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

Although he hasn't mastered the "Instant Strike" sword technique yet, he has figured out some tricks in his training to cut grass mats with a wooden sword and is about to learn the "Spirit Pressure Blade" technique. He is not without a chance of winning against Kana Azashiro.

The "Instant Strike" sword technique is powerful, but Kana's "Instant Strike" is not yet proficient. It takes her two or three seconds to complete the charging action, during which time there are many openings.

He only needs to launch a strong offensive and suppress her, preventing her from using her "Instant Strike" sword technique, and he will have a chance to win.

"Hey, I won't compete with you guys for first place in this swordsmanship assessment. I think I have a bigger advantage in the Kido assessment." Hirako Shinji started learning relatively late and has only just begun training to cut grass mats with a wooden sword. He knows nothing about the "spiritual pressure blade" technique, which puts him at a disadvantage in the competition. This means he needs to use more spiritual pressure to protect the wooden sword in case they cut it with their "spiritual pressure blade".

However, he made better progress in Kido than the other two, neither of whom were skilled in Kido.

"It seems you are all very confident. If you can make it into the top ten in this assessment, I will cook a delicious dish that you have never tasted before as a reward. If you can make it into the top three..." July paused, and under their expectant expressions, she slowly said, "I will teach you a new sword technique."

"Delicious food and a new sword technique..." Cilantro Mochishiro hesitated. "If I get into the top three, will I only get the new sword technique as a reward?"

"The rewards for the top three and the top ten can be combined," July said with a smile.

"Yay—I want both the delicious meal and the new sword technique!" Cilantro Mochi was thrilled.

"Top three?" Kensei Muguruma laughed confidently. "That's too easy!"

"Looks like I'll have to work harder..." Hirako Shinji said helplessly.

...

The swordsmanship assessment was held in a large swordsmanship room.

The two classes participating in the assessment will determine their opponents by drawing lots. There are a total of 63 students in the two classes, so one student will inevitably be drawn to receive a bye.

The teachers sat at a long table, waiting for the students who were lined up to draw lots.

Minister Asido also took time out of his busy schedule to preside over the assessment.

Even Tsunayoshi Tokinada, who often takes leave, made a rare appearance here.

Minister Asito had just sent someone to summon Tsunayoshi Tokina, which made Tsunayoshi Tokina somewhat displeased, and a hint of impatience was evident between his brows.

In addition to the teachers from the fencing department, teachers from other courses also watched the matches in the fencing room.

"My turn." Kensei Rokusha reached into the lottery box and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. "Let me see which unlucky guy it is."

Kensei Muguruma paused slightly after seeing the name written on the note.

Shinji Hirako, standing behind, peeked over and said, "Tsk tsk, why aren't you moving? Did you draw cilantro?"

“It’s Kuchiki Soujun…” Kensei Rokusha said solemnly.

He drew the worst possible draw in the first round. The Kuchiki family is one of the five great noble families in Soul Society, and Kuchiki Sojun is the best of the new generation of the Kuchiki family. Even he, who is in a different class, has heard of Kuchiki Sojun's reputation.

"But this is good too. Once I've dealt with him, no one will be able to stop me from taking first place!" Kensei Muguruma quickly adjusted his mindset.

"Hey—don't pretend I don't exist!" Cilantro Mochi said unhappily.

"Hurry up and draw yours, there are still people behind us," July reminded them.

Hirako Shinji stepped forward, pushed Rokusha Kensei aside, and reached his hand into the box.

"Kasumi Ōji Gosuke... seems to be a tough opponent too!" Hirako Shinji slapped his forehead, somewhat helpless.

To encounter such a renowned student so early in the season means that even if he wins, he'll likely have to give it his all. This would allow his opponents to figure out his strength, which is very disadvantageous for someone aiming for a good ranking.

“It’s my turn—” Cilantro Mole City took a slip of paper out of the box.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Did you draw Ōmaeda Noriyuki?"

I got a bye!

"what?"

Chapter 35 Swordsmanship Assessment

A square wooden arena has been added to the center of the swordplay room.

The first match was between Shinichi Omaeda from Class 1-1 and Ichiro Kiryu from Class 2-1.

Ōmaeda Kinosuke inherited the Ōmaeda family's signature look: a large face, a wide chin, a tall stature, and a thick gold chain around his neck, making him stand out in a crowd.

Standing opposite him was Kiryu Ichiro, who, although not as tall, had a strong physique. His hair was combed back into a neat but slightly messy slicked-back style, with prominent sideburns and a small goatee, making him look much more mature than the other students.

Not all students at the Academy of Spirit Arts are young spirits.

