Although Da Shenchen doesn't know that a group of powerful individuals are watching him, he can more or less guess it.
After all, that's exactly the result he intended.
Sure enough, at the end of the day, the system confirmed his speculation.
Congratulations to the host for successfully surviving one day. A lottery reward will now be issued.
Da Shenchen remained confident in the value of this lottery reward.
Others might not realize it, but Da Shenchen knew full well that all his spiritual power could only be channeled into the Sword of Victory Oath. He was essentially a paper tiger.
In such a case, attracting attention from every corner of the Seireitei came with both opportunities and risks. Naturally, the difficulty of survival increased.
Start the lottery.
Excitedly, Da Shenchen activated the lottery wheel.
A familiar light flashed across the interface, and the system prompt appeared:
Congratulations to host for obtaining Elite Hakuda.
This reward surprised Da Shenchen, though it also brought up new questions.
System, what exactly is the standard for this so-called elite level?
He remembered that on his system panel, his Hakuda was previously marked as mediocre.
Host, the elite level is a step above mediocre. In conventional rankings, it places one within the top 100 of the entire Soul Society.
Top 100 in all of Soul Society?
Da Shenchen was stunned. That was unbelievable.
Soul Society, where human souls go after death, contains an incalculable number of people. And yet, he had leaped directly into the top 100? That was astonishing.
Soon, Da Shenchen personally felt the surge of power.
An immense amount of Hakuda knowledge surged into his mind all at once.
What was amazing was that Da Shenchen felt no discomfort. He absorbed it naturally, as though this knowledge and experience had always been a part of him.
Excellent. One of my shortcomings has now been patched. As long as I continue working hard, I can cover all my weaknesses.
Da Shenchen was deeply satisfied. After all, Hakuda is one of the core combat skills.
The basic combat structure of a Shinigami consists of Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō.
Zanjutsu is swordsmanship. Hakuda is unarmed combat.
These are the techniques used in battle without weapons.
The remaining two—Hohō and Kidō—refer to flash step and demon arts respectively. Da Shenchen had full confidence that he'd catch up in those as well.
I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's draw.
However, it seemed like Da Shenchen's luck had run dry on the second day.
Congratulations to host for obtaining Golden Smile.
Surprised? You can even win cooking?
Da Shenchen was a bit stunned, staring at the oddly eerie-looking bun in front of him. It was identical to the one Master Xie had made using a steel rod.
After a moment of hesitation, he picked it up and decided to have it as a late-night snack.
Whoa. It doesn't glow, but it's actually delicious.
After finishing it, Da Shenchen's eyes widened.
To be honest, Soul Society primarily served traditional Japanese cuisine, and he'd grown tired of it after a hundred years.
Looks like even if I don't win combat skills or equipment, there's still something worthwhile. Can't wait to see the third day's draw.
So far, no one had reached out to Da Shenchen.
This made his daily routine quite easy. He simply passed the time until the lottery came around.
But on the third day, before the lottery could even begin, a member of Squad Six showed up first.
Third seat Da Shenchen, excuse me. I'm ninth seat Gin Miyu.
The visitor was a woman with tea-colored hair and glasses. Da Shenchen vaguely remembered her. She was the daughter of the former vice-captain of Squad Six.
Is something the matter? Da Shenchen asked.
Gin Miyu spoke nervously. Yes. I'm here to inform you that you are invited to the celebration banquet following the seat advancement exams. Please be sure to attend.
Ah, I thought it might not be held this time. Didn't expect it to just be postponed by a day.
Da Shenchen pondered for a moment. Normally, the celebration banquet was held the day after the advancement tests.
Its purpose was to celebrate those who had risen in rank. It was also a chance for socializing and networking within the squad—a moment for subordinates to curry favor with their superiors.
In the past, even when a commoner Shinigami was beaten to death by a noble, the celebration still went on. This time, a noble Shinigami had died, so Da Shenchen thought it might be canceled.
Got it. Thank you.
With that, Da Shenchen nodded at Gin Miyu, signaling that she could return.
That evening, a banquet hall within the Seireitei was fully booked by Squad Six.
Being one of the noble squads, they were quite generous. The venue was large enough to accommodate members from multiple squads for a grand celebration.
Food and drink were plentiful. For Da Shenchen, this was a rare indulgence.
However, throughout most of the banquet, Da Shenchen's corner remained quiet.
Most members of Squad Six kept their distance. But Da Shenchen didn't mind and focused solely on the food.
He had already anticipated this reaction.
After all, Da Shenchen was the very person from the Kuchiki clan who had killed a member of the Four Great Noble Families. That alone stirred up enough trouble.
Even though Da Shenchen had risen to the rank of third seat, before the noble houses, that meant very little.
Given the uncertain situation, most squad members preferred to avoid trouble and thus avoided contact with him.
Vice-Captain Abarai really is incredible. Still holding that vice-captain title after all these years.
Three rounds in, the atmosphere had grown lively. Soon, the alcohol loosened tongues, and people began showering Abarai Renji with praise.
It made sense. Byakuya Kuchiki's personality was far too aloof to approach or flatter. So Renji became the next best option.
Haha, this is nothing. You haven't seen my true power yet.
Renji, flushed from the drink, laughed confidently.
But not all Shinigami could maintain self-control when intoxicated. Some immediately started spouting nonsense.
Speaking of which, who's stronger—Vice-Captain Abarai or Third Seat Da Shenchen? The two never faced off during the seat tests.
The atmosphere in the room immediately turned tense.
What are you saying? Of course Vice-Captain Abarai is stronger.
Exactly. How could a third seat compare to a dignified vice-captain?
The drunken Shinigami, no longer thinking clearly, went on. But isn't third seat supposed to be just beneath the vice-captain?
And you saw that technique, right? No way a regular Shikai could block it.
Renji's expression darkened noticeably. The mood around the table chilled.
In truth, all of them were originally from Rukongai. Normally, Renji wouldn't have taken offense, even if drunk.
But over the years, his relationship with Rukia had grown distant, while Da Shenchen's bond with her had grown stronger.
This often made Renji feel replaced, and he never looked at Da Shenchen favorably.
Speaking of...
Renji narrowed his eyes, his tone dangerous as he looked over at Da Shenchen, who continued calmly eating.
As the newly promoted third seat, Da Shenchen still hasn't toasted me, his vice-captain.