Bleach: Getting Stronger Starting from Teaching at the Spiritual Arts Academy

"No problem! I will definitely win first place and become your apprentice!"

Shiba Kaien excitedly agreed; for him, this was a piece of cake.

"Then I'll just wait for the good news."

July gave him a meaningful look.

If all goes well, this year's entrance exam may not be as simple as Shiba Kaien thinks.

Chapter 391 Cultivation at the Spirit King Palace

After July, Kiryu Hikifune, and Shutara Senjumaru entered the Heavenly Pillar Carriage, flames ignited in the hands of the Shiba family head.

This is a unique firework magic technique of the Shiba family. In addition to being used to release fireworks, it can also be used as the power source for the Heavenly Pillar Chariot.

The head of the Shiba family slammed his burning hand on the ground, and two flames circled the pyrotechnic cannon before suddenly exploding.

Bang-!

"This is so rough! I thought the Zero Squad's transportation would be more elegant!"

Kensei Rokusha was dumbfounded when he saw the Heavenly Pillar Carriage fly away like a cannonball.

...

The Heavenly Pillar Chariot flew very fast, and in just a few minutes it passed through the 72 barriers between the Spirit King Palace and the Seireitei.

Finally, the Heavenly Pillar Chariot crashed onto the main road leading to the Spirit King's Palace.

"This is the main approach to the Spirit King Palace. On both sides are the palace streets. Do you see those islands floating in the air? Those five circular floating islands are the Zero Squad's detached hall where our Zero Squad resides. The pillar floating in the middle is the Spirit King's inner palace where Lord Spirit King resides!"

Yizhou Tongsheng enthusiastically introduced the situation of the Spirit King Palace to July.

"The concentration of spiritual particles is very high, even higher than that of the Formless Empire."

July observed her surroundings.

“Of course, this is the most central place in the Three Realms, the residence of Lord Spirit King and Squad Zero,” said Shutara Senjumaru.

Ahead on the Omotesando, three more people were waiting for them: Hyosube Ichibei, Nimaiya Oetsu, and Kirinji Tenjiro, whom they had already met once in July.

"Yo~ Long time no see, kid!" Kirinji Tenjiro waved and greeted him. "Oh~ You should call me Captain Shikatoshi now, right?"

"It's been a long time, Senior Kirinji." July smiled. "You left so quickly last time, I didn't even have a chance to thank you for your help!"

He took some of the deer antler spirit wine, a specialty of the Deer-Taoist Temple, from his spiritual space pocket.

"These deer antler spirit wines are a gift of gratitude from this junior, and a greeting gift from seniors Hyosubu and Nimaiya."

In July, a jar of deer antler spirit wine was prepared for all five members of the Zero Squad.

After recovering from his illness, Lu Qu Bayunzhai had nothing to do, so he raised some spirit deer in the back mountain. These spirit deer had higher spiritual pressure than ordinary spiritual animals, and the deer antler spirit wine brewed from their antlers had a more mellow taste. If a death god below the rank of Si Guan drank a jar of it, it would also be of great benefit to the spirit body and could increase some spiritual pressure.

"This is good stuff!" Kirinji Tenjiro unsealed the sake jar, his nose twitching as he instantly smelled the enticing aroma. "It would be so enjoyable to have a few cups while soaking in the hot springs!"

"We get some too? Thank you!"

Hyobu Ichibei stared with wide eyes, his emotions unreadable.

"'The Heavenly Bone' seems to harbor some resentment; you rarely use it, do you?"

"The other sword... is it called 'Kagehime'? It's rare to see a Zanpakuto that wasn't forged by me!"

Nimaiya Oetsu then came to July's side and bent down to examine the two knives at his waist.

The 'Shadow Princess' of July is actually the embodiment of his Shinigami ability, not a Zanpakuto forged by Nimaiya Oetsu.

This situation in July was not isolated. Before Nimaiya Oetsu mass-produced Asauchi, some souls with Shinigami aptitude were able to autonomously forge parts of their souls into Zanpakuto.

Many of the original captains were in this situation.

However, the asauchi style created by Nimaiya Oetsu also made a great contribution to the Shinigami, as it lowered the threshold for becoming a Shinigami considerably.

"'Heavenly Divine Bone' is quite powerful, it's just that I rarely encounter enemies who use her in battle." July shrugged.

The familiar way Nimaiya Oetsu interacted with 'Ten no Shinkotsu' confirmed to July that 'Ten no Shinkotsu' was indeed a sword forged by Nimaiya Oetsu.

