It was evening.
The setting sun's afterglow streamed through the tall window frames of the Shin'ō Academy, casting dappled shadows on the wooden floor of the corridor.
Having finished the written exam, Suō Tsukasa followed the flow of people out of the lecture hall and waited in the hallway.
He was waiting for the faculty to escort them to the next test: the Spiritual Pressure Level assessment.
The questions on the test paper just now were quite conventional, mostly about general knowledge of the Soul Society. Even the four Death God techniques, "Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kidō," were only briefly mentioned with basic concepts. For him, the entire test posed no difficulty at all.
"Aside from Tōshirō, none of them seem capable."
Suō Tsukasa looked relaxed as he walked to the window and leaned against it, enjoying the coolness brought by the spring breeze.
From this position, he could take in the entire situation in the corridor.
None of the new students could escape his spiritual energy perception.
Most of the candidates in the corridor were still immersed in the aftermath of the written exam, discussing in small groups.
But a fundamental rule was maintained: those from the Seireitei clustered together, and those from the same district of Rukongai clustered together, clearly delineated with no exceptions.
Few were dressed like nobility, as most of them took a different path to become Shinigami, or chose not to become one, having many choices. Only the children of the middle and lower-rank nobles of the Seireitei would enroll in the Central Spiritual Arts Academy.
Beyond these groups, there were individuals standing alone in the corners, like him and Tōshirō Hitsugaya.
The silver-haired boy was currently leaning against a pillar on the other side of the corridor, arms crossed, his emerald eyes coldly scanning the surroundings.
In this new environment, many people were pointing at his unusual appearance, which made him vigilantly defensive of everything around him, like a small wounded beast.
At the same time, he was in a slightly bad mood, not just because of other people's exclusion—he was used to that.
He felt the written exam just now hadn't gone well.
Unlike Suō Tsukasa, he didn't have a thoughtful gift of books from Miyako Shiba.
The carefree Rangiku Matsumoto had simply told him to take the elite class exam directly and guaranteed he would pass.
Worry about whether he could enroll made him extremely agitated right now; he needed to become a Death God as soon as possible.
Suō Tsukasa was acutely aware of Tōshirō Hitsugaya's current emotional state.
The reason he didn't go over to greet him was that approaching suddenly right now would likely cause the little lion to become stressed and lash out.
However, he wasn't worried at all about whether Tōshirō Hitsugaya could enroll. After all, the maximum score for the written exam was 100, while the Spiritual Pressure Level test had no upper limit on its score.
Given Tōshirō Hitsugaya's current spiritual pressure intensity, he could pass even if he just wrote his name and stepped on the test paper on the floor.
Before long, a command silenced the noisy corridor.
"All candidates, please note, we will now proceed to the training ground for the Spiritual Pressure Level test."
"Please line up in two columns according to your examination number. Odd numbers on the left, even numbers on the right."
The instructor's voice echoed in the corridor. The crowd began to stir as candidates searched for their positions.
Suō Tsukasa unhurriedly stood at the end of the right-side queue, lining up just parallel to Tōshirō Hitsugaya on the left side.
"Tōshirō Hitsugaya."
The silver-haired boy clearly noticed the coincidence, looking at the familiar face standing close beside him, though not quite a close acquaintance.
His emerald eyes flickered, and he instinctively tensed up, but he stated his name first.
"I am Suō Tsukasa, hello."
Slightly surprised by the other's initiative to greet him, Suō Tsukasa offered a gentle, faint smile, then naturally shifted his gaze away, as if this were nothing more than the most common chance encounter.
After the queues were fully organized, the two lines began to move toward the adjacent training ground.
The line arrived in front of a building that resembled a gymnasium.
The large doors were open, vaguely showing a metal instrument embedded with a display screen inside.
As the number of people in front dwindled, the two at the back of the line soon entered the venue.
Suō Tsukasa stood in line, his gaze sweeping across the training ground.
Inside the training ground, a faculty member wearing square-rimmed glasses stood next to the testing instrument, the clipboard in his hand reflecting the cold light of the instrument's display.
At the very front of the line, a candidate nervously placed his hand on the instrument.
The value on the screen began to rise, finally stopping at the lower end between thirteen and fourteen.
"Spiritual Power Level, fourteen."
"Next."
The faculty member recorded the data expressionlessly.
The line continued to move forward, with most candidates' test results hovering between thirteen and sixteen.
The occasional appearance of a twelve would elicit a low gasp from the surrounding crowd.
The instrument's principle was simple: it measured the density of Reishi (spiritual particles) in the spiritual pressure, much like weighing.
The line moved quickly, and it was soon Tōshirō Hitsugaya's turn.
He expressionlessly pressed his hand onto the metal plate, the tight grip of his other hand indicating he was not as calm as he appeared.
Buzz—
The value on the screen began to change rapidly, crossing the ten demarcation line in the blink of an eye, and finally settling on a value that left everyone dumbfounded.
"Spiritual Power Level, five."
The faculty member adjusted his glasses, his dry voice tinged with disbelief.
Although Tōshirō Hitsugaya couldn't fully comprehend what a Spiritual Power Level of five meant.
The instructor's excited, treasure-finding gaze, and the sudden clamor of the surrounding crowd, said it all.
It was only then that he understood what Rangiku Matsumoto meant by "guaranteed pass."
"Silence!"
"Next."
Without questioning the instrument's result, the faculty member quickly regained his composure, truthfully recorded the score, and shouted.
"Spiritual Power Level... six."
The same scenario played out again, only Suō Tsukasa's Spiritual Power Level stopped at a slightly lower position.
With one gem already showcased, Suō Tsukasa felt no need to hold back, revealing his true level of spiritual pressure.
Aside from wanting to know his approximate spiritual pressure intensity, he never intended to complete the full six-year curriculum at the Shin'ō Academy.
He had learned a profound truth during his time in Rukongai: only sufficient resources can lead to rapid power growth.
The preference and guidance of excellent teachers were an indispensable resource.
"Excellent."
The faculty member quickly wrote on the clipboard, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes.
The emergence of two extraordinary geniuses in the same batch of new students naturally brought delight to a member of the Shin'ō Academy.
The training ground was silent; the repeated shocks had left them speechless.
"Next."
Quite satisfied with the test results, Suō Tsukasa smiled as he withdrew his hand, nodded to the faculty member, and turned to join the queue of those who had finished the test.
He could feel the eyes from all directions: admiration, astonishment, jealousy, and resentment.
But none of that mattered to him.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya stood in the other finished line, a trace of surprise and joy flickering in his emerald eyes.
He hadn't expected this seemingly gentle black-haired boy to possess the same astonishing level of spiritual pressure as himself.
Thereafter, illuminated by the brilliance of the two geniuses, the test results of the remaining candidates lost all their color.
"All candidates return to the classroom to await the results."
After recording the test result of the last new student, the faculty member gave the final instruction.
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