nycdaug Chapter 73: Demonstrating Martial Arts Skills, Envious of the Pillars
Chapter 73: Demonstrating Martial Arts Skills, Envious of the Pillars
The next morning, Kagaya Ubuyashiki arranged for all the Pillars to participate in Hakutaku's special training as the first batch of special training members. They first learned the Yi Jin Jing and the Flame Blade. Then, he wanted the Pillars to summarize the characteristics of the new techniques, and then break them down so that the lower-level members could gradually improve.
Before Bai Ze even started training, the impatient Wind Pillar, Shinazugawa Sanemi, wanted to spar with Bai Ze first. He wanted to see just how strong a swordsman could be without using the five great inherited breathing techniques.
The other pillars also gathered around, eager to witness Bai Ze's strength. Only the Sound Pillar, Uzui Tengen, and the Water Pillar, Tomioka Giyuu, had ever seen Bai Ze in action.
Although Yuzui Tengen had fought a fierce battle with Bai Ze before, he couldn't be sure that Bai Ze had used his full strength. Therefore, Tengen was also eager to see if Bai Ze had any other tricks up his sleeve or any fancy attacks.
Bai Ze knew that most of these pillars were descendants of the five major breathing techniques derived from the Sun Breathing, so when Bai Ze said that his own techniques and "true qi" were more advanced and had a higher utilization rate than the breathing techniques they had learned, several pillars were somewhat unconvinced.
Bai Ze smiled and took the sword from A Ying, then thought for a moment, shook his head, put the sword down, and said:
"Today, we won't compete in the sharpness of swords and blades. We'll use our inner energy and breathing techniques to show you what true 'breathing techniques' really are!"
As he spoke, Bai Ze walked to the edge of the training ground, picked up a wooden training sword, and went to the center of the field to say to Shinazugawa Sanemi:
"Don't cry after you get hit!"
Enraged by Bai Ze's words, Shinazugawa Sanemi's veins bulged on his forehead. He went to the sidelines, grabbed a training wooden sword, and arrogantly declared:
"I'll beat you down and then see who cries first!"
Bai Ze took a deep breath and activated the Free and Unfettered Divine Skill (the combination of the 'Northern Darkness Divine Skill', 'Lesser Formless Skill', and 'Eight Desolations and Six Harmonies, I Alone Am Supreme Skill', making the body, meridians, and internal energy a true trinity).
Bai Ze didn't use the system's TP skill enhancement. Otherwise, with the TP skill damage enhanced by the Free and Easy Divine Art, none of these pillars would be his match. Previously, when Bai Ze sparred with the Sound Pillar Yuzui Tianyuan, he only used the Berserker's basic skills plus Lingbo Weibu and was already evenly matched with Tianyuan.
After Bai Ze activated the Free and Unfettered Divine Skill, he added Flaming Blade Qi to the training wooden sword. The onlookers saw an invisible layer of Qi appear on the training wooden sword in Bai Ze's hand. When he swung the blade, the ripples caused by the sword Qi twisting space were clearly visible.
Bai Ze brandished his wooden sword and said:
"This is the effect of the Flame Blade's aura. It can enhance the damage of your weapon with true qi, making your attacks on enemies even more powerful. Even if you encounter a special blood demon and your sword is damaged, you can still use your own body as a weapon."
After speaking, Bai Ze raised his left hand and activated the Flame Blade. The Pillars saw that Bai Ze's hand was covered by invisible true energy. He swung his arm, and the same ripple effect as on the wooden sword he had just trained with appeared around his palm.
Tianyuan smiled happily:
"Magnificent! Magnificent! This is absolutely fantastic! With this breathing technique, the Demon Slayer Corps' overall strength will be greatly enhanced!"
Flame Pillar Kyojuro Rengoku also said:
"Very thoughtful! And that's a very powerful attack!"
After explaining the skills to the Pillars, Bai Ze said to the Wind Pillar, Shinazugawa Sanemi:
"Come on, you only have one chance!"
The Wind Pillar had taken notice when he saw Bai Ze use the Flame Blade. This method of using true energy to empower the blade was indeed stronger than the breathing techniques of the other Pillars. He himself could not keep using the Breath of Wind to empower the blade, as that would consume a great deal of energy from the Pillars, and his body simply could not withstand such consumption.
