Bleach: Getting Stronger Starting from Teaching at the Spiritual Arts Academy

[Guiding Hirako Shinji through basic swordsmanship training (completed)]

In July, focus your attention on the item that shows "completed".

[Disciple Hirako Shinji has completed his basic swordsmanship training; rewards have been distributed.]

[Reward: 1000 Universal Experience Points]

[Reward Obtained: Binding Spell 4 - This Rope (Beginner Level)]

In July, she mastered a beginner-level binding technique. The purpose of "this rope" is to use spiritual power to condense a golden rope to bind enemies.

“Very good, Mako has almost mastered the basics of swordsmanship. From now on, you will follow Kensei’s example and begin your swordsmanship training by cutting straw mats with a wooden sword,” July said.

[A new training task has been added: Guide Hirako Shinji through a sword technique training (in progress)]

Hirako Shinji's new training task has also been revealed.

"Finally, I can start practicing swordsmanship." Hirako Shinji breathed a sigh of relief. In order to learn swordsmanship as quickly as possible and not let Kana and Kensei fall too far behind him, he had been working hard on basic swordsmanship training every night.

"I bought fish today. To reward Mako for completing her basic swordsmanship training and to welcome Yuune to the team, I'm making you all a fish hot pot feast!" July clapped her hands.

"Yay!" Cilantro from Zhicheng skipped and hopped into the kitchen. "I'll help!"

“I’ll help too—” Kotetsu Isane followed him into the kitchen.

"Uh, why does this guy get this kind of treatment?" Kensei Rokugura glared at Shinji Hirako.

"I think I was just an afterthought; the teacher was probably mainly there to welcome Yuune," Hirako Shinji said, shrugging.

In the kitchen, July demonstrated some advanced uses of the "return" method to everyone.

The fish on the cutting board had been out of water for too long and were becoming less active.

In July, I used a healing technique on the fish, and it miraculously recovered. The fish regained its vitality and started thrashing and jumping on the cutting board.

"Wow—is the teacher's reply really that amazing?" Kana Mochi was a little surprised; it was the first time she had ever seen the teacher use a reply.

"Captain Unohana even wanted to invite me to be the vice-captain of the Fourth Division today," July said casually.

"Vice-captain? Didn't the teacher agree?" Kana Mochishiro's eyes widened. Her family hadn't had a vice-captain-level figure for hundreds of years.

“I prefer teaching at the Academy of Spiritual Arts,” July replied.

Kotetsu Isane's eyes lit up when he saw the fish become lively again.

"Shikatori-sensei..." Kotetsu Isane asked hesitantly, "Could you teach me how to return to the Dao?"

“Yongyin wants to learn the Dao of Return? Of course you can, but…” July chuckled, “If you want to learn the Dao of Return, you’ll have to become my disciple.”

“I am willing to become Shikatri-sensei’s apprentice.” Kotetsu Isane did not hesitate much. She felt that the atmosphere of Shikatri dojo was very good. She liked it here. Moreover, she was more interested in the Dao than swordsmanship.

[Kotetsu Isane requests to become an apprentice; will you accept him as a personal disciple?]

A prompt to become a disciple appeared before July's eyes. Without hesitation, he immediately confirmed and accepted Kotetsu Isane as his disciple.

"Alright, from now on you will be my disciple. You must be loyal to your sect and diligently cultivate. I will then teach you the Way of the Sword and the Way of Return," said July.

[Successfully recruited Kotetsu Isane as his personal disciple]

[Kotetsu Isane's reputation level has increased; current reputation level is Friendly.]

[The current training task has been added: Guide Kotetsu Isane through basic swordsmanship training (in progress)]

"Yes, teacher," Kotetsu Isane bowed.

Looking at the newly popped-up cultivation task prompt, Qi Yue had an idea and continued, "Yong Yin, I will start teaching you the basics of Dao Returning tomorrow, but your basic swordsmanship training cannot be neglected."

[Current cultivation task has been added: Guide Kotetsu Isane through the basic cultivation of returning to the Dao (in progress)]

As predicted in July, Kotetsu Isane's basic training mission for returning to the Dao was also revealed.

Chapter 33 Undercurrent

Nighttime, inside the Fourth Division barracks.

The moonlight, like water, spilled onto the courtyard.

The bedroom door by the courtyard was half-open. By the moonlight, one could see that Unohana on the bed was pale, as if the injuries caused by the poison during the day had not yet fully recovered.

In the courtyard, a dark figure emerged from the shadows and slowly approached Unohana's bedroom.

The dark figure suddenly paused slightly, a sudden, bone-chilling coldness causing her to stop in her tracks.

A silver light flashed from inside the bedroom door, and a blade swept in with a violent gust of wind.

The shadowy figure instantly drew his Zanpakuto and held it in front of him.

clang!

The two Zanpakuto clashed together, and Unohana pinned the shadowy figure down with her crossed blades.

