Death God: Starting from Refining Essence into Qi

What exactly went wrong?

Xuan drank the water handed to him by Feng Zongzhu, calming the turbulent spiritual energy within his body while pondering.

"Hinamori Momo and the others are still first-year students who haven't even met all their classmates yet, and they can already unleash the intermediate-level Kido [Hado No. 31: Red Fire Cannon]. There's no reason why I should fail when I use the low-level Kido [Hado No. 4: White Lightning]."

Xuan carefully recalled the original work and suspected that he had missed some details.

Kuchiki Byakuya, still gripping his sword in his right hand, locked in a stalemate with Kurosaki Ichigo, unleashed the [White Lightning] with his left. The [White Lightning] blasted a hole directly in Ichigo's spirit body, and a massive torrent of spiritual energy shattered distant rocks.

The white lightning released by a captain-level spiritual pressure is truly extraordinary. Wait a minute…

Xuan finally understood the problem.

I was too arrogant.

In my memory, the Shinigami who unleashed this kind of Kido with his left hand was Byakuya Kuchiki. As a top-tier Captain-level fighter, he was a ruthless individual capable of simultaneously controlling hundreds of millions of blades.

On the other hand, Xuan has only been at the Foundation Establishment stage for less than a day and lacks experience in controlling spiritual power. His internal cultivation is insufficient, his Qi is unstable, and he is unable to control the fierce and violent Yang Thunder power.

Therefore, since [White Lightning] is a low-level demonic path that even beginners can master, it naturally doesn't use the difficult-to-control Yang Lightning, but rather Yin Lightning.

Xuan held the Yin Thunder Formation in his right hand, raised his hand and pointed it at the wooden target, and a bolt of lightning shot out from his fingertip!

There was no thunderous roar, only a dull "plop" sound, like a heavy object falling into a deep pool.

The bullseye did not explode, produce any smoke, or burn any flames; it only left a mark with a blackened edge.

Xuan stepped forward and gently touched the wooden target. The bullseye had been completely carbonized by the thunder energy and turned into dust, which fell to the ground.

Xuan felt a tingling and numb sensation from his right shoulder to his fingertips, and his gaze went directly through the center of the wooden target to the courtyard wall.

Zongzhu stared blankly at the wooden target, then slowly turned to look at Xuan, his eyes filled with disbelief and his expression a mixture of confusion.

"Was that... your Zanpakuto's Shikai ability just now?" Sosuke's voice was dry and trembling, and he even forgot to address him.

He couldn't continue, because the conjecture itself was absurd.

Zanpakuto, as weapons of Shinigami (death gods), only develop a spirit after being imbued with the Shinigami's spiritual power over a long period. Once a Shinigami knows the name of a Zanpakuto, they can gain special abilities through its Shikai. How could Genta, at only four years old, already have Shikai?

Moreover, Sosuke neither saw the Zanpakuto nor sensed the surge in spiritual pressure that would result from its Shikai release.

But if it's not because of the power of the Zanpakuto's Shikai, how can we explain this scene?

Sosuke opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Over the past hundred years, he has experienced countless battles between Shinigami, but he has never heard of any lightning-attribute attack method that appears without using a Zanpakuto.

"Huh? I don't have my own Zanpakuto yet. This is Kido." Gen was puzzled.

"I lost my composure," Sosuke said in a low voice. "Kido... it is indeed a very fitting name."

Xuan then realized what was happening.

In my past life, I only remembered that the four basic abilities of a Shinigami were the slashing techniques corresponding to a Zanpakuto, the hand-to-hand combat techniques corresponding to bare-handed fighting, the footwork techniques led by Shunpo, and the Kido, collectively known as slashing, fist, walking, and demonic arts. Little did I know that I had preconceived notions; the Kido hadn't even been born yet.

The birth of the Ghost Path is absolutely explosive news in this era. Once this news spreads, the chain reaction it will trigger is truly unpredictable—

How will the Shihouin family react? Will those hidden noble forces set their sights on them?