"Don't let a good sword go to waste." Nimaiya Wang Yue stood up again, patted July on the shoulder, "Thank you for the wine. Come to Phoenix Palace later, I have something for you!"

Hyosube Ichibei took over the conversation: "The reason I sent you to the Spirit King's Palace this time is on the Spirit King's orders."

"Although we can hear the Soul King's voice, you are the first Soul King to specifically request to see a Shinigami who is not from the Zero Division or a candidate for the Zero Division."

Hyosube Ichibei was referring to the Spirit King after becoming the Covenant of the Three Realms, but he didn't elaborate further, continuing, "Before you go to see Lord Spirit King, you need to make some preparations. Go and visit the five Zero Division Floating Islands!"

"Then I'll have to trouble you all, seniors!" July nodded.

"Then, let's go to the Kirin Palace with me for a welcoming feast." Kirinji Tenjiro picked up a long-handled hammer in one hand and pointed to a round platform in front of Shikatri Nanatsuki with the other. "Come stand here and let me take you to the Kirin Palace!"

The Spirit King Palace cannot use the interdimensional gate, and in this special environment, the Grim Reapers cannot even create a foothold for spirit particles in the air. They can only rely on the power of their spirit bodies to move between different floating islands of the palace.

After standing on the round platform in July, Kirinji Tenjiro suddenly raised his long hammer and slammed it down on the piston device on the ground.

thump—

July was instantly launched into the air by the bouncy platform.

Kirinji Tenjiro's strike was precise, and July landed squarely on the floating island of Kirin Palace.

There are many buildings on the Qilin Palace floating island, and in July, when we were in the air, we could see that there were many hot springs on the island.

Hot springs are a specialty of Qilin Palace!

Kirinji Tenjiro was a master of healing and medicine, unmatched in Soul Society in these areas. Even Unohana Retsu learned her healing and medicine skills from Kirinji Tenjiro.

"I heard you've already cured Shikatori Hakunsai. Soul Society's reanimation technology is developing quite well!"

Kirinji Tenjiro, carrying a wine jar, also landed on the floating island of Kirin Palace.

"Thanks to the help of Senior Kirinji, otherwise Bayunzhai would not have been able to last this long. Moreover, the Spirit Remains technology was not my achievement alone. The information left by Miss Kiryu and Senior Shutora was also a great help," July said gratefully.

"No need to be modest! According to our calculations, given Shikaguchi Bayunzai's physical condition at the time, she wouldn't have been able to withstand the iteration of the Spirit Remains technology. It's your skill that you were able to heal her!" Kirinji Tenjiro patted July on the shoulder and laughed loudly.

"Come with me. Kirin Palace may not have much else, but it has the most hot springs." Kirinji Tenjiro shook the wine jar in his hand. "Enjoy this jar of spiritual wine in the hot springs!"

A moment later, the two arrived at the hot spring.

The hot spring is divided into two parts, one white and one red.

In front of both the white and red hot springs stood signs that read "White Bone Hell" and "Blood Pool Hell," respectively.

Chapter 392 Hot Springs and Gourmet Food

After jumping into the white hot spring in July, she immediately sensed something was wrong.

His spiritual pressure was leaking out.

"You felt it, didn't you?"

Kirinji Tenjiro leaned against the edge of the hot spring pool, with a small table in front of him holding snacks to go with drinks.

"Yes, my spiritual pressure is leaking, or more accurately, the cells in my body are being affected." July nodded.

"Your feeling is right. The spring water of 'White Bone Hell' will break down some of the weaker cells in the body. If you soak in it for a long time, it will even corrode normal cells." Kirinji Tenjiro poured a cup of spirit wine and drank it all in one gulp. "Not bad, not bad. The ingredients for the deer antler wine have been changed, haven't they? It's more fragrant and mellow than the ones I've had before!"

"The feed used is indeed different now. Bayunzhai has selected some deer with better spiritual pressure aptitude and is raising them in the back mountain of the dojo," July explained.

"When you feel you can't take it anymore in 'White Bone Hell,' go soak in 'Blood Pool Hell.'"

The spring water of 'Blood Pool Hell' can replenish spiritual pressure, promote the growth of spiritual cells, and enhance cell vitality.

Although these two hot springs are mainly used for healing, soaking in them for several hours will make your spirit more energetic than before!

So, go diving!

Immerse your entire body in water, let every cell in your body undergo the baptism of 'skeletal hell'!

