"Lord Nimaiya seems to be paying quite a bit of attention to him."
Nimaiya Ōetsu wasn't squatting alone watching the commotion below. Beside him was a well-endowed beauty, a member of his personal guard named Hashihara Renka.
Although Ōetsu usually acted like a clown, being casual with people also meant, to some extent, that he wasn't truly casual. The kind of person who seems friendly at first but never gets too close—that was him. Initially, Ōetsu had wanted to prank Ling Qing, and at first glance, he seemed quite friendly. But that was the extent of it.
In contrast, spending time and energy, even setting up a special training ground and deploying countless Asauchi to assist—this was where he was truly investing his efforts.
"Because it's super interesting, YO! Don't you think so, Renka?" Ōetsu pinched his chin and grinned widely, his bright white teeth seeming to reflect the sunlight, looking incredibly healthy. "But he is indeed a born warrior. Calm, brave, with a strong will and a sense of responsibility."
Hashihara Renka squatted beside Ōetsu, her hands cupping her face, and clicked her tongue in admiration. "But, we'll be busy after he leaves, won't we? The consumption of Asauchi during this period has exceeded the total of the past few hundred years. It'll take a long time to replenish them."
"..."
Because his sunglasses hid his eyes, Renka didn't see Ōetsu's expression. He glanced at the sighing Renka without a change in his own expression.
'As expected...' he thought. 'Almost everyone's attention has been captivated by his dazzling talent, causing them to overlook what's truly important... But well, neither I nor the Monk can see it yet, so it doesn't matter.'
Although his mind was on other things, what Ōetsu said aloud was different. "But it's worth it, YO! Besides, being idle for too long makes the body rusty, YO! Being busy is a good thing, YO!"
"But just for that, does Lord Nimaiya really need to go to such lengths?"
Training in the Soul King's Palace offered an efficiency hundreds of times greater than in the Seireitei. Combined with the unique aspects of the Zero Squad, the quality of training was unbelievably high. But to use all this just to increase someone's combat power seemed like a bit of an overkill.
As a member of the Zero Squad herself, Renka shared the same perspective as Ōetsu and the others on the 'importance of things'. If the Seireitei were in a state of crisis, even threatening the safety of the Soul King's Palace, then it would be understandable to go all out to boost the combat power of one or several Shinigami. But with nothing major happening, allowing a single Shinigami to train in the Soul King's Palace was a privilege that not even the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 had ever received.
"Hmm..." Ōetsu was momentarily stumped. It was difficult to explain his purpose to Renka, nor did he want to. In truth, the only ones who could see this point were him and Hyōsube Ichibē, the two oldest members of the Zero Squad, whose history could be traced back to the beginning of the world, before the Soul King even became the Soul King.
In comparison, Kirinji Tenjirō was probably also wondering why Ōetsu was keeping Ling Qing in the Soul King's Palace. But although Kirinji was puzzled, he wouldn't ask.
After a moment's thought, Ōetsu found a plausible reason—an official explanation to use if anyone asked in the future. "Renka, what do you think of the Gotei 13's strength right now?"
Ōetsu's sudden mention of the Gotei 13 puzzled Renka slightly. After some serious thought, she answered hesitantly, "...I feel... isn't it getting weaker?"
Hearing her answer, Ōetsu couldn't help but laugh out loud. "That's because you know more about the original Gotei, YO! The original Gotei was indeed the strongest generation. But you can't compare the original and modern Gotei; their natures are vastly different. Their strength isn't just about combat power."
Hashihara Renka was not a Shinigami but a materialized Zanpakutō personally forged by Ōetsu. She was part of his personal guard that had existed since before the Gotei was established. During the battle that established the Gotei, although Ōetsu did not personally participate, the conceptual shift of the Zanpakutō and the emergence of Bankai played a crucial role. It was for this reason that Renka was more familiar with the original Gotei 13.
But just as Ōetsu said, the original Gotei 13 would forever be the strongest generation because they were different from the current one. Similarly, even though Yamamoto-Genryūsai Shigekuni's power had grown significantly and his Zanka no Tachi had changed, the current Yamamoto was nowhere near as terrifying as he was back then.
