Transcendent Realm, Red Materials ×3

Bai Cangshu fell unusually silent upon hearing Aizen Sōsuke’s offer and did not agree immediately.

The Hōgyoku was naturally an exceedingly rare treasure. Or rather, within the Infinite Dimensional Space, where it was now extremely difficult to gain access to the Bleach World, the Hōgyoku was almost impossible to obtain through ordinary means.

And even if a top-tier reincarnator at Bai Cangshu’s current level found a way to enter the Bleach World, after learning that one of the known Three Supreme Kings—the controller of the Throne of Illusion and Reality, Infinite Dimensional Space’s largest gathering—was none other than Aizen Sōsuke, how many would truly dare enter that world in search of the Hōgyoku?

Even among all Derivative Worlds, Aizen Sōsuke stood among the very best of "villainous" characters. He possessed both top-tier power and wisdom, as well as a bug-level ability like Kyōka Suigetsu, capable of deceiving the vast majority of people.

He was an enemy that most people were unwilling to face unless their strength was enough to utterly crush the Bleach World.

"You’re hesitating, Mr. Bai Cangshu."

There always seemed to be a smile in Aizen Sōsuke’s deep eyes, a calm ease as though everything lay within his grasp. The way he looked at Bai Cangshu was like an artist admiring his perfect creation.

"You’re becoming more and more human."

Crackle!

Terrifying electricity erupted from Bai Cangshu’s body. The invisible magnetic field began to turn, and everything in the Private Space instantly floated into the air. Protected by the space itself, A Single Thought of Silk did not feel that horrifying power.

Yet from the changes in her surroundings, she still sensed Mercenary Tao’s terrifying strength.

She instinctively took two steps back, staring gravely at the seemingly innocent, harmless girl standing before Mercenary Tao.

Ever since entering this space, this woman had maintained a timid, shrinking posture. There had been no indication whatsoever that she possessed any strength.

She had merely raised her right hand and displayed a damaged, jade-like item.

But Mercenary Tao’s violent reaction could not be faked. It was as if she had encountered a terrifying enemy unlike any she had ever seen.

"It seems the Mad King’s heart really has had an incomprehensible effect on you. Was that fellow’s purpose all along?"

Aizen Sōsuke showed no agitation despite matters straying beyond his plans. In truth, after seeing numerous world lines, he had already "corrected" some of his own flaws.

Once you arranged some so-called optimal timeline, that line would most likely collapse because of all manner of unforeseen incidents.

Such things were not low-probability events. In the Infinite Dimension, influences such as Causality Law and World Will would instead bring about so-called miracles and give birth to so-called Unreasonable Monsters.

That would cause such possibilities to expand and consume other world lines.

Aizen Sōsuke held himself in extremely high regard. Though he was nominally one of the Three Supreme Kings alongside the other two, whether it was the monster that had survived from the previous dimension or the King of Miracles blessed by both plane and space…

He looked down on every one of them!

At some point, Bai Cangshu’s expression had become utterly calm. The flashing bolts of electricity and chaotic magnetic field around him seemed no more than an act put on for the occasion.

Looking at the mocking curve of Aizen Sōsuke’s lips, he had to admit that he could understand such a mindset.

Based on the signs he had uncovered so far, the peculiarity of his own existence was most likely inextricably connected to the being before him.

Bai Cangshu would not doubt himself like the protagonist of some melodramatic tragedy. Nor would he feel any gratitude or worship toward some so-called "creator."

He merely studied Aizen Sōsuke with the same gaze one might use to examine some rare and wondrous creation.

The undisguised arrogance in the other man’s demeanor declared that he did not actually care about the plans of the King of Miracles or the King of Destiny. He had absolute confidence in his own plan.

Or perhaps… Aizen Sōsuke simply did not care about the Great Calamity of the End at all.

Electrical signals coursed through Bai Cangshu’s mind, and he immediately realized that Aizen Sōsuke was fundamentally different from reincarnators.

Or rather, he was closer to another kind of being.

"The Black King Society…"

Aizen Sōsuke’s smile paused, then became even more pronounced.

He was simply too satisfied with this creation of his. It was the most direct proof that he had surpassed Kisuke Urahara, surpassed Yhwach, and even surpassed the Soul King.

He had created a more perfect individual!

"You too… are a Black King?"

A Single Thought of Silk blinked. She suddenly realized that she could no longer hear Mercenary Tao’s voice. Not only that, Mercenary Tao’s figure had become blurred in her eyes. That ugly red face was gradually changing into another appearance.

