Death God: Starting from Refining Essence into Qi

The noisy chirping of cicadas in summer surged into the schoolroom through the windows like waves.

Xuan sat in the last row by the window, his fingertips lightly stroking the shallowly forged hilt of his sword at his waist—a habit he had developed after obtaining his Zanpakuto, as if this would allow him to more clearly feel the spiritual pulse budding within the blade.

Two months is neither a long nor a short time.

Both focusing one's mind and nurturing one's Zanpakuto require gradual and painstaking effort, and Gen didn't expect to master Bankai in a short time. He didn't consider himself a once-in-a-millennium genius; everything he had so far relied on his knowledge from his previous life.

The tearing sensation deep within the soul still exists, but perhaps it's because the primordial spirit is gradually becoming more solid under the nourishment of the pure qi, or perhaps it's just a matter of getting used to it—in any case, it won't be greatly affected in daily life or during sparring.

Everything is progressing steadily.

But Xuan's heart was always on edge.

He knew time was running out.

It doesn't refer to lifespan—the Grim Reaper has a long lifespan, and he has enough time to grow slowly.

Rather, it refers to the catastrophe that was destined to come a hundred years later—the first bloody war between the Quincy and the Soul Society.

Yhwach led his army into Soul Society, leaving the Seireitei littered with corpses. The original work doesn't detail the specifics of that war, only stating that the first Gotei 13 suffered heavy casualties, and the Quincy's Empire of Light was completely annihilated. What year was it exactly? How long did it last? What was the extent of its impact? Genichi knew nothing.

The only certainty is that, at his current rate of growth, he will at most reach the level of a newly appointed captain in a hundred years. Such spiritual pressure would be nothing more than that of a slightly higher-level soldier in front of Yhwach.

Therefore, Xuan needs to prepare for both possibilities.

When Xuan stepped into the second floor of the library again, his gaze fell on the scroll of "The Secret Record of Beast Transformation". He hadn't tried it during the preparation for the Grand Competition, and now was the time to study beast transformation.

If he had mastered the Beast Transformation technique before the first bloody battle, he could have easily escaped that battlefield where one wrong move could lead to certain death. Now that he has the opportunity to witness the splendor at the end of his cultivation journey, Xuan is naturally unwilling to die halfway through.

Beast transformation is not just for running away, because mastering beast transformation requires familiarity with the composition of spirits.

Ultimately, Xuan only understands the essence of the physical body. From the perspective of the white-handed fighting techniques he has learned, the joints and power points of the spirit and the physical body are similar, but he does not understand the essence of the spirit.

This world also has a werewolf clan, a curse that affects families, and even the seemingly human Shihouin bloodline can transform into other animal forms. If Xuan didn't know this was the world of Bleach, he would have thought he was filming "Harry Potter."

Understanding the nature of the spirit is equivalent to gaining a deep understanding of "the essence of life composed of spiritual particles." In future battles, one may be able to more keenly perceive the opponent's spiritual weaknesses—just as the prerequisite for learning the art of dislocating tendons and bones is memorizing the structure of all joints in the human body, the way bones are connected, the distribution of tendons, and the pathways of nerves.

Therefore, Xuan believes that the "Secret Record of Beast Transformation" must include knowledge related to spirit particles and spirit bodies, which is the basis for changing the form of spirit bodies.

Learning from others can be beneficial; this knowledge will help Gen better understand his current state, which will likely facilitate his learning of Zanpakuto's Shikai.

Xuan decided to ask Qianri if he could transform into a beast, perhaps he could gain some extra experience. He didn't return to his own courtyard, but went straight to the side courtyard where Qianri usually lived—a quiet courtyard located on the east side of the Sifengyuan clan's land, surrounded by a bamboo fence.

After waiting for the guards at the door to announce his arrival, Xuan pushed open the door and entered.

Qianri stood shirtless by the well, lifting a bucket of water and pouring it over his head. Water droplets rolled down his lean, muscular physique, shimmering like scattered gold in the setting sun.

"You've come at the right time." Qianri shook his wet hair, casually grabbed a cloth draped over a bamboo pole to dry himself, and said, "I just finished practicing a set of punches, and I'm starving. Want to grab a bite to eat?"

Xuan shook his head: "I'll go back to eat."

"Don't be shy, have something to eat with me." Without waiting for a reply, Qianri put his arm around Xuan's shoulder and led him into the house. "The old man has been nagging about aristocratic manners for ages today, it's giving me a headache."

The room was simply furnished, with a screen and wooden tables and chairs added to the room that was more mysterious. A knife rack stood in the corner, with a sheathed dagger lying horizontally on it.

The maid laid out the food on the table: grilled fish, ribs, chicken soup, pickled vegetables, and rice—simple yet plentiful.