The Gotei 13 was originally an assassin organization founded by the current Captain-Commander, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, and the predecessor of the Spirit Arts Academy was an assassin training base.

Therefore, there is no age limit for admission to the Spiritual Arts Academy.

Anyone who possesses the qualifications to become a Grim Reaper can enter the Spirit Arts Academy by passing the entrance examination.

The referee for this round of competition was July. He stood between the two students and read out the competition rules.

"The rules for today's swordsmanship competition are very simple: you score one point by hitting your opponent's body, and the first one to score two points wins."

"In addition, neither side can leave the ring. Any student who leaves the ring will be automatically disqualified."

"The competition shall now begin!"

July stepped down from the ring, and the two students who had fought against her slowly stepped forward and bowed.

“If you admit defeat now, you won’t have to lose so miserably,” said Noriyuki Ōmaeda, cracking his neck and speaking casually.

Kiryu Ichiro snorted coldly, strode forward, and raised his wooden sword to slash at Ōmaeda Kinoshita's neck.

"Why won't you listen to advice?" Ōmaeda Kinoshita grinned, brandishing his wooden sword to block Kiryu Ichiro's wooden sword.

thump—

When the wooden swords clashed, an unusual sound was heard.

Kiryu Ichiro was shocked. In just that instant of exchange, his wooden sword had already broken!

Kiryu Ichiro didn't understand what was going on, but the teachers watching from the stands could see the trick.

"Tsunayoshi, your students are really amazing. They've already mastered the technique of attaching spiritual pressure just since they enrolled," said Duanmu Zongjie.

The spiritual pressure attachment technique that Duanmu Zongjie mentioned is the "spiritual pressure blade" technique. Ōmaeda Kinoshita had been instructed by experts from the Onmitsukido since childhood, and before enrolling in school, he had already learned spiritual pressure control and the "spiritual pressure blade" technique.

Tsuna nods but doesn't say anything.

This made Duanmu Zongjie feel a little embarrassed. Minister Asido glanced at the two of them and spoke up to ease the awkward atmosphere: "This Kiryu Ichiro has good combat awareness. His positioning is very particular, so he should have a lot of combat experience."

Asido's assessment was accurate. Kiryu Ichiro came from Kusajika Ward in Rukongai, which is arguably one of the worst-behaved wards in Rukongai. People there live like stray dogs, and murder, arson, theft, and kidnapping are common occurrences. Without some skill, it's difficult to survive there.

Upon seeing the wooden sword break, Kiryu Ichiro rolled to the left without hesitation. Ōmaeda Kinoshita's wooden sword swept past his head and slashed to the right.

Taking advantage of the moment when Ōmaeda Kinoshita's back was turned to him, Kiryu Ichiro swiftly thrust out the broken sword in his hand.

Kiryu Ichiro used his extensive combat experience to anticipate his opponent's next move and seized the opportunity to counterattack, but the difference in their strength was simply too great!

Ōmaeda Kinosugu slammed his wooden sword onto the floor, cracking the wooden floorboards. Then, he turned and swept the wooden sword horizontally, shattering the floor into countless wood chips. The wood chips and the wooden sword swept towards Kiryu Ichiro.

thump—

click-

The wooden sword struck Kiryu Ichiro's right shoulder, and a cracking sound came from his right shoulder.

Then, he flew off the stage like a ball being slapped, crashing into the crowd of spectators.

The onlookers quickly dodged, and Kiryu Ichiro crashed directly into the floor, smashing a deep dent into the wooden floorboards.

"Cough cough—" After spitting out several mouthfuls of blood, Kiryu Ichiro's vision went black and he fainted.

"Kiryu Ichiro has left the ring, and Ōmaeda Kinoshita has won." July announced the result of the match.

"I told you so, you wouldn't have to be so pathetic if you had just admitted defeat!" Ōmaeda Kinoshita curled his lip, picked up his wooden sword, and jumped off the stage.

There was no rule against injuring opponents in the assessment competition, so July couldn't say anything. After announcing the results of the match, he quickly stepped forward and checked Kiryu Ichiro's injury.

Kiryu Ichiro's arm bone was broken, and several of his ribs were also broken. Fortunately, this was the Spirit Arts Academy, where these injuries could be treated, so they weren't considered very serious.

A faint light of return shone in July's hands.

Ms. Kobayashi also came over; she was in charge of the medical arrangements for this competition.

“Mr. Shikatori, I will take care of his treatment. You can continue hosting the competition,” said Ms. Kobayashi.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Ms. Kobayashi," July nodded and said.

As July approached the arena, the second group of students had already stepped onto the stage.

This is an internal battle within Class One, as both students are from Class One.

After the competition was announced in July, the two fought back and forth. The students from Class 2, having witnessed the strength of the students from Class 1, felt somewhat discouraged, as the gap in their basic skills was too great.

