Death's Hidden Mobile

The short-haired youth missed his target and was slightly taken aback, but Rukia had already taken a step forward and rushed in, slashing out with her staff.

This strike, imbued with spiritual energy, enveloped the stick and struck the opponent's face.

With a snap, the short-haired youth's nose shattered, his face caved in, and he fell heavily to the ground.

A strike imbued with spiritual energy can shatter even stone; how could the opponent possibly withstand it?

The boy lunged at Xia Yan, a cruel smile playing on his lips, and thrust the small knife in his hand toward Xia Yan.

"Get out of here."

Xia Yan shouted and swung the wooden stick down, hitting the boy's hand. With a snap, the dagger fell to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, Xia Yan gripped the wooden stick and thrust it forward, stabbing it directly into the other person's neck.

"Haa, ha!"

With his throat injured, the boy clutched his throat and knelt on the ground, gasping for breath.

Seeing this, the burly man looked surprised. He hadn't expected the boy and girl to be so powerful. Wouldn't the red-haired boy be even stronger?

The burly man, feeling a sense of retreat, pulled the young man and boy back slowly. Abarai Renji snorted coldly and said, "Let's go."

The three left the Jinlin District and walked a few more blocks before stopping to rest for a while. Rukia said seriously, "I never want to come back to a place like this again."

Renji Abarai nodded and said, "Yes, we must become Shinigami."

The chaotic Rukongai (soul town) is a place where people live in constant fear, a life that is unbearable. The key to changing all of this is to become a Shinigami (death god).

The three of them secretly vowed never to return to this place.

After resting for a while, the three continued on their way. They were attacked again, but escaped unharmed.

The three possessed formidable spiritual pressure, making them among the best in Rukongai, with virtually no one able to surpass them.

By evening, they had arrived at the 32nd ward, Yasuda Ward.

This place is now very peaceful, with no bandits or wilderness, only quiet streets and people coming and going.

At the same time, these people were very wary of outsiders, and consciously kept their distance from the three simply dressed individuals.

The three of them didn't mind and rested under the tree. It was springtime and the temperature was rising, so they didn't feel cold at all living in the wilderness.

The next morning, the three left without a word and continued their journey to Seireitei.

At this time, more and more people appeared on the road, many of them traveling in groups, rushing towards Seireitei.

Around noon, they arrived at the 20th district, Jing'an District, found a tree, and rested under it.

But then a voice rang out, "Are you also going to take the entrance exam for the True Central Spiritual Arts Academy?"

Upon hearing the voice, Xia Yan looked up and saw a blond boy in front of him wearing a kimono. His left eye was covered by his hair on the left side, and his right eye had a deep blue pupil. His expression was calm.

Upon seeing the distinctive hair, Xia Yan immediately pictured a certain figure in his mind:

Kira Izuru, who later became the vice-captain of the Third Division and the acting captain of the Third Division after Ichimaru Gin's departure.

Chapter Seven: Assessment

Renji Abarai sat cross-legged on the ground, looking at Izuru Kira, and said, "Yes, we're going to the Shinigami Academy for the entrance exam. Are you going too?"

"Yes, I want to go to the True Central Spiritual Arts Academy too."

After Kira Izuru finished speaking, he asked, "Which district are you from?"

"District 78, Xu Diao District".

Renji Abarai's voice softened considerably. "The 78th ward is a poor and chaotic area, and many people look down on them."

Kira Izuru nodded and said, "Since you're all going to the Shinigami Academy, why don't you come back with me and rest at my house for a while? We'll set off together this afternoon."

Upon hearing this, Renji Abarai's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Is that alright? Where are your family members?"

He didn't mind resting at someone else's house; on the contrary, he was very happy that the other party invited him without any reservations.

Kira Izuru said softly, "My parents passed away a long time ago."

"I'm sorry." Renji Abarai scratched his head, feeling apologetic for mentioning the other person's parents.

Kira Izuru waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about it."

Kira Izuru led the three of them home. He invited them to sit down, then looked at Abarai Renji and said, "I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Kira Izuru."

"Abarai Renji".

Rukia.

"Xia Yan."

The three introduced themselves one by one. Upon hearing Xia Yan's words, Kira Izuru raised an eyebrow and looked at Xia Yan, asking, "And you? Are you here to escort your older brother and sister to the assessment?"

Before Xia Yan could answer, Renji Abarai put his arm around Xia Yan's shoulder and said, "Don't underestimate Xia Yan just because he's young. He already has fourth-level spiritual pressure."

Kira Izuru stared wide-eyed at Natsuhiko and asked, "How old are you?"

Xia Yan replied, "Eleven years old."

Kira Izuru sighed and said, "It took me almost a hundred years to reach the third level of spiritual pressure, meeting the entrance standard for the Shinigami Academy. You, you reached the fourth level of spiritual pressure at the age of eleven. It's truly enviable."

Hearing his words, Xia Yan couldn't help but smile bitterly. It was already surprising that he possessed a fourth-level spiritual pressure at the age of eleven.

But you would probably be even more surprised if you knew that five years later, thirteen-year-old Toshiro Hitsugaya possessed sixth-level spiritual pressure and graduated from the Shinigami Academy in just one year.

