Chapter 236: Everyone Has Said the Same Thing

Intensive special training crazily squeezes Yi Hu's potential; he repeatedly faces his Hollowficated self in an illusory world, and is killed each time.

The pain occupies his soul, making Yi Hu realize that controlling Hollowfication is not as easy as he imagined.

During daytime classes at school, Yi Hu appears listless.

In contrast, Lu Qia and the others training under Chu Yang are very excited, feeling progress every day.

"You all look happy. Is Yang's training effective?" Yi Hu asked curiously.

"It was boring at first, but once you persist it gets better; now I feel stronger every day," Lu Qia said, arms crossed, a smug expression, forgetting to attend to Yi Hu's feelings.

"Getting stronger every day?" Yi Hu, irritated, scratched his head, quickly turning his messy hair into a chicken‑nest style.

"Is the special training not going smoothly?" Zhi Ji asked gently.

"More than just unsmooth, it's literally…" Yi Hu began, then slumped onto the desk like a deflated balloon, listless.

Lu Qia and Zhi Ji exchanged a glance, both realizing that Yi Hu probably encountered a very great difficulty in training.

"Just give yourself a bit more time; we weren't smooth from the start either," Zhi Ji whispered, comforting Yi Hu.

"Among all Shinigami, only Ping Zi Zhen Zi and his companions possess Hollowfication and the ability to control it; it's been over a hundred years since they first gained Hollowfication ability."

"Therefore, this isn't a simple matter; even Brother‑senior might not achieve it easily." To comfort Yi Hu, Lu Qia even cited Xiu Mu Bai Zai as a reference.

"Is that so?" Hearing both say that, Yi Hu's mood clearly improved a bit, but he quickly asked, "What about Yang? How much time do you think he needs to master Hollowfication?"

Lu Qia propped her chin with her hand, thought for a moment, and said, "He mastered the Shinigami's Zanpunch and the four major Hollow techniques to such brilliance in under a year, even outshining most captains. If it's him, it should… not take long."

Zhi Ji tilted her head and said, "If it's classmate Yang, a week should be enough, right?"

Lu Qia shook her head, "At most three days. He's the only one who made Lan Ran eat a loss; back then he wasn't even a Shinigami."

"Three days?" Yi Hu, who had just felt comforted, stared at them in disbelief, his voice suddenly rising.

Hearing this, Yi Hu's fighting spirit surged, flames blazing in his eyes, "I will complete Hollowfication today!"

The stimulated Yi Hu inexplicably ignited…

Lu Qia and Zhi Ji, seeing his demeanor, couldn't help but turn away and laugh.

"Single‑celled organisms are really easy to fool."

"He cares a lot about classmate Yang; the two's relationship is really good."

"How did you tell they're close? It's just a competitive urge surfacing."

"What can spark a man's competitive drive, besides an opponent, is only a friend."

"Opponent…" Lu Qia thought of Chu Yang's figure, feeling he is always unfathomable; Yi Hu may have great potential, but it's hard to compare with Chu Yang.

Just like Shanben Yuanliuzhai Zhongguo's gap with other Shinigami.

After school, heading home.

Yi Hu needs to go straight to the Mask Army's base, while Lu Qia has some business at Urawara Store.

Cha Du didn't attend school.

Zhi Ji can only go alone to Chu Yang's house first.

Halfway there, streaks of blue light swept across the sky, as if a meteor shower were falling.

A powerful spiritual pressure suddenly erupted.

Zhi Ji instinctively ran toward the direction where the spiritual pressure appeared.

Turning into a dark, deserted alley, the surrounding scenery abruptly changed, as if she had entered another space.

Zhi Ji looked around in astonishment.

A towering figure suddenly appeared before Zhi Ji, like a wall blocking her view.

"Little girl, are you lost?"

Accompanied by an evil laugh, a giant in white garb flashed a ferocious grin at Zhi Ji.

A huge hole gaped in his chest.

He is not human, but a Hollow! Though his appearance is indistinguishable from a human.

Behind the giant stood a youth of average height, also in white, with dark‑green eyes and two tear‑streaks forming vertical lines on his face.

His gaze was utterly indifferent, as if every life was insignificant to him.

Two strange Hollows!

Fear flashed across Zhi Ji's face; she instinctively tried to flee.

The giant's form flashed, appearing before her, its speed frighteningly fast.

"I'm asking you a question, why no courtesy? People of the living world have such poor manners." The giant glared at Zhi Ji, "You're a human, not even in spirit form, yet you can see me—how interesting…"

Finishing, the giant reached out a hand toward Zhi Ji.

"Three‑Day Binding Shield!"