The poison used when lecturing the Huidao training class during the day was prepared by Mao Zhihua herself.

But then that unexpected situation occurred, and Unohana felt that the person who replaced the poisoner must have come for her.

Unohana had a hunch that the person who replaced the Void Poison was still hiding in the Fourth Division.

The bottle of illusory poison is stored in the Fourth Division's storage room, and no outsiders are allowed to enter except for members of the Fourth Division.

Therefore, she pretended that her injuries were not fully healed, to see if the person who replaced the poison would appear.

The method of the flower of the rabbit is very effective. Just as criminals like to return to the crime scene, the person who replaces the poison also wants to come and reap the rewards.

By the moonlight, Unohana saw the other person's face clearly, and her pupils widened in shock.

“A spirit body…” Unohana’s face turned cold. “Wasn’t the ‘Captain’s Instrumentality Project’ stopped a long time ago?”

The Shinigami pinned beneath her Zanpakuto was actually a Shinigami who looked exactly like her!

Unohana immediately realized that someone was collecting her scattered spiritual particles to create a "spirit body".

The Quincy War hundreds of years ago caused heavy losses to the first Gotei 13.

After the war, the 13th Guard Division couldn't even muster thirteen captains.

Therefore, in order to complete the Captain-level forces, the Seireitei launched the "Captain Instrumentality Project".

But Unohana remembers that the "Captain Instrumentality Project" should have stopped because of technical problems. The "spirit bodies" that were created were very weak and could not even release their Zanpakuto.

With the rise of a new generation of Shinigami, the number of Captain-level Shinigami was replenished, and the Seireitei no longer wanted to invest resources in the "Captain Instrumentality Project," so the development of the "Spirit Body" was put on hold.

"You used this appearance to fool the Fourth Division members and walk into the storage room openly, didn't you?" Unohana understood how the other party had changed the Hollow Poison, but her questions only grew. "Are you a 'Spirit Corpse' created by Shutara Senjumaru?"

"It seems that the bottle of illusory poison didn't seriously injure you. I failed after all." The spirit body did not answer Unohana's question.

"Why did you do this?" Unohana continued to ask.

"why?"

"Of course it's to have a real spirit body! You have so much spiritual pressure, why can't you give me some!" The spirit body's expression turned ferocious as it pushed Unohana off its body and swung its sword at Unohana's neck.

“An emotionally unstable ‘spirit body,’ you are an initial product.” Unohana frowned and casually blocked the knife.

Although the development of the spirit body was shelved, several generations of products were developed before the project was stopped. In addition to the fact that the early spirit bodies had very weak spiritual pressure and could not meet the standard for releasing the Zanpakuto, they also had many other problems such as unstable emotions.

"I am not a product!!!" The spirit body's emotions were completely ignited, and it lost all reason, frantically slashing at Unohana.

However, although the spirit body of the spirit skeleton was made from Unohana's spirit particles, she did not inherit Unohana's abilities, and this chaotic slashing was no threat to Unohana.

However, in the early stages of the "spirit body" product, the spirit body would quickly collapse after emotional agitation, so Unohana did not continue to ask questions.

"Boring."

A flash of silver light, and the spirit body felt a chill at its waist before instantly breaking in two.

The broken body of the spirit fell to the ground and slowly dissipated.

Unohana looked up at the night sky, remaining silent.

This spirit body is very weak; a Vasto Lorde-level Hollow is clearly beyond her capabilities, so the source of that bottle of Hollow poison is highly suspicious.

...

The following day, at the Spirit Arts Academy.

Today is the day of the autumn assessment. The assessment will be conducted over several days, with one subject assessed each day. Today's subject is swordsmanship.

The office was unusually lively, as the teachers were discussing the fall assessments.

"Shikatori-sensei, do you have confidence in your students? Tsuna-yayo-sensei's class has a huge advantage; most of them are from Seireitei, right?" Kobayashi-sensei exclaimed.

The class she taught was the same one that July taught, except that she taught the return-to-the-path class.

"The students' progress in basic swordsmanship training is not bad, but compared to the students in Teacher Tsunayoshi's class, they are probably still far behind, after all, their training time is still too short," July said helplessly.

Most of his students came from Rukongai and had little prior experience with kendo, so they had to start training from scratch.

However, the students he mentioned did not include his disciples.

Geniuses grow at different rates, and even though their training time is still short, July is confident that they will achieve good results.

"Yes, it's the same with the lessons I teach; very few students can actually listen..." Ms. Kobayashi said, quite distressed.

"There's nothing we can do about it. The entry requirements for the medical profession are quite high, requiring students to learn a lot of basic medical knowledge. It's normal that students don't like to learn this," July comforted her.

"That's how it is when you teach students. Don't expect them to do well on the exams this year." Ms. Sakai was very easygoing.

She taught the same class as Ms. Kobayashi and Ms. Shichitori; she taught the Kido (Demon Way) class.