The Wind Pillar, Sanemi Shinazugawa, is quite strong. He can skillfully use the Breath of Wind to launch attacks, and can even wrap the wind blades generated by the breathing technique around his hands and feet as a physical technique. When attacking, he can cut wounds by merely grazing the skin.
Immediately, Shinazugawa Sanemi took a deep breath, activated the Breath of Wind, and said to Hakutaku:
"Come on, we'll see how good you are after we fight."
The onlookers retreated, leaving the space to Hakutaku and Shinazugawa Sanemi. The two stood facing each other, and without much further discussion, Sanemi immediately unleashed his Second Form: Claw Claw: Wind Blade, sending four claw-shaped wind blades toward Hakutaku.
Bai Ze did not dodge. He saw the attack position of the wind blade, gripped the training wooden sword enhanced with the sword energy of the Flame Blade in one hand, and quickly swung it to disperse Shimi's wind blade with the sword energy.
After dispersing the wind blades, Bai Ze did not attack. He simply held his sword with one hand and smiled at Sanemi. Sanemi raised his eyebrows, watching Bai Ze casually disperse his wind blades, and understood what Bai Ze had said earlier about the low energy utilization rate of the Pillars' breathing techniques.
However, Sanemi was not the type to give up easily, so he rushed towards Hakutaku and continued his attack. The two wooden swords clashed repeatedly, but Hakutaku's wooden sword was enhanced with true energy. The high heat of the flame sword's true energy turned the places where Sanemi's wooden swords collided into black marks.
Sanemi also noticed that the color of the sword in his hand had changed. He then activated the seventh form of Wind Breathing: Gale: Tengu Wind and launched an attack on Bai Ze from multiple directions. He himself rushed towards Bai Ze along with a tornado blade.
Bai Ze used the Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique) to dodge several tornado blades coming from different directions. When he got close to Shimi, he raised his sword and slashed vertically, directly breaking through the wind blade in front of Shimi. He then used the Lingbo Weibu to slide to Shimi's side and tapped Shimi's shoulder with the hilt of his sword.
Sanemi was thrown off balance by Bai Ze's swift movements, and the final blow to his shoulder caused him to lose his balance and fall to one side.
Just as Sanemi rolled to the side, Sanemi's Fourth Form: Rising Sandstorm was unleashed, striking diagonally upwards towards Bai Ze.
Bai Ze used the Lingbo Weibu technique to glide and flatten his body, then darted out directly from the underside of the Fourth Form Wind Blade.
Sanemi used the reaction force of the Fourth Form: Rising Sandstorm to stabilize his body. Looking at Bai Ze rushing towards him, he used the Third Form: Clear Storm Wind Tree to unleash three huge wind blades around Sanemi in an instant.
Bai Ze darted to a spot not far from Sanemi. Seeing the wind blade coming, he slapped the ground with his left hand and spun 360 degrees in the air, successfully dodging Sanemi's attack. Sanemi did not stop, and the Land Form: Black Wind and Mist attacked Bai Ze from below.
Bai Ze swung his sword repeatedly in mid-air, directly interrupting Sanemi's wind blades and landing behind Sanemi. Sanemi turned around and released the Eighth Form: First Fierce Wind Slash, which created a powerful spiral wind blade around Bai Ze.
Bai Ze lowered his body, saw through the direction the wind blade was heading, and directly slashed along the wind blade in the middle of the wind blade with his sword. The wind blade of the First Fierce Wind Slash was directly cut and scattered.
After dispersing the wind blades, Bai Ze lunged forward. In the instant that Sanemi was still stunned, he used his left hand, imbued with the energy of a flame sword, to sever the training wooden sword in Sanemi's hand. His right hand then placed the wooden sword against the left side of Sanemi's neck.
Sanemi watched as Hakutaku sliced through his wind blade. Before he could react, his wooden sword was instantly severed, and the burning sensation on his neck brought him back to his senses.
"Clap clap clap clap clap~"
The sound of applause came from behind the Pillars. Ubuyashiki Kagaya walked in from behind the group with the twins. The Pillars quickly bowed, and Ubuyashiki Kagaya smiled and said:
"What a wonderful duel, what wonderful martial arts! Lord Bai Ze's Flame Blade energy density far surpasses that of the Breathing Technique. This time, you have lost, Sanemi."