Threatened, Zhi Ji instinctively summoned the Shun Six‑Flower Shield, a glittering orange energy barrier appearing before her, blocking the giant's hand.

"Hm?!"

The startled voice came simultaneously from the giant and the youth behind him.

"A mere human actually possesses such ability." The giant, surprised, also felt intense curiosity; he isn't an ordinary Hollow— even a proper Shinigami might not be able to stop him.

"Perfect Manifestation Technique… no, not an ordinary Perfect Manifestation Technique." The youth, who seemed uninterested in anything, suddenly focused all his attention on Zhi Ji.

The giant, blocked by Zhi Ji, immediately punched the shield; cracks appeared, and within two seconds it collapsed completely.

"Looks impressive, but in reality it's nothing," the giant snarled, continuously mocking Zhi Ji.

Zhi Ji ignored him, calmly controlling the Shun Six‑Flower Shield; the pressure she felt was even less than a single glance from Chu Yang.

"Four‑Day Resistance Shield!"

The three‑dimensional triangular prism shield enveloped Zhi Ji, forming a solid defense against the enemy.

When the shield is struck, it absorbs the enemy's attack, erupts and disperses the impact, while also employing a Chun Ghost for counter‑attack.

The ability to integrate offense and defense changes.

After the special training, Zhi Ji's control over her abilities is now incomparable to before; she instantly completed a high‑difficulty counter‑attack form.

The giant, after being knocked down repeatedly, suddenly felt anger surge from his heart and slammed a full‑strength punch into the shield.

"Ya Mi, stop!"

The young man seemed to sense trouble, hurriedly called his companion to stop, but his shout was a bit too late; the Hollow named Ya Mi had already struck down.

"Wu Erqi Aola..."

The shield absorbed Ya Mi's lethal punch and simultaneously poured the entire impact back onto him.

When the shield shattered, Ya Mi was also flung away by his own massive force; the Chun Ghost's attack followed like a shadow, and he took a considerable wound.

Ya Mi, his arm bleeding nonstop, stared in astonishment at the human girl. "I actually got injured?!"

"Success!"

Zhi Ji was so delighted she nearly shouted; it was still her first time playing an active role on the front lines instead of being treated as a medic.

At that moment, she finally understood why Chu Yang kept making her practice the Ghost Path.

The boost in rapid casting gave Zhi Ji's combat ability a qualitative change.

Some rejoice, some lament.

Ya Mi's Qi was on the brink of madness; as one of the Ten Blades—even the lowest tenth—his pride would not let a human wound him! He must kill this human to cleanse the shame on his body!

The thought lingered in Ya Mi's mind, reddening his eyes as he teetered on the edge of sanity.

At that moment, the taciturn Wu Erqi Aola said calmly, "Do not harm that girl."

Ya Mi turned back in fury.

Wu Erqi Aola remained unruffled, seemingly indifferent to his companion's anger, and whispered, "Her ability is very special; Lord Lan Ran should like it."

Upon hearing Lan Ran's name, Ya Mi's eyes cleared a bit, regaining a fragment of his sanity.

Although he wanted to kill the girl before him, since Wu Erqi Aola said she was useful to Lan Ran, he could not act recklessly.

Lan Ran is a terrifying fellow…

"Knock her out and take her," Wu Erqi Aola's mouth twitched, as if recalling something amusing.

"Don't order me!" Ya Mi, face cold, walked toward Zhi Ji; this time he drew his Zanpakuto (core), and his aura shifted abruptly.

Zhi Ji's gaze glazed; she recalled that a Zanpakuto is a weapon unique to Soul Reapers, yet she saw one in a Hollow's hand.

In that brief stunned moment, Ya Mi's massive body vanished again, reappearing abruptly behind Zhi Ji.

Feeling a howling gale behind her, Zhi Ji's face turned ashen.

Ya Mi's Zanpakuto was as massive as his frame; even if he intended to knock Zhi Ji out, it looked as if he were crushing her.

Overwhelmed by terror, Zhi Ji's mind went blank; the sound of the Zanpakuto's swing thundered like a blast, raising dust and stones, and she fell into endless chaos.

Then!!! a crisp clang of metal and gold rang out, and Ya Mi's bulging arm froze in place, seemingly blocked by an immense resistance, unable to advance.

As sand fell, another person appeared before Zhi Ji; the newcomer pinched Ya Mi's Zanpakuto with a hand, rendering him immobile, and Ya Mi's full‑strength efforts felt futile.

From afar, Wu Erqi Aola's gaze was icy.

He saw the Death Overlord Gear…

The wide black robe fluttered in the wind, starkly contrasting with their white garments.