They hoped that their opponents wouldn't be as formidable as Ōmaeda Kinosugu, otherwise it would be too embarrassing to be knocked out so quickly.

Moreover, once they lose consciousness, they lose even the chance to enter the loser's bracket.

Students who lose in the first round will have another chance to enter the loser's bracket.

After all, the opponents in the competition are determined by drawing lots. If two people with better strength are drawn together, then one of them will inevitably lose.

If talented individuals are eliminated in the first round, then the final rankings become highly inaccurate.

A few minutes later, one of the students hit his opponent twice, scoring two points and ending the match.

"Yui Nikaido has won. Please invite the next contestant to the stage." July announced the result.

In the following rounds, whenever the matches were between Class 1 and Class 2, the students from Class 1 always won. Only when both sides were students from the same class did the matches become evenly matched.

"I'm afraid the average grades of Class Two will be very poor for the next three years..." Minister Asido thought to himself.

He was also a Grim Reaper skilled in swordsmanship, so he could naturally see that the reason for this result was that the students in Class One had not developed their skills in just one or two months; they had already laid a solid foundation before enrolling.

Normally, these students would be evenly distributed, but this year, because some people wanted to pave the way for Tsunayoshi Tokina, most of the students with good foundations were put into the same class.

"Sigh, but Dean Kotetsu should know about this too. The poor performance of Mr. Shikatori's class shouldn't have cost him his job." Minister Asito shook his head. Although he was dissatisfied with this forced elevation of Yashiro Tokina's position, he was powerless to do anything about it.

"Natsuko Moriyama has won. Please invite the next student to the stage."

Shinji Hirako and Gosuke Kasumi stepped onto the ring.

Chapter 36 Hirako Mako vs. Kasumioji Gosuke

Shinji Hirako and Gosuke Kasumi stepped onto the ring.

Hirako Shinji glanced at Shikatori Nanatsuki, who was standing by the ring, and saw the encouraging look his teacher was giving him.

He took a deep breath; he couldn't afford to lose this game, he needed to bring Class Two their first victory!

“It’s not too late to admit defeat now,” Kasumi Gosuke said casually.

"Oh dear, if I were to admit defeat, Shikato-sensei would skin me alive. Even if I can't beat you, I'll still have to exchange a few blows with you," Hirako Shinji said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Kasumi Gosuke stopped trying to persuade him and adopted a defensive stance.

Hirako Shinji also held his swords in both hands and assumed a fighting stance.

"That's impressive," Minister Asido praised.

Ever since Ōmaeda Kinosugu opened up the game in the first match, the students of Class 2 have been somewhat hesitant and timid when facing the students of Class 1.

However, Shinko Hirako on stage now seems to have a big heart and looks very calm.

Not only that, but the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, forming a slight curve, showing no fear of Kasumi Gosuke, a famous and formidable opponent, and appearing very relaxed.

“This Hirako Shinji is a disciple of Shikatori-sensei, but unfortunately he comes from Rukongai and hasn’t been training with Shikatori-sensei for very long. I doubt he’ll be able to defeat this Kasumi Oji Gosuke,” Duanmu Sōsuke said.

"Shikatori-sensei's disciple?" Minister Asido was slightly taken aback, but quickly remembered hearing from others that the Shikatori Dojo of the former 8th Division Captain Shikatori Hakuunsai had reopened its doors to accept disciples. "It seems that Shikatori-sensei is now the acting master of the Shikatori Dojo. Then we can look forward to this battle."

Tsuna looked at the two on the stage casually. He didn't think that a freshman from Rukongai could beat Kasumi Gosuke, who was one of the best students in his class.

On the stage, Hirako Shinji appeared relaxed, but in reality, he had already focused his attention and was intently observing Kasumi Gosuke's movements.

When Shikatori announced the start of the match, Kasumi Gosuke suddenly stepped forward. His long-term basic training allowed him to maintain his stance while moving at high speed.

Kasumi Gosuke revealed no flaws and in the blink of an eye, he had already rushed in front of Hirako Shinji, his wooden sword thrusting towards Hirako Shinji's face at an extremely fast speed.

Hirako Shinji grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and with a swift flick of his wrist, the wooden sword in his hand instantly stabbed towards Kasumi Gosuke's throat.

Kasumi Gosuke's expression changed slightly. He hadn't expected Hirako Shinji to choose not to dodge or evade, but to fight with his life on the line!

If he doesn't stop his attack now, his own throat will be stabbed before his wooden sword can even hit the opponent's forehead.

Because Hirako Shinji's hands were longer than his!

This subtle difference played a crucial role at this moment.