An illusion…

The thought surfaced in A Single Thought of Silk’s mind, but in the next instant, a new sensation arose and immediately made her brain discard that understanding. The image before her became completely confused. She only felt that Mercenary Tao was beginning to overlap entirely with someone in her memories, and those memories themselves began to blur.

From the corner of his eye, Bai Cangshu noticed the dazed look in A Single Thought of Silk’s eyes. He frowned. Did the Three Supreme Kings possess the privilege of using their abilities within the space?

Bai Cangshu’s brain was highly active. In nearly an instant, the special nature of cards and the strange celestial phenomenon from when the Great Sun of Finality had appeared in the Slum Area came to mind.

Then there was the authority he had been granted after killing members of the Primordial Dragon Court, as well as when Destiny Gathering had tried to stop his transaction with Azure Sky—Authority: Second Chance.

Authority really could accomplish such things…

A smile curled Bai Cangshu’s lips. The secrets of Infinite Dimensional Space were gradually being unraveled.

Then what level of authority was needed to act freely within Infinite Dimensional Space?

Or rather, what was the pinnacle of authority? Directly obtaining control over the entire Infinite Dimensional Space?!

The authority of an Observer?!

That information made Bai Cangshu interested in authority as well.

Bai Cangshu raised his right hand, and the Scarlet Drop Card appeared. The Mad King’s Scarlet Drop Card was not actually worth all that much.

Because the most valuable thing within it—the reason the Mad King had become the Mad King, the true source of his strength, that heart—

Had already fallen into Bai Cangshu’s hands.

With enough luck, the remaining Scarlet Drop Card might yield the Mad King’s so-called staircase to kingship, along with the special King’s Authority from K World that combined the Royal Authority Powers of many kings.

But without the Mad King, Bai Cangshu regarded all those things as ordinary items.

You have lost Scarlet Drop Card ×1

You have obtained Item: Hogyoku Fragment

The instant the Scarlet Drop Card landed in Aizen’s hand, he crushed it. Scarlet streams of information flowed. Bai Cangshu saw red and purple light flare up, only to dissipate moments later. In the end, a strand of golden radiance was caught in Aizen’s hand.

It was as though he had obtained what he wanted. He put it away, then smiled at Bai Cangshu.

"Don’t die, Mr. Bai Cangshu."

Aizen’s smile carried a certain implication as well, just like that Goddess’s.

Bai Cangshu had grown accustomed to such cryptic posturing. He merely tossed the Hogyoku Fragment in his hand and asked,

"This thing really isn’t a fragment of your Hōgyoku?"

Altering an item’s description might be somewhat difficult for ordinary reincarnators, but to alchemists capable of crafting advanced items themselves, it was nothing extraordinary.

Especially when the Hōgyoku itself had been created by Aizen and Kisuke Urahara.

Aizen waved a hand, preparing to leave, but deliberately left behind one final remark.

"Since you’ve noticed such things, why not look at yourself and see what has already disappeared?"

"Perhaps the purpose I wished to achieve has already been achieved."

"If you want to become human, you must first see yourself clearly, Mr. Bai Cangshu."

Buzz!

Aizen Sōsuke turned into a beam of light and teleported away. Only then did A Single Thought of Silk regain her hearing, gasping for breath. She looked at Mercenary Tao with a confused gaze, utterly unable for the moment to distinguish what in her memories was real.

Two sets of memories regarding Mercenary Tao had emerged in her mind.

In one, she had accepted a commission and joined Mahakala and Su Qingqiu in an attempt to surround and kill her. They had failed, been defeated instead, and then been forced to sign slave contracts. That was reality.

In the other, she had lived near an individual named Bai Cangshu since childhood, but because of his monstrous reputation, her family had demanded that she keep her distance. From those verdant mountains, she had secretly watched the young Bai Cangshu. Then, at school, she had witnessed the brutal Bai Cangshu send several grown men to the hospital by himself…

Until Binhai University, where the "false human Bai Cangshu" had gradually disguised himself perfectly.

"Go to the Goddess’s Abode and recover."

Bai Cangshu waved a hand. He realized that Aizen Sōsuke’s ability had surely surpassed its original version by a tremendous margin.

There had not even been a Zanpakutō release process, yet a reincarnator at A Single Thought of Silk’s level had fallen for it directly, appearing completely brainwashed.

