The Alchemist in Bleach

Ichiro and Tsukirei nodded and continued to think, but Satoshi suddenly burst out laughing and said, "Don't you find it strange that the world is talking about the world?"

Before the world could answer, Yue Ling glanced at him, her fingertips slid slightly, and a strange force field instantly enveloped Zhi, rendering him speechless.

"Speech Prohibited!"

Seeing this, Ichiro and Sekai smiled and shook their heads, their mood, which had been somewhat downcast due to the failure of the experiment again, instantly recovered.

"Hiss~ Huff~~ Let's leave it at that for now. Satoshi, you continue analyzing more data. Everyone else, take a break for now. You can do anything except experiments. Any objections? Very good, no objections. That's settled." Seeing that no one spoke, Ichiro took the lead and walked out.

The World and Moon Spirit patted the speechless Zhi one after the other, then walked past him and left the lab, leaving Zhi with a look of utter disbelief...

I have objections! I do! Why don't you lift the ban already? I need to rest!

Unfortunately, if he didn't speak up, how would Ichiro know his demands?

After leaving the laboratory, Ichiro did not return to the Fourth Division, but went to the Thirteenth Division. After witnessing Kuchiki Kyoga's Hogyoku transformation five years ago, Ichiro understood that both his Transcendental Modification and the Zero Division's were still very flawed.

Therefore, over the years, Ichiro would occasionally come to the 13th Division to check on Ukitake's condition and adjust his physical condition as soon as possible.

"Thank you for your help with the three seats in the Heavenly Heart Seats."

"It's nothing, lead the way. Is Captain Ukitake's body alright?"

"Nothing unusual has been found yet, and the situation is better than before," Shiba Kaien said as he led Ichiro the way.

Ichiro nodded. There was no sign of the Hogyoku turning into something else so far, which meant his improvements were successful. Now, after observing for a while longer, he could proceed with a new adjustment plan.

After explaining Ukitake's situation, Shiba Kaien silently continued leading the way, no longer chatting warmly with him as before, and seemed somewhat dejected.

Watching Shiba Kaien's retreating figure, Ichiro sighed silently. It wasn't his fault; who could have imagined things would turn out so suddenly?

Five years ago, the defection of Kuchiki Kyouga caused a huge uproar in Seireitei!

Since joining the Zero Division only meant giving up the identity of the Thirteenth Division, while the family ties of the original family still existed, after the incident, the noble circles almost unanimously pointed the finger at the Kuchiki family!

Some wanted to take this opportunity to get revenge, some wanted to take advantage of the chaos, some wanted to kick someone when they were down, and some wanted to replace the Kuchiki family. In short, for various reasons, the defection of Kuchiki Hibiki was magnified infinitely, and then the Kuchiki family was blamed for everything.

Because Kuchiki Kyouga is different from Tsunayoshi Tokitan, Tsunayoshi Tokitan was expelled from the Zero Division because he stole the ancestral Zanpakuto, Enra Kagami, which violated the Tsunayoshi family rules, so his expulsion was justified.

But Kuchiki Hibiki didn't, so he was still a member of the Kuchiki family, and the blame could be rightfully pinned on him!

In short, the noble circles of Seireitei were extremely fiercely fighting over this matter, with the Kuchiki family almost single-handedly confronting the entire noble class!

Just when Ichiro and the other onlookers all thought the Kuchiki family was going to back down and end this farce, a shocking reversal occurred!

The Shiba family, which had maintained neutrality along with the Shihōin family during the chaotic battle, was suddenly dragged into the fray and then defeated at lightning speed!

They are expelled from the five great noble families! They are relocated to Rukongai, and the construction and use of the Heavenly Pillar Chariot are prohibited!

Thus, the five great noble families became history, and the four great noble families took center stage. The Kuchiki family, which was besieged by a group of noble families and should have been severely weakened even if they had managed to retain their position as the top noble family, defeated the group of noble families led by the Tsunayoshi family in the blink of an eye, and directly replaced the Tsunayoshi family as the five great noble families. Oh no, now it is the four great noble families, and directly became the head of the four great noble families!

This result was quite unexpected for Ichiro and the other onlookers. Ichiro had anticipated the decline of the Shiba family, since they controlled the Heavenly Pillar Carriage that traveled to and from the Spirit King Palace, which was a taboo subject.

