Since he didn’t need to conserve energy against potential demon ambushes during the day, Kanzaki Kumo ran at full speed, arriving at Mount Momoyama by lunchtime the next day.
Perhaps because he had achieved his first kill, his state of mind had changed; his Breathing Technique had improved again.
Not only was he faster, but he didn’t even feel tired after running the whole way back.
Having gone out, successfully paid respects to his grandfather, and completed his first demon kill—and now with his Breathing Technique further enhanced—Kanzaki Kumo kicked open the dining room door with excitement.
“Little old man, I’m back!”
*Thud*
Along with his voice, there was a dull sound, like a heavy object hitting the floor.
Looking down, he saw the familiar Little old man sitting on the ground, rubbing his forehead and glaring at Kanzaki Kumo in anger.
“Master!
Are you okay?
Does it hurt?
Are you injured?” Kanzaki Kumo immediately stepped forward to help him up, his address changing from “Little old man” to “Master,” whether out of genuine concern or to awaken the other’s “paternal love” to avoid a beating.
After all, looking at the situation, Kuwajima Jigorō happened to be walking toward the door when Kanzaki Kumo kicked it; he had likely heard Kanzaki Kumo returning and was preparing to open the door to look.
“Brat!” Kuwajima Jigorō rubbed his forehead with one hand and rapped Kanzaki Kumo on the head with the other.
“Ouch!”
Sensing that the force wasn’t heavy, Kanzaki Kumo knew he wasn’t truly angry, so he immediately cooperated by clutching his head and pretending to be in pain.
“Hmph!”
Kuwajima gave a light snort and turned toward the kitchen.
His disciple had returned earlier than expected, and the lunch he had prepared wasn’t enough; he needed to add more.
“I’ll help!” Kanzaki Kumo immediately chased after him.
…
After enjoying a sumptuous lunch, Kuwajima Jigorō began to ask about serious matters.
“Tell me, why are you back earlier than planned?
And you look like you’ve encountered something happy?”
“Your disciple completed his first demon kill last night!” Kanzaki Kumo proudly announced his first-kill record and explained the circumstances.
“Oh?” Kuwajima Jigorō glanced at Kanzaki Kumo with some surprise.
From the moment Kanzaki Kumo entered the door to the cooking process, he had carefully confirmed that Kanzaki Kumo didn’t have a single scratch on him.
“Let me see your blade.”
After his surprise, Kuwajima reached out for the nichirin blade that Kanzaki Kumo had placed aside.
After Kanzaki Kumo handed it over, Kuwajima drew the blade from its sheath, examined the edge carefully, and then nodded.
“Not bad.
There’s almost no visible wear.
A clean, decisive fatal blow.
It seems your swordsmanship training isn’t just for show.”
“Weren’t you watching from the side when I practiced?
Don’t you know if it’s for show or not?” Kanzaki Kumo muttered.
“Is practice the same as actual combat?!
Many people are fine during practice, but when they actually face a demon, they can’t even hold their swords steady.
Otherwise, what do you think the point of the Final Selection is?” Kuwajima’s tone became much more serious.
“Judging purely by swordsmanship level, any Cultivator can determine if a disciple’s skills are enough to handle an ordinary demon.
But before experiencing real combat, no one knows how much of their strength they can exert when facing a real demon.”
“Of course!” Kanzaki Kumo lifted his head proudly.
Seeing Kanzaki Kumo getting a bit cocky, Kuwajima immediately let out a torrent of criticism.
“But you brat, you didn’t report it when you encountered a demon!
You went to slay a demon without any information, logistics, or support.
You’re not even a formal swordsman yet—do you want to skip the ranks from Hashira Rank: Kinoe to Kinoe rank and become a Hashira directly?!
You were lucky this time to meet a weak demon.
What if you met a strong one?
What if it was one of the Twelve Kizuki?!”
He poked Kumo’s head with every sentence, poking him until he shrank under the dining table.
“You also know I’m not a formal swordsman.
I don’t even know the channels to contact the Demon Slayer Corps, nor do I know the distribution of the Wisteria Houses.
How was I supposed to report it…”
Kanzaki Kumo’s words were tinged with grievance.
But in truth, he really had forgotten to report it.
While he didn’t know the specific contact channels in that small town, a Wisteria House could be identified just by finding the Wisteria Flower Crest, which wasn’t that hard to find.
As for proving his identity, there was no better proof than the nichirin blade unique to the Demon Slayer Corps.
However, Kuwajima Jigorō froze after hearing Kanzaki Kumo’s words.
The Demon Slayer Corps indeed did not provide contact channels for non-formal members.
Originally, this wasn’t an issue.
Ordinary apprentices wouldn’t go near places where demons were, and if they did encounter one, there wouldn’t be time to contact anyone.
Or, someone like Kanzaki Kumo with outstanding talent would just slay the demon, removing the need for separate contact.
The respective Cultivator would just report it, and the Kakushi would handle the aftermath.
And Kanzaki Kumo had already written a letter to Ubuyashiki Kagaya when he passed through the town below Mount Momoyama.
“By the way, you can tell my combat situation just by looking at the blade?
