Chapter 108: Thirteenth Squad Leader Full? Just kill a few, right?

"Master, I'm already not small!"

Yè Yī touched her reddened, swollen forehead and protested to Huang Mu.

"Oh! Indeed, not small…"

Huang Mu squinted, examined with a scrutinizing gaze, carefully sized up Yè Yī, then suddenly gave a light smile.

Just as Yè Yī said, in these two hundred years in 'Heaven' and the 'Ling Wang Palace', she has indeed grown a lot~

"Eh…"

"I always feel you, Master, are hinting at something, but I still need to warn you: 'lewdness' is absolutely forbidden!"

Under Huang Mu's scrutinizing gaze, Yè Yī subconsciously tucked her neck in, crossed her arms over her chest, and assumed a defensive stance.

"What are you thinking? Little brat!"

"The teacher hasn't sunk that low yet to be 'tempted' by a little girl like you."

Huang Mu, with a 'still pond' look, calmly watched Yè Yī while raising his hand that held the scabbard ever so slightly again.

"Huh? If I were a little girl, then sister Zhai Teng would be even smaller!"

Yè Yī, after hearing Huang Mu, felt a bit indignant and retorted at him.

"This…"

Huang Mu, after hearing Yè Yī, gave the hand holding the scabbard a slight tremor.

Today's 'Rǔ Zhai Teng'—completed!

"Although 'lewdness' is absolutely forbidden…"

"But if I must let the 'Jìng Líng Court' choose a suitable 'partner' to breed excellent offspring, I could consider Teacher Huang Mu as well~"

"I suppose even the 'Four Maple Court' family's bunch of 'arrogant' old relics couldn't find any flaw in a powerful son-in-law like you, Teacher Huang Mu, right?!"

Yè Yī said that, then immediately mimicked Huang Mu's movements, squinting her golden eyes to size him up, but Yè Yī's imitation lacked Huang Mu's essence, making it look somewhat 'slick'.

"Hehe, your idea is quite nice…"

"If you want me, the teacher, to become a son-in-law of your 'Four Maple Court' family, you should first cultivate for at least a million years, then talk to me!"

Huang Mu said, and the scabbard in his hand had already fallen onto Yè Yī's head.

"So, it's not impossible, huh?!"

Yè Yī, after hearing Huang Mu, seemed to have a light flash before her eyes.

"It means you're daydreaming!"

Huang Mu directly answered Yè Yī's question.

Hehe, what would make him become a son-in-law of the 'Four Maple Court' family! Clearly it's just craving Huang Mu's body!

Despicable!!

"Tch, so boring~"

Yè Yī, hearing that, showed an annoyed expression.

"Stop being bored here; in a moment I'll make you few 'thrilled' beyond measure…"

"I sincerely hope that when I test you few later, you can also show such relaxed expressions."

Huang Mu, looking at Yè Yī, said in a flat tone.

"Huh? No way? There's a test too?"

Yè Yī, hearing that, displayed a shocked expression.

"Senior Sister Yè Yī, isn't this obvious…"

Before Huang Mu could speak, Fu Zhu had already stepped forward, helplessly saying to the Yè Yī beside him.

Since it's a graduation exam, it already has the word 'exam', so there must be a test!

"In short, later I will test you, Fu Zhu, Jing Le, and Shi Tan—four of you!"

"Don't worry! The test is simple: if you can endure five minutes from my hand, all four of you are qualified! Of course, you all must go together…"

Huang Mu, to Yè Yī and the Jing Le, Fu Zhu, Shi Tan beside her, said lightly.

"Eh?! There's more testing? That's really a headache!"

"I originally wanted to rest a bit~ and also invite you, Master, to many 'girl' shops for a good relaxation! After all, someone as busy as you, handling countless affairs daily, rarely gets a break, right?!"

Jing Le, after hearing Huang Mu, showed an extremely regretful expression.

"Jing Le, you guy, how can you be so…"

Fu Zhu, after hearing Jing Le, helplessly covered his face.

"Despicable scoundrel."

Shi Tan, moreover, directly made a judgment on Jing Le's actions.

"Oh? You said you want to invite the teacher to many 'girl' shops?"

Huang Mu, hearing that, slightly furrowed his brows, suddenly realizing the matter wasn't simple.

"Then, Jing Le, you won't need to take part in the test later!"

Thus, Huang Mu, in front of everyone, pardoned Jing Le from the upcoming assessment.

