Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.
Over those few short days, thanks to the Shiba siblings' warm hospitality, Bai Chen had grown much closer to them.
What began as a chance encounter had turned into genuine friendship.
However—
Shiba Kaien's leave was coming to an end.
And at the same time, the Shinō Academy's autumn enrollment had officially begun.
So—
In order to honor his promise,
Kaien personally accompanied Bai Chen to Seireitei.
"So many people…"
"Seireitei really is the heart of Soul Society. Compared to Rukongai, this place is on a completely different level."
Standing before one of the four great gates—the Hakudō Gate—
Bai Chen couldn't help but marvel at the sea of people before him.
"Heh… that's perfectly normal."
Shiba Kaien smiled as he explained,
"The academy is located in the southwest. Every time autumn enrollment starts, Hakudō Gate always ends up like this."
Under normal circumstances—
Because of the Seireitei Walls and the guard of the four great gatekeepers,
ordinary souls were strictly forbidden from entering Seireitei without authorization.
But—
During the once-a-year autumn enrollment,
the Hakudō Gate, being the closest gate to the academy, was opened as a special passage—
Accessible to all souls who came to apply.
That was why—
The scene before Bai Chen had come to be.
"I see…"
"It makes sense. This is a chance to change one's fate—of course enrollment would be packed."
Bai Chen nodded.
To ensure a steady supply of talent for the Gotei Thirteen,
the doors of the Shinō Academy were always open.
Commoners…
Nobles…
Regardless of background or gender—
As long as one passed the examinations, they could enroll and train.
"Bai Chen—here."
"The entrance assessment has two parts: a written test and a reiatsu test."
"This wooden tag will let you skip the written portion."
As Kaien spoke,
he took a wooden plaque from his sleeve.
Carved into it was the insignia of the Thirteenth Division, along with the name 'Shiba'.
"Oh? The legendary backdoor access?"
Bai Chen grinned as he took it, joking lightly.
In truth—
The written test mainly covered basic knowledge of Soul Society.
It wasn't difficult.
Even someone thick-headed could pass as long as they paid a little attention.
That said—
Jokes aside,
If he could save time and skip unnecessary steps, Bai Chen was more than happy to accept.
"Alright."
"The timing's about right. We'll part ways here."
With plenty of accumulated division work waiting for him,
Kaien gave Bai Chen a few final reminders before heading off.
Before leaving—
He didn't forget to emphasize one last thing:
After graduating, Bai Chen had to choose the Thirteenth Division.
"You haven't even enrolled yet…"
"And you're already planning my future for me?"
"Shiba Kaien… you really do think far ahead."
Watching Kaien's retreating figure, Bai Chen shook his head with a helpless smile.
However—
Just as he turned around,
Ready to join the queue with the rest of the applicants—
Suddenly—
Ding!
"New check-in mission issued!"
"No time limit. Please check in within the Shinō Academy."
"Upon completion, you will receive a special reward: Seal-less Healing!"
The system's voice rang out without warning.
A new check-in mission.
And the moment Bai Chen heard the reward—
His eyes exploded with light.
"What?!"
"Did I hear that right… Seal-less Healing?!"
Shock.
Joy.
Bai Chen's emotions surged instantly.
Everyone knew—
Senju Hashirama's body was overflowing with terrifying vitality.
He could regenerate injuries without forming hand seals, healing naturally and continuously.
As his lifelong rival,
Uchiha Madara had once admitted—
No one could kill Senju Hashirama in battle.
Not only that—
In the shinobi world, Hashirama's cells were priceless.
Every major villain had implanted them to strengthen themselves.
That—
Was exactly why Bai Chen was so excited.
As long as he completed this check-in and obtained Seal-less Healing—
His spiritual body—
Every single cell within it—
Would gain a fully optimized, localized, max-level healing ability, refined by the god-tier template system.
And most importantly—
No transplantation required.
As long as Bai Chen released reiatsu,
Under the effect of Seal-less Healing, that power alone would mend any injury!
Wasn't that basically—
Having an immortal body…
While also possessing max-level Kaidō on top of it?
Absolutely broken.