The Final Test

"One would've thought that someone who'd risen to the top would feel confident enough to speak with an old man without this kind of aggression."

"To someone like you who has so brazenly challenged his peers and repeatedly proven victorious, the very idea of nothingness is frightening."

"Do you fear me... my boy?"

The words spoken by the ancient and noble still rung strong in the mind of. It was well over a thousand years since their encounter in the mysterious realm of. The silver-haired renegade of a thousand years past had grown into one of the most highest recognized authorities of the. But even in his standing at what many regard as the top, there were still plateaus further up to reach, but Seireitou did not grow disheartened as many often do on the path of training. He continued his trek upwards, and in his path, the existences of even stronger beings became known to him.

Such was the reason for his visit to the wild lands today. Kachōfūgetsu had sent for him, and out of respect for his former mentor, Seireitou answered. Of course, it was no simple task to head to where the ancient life dragon resided. It took a week's worth of travel, even to transverse the dimensional plains, for Yuánrǎng was a far-flung realm in relation to the Soul Society. But eventually he came to the world and met his mentor face to face for the first time in a thousand years.

A final test. That was the reason for the dragon's call. And of course, Seireitou was at no loss of sarcastic language directed toward his former mentor as to the purpose of another test. All that Kachōfūgetsu would tell him of the test was to remind him once more of past teachings. Despite his annoyance at the prospect of another test by a teacher he supposedly concluded lessons with a millenia ago, Seireitou was intrigued by what the old dragon suggested. Maybe he read too much into it, but perhaps Kachōfūgetsu arranged for an opponent to face the silver-haired martial artist, just as the ancient life dragon himself served as Seireitou's opponent during their final meeting as teacher and student back then.

With a brazened expression, Seireitou leaped into the portal opened by Kachōfūgetsu, to where the acclaimed final test would take place.

Encounter
As he exited the portal, Seireitou found himself slowly descending from the skies above, down to what appeared to be a massive island in the skies. Clouds gathered all around the cliffs and ends of the island, and a variety of climates — ranging from mountains to forests to even sandy knolls — were scattered about the strange land. Within moments, he descended to the grass below, and quietly made his way into the jungle of trees. It would only be another couple minutes before the vision of a wide clearing in the distance could be seen.