"Hehe~"

Jing Le, after hearing Huang Mu, showed a smile that all men understand.

"I didn't realize how filial this kid Jing Le is! Looks like I'll have to take good care of him from now on~"

Huang Mu's mouth twitched upward now, and his gaze at Jing Le was full of teachable potential!

At this moment, Huang Mu was just about to publicly announce Jing Le's graduation!

"I'll go back and tell Teacher Mao Zhi Hua…"

Yè Yī, looking at the lewd‑smiling Jing Le and the satisfied Huang Mu, abruptly interrupted the master‑disciple's daydream about those many 'girl' shops.

"Ahem…" Araki first cleared his throat twice, then sternly scolded Jingle: "You scoundrel, Jingle! Do you think I, your master, would be interested in such unscrupulous shops?! Stop joking here!"

"Fine, I'll tell you right here in front of everyone! Don't think you can use a shop full of 'girls' to shake my will, which is as solid as steel; my will is as immovable as a mountain…"

While Araki spoke the platitude, he secretly activated the "Tian Ting Kongluo" on Jingle alone.

"Jingle, can that sort of thing be said 'stepping on a horse' right in front of someone?"

"That sort of matter, of course we must discuss privately later! When we have free time, you and I, master and disciple, will adopt a critical mindset and go into the shop to criticize it properly."

While Araki was launching Tian Ting Kongluo at Jingle, he also made sure to wink at Jingle.

"Got it! I understand~"

Hearing that, Jingle kept nodding; as a disciple he naturally chose to accept Araki's earnest teachings.

I have to say, Teacher Araki was absolutely right~

"……"

Ye Yi remained silent, merely watching everything with her eyes.

Just wait to see whether she'll file a little report later or not~

"But jokes aside, Jingle still has to take part in the upcoming assessment!"

As Jingle smiled contentedly at Araki, and Ye Yi stayed silent with a solemn expression, Araki continued speaking.

"Eh?!"

Jingle heard this and showed an incredulous expression.

"Hehe…"

To that, Araki merely gave a light smile.

The mere Jingle still dares to test Araki, thinking he won't properly loosen this little rabbit's bones later?!

"Pfft…"

As for Ye Yi and the others, after seeing Jingle's dejected look, they all broke into smiles.

The smiles won't disappear; they'll just shift elsewhere…

"Are you ready?!"

Araki's smile vanished in an instant; now he asked Jingle seriously.

"Of course!"

Jingle, seeing Araki's solemn expression, also changed his previously carefree demeanor and spoke seriously.

"'Ye Yi', 'Fu Zhu', and 'Shi Tan', have the three of you prepared yourselves?!"

After receiving Jingle's answer, Araki turned his gaze to Ye Yi, Fu Zhu, and Shi Tan.

"Of course!"

Ye Yi, Fu Zhu, and Shi Tan exchanged glances, then gave Araki a vigorous nod.

"Very good, I, your master, indeed have not misjudged you…"

After Araki received answers from Jingle, Fu Zhu, and Shi Tan, he nodded with satisfaction.

"Then the 'Huang' passage that Lu Qu taught you will stop here for now!"

"Next, I expect each of you little rabbits to show me your real abilities…"

As Araki spoke, the mischievous grin on his face vanished; after lightening the mood a bit with his four disciples, he gradually became serious.

"Teacher Araki, how did you know it was Senior Lu Qu who taught us that passage?!"

After hearing Araki's words, Jingle retorted.

"Foolish! Long before you little brats were even born, I had known Lu Qu for many years."

Saying that, Araki waved his hand and struck Jingle's head.

"Thud~"

"It hurts…"

With a light sound, Jingle covered his head, his eyes showing a hint of surprise; he had already mastered the technique of using spiritual pressure for defense, yet why did Araki's scabbard still hurt him?

It's as if Araki's spiritual pressure can ignore his defense and strike directly—how bizarre is that?!

"Then…"

After dealing with Jingle, Araki released a slight wave of spiritual pressure.

"Boom!!"

In an instant, Jingle, Fu Zhu, Shi Tan, and Ye Yi all felt a sudden heaviness on their shoulders.

"Sss…"

As Araki's expression grew serious, the moment killing intent and spiritual pressure erupted together.

Whether Ye Yi or Jingle, Fu Zhu, and Shi Tan, all their expressions tightened.

