Suì-Fēng first glanced at Lin Huang and Ichimaru Gin, who were calm and composed, a flash of approval in her eyes. Then, she swept a look of utter disdain toward the group of sixth-term students who had arrived late.
"Except for these two, everyone else, go run five more laps!"
Her voice was cold and left no room for doubt. "Time limit: two hours. If you don't finish, add another twenty laps!"
At these words, the students' faces turned ashen, as if they had lost their parents.
Just then, a young man from among the students stepped forward. He was burly with refined features, shoulder-length hair, and light green eyes. Suppressing his dissatisfaction, he spoke:
"Instructor Suì-Fēng, the distance of five laps is nearly half of the Zaraki District. How can it be completed in two hours?
You are clearly making things difficult for us! I hope you can shorten the five laps to two!"
His tone seemed polite, but a deep, unshakeable arrogance was hidden in the depths of his eyes.
It seemed like he was negotiating with Suì-Fēng, but in reality, he was issuing a notice.
This person was named Tsunayashiro Mitsukazu, a member of the main branch of the Tsunayashiro Clan, one of the Five Great Noble Houses of the Soul Society.
Rumor had it that his biological mother was greatly favored by the current head of the Tsunayashiro Clan. There were even whispers that he might take over as the head of the Tsunayashiro Clan in a few hundred years.
Seeing this son of a great noble house be the first to defy her orders, the corners of Suì-Fēng's mouth curled up, the mockery on her face deepening.
"What? Is the young master of the Tsunayashiro Clan such an incompetent weakling?"
Hearing this, Tsunayashiro Mitsukazu's face instantly turned livid.
"You!"
But he quickly suppressed his anger, changed his expression, and said loudly:
"Instructor Suì-Fēng, if you harbor resentment because of my noble birth, then take out your dissatisfaction on me alone. Why involve the other classmates?"
He seemed earnest, but he was actually emphasizing his identity as a member of the Tsunayashiro Clan.
Despite this clumsy performance, quite a few students behind him were actually moved, especially some female students whose eyes were already filled with admiration.
"Mitsukazu-kun is so handsome, I really want to marry him!"
Hearing these fanatical comments, a sixth-term student from the Nishikawa Clan—a noble family at odds with the Tsunayashiro Clan—snorted coldly.
"Hmph, how low!"
"Nishikawa-kun is so vulgar!"
In an instant, the sixth-term students split into male and female factions, and a heated argument broke out.
"Silence!"
It wasn't until Suì-Fēng spoke coldly, her voice laced with spiritual pressure and carrying clearly to every student's ears, that the commotion subsided.
Meanwhile, Tsunayashiro Mitsukazu watched everything as if it were none of his business.
The Fēng Clan, which Suì-Fēng belonged to, was only a lower-class noble family. Moreover, she was not yet the Captain of the Second Division, merely a direct bodyguard of Shihōin Yoruichi.
Tsunayashiro Mitsukazu was counting on this when he dared to speak sarcastically.
Although he was a member of the Tsunayashiro main branch and nominally equal in status to Shihōin Yoruichi, Yoruichi had already been in charge of the Shihōin Clan for many years. She held the positions of Captain of the Second Division and Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō, wielding immense power—far beyond what an unconfirmed heir like him could compare to.
However, in his heart, even Yoruichi's personal guard, Suì-Fēng, had absolutely no right to boss him around.
His current behavior was nothing more than an attempt to win over people's hearts in front of his peers, building a future foundation for his struggle for the position of clan head.
In his heart, he looked down on these so-called classmates, but he had to put on this hypocritical front.
But there were more than a dozen main branch heirs of the Tsunayashiro Clan in his generation, and his natural talent was quite average.
To increase his chances of winning the headship in the future, he had no choice but to lower his stance.
Suì-Fēng, however, was someone who wore her heart on her sleeve and never deigned to hide her true thoughts.
Lin Huang knew even better that in the future Thousand-Year Blood War Arc, this woman would even dare to openly berate members of Squad Zero.
Why would she tolerate Tsunayashiro Mitsukazu's clumsy performance?
Seeing his self-satisfied smile, Suì-Fēng couldn't help but sneer.
Then, her figure moved like lightning, instantly flashing to Tsunayashiro Mitsukazu's side. Her left palm pressed down on his shoulder, seemingly light as a feather.
"Thump!"
Tsunayashiro Mitsukazu felt as if a mountain were pressing down on him. His knees buckled, and he was forced to kneel on the ground, as if weighted by a thousand tons, unable to move.
"Suì-Fēng! How dare you!"
He was both shocked and furious. He never expected that a mere bodyguard from a lower-class noble family would dare to treat a main branch member of the Tsunayashiro Clan like this!
Before he could finish his sentence, however, a surge of spiritual pressure erupted from Suì-Fēng!
Third Rank Spirit Power, initial stage!
Feeling this terrifying Captain-level spiritual pressure, Tsunayashiro Mitsukazu was forced to swallow his retort, leaving him with nothing but humiliation and horror.
Although Suì-Fēng had not yet taken over as Captain, she already possessed Captain-level strength.
If he were already the head of the Tsunayashiro Clan, he would indeed have the capital to look down on a Captain-level powerhouse.
But the current Tsunayashiro Mitsukazu was not the clan head.
Facing Suì-Fēng, who displayed an absolute gap in power, no matter how much grievance he felt, he could only grit his teeth and swallow it.
He buried this hatred deep in his heart, vowing that if he ever took control of the Tsunayashiro Clan, he would repay today's humiliation a hundredfold!
Seeing Tsunayashiro Mitsukazu's defiant but silent face, the mockery on Suì-Fēng's face grew even stronger.
She turned to look at Lin Huang and Ichimaru Gin, who were watching the show, and spoke loudly, her voice reaching everyone present:
"Don't say I didn't give you a chance."
She pointed at Lin Huang and Ichimaru Gin.
"Any of you, as long as your Shunpo can keep up with either of them, you will be exempt from this five-lap punishment.
Furthermore, in this one year, I won't make things difficult for you even once, and I'll count your graduation exam as passed directly!
But if you can't do it, then the penalty will be increased by twenty laps!"
At these words, instead of joy, the students' expressions became even more unsightly.
They had been in the academy for over five years and knew all too well the gap between them and these two monsters who had jumped five grades in six months.
The conditions Suì-Fēng offered were no different from an empty promise that could never be fulfilled.
However, a confident smile reappeared on the face of Tsunayashiro Mitsukazu, who had just stood up in a disheveled state.
He carefully brushed the dust off his clothes, walked calmly to the side of Lin Huang and Ichimaru Gin, cleared his throat, and once again assumed his elegant posture:
"While I may not match the extraordinary talent of you two, I am willing to spar with you, if only to save our fellow classmates from the pain of this physical punishment."
He cupped his hands slightly, his gaze shifting between Lin Huang and Ichimaru Gin.
"I wonder... which of you would care to enlighten me?"
Clearly, compared to those mediocre students who couldn't even finish the exam, he was more interested in taking the opportunity to make connections with, or even win over, these two geniuses who were destined for a bright future.
If he could gain the help of these two, it would undoubtedly be a great asset in his future struggle for the position of clan head.