Before long, Ichigo and his two sisters left for school.
Only Isshin Kurosaki remained at home—his expression suddenly grave.
Soon, Isshin reached the rooftop. He was now dressed in shihakushō, Zanpakutō in hand.
On the roof, a man sat on a sofa drinking tea, looking perfectly at ease.
But watching that man's back, Isshin's expression grew even more serious.
He walked over and sat down across from him. "Sir, thank you for helping my son yesterday."
Lin Xuan glanced at him and smiled. "No need. It was nothing."
"I know this may be rude, but if you're willing—could you tell me who you are? I don't recall any Shinigami in the Soul Society matching you."
"Isshin asked.
"What if I told you I'm not from this world—would you believe me?" Lin Xuan said with interest.
Isshin's face darkened. He cleared his throat. "If you won't say, I won't press.
But could you tell me why you're getting close to my son?"
As he spoke, his hand rested on his Zanpakutō.
The question about Lin Xuan's identity was a pretense. What he really wanted to know was why Lin Xuan was near Ichigo.
Lin Xuan had no doubt that if his answer dissatisfied Isshin, this middle-aged man would attack without hesitation.
But he didn't seem concerned. He sipped his tea leisurely. "Relax.
I mean your son no harm. His aptitude is excellent—I just gave him a hand."
He paused, looking at the wary Isshin, and smiled. "You've got captain-level strength, but you're no match for me, Shiba Isshin."
Isshin's pupils contracted. "How do you know my identity?"
He lived in hiding in the living world. Very few people knew he was the former Tenth Division Captain of the Gotei 13. Yet this young man seemed to know everything.
"Not just you—for every hidden secret in this world, I know them all," Lin Xuan said with a smile.
Isshin fell silent. He didn't believe Lin Xuan truly knew everything.
But he could confirm one thing—this young man was no ordinary person.
That made him even more curious about who Lin Xuan really was.
Isshin wanted to test his strength—but hesitated.
His instincts told him this young man was very strong. He couldn't even sense reiatsu from him. He wasn't sure he could win.
Only someone powerful enough could completely suppress their spiritual power and soul pulse.
After a moment's hesitation, Isshin gritted his teeth. "Forgive me."
Reiatsu erupted from his body. He unleashed Hadō—"Hadō #31: Shakkahō"—firing a crimson blast at Lin Xuan.
Facing Isshin's probe, Lin Xuan smiled faintly and casually swatted it aside.
Boom!
Isshin flew backward and crashed into a nearby wall.
He quickly climbed out of the broken wall.
But the way he looked at Lin Xuan had changed. That brief exchange—and he'd been completely outmatched.
Isshin sighed. If Lin Xuan wanted to kill him, he might not have been able to stop it.
Too strong.
Strength like that—there were probably only a handful in the entire Soul Society. Only Captain-Commander Yamamoto might stand a chance.
Who would have thought someone this powerful existed in the living world?
And he'd never heard of them before—as if they'd appeared from nowhere.
"With strength like yours—any interest in joining the Gotei 13? I might be able to help," Isshin said.
With that power, becoming a captain would be effortless. And Isshin, as a former captain, hoped someone this strong could bolster the Soul Society's defenses.
Lin Xuan looked bored. "Your strength isn't bad either—and you left the Gotei 13 to hide in the living world. Why should I join?"
"I'm not interested in the Gotei 13. As for why—you'll know soon enough."
He had no intention of continuing the conversation.
"I'll keep training Ichigo for now. How far he goes is up to him."
Then Lin Xuan vanished—sofa and all—as if he'd never been there.
Isshin stared at the empty rooftop, lost in thought.
He hadn't detected how Lin Xuan left at all. It wasn't flash step—it was more like teleportation.
But at least one thing was clear: Lin Xuan truly meant Ichigo no harm.
With that kind of power, there was no need for all this trouble otherwise.
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T/N:
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