"Oh? Captain Unohana comes to the academy as a substitute instructor too?"
Luke was somewhat surprised.
Tessai Tsukabishi nodded. "Of course. Quite a few captains from the Gotei 13 come teach for a period every year. Since the Fourth Division also needs Soul Reapers skilled in Kaidō, Captain Unohana comes by fairly often as well. You could say she is selecting future Fourth Division members."
He glanced at the students practicing Hadō in the open yard and continued, "The classes I substitute for mainly teach Hadō, though I also share some pointers on Bakudō. Kaidō is offered separately as an elective. Usually, it is taught by seated officers, lieutenants, or Captain Unohana herself from the Fourth Division."
Luke understood after hearing that. Kaidō was delicate work taken to the extreme, and Soul Reapers talented in it were genuinely rare. Besides, most young people who entered Shin'o Academy had ambitions. More of them wanted to fight than serve in a support role.
That was why the Fourth Division had always struggled to recruit members. Kaidō was offered as a separate elective, and anyone who achieved worthwhile results in it would most likely join the Fourth Division in the future.
After class, Luke and Aizen enjoyed a satisfying meal in the cafeteria before returning to their dormitory.
"Sosuke, if I want to take an elective at the academy, do I need to apply in advance?"
Luke asked curiously. He had transferred in midway through the term, but since the academy offered electives, shouldn't they at least have given him a course schedule to choose from?
"That won't be necessary. Shin'o Academy offers many electives, and you can simply attend them. But if you want a grade, you must pass the examiner's assessment during the final exams. Only then will it be entered into your record. When the divisions select new members in the future, they will probably choose by reviewing those records."
Aizen explained, then asked, "What is it? Are you thinking of taking Kaidō?"
Luke nodded. "I'm a little interested in Kaidō."
"So you can enjoy fighting even more? You really are battle-hungry, Luke."
Aizen felt that he was beginning to understand Luke. Though he was an unparalleled genius like Aizen himself, Luke did not seem particularly deep or calculating. He was simply a straightforward, battle-loving brute.
Aizen did not dislike people like that. In fact, having a fellow genius as a roommate had made his boring life considerably more interesting.
"Don't you think fighting is fun, Sosuke? I get the feeling you'd make a very good opponent."
Luke asked with a grin. Aizen was still concealing his strength. On the surface, his Spiritual Pressure was roughly equal to Luke's—both were at the seventeenth level. According to Aizen, he had been at the nineteenth level when he first enrolled, and his current Spiritual Pressure was the result of diligent training.
In truth, Luke felt that Aizen's actual Spiritual Pressure rating had probably dropped the leading one entirely.
"You're joking, Luke. Whether it is swordsmanship or Hakuda, I am no match for you. Even in Kidō, your talent surpasses mine."
Aizen smoothly changed the subject. "By the way, I see that you already have your own Asauchi. Although you have not yet taken any classes on Zanpakuto, I can teach you some basic knowledge about them and about raising your Spiritual Pressure ahead of time."
"Oh?"
Luke immediately perked up. "Then please teach me, Professor Sosuke."
Aizen smiled. "Please don't call me that. I only know a little about these things. At most, I can help you prepare before the lessons."
Then Aizen explained the fundamentals of Zanpakuto, along with methods for cultivating Spiritual Pressure.
Aizen's motives were simple. He did not dislike Luke—rather, he quite liked his genius roommate. Building a good relationship would not hurt, and making Luke stronger might prove useful to his future plans.
Besides, he wanted to know whether Luke was as universally gifted as himself. Did he possess talent in Zanpakuto resonance and Spiritual Pressure cultivation as well?
Aizen truly was a good teacher. Luke found his explanations much easier to understand than the theoretical lessons from the instructors earlier that day.
First came the matter of increasing Spiritual Pressure. Since Soul Reapers were made of densely packed Reishi, raising Spiritual Pressure meant increasing the density of Reishi within oneself.
This could be done through a good diet, by absorbing ambient Reishi and compressing or refining it into one's spirit body, or through physical training.