At this moment, they could clearly feel from Araki an immense oppressive force! This pressure, acting directly on the depths of their souls, caused Ye Yi and the others' complexion to change abruptly…

"Damn, so unwilling~"

Ye Yi gave a bitter smile at this moment, for clearly their strength, after training in the Spirit King Palace, was already incomparable to that of two hundred years ago; clearly, under the guidance of the First Generation Thirteen Squad, their spiritual pressure as well as their "Slash", "Fist", "Run", and "Ghost" techniques had become countless times stronger than before…

Yet when they saw their teacher Araki, they were shocked to discover that not only had the gap in strength between them and Araki not narrowed, it had actually widened even more…

No, it's not that the gap between them and Araki grew; rather, after training in the Spirit King Palace, they were like frogs leaping out of a well, finally seeing the true vastness of the sky.

"Hey hey hey! You're kidding, right?"

"Our current 'Spiritual Might' is genuinely above second rank! Yet when facing Teacher Araki, we still feel chest tightness and dizziness…"

"So just how strong is Teacher Araki's spiritual pressure?!"

After feeling Araki's slowly released spiritual pressure, Jingle broke out in a profusion of sweat on his forehead and said with a wry smile.

"Idiot, Teacher Araki is a man known as 'Jian Ba', the strongest shinigami in the Shihun Realm! Having such 'defying the heavens' spiritual pressure is only natural, right?"

Shi Tan glared at Jing Le, speaking calmly.

However, the beads of sweat on Shi Tan's cheeks still revealed his unusually agitated state.

Hah...

Anyway, we just need to give it our all.

Fu Zhu first let out a rough breath, then seriously addressed Shi Tan, Jing Le, and Ye Yi.

The test begins!

Huang Mu no longer intended to bring these brats to another venue for the test.

In Huang Mu's view, within the vast Corpse Soul Realm, there seemed to be no place more suitable for their battle than the Zhibo family's territory.

Besides, the Zhibo family's territory is large and rather barren; breaking anything there needs no compensation, after all, they're all our own.

Zhibo Family Head: "Oh, since we have use for the Zhibo family now, that makes us our own, right?"

Um! I also intend to participate in the test later.

However, just as Huang Mu was about to move against Ye Yi and the others, a soft voice suddenly came from inside the Heavenly Pillar Palanquin behind them.

Huh?!

Ye Yi and the others turned their heads toward the sound.

All that could be seen was the pale-faced Sui Feng, leaning on the gate of the Heavenly Pillar Palanquin, staggering out from within and walking toward the crowd.

Sui Feng, are you alright?!

Ye Yi looked at Sui Feng, whose complexion was somewhat poor, and asked.

Barely okay...

After hearing Ye Yi's words, Sui Feng wiped the sweat from her forehead; the Heavenly Pillar Palanquin's speed was truly too fast, and above all it was especially bumpy, not smooth at all, which made her a bit carsick.

Anyway, I hope I can also participate in your test.

After a brief rest, Sui Feng seriously addressed Huang Mu.

Sure.

Huang Mu looked at Sui Feng's determined eyes, fell silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

Although Sui Feng's talent cannot compare to that of Ye Yi, Jing Le, Fu Zhu, and Shi Tan, under normal circumstances, with her talent she would likely remain stuck at the vice-captain level for her whole life.

But Sui Feng worked hard enough; over the past two hundred years in the Spirit King Palace, she repeatedly pushed her bodily limits, tempering herself between life and death, until her strength entered the captain-level gate of the death gods, becoming one of the Third Class Spiritual Might.

Although the opportunity came from Huang Mu, it was Sui Feng herself who seized it and made full use of it.

Since everyone's here, let's begin the test!

Huang Mu spoke as he drew his Soul-Cutting Sword from his waist.

... Flower Heaven Mad Bone

... Double Fish Principle!

... Catch Wind, Seize Shadow.

... Martial Jar Hammer!

... Soul-Killing Poison Bee!

Ye Yi and the others, watching Huang Mu draw his sword, were like startled birds; without a word they immediately released their Soul-Cutting Swords.

Jing Le and the others dared not be careless before Huang Mu, for they knew his strength all too well, leaving them extremely nervous.

Be careful; even if we give it our all, I have no confidence in blocking Teacher Huang Mu's attack.

Jing Le gripped his Soul-Cutting Sword, his eyes locked on Huang Mu not far away; his gaze was razor-sharp, his focus peaking at this moment, facing such a strong enemy as Huang Mu, Jing Le didn't dare blink.

