Death God: Starting from Refining Essence into Qi

This serious injury jolted Xuan awake from his peaceful daily life.

During this time, Xuan had undoubtedly become complacent. Even though he hadn't stopped his daily training and research into the Demon Path, the sense of powerlessness he felt when facing Unohana rekindled his desire for strength.

Unohana's sword cleaved through many things: Zhenyuan, flesh, and Xuan's illusions about his current strength. He clearly realized one fact: in the way of the sword, he could never catch up with that woman who called herself "Yachiryū." She had spent thousands of years refining eight thousand styles from mountains of corpses and seas of blood, while his two lifetimes combined amounted to only a few decades. At the end of this path, he would only be a little closer to her silhouette.

Moreover, their current strength is no match for Unohana, so how can they possibly deal with Yhwach's Quincy army in the future?

We need to find another way.

Xuan knew he didn't have that much time to hone his swordsmanship, but his greatest advantage was that he was a transmigrator and knew many ways to increase his strength in a short period of time.

In summary, the most suitable skill for Xuan at present is undoubtedly Shunhong. Shunhong can bring a significant increase in attack power and speed, and is the hope for overtaking others in terms of strength.

For Xuan, the prerequisite for Shun Kong's cultivation was not the third-level spiritual power of a captain. Even though his spiritual pressure was not at the captain level, his ability to control spiritual power was stronger than that of an ordinary death god and was not much inferior to the captain level. This can be seen from his ability to use the "All Things Are Illusory" to briefly deceive Mao Zhihua Yachiru.

After mastering the Instantaneous Strike, even if Xuan doesn't have captain-level combat power, the increase in speed will give him the ability to escape from captain-level opponents.

After recovering from his injuries, Xuanjiang put his research on the Instantaneous Burst technique on the agenda.

The Shihōin family's secret technique, a fusion of Hakuda (hand-to-hand combat) and Kidō (demon arts). High-concentration, compressed Kidō is wrapped around the back and shoulders, then exploded, channeling the Kidō into the hands and feet, using the explosive force to elevate the destructive power of punches and kicks to another level.

There are very few people in the entire Soul Society who truly master Shun's power; Gen only knows of three. They are: Yoruichi Shihouin, the former captain of the 2nd Division of the Gotei 13, former Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukido, former Commander-in-Chief of the 1st Division's Execution Corps, and the 22nd head of the Shihouin family; Soi Fon, the captain of the 2nd Division of the Gotei 13, Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukido, and Commander of the Execution Corps; and Sakimune Shihouin, the 23rd head of the Shihouin family.

As far as Xuan knew, these three had all developed their own unique advanced instantaneous attacks—one for lightning, one for wind, and one for fire.

Xuanli speculates that advanced instantaneous attacks have attributes, which change according to the user's spiritual pressure.

But how is a simple instantaneous flash achieved?

Their battle armor never covers their backs and shoulders, because the fabric in that area would rip open when the Instant Strike is activated. This alone is enough to illustrate the danger of this technique—if not controlled properly, the ferocious spiritual energy could explode on the shoulders or even strike the neck from either side.

However, the original text does not contain detailed cultivation methods like the Daoist Canon; Xuan could only rely on analysis and deduction based on the situation at the moment of their death.

Soi Fon independently developed Shun's technique. Gen doesn't consider himself any less intelligent than Soi Fon, especially since he has several more reference answers than Soi Fon. He's simply working backward from the answers to deduce the underlying principle.

Soi Fon figured out the advanced Instantaneous Strike on her own, which must have been based on the ordinary, attribute-less Instantaneous Strike.

Soi Fon's advanced Shunpo attribute is wind, but it doesn't seem to be wind in the traditional sense. According to her, it's more like spiritual pressure circulating around her like the wind.

The Infinite Instantaneous Burst involves wrapping spiritual pressure around the shoulders, channeling it into the arms, and expelling it through the wrists. This pressure is then manipulated freely, like the wind, causing it to swirl and merge with the spiritual pressure wrapped around the shoulders, creating an endless cycle. The spiritual energy swirls out from the shoulders, circulating like air currents back into the body, forming a shape resembling butterfly wings.

This seems to explain why the fabric on the back and shoulders would rip.

The Grim Reaper's wrist has a spiritual pressure outlet. If the Kido (demon path) wraps around the shoulder, then flows along the arm meridians into the wrist and out, compressing, releasing, and retracting, this output method becomes understandable.

Having roughly grasped the principle of instantaneous movement, Xuan sat cross-legged in a clearing in the forest, closing his eyes and focusing his inner vision. Spiritual energy surged from his Soul Sleep, passed through the Lock Meridian, and slowly ascended along the Small Heavenly Circuit.

At the same time, another stream of spiritual energy was forcibly compressed in reverse at his dantian—flowing in the forward direction like a river flowing into the sea, and flowing in reverse like the deep sea overflowing. The two flows intertwined and surged in his dantian, and the density of spiritual energy increased sharply in this state of opposing flows.

