The Supreme Soul, Starting with Death

Therefore, Gu Shi decided to test it out by sending the mantis, Xiao Xu, to say goodbye to its friends.

Now that the results are in, this guy is most likely Neutrabenno.

The reason is simple. In Gu Shi's view, although Nnoitra's death image in the Espada is "despair", judging from his behavior and personality, his greatest characteristic should be cruelty, cruelty towards all life, including himself.

It's not hard to be cruel to others, but it's not so easy to be cruel to yourself.

In the storyline of "Bleach", Nnoitra plotted to assassinate Nel, the third Espada, causing her to turn into a weak child. His reason was that he "could not tolerate women being stronger than himself", which seems to make him a typical sexist.

However, after Nel, who was originally ranked third, disappeared, the newly appointed 30th Espada, Haribel, was still a woman. Nnoitra did not have the same hostility towards this woman who was stronger than him as he did towards Nel. Even when they argued, it was only to the point of ordinary "verbal abuse".

It's worth noting that among the diverse personalities of the Espada, exchanging insults, taunts, and shouts is practically a daily occurrence. Whenever these guys get together, they can't help but exchange a few words. Nnoitra's insults towards Halibel aren't even considered hostility; they're more like a habit or routine.

So why did Nnoitra specifically target Nel?

In Gu Shi's view, there is only one answer: Nel was "gentle" enough to him, and she did not take his life even after defeating Nnoitra several times.

To say that Nnoitra hated Nel because she felt being spared was an "insult" is not entirely accurate.

After all, if he truly harbored hatred, why didn't he continue to kill Nel after turning her into a child? He didn't even kill Nel's two subordinates; instead, he spared their lives, giving them the opportunity to continue caring for Nel, thus preventing the innocent and ignorant Nel from dying unknowingly in the Hueco Mundo desert after becoming a child.

Therefore, his feelings for Nilu are likely not negative hatred or jealousy, but rather more positive.

However, this cruel mantis couldn't bear to see others happy, let alone allow himself to be happy. After realizing that he had feelings for Nel, he immediately and ruthlessly severed his own happiness.

Although this idea seems crazy and hard to understand, it is not particularly uncommon in Japanese manga stories. Those villains who kill their lovers and family members while saying "testing their own capacity" generally have this kind of thinking.

Furthermore, in some older, dark and brutal online novels, the protagonists and villains who follow the ruthless path sometimes also resort to this tactic.

In short, Nnoitra is mentally ill and cruel enough, while this pitiful little mantis in front of us is also mentally unstable and cruel enough, plus the Hollowhole is in the same location...

Therefore, they are most likely the same person!

Now, there's only one problem!

Should you really take on this crazy person who wants to kill you the more you treat him well as an apprentice?

Gu Shi fell into deep thought.

Chapter 185 The Naive Little Mantis

"Lord Gu Shi, I did it! I didn't hurt him! I controlled my desires!"

The pitiful mantis, its excitement barely contained, looked up at Gu Shi, its single, blood-red eye filled with adoration.

Have you truly mastered your desires...?

After staring at the one-eyed creature for a moment, and seeing the creature gradually become uneasy, Gu Shi shook his head with a light laugh.

"Well done, worthy of praise. But we can't relax yet. The path of the virtual is one where you have to fight against your desires at all times. Bloodlust is just the most superficial temptation of instinct; it will also make you jealous, greedy, and cruel."

At this point, Gu Shi paused slightly to make sure that the mantis did not reject or resist his words and was still listening to his "admonition" as truth with fervor, before continuing with a smile.

"Instinct will make you hurt those who are kind to you, those who want you to be happy, and those who can help you become stronger. Once you fail to overcome it even once, your path to becoming a strong person will be immediately cut off, and you will pitifully indulge in the illusion of becoming stronger until you are killed by a true strong person."

"Yes! I understand! I will never succumb to desire!"

The little mantis has unwavering trust in the advice of the strong. He pursues the ultimate power, a power that can sever all despair. Since the "pioneer" said that yielding to instinct would cut off the path to strength, he would rather die than compromise with his desires.

After becoming ethereal, he lost the emotions called "sympathy and pity". He would never sympathize with anyone, let alone pity himself. Anyone who hindered his growth would be eliminated by him in the most cruel way, even if that person was himself.

Looking at the determined little mantis, Gu Shi nodded inwardly.

Hopefully, the admonitions given during his childhood can truly change this inherently cruel little guy.

"Remember your vow. Come with me back to Hueco Mundo."

As he spoke, Gu Shi turned and stepped into the dark chamber behind him. The little mantis grinned and followed him with a silly smile. As soon as it took a step, it saw a faint scarlet color float in front of it.

"Here's a drop of blood for you, drink it quickly."