At the same time, Jing Le didn't forget to quietly warn those behind him, for he would be unable to protect anyone nearby, not even himself.

However, before Jing Le could finish speaking, Huang Mu, whom he had been staring at, vanished from the spot.

Where is he?!

In an instant, Jing Le panicked, his forehead beaded with countless tiny drops of sweat.

Not good!

The moment Jing Le regained his senses, Huang Mu's silhouette had already appeared behind the weakest among them, Sui Feng.

You should have gone straight to Complete Release.

The instant Sui Feng was enveloped by Huang Mu's presence, her heart gave a slight jolt.

Sui Feng instinctively tried to retaliate, but the moment Huang Mu's terrifying aura emanated from her clothing, her whole body stiffened in place.

Sui Feng couldn't describe Huang Mu's might; merely standing behind her and doing nothing was enough to blank her mind, leaving her unsure how to retaliate.

Pop~

As the clear sound rang out among Jing Le and the others……

Thud~

Sui Feng's consciousness had already begun to drift away, her eyes vacant as she lay on the ground.

First one~

So who's next?

After knocking Sui Feng unconscious, Huang Mu put away his hand blade and looked at the four around him.

Damn it!

In an instant, the faces of Ye Yi, Jing Le, Fu Zhu, and Shi Tan all looked somewhat grim.

They watched as Huang Mu suddenly appeared within their encirclement and, in a brief moment, knocked out Sui Feng; their faces changed in shock and they immediately retreated backward, putting distance between themselves and Huang Mu.

Clashing head-on with Teacher Huang Mu is a dead end! Remember, my test is to endure five minutes against him—meaning we can flee for five minutes and that counts as enduring.

Shi Tan had already grasped the true nature of Huang Mu's test; after a brief thought, he shared his conclusion with Jing Le and the others nearby.

In that case, let each of us choose a direction and do our best to put distance between ourselves and Teacher Araki...

Jing Le said, and the others had already run toward the east.

"Good!"

As for the other three, Yeyi chose the west, Fuzhu chose the south, and Shitan chose the southwest.

As for the north of everyone, that is where Huang Mu is……

"Clever tactic……"

"But Jing Le, do you think you can get away?!"

Huang Mu looked at the fleeing crowd, first praised them, then gripped his Soul-Cutter Sword and walked straight toward Jing Le.

Huang Mu's steps were not fast, merely a normal stroll, but the moment he stepped, his figure vanished from the spot and appeared directly before Jing Le, whom he had marked as his target.

"If I don't try, how would I know?"

"Even if we are powerless to resist, we must resist with all our strength before saying anything……"

"You say, I'm not wrong, right? Teacher Huang Mu!"

Jing Le looked at the suddenly appearing Huang Mu, who swung his blade to slash at him, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

"Swish!"

The next second, Jing Le's figure vanished from before Huang Mu.

At the same time, as Shitan fled southwest, his shadow suddenly moved, and Jing Le's disheveled figure appeared at Shitan's side……

"Saved~"

Jing Le laughed heartily and spoke to Shitan beside him.

"You really have a big life."

Shitan glanced at Jing Le, then couldn't help but retort.

"Haha, I've always had a big life!"

Jing Le said, and was about to drag Shitan to run southwest together.

"Swish!"

However, before Jing Le could rise, a bright silver light flashed on his chest, and the next second a scarlet blossom of blood burst open on his chest.

"What?!"

Jing Le looked at the torn opening on his chest, his eyelid twitching slightly.

"Couldn't I have blocked the teacher's strike?"

Jing Le looked at his chest, his eyes filled with confusion.

"No! I should have dodged it, but I didn't fully dodge……"

"Ah, so that's what Teacher Huang Mu meant when he said I could really run? This is what he meant!"

"Shitan, use Heaven-Piercing Net to tell everyone, don't keep running; distance means nothing before the teacher, as long as he wishes, each of his strikes will hit us."

In a brief moment, Jing Le seemed to have understood part of the mechanism of Huang Mu's ability.

"What?!"

After hearing Jing Le's words, Shitan's eyes flickered with disbelief—doesn't that mean the farther they are from Huang Mu, the greater the threat his ability poses to them?

After all, if Jing Le is right that distance means nothing before Huang Mu, then once they are too far from him to attack, it will turn into a one-sided assault by Huang Mu on them, leaving them unable to defend.