Moreover, this is different from the Great Spiritual Library Corridor, which is controlled by the Tsunayo family. The Tsunayo family only has the right to enter the Great Spiritual Library Corridor, but the entrance is firmly controlled by the 46th Chamber of Shinigami.

But the Heavenly Pillar Carriage was different. The Shiba family had the capability and technology to build it... but unlike the Shihōin family, they didn't possess the same formidable strength. Thus, under the machinations of various factions, they were rendered helpless...

The Heavenly Pillar Carriage, which can travel to and from the Spirit King Palace, is now entirely under the control of the Zero Division!

(P.S.: The Heavenly Pillar Carriage is one-way; it's not an elevator, it's a cannon, and it's currently under the control of the Seireitei.)

With this, the Shiba family fell into decline... Shiba Kaien's position as vice-captain was earned through his own abilities, unlike the Kuchiki family's Sixth Division and the Shihōin family's Onmitsukidō, which were directly assigned to the family's control.

Therefore, although this prevented him from mobilizing the team's resources to help when the family was in trouble, it also allowed him to retain his position as vice-captain. With this position, he could at least make life a little better for the family members.

But this was just a drop in the ocean. Such a large family fell at his hands, plummeting from its peak to the depths of despair. To be honest, it's a testament to Shiba Kaien's strong will that he hasn't gone mad yet. An ordinary person would have gone insane eight hundred times over by now!

Ichiro felt sorry for him, but unfortunately, there was nothing he could do. His plan to overthrow the Tsunayo family and protect the Shiba family had only just begun, and now it was all gone...

Even a god couldn't save him.

Therefore, Ichiro didn't say anything and just silently followed behind him.

A while later, the two arrived at the pavilion where Ukitake was waiting and saw the "weak" Ukitake.

"Captain Ukitake, I'm here again~"

Ukitake gave a weak smile and said, "I'm sorry to trouble you again."

"What's so troublesome about it? It was something that wasn't done properly before. It's been dragged on for so long and we've only got a half-finished product. It's embarrassing enough already. How can we still complain about it being troublesome?"

Fukitake smiled and shook his head: "Maybe that's why you've gotten to where you are today. If it were me, I'd probably be satisfied already."

"Because I'm a rather greedy person." With that, Ichiro walked to Ukitake's side, placed his right hand on Ukitake's shoulder, closed his eyes, and activated his senses. Based on Ukitake's physical condition, he would make some minor adjustments to the upcoming modification plan.

"Haiyan, you should go down now. It won't be alright here anytime soon."

"Yes, Captain."

"Ah~"

Watching Shiba Kaien's departing figure, Ukitake sighed. He felt great sympathy for the Shiba family's situation, but unfortunately, he was powerless to help.

This matter concerns the noble circles of Seireitei, and the Thirteenth Division has virtually no say in it, nor does it have the standing to intervene. At most, they can only ensure the survival of the noble members within the Thirteenth Division, nothing more.

Among the nobles, he was seen as the Captain-Commander's disciple and the captain of the Thirteenth Division, enjoying great prestige. In reality, the Ukitake family was just a declining lower-ranking noble family, insignificant among the nobles, let alone interfering in the affairs of the Shiba family, one of the five great noble families.

Therefore, although he felt sorry for Haiyan, he was powerless to help her.

.......

A moment later, Ichiro withdrew his hand from Ukitake's shoulder, opened his eyes, and found that Ukitake's condition was better than he had expected; they were ready to proceed to the next and final step of the plan, but...

Ichiro stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment, then looked at Ukitake and asked curiously, "Captain Ukitake, do you... want to become the Spirit King?"

"Pfft!" Ukitake spat out the tea in his mouth, staring at Ichiro in shock. "What did you say?"

"Hey, Captain Ukitake, do you want to be the Spirit King?"

When Ichiro repeated it, and Ukitake confirmed he hadn't misheard, his lips twitched. He slowly put down his teacup, as if the small cup weighed a ton.

"Ichiro, you can't say things like that!" After putting down his teacup, Ukitake said to Ichiro earnestly.

