Hearing the apology, Chu Yang contentedly closed the door.
Seeing Chu Yang's reaction, Rukia showed an expression of 'just as expected.' "So, that commotion earlier really was you two fighting."
"Mr. Urahara, can you tell us more details?"
Kisuke Urahara shook his head without hesitation. "No!"
Rukia grew anxious. "Why?"
Kisuke Urahara pouted. "He's just an ordinary human, there's nothing to talk about."
Kurosaki Ichigo said, "You look very guilty..."
"Shut up!"
82. Chapter 82: Kaido's Conqueror's Haki enhanced and the Newbie Socialite Chu Yang
82.
Urahara Shop.
After Kisuke Urahara returned, his mind was still replaying the battle with Chu Yang.
Besides the terrifying strength that shocked him, Chu Yang's sword skills were also incredibly dazzling.
If one were to disregard the abilities of Zanpakuto's Shikai and Bankai...
Kisuke Urahara felt that Chu Yang's sword skills could even overwhelm most Captain-level Shinigami.
This was a purely technical gap.
"Where did he learn such exquisite swordsmanship at such a young age?"
Strong curiosity made Kisuke Urahara scratch his head while lying on the tatami mat.
At this moment, Tessai Tsukabishi lifted the door curtain, revealing half of his strong body, and asked, "How is that person? Is there a problem?"
Kisuke Urahara nodded, his face falling. "It's not just a problem; it's a huge problem."
Tessai Tsukabishi's expression turned serious, and his mustache even curled up. "Is it related to Aizen?"
Kisuke Urahara shook his head. "No."
Tessai Tsukabishi was confused by him, frowning. "If it's not related to Aizen, what other problem could there be?"
Kisuke Urahara tapped the tatami with his finger, his brow furrowed with worry. "He's too strong. So strong that I can't figure out his origin. He's clearly an ordinary human, yet he can hold his own against me."
Tessai Tsukabishi finally understood what he meant, and he was suddenly stunned, asking in disbelief, "You lost?"
"Cough, cough, cough!!!"
Kisuke Urahara coughed incessantly, immediately sat up, and said solemnly, "How can it be considered a loss if I didn't use Shikai or Bankai?"
Tessai Tsukabishi stared at Kisuke Urahara with disdain. "Using Shikai on a human? You've really fallen after staying in the Human World for so long."
"What the hell do you know?" Knowing that Tessai Tsukabishi was deliberately teasing him, Kisuke Urahara couldn't be bothered to argue with him, so he simply turned over, facing away from him.
Seeing that he didn't take the bait, Tessai Tsukabishi changed the subject. "It's hard to imagine what this person would be like if he became a Shinigami."
Tessai Tsukabishi's unintentional words made all the hairs on Kisuke Urahara's body stand on end.
On the other side, Chu Yang was also replaying the sudden battle tonight.
He held back at the last moment, partly out of concern for harming innocent neighbors, and partly because he recognized Kisuke Urahara and realized the other party had no ill intentions.
In fact, ever since he displayed some of his abilities in front of Rukia, Chu Yang had anticipated such a situation.
The chances of him clashing with Shinigami were not low; he just didn't expect Kisuke Urahara to be the first one he clashed with.
The opponent didn't use Shikai or Bankai, so his overall strength displayed didn't exceed twenty percent.
It was only natural to have a slight advantage; Chu Yang didn't feel there was anything to be proud of.
The top-ranked Zanpakuto, their Shikai and Bankai abilities are mostly rule-level abilities.
For example, Kisuke Urahara's Zanpakuto "Benihime's" Bankai—Kannonbiraki Benihime Aratame.
Within the range of Bankai, Kisuke Urahara can reconstruct anything touched by his Zanpakuto, whether it's the enemy's flesh or his own.
And the only ability of this level that Chu Yang possesses is Conqueror's Haki, but his Haoshoku is not yet powerful enough.
Secondly, there is Source Breathing, which is constantly improving and has terrifying potential; it might grow to a rule-level ability in the future.
Chu Yang himself didn't expect that the weakest combat world, the Demon Slayer Corps, would give him the biggest surprise.
If both Conqueror's Haki and Source Breathing grew to a certain extent, Chu Yang was confident he could defeat most Captain-level Shinigami in the Gotei 13.
...
Ever since he accepted the role of Substitute Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo's tardiness and absences became more frequent.