"Ah, so this too is part of Teacher Huang Mu's plan? I get it!"

Shitan clenched his lips; although he felt Huang Mu's ability was overly unbelievable, thinking of the exam rules—if they could last five minutes in his hands, they would win……

Clearly, Huang Mu surely calculated that they would use fleeing tactics to stall, yet he still chose these exam rules, showing he has a way to counter their fleeing tactics—only he didn't expect his counter to be so simple and brutal.

"Next, I'll do my best to buy you time!"

Jing Le said, his body turning into a bolt of lightning, his spiritual pressure burning wildly inside him, he rushed straight toward Huang Mu.

「Complete Release! 」

Jing Le hesitated not at all, directly initiating the Soul-Cutter Sword's Complete Release.

「Flower Heaven Mad Bones·Black Pine Heart!! 」

Accompanied by a woman's silhouette, faintly appearing and disappearing beside Jing Le, a beautiful black pine sprouted from the Soul-Cutter Sword planted by Jing Le in the ground, continuously spreading outward; that jet-black pine tree, merely a glance, fills one with endless sorrow.

If one says Jing Le's Initial Release is a child's game, then his Complete Release is a game between adults……

Children's games end in joy! Adults' games often end in tragedy~

For a moment, Jing Le's mighty spiritual pressure, like endless dark rain, blanketed the entire territory of the 【Shiba】 family; anyone covered by his spiritual pressure would be forcibly dragged by him into this tragic game unique to adults.

「Then, Teacher Huang Mu, how should you counter this move?! 」

Jing Le said, he directly activated the first stage of the 【Complete Release】—Hesitation Wound Sharing.

The damage Huang Mu inflicted on Jing Le would automatically be reflected back onto Huang Mu's body; of course, the damage Jing Le inflicted on Huang Mu would also be reflected back onto Jing Le, but unfortunately Jing Le never managed to touch Huang Mu even once from start to finish, so……the current situation is most advantageous for Jing Le.

「Excellent Complete Release! 」

Just as Jing Le activated the 【Complete Release】 and successfully showed Huang Mu the next moment of his first move, Huang Mu had already arrived before Jing Le, smiling and praising him.

「Continue~」

Huang Mu seemed to have no intention of making a move, letting Jing Le finish demonstrating the 【Complete Release】.

「Shameful Mattress!! 」

Jing Le, seeing Huang Mu unchanged in expression, steeled himself to activate the second stage of his Complete Release.

The essence of the ability of the second stage of Jing Le's Complete Release, 'Shameful Mattress,' is a man who regrets wounding his opponent, lying in bed out of shame, contracting an incurable illness.

In other words, this move is still aimed at the ability of the stronger side! Jing Le's Complete Release can be said to be quite excellent, possessing the great potential to completely overturn a situation of extreme disadvantage.

Unfortunately, it is ineffective against Huang Mu……

Homage to the Medicine Master Lapis Lazuli Light Tathagata!

How could Huang Mu possibly get sick?!

Continue~

Continue~

But we need to keep the quotes? The Chinese includes 「」 which are quotation marks. In English we might not need them. The instruction: translate faithfully, not add or omit. The quotation marks are part of the text; we should convey them? Usually we drop them as they are not meaningful in English. But we must not add or omit information. The Chinese line includes the quotation marks as delimiters of spoken dialogue. In English, we can omit them because they are not part of the content; but the instruction says "Render EXACTLY what the source says — same meaning, same information, nothing added." The quotation marks are not semantic content; they are punctuation indicating speech. In English we can use quotation marks or not; but we need to preserve the fact that it's spoken. Usually we would keep English quotation marks. However, the source uses Chinese book title marks 「」. We can replace with English quotes ""? That would be adding? Not exactly; we are converting punctuation. The instruction didn't specify to keep the exact punctuation marks; it said same meaning, same information. Changing quotation marks style is acceptable as long as we don't add or omit meaning. I think we can use English double quotes. But to be safe, we can just output the content without any quotes, as the meaning is the same. The quotes are not part of the semantic content. So we can output just the words.

Thus 【241】 Continue~

All that could be seen was Aramaki facing Kyōraku's Bankai as if it were a spring breeze, and he kept urging Kyōraku to continue attacking.

Let's translate: "Only saw, Aramaki faced Kyōraku's Bankai as if basking in a spring breeze, and continued to urge Kyōraku to keep attacking."

All that could be seen was Aramaki facing Kyōraku's Bankai as if it were a spring breeze, and he kept urging Kyōraku to continue attacking.

