attacks. But your spiritual pressure is too weak. You seem unable to withstand absolute power, and your Zanpakuto broke on its own."

Looking at Tengetsu Sukusai lying on the ground, Kirinji Tenjiro said casually.

......

Chapter 15 The True Ancestor of Returning to the Dao

"Indeed! The battles of Shinigami are battles of spiritual pressure. In the face of absolutely overwhelming spiritual pressure, the so-called skills often become meaningless."

Tengetsu Sussai remained expressionless and calm, showing no signs of losing his composure despite his injury. He extended his right hand and released a response to his chest. Such a dense and extensive wound could not be completely healed by the power of the gourd.

He was about to charge again with his sword when he was stopped by Kirinji.

"Hey, hey, hey, let's end this pointless fight. Everyone's covered in grime, why don't we go back and take a bath?"

"Not fighting anymore? Looks like I'm still too weak to even get you to swing your sword. Sorry."

Tenzuki Sussai knelt on the ground, utterly exhausted from continuously resisting Kirinji Tenjiro's spiritual pressure. He also had to unleash his Shikai and focus intently on wielding his sword. Both his physical and mental strength were nearly depleted; he was now using all his power just to use the Reidou technique.

Seeing this, Kirinji Tenjiro instantly appeared before him, lifting Tenzuki Susuzai up and carrying him as he leaped into the sky. He drew a bolt of lightning in the sky and landed steadily back in front of the hot spring house.

Iwabuchi Ichiki and many of his samurai subordinates who were soaking in the foot bath rushed forward when they saw Tengetsu Sussai. Iwabuchi Ichiki sensed that something was wrong and drew his sword, heading towards Kirinji Tenjiro.

Seeing this, Tianyue Quezhai was speechless for a moment, then roared at them, "Didn't you hear my order, you bunch of idiots? Get back to the camp right now! Doesn't the camp need someone to stay and guard it?"

"Yes!" "Yes! Boss Tengetsu!!!" Iwabuchi Ichiki quickly led the retreat, and the samurai scattered in all directions.

After everyone left, Kirinji Tenjiro placed Tengetsujasai on a wooden board.

"How are you? You're the first person I've ever seen who can remain conscious under my spiritual pressure."

"Tenjiro, the captains in Bleach all have extremely high spiritual pressure. You haven't seen them simply because you don't see them often enough."

"Hey, hey, hey, are you trying to say I'm a country bumpkin with no experience?" Kirinji Tenjiro punched Tengetsu Sukusai on the head, making him dizzy and disoriented.

Ignoring the idiot in the hot spring, Tengetsu Quezhai continued to cast the Returning Dao, and the abundant blue spiritual pressure transformed into green mist under the casting of his spell, constantly filling the wounds around him.

Fortunately, the wound was quite small, and it only took 5 minutes to heal with the healing aura filling. However, it will need to rest for about a day for the muscles to heal completely.

Kirinji Tenjiro watched Tengetsu Sukusai's counterattack unfold and pondered it as he stroked his chin.

"Hmm... This is a strange Kido. I've seen Kido before; they're all secret techniques passed down through generations among the five noble families and their subordinate noble families. Few Rukongai can use them. I've only heard of Hado and Bakudo; this is the first time I've seen a technique like yours that heals injuries."

"This technique is quite simple. It involves using a certain technique to convert the output spiritual pressure into a gentle, attribute-neutral spiritual pressure to fill the wound. There's nothing difficult about this technique. If you really want to know, you need a stable output of spiritual pressure, an understanding of human anatomy, and a sufficient reserve of spiritual pressure. Oh, and you also need relatively pure spiritual energy. If the spiritual energy is too mixed, it won't work."

As Tengetsu Chosai spoke, Kirinji Tenjiro imitated him, turning his palms over and gesturing towards Tengetsu Chosai.

"Hey, hey, hey, Kirinji Tenjiro, why are you experimenting on me without chanting any incantations? Get away!!! Eh... Eh... Huh???" Tenzuki Sussai felt that it wasn't Kirinji Tenjiro who had a problem, but rather that Kirinji Tenjiro had gone mad.

A torrent of abundant spiritual pressure surged forth from in front of Kirinji Tenjiro's hands, and the intense wind pressure interrupted Tenzuki Sukusai's return technique.

"Oh dear, it failed. How about this, Teacher Tianyue? Is the arrangement of spirit particles for casting the spell okay? Would it be successful if I added the power of words?"

"Idiot! Your spiritual pressure is too much. It's more than enough to fill the wound. Are you trying to kill me with the excess spiritual pressure?" Tengetsu Sussai complained about Kirinji Tenjiro's recklessness while being shocked by his talent for replying.

There was no need to chant any incantations; a mere glance at the arrangement of the spell's spiritual particles was enough to silently utter a response. Moreover, this green spiritual pressure was enough to pull a person back from a state of severe injury.

"Oh dear, there's nothing I can do about it. My spiritual pressure is just too high, it's really a headache."

Kirinji Tenjiro scratched his forehead, while Tenzuki Susuzai thought for a moment and said, "If you use the Return Path to create healing spirit particles, and then fill the spring water, you can bathe and recover from your injuries, right?"

"Ah, yes, that's definitely the right way to do it! You've been a great help, Tianyue boy."

"It's nothing, I think you should be able to do it easily." Indeed, the hot spring demons that can create bone hells and blood pool hells, Master Kirinji Tenjiro will definitely be able to do that level later.

"This healing technique for ghosts isn't difficult and the method is quite basic, but it's precisely because it's so basic that it can't heal some fatal wounds. On top of that, we need to modify the arrangement of spiritual particles and combine it with the structure of the human body to change the technique. Let me think of something like this."

As he spoke, Kirinji Tenjiro conjured a spiritual particle with one hand and snapped his fingers, instantly dispersing it evenly. The healing spiritual particle transformed into a mist that enveloped Tengetsu Sussai, and he felt his body completely covered by it.

Furthermore, even smaller spiritual particles penetrated deeper into his body through his skin, healing injuries that would normally take 5 minutes in just 1 minute. The remaining 1 minute was entirely due to the fact that Tengetsu Quezhai's body needed time to accept and heal the spiritual particles, preventing any rejection reaction.

"You...you've created a new return path?"

"Is this considered creating a new healing ghost path, or what you call the return path? I think it's quite simple, just do this and that and that will do."