[Guided Chijō Kana in completing Reiatsu Control Advanced Training (Completed)]
[Guided Kobane Jin'emon in completing Basic Swordsmanship Training (Completed)]
[Guided Kotetsu Isane in completing Basic Swordsmanship Training (Completed)]
Three training tasks were ready for reward collection!
Nanatsuki claimed all of them.
[Disciple Kobane Jin'emon has completed Basic Swordsmanship Training. Reward settlement:]
[Obtained reward: 1000 General Ability EXP]
[Obtained reward: Bakudō #8: Seki]
[Disciple Kotetsu Isane has completed Basic Swordsmanship Training. Reward settlement:]
[Obtained reward: 1000 General Ability EXP]
[Obtained reward: Bakudō #21: Sekienton]
[Disciple Chijō Kana has completed Advanced Reiatsu Control Training. Reward settlement:]
[Obtained reward: 10,000 General Ability EXP]
[Obtained reward: Hadō #88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō]
He actually received Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!
That was a high-level Kidō normally reserved for Shinigami specialized in the demon arts. And yet, Nanatsuki had mastered it instantly.
"Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō" fired a massive beam of lightning from the palm—an extremely destructive offensive spell.
"Seki" created a spiritual force shield to deflect enemy attacks.
"Sekienton" released a burst of smoke, useful for hiding one's figure or obstructing enemy sightlines.
He had earned a total of 12,000 points of General Ability EXP this time.
Nanatsuki originally considered investing further into Shunpo, but he noticed a prompt on Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō—
To continue leveling up high-level Kidō like this, he would first need to raise his Kidō level.
'If I want to keep unlocking mid-to-high level Kidō in the future, then I better improve my Kidō stats now.'
He poured all 12,000 EXP into the Kidō stat, boosting it from level 20 to level 39.
After reviewing all the gains, Nanatsuki began assigning the next round of training tasks.
"Isane, now that you're done with sword basics, it's time to begin Kidō. Kidō and Kaido overlap a lot at the introductory level—learning both together will help you get better results. But that doesn't mean you can slack on your sword training. Set aside at least an hour or two every day to keep working on your fundamentals," Nanatsuki said.
Kaido involved quite a bit of medical knowledge. It usually took one to three years to get the hang of it, so her Kaido Foundation Training still wasn't complete.
However, since some foundational Kaido concepts overlap with Kidō, she could study both in parallel.
"Yes, Sensei!"
[Training Task Added: Guide Kotetsu Isane in completing Basic Kidō Training (In Progress)]
"Jin'emon, you're to continue your swordsmanship drills. Next up, you'll begin training in Shun Strike."
"Understood, Sensei!"
[Training Task Added: Guide Kobane Jin'emon in completing a Sword Technique Training (In Progress)]
After giving them their assignments, Nanatsuki went to check the training progress of Muguruma Kensei and Hirako Shinji.
After completing their Shun Strike training, he had them move on to advanced Reiatsu control.
The two were cautiously swinging their flagfish bokken, small bells tied to their bodies jingling now and then.
Kensei could now swing the blade while keeping three bells silent. At this rate, he would finish training soon.
Shinji had started a bit later and could only keep one bell from ringing so far.
"Swing with power! Don't go soft just because you're trying to stay quiet! You planning to tickle the enemy to death?"
"Yes, sir!"
The jingling suddenly got a lot louder.
...
One week later, the sixth-year students would undergo their field exam.
Twenty-six students stood before Nanatsuki, most of them wearing expressions of anticipation, excitement, nervousness, or anxiety.
This time, the field exam would take place in the World of the Living.
Many of the academy-born students had never even set foot outside the Soul Society.
Nanatsuki addressed them seriously:
"This field exam is meant to test the results of your six years of training."
"This time, I'll be your instructor, and I'll accompany you to the World of the Living."
"Once we're there, we'll cooperate with members of the 13th Division stationed in the Human World."
"During the test, I'll give you the guidance you need—but after that, I will not interfere. You'll need to complete the mission using your own strength."
"Your results will be sent to each Division once the exam is over."
"In other words, this exam will largely determine where you'll end up after graduation."
"I expect all of you to take this seriously."
"Move out!"
Together with two official members of the 13th Division, Nanatsuki led the students into the Senkaimon.
—
Dangai—
"So this is the Dangai? It's my first time here!" Shihōin-san looked around curiously.
Nanatsuki nodded and explained for the group:
"Yes, this is the Dangai—the space between the Soul Society and the World of the Living. Be careful not to fall behind."
"When you're on missions in the future, the same applies: always stick close to your Hell Butterfly. If you get lost here, it's nearly impossible to find your way out."
"Also, every now and then, a Cleaner known as Kōtotsu will appear. If you ever encounter it alone... run."
"If Kōtotsu catches up with you in the Dangai, you'll be hurled into the stream of time, and your body won't survive the burden."
The two Shinigami accompanying Nanatsuki weren't just there for the mission. They were also assigned to make sure this group of students didn't get wiped out by Kōtotsu.
According to calculations, Kōtotsu was expected to appear soon.
Fortunately, they made it to the World of the Living before the Cleaner arrived.
—
They emerged in Karakura Town.
Since it was a spiritual hotspot, Hollows appeared here more frequently—thus the long-term presence of stationed Shinigami.
This would be the site of their field exam.
"The Human World isn't that different after all," Shihōin-san muttered while observing the area.
At the moment, Karakura Town looked like nothing more than an old-fashioned town.
"That's because this is a high-density Reishi area. Most places in the World of the Living don't have this much spiritual energy," Nanatsuki explained.
The 13th Division officers brought the group to the local Shinigami base.
It was located outside Karakura Town itself. Since Gigai hadn't been invented yet, Shinigami couldn't blend in among humans just yet.
"Yamashita-kun, Kawada-san, we're in your care."
"No problem. This is part of our duty."