"It's alright, there's no one else here, it won't get out. Captain Ukitake, would you like to be the one? Not the one in the Spirit King's Palace, but a free Spirit King~"

At that moment, Ichiro's words echoed and tempted Ukitake like the whispers of a demon, causing him to struggle incessantly.

Does he want to be the Spirit King?

nonsense!

How many of these nobles in Seireitei don't want that?

That's royalty!

Even the four noble families who know the truth would not let this opportunity pass if given to them, because imprisoning the Spirit King was only out of fear of His power. If that power belonged to them, then it would be a different story.

Moreover, he was a free Spirit King~

For these nobles, the temptation was off the charts!

Especially him, if he becomes the Spirit King, it means that his Ukitake family will officially rise to power!

Instead of the current situation where the whole family is struggling to survive with him as the team leader, and if he falls, the Ukitake family will fall as well.

"Hiss~ Huff~" Taking a deep breath, Ukitake's eyes hardened. "I don't want to! And don't tell me how to do it! Just follow the normal procedures for treatment!"

After quickly finishing speaking, Fuzhu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much more relaxed. He wanted to become a Spirit King because the benefits were too great.

But he lacked confidence. Having suddenly gained such great power, wouldn't he lose his way?

The acquisition of any power comes at a price, whether tangible or intangible. In short, his reason told him that this was a trap!

Ichiro shrugged, not really bothered by the rejection. He'd just said it casually, even though he could actually do it.

“Okay, but it’s impossible under normal circumstances.” Ichiro shrugged and said helplessly.

Ukitake's expression changed: "You haven't already started, have you?!"

"No, how could that be? Am I such an impulsive person?"

"Yes!"

"..." Ichiro was speechless. He was right. "This time I'm not so impulsive. I'm not talking about the Spirit King transformation, but something else. Your Transcendental Transformation is only one step away from completion, but after thinking it over, I still feel that giving up directly would be too wasteful. How about developing it into a controllable form? A controllable Hogyoku transformation would have a considerable power boost."

"Hogyoku transformation? What can it do?"

"Let me think about it. It's nothing much, just fulfilling a wish, well, fulfilling a wish within limits."

"......" Ukitake felt a little numb. This is called, nothing?

How high are your standards...?

"I have a feeling there's something wrong with what you're saying?"

"Yes, there's a small problem."

"Huh?" Ukitake was surprised. There really was one?

"This Hogyoku transformation is a low-end version of the Soul King transformation I just mentioned. It can greatly enhance all aspects of one's qualities and also has the ability to grant certain wishes. However, this is very difficult to master, so it can be kept off-limits."

"...It's related to the Spirit King again... What you've been researching lately is quite dangerous~" Ukitake looked at Ichiro speechlessly. This kid seems to have lost all restraint since his strength increased~ He truly lives up to the name "Mad Star" given to him by Unohana-senpai...

In the past, he would have advised Ichiro to restrain himself or simply stop all research. But now, he wouldn't have any objections, because Ichiro is now powerful enough that even if all of this were exposed, no one would dare to touch him.

After all, the Soul Society isn't just the Seireitei, and Ichiro's reputation is renowned throughout the entire Soul Society. The Seireitei may be wary of the Soul King, but we aren't!

Therefore, he wasn't worried about Ichiro. This man was no longer the boy they needed to protect; both his own strength and the power he commanded were now formidable.

but.......

"I don't want to! Just stick to the original plan! I can't afford this Hogyoku transformation! Just follow the original plan! Cure my illness! Don't add anything else, no new ideas! I've lived a hard life for hundreds of years, I want to live a more relaxed life from now on!"

"Um...no...no ambition, I understand. But let's play it safe for the last stage, just to be on the safe side."

"As long as you don't do anything reckless, you're a doctor, so you're in charge."

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Chapter 246 On the Correct Way to Use Ichiro!

When Ichiro finished treating Ukitake's body and came out of the 13th Division, it was almost dark. Ichiro turned to Shiba Kaien behind him and said, "That's enough for now. Thank you for your hard work."

"I should be the one saying that. The captain's health is much better than before, all thanks to you. Thank you." With that, Shiba Kaien bowed deeply to Ichiro.

"It's just my job. I'll head back now." Ichiro waved his hand, put his hands in his pockets, and turned to leave.