"Thank you, Lord Gu Shi!"

Without any suspicion, the little mantis swallowed the drop of blood.

The moment he entered, the spiritual power from Adjuchas was released suddenly. Even though it was just a tiny drop of spiritual power in his blood, it immediately expanded his body several sizes.

Immediately afterward, within a few breaths, the spiritual energy was completely consumed by the thirsty body. With the abundant spiritual energy replenishment, the severed left arm quickly regenerated, and the shattered teeth also grew back.

The body, which had just completed its ethereal transformation and was not yet stable, finally stabilized completely. The appetite that had been surging in my heart quietly subsided, replaced by a subtle feeling of nausea from being severely overfed and not wanting to eat anything for three to five days.

The little mantis grinned, its smile widening. It quickly ran a few steps to catch up with Gu Shi, following closely beside him like a loyal little follower.

Before long, the passage through the black cavity came to an end. The moment they stepped out of the black cavity, the scenery before their eyes changed drastically. An endless expanse of pure white desert came into view. The little mantis was stunned by this magnificent sight and stood there for a moment.

With a hint of amusement, Gu Shi glanced at the still "innocent" little mantis, then smiled and raised his hand in greeting.

"Yo, I'm back."

Erlang had heard everything that happened on the other side of the brothel, and looking at the little mantis following behind Gu Shi, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

If we only consider combat power, Jiro could kill a newly born Hollow with a single breath, but the opponent perfectly overcame the rampage of desire after Hollowfication, while he went berserk once when Hollowfied and again a few days ago when he evolved.

The contrast was so stark that Erlang, looking at the fragile little guy now, actually felt a little guilty, and when Gu Shi greeted him, he just wagged his tail vigorously and was too embarrassed to speak for a moment.

Fortunately, Ulquiorra was there without any guilt. He calmly nodded and caught Gu Shi's words that were about to fall to the ground.

"Welcome back. How about it, do you need me to go back to the camp and rebuild a passage?"

"No, no, no, Ur, your black cavity is too stable. It would be bad if it were left open as a long-term passage. If a troublesome enemy tries to force their way through, it would be difficult for the guards to destroy the passage even if they wanted to."

Gu Shi waved his hand, rejecting Ulquiorra's suggestion, and then reached out and pulled the somewhat reserved little mantis over.

"Little guy, do you have a name? Introduce yourself so everyone can get to know you."

The little mantis paused for a moment before shaking its head hesitantly.

"Sorry, I forgot."

The etherealization is a distortion of the soul, which is always accompanied by the loss of memories. He remembers that his friend is called Ryota, and he remembers Gu Shi's powerful ability to cut through despair, but he has forgotten his own name and his past. Perhaps for him, "self" is not that important.

Gu Shi shook his head, unfazed, and gently pushed the little mantis, sending it to Erlang and Ulquiorra.

"It's alright. Since you've forgotten, let's just give you a new name. From today onwards, you'll be called Neutra Gilga. Come on, start introducing yourself."

With Gu Shi's push, they got closer, and the spiritual pressure that Erlang, who had only recently evolved and couldn't yet control well, finally covered Nnoitra a little. The little mantis swayed and almost fell over, but gritted its teeth, straightened its back, and raised its head, shouting loudly with a fierce determination.

"Yes! My name is Neutra Gilga, and I am a newcomer following Lord Gu Shi from today onwards! Please give me your guidance, seniors!"

“My name is Ulquiorra Cifer, you can just call me Ulquiorra.”

"Haha, hello newcomer! My name is Erlang. If you're interested in martial arts, feel free to come find me anytime."

The two were very respectful to the newcomers Gu Shi brought back, and each gave a response. Ulquiorra, though still expressionless, nodded in a friendly manner.

Afterwards, Gu Shi did not immediately teach Neutra any knowledge, but let him move around freely and fully adapt to his body. He found a sand dune to sit down and silently continued to practice his spiritual power control.

The little mantis, who was allowed to move freely, looked blankly at Gu Shi, who was training his spiritual power control by floating sand around him, and then at Erlang, whose spiritual power sometimes expanded and sometimes contracted as he was also training his spiritual power control. Finally, his gaze fell on Ulquiorra, who was squatting to the side, writing and drawing.

Lord Gu Shi and Senior Erlang were both very imposing; getting close to them even made it difficult to breathe. They were clearly extremely powerful individuals. Only this senior named Ulquiorra didn't exude any sense of pressure at all...

So, the innocent little mantis, filled with the joy of finding a companion, quietly approached Ulquiorra, gently nudged his waist, and whispered a question.

"Hey, are you also a newcomer training under Master Gu Shi?"

