The scorching light of Hadō No. 88 — Flying Dragon Striking the Thief, Shaking the Heavens — burst into full bloom like a tidal wave.
Kilian's Cero hadn't even finished forming before the blazing tower of azure swallowed his massive frame, leaving the air trembling with residual energy.
When the light dissipated, there was only a scorched crater where the Menos Grande had stood. His towering body, charred and broken, lay motionless within it.
Silence.
All the Shinigami present, captains and vice-captains alike, were silent for a moment.
They hadn't even seen Lan Yan chant.
"Is that... no chant?"
Unohana Yachiryu narrowed her eyes.
"It was more than that," muttered Kyoraku Shunsui. "It was fluid. Like the spell was an extension of his breath."
"No excess motion. No delay. No flourish," Jūshirō Ukitake added. "He cast it with absolute precision."
Even Yamamoto Genryūsai, who had remained still until now, opened his eyes a little wider.
"Bakudō eighty-one and Hadō eighty-eight... both without chant," one of the instructors muttered in disbelief.
"And full power, at that," another whispered.
The most shocking part wasn't just that Lan Yan could use high-level Kidō without chanting.
It was that the power of his spells didn't drop at all. They hit as if they had been cast with full ritual — without wasting even a second.
"...First round, passed."
Shiba Isshin finally announced, trying to maintain composure even as he exchanged a stunned look with several other instructors.
"The second round — Shunpo assessment."
As soon as he finished speaking, a cluster of black markers appeared on the field. Each one glowed with spiritual light and would only activate if touched with Reiatsu mid-movement.
"From the moment I start the test, you will have ten seconds."
"You must activate all 100 marker points across the field using Shunpo. If even one is missed, you fail."
Lan Yan didn't respond. He simply nodded once.
Shiba raised his hand.
"Begin."
In the next instant, the wind shifted.
No Reiatsu surged.
No sound echoed.
And yet—one by one—the lights on the 100 points began blinking in rapid succession.
Like fireflies lighting up in waves.
Like a whisper of movement carried by shadow.
Ten seconds hadn't even passed.
Lan Yan was already back in front of Shiba Isshin, arms folded, expression calm.
All 100 lights glowed behind him.
"Ten seconds… all lit."
Shiba glanced at the timer, his voice faint. "Completed in 5.2 seconds."
"Ridiculous," muttered a vice-captain.
"He didn't even leave an afterimage," said another.
"That wasn't Shunpo—" Shunsui whispered with a grin, "that was Shunshin."
Unohana remained silent, but the slight lift at the corner of her mouth said everything.
Shiba Isshin cleared his throat.
"Third round — White Hits."
Two high-level seated officers from the Eleventh Division stepped forward. Both were veterans known for their mastery in hand-to-hand combat.
"You will engage them in unarmed combat. If you defeat both within three minutes, you pass."
Lan Yan stepped into the ring without a word.
As the duel started, the first officer lunged.
But before he could strike, his body twisted sideways unnaturally—thrown by an invisible force.
The second officer tried to flank.
Lan Yan's body dipped low, twisted midair, and flipped backward. A kick slammed into the man's shoulder, sending him crashing out of the ring.
Three seconds passed.
Silence again.
The first officer, struggling to his feet, raised a trembling hand.
"I yield..."
"The other one too," muttered Shiba, eyes narrowed. "White Hits — pass."
One by one, the assessments continued: Kendō, Reiatsu, Zanpakutō.
In Kendō, Lan Yan disarmed a vice-captain with a single stroke.
In Reiatsu, the detection tools exploded before a reading could be made.
As for Zanpakutō — he did not just release Shikai.
He simply walked past a row of sealed Zanpakutō — and each blade resonated with his presence.
Yamamoto's voice finally sounded, deep as rolling thunder.
"No more tests are necessary."
"This candidate... graduates."
"Effective immediately."
The finality in his tone echoed across the field.
Everyone stood.
A new Shinigami had emerged.
One who, within a single month, had done what others couldn't in decades.
And the captains all knew—this wasn't just the graduation of a student.
It was the ascension of a monster.