Death: This Death is a bit unorthodox.

To be precise, it was what she described as the place that was helpful for cultivation.

As darkness fell, the streetlights gradually came on.

When Shinzuki returned to her dormitory, Yoruichi had been waiting for her for a long time.

"Where are we going? Can that place really help my cultivation?"

"Just come with me, I guarantee you'll like it." Yoruichi Shihouin felt a little guilty and quickly tried to cover it up.

"Oh, you scared me! I thought you..."

"What do you think? Don't you trust me? Do you think I, the future head of the Shihōin family, would lie to you?"

Yoruichi Shihouin raised her fist in a threatening manner.

Chapter 21 Training Ground

Aozaki Mayuki and Shihouin Yoruichi walked through half of Seireitei and arrived at the foot of Sōkyoku Hill.

I don’t know, I’m scared.

The underground of Twin Phantom Hill has been hollowed out by two audacious individuals and filled with all sorts of training equipment, presumably intended for use as a training ground.

"That damn Yoruichi! She was the one who suggested building the training ground, so why am I the only one doing the work?"

Yoruichi Shihouin was excitedly showing her little fanboy around when she heard a lazy man's complaints.

The man had short, slightly spiky, light yellow hair and military green eyes, and he looked listless.

"That guy is my accomplice, Kisuke Urahara."

Yoruichi pointed at the disheveled blond man, then raised her voice:

"Huh? I hear someone talking bad about me. Is Kisuke slacking off?"

"How could that be? Didn't you see how much fun I had doing it?"

Kisuke Urahara brandished his shovel, digging as he laughed.

Shinjuku leaned closer and asked, "What is Mr. Urahara digging for?"

“I want to dig a large pool to create a hot spring,” Kisuke Urahara replied.

"Why not use the Kido? Isn't there a barrier set up outside?" Zhenyue asked, somewhat puzzled.

Kisuke Urahara explained with a smile, "Well, a large-scale Kido would be too noisy, and the outer barrier would be easily exposed."

“I see. Mr. Urahara is indeed very cautious.” Mayuki nodded.

Kisuke Urahara seemed to sense that something was wrong, and his hand paused.

"By the way... who are you?"

"You don't recognize me?"

Shinjuku then realized that Kisuke Urahara didn't know she was coming, and turned to look at Yoruichi Shihouin.

"Didn't you tell him?"

Yoruichi Shihouin scratched her head and laughed, "I forgot to mention, but it's okay, you guys seem to be having a great time chatting."

Seeing Yoruichi's feigned ignorance, Mazuki couldn't help but laugh: "Then I'll explain it myself."

"Hello, Mr. Kisuke Urahara, my name is Mazuki Aozaki."

Kisuke Urahara paused for a moment, then exchanged a glance with Yoruichi Shihouin, who smiled with pride.

Kisuke asked cautiously, "The Captain-Commander's disciple, Aozaki Mayuki?"

"I must be Aozaki Mayuki, but I am not the Captain-Commander's disciple."

Zhenyue laughed:

"This underground training ground was built by Mr. Urahara? It's really impressive, with all kinds of training tools. The key is that it's very large, so you won't feel restricted in combat."

Just like the Instant Step technique, a large enough training space is necessary for better training; being confined to a small room makes it easy to overlook many details...

Kisuke Urahara understood somewhat: "So Yoruichi just shared the fruits of my labor like that..."

"Yes..." Yoruichi said bluntly, without any sense of guilt about taking away the fruits of others' labor.

Just kidding, I came up with this idea myself. Kisuke Urahara was just responsible for the physical labor. Do you even know what intellectual property is?

Yoruichi added, "Shingetsu, don't be so polite with me. Feel free to use this training ground. Kisuke will take responsibility for repairing it if it gets damaged. However, until Kisuke develops a better protective shield, it's best not to use Kido spells of level 70 or higher."

“I understand.” Aozaki Mayuki’s gaze toward Shihouin Yoruichi changed once again.

He had already begun to think about how to arrange his time to train here in the future. This training ground was very well-equipped, and he could train in more than just the Instant Step technique.

He asked earnestly, "Then can you cultivate with me?"

"You really are interested in me, kid," Yoruichi said smugly. "You're so direct, I'm starting to fall for you!"

"No, I want to learn your Shunpo and spiritual pressure concealment techniques. Ideally, I'd like to spar with you once a week. The Captain-Commander said my talent is pretty good, so it won't be a big problem for you for long."

Yoruichi Shihouin greatly admired Maki; Maki's mental fortitude was the best she had ever seen, and he didn't take her teasing to heart at all.

It's worth noting that many female members of the Second Division couldn't withstand her attacks.

There are rumors that the captain likes him very much and even wants to take him as his third disciple, and there is a reason for that.