Natsuhiko, Abarai Renji, Rukia, and the other two stayed at Kira Izuru's house, where they were warmly received and enjoyed a sumptuous lunch.

Lunch was made with spiritual food, and it was the most sumptuous meal Xia Yan had ever eaten since he came to this world.

The spiritual energy contained in spiritual food is extremely vast, and a portion of it becomes part of the body.

One meal of spiritual food can increase spiritual pressure as much as half a day of physical training; two meals of spiritual food are equivalent to a whole day.

If it's a spirit food made by Kiryu Hikifune of the Zero Division, it can even directly boost the spiritual power of the consumer by a whole level. In the Thousand-Year Blood War arc of the original work, Kiryu Hikifune used food to help Ichigo, Renji, Byakuya and Rukia increase their spiritual pressure.

The effects of spiritual food are undeniable. Xia Yan sighed. If he could eat every day without going hungry, his spiritual pressure would have reached level five in six months.

Xia Yan knew that the True Central Spiritual Arts Academy provided free room and board and spiritual food, so he wouldn't have to worry about food anymore.

After finishing their meal, Kira Izuru packed their belongings, and the four of them set off together for Seireitei in the afternoon.

Seireitei is the place where Shinigami and nobles live, and it has a clear dividing line with Rukongai. They are like two completely different worlds, distinct from each other.

To enter Seireitei, one must possess a pass.

Without a pass to enter Seireitei, anyone attempting to enter will be blocked by the Seireitei Gate, and then four heroes stationed at the four gates in the east, west, south, and north will come out to stop them.

Meanwhile, at the south gate of the South Rukongai, also known as the Juwa Gate, a hero named Higoku Nyudo is in charge of guarding the gate.

He is not the Grim Reaper, but his enormous size gives him immense strength and makes him a formidable opponent; ordinary Grim Reapers are no match for him.

At this moment, Bijuru sat cross-legged beside the Zhuwa Gate. Not far away was a simple shed where several Grim Reapers sat behind a table. In front of them was a banner that read:

"The southern assessment location of Zhenyang Spiritual Arts Academy."

Renji Abarai asked curiously, "Is this where the test is held?"

Kira Izuru nodded and said, "That's right. Only by passing the test here can you enter Seireitei and go to the Shinigami Academy to study."

"Let's go over there then."

Abarai's eyes lit up as the four of them arrived at the assessment point, where residents of Rukongai were already undergoing assessments, most of them teenagers between the ages of fifteen and nineteen.

Of course, in Soul Society, the age of aging for souls is much lower than in the human world, especially the higher the spiritual pressure, the slower the aging process.

Most people look only teenagers even when they are over a hundred years old. For example, Retsu Unohana has not aged at all in two thousand years, and for the fifty years after Toshiro Hitsugaya, he has basically maintained the appearance of a nine-year-old.

The four entered the crowd. Xia Yan's gaze was fixed on the scene of the assessment. He noticed the Grim Reaper in charge of the assessment, asked him a few questions, and then took out two instruments to test.

"What are those two instruments? What do they test?" Xia Yan asked quietly from behind.

Kira Izuru said with a smile, "One of these instruments measures age, and the other measures spiritual pressure."

Renji Abarai paused for a moment, then asked, "Is it not just about meeting the spiritual pressure requirement?"

Kira Izuru nodded and said, "To enter the Shinigami Academy, in addition to reaching level three in spiritual pressure, one cannot be over two hundred years old."

"So it was for testing age."

Renji Abarai nodded and said, "That's no problem, neither of us has reached that age."

Xia Yan is even younger, so there's no need to worry about him.

The four people stood in the queue waiting. Some of the people in front of them passed the test, while others could only leave dejectedly.

Soon it was Abarai Renji's turn. The person in charge of the assessment was a middle-aged Shinigami, dressed in a Shinigami uniform, with a faint smile on his face.

Next to the examiner sat a young girl who had taken out a form.

Renji Abarai was the first one. The examiner looked at Renji Abarai and asked, "What's your name?"

"Abarai Renji".

"Place of residence?"

"Southern Soul Street, Xudiao District".

The examiner continued to ask questions, while the girl beside him took notes. After the basic questions were finished, the examiner took out a device, similar to goggles, entirely black, with a screen and a black strap. He handed the device to Abarai Renji and said, "Put this on."

Asan-i quickly put on the instrument, and a few seconds later, three numbers, 126, appeared on it.

The examiner nodded and said, "One hundred and twenty-six years old."

After the girl next to him took notes, the examiner took back the age detection device and then took out a wristband for Renji Abarai to wear.

Asan put on the wristband, and soon after, the number four appeared on the display screen of the wristband.

"Fourth-level spiritual pressure."

The examiner said, "If you meet the requirements of the Shinigami Academy, you can become a student of the Shinigami Academy."

"Great."

Upon hearing this, Renji Abarai cheered.

The middle-aged Grim Reaper waved his hand and said, "Alright, go wait over there. A teacher will take you to the True Central Spiritual Arts Academy in a little while."

Renji Abarai nodded, walked to the side to wait, and gave Rukia, Natsuhiko, and Kira Izuru a thumbs up.