"You fellow have quite the strength; even among Soul Reapers there are people like you," Ya Mi's murderous intent surged, and he sneered, "Who are you?"

"Gotei 13, Captain of the Fifth Division, Yang," Chu Yang smiled faintly, golden light bursting from his right hand as the power of a hundred dragons and hundred beasts poured out, the wind raging.

Crunch!

Cracks spread across Ya Mi's Zanpakuto, as if it would shatter completely in the next instant.

"You actually..."

Ya Mi erupted in fury; the Zanpakuto, like the numeric marks on their bodies, served as proof of his Ten Blade identity!

Now that this mark had been broken by Chu Yang, Ya Mi's anger peaked in an instant.

The about‑to‑shatter Zanpakuto turned into a flash of light, breaking free from Chu Yang's control and rushing straight into Ya Mi's body.

Return Blade!

The Hollowification akin to the Masked Army requires donning a mask symbolizing hollowness; a Soul Reaper's hollow form involves returning the Zanpakuto (core) that represents Soul Reaper power.

When the two forces merge into one balanced whole, they can break the limits of power and enter a stronger state—that is what Lan Ran has long pursued.

After returning the blade, Ya Mi's form suddenly swelled, becoming closer to the image a Hollow should possess.

His lower body transformed into a crawling creature with twelve legs, resembling a scorpion, complete with a tail.

In the Return Blade state, Ya Mi's spiritual pressure began to surge rapidly, sending a strong signal even to the Soul Society.

As the current Director of the Technical Development Bureau, Nie Jianli immediately dispatched someone to the Fifth Division to report the situation.

The Jingling Court descended into chaos.

"It seems Lan Ran has finished the research on the Crumbling Jewel; the Head Captain should really listen to that kid's opinion, but it's too late now—the kid has gone to the living world."

"What a hassle, without Jingling Court's permission, a captain‑rank Soul Reaper cannot unleash his full power; we must quickly call reinforcements to help that kid Yang."

After muttering for a while, Nie Jianli suddenly laughed, "His popularity is even worse than mine; probably no one wants to help him, right?"

In the living world, a Soul Reaper captain's spiritual pressure is indeed suppressed; the Soul Society does this to prevent a captain's battle from causing excessive damage to the living world. Any Soul Reaper who enters the living world is suppressed unless prior permission is granted to lift the restriction.

Chu Yang came to the living world to investigate the disappearance of Hollows, so he did not obtain permission; his spiritual pressure remains suppressed.

But it doesn't matter.

My spiritual pressure is suppressed—what does that have to do with my Source Weapon True Body?

The moment Ya Mi returned his blade, Chu Yang also activated his Source Weapon True Body; the air instantly roiled like tide and trembled like a shaking mirror.

Wu Erqi Aola's eyelid flickered at the sight; he had never felt such pressure, not even on Lan Ran.

Yang? When recalling that name, Wu Erqi Aola suddenly thought of something.

This is the name that Lord Lanren constantly has on his lips.

Thanks to him, Lord Lanren is the only one who goes on a mad hunt for voids in the Void Circle, and he is also the first person to make Lord Lanren bear such a grudge.

What on earth did this guy do that just thinking of him makes Lord Lanren lose his temper?

Wuerqiao La's eyes flickered as he stared at Chu Yang's silhouette, his mind full of curiosity.

On Chu Yang's shoulder, the Sun and Moon rose slowly, their twin radiances simultaneously bathing Ya Mi's mountain‑sized body.

Just as Ya Mi was about to strike, he suddenly felt a pain like being torn apart by a thousand knives, and let out a mournful wail; looking down, he saw that where the Sun and Moon's radiance fell, flesh and blood were slowly disintegrating.

The two lights intertwined like a grinding stone, continuously eroding his flesh.

His steel skin, hardened by a high spiritual pressure state, could even withstand the slash of the Death God's Zanpakuto, yet it offered no resistance to the Sun and Moon's radiance.

Ya Mi suddenly retreated, trying to flee the area illuminated by the Sun and Moon's radiance, but no matter how he dodged, even using resonance to move at high speed, the dazzling light still followed him like a shadow.

The pain drove Ya Mi into utter collapse, so he abandoned any thought of evasion; in his blood‑red eyes, only Chu Yang's figure remained.

"I'll slaughter you!"

Ya Mi gasped heavily, growing increasingly frantic; as his anger surged, his body expanded rapidly, eventually becoming a colossal being that shrouded the city.

Given the current situation, even if Wuerqiao La tried to teleport him away, he couldn't—Ya Mi's body was simply too massive.

"Many people like to say that, but the outcome is never very good."

Chu Yang smiled politely; facing such a monster, his calm was frightening.

(End of chapter)