Chapter 202: Lan Ran: Gengmu, when did you start thinking we were on the same level?

"Interesting?! You think fighting me is interesting?"

Lan Ran looked at the self‑confident Gengmu Jianba, a flicker of contempt flashing in his eyes.

"Of course it's interesting~" Gengmu Jianba lightly nodded, then roared at Lan Ran: "Lan Ran, since you and I are both disciples of Huangmu teacher, you should know how fun it is to spar with a peer‑level strong opponent~"

"You say peer level?!"

Lan Ran stared at the bragging Gengmu Jianba, his disdainful expression deepening.

"Since Huangmu teacher defeated Yuan Liu Zhai Patriarch and became the new captain of the Guard Court Thirteen Squad, I inherited from him the so‑called Eleven Division, the combat squad, along with the title Kenpachi, the strongest Soul Reaper~"

"I originally thought that after becoming Kenpachi I could, like Huangmu teacher, kill to my heart's content in this world! Before me would stand endless powerful enemies, and beside me would be formidable opponents..."

"But in the end I was disappointed; I never expected the vast Jingling Court to make it so hard to find anyone I could truly match! Around me are mostly useless minnows! My opponents are even worse than minnows. Perhaps I've encountered minnows for so long that I've forgotten when I was last injured—hundreds of years ago..."

Gengmu Jianba mused to himself.

"After centuries of boredom, I finally met that guy Kurosaki Ichigo, who came from the 'present world' as a traveling calamity invading the Soul Society..."

Gengmu suddenly mentioned Kurosaki Ichigo.

"That Kurosaki Ichigo guy was originally a minnow‑level opponent!"

"But his body harbored an immense power I couldn't ignore! Fortunately I sensed Kurosaki Ichigo's potential in time and released his power! That reignited my once‑cooled heart..."

Gengmu said this and wore a smug, clever expression.

"Honestly, the battle with Kurosaki Ichigo was the most exhilarating fight since I inherited the Kenpachi title!"

"At that moment I thought Kurosaki Ichigo was a gift from the heavens, a toy granted because the heavens saw my centuries of restraint~"

"Suddenly I felt my years as captain of the Eleven Division were worth it! I'd trade a hundred years of peace for a worthy opponent~"

Gengmu's face twisted into a delighted grin.

"So what are you trying to say, Gengmu Jianba?"

On the contrary, Lan Ran, standing before Gengmu, seemed unable to endure Gengmu's frantic, illogical ramblings any longer—so he stepped forward, cut Gengmu off, and asked coldly.

"The answer is simple, Lan Ran..."

"You, like me, haven't met a challenger in ages, have you?"

"I know best the feeling of being born with no one beside me to walk with—an almost desperate loneliness..."

"If Huangmu teacher weren't this towering mountain, I might have sealed myself away, becoming as ordinary as a regular Soul Reaper~"

"So, honestly, I've never been angry about your rebellion!"

"All I crave is the thrill of dueling peers of equal strength~"

Gengmu stared at Lan Ran and shouted wildly.

"Gengmu Jianba, you seem to have misunderstood something..."

"Don't act as if you understand me..."

"Because from the start, you and I have been different!"

Lan Ran listened to Gengmu's rant, a smile curling his lips, his eyes sharp.

"Hm?"

Gengmu watched Lan Ran's dismissive posture, his brows knitting tightly.

In Gengmu's view, Lan Ran, like him, is burdened by overwhelming talent; had he not met a good teacher in his youth, only two paths would have lay before him~

The first, becoming a traitor to the Soul Society like Lan Ran, though he never imagined standing above the heavens! He would merely be a murderer wielding a Zanpakuto, slaying every being in the Soul Society~

Or, Gengmu might seal himself, hiding his talent within his flesh, turning the absolute prodigy into an ordinary person; as long as he is as mundane as the surrounding minnows, he won't despair from loneliness...

"Gengmu! When did you start believing that you and I are on the same level, a boring illusion? I told you from the start we are not the same tier! So stop pretending you understand me; your grasp is nothing but a dull fantasy in that walnut‑sized brain of yours~"

The moment Lan Ran finished speaking...

The Lan Ran who had been opposite Gengmu vanished from Gengmu's sight without a trace; before Gengmu could react, a sharp Zanpakuto swooped from behind, pressing against his reddened, vein‑pulsing neck.

"..."

