Chapter 40: Districts 1-80
After studying it for a long time, Su Xiao still couldn't figure out what "Blade Awakening in Progress" meant.
Su Xiao had been using the Devouring Core frequently recently, sometimes even keeping it activated all day. But after the Demon Blade's phantom awakened, he could no longer use the Devouring Core freely, otherwise there was a risk of demonization.
Although Su Xiao hadn't figured out what "Blade Awakening in Progress" meant, he sensed someone calling out to him. However, separated by too many dimensions, he couldn't respond to the call. This feeling was familiar—it was his unreliable mentor, Mawen Hua'erzi.
Just as Dragon-Slaying Flash reached the Blade Awakening stage, Mawen Hua'erzi tried to contact Su Xiao. There must be a connection between the two.
This reassured Su Xiao greatly. If Dragon-Slaying Flash's quality remained stuck at this stage, it would be an incredibly frustrating situation. Su Xiao had invested so many resources into Dragon-Slaying Flash precisely because he valued its Growth X potential. Once it lost Growth X, Dragon-Slaying Flash's value would drop by at least 70%.
The current situation was clear: Mawen Hua'erzi knew how to handle "Blade Awakening." This was the benefit of having the help of an Ancestral Law Destroyer. Su Xiao needed to return to Reincarnation Paradise and use it as a medium to contact Mawen Hua'erzi.
Thinking of this, Su Xiao temporarily stopped focusing on Dragon-Slaying Flash's condition. He had already devoured enough Zanpakutō; any more would just be icing on the cake, not worth the risk.
As for continuing to devour to get through the "Blade Awakening" stage, that was basically impossible. Su Xiao could sense the feeling when Dragon-Slaying Flash devoured Zanpakutō—it wasn't lacking Blade Edge Value, but something more important.
Su Xiao sheathed Dragon-Slaying Flash and began planning his next moves. Given his hostile relationship with the Soul Society, re-entering the Soul Society area was clearly impossible. Several Shinigami Captains could kill him. As for continuing to steal Zanpakutō, that was also impossible. Those Captains and Vice-Captains would definitely carry their Zanpakutō 24/7, perhaps even holding them while using the toilet.
The Soul Society was like a hornet's nest that had been poked. As for Su Xiao, the one who poked it, as long as he dared to approach, those hornets would swarm him.
Bubu Wang lay on the ground panting heavily. Beini, who was inside the Soul Society, had also stopped searching for treasure chests because it was too dangerous. Ever since a researcher like Su Xiao appeared, the Thirteen Court Guard Squads would arrest and interrogate any suspicious person, killing them at the slightest sign of trouble. As a result, nine Fourth Rank contractors had been caught in the crossfire and killed by the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.
This truly echoed what Su Xiao had said to Sister Hua: "Remember, next time you encounter a suspicious target, kill them directly."
The looting was over. Su Xiao checked the Adventure Group's storage space, which was filled with various quality treasure chests.
[Blue Treasure Chest x42.]
[Purple Treasure Chest x26.]
[Dark Purple Treasure Chest x11.]
[Light Gold Treasure Chest x6.]
[Gold Treasure Chest x4.]
These were the spoils from Su Xiao flattening the First Division's headquarters. Of course, there were also 86.5% World Source and hundreds of Zanpakutō.
Now, Dragon-Slaying Flash was devouring faster and faster. Previously, devouring a weapon of the same rank took 5 to 10 minutes, but now it took less than 30 seconds to devour one completely.
"Bubu, Amu, let's go. I need to see someone."
The one-man, one-dog, one-cow team finally gathered. Beini continued treasure hunting, while Shadow was responsible for patrolling the area. After all, this was Su Xiao's second hideout and couldn't be easily exposed.
Bringing Bubu Wang and Amu, Su Xiao walked out of the forest, heading straight for the eastern side of the Rukongai.
The so-called Rukongai wasn't a single street. In the entire Soul Society, except for the central Soul Society area, everywhere else was Rukongai territory.
The Rukongai formed a circular ring surrounding the Soul Society. Compared to the Soul Society, the Rukongai was many times larger.
The Rukongai's East, South, West, and North districts could be subdivided into 320 areas, each containing 80 sub-districts. Su Xiao was currently in the eastern district. This was also Districts 1-80. District 1 had the most stable public order, located right at the edge of the Soul Society, where the families of some low and mid-level Shinigami lived.
The further back the district in the Rukongai, the more chaotic it became. By District 80, chaos wasn't even the right word. There, souls fought each other to determine their basic right to survival. No factions, no rules—the law of the jungle prevailed. As long as you were strong enough, you could do whatever you wanted in District 80.
Kenpachi Zaraki came from District 79, the Zaraki District. After that guy killed a large number of souls in the Zaraki District, the Soul Society took notice. Compared to the chaotic Eastern District, the other three districts were much better.
Su Xiao's goal wasn't District 80. He wasn't interested in those souls killing each other.
Two hours later, Rukongai District 36, the Sora District.
The Sora District was a relatively stable area. It was the main production area for metals, and because of this, it had the largest population of resident souls.
Rather than calling the residents here "souls," it was more accurate to call them civilians of the Soul Society. They also experienced birth, aging, sickness, and death. In theory, they didn't need to eat, but after labor, they needed to replenish Reishi. There was no perpetual motion machine in this world, including souls.
40% of the civilians here were miners, while the rest were their families and those in mining-related industries. The pedestrians on the streets looked shabby, but in reality, they weren't poor. On the contrary, this was one of the wealthiest areas in the Rukongai.
For some reason, seeing groups of miners on the street reminded Su Xiao of contractors from Apocalypse Paradise. If those laid-back contractors entered the Bleach world, they wouldn't infiltrate the Soul Society at all. Instead, they'd head straight for District 36 and sweat it out there.
Su Xiao walked along the muddy street. It was evening, and there were many pedestrians. A drunken middle-aged man staggered toward Su Xiao from the opposite direction. The man's face was flushed red, clearly deeply intoxicated. He nearly bumped into Su Xiao.
"Watch where you're going."
Su Xiao grabbed the man's collar, steadying the drunk who had nearly fallen while dodging him.
"Thanks, young man. Burp~"
The drunk laughed and let out a burp. Due to his intoxication, his gaze was unfocused. But when he saw Su Xiao's face, his expression gradually froze, eventually turning into terror.
"You, you, you, you..."
The drunk stammered like a broken record, stumbling back a few steps.
"Help!"
The drunk shouted dramatically, turned around, and fled. He fell after just two steps, struggled for a while, then got up and continued running.
The drunk's strange behavior caught the attention of a nearby youth. He was a student at the Shin'ō Academy, a reserve Shinigami.
"Hey, you over there! Don't move! No, get down on the ground!"
The reserve Shinigami gripped the sword at his waist. It was an Asauchi Zanpakutō.