To avoid delaying his studies and to allow Ichigo to transform into a Shinigami independently, Rukia gave Ichigo a Soul Candy.
The essence of a Soul Candy is a temporary soul, used to push Ichigo's soul out of his body.
However.
The Soul Candy Rukia obtained from Urahara Shop was a defective product; it contained not a temporary soul but a modified soul.
The day after receiving the Soul Candy, the modified soul caused a huge commotion at school.
Chu Yang silently watched all of this unfold.
This meant that the time for him to enter Soul Society was getting closer and closer.
...
Pirate World.
An island somewhere in the New World.
The sky was clear blue, without a single cloud, and flocks of seabirds flew by, only to be struck by a black lightning bolt.
Following this, two oppressive dark clouds appeared, grinding against each other high in the sky, distinctly separated.
It was as if the entire sky had been torn in half!
The terrifying aura made the animals on the island tremble.
A moment later, the dark clouds dispersed.
On the island, a red-haired man raised a bottle of sake the size of his head and gulped it down.
A terrifying aura still emanated from his body.
Chu Yang sat on the edge of the cliff, recalling the feeling of clashing with Shanks's Haoshoku just now.
The growth of Haoshoku requires constant confrontation with stronger Haoshoku.
Because Shanks was there, Chu Yang's progress was extremely fast after he comprehended Haoshoku; he was like a peerless master from a wuxia novel, constantly sparring with Chu Yang.
"The Haoshoku training is over." Shanks tossed the sake bottle aside, drew his sword, Gryphon, from his waist, and looked at Chu Yang, eager to fight. "As per tradition, next is a sword skill competition."
After Chu Yang used the Sun Breathing sword technique in a battle with an enemy pirate during a certain encounter, Shanks frequently requested to spar with Chu Yang.
As a Great Swordsman, Shanks found it difficult to suppress his excitement at seeing a worthy opponent.
But to his surprise, after several matches, the result was always his complete defeat in terms of swordsmanship.
Shanks put away his contempt.
Gradually, the two went from competing against each other to honing each other.
Shanks taught Chu Yang the application of Haki, while Chu Yang helped him refine his swordsmanship.
Chu Yang, who was sitting on the edge of the cliff, slowly stood up, and a wooden sword suddenly appeared in his hand.
When he turned to look at Shanks, his eyes also sharpened.
The wooden sword in his hand was imbued with Armament Haki, turning it into the style of a black blade.
Gryphon also turned into a black blade, held by Shanks in a two-handed grip.
Shanks, who hadn't had his arm bitten off by the Lord of the Coast, had incredibly fast progress in swordsmanship.
Both simultaneously unleashed slashes several meters long.
The slashes left two huge gouges in the ground, then collided.
The slashes shattered into tiny sword qi, turning into a storm that swept through the surroundings.
The biting wind blades were like steel knives, scraping the ground three feet deep.
Only after everything around them was ravaged beyond recognition did Chu Yang and Shanks end their simple probing and simultaneously charged at each other.
"Why are those two starting again?"
The cook, Lucky Roo, held a huge piece of grilled meat, took a big bite, and then continuously complained about Chu Yang and Shanks's battle.
"No choice, there aren't many on the ship who like to fight with swords, and only those two have comparable swordsmanship."
Yasopp wiped his flintlock, occasionally looking out, wanting to know the result of the match as soon as possible.
Because Chu Yang and Shanks often engaged in sword skill competitions, over time, the pirates on the ship started betting. Lucky Roo and Yasopp had placed many bets; if they lost, both of them would have to live butt-naked for the month, let alone eat grilled meat every day.
The ship doctor, Doc Q, yelled in a loud voice, "When that kid Yang first came, I only thought his physical combat was amazing; he played Fish-Man Karate as well as a member of the Fish-Man Tribe, but after a few days, that guy became a swordsman."
Yasopp paused his gun-wiping and squinted at Doc Q. "You got it wrong, didn't you? In swordsmanship, Yang has won several times; it's more like the Captain is catching up to him."
Doc Q glared fiercely at Yasopp. "This time, the Captain will definitely win!"
Yasopp sneered.
"You two who are betting, if you can't be objective, then don't make any noise." First Mate Benn Beckman, cigar in mouth, stood aside, puffing smoke.
Yasopp and Doc Q asked in unison, "Who did the First Mate bet on?"
Beckman instinctively replied, "Of course, it's Yang."
Doc Q: "..."
Just as the people on the ship were chattering about who would win.