Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero

With Renji's signature loud voice and the dull thud of the empty sake bottle hitting the counter, the last trace of the heavy atmosphere of the past in the tavern seemed to be dispelled by this rough action.

After a few jugs of strong liquor, the gloom in Renji's eyes caused by memories was replaced by a more intense light—the belligerence and excitement of the Eleventh Division warriors.

He suddenly stood up, the chair legs scraping against the stone floor with a screeching sound, drawing the attention of several other guests at nearby tables.

Renji didn't care at all. His crimson eyes were fixed on Yanagawa, and he grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. His smile was full of eager challenge.

"Hey, Yanagawa! Drinking alone isn't fun!" He reached out and patted the Jabi-maru at his waist, the scabbard emitting a slight hum.

"Let's have a match! Let me see what you've accomplished in these ten years of cultivating the Ghost Path! Don't tell me you only know how to use your Ghost Path skills to open doors and build barriers!"

Liu Chuan put down his wine glass and looked up at his aggressive friend.

The alcohol made Renji's spiritual pressure more outward than usual, carrying the burning sensation unique to the Eleventh Division, as if a mixture of gunpowder and hot blood.

He could sense the pure, unadulterated fighting spirit in the other person's words. It was another way for Renji Abarai to express his concern, and also a direct means of testing each other's growth over the years.

"Oh?" Liu Chuan raised an eyebrow slightly, not intimidated by the sudden challenge, but a faint interest flashed in his eyes.

He really wanted to see the red-haired boy who used to scratch his head in Kido class, but who stood out in actual combat with his amazing fighting spirit and beast-like intuition.

Having been trained under someone like Kenpachi Zaraki, just how far have they honed their skills? "Here?"

"Of course not!" Renji waved his hand. "Let's go to our Eleventh Division's training grounds! It's big and sturdy enough there, you can fight all you want!"

Without saying a word, he grabbed the bill from the table, tossed it to the boss, and then dragged Liu Chuan by the arm and walked out.

"Come on, come on! Let me see if this former top student's skills have declined!"

Liu Chuan let him pull him along, a faint smile of helplessness on his face, but his steps did not falter.

Good, it'll be good to stretch his muscles, and he also wants to personally experience the level of the core force of the Soul Society's combat troops.

The Eleventh Division's barracks are located in a relatively peripheral area of ​​the Seireitei. The architectural style is rough and bold, far less refined than the barracks of other divisions, but it has its own undisguised aura of strength.

Even before getting close, one could vaguely hear shouts, clanging metal, and unrestrained laughter and roars coming from inside. The spiritual particles permeating the air seemed more active and restless than in other places.

The training ground was an extremely open sandy area, surrounded by many battered wooden stakes and rocks covered with cut marks and charred marks.

At this moment, dozens of people are sparring in pairs, and the battle is in full swing, even somewhat chaotic.

There are no elegant moves or strict etiquette; instead, it's all about direct clashes of power, brutal compression of spiritual pressure, and various highly individual combat techniques aimed at defeating the opponent as quickly as possible.

The smell of blood and sweat mingled with the dust, creating a wild and intense atmosphere.

When Renji, sporting striking red hair, dragged Yanagawa, a clearly unfamiliar face, into the training ground, it was like a stone being thrown into a boiling pot of oil.

"Hmm?" "Who is that?" "A member of the Kidoshu?" "Brought back by Renji, the Eighth Seat?"

All sorts of gazes instantly converged on him: curiosity, scrutiny, disdain, eagerness... and so on.

The players who were competing slowed down, and the players who were resting on the sidelines, wiping their wounds, or cheering loudly also stopped.

The noisy training ground quickly quieted down, leaving only heavy breathing and the occasional sound of weapons scraping the ground.

Dozens of gazes fell upon Liu Chuan as if they were physical, filled with undisguised scrutiny.

In the Eleventh Division, the rule of the strong is ironclad, while the Kido... in their eyes, are almost synonymous with "weak" and "clerical".

"Yo! Renji!" a bald, burly man asked in a gruff voice.

"Who is this delicate-skinned fellow? Where did you pick him up from? Could it be that the Captain-Commander saw how hard we were training and sent him someone who knows healing techniques to help us? Haha!"

His words elicited laughter from those around him.

"Shut up, Madarame!" Renji snapped back, but there wasn't much anger in his voice, clearly indicating that this kind of conversation was common in the Eleventh Division.

"This is Yanagawa, my classmate from the Shinigami Academy, now in the Kido Clan." He emphasized "classmate" and "Kido Clan".

"Same period?" Another man leaning against the wall with an odd hairstyle raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping critically over Liu Chuan.

"He doesn't look like he's that good at fighting, Renji. What did you bring him here for? For a tour?"

"Enough with the nonsense!" Renji walked to a relatively open area in the center of the training field, turned around, facing Yanagawa and all the team members who were looking at him, and announced loudly, his voice filled with excitement.

"I'm going to have a match with this guy! You all get out of the way and watch!"

"A sparring match?" "Renji, the Eighth Seat, is going to fight the Kidoshu?" "Interesting..."

"Hey, Renji, don't hurt him! If the Kido Clan comes looking for trouble, it'll be a real problem!"

A commotion immediately erupted on the sidelines, a mixture of doubt, curiosity, and clamor.

"Right here?" Liu Chuan confirmed again, his gaze sweeping over the Eleventh Division members who were clearly ready to watch the show.

"Right here!" Renji had already taken his stance, his right hand resting on the hilt of Zabimaru's sword, and his spiritual pressure began to rise, carrying a scorching aura.

"Don't worry, these guys are tough as nails, they won't get a scratch! Yanagawa, don't hold back just because you're in the Eleventh Division! Let me see what you're really capable of!"

Liu Chuan said no more. He stood quietly, without any powerful spiritual pressure erupting from his body, but exuding a calm and unfathomable aura.

It naturally spread out from him, gently separating Renji's burning battle-ready spiritual pressure.

He raised a hand, his voice calm:

"Well then, nice to meet you, Renji."