In the context of the later Gotei 13— "Actually, from a thousand years ago to now, the overall strength of the entire Gotei 13 has been continuously increasing."
"Hmm?"
"You probably remember that hundreds of years ago, we in the Zero Squad were in charge of dealing with Menos Grande. While part of that was to maintain balance, it was a fact that Menos were opponents that Shinigami couldn't handle. There was even an incident where a Menos defeated Yamamoto and his Gotei 13 and invaded the Soul King's Palace. But now, a Gillian-class Menos is nothing to most captains, and Kuruyashiki Kenpachi can even easily slay a Vasto Lorde-class Menos."
"..."
"Maybe in another hundred or two hundred years, all the captains and vice-captains of the Gotei 13 will be able to face high-level Menos head-on. By then, we in the Zero Squad might show up even less frequently, maybe not even once a century."
"Hold on, I'm not finished. The intelligence said he encountered a Menos with Shihōin Sōichirō, right? Sōichirō probably reminded him that Menos are our responsibility. But in reality, that's outdated information from the Shin'ō Academy that hasn't been revised for centuries. Hundreds, even thousands of years ago, only we could handle Menos-level threats. But now, there are several captains in the Gotei 13 who can single-handedly fight and even easily slay them."
"Now that you mention it... that's true." Renka slowly nodded, but she still didn't understand why Ōetsu had suddenly brought this up.
Ōetsu sighed in mock frustration and had to explain further. "What I mean is, oh, that guy Yamamoto is certainly powerful, but he's already an old relic."
"..."
As Ōetsu said this, Renka couldn't help but give him a strange look, one that clearly said: Are you one to talk about someone being an old relic?
But Ōetsu, with his thick skin, pretended not to see it and continued. "Or to put it another way, Yamamoto is the guardian of the previous era and its final tomb keeper. The next millennium is approaching, and the Seireitei needs a new guardian."
"...You mean... Lord Ling Qing is the one chosen by the Zero Squad, or even the Soul King, to be the Shinigami of the next millennium?" Renka's eyes widened.
Although Ōetsu and the Zero Squad had shown great favor to Ling Qing, hinting at something similar, hearing Ōetsu admit it directly was still quite startling. But the surprise quickly turned into understanding.
"Speaking of which... it's true. In just about half a year, his Shikai has become comparable to the Captain-Commander's. He really does have that potential."
"Renka, do you know the limit of an Adjuchas?" Ōetsu suddenly shifted the topic back to Hollows.
For Hollows, Menos is just a general term. Within it are three levels: the lowest is Gillian, the type Ling Qing had once killed. Above that is Adjuchas, and then Vasto Lorde. It was said that there was an even higher level above Vasto Lorde, but that information was classified even within the Zero Squad, known only to a few members.
The so-called limit between Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde referred to the two divergent paths an Adjuchas could take if it wasn't severely injured and had consumed a certain number of its own kind. One path was to hit a power ceiling, unable to grow stronger. This meant their initial level was Adjuchas. The other path was to evolve into a Vasto Lorde.
"An Adjuchas has a growth limit. Actually, Shinigami have a similar concept, or in other words, talent. A Shinigami's talent predetermines their upper limit. But only a very few can reach that limit and realize that Shinigami, too, have boundaries."
"Does that mean... Shinigami can also surpass their limits and reach a higher level?"
"No way, you're overthinking it, Renka. How could a Shinigami do something like that? I'm just saying that Shinigami are not all the same, and the height of that boundary is also different. Yamamoto's boundary is far higher than any other Shinigami's, and this kid's boundary might be even higher than his, you know."
Finally, Renka understood. Or rather, Ōetsu had made her understand.
If the standard was to surpass Yamamoto-Genryūsai Shigekuni, then he was indeed worth the Zero Squad's investment.
Just as Renka was about to say more, Ōetsu suddenly reached out and pulled her back. A gust of wind rushed past them, and a figure leaped out from the three-meter-wide pit, landing on its edge.
The single wing on his back dissolved into countless feathers, and the four-meter-long blade in his hand shortened slightly as he held it in a reverse grip.