Moreover, his young age and the fact that he has not yet realized his talent are his biggest weaknesses. Without sufficient strength to support him, revealing his abilities too early will only make him a target of criticism.

Thinking of this, Xuan changed the subject, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Zongzhu: "Then, regarding today's events—the method of using spiritual power that I call 'Ghost Path'—I hope you can keep it a secret for now and not mention it to anyone else until I voluntarily demonstrate it to the family or obtain their formal approval."

He paused deliberately to observe Zongzhu's reaction: "Of course, you can tell Brother Qianri. I also hope to share this discovery with him."

This request was made after careful consideration. Revealing some secrets appropriately can bring people closer and increase trust. As a future candidate for head of the family, and the first person to extend a helping hand to him, Qianri deserves this trust.

Sure enough, upon hearing these words, Zongzhu's eyes flashed with understanding. He bowed deeply again: "To be honest, the Feng family is a staunch supporter of Young Master Qianri's lineage. I will not reveal a single word of what I have seen and heard today to anyone other than Young Master Qianri."

However, Sosuke was so shocked that he didn't mention the word "school" that Gen wanted.

"Brother Qianri said I can study at the family academy. When does the academy open?"

"Young Master Xuan, according to family rules, this year's academy will enroll new students next April. Although there is no age limit, you are still young, and the most important thing right now is to take care of your health and lay a solid foundation."

Zongzhu paused for a moment, then added, "When you enroll in the next class, the elders will personally teach you, and you will be able to learn a safer cultivation method."

While I don't think the cultivation methods taught at the Shihōin family academy are particularly sophisticated, having another reference point is never a bad thing. Xuan's current cultivation methods are also the result of generations of predecessors learning from and integrating these methods.

Seeing that Xuan remained silent, Zongzhu bowed deeply again: "Please take care of your health and do not continue your attempts at the Ghost Path until you recover. If anything happens to you, I will be held responsible and will not know how to explain it to Young Master Qianri."

Sosuke raised his head, a complex expression on his face: "To be honest, the Shihouin family was invaded by a Hollow recently, causing casualties. This incident has stirred the minds of many nobles, and the five great noble families are not a monolithic entity."

This wasn't a veiled statement. Sosuke pointed out the current state of affairs among the Soul Society's nobles—infighting and scheming. Apart from the five noble families that always stand at the top, the other nobles are all trying to win over and cultivate strong individuals, intending to expand their own sphere of influence.

In such a meritocratic and highly competitive environment, the emergence of a new power system will inevitably attract the attention and competition of various forces.

"I understand." Xuan nodded. "Let's put aside the path of the demonic path for now until we graduate from the academy, and pretend it doesn't exist."

Zongzhu visibly breathed a sigh of relief: "Young Master Xuan is wise. I'll tidy up the courtyard."

Sosuke walked over to the wooden target and carefully pulled it from the ground. The area around the bullseye was completely charred, turning into black powder that fell in a rustling sound.

He put the remains of the wooden target into a cloth bag, swept the ground clean, and then bowed to Xuan, saying, "Young Master Xuan, if there are no other instructions, I will take my leave now. Lunch will be served shortly."

"Thank you for your trouble." Xuan nodded.

The courtyard returned to silence.

"Since the Ghost Path hasn't appeared yet," Xuan opened his eyes, a sharp glint in them, "then I can use it as a resource to recruit people and build an organization in the future."

He recalled that in the future, the Kido sect would be one of the three top powers in Soul Society, alongside the Gotei 13 and the Onmitsukido. And since Kido was a technique that even Shinigami could master, once it was systematized and popularized, it would undoubtedly gain a large following.

Especially for special families like the Ise family, who lack individual Zanpakuto, mastering the Kido system would lead to a qualitative leap in strength. Kido will undoubtedly be an important bargaining chip for future collaborations.

-----------------

As the morning light intensified, it illuminated the entire courtyard.

As Bee Sosuke passed by the family school, he heard shouts of morning practice coming from inside—the sounds of "slash," "fist," and "walk."

Perhaps one day in the future, a completely new voice will be added to this place—

"ghost".