Literal: "Only saw, Aramaki, facing Kyōraku's Bankai, was like basking in spring wind, and also continued to urge Kyōraku to continue attacking."

We'll produce natural English: "Aramaki faced Kyōraku's Bankai as if basking in a spring breeze, and continued to urge Kyōraku to keep attacking."

We need to keep the tilde? No.

Inhale……

All they saw was Huangmu, facing Jing Le's Bankai, like a spring breeze, and he continued to urge Jing Le to keep attacking.

"Inhale..."

Kyōraku had long suspected that Aramaki might be able to break his Bankai, given that his Bankai had once been shattered by the Executive Militia; yet Kyōraku never imagined that Aramaki's method would be so simple—just stand still and do nothing.

Kyōraku had long suspected that Aramaki might be able to break his Bankai, given that his Bankai had once been shattered by the Executive Militia; yet Kyōraku never imagined that Aramaki's method would be so simple—just stand still and do nothing.

Thus: "Kyōraku had long suspected that Aramaki might possess the ability to break his Bankai, after all his Bankai had once been broken by the Executive Militia! What Kyōraku never imagined was that Aramaki's method of breaking his Bankai was so simple—just standing still in place would do."

Third Stage·Severing Fish Abyss!!

"Third Stage—Cutting Fish Abyss!!"

Seeing that the first two stages had no effect on Aramaki, Kyōraku had no choice but to activate the third stage of his Bankai, Severing Fish Abyss.

Immediately afterward, Kyōraku, facing Aramaki, introduced his third-stage ability: "Those who have resolved themselves, both of you, plunge together into the gushing water, and only stop when each other's spiritual pressure is completely exhausted! I don't know if you, Teacher, have made your resolve?!"

We need to keep the quotes and exclamation. We'll translate the quoted speech with English quotes.

Kyōraku, how did you commit suicide?!

Aramaki looked at Kyōraku with kind eyes, speaking gently.

As Aramaki's words fell, a terrifying spiritual pressure vast enough to disperse the deep sea formed from Kyōraku's spiritual pressure was released from within Aramaki's body; Kyōraku, who had already expended considerable spiritual pressure, felt that Aramaki's awe-inspiring pressure, which seemed capable of enveloping the entire Soul Society, made his brows furrow tightly.

Soul Society

Thus: "As Aramaki's words fell, a terrifying spiritual pressure vast enough to disperse the deep sea formed from Kyōraku's spiritual pressure was released from within Aramaki's body; Kyōraku, who had already expended considerable spiritual pressure, felt that Aramaki's awe-inspiring pressure, which seemed capable of enveloping the entire Soul Society, made his brows furrow tightly."

As Teacher Aramaki said, comparing spiritual pressure with Teacher Aramaki is practically seeking one's own death……

However, my mission is already complete; from now on I'll leave it to others.

Kyōraku said, his consciousness gradually sinking to the seabed.

As Kyōraku's spiritual pressure was exhausted, his Bankai naturally ceased.

Two minutes remain……

At the same time Kyōraku's consciousness faded, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly upward.

In short, that's how it is: Teacher Aramaki has a means to attack us ignoring distance, and besides facing him head‑on, we have no other option……

Meanwhile, Tsunayashiro Tokinada, who had hidden in the shadows to evade Kyōraku's Bankai, was using the Heaven‑Piercing Net to communicate with Fuzhu and Yeyi.

Gang yidai Shitan

Gang

Yi

Dai

Shi

Tan

Gang yidai Shitan

Fuzhu

Yeyi

Heaven-Piercing Net

Thus line: "Meanwhile, Gang yidai Shitan, who had hidden in the shadows to evade Kyōraku's Bankai, was using the Heaven‑Piercing Net to communicate with Fuzhu and Yeyi."

What a joke! Attacking us ignoring distance? That's just cheating!

Yeyi, upon hearing that, immediately replied via the Heaven‑Piercing Net, her voice filled with violent emotion.

No matter what, this is the fact! That's enough talk—now it's my turn to act……

After Shitan conveyed the information to Yeyi and Fuzhu, the moment Kyōraku fell, he emerged from the shadows.

There was no time to mourn the defeats of Kyōraku and Suifeng; next to enter the battle was Gang yidai Shitan!

Not hiding in the shadows anymore?

Aramaki looked at Shitan emerging from the shadows, his eyes hinting at a touch of mockery.

