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

"Kuchiki Sojun is the winner." July went on stage and carried the unconscious Rokusha Kensei off the stage. He checked Rokusha's injuries and found a bump on his forehead, but it wasn't a big deal.

However, he fainted and probably won't make it to the loser's bracket match that's about to start.

The first round will eliminate half of the participants into the loser's bracket, but in the end only eight people can be eliminated and continue the assessment.

Kensei Muguruma fainted and couldn't even draw lots, so he naturally lost his qualification to enter the loser's bracket and became the bottom of the group in this assessment.

This assessment method can only give students a rough ranking. After all, there are so many students, and if we were to rank them carefully, the competition would become very long.

However, gold will always shine. You can't always get a bad score in every assessment, which would result in someone with real ability ranking very low.

"Honestly, if he hadn't forced himself to use a sword technique he hadn't yet learned, he wouldn't have revealed such a huge flaw and been knocked unconscious." Hirako Shinji rolled his eyes.

"His opponent is very strong." Kana Momoshiro's expression was solemn as she looked at Kuchiki Sojun, who was slowly walking off the stage. She wasn't confident she could beat him either.

"You haven't trained long enough. Just do your best." July handed the two of them over and went back to oversee the assessment.

After the first round of competition ended, the assessment was divided into two examination rooms. Duanmu Zongjie led the students who had fallen into the loser's group to the swordsmanship room next door for the assessment.

Both the winners' bracket and the losers' bracket will each select 8 students to compete for the top eight spots. There will be a rule to avoid students from the same group, and students from the winners' bracket will only be drawn against students from the losers' bracket.

"Please invite Kana Mochi and Tomoya Aman to the stage for a duel."

Kana Mochishiro, who had previously been given a bye, also joined the second round of the competition. Her opponent was a student from Class 1. This student had shaved his head from his forehead to the top of his head, wore a chonmage hairstyle, was short, and had a pointed face and monkey-like features.

"Are you from the Mochishiro family?" Amanmon Tomoya sized up Mochishiro Kana's slightly plump figure.

"Please enlighten me!" Cilantro Mochi was very dissatisfied with his aggressive gaze, and directly drew her wooden sword, intending to teach him a lesson.

"Hehe, not bad, quite the presence." Amanmon Tomoya revealed a lewd smile. He didn't take the girl in front of him seriously. The Mochishiro family didn't care much about training in martial arts. They preferred to spend money to hire strong people as guards rather than recruit their descendants.

"Enough with the nonsense—" Kana Mochi couldn't stand it any longer. She raised her wooden sword with both hands, shouted, and launched a leaping slash at Tomoya Amanmon, "Take this!"

Amanmon Tomoya sensed the spiritual pressure emanating from the other party and immediately felt a sense of foreboding.

He hastily raised the wooden sword to block above his head, but before he could even mobilize his spiritual pressure, Azashiro Kana's sword had already slashed down!

click -

The wooden sword snapped in two, and Kana Mochi's knife struck Tomoya Amanmon's face!

A powerful force pressed down, causing Amanto Tomoya's legs to sink into the wooden floor.

Bang!

The wooden floorboards exploded with a loud crash, sending countless wood chips flying everywhere.

Amanmon Tomoya was also smashed into the wooden floor and lost consciousness.

"Her spiritual pressure is no lower than that of Shikatori-sensei's other two disciples. How come there are so many monsters among this year's freshmen!" Captain Yamada stroked his beard and exclaimed, "It seems the Azashiro family is about to welcome a genius..."

“Yes, the last member of the Mochijo family to serve as a seat official was probably two or three hundred years ago.” Yushoda Hachigen nodded.

"The competition should have been held in the courtyard..." Asido said helplessly. Normally, the exams for first-time test takers would not have caused such a commotion. Today, it just so happens to be raining, so the assessment was held indoors.

"Then I have to learn from this lesson and hold all future open-world assessments outdoors," Nakano said with a smile.

Asido glanced at the expressionless Tsunayoshi Tokina and chuckled inwardly. It seemed that it wouldn't be so easy for this Tsunayoshi-sensei to sit in his position.

With his discerning eye, he naturally couldn't fail to see that Kensei Muguruma, whom he had previously lost to, was also a very promising student.

Kensei Muguruma's strength is not weaker than that of Shinji Hirako. It is not shameful for him to lose to the older Sōjun Kuchiki. If given time to grow, he can at least reach the level of a seat officer or even a vice-captain.

Once such students begin Blade Zen training, their spiritual pressure will grow very quickly, and they will soon leave others far behind.

It won't be easy for the students in Class 1 to get good grades then.

Asido sighed inwardly again, thinking how talented this year's students were.

To avoid affecting the subsequent matches, a new wooden board was laid on the stage to prevent other contestants from slipping.

The game continues.

Shinji Hirako drew a classmate from his own class and quickly ended the battle.

By noon, the matches in the winners' bracket, specifically the round of 32 to 16 and the round of 16 to 8, had all been completed.

