Meanwhile, in District 80 of Northern Rukongai.
After getting a rough idea of his current Spiritual Pressure level, Jin immediately retracted it.
The System's recent reward hadn't just given him this ultimate spiritual power and pressure. It had also simultaneously granted him ultimate mastery and control.
Thus, he suppressed his Spiritual Pressure signature until it was nearly imperceptible and prepared to return to the Seireitei.
The journey back was trouble-free.
Jin only needed to release a sliver of his Spiritual Pressure to paralyze anyone who tried to approach.
As he reached the border of District 65, the System's notification sound echoed in Jin's mind once more.
"Ding! A new check-in mission has been issued!"
"With no time limit, the host is requested to check in at the Soul Reaper Academy. You will receive a system reward!"
Jin's eyes lit up at the sound of this.
Check in at the Soul Reaper Academy?
That was precisely his next destination.
He would have gone even if the System hadn't told him to.
After all, right now, all he possessed was immense Spiritual Pressure.
Although there were many benefits to having powerful Spiritual Pressure, he would die a miserable death if he relied solely on it when facing truly powerful opponents.
Therefore, he had to master more combat techniques.
And the Soul Reaper Academy, also known as the Shin'o Academy, was the institution in the Soul Society dedicated to training Soul Reapers.
About two thousand years ago, the Captain-Commander of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and Captain of Squad One, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, founded this academy.
The academy was responsible for nurturing future members of the Kido Corps, the Stealth Force, and the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. The curriculum ranged from training in the four basic combat forms of a Soul Reaper—Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō—to practical Konso internships in the World of the Living.
If Jin wanted to become stronger, he couldn't avoid this place.
What's more, it happened to be the System's second check-in location.
The reward from the very first check-in had been so generous.
Jin began to grow even more expectant of what kind of reward he would receive for checking in at the Soul Reaper Academy.
...
While he was on his way back, the Seireitei's advance investigation team began to approach District 80.
To arrive quickly, they condensed Reishi under their feet and moved swiftly through the air.
Because the traces of Spiritual Pressure ahead were so dense, they automatically overlooked all other faint spiritual pressures below.
Among them was Miagawa Jin, who was walking right beneath their feet.
Upon reaching their destination, even before landing, Gin Ichimaru exclaimed with a sigh, "My, my... just the residual traces of the Spiritual Pressure are this terrifying..."
Within a one-li radius centered on this spot, there was practically no sign of any other souls.
Kyoraku Shunsui's eyebrows shot up as he surveyed the surrounding destruction.
He could sense that there were no traces of a Zanpakuto or Kido here.
"In other words... the mere release of Spiritual Pressure caused this much destruction..." Kyoraku Shunsui muttered to himself, his eyes glinting under his straw hat.
...
Jin returned to the gates of the Seireitei and once again used his noble family's wooden plaque to enter.
He first went home, as his clothes were in tatters and he needed to change.
After changing into the Miagawa family's formal attire, he left directly through the back door.
The timing today was a fortunate coincidence; it was the last day of the Soul Reaper Academy's spring enrollment.
The Soul Reaper Academy was located in the northwest section of the Seireitei, not too far from the Miagawa family estate.
Jin strolled through the streets of the Seireitei, heading in that direction.
After obtaining ultimate spiritual power and pressure, he found that his perception of the Reishi in the outside world had become much sharper.
He could even pinpoint precisely where on the street the Reishi concentration was slightly higher or lower.
And the closer he got to the Soul Reaper Academy, the higher the Reishi concentration undoubtedly became.
The enrollment gates of the Soul Reaper Academy were always open.
Even those from the Rukongai could apply, and as long as they passed the exam, they could enroll smoothly.
The academy's instructors were all members of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, the Stealth Force, and the Kido Corps.
They served as teachers for different courses based on their areas of expertise, respectively teaching the students the "four skills of a Soul Reaper"—Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō.
Zanjutsu, swordsmanship.
Hakuda, hand-to-hand combat.
Hohō, flash steps.
Kidō, demon arts.
Only by being exceptionally outstanding in one area, or by reaching a certain level in all four skills, could one successfully graduate after six years.
Of course, this only applied to ordinary students.
Some students were so gifted they didn't need six years at all. Gin Ichimaru was a prime example; he graduated in just one year and joined the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
After a few twists and turns, Jin finally arrived at the registration office.
The Soul Reaper in charge saw from his attire that he was a member of a lower noble family. Without much questioning, he simply recorded Jin's name and age and let him in to prepare for the test.