Qianri sat cross-legged and began to eat heartily. Xuan sat opposite him, also quickly finishing his food. Although neither of them cared about excessive formalities at mealtimes, neither liked to talk while eating.

The room fell silent for a moment, with only the soft clinking of cutlery remaining.

Xuan ate quickly, but his movements were not rough. He cleaned the fish, neatly arranged the bones on the side of the plate, and left not a single grain of rice.

Every grain of rice and every bowl of porridge should remind us of the hard work involved in its production. Under the guidance of my master in my past life, frugality has become a habit; wasting even a single grain of rice would mean going hungry for an entire day.

The maid quietly cleared away the bowls and plates and served tea. The tea was clear and green, with steam rising from it.

Xuan picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and then slowly asked, "Brother Qianri, can you transform into a beast?"

Qianri paused, his hand about to drink tea.

He put down his teacup and looked up at Xuan: "Why are you suddenly asking this?"

"I saw the 'Secret Record of Beast Transformation' in the library," Xuan said frankly. "It says that this secret technique requires extremely precise control of spiritual energy. I want to give it a try."

"Try it?" Qianri frowned. "Xuan, do you know what that is?"

"Change the form of the spirit body and transform it into a beast form," Xuan said calmly. "The principles and risks are written in the 'Beast Transformation Manual'."

"Did it mention any risks?" Qianri leaned forward, his tone serious. "Did it say something like, 'A hundred years ago, someone forgot their original spirit form and, unable to accept that they would only be able to live as a dog for the rest of their life, chose to commit suicide?'"

Qianri's voice was heavy, but Xuan wanted to laugh when he heard it.

"Beast transformation isn't a game, it's a mystery. It's about taking yourself apart and putting yourself back together. If you put it back together wrong, you can never come back."

Xuan put down his teacup and looked up to meet Qianri's gaze.

"I know it's dangerous," he said, "but I need it."

"No, you don't need that." Thousand days later, still puzzled, "What you should be doing right now is building a solid foundation, mastering Shunpo, and raising your spiritual pressure. Beast Transformation is icing on the cake, not a necessity."

"It's a necessity," Xuan shook his head. "For me."

He paused, organizing his thoughts.

"First, I need to hone my control over spiritual power. Precise control over spiritual power during combat can indirectly increase the total amount and power of spiritual power, and it is also a prerequisite for continuing to study the Ghost Path. The process of beast transformation is itself a tempering of spiritual power control; I am simply bringing forward the process of 'forging spiritual power control'."

Qianri's brow remained furrowed: "Then there's no need to choose such a dangerous method."

"Secondly," Xuan continued, "the key to transforming into a beast lies in understanding one's own spiritual structure. Thoroughly understanding the distribution, nodes, and flow of spiritual particles in one's human form is the prerequisite for reconstructing the spiritual body."

Seeing that Senri did not refute him, he continued, "And a Zanpakuto is an extension of one's spirit. A deep understanding of one's own spirit may facilitate the Shikai of the Zanpakuto."

Qianri was stunned for a moment.

That statement... actually makes some sense.

When he first began cultivating his Beast Transformation, the current patriarch did say something similar—"Beast Transformation is not just about changing your appearance, but also about seeing your true nature." And he did indeed master the Initial Release much earlier than his peers.

Seeing Qianri's wavering expression, Xuan pressed his advantage, saying, "Brother Qianri, I admit that transforming into a beast is dangerous, but what is without risk?"

"If you go astray in your cultivation, your meridians will be damaged; if you make a mistake in your instantaneous movement, your bones will break; even walking in daily life can lead to tripping and falling. Does that mean we should stop cultivating or going out just because we might get injured?"

Xuan's tone was resolute.

"To give up eating for fear of choking is the greatest folly. It's better to take some risks to cultivate now than to regret it when you encounter an enemy and face certain death."

A thousand days of silence.

The initial statement, "I want to give it a try," was clearly well thought out.

A child of just over six years old, yet his thinking was more thorough and calm than that of many adult Grim Reapers. His reasons, presented one by one, left even this opponent speechless.

Yes, what is risk-free? Besides, the path of death is inherently accompanied by danger.

If what Xuan said is true, that the transformed beasts can hone their refined control over spiritual power ahead of time, and even learn the Shikai in advance—then taking a little risk now might be able to avert a deadly situation in the future.

not to mention……

Looking at the resolute gaze of Gen before him, Qianri recalled his father's words: "My son, you are the most talented of the Shihouin generation. But talent is not everything. Character, vision, and decisiveness are what determine how far you can go."

Qianri let out a long breath: "You've convinced me."

"But you have to agree to two conditions." Qianri's smile faded, and his tone became serious.