Kana Mochishiro, Mako Hirako, Aoi Kuchiki, and Noriyuki Omaeda did not meet in these two rounds and successfully advanced to the quarterfinals.

Chapter 39 Top Eight

Due to the rule of avoiding opponents from the same group in the quarterfinals, neither Kana Momoshiro nor Mako Hirako, who are both in the winners' bracket, will draw the formidable opponent, Aoi Kuchiki.

The draw for the sixteen students was completed quickly.

"Who did you draw?" Kana Mochishiro waved the slip of paper in her hand, showing Shinji Hirako her opponent.

Kana Mochishiro's opponent was surprisingly Kasumi Gosuke, who had been sent to the loser's bracket by Shinji Hirako but had fought his way back up from there.

"Uh, you drew that guy too? His swordsmanship is too rigid, every move is like a textbook, he doesn't have much combat experience, he's easy to deal with." Hirako Shinji also showed his own slip of paper, he drew Ise Rikka.

Hirako Shinji glanced into the crowd and saw a girl who didn't seem aggressive. She wore glasses, had a gentle and mild expression, and exuded a quiet and dignified aura.

Hirako Shinji had watched this girl fight; she was very skilled at swordsmanship and won every battle through technique.

“Ise Rikka…the Ise family.” Kana Azashiro looked at the note, recalling information about the Ise family. “Ise Rikka seems to be the next head of the Ise family. You’d better be careful.”

"What, is she difficult to deal with?" Hirako Shinji withdrew his gaze.

Kana Mochishiro shook her head: "No, the Ise family is special. Most of their members can't use asauchi, but they are very good at kendo."

"As the next head of the family, Ise Rikka will inherit the 'Eight Mirrors Sword' passed down through generations of her family."

“But the Ise family’s ‘Eight Mirrors Sword’ has been lost, so she definitely hasn’t inherited the ‘Eight Mirrors Sword’ yet.”

"In other words, she hasn't undergone Blade Zen training yet, so you can suppress her with spiritual pressure!"

"Then why did you tell me to be careful?" Hirako Shinji asked curiously.

"What I'm trying to say is, don't fall in love with her, okay?" Kana Azaki said with a grin. "There's a rumor circulating in Soul Society—you have to be prepared to risk your life to fall in love with a woman from the Ise family!"

"Huh?" Hirako Shinji grinned. "What kind of strange rumor is this?"

"No, no, no, although it's just a rumor, it's been verified many times!" Kana Azuma said seriously. "The Ise family is in charge of the priesthood, but it's as if they're cursed. Many men who marry into the Ise family die young because of this curse."

“Okay…” Hirako Shinji scratched his head.

"The fourth round, the first match begins. Please invite Hirako Shinji and Ise Rikka to the stage for the match."

The two quickly stepped onto the arena. Although it was called an arena, the arena in the swordplay room actually had no steps; it was just a long wooden plank laid on the original wooden floor.

Without exchanging pleasantries, the two bowed to each other and then drew their wooden swords.

This time, Hirako Shinji did not wait for his opponent to make the first move, but instead chose to approach at top speed, intending to suppress his opponent with his spiritual pressure.

He learned from Kana Ise that this Rikka Ise might not have experienced Blade Zen training yet, which meant that her spiritual pressure was very likely inferior to his!

Hirako Shinji swiftly swung his wooden sword, unleashing three rapid strikes.

Ise Rikka's swordsmanship was clearly quite good, as she blocked all of Hirako Shinji's attacks.

However, just as Kana Ise said, Rikka Ise had not undergone Blade Zen training, and her spiritual pressure was far inferior to Shinji Hirako. After taking three of his moves, her tiger's mouth was numb from the shock.

Hirako Shinji showed no mercy and continued to unleash rapid slashes.

Thump thump da da da—

The continuous clanging of wooden swords echoed.

Ise Rikka was very cautious, not giving Hirako Shinji a chance to press her attack. Every time they clashed, she would quickly change her footwork and never get entangled with his wooden sword.

However, Ise Rikka's stance gradually became chaotic, and she was soon unable to withstand Hirako Shinji's offensive.

"Drink!" Hirako Shinji found Ise Rikka's weakness, and his wooden sword fell, hitting Ise Rikka's head directly.

Ise Rikka rolled her eyes back and lay unconscious on the ground.

"Oops, I accidentally knocked her unconscious." Hirako Shinji scratched his head. This woman's swordsmanship was excellent. If his spiritual pressure hadn't been so much stronger than hers, it would have been difficult to win this match. He had just managed to force out her weakness, so he couldn't hold back anymore.

"Hirako Shinji wins!"

In July, the competition results were announced, and Ms. Kobayashi, who was in charge of the treatment, stepped forward and carried Ise Rikka away.

"Congratulations, Mr. Shikatori! Your student has made it to the top eight. Looks like I'll have to treat you to dinner," Mr. Kobayashi teased.