The Pillars also acknowledged Bai Ze's strength; Bai Ze's use of the Flame Blade True Qi alone was enough to overwhelm the Wind Pillar, Shinazugawa Sanemi, who possessed considerable combat power.
Seeing Bai Ze's relaxed demeanor, the Pillars could sense that if Bai Ze used all his skills, Sanemi would only suffer an even more crushing and faster defeat!
At this moment, Sound Pillar Uzui Tengen stepped forward and said with a smile:
"Hahaha~ What a magnificent attack, what a magnificent way of using true energy. The attack method you used today, Lord Bai Ze, is different from the one I used during our match. I really want to see how magnificent you are when you go all out."
Bai Ze replied with a smile:
"Don't worry, you'll see in time."
At this moment, Hakutaku said to Ubuyashiki Kagaya:
"Master, let's invite Tanjiro and the other two to join this special training as well. They are all qualified to participate."
Sanemi said impatiently:
"What kind of strength could that brat with the ghost have? To train with us? Pshaw!"
Bai Ze wasn't annoyed, and smiled as he addressed the crowd:
"I know that your five main breathing techniques are derived from the Sun Breathing of the strongest swordsman, Yoriichi Tsugikuni. If I told you that Tanjiro knows the Sun Breathing, would you believe me?"
Flame Pillar Kyojuro Rengoku stared wide-eyed and said:
"How is that possible? No one's body can withstand the Breath of the Sun. Without the mark taught by the legendary Yoriichi Tsugikuni, no swordsman can use the Breath of the Sun now."
"My family's Flame Breathing technique is the closest in energy to Sun Breathing. Every swordsman who uses Flame Breathing dreams of one day being able to use Sun Breathing, but unfortunately, since Sun Breathing was lost, no one has been able to use it."
Bai Ze smiled mysteriously and said:
"I saw it that day at Spider Mountain! When that young boy was fighting the Spider Demon - Rui, he first used Water Breathing, but later I sensed a sudden change in the energy within the boy's body through my unique blood energy perception."
The light blue breathing energy on his sword suddenly turned fiery red, and with that fiery red breathing technique, he severed the spider demon's neck in one swift motion. Had the spider demon not used its trick of connecting its body with spider silk, it would have already been killed by Tanjiro.
"how is this possible?"
Sanemi, looking incredulous, asked a question.
"I never imagined that the Breath of the Sun would have a successor? Magnificent, truly magnificent! Hahaha!"
Tengen smiled happily.
"Oh my gosh! I've heard some really exciting news!"
This is Shinobu Kocho's (Insect Pillar) lament.
"That cute little swordsman actually has such a powerful lineage?"
Love Pillar Mitsuri Kanroji excitedly said, holding her face in her hands.
Bai Ze didn't say anything more, just smiled at the head of the family. Ubuyashiki Kagaya was also very happy. If there really was a successor to the Breath of the Sun, it would be a good thing for the Demon Slayer Corps.
However, if Muzan knew about this, the revenge would be even more intense. Little did he know that after Yoriichi Tsugikuni died, Muzan was afraid that there were still successors of the Sun Breathing technique alive. Back then, Muzan cleaned up and slaughtered a large number of swordsmen who knew the Breathing technique.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki sent someone to the Butterfly Mansion to summon Tanjiro, wanting to ask him about this matter in person.
A short while later, Tanjiro followed the Hidden Army members to the training ground. Tanjiro saw that all the Pillars were there, including Hakutaku, who had saved him and his sister. Tanjiro politely greeted everyone.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki looked at Tanjiro and asked:
"Tanjiro, does your family have any inheritance related to the legendary swordsman 'Yoriichi Tsugikuni'? Lord Hakutaku said that he saw you use a bright red breathing technique to cut down the spider demon, Rui, on Mount Spider."
Tanjiro was stumped by Kagaya Ubuyashiki's question, and with his beady eyes, he touched his face and said:
"Oh! The legendary Lord Tsugikuni? I've never heard of him from my family, but my family has a tradition of the Hinokami Kagura dance, which is performed to pray for peace from the 'Lord Hinokami'."