Gengmu felt the cold blade on his neck, his expression flashing with shock! Without hesitation he seized his own sword and swung at the figure behind him...

"Boom!"

Accompanied by a flash of silver light, Thus line: Xu ye gong erupted with endless swirling sand from Gengmu's strike, a massive slash appearing at his feet and stretching beyond mortal sight to an unreachable horizon...

Undoubtedly, Gengmu's slash was a supreme strike only a being at the pinnacle of Soul Reapers could deliver—a testament to power and strength~ Yet no smile crossed his face; he stared at the chasm before him, his eyes heavy with endless gravity, because his mighty slash had...

This alone can illustrate a point...

Lan Ran has already surpassed the limits of a Soul Reaper, advancing to a higher plane!

In other words, Gengmu Jianba has become the laggard.

"Do you understand now?"

Before Gengmu could think further, Lan Ran's voice rose slowly behind him.

"Lan Ran..."

Gengmu turned, looking at the still‑smiling Lan Ran, as if to speak, yet unsure what to say.

"As you suspect, Gengmu Jianba, my power has already exceeded the limits of a Soul Reaper! I am no longer merely a Soul Reaper, but a transcendent one..."

Lan Ran said, gently lifting his collar to reveal the Hollow Gem fused beneath his coat, merging with his skin. At that moment his eyes glimmered with a luminous sheen...

"Lan Ran, have you fallen to the point of needing external objects to augment yourself?!"

Gengmu stared at the Lan Ran merged with the Hollow Gem and asked coldly.

"You are too arrogant, Gengmu~"

"The Hollow Gem has never been an external object! It has always been one with me; it's just that your shallow mind never considered that, that's all..."

Lan Ran gave a faint smile; he had originally been too contemptuous to explain anything to Gengmu, but recalling that they were senior brothers of the same sect, he added a line.

"Never mind! Now you give me even more reason to duel you!"

Gengmu said, gripping his Zanpakuto with both hands, leapt forward and slashed at Lan Ran.

"Lan Ran, do you know? A blade held with one hand and a blade held with both hands produce completely different power…"

Geng Mu gathered the spiritual pressure of both hands onto his Soul‑Cutting Sword and shouted loudly at Lan Ran.

"I, of course, know…"

Lan Ran heard this, gave a faint smile, still holding his Soul‑Cutting Sword with one hand, and let his blade clash with Geng Mu's.

"Boom!!"

In an instant, the Soul‑Cutting Swords gripped by Geng Mu and Lan Ran touched each other! With a booming sound, endless waves erupted, and the terrifying air wave shattered every glass item inside Xu ye gong into fragments…

Even some nearby walls were reduced to countless shards by the air wave generated from the clash of the two blades.

Having taken Geng Mu's strike, Lan Ran's figure vanished into the endless dust, as if Geng Mu had already finished him off.

"Is it over?!"

Geng Mu stared at the eye‑gouging dust before him and couldn't help but speak dejectedly.

However, before the smoke cleared, an arm burst through the dust and seized Geng Mu's right hand that held the sword.

"Hm?!"

Geng Mu's complexion changed dramatically, and he tried to wrench the hand that clutched his sword free!

Unfortunately, the slender hand that held Geng Mu's sword possessed a power far beyond his imagination; no matter how he strained, he could not free those seemingly delicate, long fingers.

"Boom!"

Before Geng Mu could think further, a gale swept in…

The dust that had blocked Geng Mu's sight vanished completely, revealing Lan Ran Zong You Xie's unscathed face.

"Are you okay?"

Geng Mu looked at the unharmed Lan Ran, shocked.

"Swish!"

Unfortunately, before Geng Mu could think further, a flash of silver light ignited…

Lan Ran's left‑handed sword immediately slashed a huge wound across Geng Mu's chest! In an instant, sheets of bright red gushed from the wound, staining everything before Geng Mu and Lan Ran crimson.

After Lan Ran's slash wounded Geng Mu, he slowly released the hand that tightly gripped Geng Mu's Soul‑Cutting Sword, allowing Geng Mu to step back a few paces and kneel on one knee before him.

"Cough cough cough…"

Having taken Lan Ran's blow, Geng Mu let out a light cough.

"Geng Mu, as you said, the power wielded with one hand versus both hands is completely different—incapable of comparison! Yet why, when I saw you brandish the sword with both hands and charge at me, did I still hold it with one hand? The answer is simple: the one‑handed me has already surpassed the two‑handed you…"

Lan Ran looked at the fallen Geng Mu and smiled.