"Although I don't like the word 'stealing'," Yoruichi Shihouin waved her hand, "since you're so honest, I'll reluctantly agree."

"Have you all forgotten that I built this training ground?" Kisuke Urahara raised his hand and said slowly.

"Thank you, Mr. Urahara. We can train together."

Shinjuku naturally harbored secret thoughts, but while some things could be dealt with slowly, the opportunity to learn Shunpo from "Shunshin" could not be missed.

Yoruichi Shihouin was moved upon hearing this, and Kisuke Urahara's eyes lit up as well. After a long while, he happily said, "Aozaki-kun, you don't need to thank me. Forget about the training. You're still young and need more training than I do."

With this child around, Yoruichi won't bother me anymore, and I can finally slack off.

Yoruichi has a playmate, Mayuki has someone to practice with, and Yoruichi can slack off—it's a win-win-win situation.

I'm such a genius, I can't believe I came up with such a great idea.

“Alright…” Zhenyue picked up her Zanpakuto, pondered for a moment, and asked, “Can I begin my training now?”

"It's starting so soon?" Kisuke Urahara asked curiously. "Aren't we going to take a look around?"

"The Captain-Commander has asked me to learn Sword Pressure within a week." Zhenyue shook her head: "Yesterday, because of a certain young lady, I wasted a whole day. If I don't learn it this week, the Captain-Commander will have to treat me to a bone."

"One bone? Does Soul Society even have that kind of food?" Yoruichi Shihouin chuckled at his words, gave him a sidelong glance, and said in a cloying voice, "Oh~ I see, you like this kind of thing? I didn't know that."

Shinjuku glanced at her small frame expressionlessly, without saying a word.

She looked very young and inexperienced, with a petite yet surprisingly strong figure, and all the right parts of her body were perfectly proportioned.

Yoruichi Shihouin crossed her arms and laughed loudly: "Disappointed, aren't you? Fighting with bare hands is also one of my strengths!"

Unable to bear Yoruichi's smug expression, Mazuki's gaze unconsciously fell on Urahara Kisuke.

"Fortunately, there's someone not as good as me; Mr. Urahara is too thin."

Kisuke Urahara accepted the criticism without hesitation, and even deliberately showed off his thin arms and legs, as if to say:

"I'm a lazy person, not a suitable sparring partner. You should go find Miss Yoruichi."

A hint of smugness flashed in his eyes as he turned and left.

"Kisuke, all he does is slack off."

Yoruichi shook her head, looking disappointed in Yoruichi.

"Let's go over there and spar. It'll be a good opportunity for me to see just how powerful the number one genius in the history of the Spirit Arts Academy really is."

Watching Urahara Kisuke leave, Mayuki remained silent, lost in thought.

Yoruichi said irritably, "You're not bisexual, are you?"

"How could that be?!" Zhenyue snapped out of her daze and quickly denied it.

"You don't seem like it, so you're underestimating me?"

Yoruichi Shihouin hummed twice.

"A mere sword pressure technique? I've already mastered that. After our sparring session, I'll teach you step by step. Is that alright?"

Chapter 22 Cultivation Genius

midnight.

The membrane covering the training field flashes at a fixed frequency, a sign that the protective shield is functioning properly.

The training was quiet, with only the occasional sound of swords clashing.

Aozaki Mayuki stood on a boulder, holding up the Myriad Manifestations in one hand, panting heavily.

Opposite him, Yoruichi Shihouin held a short sword, looking relaxed and at ease.

Kisuke Urahara found a spot with a good view and lay down lazily to watch the show.

The sounds of clashing swords grew louder as they approached, like a lively melody. The frequency of the sword strikes increased, rising higher and higher with each passing figure.

The battle only ended when one of them was struck in the abdomen by the other's palm, flying several meters away and crashing to the ground. The spiritual pressure surge ruffled Urahara Kisuke's short hair.

"I lost..."

The shadows obscured Mayuki's handsome face, but what came into view was a vibrant, short-haired girl giving him a healthy smile.

Seeing the girl's smug expression, he was not discouraged at all; there was nothing he could do about it.

The other party looked young, but was actually over a hundred years old. He was a genuine captain-level expert, not someone a fifth-rank spiritual master from the academy could easily provoke.

"Shingetsu isn't good enough; she needs to practice more."

Yoruichi Shihōin reached out and pulled Mayuki along, slowly walking towards Kisuke Urahara.

A man and a woman strolled through the rocky forest, undisturbed by the wind, with dust settling gently.

"You hit me too hard. I almost thought I was going to die from that slap." Zhenyue swayed and touched her stomach, gritting her teeth as she said, "It hurts... be gentle."

"I went easy on you, otherwise you wouldn't have just been lying on the ground for a while."