However, those students from Seireitei already possessed some Kido before entering the school, while her students had only learned one Hado and one Bakudo, making them no match for her.

"It's the fall assessment today, and Ms. Tsunayoshi isn't even here..." Ms. Kobayashi looked at an empty seat inside and clicked her tongue in amazement.

Although everyone understands the significance of the surname Tsunayoshiro, one of the five noble families, and knows that Tsunayoshiro-sensei is just here to gain experience, this nonchalant attitude is something they've never seen before.

"Today is the swordsmanship test, Shikatori-sensei. Among the students in our class, who do you think has the best chance? Your disciples have quite a bit of talent in swordsmanship, right?" Sakai-sensei changed the subject, as discussing the Tsuna-Yashiro family was a rather sensitive matter.

The news of Shikatri Nanatsu accepting disciples spread among several teachers who were familiar with him, since they would go to the Shikatri Dojo together to train every day and would inevitably be seen by others.

Chapter 34 Autumn Assessment

“If we only look at swordsmanship, my disciples should be able to get good rankings.” July paused and said, “Besides them, Kotsubaki Jin’emon also practices swordsmanship very diligently.”

"Is Shikatori-sensei so confident? They haven't been practicing swordsmanship for very long, have they? Most of the students in Tsuna-yayo-sensei's class have been practicing swordsmanship since they were little." Kobayashi-sensei was not very skeptical.

Even geniuses need time to grow. It's unrealistic to expect someone who has only been practicing swordsmanship for two months to defeat a student who has been practicing since childhood.

Ms. Kobayashi felt that only a genius with at least the potential to be a vice-captain could accomplish that; it was impossible for several geniuses with the potential to be vice-captains to appear in this class at once.

"Yes, I have high hopes for Kuchiki Sojun, Ōmaeda Kinosuke, and Kasumi Ōji Gosuke from Tsunayoshi's class. They are all very talented students, and I heard that their families are grooming them as successors. The top three in this fall exam should be the three of them," said Sakai-sensei.

"Since Mr. Shikatori is so confident, why don't we place a bet?" Mr. Kobayashi's eyes lit up, and an idea came to him. "Let's bet on whether any of our students can make it into the top ten."

“If it’s a bet on who will take first place, I’m not really confident, after all, their training time is still too short, but if it’s just the top ten…” July said with a smile, “I still have a lot of confidence in them.”

His three disciples are making good progress in their cultivation. They have all learned the techniques of controlling spiritual pressure and can already wield the sailfish spirit for more than an hour.

Don't be fooled by the fact that they mastered this skill in just one or two weeks. In reality, it's very difficult to do. If other students in the class were to train using the same methods for one or two years, they might not be able to master the spiritual pressure control technique.

Furthermore, the recipe for making the sailfish wooden sword is a secret recipe of the Shikatori Dojo, and the training methods taught at the Spirit Arts Academy are far less effective than the sailfish sonic training method. Therefore, many students who study spiritual pressure control techniques from the third year of their studies still haven't mastered them by graduation.

"I heard from Shizushiro Kana that Mr. Shikatori's cooking skills are excellent. If none of our students make it into the top ten, Mr. Shikatori will cook for us personally. If any of our students make it into the top ten, then I will treat you to a meal!" Ms. Kobayashi said with a smile.

She wanted to find an opportunity to have a meal with Shikagori Nanatsuki to improve their relationship.

After witnessing Shikatori Nanatsuki's display of his Daoist prowess, she developed a certain admiration for him.

At such a young age, he already has a level of response that is close to that of Captain Unohana. What will he be like in another hundred years or so? Who knows, after Captain Unohana retires, the position of Captain of the Fourth Division might be taken over by Shikatori Nanatsuki.

"I think it's a good idea." Ms. Sakai nodded vigorously. Anyway, no matter who wins or loses, she can still get a free meal.

...

Before the competition, July decided to give her students a pep talk.

After all, if he loses, he'll have to treat his colleagues to dinner.

"After two months of training, you have grown a lot, and I have a lot of confidence in you." July said with a smile. "I took the opportunity to observe the training of Class 1-1. There are three opponents you need to be careful of—Kuchiki Sojun, Omaeda Kinosuke, and Kasumi Oji Gosuke. They have good swordsmanship talent and have been practicing swordsmanship since they were young. They will be your formidable rivals."

"I'm very confident!" Cilantro Mochi rolled up her sleeves, clenched her little fist, and said confidently, "Don't worry, teacher, I'll get first place!"

Kana Mochi recently learned the "Instant Strike" sword technique. In her sparring sessions with Kensei Muguruma and Shinji Hirako, they were unable to defend themselves whenever she successfully used the "Instant Strike" technique, so she is now brimming with confidence.

"Hmph, first place is definitely mine. Kana, you can only compete with Mako for second place," Kensei Muguruma said defiantly.