"First, you can't cultivate in private; you must wait until I'm around. I've learned beast transformation, so at least I can correct any problems in time."

"Second, proceed according to your ability. If you feel something is wrong, stop immediately. Life is more important than cultivation. I know you have good talent, but a dead genius is just a corpse. Remember that?"

Xuan nodded.

After a thousand days without saying much, he got up and took a roll of light blue silk from the niche next to the knife rack.

"Keep this safe." He handed it over. "These are my notes from when I was cultivating my beast transformation. They contain my insights, techniques, precautions, and some little tricks that I figured out myself."

Xuan took the silk scroll. It was light and soft, and quite expensive, but it was certainly not as valuable as the knowledge recorded on it.

There will be a great war in the future, and that's something I definitely can't say out loud. That's why I sought out Shihōin's secret techniques for obtaining the Beast Transformation after a thousand days of planning, in order to increase my chances of survival in the future war.

If the battle becomes truly brutal, the transformed beasts might find a glimmer of hope by hiding or fleeing to another place. This is a rational calculation, an instinct for survival.

but……

In Xuan's mind, the complex emotions that had been in Qianri's eyes just now—guilt, helplessness, and that heavy worry—surfaced.

What did he feel guilty about, what was he worried about? Xuan's parents died from the invasion of the Great Void, and he wasn't the murderer. He didn't even know how distant the blood relationship between the two was.

It's all because Qianri was too good to me.

They were so close that I often had the illusion that I was truly his blood brother.

Xuan used the relationships he cultivated to acquire resources and leverage his influence to grow, while Qianri, on the other hand, readily gave away his precious cultivation insights.

This trust and devotion was so pure that it left him, "Shihouin," who carried memories of his past life and was full of scheming, feeling helpless and even a little apprehensive.

Gen is a successor of the Daoist sect, cultivating the principle of following one's heart. No matter how high the status or how powerful the Shihouin family is, Gen will never put the family's interests before his freedom. If one day the family becomes a cage, he will definitely take the opportunity to leave the family, just like Yoruichi did.

But how should this affection be dealt with when Gen's path goes against the expectations of the Shihōin family and even Senri?

Chaotic thoughts, like vines, entwine, bringing a strange sense of unease.

Xuan took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

Now is not the time to consider this. Having accepted my insights, all I can do now is offer a perfunctory thank you.

"Thank you, Brother Qianri." The gratitude was too light, but the promise was too heavy.

"No need for thanks." Qianri waved his hand and sat down again. "It's quite ironic—when I was asked to learn Beast Transformation, I was extremely unwilling, thinking it was too dangerous. Now I'm advising others not to learn it, and I've become the one who teaches it."

Xuan opened the silk scroll. The first page was written in neat handwriting, recording the principles of beast transformation, the path of spiritual particle reconstruction, the key to maintaining one's mind and spirit, and emergency methods for failure...

"Why did you study it back then, Brother Qianri?" Xuan asked casually.

"What else could it be?" Qianri gave a bitter laugh. "I showed talent in the precise control of spiritual power, so the old man took notice of me. He said such strong talent shouldn't be buried, and I couldn't refuse."

Qianri paused, his tone becoming more complex.

"Now that I think about it, the old man was right. Beast Transformation really did improve my control over spiritual power. Now that I think about it, I wonder if it's because I studied the 'Beast Transformation Secret Record' that I was able to master the Initial Release faster than others."

Xuan listened quietly with his head down, his fingertips brushing over the characters on the silk scroll.

"So you've already learned all this before, and now you're trying to dissuade me. If you hadn't given me this insight, I would have thought you were possessive of your food."

"You brat," Qianri said through gritted teeth with a laugh, then turned serious, "It's precisely because I've studied it that I know how difficult and dangerous it is. I don't want to see you get into trouble, Xuan. Death Gods have very long lifespans; you're still too young... There aren't many Death Gods who die of old age."

This is absolutely true. Moreover, at that time, most Shinigami were not killed by Hollows, but rather by fighting other Shinigami. It wasn't until the Seireitei incorporated Yamamoto and others into the Gotei 13 that the Shinigami causing trouble throughout Soul Society were terrified and the situation improved.

Xuan shifted his gaze from the silk scroll and looked up at Qianri. He closed the scroll and said solemnly, "I will be careful."

"That's good." Qianri finally smiled genuinely, stretching and reverting to his lazy demeanor. "Alright, now that we've finished talking business, you have class tomorrow, right? Study your notes carefully and make sure you memorize them. I'll have our first attempt in your yard in three days when I have time."

After thanking him, Xuan got up to say goodbye, but as he reached the door, he suddenly turned back.

"By the way, Brother Qianri, what is your beast form?"

He grinned for a thousand days.

You'll find out in a few days.