Xuan was no stranger to this: it was the Daoist principle of "following the natural order and going against it." Following the natural order guides spiritual energy to nourish the meridians, while going against it gathers and accumulates spiritual energy in the dantian.

The *Yunji Qiqian* quotes the *Dongshenmingzangjing* as saying: "The hundred meridians flow together, the hundred orifices face each other, the hundred gates are locked together, and the hundred joints are connected."

The term "hundred meridians" does not refer to a specific number of meridians, but rather to the collective meridians of the entire body. The unobstructed flow of these meridians means that all the meridians in the body are simultaneously connected by spiritual energy—spiritual energy originates from the dantian, flows outwards along the twelve regular meridians and the eight extraordinary meridians, reaches the extremities, and is then intercepted, drawn back, and re-infused through intention. This flow and retraction is like a hundred rivers simultaneously breaching their banks, only to be instantly closed by invisible sluice gates.

The Small Heavenly Circuit uses the Ren and Du meridians as pathways. The true qi flows backward through the three gates, which is called "Yang rising," and flows forward, which is called "Yin descending." The two forces of guiding and nourishing the meridians in the forward direction and compressing and gathering the dantian in the reverse direction move in opposite directions. This is the principle of the internal alchemy "circulation" that drives the circulation of true qi through the combination of yin and yang.

This is the principle behind the release of Instantaneous Burst. However, in addition to the meridians within the body, it also constructs a spiritual energy transport path outside the body. In pursuit of more explosive power, the energy transported within is replaced by ghost energy instead of spiritual energy.

The so-called ghost energy is spiritual power that has been condensed and operated in a specific way, and can be used as spiritual power when the ghost path erupts at any time.

The instantaneous strike requires the ghostly energy to be absorbed back into the body shortly after leaving it, flowing along the meridians and merging with the fists and feet. It releases outward while simultaneously retracting inward—like drawing a bow, where the arm must firmly grip the bowstring the instant the string snaps open.

High-density compressed Kido bursts forth from the shoulders and back, then surges along the meridians to the wrists, where it is instantly infused into the fists and feet. This back-and-forth explosion of Kido is the true power of Shunkō.

This requires an extremely high level of precision in manipulating spiritual energy, which is why even captains like Soi Fon and Yoruichi only barely mastered it.

However, Xuan has the advantage of specialized training in manipulating spiritual energy, and his Shikai Zhenyuan also has the ability to manipulate spiritual particles, so Xuan is somewhat confident in his ability to control spiritual energy. He simply lacks experience in unleashing the demonic energy from his body and then retracting it.

This is similar to the "Five Thunder Palm Divine Skill," which even records the complete energy circulation path: "The Qi rises from the Dantian, passes through the Jiaji point, flows through the Yuzhen point, reaches the Baihui point, splits into two paths, descends to the Jianjing point, runs along the inner side of the arm through the Laogong point, and is released outwards through the palm... When releasing the palm, one must relax the shoulders and sink the elbows, focus the mind on the Jianjing point, and let the Qi seep out from the gap between the shoulder blades, then flow into the palm, only then will there be thunderous power."

Xuan opened his eyes. The knowledge of the Daoist sect and the scenes of characters using instantaneous attacks in the original work corroborated each other, making the theory of instantaneous attacks completely clear. The next step was to conduct tests to verify its feasibility.

Gen hesitated, considering whether to have Jiro and the others conduct the instantaneous experiment in his place.

The Yorozuya's three Kido members—Jiro, Gen, and Shigeo—can reliably unleash over thirty different Kido techniques. Technically speaking, their understanding of Kido is quite profound. Shunkura, in theory, is applicable to all Shinigami capable of using Kido.

But the thought only lingered in his mind for less than a minute before being dismissed. Soi Fon is a captain-level fighter, and even after mastering Shun'en in the original work, she still couldn't guarantee complete control over her power.

Jiro and his companions had low spiritual pressure, had trained for a shorter time, and their spiritual bodies were still weak. They simply couldn't withstand the direct infusion of the Demonic Path into their bodies, let alone guide it. Forcibly attempting to achieve instantaneous transformation was no different than shoving your hand into a millstone.

There's no need to waste the talent he's cultivated. Xuan is counting on these initial Kido followers to train future Kido followers and participate in the Quincy war in the future. Right now, Xuan has no choice but to try it himself.

However, reality is often harsher than ideals. Once he actually put it into practice, Xuan discovered that it was no simpler than the theory.

In the first few weeks, Xuan did not have a smooth time releasing the Ghost Path from his shoulders and back. Once the Ghost Path left his body, it was difficult to control. Xuan tried to control it with his primordial spirit, but the effect was not ideal. The shoulders and back of his Death Hat armor were cut with countless tiny cracks by the scattered spiritual particles.

After that, every time he attempted to use the instantaneous attack, Gen would take off his newly bought Shinigami uniform top to avoid pointless waste.