Ulquiorra was holding a "small spirit gun" made of pure spiritual energy, powerful enough to knock Gu Shi down in one blow, and was seriously drawing a pie chart. When he heard the little mantis ask this question, he looked at the math problem Gu Shi had given him on the ground, thought for a second, and then nodded slightly.

"um, yes."

The little mantis laughed even more heartily.

Chapter 186 Resurrection and the Sharingan

The world is sometimes just that wonderful.

In the storyline of "Bleach", Nnoitra arrogantly claimed to be the strongest of the Espada and had a terrible attitude towards Ulquiorra. But now, because Ulquiorra has controlled his spiritual pressure very well and does not reveal any of his aura, Nnoitra actually treats him as a "newbie" like himself and takes the initiative to approach him to build a good relationship.

Gu Shi watched as Nnoitra, beaming with enthusiasm, diligently calculated two-digit addition and subtraction under Ulquiorra's guidance, and couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

Although Ulquiorra doesn't usually harbor malice towards anyone, his expressionless face and cold, emotionless tone can easily lead people to misunderstand him, making them think he dislikes them and thus become hostile towards him.

What about Nnoitra? Faced with Ulquiorra's cold face, he not only did not show any hostility, but he was still able to maintain his enthusiasm. In fact, as the number of times they met increased, his enthusiasm grew even higher. It has to be said that this was a small spectacle.

However, this was actually Gu Shi's "credit." Because he instilled in Nnoitra the theory that "the strong must restrain their desires," the little mantis was immediately amazed when it saw Ulquiorra, who had no emotions or desires. It believed that this little friend, who was now as weak as itself, would definitely become a super strong person in the future.

So, instead of feeling repulsed, the naive little mantis even admired Ulquiorra, trying to build a good relationship with him while secretly trying to imitate him.

Overall, this naive little mantis is far less annoying than the future Fifty Espada, and everyone is quite satisfied with him.

Jiro was pleased that someone was finally seriously learning martial arts from him. He passed on the martial arts he had recently created to Nnoitra without reservation, and regarded this as the first step in creating a golden age of martial arts in Hueco Mundo.

Ulquiorra was content that, apart from himself, someone else had finally developed an interest in mathematics.

Although the little mantis was a bit slow-witted and needed to be explained many times before it could understand the basics, this little guy had a fierce determination. He forced himself to learn in an almost cruel way, so his progress wasn't too slow. Moreover, he found that explaining problems to this little mantis also helped him to review what he had learned.

As for Gu Shi, he was even more satisfied. He discovered that Neutra had an obsession with becoming stronger at all costs. He would do everything in his power to obtain anything he believed would help him become stronger.

He acknowledged Erlang's strength, and thus was able to withstand the spiritual pressure that Erlang could not yet fully control, overcome the pain of difficulty breathing, and follow Erlang to learn martial arts.

He believed that mathematics was Ulquiorra's secret to controlling his desires, so even though he got a headache just looking at those numbers, he forced himself to ask Ulquiorra for help.

In addition, he still maintains high enthusiasm and plenty of energy every day, wandering around the base, hunting other minor Void creatures, and replenishing his spiritual energy reserves.

Gu Shi admires such a hardworking and good child.

Of course, moral education cannot be neglected. While we don't expect him to become a refined gentleman, we at least don't want him to become a mentally ill person like in the original story. Ulquiorra and Jiro are not good at this kind of education, so Gu Shi has to take charge of it himself.

Fortunately, although moral education is rather dry, as long as it is claimed that "this is the necessary knowledge to cultivate a strong mind," the innocent little praying mantis will study very seriously.

At least, they are several times more diligent than Gu Shi was when he was in school.

With a smile, Gu Shi glanced at Ulquiorra and, confirming that Nnoitra had finally finished his math homework and that the strict teacher had quickly graded it, gave Mantis a satisfied nod. Only then did Gu Shi clap his hands and disperse the large amount of sand floating around him.

"Break time! Anyone who wants to hear a story, come on over."

Ulquiorra was the first to respond. Recently, Gu Shi had been telling him stories about Naruto, and the various fire and water ninjutsu, as well as the concepts of nature transformation and form transformation, had provided him with a lot of inspiration. When he took some time to study the Kido, he could always come up with some good ideas.

Erlang was the second to respond. Although he wasn't very interested in Naruto stories without any great heroes, he would definitely not miss it as long as Gu Shi started telling the story.

Finally, Neutra gave the answer. The little mantis hesitated for a moment about whether to listen to a story or go hunting today, before quickly trotting over to sit obediently next to Gu Shi.

With everyone present, the story of Naruto continues. Today's topic is the Chunin Exams and the subsequent Konoha Crush plan.

Gu Shi's storytelling skills have improved considerably over the past five years. Although he doesn't have the visual appeal of comics, he still captivated everyone who listened.