Chapter 420: Training Ichigo
"You still have the nerve to ask about this."
Yoruichi was a bit angry as she said, "Don't mention you, I've been sleeping on the streets for several days, okay?"
"How so?"
Fang Mo was also stunned upon hearing this: "Have you really become a stray cat? Then, have you rummaged through trash bins?"
"Rummage through trash bins my foot!" Yoruichi, unable to contain her anger, said, "It's all because you messed up the boundary, and then Urahara Kisuke tried to open the Garganta again, resulting in the entire underground space exploding. The shops above also collapsed, and it's currently under reconstruction."
"Ah, this..."
Fang Mo was somewhat speechless after hearing this.
"What? Mr. Urahara's shop exploded?" Kurosaki Ichigo was also shocked upon hearing this. He had just been considering asking Urahara Kisuke for help with his training, but now that the training ground itself had exploded, what should he do?
"That... Do you need any help?"
Upon hearing this, Inoue Orihime also expressed her concern, as she always saw Urahara Kisuke looking after their group. Now that he was in trouble, it was only right for her to offer her help.
"It's okay, it's almost been rebuilt."
Yoruichi waved her hand, "For now, the main issue is that creating a new training ground is time-consuming."
"...Mr. Fang Mo."
After a brief silence, Kurosaki Ichigo felt that he still needed to train, so he suddenly performed a dogeza (a deep bow) to Fang Mo, with a tone full of sincerity, "Please help me become stronger, I beg you!"
"Haven't I already told you what you should do?"
Fang Mo looked at Kurosaki Ichigo, somewhat puzzled by his question.
To be honest, Fang Mo quite liked Kurosaki Ichigo. In fact, protagonists of traditional hot-blooded series all share a nature: kind, gentle, and highly valuing friendship and bonds. Fang Mo really couldn't find it in himself to dislike him.
However, speaking of friendship and bonds.
Fang Mo suddenly remembered a sharp critique by a foreigner on Asian literature.
It seemed to say that protagonists from certain countries value money the most, Japanese protagonists value bonds the most, and then Chinese protagonists... value annihilating the enemy's family the most. Fang Mo thought this was a stark stereotype and discrimination. If he ever caught that foreigner, he would definitely "annihilate his family."
"My inner hollow is too strong, I can't make it my strength."
Hearing Fang Mo's statement, Kurosaki Ichigo also lowered his head, "Moreover, I know nothing about Uncle Zangetsu. I don't want to wield my sword in confusion anymore. Such a sword... can't protect anyone."
"What about your dad?"
Fang Mo, after listening, curiously asked, "If you want to practice, wouldn't he be the best choice?"
"My dad... he can't guide me in the practice of Hollow." Kurosaki Ichigo said, "Moreover, I want to understand Uncle Zangetsu more deeply, and only you can do that. Please, Mr. Fang Mo!"
"Oh, I see."
After listening, Fang Mo nodded, "Considering how sincere you are, I'll agree. But as you've seen, my house has exploded..."
"You can stay at my house temporarily."
Kurosaki Ichigo immediately said, "I can give up my room for you and sleep on the couch myself."
"Mm, you're really thoughtful."
Hearing Kurosaki Ichigo's offer, Fang Mo nodded in satisfaction, "But I actually don't need a room; just leave me a wall."
"Uh... a wall?"
Kurosaki Ichigo was also a bit confused.
"Right, and you." Fang Mo turned to look at Orihime Inoue, "Your shield, Soten Kisshun, seems broken, right? Bring it to me when you have time, I'll see if I can fix it."
Upon hearing this, Kurosaki Ichigo also obviously felt a bit uncomfortable and lowered his head to say, "Fang Mo... Big brother..."
"Let's go, come in and enjoy it with me."
After hearing this, Fang Mo chuckled and waved his hand, then pushed the door open and walked in. Kurosaki Ichigo quickly followed upon seeing this.
Accompanied by a momentary feeling of weightlessness.
Very soon, the two appeared above the planet Ego.
However, compared to the initial darkness and emptiness, the planet Ego had become much brighter now.
"This is..."
Upon seeing this vast and boundless world, Kurosaki Ichigo also felt somewhat surprised.
While Kurosaki Ichigo was observing his surroundings, Fang Mo also studied the flow of time in the pure white space-time.
Strictly speaking, Fang Mo's pure white super-space-time and the dark super-space-time... are based on the same principle as the Crimson Cosmos of Cyttorak or the Dark Dimension of Dormammu in the Marvel Universe. There isn't a concrete concept of time here. If Fang Mo wished, all beings in this space-time could achieve immortality.
But achieving immortality does not mean that time would stop flowing.
People here would still live and think; they just wouldn't age and wouldn't transcend time to become four-dimensional beings.
And it was for this reason that a short stay by Fang Mo here resulted in more than half a month passing by on the outside.
After a bit of research, Fang Mo quickly grasped the knack of it. Originally, the rules within his pocket space were relatively independent, but after his manipulation, he quickly used an anchor to the dimensional gate of the external world, synchronizing the flow of time with the outside world.
After sorting this out.
Fang Mo then turned back to look at Kurosaki Ichigo not far away.
"Alright, I've sorted it out on my end."
Fang Mo clapped his hands, then said to Kurosaki Ichigo, "Come on, next is training mode... Today, one of us must die here, but it definitely won't be me."
"..."
After hearing this, Kurosaki Ichigo was somewhat speechless, but still quickly responded, "Um, Big brother Fang Mo, is our training just actual combat?"
"To be precise, it's actual combat plus meditation."
Fang Mo recalled the training process of the Bleach and then said, "First of all, I'll beat you until you roll your eyes back and lose consciousness. Then, while recovering, meditate. I know what you're thinking, but let's talk about your Hollowfication and Zanpakuto during meditation."
"Is that so?"
Kurosaki Ichigo nodded, as his previous training essentially followed the same process, involving intense sparring until complete exhaustion, so he didn't find anything amiss.
Thinking this, Kurosaki Ichigo immediately became serious.
He took out his Substitute Shinigami badge to turn into a spirit body and immediately drew his Zanpakuto.
"Bankai: Tensa Zangetsu!"
A black spiritual pressure enveloped Kurosaki Ichigo, and in the next second, the black light faded. Ichigo had completed his Bankai, transforming his massive Zanpakuto into a black katana with a chain, his spiritual pressure increasing several times over, becoming vast and solid.
"Mr. Fang Mo, I am ready."
Kurosaki Ichigo cautiously looked at Fang Mo, aware of the latter's true strength, so he dared not be careless. "We can start the combat training..."
However, before he could finish, Fang Mo vanished on the spot with a flash of black light.
Kurosaki Ichigo's pupils suddenly contracted, instinctively raising his sword in defense. At the same time, a fist had already hit his blade, forcefully pressing down against it. The opponent's strength was so overwhelming that Kurosaki Ichigo couldn't defend himself and was struck on the right shoulder by Fang Mo's punch, spewing out a mouthful of blood and being heavily smashed into the ground.
"Now, it's time for the meditation phase."
Fang Mo said indifferently.