"Huh?" After explaining the functions of the two pools, Kirinji Tenjiro was slightly taken aback when he saw the faint glow of the Returning Dao emanating from Nanatsu's body. "Your spiritual pressure flow... has using Returning Dao become an instinct of your body? Is this your 'talent'?"

“That’s right, I call it ‘Returning to the Source for Self-Healing’.” July nodded.

Now that he can become intangible, July will gain super-fast regeneration in the intangible state, so he no longer relies as much on 'Return to the Path to Heal' to recover from injuries.

But in the past, it was this ability that allowed him to confidently unleash some moves that put a lot of strain on his body.

“Interesting. It seems you’re a genius who’s been held back by swordsmanship!” Kirinji Tenjiro grinned. “You should be able to suppress this instinct, otherwise the effect of going to the ‘Blood Pool Hell’ will be weaker.”

Enhancing cell vitality is actually the effect of 'Blood Pool Hell'. If the damage to the cells is healed by the return channel, then 'Blood Pool Hell' will no longer be able to promote cell growth and enhance cell vitality.

“It’s possible.” July suppressed her ‘Return to Healing’ ability and sank into the spring water of ‘White Bone Hell’.

......

A few hours later.

"My spiritual pressure didn't increase much, but I feel much lighter."

In July, I moved around a bit and felt the changes in my body.

The unprecedented sense of ease gave him the illusion of being reborn.

Impurities and weak cells in the body were drained by the 'White Bone Hell' spring water, leaving the body refreshed.

“This change is long-lasting; your spirit’s ‘lifespan’ has increased,” Kirinji Tenjiro explained. “Spirits also age. Even a powerful Shinigami like Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni cannot escape the wear and tear of time. However, his powerful spiritual pressure makes this process much slower than others. After being immersed in the White Bone Hell and the Blood Pool Hell, your spirit’s state can be said to have been adjusted to its youngest state.”

"Thank you for your hospitality, Senior Kirinji!" July said gratefully.

"No need to thank me. You were personally summoned by Lord Spirit King, so the Zero Division will naturally treat you well!" Kirinji Tenjiro laughed loudly. "I'll escort you to the next detached palace!"

The way they left Qilin Island was the same as the way they came: they were launched away by a catapult.

The next destination is the Wa-tun Palace where Hikifune Kiryu resides.

"Shikatori-kun has finally arrived! Welcome to my Woton Palace!"

"Speaking of which, you were the first guest of the Sleeping Pig Palace!"

"Of course I'm referring to guests outside of Squad Zero!"

"I've prepared some new dishes; you must try them out!"

Kiryu was delighted by July's arrival. She and July had a good relationship when they were in the 12th Division, and they would often exchange cooking tips and discuss the development of new dishes.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Ms. Kiryu!"

In July, Kiryuki pulled her into the restaurant.

The restaurant is connected to the kitchen, and in the middle of the restaurant is a huge rotating round table.

It's clear that Yizhou Tongsheng is planning to cook while having July taste the food.

She cooked very quickly, serving the first dish in just a few minutes.

Furthermore, Kiryuu Hikifune infused the food with the spiritual pressure he had temporarily stored up in his soul!

This is food that can increase spiritual pressure when eaten!

However, the first dish that Kiryu served looked a little strange.

"Miss Kiryu, is this a lemon?"

July saw a lemon on the plate and looked troubled. Even if it was just for the temporary soul inside, he would swallow even a lemon. However, this dish only had one lemon, which was a bit too abstract.

"This is a dessert. I've been experimenting with Quincy cuisine lately, and this is a modified version of the Dragon's Roar Lemon, based on a Quincy recipe."

Kiryuki Yukifune introduced the dishes she had made.

Upon closer inspection in July, it was discovered that the lemon on the plate was not actually a real lemon; the outer peel was actually a layer of dyed sugar.

I took a bite, and it was full of complex layers, each containing different ingredients.

"Hmm... It has a very rich flavor profile. The combination of candied lemon and finger lime popping boba is quite amazing. You can't feel its presence at all before you bite into it. The moment the juice bursts open, it's like a firework going off in your mouth."

July exclaimed in admiration.

Although this dessert looks like a lemon, its complex and rich flavor really surprised him.

"Haha, the Quincy's recipes do have their merits!" Kiryuu Hikifune was very satisfied with July's reaction. "There are others, wait a moment."

Kiryu returned to the kitchen to continue cooking.

However, the desserts she served afterward all imitated the flavor and texture of a certain fruit, yet offered a completely different experience.

"Dragon's Roar Strawberry, Dragon's Roar Apple, Dragon's Roar Banana... Could that recipe have been written by someone named Dragon's Roar?"