"Thank you in advance. I'm really looking forward to Chef Kobayashi's cooking," July said with a smile.

On the teachers' bench, Minister Asido commented on the battle that had just taken place.

"Hirako Shinji's swordsmanship foundation is indeed very solid. He doesn't lose his footing even when using such a rapid attack. It's been a long time since I've seen a student like this... It's really rare. Why didn't I have a student like this when I was teaching?"

Minister Asido sighed, "When I get back from Hueco Mundo, I absolutely have to get him into the Eleventh Division. Someone with such fighting talent is perfect for the Eleventh Division!"

"With Shikari-sensei's guidance, I think he doesn't necessarily have to go to the Eleventh Division," Captain Nakano laughed. "The Second Division is also a good place for combat-oriented talents like him."

Nakano, the club president, has a background in the Second Division. In addition to serving as the club president, he also serves as the club instructor in the Second Division.

"Hirako Shinji is only a first-time student, and he still has several years before graduation. You guys are already scrambling for him," Department Head Yamada chuckled.

“After all, talented people are hard to find,” Asido laughed.

Tsunayoshi Tokina's face was gloomy. This class assignment was arranged by the vice principal, who was also one of Tsunayoshi's men. His arrangement was to pave the way for Tsunayoshi Tokina so that he could smoothly take the position of captain of the swordsmanship club. As a result, this class assignment actually missed three geniuses!

"What an idiot, can't even handle something this simple..."

The next match is between Kuchiki Sōjun and Kōtsubaki Jōemon.

Kotsubaki Jin'emon performed very well in this assessment. Although he encountered a strong opponent like Ise Rikka in the first round and was eliminated by her, he fought his way up from the loser's bracket through his own efforts.

Kotsubaki Jin'emon cherished this opportunity. The students who made it to the top eight in the assessment received an extra reward—they could go to the advanced training class for a month in advance.

Kotsubaki Jin'emon really wants to attend a swordsmanship training course.

Unfortunately, he is now about to face an opponent far stronger than Ise Rikka.

After the battle began, Kotsubaki Jin'emon was quickly defeated by Kuchiki Sojun.

There is an insurmountable gap between the two. Whether it is spiritual pressure, swordsmanship, or movement, there is a huge difference, and there is no chance of him winning.

"You've already done your best. Come find me after school." July patted Tsubaki Jin'emon on the shoulder to comfort him.

Although Kotsubaki Jin'emon's talent is only B+, his hard work and love for swordsmanship made Nanagi willing to give him a chance.

Moreover, July remembered that when the disciple first possessed S-rank talent, he received a reward entry.

He guessed that disciples who acquire talents of other levels for the first time should also receive a reward.

Chapter 40 The Bottom of the Pack

The next pair of students to compete are Kana Izashiro and Gosuke Kasumi.

Kasumi Gosuke had lost his initial arrogance and frivolity, and had become much more gloomy.

For him, being sent to the loser's bracket in the first round was extremely humiliating.

Kasumi Gosuke took a deep breath. He couldn't afford to lose again. He felt that if he played seriously, he could at least make it into the top four.

We still need to understand the situation of our opponents first. After several rounds of elimination, none of the winners are weak. If we don't take them seriously, we might still be upset.

Since he had been in the loser's bracket match in the swordplay room next door and hadn't seen Kana Azashiro perform, he could only ask his henchman for information.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a pang of pain again. Even his henchman had made it into the winners' bracket!

"Hirazo, you must have seen Kana Azajo fight, right? How strong is she?" Kasumi Gosuke asked.

"Lord Gosuke, this woman is very powerful. Her spiritual pressure is very strong. She knocked out Amanto Tomoya with just one move," Kasajo Heizo said cautiously.

"Is the spiritual pressure very strong..." Kasumi Gosuke nodded, then thought of Hirako Shinji, who had sent him to the loser's bracket. That guy was also a monster with very strong spiritual pressure.

The two stepped onto the arena, bowed, and drew their swords.

"I've heard your spiritual pressure is very strong, but I won't give you a chance to compete in spiritual pressure," Kasumi Gosuke said coldly. "I will defeat you with my swordsmanship."

Since his opponent's spiritual pressure is very strong, he will not make the mistake of competing with his opponent in spiritual pressure again!

Kasumi Gosuke was very confident in his swordsmanship, after all, even his high-ranking tutor praised him for learning the sword moves and stances perfectly!

He didn't think his previous loss to Hirako Shinji was due to his swordsmanship level. He felt it was simply because he wasn't taking it seriously, allowing his opponent to gain a point, and then he suffered from a lack of information, allowing his opponent to defeat him by suppressing his spiritual pressure.

"Ah, can we begin?" Cilantro Tsukishiro tilted her head.

Kasumi Gosuke's face darkened. He felt slighted and realized he had to teach this woman a lesson so she would know his power.

He picked up his wooden sword, stepped forward, and quickly unleashed a three-hit combo.