Yes, physical training could raise Spiritual Pressure as well. A Soul Reaper's powerful "body" was fundamentally the result of increased soul density. Even conventional physical exercise was therefore an effective means of increasing Spiritual Pressure.
Aizen did not normally use that method. He possessed extraordinary control over Reishi, so he absorbed the free Reishi drifting through the air, organized and assimilated it, increased the density of his spirit body, and thereby raised his Spiritual Pressure.
Aizen's theory broadly matched Luke's own guesses from when he had read the manga. For example, during the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, eating Kirio Hikifune's food could raise Spiritual Pressure. Her explanation had essentially been that food containing her Reishi could increase one's Spiritual Pressure after being eaten.
Hollows, another type of being in this world, did much the same. They devoured their own kind to gain Spiritual Pressure and evolve. Hollows could increase their Spiritual Pressure by consuming other Hollows.
Looking at it all together, raising Spiritual Pressure essentially meant strengthening the bond between Reishi particles.
That was why Aizen's Spiritual Pressure was so powerful. His innate potential was high, thanks to his talent, but his cultivation speed was also absurdly fast.
Beyond the usual methods of cultivation, there was another way to explosively increase one's combat output: Zanpakuto release.
One point needed to be made clear. Not every Zanpakuto increased its wielder's Spiritual Pressure after being released. In fact, most Zanpakuto did not have that ability.
The sensation that an opponent's Spiritual Pressure increased after Shikai or Bankai was usually an illusion. Fundamentally, the wielder's Spiritual Pressure had not risen—their output had simply changed.
For example, suppose a Soul Reaper had a Spiritual Pressure of one hundred. Before Shikai, their maximum Spiritual Pressure output in a single attack might be five. After Shikai, that maximum could become ten. With Bankai, it could reach forty or fifty.
Of course, a small number of Zanpakuto really could increase Spiritual Pressure to some extent after release. Ichigo Kurosaki's absurdly overpowered Zanpakuto was one example—his Spiritual Pressure visibly rose after Bankai. Kenpachi Zaraki's Zanpakuto was another; after he used Bankai, his opponents could clearly sense his Spiritual Pressure climbing.
Still, Zanpakuto that enhanced Spiritual Pressure after release were rare, and the increase was usually not especially large. Ichigo was an exception because he was the protagonist.
But overall, a Soul Reaper who had mastered Zanpakuto release and one who had not were on completely different levels of combat power.
Therefore, if Luke wanted to significantly improve his strength, mastering Zanpakuto release would produce the most obvious results.
There was a problem, however. Learning Shikai was not easy. First, one needed a sufficient foundation of Spiritual Pressure. Seventeenth-level Spiritual Pressure only barely qualified as reaching the threshold for Shikai.
Those who could normally master Shikai were seated officers in the Gotei 13. At minimum, seated officers generally possessed tenth-rank Spiritual Might.
According to Aizen, the higher one's Spiritual Might rank, the easier it was to resonate with one's Zanpakuto. That represented a deeper development of one's own soul power, while a Zanpakuto's Shikai was, in truth, a manifestation of a Soul Reaper's soul.
Put simply, an Asauchi was only an Asauchi. Only after one infused it with one's own soul did it become a true Zanpakuto.
A Zanpakuto's abilities would be influenced by the Soul Reaper's soul. Taken to an extreme, it could be understood as something formed by the Soul Reaper's soul taking external shape.
"Sosuke, you're one of the academy's top students. Have you mastered Shikai?"
Luke asked curiously, mainly because he wanted to see how Aizen would react.
But to Luke's surprise, Aizen—who had always hidden his true capabilities—actually nodded this time. Smiling, he said, "My Zanpakuto is called Kyoka Suigetsu. It is a water-type Zanpakuto that can use the chaotic refraction of mist and flowing water to confuse enemies and make them slaughter one another."
Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Aizen touched Kyoka Suigetsu resting before his knees, then looked at Luke.
"Luke, would you like to see my Zanpakuto?"
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