“Hey!—”
“Rukia-san, why are you spacing out in a tree again?
Today is the day of the Spiritual Arts Academy entrance exam!
You didn’t forget, did you?”
*Sigh.*
Hearing Renji’s boisterous voice from below, Rukia couldn’t help but sigh.
Who would climb a tree just to space out for no reason?
She was simply communicating mentally with her system; to others, it just looked like she was dazing off.
Rukia was not originally from this world.
After Rukia’s sister, Hisana, abandoned her, the Rukia wandering the streets grew increasingly weak from hunger and cold.
Eventually, her body was occupied and merged with a soul from another world.
“Sigh, System, tell me…
of all the people to transmigrate into, why did it have to be Rukia?
Her early life is a tragedy.
If I’m not careful, I might even lose my life.”
“Host, you have said this many times already.
You were a soul on the verge of dissipation.
Breaking through the world barrier consumed a massive amount of energy.
There was no energy left to create a new body for you or find someone else.
Besides, if it weren’t for the Hōgyoku inside your body, I might not even be functioning right now.”
“Furthermore, don’t you have me, the System?
As long as we work together, is there anything we can’t achieve?”
“Then why don’t you tell me?
In all these years, have you given me anything other than a manual for the Ashina Style?” Rukia said crossly.
“This…” The System was momentarily speechless, then paused before continuing.
“After all, there’s no other way.
The remaining world power is so scarce.
That was already the most valuable thing I could find.”
“Besides, obtaining world power requires changing the plot.
We have no way to change it right now.
No major events have happened in the time up until now.
Most importantly, we don’t have the strength to change anything yet.”
“Sigh…” Rukia let out a heavy sigh.
To put it bluntly, it all came down to power.
In the Soul Society, everything is empty talk without strength.
She shook her head and stopped thinking about it.
She leaped down from the tree, using perfect impact-absorption techniques to land without any injury.
“Rukia-san, what’s been going on lately?
I see you sighing every day,” Renji asked.
*Sigh.*
Sighing once more, she looked at Renji’s simple-minded face and immediately lost the desire to explain.
“It’s nothing.
You wouldn’t understand anyway.”
Renji:???
“Let’s get back to business.
Renji, how did the matter I asked you to check go?”
Hearing this, Renji immediately perked up and said excitedly:
“I’ve already looked into it!
The Spiritual Arts Academy entrance exam isn’t that complicated.
As long as you can sense spiritual pressure and are capable of cultivation, you can enroll.
And if your talent is high, you can enter Class 1, which comes with independent dorms and a scholarship!”
“Class 1?”
“Oh, that’s the Elite Class.”
“It’s that good?
It looks like I’ll be able to buy a few more sets of clothes in the future.
After all, always wearing the same thing isn’t quite right.”
“Is Rukia-san that confident?
If you really get into the Elite Class, don’t forget about your brother here,” Renji said with a smile.
Seeing this, the clouds of worry in Rukia’s heart dissipated slightly.
While a sense of crisis was important, living in the moment was what mattered most.
After all, as someone with a rather solitary personality, he was her only friend in this world.
Before he met Rukia, he had lived a much more miserable life than she had.
Lacking any combat ability, he was the prime target for bullying in the Rukongai.
When she first met him, he was being bullied by a group of kids.
It just so happened that Rukia was in a bad mood, so those ill-natured brats became the targets for her to vent her frustration.
How could a bunch of kids be a match for Rukia, who practiced the Ashina Style?
They were beaten until they cried for their fathers in no time.
After that, Rukia and Renji became acquaintances.
From then on, every time Renji got beaten up, he would come to Rukia to help him get even.
Although she always looked annoyed, she never tired of it because she had found a punching bag for her stress.
If Renji could still be full of hope for the future every day, why should she be here wallowing in self-pity?
“Don’t worry, Renji.
I’m a genius.
Once we’re in the academy, just say my name and see who dares to bully you!” Rukia patted Renji’s shoulder with an ‘I’ve got your back’ expression.
The two then quickened their pace toward the testing site.
Every year, the Spiritual Arts Academy sets up testing points in various districts.
The exam lasts for three days.
As long as you have talent, you can be selected.
Unfortunately, the number of souls from the Rukongai who can become Shinigami is incredibly small—one in ten thousand, truly.
Despite the vast Rukongai being home to a massive number of souls, only a few hundred enter the academy each year.
After a while, the two arrived at the testing point.
Even though it was daytime, a long queue had already formed.
Every soul dreamed of becoming a Shinigami.
It wasn’t just about the change in status; simply entering the clean and orderly Seireitei was enough to make every soul flock to it.
After all, nobody wanted to live in a chaotic and lawless place every day.
While waiting in line, the two chatted about their daily lives.
The testing proceeded very quickly.
Since it only required measuring spiritual pressure, one just had to place a hand on the device.
The process took less than ten seconds.
The speed was incredibly fast.
After all, there were so many people in the Rukongai, and the staff wanted to finish early and go home.
As the people in front of Rukia dwindled, most left with dejected faces.
Out of the hundreds of people ahead, only one had passed the test, showing just how difficult it was.
Renji was also startled by this terrifying failure rate.
He swallowed hard and said:
“Rukia-san, do you think I can pass?
Even though you said before that I’d definitely get in, seeing this scary failure rate makes my heart race.”
“What’s there to be nervous about?
We’ll definitely pass.
Besides, didn’t I check you before?
You have the talent for spiritual pressure!” Rukia said calmly.
After all, in the original story, Renji not only entered the academy but later even achieved Bankai.
One must know that any Shinigami who can achieve Bankai is a figure of both immense strength and talent.
The line soon reached Rukia.
Seeing Renji still looking hesitant, Rukia said with exasperation:
“We’re already here, what’s there to hesitate about?
Have some confidence in yourself, okay?
Don’t forget, hesitation is defeat!”
Without waiting to see if Renji was ready, she pushed him forward directly in front of the examiner.
The examiner had seen this many times and wasn’t surprised.
Things like this happened often.
If he had to encourage everyone, he’d be exhausted.
“See that stone?
Put your hand on it.
The device will automatically display your Spiritual Power Level,” the examiner said flatly.
Spiritual Power Levels were divided from 1 to 9, with 9 being the highest and 1 the lowest.
Level 1 was the level of an ordinary soul with very low spiritual energy.
Level 2 was slightly better, allowing one to cast low-level Kido.
Level 3 provided the aptitude to become a Shinigami.
Such Shinigami were usually cannon fodder, only capable of clearing out minor Hollows.
The subsequent levels increased accordingly.
At this moment, Renji placed his hand on the stone.
After a few seconds, the Spiritual Power Level gradually appeared.
It read: Spiritual Power Level—Six!
Seeing this, the examiner said happily:
“Kid, your talent is quite good!
A Level 6 talent can already be considered a minor genius.
In the future, you might even become a Vice-Captain.
When you become a high-ranking official, don’t forget to give me a hand.”
The examiner knew his own talent was mediocre and it would be hard to progress further.
Thus, he decided to build some goodwill.
Perhaps he could get a comfortable retirement post later.
Besides, he received rewards for recruiting students with good aptitude.