Who are you calling a stable boy?!

"Look, if I asked you why you like tofu, what would you think?"

"..."

"Right?"

Zheng Jing spread out his four hands.

"If you like something, you just like it. Do you have to have a reason to like it? That's too much trouble."

"But the goal..."

With his arms crossed over his chest and one hand scratching his cheek, Zheng Jing tilted his head and frowned.

"The strongest—I think this will get boring sooner or later, right?"

"...Boring?"

Aizen murmured something, as if asking Zheng Jing a question.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jing raised his finger.

"Think about it, which road do you think is more interesting to walk: one that you know will eventually come to an end, and another that will always have better scenery?"

"I don't know about other things, but I hope that martial arts is a path that will always have better scenery."

"So if I had to say, I would rather be stronger than the strongest."

"It's really fun to fight with people!"

Zheng Jingyi raised four thumbs up, comparing himself to the others.

"But isn't it more interesting to fight against yourself?"

"As for what needs to be changed... well, there might be quite a lot."

Hearing Zheng Jing mutter like that, the silent Aizen blinked.

"for example?"

"Those I don't like."

Zheng Jing shrugged.

"Anything I don't like, I'll want to change. Oh! That can actually be considered a goal? Old Lan, think about it, isn't the point of life to have a clear conscience and be happy? If I can't even kick something I don't like, hey! Wouldn't all my skills have been for nothing?! No, can you even use the term 'life' to describe the Grim Reaper...?"

"...Heh, haha."

"Old Lan?"

This time, it was Zheng Jing's turn to look puzzled at Aizen's sudden laughter.

"Sorry, haha, I just think Lao Zheng is right, it's good to be open-minded and happy."

With a smile playing on his lips, Aizen squinted and gently shook his head.

He looked at Zheng Jing again.

"Old Zheng, you've been very happy so far, haven't you?"

"Of course!"

"very nice."

"And what about you, Lao Lan?"

"I......"

Aizen lowered his head.

His face was reflected on the blade of the Zanpakuto.

Aizen could clearly see the smile on his lips.

"Not bad either."

-

The next morning's class was on the path of ghosts.

Today's teacher for Zheng Jing's class is a burly man who is two meters tall.

Compared to the image of a "magic master" skilled in demonic arts, this burly man with sunglasses and a mustache looks more like a tough guy who could pick up a double-barreled shotgun and go after the future savior at any time while wearing a leather jacket.

This person is named Tetsuzai Wakami, the current Grand Master of the Demonic Arts, and the current commander-in-chief of the Demonic Arts. His mastery of the Demonic Arts is so profound that he is one of the best in the entire Seireitei.

Zheng Jing didn't recognize this person at first glance. It was only after Aizen whispered an introduction that he realized who this was.

As a senior Taoist priest, Woling Tiezhai's teaching style was very steady. For these new students who had only been enrolled for a few months, he gave a whole theoretical lecture before taking them to the shooting range for practical training.

"Hado No. 4, White Lightning".

A beam of white lightning shot out from Aizen's fingertip and struck the target not far away in the blink of an eye, leaving a dark scorch mark.

"How is it, Lao Zheng?"

Aizen lowered his hand and looked at Zheng Jing.

For beginners who are just getting into Kido, generally speaking, they should use the Hakado, one of the Hakado, as a learning model.

In fact, Tessai Wakehime did seriously warn the students in his class that they could only practice haldos of number five or lower without prior notice.

However, Aizen immediately used the White Lightning Technique, the fourth form of the Demonic Path, as a model for Zheng Jing.

In just one day, Zheng Jing's talent and ability in Kendo and Hakuda (a type of martial arts) surprised him.

Kendo is easy to understand.

It surpasses Yoruichi Shihouin's Hakuda.

Now......

How will Zheng Jing fare in the path of the ghosts?

Standing beside Aizen, Zheng Jing looked at the target not far away and raised one hand.

"...Hado No. 4, White Lightning?"

A dazzling bolt of lightning, no less thick than the white lightning Aizen had just unleashed, struck the target in the blink of an eye.

"As expected of you."

Aizen exclaimed in admiration.

"No, Lao Lan, you can brag, but don't brag awkwardly."

Zheng Jing scratched his cheek.

He genuinely felt that Bai Lei was not difficult at all.