Since your attacks cannot be dodged, hiding in the shadows is meaningless either way!

Shitan replied truthfully.

A wise choice.

Upon hearing that, Aramaki nodded.

Well then, it's my turn now……

Bankai! Capture Wind, Catch Shadow·Wind Burial Shadow Death, Coffin of the Departed!

As Shitan activated his Zanpakuto's Bankai, the shadows around Aramaki seemed to come to life, slowly writhing, then rising up to form the bars of a birdcage, completely enclosing Aramaki and Shitan.

First Death·Wind Burial! The raging wind in the canyon, like a sharp cold blade, slices your body piece by piece……

Shitan said, and suddenly a boundless cold wind swept around Aramaki, turning into blade after blade that slashed at him. However, those wind‑blades were all blocked by Aramaki's outward spiritual pressure……

Seeing this, Shitan did not grow impatient but continued to manipulate the wind‑blades to attack Aramaki……

The two remained in a stalemate for about ten‑odd seconds, after which Aramaki seemed to notice something.

Shitan, you brat, you still love to deceive people~

Aramaki gazed at the cage formed by Shitan's Bankai, his expression indifferent, and directly pointed out the fact that Shitan was deceiving him: this first state of his Bankai is not merely turning into wind‑blades.

Haha, as expected, I can't escape your master's eyes—I was discovered by you……

After hearing Aramaki's words, Shitan's pupils contracted slightly, then he gave an embarrassed laugh.

That's right, the first move of my Bankai, though related to wind, is not simply turning into wind‑blades~ A corpse tossed into the wilderness will gradually vanish under the wind's buffeting, from flesh to bone, from existence to nothing, until even its shadow dissipates into the world, utterly returning to this coffin of the departed! This is the true power of my Bankai……

First Death·Wind Burial! Second Death·Shadow Passing! These are the two deaths people experience—the death of the body and the death of the shadow! Next comes the third death: when body and shadow have both vanished from this world, we will still undergo a third death, this time disappearing from everyone's memories—this is the Third Death·Death of Memory!

Shitan said, and as he raised his hand the shadow‑formed cage continually shrank, revealing his true form. Only after the shadow receded did countless invisible lines appear—these transparent lines constitute this black cage……

All right, Teacher Aramaki, have you decided how you wish to die?

Shitan said, and countless transparent hands emerged from the cage, lunging at Aramaki.

Heh……

In response, Aramaki gave a faint smile.

Senior Sister Yeyi!

Fuzhu, you've arrived too?!

Have you seen Shitan and Kyōraku?

No, I think they may have already been taken out by the teacher.

Meanwhile, outside that 'transparent' cage that obscures vision, Fuzhu and Yeyi finally met up.

Boom!

Precisely at the moment of their duel, the cage in the sky suddenly burst open, and Shitan's figure drifted down from the air.

Forty‑eight seconds? Damn……

Now it's up to Yeyi and Fuzhu.

As Shitan descended from the sky, he silently thought to himself that he had done his utmost.

Huh?!

That sudden explosion drew the gazes of Fuzhu and Yeyi; they looked up and saw Aramaki's form slowly appearing in mid‑air, then coming straight to stand before them.

"Now it's your two's turn; I don't know if you can seize the opportunity that Jing Le and Shi Tan have won for you?!"

Huangmu stood with his hands behind his back, smiling at Yeyi and Fuzhu and said.

"Bankai!" ×2

The moment Yeyi and Fuzhu saw Huangmu, they didn't waste words and immediately entered Bankai.

"Shunkō·Thunder Beast Form!"

Next, Yeyi activated Shunkō while in Bankai.

Yeyi's Bankai increases her physical strength and can be stacked with Shunkō, but the consequence is that her muscles will be extremely sore for the next half month; she doesn't have time to think about that now……

At this moment, the only thing in Yeyi's and Fuzhu's eyes was to firmly seize the opportunity that Jinglet and Shitan had bought for them, holding Huangmu for one minute and twelve seconds.

"Haha……"

Huangmu looked at Yeyi and Fuzhu bursting with full power, smiling. "Yeyi, Fuzhu, Jinglet, and Shitan—everyone's spiritual pressure has reached at least the second level; not bad~"

"Then……"

"Two minutes passed."

"It hurts! I'm dying of pain!"

Yeyi lay on the ground, covering her swollen face, tears streaming down.