A Single Thought of Silk frowned. She discovered that Mercenary Tao had granted her special permission to use Singularities and Dimensional Points. On one hand, this made her firmly believe in the transformation of the terrifying Mercenary Tao from her memories.

On the other hand, she believed it was special treatment given to her by Mercenary Tao, her "childhood sweetheart."

After A Single Thought of Silk left, Bai Cangshu continued opening trades.

Before the next reincarnator was teleported over, Bai Cangshu quickly examined the Musō Tensei he had obtained earlier.

It was one of the ultimate secrets of the Fist of the North Star world. Yet under the space’s anchoring, it had received an S-rank evaluation and was specifically marked as Transcendent Realm.

Clearly, it was a technique that could bring martial arts and combat abilities beyond their limits.

This ability would be immensely useful to him.

Bai Cangshu’s Martial Arts Mastery was currently at level 9+. This was because after his cultivation at the Swirl of the Root, he had obtained level 9 Martial Arts Grandmaster techniques.

But when he had replaced Mercenary Tao’s Pink Robe with the Black Winged Great Demon’s Coat, he had specifically paid a price at the Alchemy Institute to preserve the Pink Robe’s +2 Martial Arts Mastery trait.

This meant that he had effectively surpassed ordinary level 9, yet still lacked that final spark of insight needed to reach level 10.

Based on how Bai Cangshu felt during actual combat, he could vaguely sense the limits of technique, but he had yet to break through under pressure of that intensity.

Given enough time, or attacks with sufficiently intense martial force, he could likely break through the shackles of level 9.

And enter the realm of Lv10.

Surpass the Peak of Skill and enter the realm of "My Style."

A very small number of reincarnators in the space could reach Lv10 through items or the accumulation of massive resources, thereby obtaining abilities anchored by the space as My Style.

Put simply, their technique had evolved enough to become an ability. It gained the space’s recognition and erupted with power beyond the level of mere technique.

Some reincarnators could also gain the effects of My Style in advance through special schools or items, but compared with the strength of Lv10 Mastery, the gap was enormous.

Beyond Lv10’s My Style lay the more mysterious Lv10+… the Transcendent Realm!

By Bai Cangshu’s previous understanding, Sasaki of the Fate World was likely at such a level.

Ultimate technique began to give rise to special abilities approaching laws. My Style had been carried to its limit, producing an ability that transcended all limits.

Likewise, while he had been half-awake and half-asleep, he had used the Throne of the Heart to observe the attack of that formidable female swordswoman from Azure Sky.

The reincarnator known as the pinnacle of the Swordplay System—Sen Xia.

Every one of her attacks had nearly left a wound on the Great Sun of Finality. Though her own defenses were ordinary, the oppressive force of her attacks grew ever stronger.

Bai Cangshu believed that in a fight to the death, the Great Sun of Finality would most likely be slain by that woman.

Realm of Nothingness… Transcendent Realm.

Bai Cangshu felt a fire kindle in his heart. Seeing a figure about to appear before him, he used the space to contact Black Butler and had him arrange contact with Mu Yu of The Heaven.

He needed another Bodhi Leaf.

Buzz!

A flash of light, and the newcomer had appeared.

A half-black, half-white crown resembling a taiji symbol flickered above the man’s head. His appearance was unkempt, with sparse stubble on his chin.

Bai Cangshu paused, then broke into a broad smile.

"Is Salted Fish joining my Paradise too?"

This man was the Supreme Expert Bai Cangshu had met once before: the leader of the massive loose gathering, Salted Fish Disappeared, and a top-tier divination-type reincarnator whom Bai Cangshu had encountered when first entering the space—An Zhiyuan!

Looking at the man who had changed his codename to An and disguised his identification number so Black Butler could not recognize him, Bai Cangshu was not surprised that he could offer such a price.

Material: Right Hand of Ideal Farewell

Quality: World’s Rare Treasure

Effect: ?

Material: Core of the Monster-Harm God-Slaying Fist

Quality: World’s Rare Treasure

Effect: ?

And the final material: Nyarlathotep’s Thousand-Faced Visage.

Three materials of this level had appeared at once. It truly was…

"As expected of a massive gathering. Even the things it can obtain are beyond imagination…"

Bai Cangshu clapped his hands in praise.

But An Zhiyuan had no mood for banter. He merely said,

"The terms I wish to trade with you are this: I need you to bring someone into the Little Garden World as soon as possible!"