During the lesson, he listened to Tessai Wakehira's explanation, and with Aizen's actual demonstration, he roughly understood that Kido, or at least Hado, is essentially about arranging and combining the spiritual particles output from the body according to a fixed sequence.

this......

Is there anything difficult about this?

Or perhaps it's because the number of digits in the white lightning bolt is so low that it's easy to arrange?

Thinking of this, Zheng Jing looked around the shooting range.

His use of White Lightning had indeed attracted a lot of attention, but for safety reasons, each group of trainees was kept far apart within the shooting range.

At this distance, unless one has exceptionally keen hearing, it would be impossible to hear his conversation with Aizen.

That......

Try it.

Turning his head, Zheng Jing fixed his gaze on the target that had been bombarded by him and Aizen.

He pointed his finger into the air.

A beam of white lightning shot straight out from his fingertip and struck the target in the blink of an eye!

Aizen stared in surprise at the scorched target before turning back to face it.

When he looked at Zheng Jing again, he probably didn't even realize that a smile had appeared on his face.

"Old Zheng, want to try a stronger breakthrough technique? I can demonstrate for you."

"Really, Lao Lan?"

Aizen responded with concrete actions.

"You who reign supreme, mask of flesh and blood, all things, take flight, those who bear the name of humanity, scorching heat and strife, surge southward across the sea, and march forward—Hado #31, Crimson Fire Cannon!"

From Aizen's palm, a crimson energy sphere the size of a human head shot out, blasting the unfortunate target to pieces.

"Old Zheng, give it a try."

Turning to look at Zheng Jing, Aizen said with a smile.

But Zheng Jing did not take immediate action.

He stuck his tongue out at Aizen, raised his chin, and gestured for Aizen to watch out behind him.

"Aizen-kun."

When Aizen turned around, Tessai Tsukasa was already standing in front of him and Zheng Jing.

“I should have said that anyone attempting a breakthrough beyond five digits must report to me first.”

“I’m very sorry, teacher, I’m getting old—Zheng Jing was so engrossed in the Dao of Ghosts that he couldn’t help himself.”

"Um......"

Goryu Tessai relaxed his furrowed brow.

Good students are indeed more likely to receive leniency from teachers.

Aizen, who was able to successfully and completely chant the Red Cannon as a freshman, was naturally classified as a good student in Tessai's eyes.

He was just about to give some instructions when he saw Zheng Jing glancing at a complete target, as if he was thinking about something.

"Teacher, can I try?"

"Ok?"

"The Red Fire Cannon."

The brow that Tetsuzai had just relaxed immediately furrowed again.

He cautioned the new students not to attempt breakthroughs of more than five digits casually, not because he was old-fashioned, but because the cultivation of demonic paths was something that could not be taken lightly.

Of the four disciplines of cutting fists and walking ghosts, if one were to say which one is the most risky in the early stages of cultivation, Wo Ling Tie Zhai believes that it is none other than the Ghost Path.

This is not an exaggeration. In fact, the number of injuries and deaths caused by improper cultivation of the Demonic Path at the True Central Spiritual Arts Academy is the highest among the four departments every year.

For example, with the Red Fire Cannon, if Aizen had made a mistake just now, the incorrectly arranged spiritual particles could very likely have blown his own arm to pieces!

He had heard of Zheng Jing's deeds.

Judging from the fact that the opponent was able to unleash two White Lightning attacks, this transfer student certainly has considerable talent not only in White Lightning but also in the path of Kido.

Having talent and being able to realize that talent are two different things.

"Teacher, why don't you let Zheng Jing give it a try? With you here, even if he makes a mistake, you can protect him in time, right?"

Aizen's words caused Tessai Wakihime to fall silent for a moment.

He could certainly do it, but he really didn't want to encourage the reckless behavior of these two young men...

"Ok."

But then he thought again, at least he could watch now. If these two young people were stubborn and tried to do it in private because he didn't agree, then it would be really hard to undo the damage.

Seeing that Tessai had agreed, Aizen winked at Zheng Jing.

Zheng Jing turned around, looked at the target, and raised one hand—

Then, as if he had suddenly remembered something.

"Hado #31, Red Fire Cannon".

--"boom!"

Chapter 67: Aizen, Amu, save me!

Four crimson energy spheres, each nearly a meter in diameter, trailed scorching trajectories as they blasted four targets not far away to smithereens.