During my battle with the Spider Demon, I remembered my father's teachings: to practice breathing! Then the breathing technique on my sword changed color, and I used Hinokami Kagura to unleash a circular slash to cut off the Spider Demon's head.
But unexpectedly, he connected his head to his own using spider silk, my attack failed, and after using Hinokami Kagura, I couldn't move my body.
Everyone understood that the Hinokami Kagura passed down through Tanjiro's family was very likely the Sun Breathing of the legendary swordsman Yoriichi Tsugikuni. It's just that Tanjiro's ancestors changed the name in order to pass on the breathing technique.
At this moment, Flame Pillar Kyojuro Rengoku excitedly said:
"The color of Sun Breathing is as dazzling as the sun, and when used, it is like the fire god. The 'Fire God' worshipped by Tanjiro's family is very likely to be Yoriichi Tsugikuni from back then!"
The crowd excitedly surrounded Tanjiro, asking him about the Hinokami Kagura, a technique passed down through his family. They wanted Tanjiro to demonstrate it for them. It was the first time Tanjiro had been surrounded by so many people, and he shyly touched his hair, chuckling to himself.
Finally, Tanjiro demonstrated the Hinokami Kagura dance for everyone. All the Hashira saw the shadow of breathing techniques in the Hinokami Kagura and were overjoyed.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki finally agreed to let the three little ones join the first batch of special trainees and receive special training in the two techniques given to them by Hakutaku.
Perhaps after Tanjiro learns how to use his true energy, he will strengthen himself and be able to fully unleash the Breath of the Sun. That would be wonderful!
…
Bai Ze recalled the Transparent World that Tanjiro and the other Pillars had opened later. The characteristics of his Blood Memories and the usage of the Transparent World had some similarities. Bai Ze was indeed able to see the movements of Tengen and Sanemi when they fought.
Bai Ze then explained to the Pillars the Transparent World, the precision of breathing and movements, and whether they could exert the greatest power with the smallest movements, just like how he had shattered Sanemi's wind blade with a simple slash.
After learning the Yi Jin Jing, the disciples tried to remain calm and focused when launching an attack, abandoning all distractions, fully opening their five senses, feeling the opening and closing of blood vessels and muscles, and feeling every movement of their bodies.
At this moment, Tanjiro suddenly said that he has a very keen sense of smell. He can use his sense of smell to distinguish people's emotions by smell, and he can also distinguish between people and demons. When he was fighting the Spider Demon using Hinokami Kagura, he smelled the Spider Demon's "Gap Thread," which contained a weakness.
After listening to Tanjiro's words, Bai Ze nodded and said:
"This is how the Transparent World is used. However, Tanjiro first activated his sense of smell. The ultimate goal of the Transparent World is to activate all five senses, to be able to clearly sense every movement of oneself or the enemy, and to greatly increase the speed of one's own movements and evasion of attacks."
After hearing what Hakutaku and Tanjiro said, the Pillars were filled with envy. Despite training for so long, none of them had yet unlocked the use of any of their five senses. At this moment, Tengen laughed heartily:
“Magnificent, magnificent! I have a special way of hearing that I can perceive very subtle sounds around me. Is that also a way of seeing through the world?”
Bai Ze nodded and said:
"That counts too. And that's why I called Tanjiro and the other two. That pig is similar to Tengen. He has a similar sense of his environment, and he can also listen to the sounds around him without distraction."
While Zenitsu is a bit of a scatterbrain, he unconsciously manages to unleash his full power.
The Pillars finally understood why Bai Ze had called the three little ones over. Tengen laughed and patted Inosuke on the head. Inosuke looked at the Pillars on the field, all of whom were stronger than him, and at Aying under the eaves of the room in the distance, and muttered to himself:
"I will become stronger, I will surpass you all!"
Ubuyashiki Kagaya then arranged a training plan for everyone, dividing the Pillars into two groups to prepare for training. Although most of the demons had hidden away for unknown reasons, they still could not let their guard down and had Pillar-level swordsmen patrolling outside.
After arranging the rotation of personnel, Kagaya Ubuyashiki prepared a sumptuous feast for everyone to enjoy. When Piggy heard that there was something delicious to eat, he returned to his original state, shouting happily. Then, he was silenced by a gentle pat on the head from Aying.
…