Chapter 58

Yuichi was heading back to the academy from the Shihōin household after resting and having a meal. Yūshirō had beaten him black and blue for three days straight, healed him, and told him to rest on the fourth before kicking him out.

As Yuichi made his way back to the academy, his thoughts delved deep into the intricacies of reishi control. The concept of shunpo, the Soul Reaper's art of high-speed movement, had fascinated him. He understood the fundamental principles but desired a more profound comprehension of how it functioned.

Shunpo relied not only on physical speed but also on the internal manipulation of reishi within a Soul Reaper's body. It was a synchronization of spiritual energy and physical prowess, allowing for swift and agile movements. But Yuichi wanted to dig deeper.

He considered the Quincy's method of high-speed movement, which involved external reishi manipulation. Quincies formed platforms and moved swiftly across them by controlling reishi externally. It was a stark contrast to the Soul Reapers' internal control of reishi. This sparked a theory in his mind.

What if he could find a way to master both internal and external reishi control? He had been practicing for years, becoming proficient at moving reishi into his zanpakuto and channeling it back into his body. It was a unique skill he had developed.

Now, Yuichi believed he stood at the threshold of a breakthrough. He envisioned a hybrid technique, one that combined the internal reishi control of a Soul Reaper and the external manipulation of a Quincy. By utilizing both approaches, he hoped to develop a form of shunpo that was not only swift but also highly adaptable.

His journey to the academy became a mental training ground. He analyzed the intricacies of reishi, visualizing the flow of energy within his body. He contemplated how to harness external reishi efficiently, creating a seamless transition between internal and external control.

As he was thinking he failed to pay attention to where he was walking and bumped into someone, falling back. He looked up and saw a young boy with very sharp features, giving him a skeletal appearance, bearing unusual silver hair. He kept his eyes constantly narrowed to slits.

The young man, Gin Ichimaru starched his hand out to Yuichi and said, "You should pay attention when you're walking. That's pretty dangerous you know."

Yuichi stared for a second before smiling, grabbing the young man's hand, and said "Sorry I was just in deep thought. Those black clothes are you a full-fledged soul reaper?"

Yuichi, nervous after bumping into Gin Ichimaru, hid his discomfort, accepted the offered hand, and pulled himself up to his feet. He quickly dusted off his uniform.

Gin Ichimaru, with his distinct silver hair and perpetual narrow-eyed expression, looked up at Yuichi. He had a mischievous glint in his eyes that didn't seem to match his age.

"Payin' attention's important, ya know," Gin said with a hint of a smile. "Yeah, I'm a full-fledged Soul Reaper. 3rd Seat of the 5th Division, in fact. Is there a problem?"

"Ah sorry sir. There's no problem." said Yichi bowing his head

Gin's smile widened, showing more of his sharp features. He patted Yuichi on the shoulder in a friendly manner.

"No need to be so formal," Gin replied. "Just call me Gin. It's nice to meet one of the academy students. I hope you're learning lots and enjoyin' your time here."

Yuichi felt more at ease with Gin's casual demeanor. "Thank you, Gin. I'll remember that. I'm Yuichi, a first-year student. I'll make sure to be more careful from now on. I'll be leaving now I have to go meet a friend now," Gin nodded and continued on his way.

As Yuichi returned to his dorm room, he was determined to test his theory about manipulating reishi both internally and externally. Setting up his usual barriers, he then placed his zanpakuto on the table, and sat down cross-legged, ready to experiment.

His first attempt involved trying to manipulate the reishi in the air using his spiritual energy. He focused intently, trying to draw the reishi towards him, but as he suspected, he couldn't make any significant changes in the reishi's behavior.

Next, he decided to release some of his reishi into the surrounding atmosphere. He carefully channeled his spiritual energy outwards, allowing a portion of his reishi to flow into the air around him. As he attempted to draw it back into his body, he noticed something intriguing. The reishi returning to him seemed to be more abundant than what he had initially released.

A realization struck him; it was as if his reishi was acting like a magnet, pulling in and accumulating more reishi from the environment. This phenomenon was unexpected but promising, suggesting that his theory had a solid foundation. Yuichi couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement, knowing that he was onto something significant.

Yuichi continued to contemplate the phenomenon he had just experienced, and a deeper understanding of the intricacies of reishi, reiryoku, and Reiatsu began to take shape in his mind. He pondered the fundamental processes that defined a Soul Reaper's spiritual abilities.

In his own metaphorical way, he likened a Soul Reaper's connection to reishi to a purification system. When a Soul Reaper's body collected reishi from the environment, it transformed these spirit particles into reiryoku, which was their own form of purified spiritual energy. As this reiryoku accumulated within the Soul Reaper's being, it further refined into Reiatsu, the potent spiritual pressure unique to each individual.

This process was akin to collecting and purifying "dirty water" (reishi) and turning it into "clean drinking water" (reiryoku), which could then be forcefully released as "pressure" (reiatsu).

Yuichi's newfound ability, however, allowed him to tap into this process at an earlier stage. By controlling the value of reiryoku he released at a more granular level, he could effectively influence reishi in the external environment. It was as if he could selectively release a drop of "clean drinking water" (reiryoku) back into the reservoir of "dirty water" (reishi) and, in doing so, manipulate the reishi to his advantage.

This unique control over the different stages of spiritual energy provided him with a method for both internal and external reishi manipulation. Yuichi's mind was ablaze with possibilities, not only would this allow him to use techniques that Soul Reapers could not but he might be able to apply this to other things.