"Huff, huff, huff……"

"Finally, I managed to hold on for those five minutes."

Fuzhu lay beside Yeyi, completely soaked; enduring Huangmu's attack for two minutes was already the limit of both him and Yeyi.

"Congratulations, you all passed~"

"Moreover, you endured an extra minute; very impressive~"

As for Huangmu, he gathered his fallen disciples and used his Zanpakutō to heal everyone's wounds.

"Passed! That's great~"

After Jinglet woke up and heard the news of passing, he instantly felt relieved.

"He was first……"

"Well, he was the second to lie down, and also the one bearing the greatest mental burden."

"Damn, I fell behind!"

Shitan frowned, having only managed forty-eight seconds; he was really weak.

"I cannot accept such a victory."

Suifeng clenched her fists, eyes brimming with tears; she lay down the moment the test began, and when she woke up, Yeyi told her they had already won.

"Alright, let's put the exam aside for now~"

"Next up is each of your individual exam contents~"

"The content remains as I told you before: Jinglet, Fuzhu, Shitan, and Yeyi, go seize the positions of the active captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads; as for Suifeng, your task is to assist Yeyi's work."

Huangmu sat cross-legged and informed the four people before him of what they needed to do next.

"Understood!"

As Huangmu's words fell, Jinglet, Fuzhu, Yeyi, Suifeng, and Shitan all nodded vigorously at him.

"Although we understand, Instructor Huangmu, if I'm not mistaken, the Thirteen Court Guard Squads are currently full, right? In that case, how are we supposed to take the captain positions?"

At this moment, Jinglet raised his hand and asked Huangmu.

"It's quite simple……"

Huangmu heard this and gave a light smile.

"Oh!!"

Jinglet and the others, seeing Huangmu's smile, immediately pricked up their ears, hoping to hear some profound insight from him.

"Since the captain positions of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads are currently full, why not go to the active captains and seize those positions?"

Huangmu looked at his few disciples and spoke calmly.

One must say, Huangmu's answer was simple and brutal……

"Seize them?!"

When Jinglet and the others heard Huangmu's words, they all froze.

"Alright, first task……"

"As your master, I give you one month to pick which squads you want to captain; I'll help you arrange meetings with those captains, and then……"

Huangmu said while stroking his chin; although he didn't finish his next words, everyone understood the meaning.

"What, the Thirteen Court Guard Squad captain positions are full? Just eliminate a few and vacancies will appear!"

"Let those 'incompetent' captains retire early!"

"Ninth Squad!"

"Without letting anyone say more, Shitan directly chose the squad he wanted to take over."

"Eighth Squad!"

Jinglet was the second to speak, obviously he had also thought it over.

"Thirteenth Squad!"

Fuzhu immediately followed, also having chosen his target.

"Hehe……"

"'Prison', 'Intelligence', 'Purification'."

"You three little brats, it seems you've already done your homework behind the scenes~"

After hearing Shitan, Fuzhu, and Jinglet's words, Huangmu gave a light smile.

"As for me, I won't choose; I have a squad to inherit."

After listening to the words of her junior brothers, Ye Yi of the Four Maple Courtyard yawned. "Sorry, she, as the little princess of the Four Maple Courtyard, is not like you 'little nobles' or 'branch family members'; she has a family business to inherit~"

"Your mission is to subdue the 'Hidden Mobility'~"

Huangmu reminded Ye Yi.

"Simple~"

Ye Yi, hearing that, made an 'OK' hand gesture toward Huangmu.

Hmm, I have to say, it's a bit ahead of its time~

Ye Yi basically learned all the inadvertent moves Huangmu makes daily.

"Then, next…"

Huangmu looked at his gradually growing disciples, his eyes narrowing slightly.

After a while, once his arrangements for the 'Guardian Court Thirteen Squads' and the 'Pure Spirit Court' are roughly complete, it will be time for his beloved master—Yuan Liuzhai, that old man—to honorably retire from the position of 'Chief Commander'~

"My dear master, you're so old, it's really not easy; I think you should go to the 'Zhen'ao Spiritual Arts Institute' and be a good principal, teach your books well~ As for the 'Guardian Court Thirteen Squads', let your disciples manage them for you~"

Huangmu has arranged his teacher's retirement very clearly.

A massive chapter! Huangmu finally prepares to stage 'Fatherly Kindness and Filial Piety' with Old Man Shan, it's so moving~ And later there'll be a quick request for some votes~