"This isn't over!"

Naturally, Geng Mu didn't wait for another casual slash from Lan Ran and withdrew from the battlefield.

He pointed his Soul‑Cutting Sword at Lan Ran and roared, "Devour, Wild Sun!"

As Geng Mu finished speaking, his Soul‑Cutting Sword instantly transformed…

The seemingly ordinary Soul‑Cutting Sword turned into a massive axe that required both hands on the haft…

Lan Ran didn't need to contest the giant axe; he merely observed its form and the spiritual pressure released as Geng Mu unleashed the Soul‑Cutting Sword.

He knew that the Soul‑Cutting Sword in Geng Mu's hand was immensely powerful—still a considerable danger even to him now.

"Lan Ran, hurry and use your Soul‑Cutting Sword ability!"

"If I'm defeated like this, don't say I bullied you!"

Geng Mu hoisted the axe's haft and shouted at Lan Ran.

"You mean, let me use my Soul‑Cutting Sword ability on you, right?"

"So you're saying you want me to unleash my Mirror Flower Water Moon, correct?"

"Then you can rest easy! Because my Mirror Flower Water Moon has been in effect since the moment you saw me~"

"Now you ask me to release the Soul‑Cutting Sword—could it be because you didn't notice I was using Mirror Flower Water Moon?!"

Lan Ran heard this and addressed the Geng Mu before him in a slightly mocking tone.

"Hm?!"

Lan Ran's words made Geng Mu Jian Ba's pupils contract slightly, and his heart trembled.

If Lan Ran had been using Mirror Flower Water Moon from the start, Geng Mu Jian Ba could not be certain that the flamboyantly appearing figure before him—the one constantly battling him—was indeed the real Lan Ran Zong You Xie!

According to the Soul Society's research on Lan Ran's Soul‑Cutting Sword and Mirror Flower Water Moon…

At present, there are only two ways to break Lan Ran's Mirror Flower Water Moon~

The first is, like Huang Mu, possessing spiritual pressure strong enough to nearly overwhelm Lan Ran, plus a Soul‑Cutting Sword capable of countering his Mirror Flower Water Moon.

The second, like Yuan Liu Zhai, is a person who, for various reasons, has never been hypnotized by Lan Ran's Soul‑Cutting Sword.

So far, Nie Jian Li and Pu Yuan Xi Zhu are the only two who, when facing Lan Ran's Mirror Flower Water Moon, have found these two—not exactly solutions…

Originally, Geng Mu hoped to have Lan Ran use Mirror Flower Water Moon, intending to rely on his beast‑like intuition to develop a third method based on Nie Jian Li's and Pu Yuan Xi Zhu's research. But if Lan Ran had been using Mirror Flower Water Moon from the start, it means the completely unsuspecting him had already failed…

"What's that expression?"

"Are you afraid I'll use Mirror Flower Water Moon?"

"Rest assured! I won't use Mirror Flower Water Moon…"

"Because my sword can now directly defeat yours…"

"In other words, Geng Mu Jian Ba! The great advantage you built with your Soul‑Cutting Sword's powerful offense has vanished with my evolution…"

While Geng Mu Jian Ba hesitated, Lan Ran Zong You Xie's form suddenly underwent a massive change: his body became enveloped by countless white strands, turning into a cocoon‑like shape. At the same moment, his spiritual pressure also surged dramatically, climbing toward a higher tier…

"What is this?!"

Geng Mu stared at Lan Ran's appearance, his pupils narrowing slightly.

"Don't be surprised! This is just a small change before I fully metamorphose and ascend~"

Lan Ran looked at the seemingly surprised Geng Mu and said calmly.

"Then Geng Mu Jianba, try to touch my blade!"

After Lan Ran finished speaking, his figure flickered once more.

This time, although Geng Mu had exhausted all his strength to track Lan Ran's movements, he still failed!

Lan Ran was too fast, exceeding his comprehension of speed…

"Don't be surprised! I haven't used Instant Step yet; that was just my walking speed, that's all…"

Lan Ran, without knowing when, arrived behind Geng Mu and said calmly.

"Or perhaps, you, Geng Mu Jianba, whose confidence is on par with mine, cannot even perceive the trail of my walking?!"

Lan Ran's voice continued to echo beside Geng Mu's ear.

Four Thousand, I'm a bit busy today~ another chapter later~

(End of chapter)