Tachibana officially began the Kido lesson.
Standing at the front of the platform, he explained with focused intensity, "Today we will learn Hado #1, Sho. Do not underestimate this basic Kido. It can be said to be the foundation of all high-level Kido."
He raised his right hand, index and middle fingers together, tracing the flow of spirit particles in the air.
"Performing Hado requires three steps. First, gather Reiatsu, concentrating scattered Reishi at your fingertips. Second, construct a Reiryoku Circuit, guiding the Reishi along a specific path. Third, instantaneous release, converting Reiatsu into an impact as the incantation is completed."
After his demonstration, the students all attempted it.
Some successfully released a weak Reiatsu impact, creating ripples in the air. Others couldn't even complete the most basic Reishi gathering… only sporadic light flickered at their fingertips.
Setsuna sat upright in his seat, eyes slightly closed, feeling the rhythm of Reishi flowing at his fingertips.
He wasn't pondering how to release this basic Kido… he was dissecting its essence.
He vaguely felt that if trained to the extreme, these seemingly basic Kido might be similar to the authorities attainable through the Eighth Sense that Ilias mentioned… the ability to manipulate the fundamental forces of the world.
Especially forbidden techniques like [Time Stop] and [Spatial Transfer], which involved the essential rules of the world.
The Eighth Sense required completely integrating individual consciousness into cosmic consciousness, thereby reaching a state of resonance with all things.
But the essence of both the Soul Society and Shinigami is composed of Reishi. Reishi themselves are the fundamental particles constituting this world.
Integrating spirit particles into the Reishi Environment of the Soul Society was naturally far more concrete and easier than integrating elusive consciousness into the vast cosmos.
'The normal method of attaining authorities is too perilous. Perhaps Kido can serve as an indirect path to attaining worldly authorities,' A light of comprehension flashed in Setsuna's eyes.
By mastering Reishi, the basic units constituting the world, and gradually understanding and influencing deeper rules, this might be a more stable path.
Tachibana noticed that while everyone else was already attempting Kido, only Setsuna sat motionless in place.
'Indeed, even geniuses have areas they're not good at,' Tachibana thought to himself. He walked slowly to Setsuna's side and asked gently, "Setsuna-kun, are you encountering some difficulty? Which step have you reached?"
Setsuna opened his eyes and replied calmly, "I've roughly mastered it."
Tachibana was taken aback. "Mastered it? Then why not practice it? Without application, it remains only theoretical understanding."
Setsuna hesitated. "The force of this move is too great. It's not suitable to use inside the dojo."
Tachibana chuckled. "What power could Hado #1 possibly have? It's the most basic Kido."
He stepped back a few paces, spreading his arms. "Come on, don't worry. Aim it at me. Let me see what level of understanding you've achieved regarding Hado #1."
Setsuna's expression became somewhat subtle, 'What's with these teachers? They all seem to enjoy being on the receiving end.'
But he didn't say anything more. He simply stood up and raised his right hand lightly.
Reishi began gathering at his fingertip.
At first, it was just a faint light. But in an instant, it swelled into a dazzling orb.
The brilliance was so intense it bathed the entire dojo in a pale, radiant light.
A whirlwind formed by Reiatsu swept out from around Setsuna, causing the students' sleeves to flap.
Tachibana's smile froze on his face, 'This... this is Hado #1, Sho?'
He had taught Kido for hundreds of years and had never seen anyone perform a basic Kido to this degree.
The concentrated Reiatsu Intensity was already comparable to high-level Hado.
"Wait..." Tachibana hurriedly tried to stop him.
But it was too late. Setsuna lightly flicked his finger. A massive white light beam violently shot forth.
"Bakudo #81, Danku!"
Tachibana cast Danku without incantation, performing it at the fastest speed.
An invisible barrier appeared before him, blocking the light beam.
Tachibana couldn't help but sigh in relief. A fully-formed Danku could defend against Hado below #90. Although he had cast it without incantation, blocking Hado below #70 shouldn't be difficult.
But the next moment, the invisible barrier was easily pierced by the light beam.
The beam veered just before hitting Tachibana, grazing past his shoulder. It pierced through the wall at the rear of the dojo. The thick stone wall instantly vanished, along with the courtyard outside the dojo.
Tachibana stood in place, fine beads of sweat forming at his temples.
If that strike had hit him directly, even if he didn't die, he would have been severely injured.
'This... this is Hado #1, Sho? This is basically Hado #88, Hiryu Gekizoku Shinten Raiho!' Tachibana screamed internally.
Just as Hado #33, Sokatsui has Hado #73, Soren Sokatsui, many low-level Hado have corresponding high-level versions.
But is the advanced version of Hado #1 supposed to be Hado #88? That's too big a leap. Even he, a Vice Kido Chief, has never heard of such a thing.
Tachibana wiped the cold sweat from his brow, his voice trembling slightly. "Setsuna-kun... is this really Hado #1?"
Setsuna nodded. "Isn't this exactly what you just taught us?"
'Don't say nonsense, I didn't...' Tachibana's mouth twitched slightly, 'Is this something I could teach?'
Yoruichi also looked bewildered. She had learned Hado #1 when she was very young. How did she not know it had such power?
Tachibana couldn't help but ask, "How did you do this?"
Setsuna replied frankly, "It's simple. Just leverage the Reishi of the Soul Society before releasing."
"Is this really simple?" Tachibana was bewildered. The method of using one's own Reishi to leverage the Soul Society's Reishi wasn't rare. Most high-level Hado were based on this principle.
But the process of introducing Soul Society's Reishi was usually extremely difficult, requiring the construction of complex spiritual power circuits.
To ensure no errors during circuit construction, casters often needed to chant incantations to stabilize the circuit structure.
Moreover, the total amount of Reishi a Reiryoku Circuit could accommodate was also limited.
For the circuit of Hado #1 to leverage such a massive amount of Reishi was like trying to stuff ammunition 10 meters in diameter into a cannon with a 10-centimeter bore. Forget firing it… logically, it shouldn't even be possible to contain it.
After much futile thought, Tachibana finally stepped aside from the platform dejectedly. "Setsuna-kun, perhaps you should come up and teach."
"No, no, your explanation is quite good, teacher," Setsuna hastily declined, not immediately accepting as he had in the Hakuda and Shunpo classes.
Setsuna knew perfectly well in his heart that he had achieved this by forcibly manipulating the Soul Society's Reishi using his Eighth Sense realm.
If others tried to imitate his method, they would likely explode and die on the spot due to loss of control.