BLEACH: Blade of Purification

There's a limit to how much you can praise someone. Excessive praise starts to sound unrealistic and a bit off.

This was the initial thought of the captains, including Ukitake Jūshirō.

But since Sōichirō had made such a decision, he couldn't have come unprepared. With a pained expression, he revealed details that only he knew, things he hadn't even told Yamamoto.

This included the fact that Ling Qing had killed a Gillian on his own before his Asauchi even became a Zanpakutō, and had killed an Adjuchas right after it did.

Among the captains present, there were those who could kill an Adjuchas without even releasing their Zanpakutō. The Captain-Commander was in a league of his own, and Kyōraku Shunsui only looked unreliable; those who knew him knew his terrifying strength. As for Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, he could slice through Adjuchas like chickens, killing them one by one with ease.

Only someone like Sōichirō, whose Zanpakutō was more suited for internal conflict and targeting other Soul Reapers than fighting Hollows, would panic at the sight of an Adjuchas.

But these examples weren't brought up to diminish Ling Qing's uniqueness. For a simple reason: they could do it because they were already captain-level powerhouses who had long since achieved Bankai.

Comparing veteran captains who had mastered Bankai to a trainee Soul Reaper who had just turned his Asauchi into a Zanpakutō—it was hard to say whether it was demeaning the captains or elevating the trainee to a level he didn't belong to.

Sōichirō hadn't even fully disclosed these details to Yamamoto, because from the moment he decided to adopt Ling Qing, this information had become a Shihōin family secret.

No one doubted the truthfulness of Sōichirō's words. His status as a captain, the head of the Shihōin family, and now Ling Qing's father, meant he wouldn't lie or exaggerate in such a situation.

Thus, even Sasakibe Chōjirō, who was content being a Vice-Captain, was now looking at Ling Qing with an incredibly eager gaze, let alone the other three captains present.

Kuruyashiki Kenpachi had already thought highly of Ling Qing, but he hadn't imagined he was this terrifying. A voice in his heart roared: This boy can become a Kenpachi! He is the natural-born material for a Kenpachi, the one I have been searching for to surpass me and inherit the name of Kenpachi!!

Even Yamamoto was no longer narrowing his eyes but was seriously studying Ling Qing, as if trying to discern what was so extraordinary about him.

However, he had yet to state whether he was willing to act, to assist a 'noble' who wasn't even a member of the Gotei 13 to achieve 'Shikai' in his capacity as Captain-Commander.

For the Captain-Commander to help a trainee Soul Reaper achieve Shikai... if word got out, who knew how much the prestige of the Captain-Commander would plummet. Forget the Captain-Commander; even a regular captain helping a seated officer achieve Shikai would make people think that captain wasn't very impressive.

Until, Sōichirō took a deep breath and, as if to shock the already stunned crowd even further, revealed the truly mind-boggling piece of information.

Which was—

Ling Qing could already materialize his Zanpakutō!

The moment those words were spoken, even Yamamoto's serious eyes widened slightly!

A Soul Reaper forges their Asauchi into a Zanpakutō through constant companionship, enters their inner world through sword meditation to learn its name and achieve Shikai, and finally, materializes the Zanpakutō from their inner world into the outer world and makes it submit to achieve Bankai.

Ling Qing had skipped the Shikai stage and materialized his Zanpakutō before even achieving it... Did this mean that the difficulty of his Shikai was comparable to that of other Soul Reapers' Bankai?

It sounded utterly absurd, yet strangely, it made a twisted kind of sense.

You couldn't blame the captains for their lack of knowledge; even in the Soul Society and the Gotei 13, which had produced generations of geniuses, Ling Qing was simply too outrageous.

Typically, a student who could graduate from the Shin'ō Academy in one or two years was considered a genius, and barring an untimely death, was thought to be destined to achieve Bankai. But even such a genius would pale in comparison to Ling Qing!

Whether it was killing a Gillian on his own, killing an Adjuchas with the power of his Zanpakutō, or materializing his Zanpakutō before achieving Shikai, these were all things unheard of in the past. At least, they were unheard of to century-old captains like Kyōraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jūshirō.

If there was one term to describe a being like Ling Qing...

As the term surfaced in the minds of the captains present, they were horrified to find their gazes all turning toward Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni.

Because that term was...

The makings of a Soul Reaper of a thousand years!!

Based on their knowledge and judgment, they could only conclude that Ling Qing's future would inevitably surpass most, if not all, of the captains, reaching a height like Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, who could guard the Soul Society alone for a thousand years...

"Oh my... Captain Shihōin, you've really... found a treasure."

If Kyōraku Shunsui were still wearing his straw hat, he would surely have pushed it down to hide his eyes. He was already starting to regret half-jokingly, half-seriously forcing Sōichirō to reveal all this.

The only small mercy was that it was just them here. If there were more Soul Reapers, including some regular squad members, it was hard to guarantee that Sōichirō wouldn't have secretly silenced them to prevent the news from spreading. After all, one must not forget that this man, who bore the Shihōin name, was the Commander of the Onmitsukidō.

"Is that so..."

Finally, Yamamoto spoke. However, he wasn't looking at Sōichirō, but solely at Ling Qing.

His ancient face wore a serious expression as he asked Ling Qing, "Well then, little one, what are your own thoughts? Fighting with this old man is one thing, but a single mistake could cost you your life."

"..."

Ling Qing turned to look at Sōichirō. Sōichirō hadn't discussed this with him, so it was hard to say if it was a spur-of-the-moment idea. But if Sōichirō wanted to kill him, he wouldn't need to be so roundabout.

Noticing Ling Qing's gaze, Sōichirō gave him a slight nod.

"I see... so that's how it is..."

Ling Qing looked back at Yamamoto, a smile spreading across his face, along with a hint of eagerness. It was the uncontrollable excitement of facing this thousand-year-old Soul Reaper.

"Then let's give it a try. Isn't this interesting?!"

"Interesting? It seems I am being underestimated."

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