Chapter 65: Advancement

Chapter 65 - 65: Advancement [Class combat assessment completed. Reward summary as follows] [22 students received passing evaluations. Awarded 22,000 points of General Ability EXP] [3 students received excellent evaluations. Awarded 9,000 points of General Ability EXP] [First time leading a class through a combat assessment as an instructor. Reward summary as follows] [Obtained Random Trait — Premonition of Danger] [Awarded 30,000 points of General Ability EXP] [Three random skill proficiencies increased by +1] [Disciple Shihōin Yoruichi completed combat assessment with Excellent Rating. Reward summary as follows] [Awarded 20,000 points of General Ability EXP] [One random skill proficiency increased by +1] [Disciple Hoshino Rie completed combat assessment with Excellent Rating. Reward summary as follows] [Awarded 20,000 points of General Ability EXP] [One random skill proficiency increased by +1] Including the bonus from Shihōin Yoruichi for completing a swordsmanship training quest, he had gained a total of 106,000 General Ability EXP! Currently, Nanatsuki's Reiatsu level had reached 75. From levels 75 to 80, each level required 30,000 EXP. He chose to invest 90,000 points into Reiatsu, pushing his level to 78. At this point, Nanatsuki could be considered one of the most Reiatsu-rich Shinigami even among the seated officers of the Gotei 13. Just like Kuratani Yūjirō, whom he encountered in Karakura Town—he was the Third Seat of Squad 13. Nanatsuki's current Reiatsu was now about on par with his. But in terms of actual combat power, Nanatsuki far surpassed Kuratani. His swordsmanship alone was leagues above, and he also had many trait buffs—an overwhelming advantage. Since he didn't have enough EXP left to upgrade Reiatsu further, Nanatsuki decided to invest the remainder into Kidō . During his battle with the Hollow, he had also used the advanced spell Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō. High-level Kidō was indeed very useful. The spell's strengths lay in its extremely fast casting speed and long range—even when released from a great distance, it still hit the target with precision. Back then, the distance between him and the Menos Grande was at least 2 to 3 kilometers, and yet the blast still stunned it, giving him the opening to charge in and kill it instantly. If he wanted to keep upgrading Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō, he'd first have to increase his Kidō level. Some advanced Kidō techniques could only be learned once both one's Kidō level and specific Kidō skill proficiencies reached a certain threshold. For example: Chant Abandonment, which allows casting Kidō without incantation.Post-Chanting, which enhances Kidō power by supplying the chant after casting. If Nanatsuki could instant-castHiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō, he could push its already high-speed advantage to the absolute limit. He invested the remaining EXP into Kidō, raising it from level 39 to 53. Once his Kidō level passed 50, two new traits appeared in his Status Interface: [Chant Abandonment (Beginner): Allows casting of low-level Kidō (Hadō/Bakudō #1–30) without vocal incantation. However, doing so reduces the spell's power. Only usable when skill proficiency reaches "Skilled" level.] [Post-Chanting (Beginner): When using Chant Abandonment, allows the user to chant after casting, enhancing the Kidō's power. Only usable when skill proficiency reaches "Expert" level.] The standard method for casting Kidō was to first chant and then release, ensuring full power. Skipping the chant saved time, but weakened the spell. With Post-Chanting , however, he could skip the chant to cast quickly and then follow up with the incantation to restore the full power—combining speed and impact. These two techniques were must-haves for any Shinigami specializing in Kidō. After finishing his EXP allocation, Nanatsuki moved on to check his other gains. The first-time instructor reward had granted him a new trait: [Premonition of Danger: Your six senses become sharper, making it easier to detect threats.] It was a brief description—he'd have to verify its actual effects in battle. Aside from traits and EXP, five skills had also leveled up. The upgraded skills were: Flowlight, Quadrant Shun Strike, Raikiri, Crimson Tide, and the Hadō spell Byakurai. He now had another Mastery-level skill. Thanks to these upgrades, his Flowlight sword technique had reached the Mastery stage. Notably— After the battle in Karakura Town, his Raikiri had already advanced to Skilled level. Now, with the new proficiency boost, Raikiri had upgraded to Expert. At the Expert stage, Raikiri no longer backfired with electric recoil! Intense combat was truly the shortcut to rapid growth. Even his Zanjutsu and Shunpo levels each rose by 1. Nanatsuki's core stats had transformed: [Core Abilities: Reiatsu Lv. 78, Zanjutsu Lv. 61, Kidō Lv. 53, Hakuda Lv. 15, Shunpo Lv. 51] He could feel it—his Battleborn Berserker trait was on the verge of full activation. One or two more intense battles should be enough to trigger it. After taking stock of his gains, Nanatsuki sensed Batsu'unsai's Reiatsu—she had already returned to her room to rest. Nanatsuki had just talked her down from directly executing Kasumioji Shin—their group simply couldn't withstand the Kasumioji Clan's retaliation. Taking down someone like Kasumioji Shin was no easy feat. The Kasumioji were High Nobility, and the rules of Seireitei were often designed to protect families like them. If they acted without evidence, their enemies wouldn't stop at just the Kasumioji. The Central 46 Chambers—all tightly allied—could easily unite to punish them. They still needed to grow steadily. Making enemies too early would be dangerous. Moreover, with Batsu'unsai's current physical condition, there was no way she could fight through the entire Kasumioji household unscathed. He didn't want her taking that risk. Quietly, Nanatsuki slipped out of the dojo. If he wanted to deal with Kasumioji Shin, he would need either crucial evidence or the ability to act without being seen—both of which required intel on Shin. Thankfully, his Zanpakutō was perfectly suited to this task. As Batsu'unsai had said, his Zanpakutō made him a perfect fit for the Onmitsukidō—great for gathering intelligence and conducting covert operations. Thanks to its ability to move through shadows, even the Kasumioji guards would struggle to detect him. All he needed was to set up a few surveillance points inside the shadows of the Kasumioji estate. Then, he could start collecting intel on Kasumioji Shin.