You’re that amazing?” Seeing that Kuwajima was no longer pursuing the matter, Kanzaki Kumo curiously leaned in.
“Hmph!
Of course.” Pride was written all over Kuwajima’s face.
“Brat, remember this.
The importance of the sword in a swordsman’s hand is no less than his second life.
Your eyes are special, so you should pay even more attention to your blade.
Watch its wear, its flexibility, and its sharpness.
Once these show a noticeable decline, it needs maintenance or replacement.”
“Since the founding of the Demon Slayer Corps, the vast majority of swordsmen have died with their blades broken.
I won’t say they wouldn’t have died if their swords hadn’t broken—after all, a demon capable of breaking their swords is already far stronger than them.
But with a sword in hand, they at least have the ability to counterattack and the possibility of finding a sliver of hope in a desperate situation.”
“The swordsmiths of the Swordsmith Village hold nichirin blades in high regard.
Besides their professional pride in their work, they share similar thoughts.”
“They pour all their heart and soul into every single blade, just to make it a bit sharper and tougher.
This is because they don’t want a swordsman to sacrifice themselves because their sword couldn’t withstand the battle.
They lack the ability to participate on the front lines, so they do their absolute best to ensure the swords in the swordsmen’s hands do not become their weakness.”
“You will have your own nichirin blade in the future.
For now, I’ll use mine as an example to teach you some experience in judging the condition of a blade.”
As Kuwajima spoke, he drew his nichirin blade with a *shing* and began to explain, pointing at every tiny pattern on the edge. This story is hosted at g.com.
“Of course, what I’m saying are the characteristics of this specific blade.
Different swordsmiths have different forging techniques, and the feedback in the details varies.
What you need to do is use those gifted eyes and your clever brain to find the patterns of wear for your own blade.”
“I understand, Master.”
…
While Kuwajima Jigorō was teaching Kanzaki Kumo…
At the Ubuyashiki Estate, Kagaya stood at the door looking at the sky, holding the letter sent by Kanzaki Kumo.
There was a rare sense of ease in his voice.
“He can already slay demons independently?
Xiao Yun’s talent is indeed very high…”
The reason for his improved mood wasn’t just Kanzaki Kumo’s ability to slay demons, but also Himejima Gyomei, who had come to the Demon Slayer Corps with Kanzaki Kumo.
His growth was exceptionally fast.
In less than half a year, he had jumped seven ranks, growing from a Hashira Rank: Kinoe-rank swordsman to a Hei-rank swordsman, and he wasn’t far from the Rank: Kinoto rank.
It was highly likely he would become a Hashira within the next six months.
Compared to Kanzaki Kumo, who could only slay ordinary demons for now, Gyomei, who was about to become a Hashira, was the one who could effectively alleviate the Demon Slayer Corps’ current manpower shortage.
Ubuyashiki Amane stood beside Kagaya, happy for Kagaya’s rare good mood yet worried about the purple markings caused by the curse already appearing on her husband’s forehead.
According to the past experience of the Ubuyashiki Family, when these markings spread to the entire face, it would be the end of his life.
Furthermore, as the curse spread, Ubuyashiki Kagaya’s body would begin an irreversible decline.
Right now, the markings were still very faint and could be hidden by his hair, but since they had appeared, they heralded that the countdown for Ubuyashiki Kagaya’s life had begun.
Unless Muzan could be killed, this countdown would not stop.
Sometimes Amane also questioned the gods in her heart: why did they cast a curse on the Ubuyashiki Family but not punish Muzan?
But the gods never responded.
…
Days slipped away quickly in the ordinary routine.
In the blink of an eye, another half a year had passed.
During this time, nothing special happened except for Himejima Gyomei becoming the Stone Hashira.
After that, the annual Final Selection was about to arrive again.
And this time, Kanzaki Kumo would participate.
Although Kuwajima Jigorō’s heart softened the day before he set off, wanting to persuade Kanzaki Kumo to wait another year, seeing Kanzaki Kumo’s determined eyes, all his dissuasion turned into instructions and blessings when he spoke.
However, he wasn’t worried about whether Kanzaki Kumo could pass the selection.
After all, more than three months ago, Kanzaki Kumo had truly mastered Total Concentration Breathing, Constant.
Afterward, he had fine-tuned several forms of Thunder Breathing, making them more suitable for his own attacking habits.
Judging solely from the strength shown in daily training, the current Kanzaki Kumo was not much worse than the Kuwajima Jigorō who had just become a Hashira.
Kuwajima truly had no sufficient reason to stop him from participating in the Final Selection.
The reason Kanzaki Kumo insisted on participating in the Final Selection, besides wanting to enter the Demon Slayer Corps early to facilitate future plans, was more importantly to deal with the Hand Demon on Fujikasane Mountain, whose strength far exceeded the level of a’starter village boss.’
Because he had taken on such a talented disciple, Kuwajima had once written a letter to another old friend who had become a Cultivator to brag fiercely.
Not long ago, that friend had also written back to brag to Kuwajima about taking on two very talented disciples—Sabito and Tomioka Giyuu.
The person who wrote to Kuwajima was the former Water Hashira, Urokodaki Sakonji, who had become a Cultivator more than a year earlier than him.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”