Three months later, Xuan was finally able to convert his spiritual power into Kido energy and release it outwards from his shoulders before channeling it into his fists. However, the next stage presented a new challenge—the Kido released from his hands was merely a slightly more powerful version of [Hado I: Rush], which was vastly different from the anticipated Instant Rush.

……

After another year of repeated deliberation, it was finally put into practice.

After repeated trial and error, Xuan realized that he had been misled by empiricism. Past Taoist methods emphasized gentle guidance and control, but Shun Hong was not like that.

The Five Thunder Palm technique described in the manual does not match the Instant Burst. The Instant Burst requires far more violent energy; if one simply follows the manual's instructions, while the technique will eventually stabilize, it will lose its power.

The primordial spirit is also unsuitable for guiding the energy of the ghost path. Instantaneous chaos is like feeding a tiger; a tiger that has been gently guided is just a big cat. It needs to be tamed with violence to be in a state of rage and ready to rebel.

Like the sun breaking through the clouds, Xuan gained a new understanding of cultivation.

For the first time, Xuan attempted to cultivate Daoist techniques without relying primarily on his primordial spirit. He removed his upper body's Death Overlord armor, and sweat beaded on his lean muscles under the afternoon sun.

Xuan, relying on his senses, successfully forced the ghostly energy out of his body. Just as the ghostly energy was about to erupt, he forcefully suppressed it back into his body and then used his spiritual power to harmonize it.

In an instant, the sweat on Xuan's body was blasted away by a transparent wave of air. Xuan felt his body filled with violent power, and all his muscles were trembling with excitement.

Xuan took a step forward. A shockwave of spiritual energy exploded where his foot touched the ground, causing the wild grass to sway outwards. The next second, his figure appeared at the other end of the open space, leaving only a faint afterimage of spiritual energy in his original position.

A powerful burst of spiritual pressure erupted, startling the birds in the forest into flight.

On the training ground, Saito, holding her Zanpakuto, was dozing off on a plum blossom stake custom-made by Gen. An explosive spiritual pressure was sensed before the sound; she abruptly opened her eyes, her sword already drawn, and sped towards the forest.

Such a violent spiritual pressure was actually appearing where Xuan was cultivating. Could it be that the woman named Unohana had already found Xuan silently and was fighting him? Saito thought to himself, not daring to delay, and quickened his pace.

Xuan stood at the edge of the forest, having just put his shihaka back on, and was quietly adjusting the rhythm of the spiritual energy flow on his wrist.

Saito rushed over and saw Gen standing there alone, seemingly with no one else around.

"Don't tell me that the violent spiritual pressure you just unleashed was from you."

Seeing Saito's tense expression, Gen explained, "It was just an experiment, and it was just successful."

"What experiment?" She carefully sensed the remaining violent spiritual pressure nearby and finally confirmed that this spiritual pressure was indeed of the same origin as Xuan's spiritual pressure. She then sheathed her sword.

Saito simply couldn't understand why such an exaggerated spiritual pressure was coming from there. She thought that terrifying spiritual pressure, which even a third-class spiritual power might not possess, was Unohana's spiritual pressure.

"Instant Burst. A fusion technique of Hakuda and Kido. The principle is to wrap highly concentrated and compressed Kido around the shoulders and back, and then inject it into the hands and feet through an explosion, thereby enhancing the explosive power of Hakuda."

"Kido?" Saito paused for a moment as he withdrew his finger, his interest visibly waning. "Tch, I'd like to learn it."

But Saito then said, "Let me test the power of your so-called 'Instant Slash.' If it's just for show, I won't be envious. You need someone to help test its effectiveness, right?"

Saito is right; Gen does indeed want to test the power of the Shunkō technique he just learned.

"Wait a moment, this is my first time using it in actual combat, I need to get into the swing of things." With that, Xuan took off his shirt.

Saito scrutinized Gen from head to toe, then narrowed his eyes: "Your preparation process is quite ritualistic. Was taking off your clothes even necessary?"

"Just to avoid buying the Death Knight outfit again." Xuan recalled that the three people who mastered the Instantaneous Strike in the original work all wore specially made clothes, and decided to have one made as soon as possible. Otherwise, he would ruin the reputation of the Daoist sect sooner or later.

Gen's body surged with demonic energy, unleashing a powerful spiritual pressure. Feeling the power filling his body once more, Gen said, "Release your Shikai. I'm afraid you can't keep up with my speed now."

Saito grinned: "Aren't you getting a little too cocky? Watch me teach you a lesson with one strike. Purple Lightning, swift as lightning, cuts to the bone."

Saito released his Zanpakuto and kept a close eye on Gen's every move, but calmly reversed his grip on the Zanpakuto.

……

The contest lasted for an hour, until both of them could no longer withstand the drain on their spiritual energy from the intense battle.

Just then, Ryugu from the Yorozuya appeared before Gen, handing him two letters and panting, saying, "Lord Gen, Lord Saito. The messenger is a Shinigami (death god), and he says these two letters are from the Seireitei (Ghost Court)."