Soon, it was time for the new semester to begin, and Yamahiko went to the fourth-grade classroom for the first time, separated from Renji Abarai.
When he entered the classroom, it surprised the other students. Yamahiko looked like a child, but he was in the fourth grade.
A tall young man in the class looked at Yamahiko and asked, "Hey, kid, did you enter the wrong classroom?"
Yamahiko looked at him and replied, "No, the teacher told me to come to the fourth grade."
A curious girl with black ponytails beside them asked, "Little brother, how old are you?"
Yamahiko honestly answered, "Thirteen."
"Thirteen?"
The tall young man's eyes widened, and he asked, "Thirteen years old with forth-grade Reiryoku?"
Yamahiko shook his head and said, "I don't have fourth-grade Reiryoku."
The burly young man laughed and said, "I knew it. You're too young to have fourth-grade Reiryoku."
But the girl with the ponytails furrowed her brow and asked, "But without fourth-grade Reiryoku, you can't study in the fourth class."
Yamahiko smiled and said, "I don't have fourth-grade Reiryoku; I have fifth-grade Reiryoku."
"Fifth grade?"
The tall young man was dumbfounded, and the other fourth-grade students around them couldn't believe it either.
In this year's fourth grade class, no one had reached fifth-grade Reiryoku yet, and each student was over a hundred years old.
Yamahiko, at just thirteen, already possessed fifth-grade Reiryoku, which was almost unheard of in the history of the Spiritual Arts Academy.
Even super students with sixth-grade Reiryoku took over a hundred years to achieve it.
The burly young man said with a hint of bitterness, "Thirteen years old, fifth-grade Reiryoku. I'm jealous. I was one hundred and forty years old when I reached the fourth grade."
Yamahiko's presence in the fourth grade caused quite a stir, not only in his class but also in the other fourth-grade classes, as well as in the fifth and sixth grades.
Thirteen years old with fifth-grade Reiryoku meant higher potential achievements in the future, comparable to Shūhei Hisagi, who had just graduated and entered the Ninth Division.
So, Yamahiko's appearance garnered attention from the academy and even attracted the interest of the Gotei 13.
However, no one attempted to contact Yamahiko because talent was not just measured by the amount of Reiryoku.
The most crucial factor was the Zanpakuto. If a student could obtain a temporary Zanpakuto in the sixth grade and achieve Shikai within a year, even with only fourth-grade Reiryoku, they would be more attractive to the Gotei 13.
In addition to that, proficiency in Shunpo and Kidō was crucial. Swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat skills were also assessed.
While Yamahiko had relatively high spiritual pressure and excellent academic performance, his other talents had not yet been revealed, and many were watching to see how he would develop.
In the fourth grade, the curriculum expanded to include subjects like Senkaimon, Hell Butterflies, introductions to various divisions, and more.
Furthermore, there were theoretical lessons on Soul Burial and Hollow extermination.
All of these subjects were preparing students for real combat. To become a Shinigami, these were all challenges they were certain to face.
In contrast, the courses in the first three years were purely for knowledge dissemination and did not directly assist in combat.
Yamahiko knew that these were crucial, so he studied these subjects with great diligence. However, after entering the fourth grade, the most critical aspect was the training courses.
The swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat courses in the training classes were self-explanatory. The instructors for swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat came from the Eleventh Division and the Second Division, respectively. Although they had retired from active duty in the divisions, they still possessed the skills to sit in the instructor's position.
But what attracted Yamahiko the most were the other two courses: Kidō (Demon Way) and Shunpo (Flash Step).
Yamahiko's first class was Kidō, and his Kidō instructor was a member of the Kidō Corps. Although the Grand Kidō Chief and Vice Kidō Chief had been forced to leave the Soul Society a hundred and ten years ago, the Kidō Corps had since chosen new Grand and Vice Kidō Chief.
And their Kidō instructor, Hideyoshi Tsuruno, was one of them, and he would be their teacher from now on.
In the first Kidō class, Hideyoshi Tsuruno didn't take them to the training room. Instead, he lectured about Kidō knowledge. "Kidō is a high-level spells, a method of using spiritual particles to transform spiritual particles into various abilities. Kidō is divided into three categories: Hadō (Way of Destruction), Bakudō (Binding Way), and Kaidō (Turn Way - Healing Kidō)."
"As the name suggests, Hadō are spells used for destruction. Hado has great destructive power and can manifest as flames, lightning, wind, or even dragons. Hado possesses the ability to directly attack the enemy, making it a powerful combat method."
"Bakudo, on the other hand, are spells used for restraining and defending. It can manifest as ropes to bind enemies, light staffs to imprison enemies, smoke to obscure vision, or light to conceal one's presence. Bakudo has a huge impact, and when used properly, it can change the course of a battle."
Yamahiko took note of these words. There were various ways to approach combat, and if used in coordination, they could have unexpected effects.
Urahara Kisuke is experts in using these methods, employing various tools and abilities to deal with enemies.
Hideyoshi Tsuruno continued, "As for Kaido, it's a special healing method that requires innate talent. Not everyone can master Kaido; even most Shinigami can't. Those who can usually join the Fourth Division, and a few join the Kidō Corps. So if you have the talent to use Kaido, you can apply for the special training class the Fourth Division offers at the Spiritual Arts Academy."
"Of course, instruction in Kaido will be in the second half of the semester. In the first half, I will mainly teach you Hado and Bakudo. Hado and Bakudo require chanting, so it takes time to build up the incantations. If you become proficient in the spell, you can bypass the chants, but the power of the spell will be significantly reduced without them."
"Hado and Bakudo are further divided into low-level, mid-level, high-level, and forbidden spells. The rank represents the power of the spell. According to the Seireitei's statistics, the first one hundred Hado and Bakudo spells are arranged in order. The first thirty are low-level spells, the next thirty-one to sixty are mid-level spells, sixty-one to ninety are high-level spells. Ninety-one to ninety-nine are considered forbidden spells."
"Low-level sorceries require fourth-grade Reiryoku to cast, mid-level sorceries require fifth-grade Reiryoku, high-level sorceries require sixth-grade Reiryoku, and forbidden spells, even for captain-level Shinigami, are rarely mastered."
Yamahiko listened and thought about the five individuals in the Gotei 13 who could use spells with numbers over ninety. They were Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, Aizen Sosuke, Urahara Kisuke, Tessai Tsukabishi, and Hachigen Ushōda.
Among these five, Yamamoto and Aizen's abilities were unquestionable. Urahara Kisuke's intelligence was unmatched in the Soul Society, and Tessai Tsukabishi and Hachigen Ushōda had previously held the positions of Grand Kidō Chief and Vice Kidō Chief, respectively.
Yamahiko understood that mastering high-level Kidō and forbidden spells was a long-term goal. However, Kidō had diverse combat techniques, and even low-level and mid-level Kidō had significant utility. If used effectively, they could have a considerable impact.
Moreover, while practicing Kidō, one could increase their spiritual pressure by consuming and replenishing it, at a rate faster than practicing swordsmanship or hand-to-hand combat.
So, Yamahiko set his initial training goal on Kidō.