"YO! Little brother Ling Qing, is training over for today?" Ōetsu stood up, casually brushing off non-existent dust, and greeted Ling Qing.
"Yeah." Ling Qing nodded lightly. He had been at the Hōōden for some time now and had gotten to know Ōetsu better, so he wasn't as formal as he was at the beginning. It had to be said that although the low standards of people like Ōetsu were staggering and hard to accept, once you got to know them, their cheerful personalities were much more comfortable to be around than those of serious, nitpicking types.
"Lord Ling Qing." Renka also stood up and bowed slightly to Ling Qing.
Setting aside Ling Qing's status as the head of one of the Five Great Noble Clans, the mere fact that Ōetsu affectionately called him 'little brother' was enough to make the Zanpakutō ladies of his personal guard address Ling Qing as 'Lord'.
Similarly, because Ling Qing had been at the Hōōden for a while, the Zanpakutō ladies no longer showed that initial, excessive enthusiasm. But they had perhaps overcorrected, and the normally effusive women now seemed a bit shy. This, however, did not affect Ling Qing's popularity among them. The saying 'the one you can't have is the one you want the most' probably applied here.
It was just that Ling Qing himself found it quite troublesome. Throughout his life, before and after death, before and after transmigration, he had never felt like a big star. But after coming to the Hōōden, the feeling was cranked up to the max, giving him a full taste of the combat power of female fans. And he was living among them.
"Miss Renka." Of course, Ling Qing was only exasperated with the Zanpakutō ladies, not malicious. He greeted Renka politely.
Renka covered her mouth, finding Ling Qing's habitually helpless expression rather amusing. "Are you planning to rest now that you're done for today?"
"That's it for today. I feel like I'm about to completely master the power of my sword's release."
"Then please, follow me." Renka started to lead the way, but today Ling Qing didn't immediately follow. He stopped, looking at Ōetsu with some hesitation. After a moment of thought, he spoke.
"Nimaiya-san, I heard that you can not only adjust Zanpakutō but also remodel them, is that right?"
"Oh? A piece of cake, YO!" Ōetsu grinned proudly, pushing his sunglasses up onto his forehead. "But what kind of remodeling do you want for your Zanpakutō? You can tell me first, and I'll see if it's possible, YO!"
"Hmm... it's not a major change." Ling Qing switched the long tachi to a forward grip. "You see, the length of my sword is a bit exaggerated, making it difficult to carry and store. So I was wondering if it's possible to make it easier to carry. For example, by allowing it to dissolve into a Reishi state and then materializing it when I need to use it."
"Dissolve a Zanpakutō into a Reishi state?"
Logically, since everything in the Soul Society is made of Reishi, it seemed possible for a Zanpakutō to return to that state. But it wasn't that simple. It's like how humans know everything is made of atoms and molecules, but can they just revert to that state at will? Do they immediately dissolve into atoms and molecules after death?
The same principle applied in the Soul Society. Unless it was a special ability, it was nearly impossible. This was true for objects as well as for souls. That's why the concepts of resources and valuables existed in the Soul Society; you couldn't just synthesize whatever you wanted from Reishi.
Ōetsu stroked his chin, seemingly contemplating the feasibility. "...That sounds pretty interesting... If it's your Zanpakutō... it might not be impossible, YO. But it would probably take me some time to study it carefully."
Smiling again, Ōetsu seemed to have thought of something amusing and continued, "That means you won't be able to use your Zanpakutō for a while."
"I'm prepared for that." Ling Qing nodded. This idea had been on his mind for days. He finally decided that if he missed this opportunity, he wouldn't get another one, as he didn't know when he'd be able to return to the Soul King's Palace. So, he finally proposed it.
"That's good. But you could consider taking this opportunity to visit Tenjirō's place, YO!"
"Hmm... to soak in the hot springs?"
"NONONO!" Ōetsu wagged his finger at Ling Qing. "You might not know this, but that guy Tenjirō has the title 'Lightning-Fast Tenjirō'. Even though your Shihōin Clan is famous for its Shunpo, you're still a long way from the 'Divine General of the East'. I'll give that guy Tenjirō a call in a bit and see if he's willing to train you, YO."
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