Training came to a temporary halt, and the three youngsters, huffing and puffing, sat in a circle around Natsunishi.
Obanai wiped away his sweat, his heterochromatic eyes staring directly at Natsunishi. "Hey, Senior Kuguruma, how exactly did you become so strong?"
They were roughly the same age; Natsunishi was, at most, a year or two older than them. Yet none of the three felt confident they could catch up to him within the next couple of years.
Natsunishi replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world: "Through unremitting effort, of course, and a little bit of extraordinary willpower."
The three exchanged glances. They had seen Natsunishi's nearly draconian self-discipline and bitter cultivation with their own eyes. However, the answer they were seeking right now was not this.
"Is there... a faster way?"
What, do you guys want to spend points in a Deep Blue system too? Natsunishi wondered.
He mused that if his [Instruction] skill reached Level 4 like his medical skills, he might actually be able to accelerate their growth through coaching.
He rubbed his chin. "The normal route is nothing more than practice, combat, nourishment, and enlightenment. You practice the basic Breathing Style to a proficient level, break your limits in life-and-death combat, recuperate your body and spirit, or comprehend your own 'Form' or 'Logic' in a desperate situation."
This explanation was standard, but Obanai was clearly dissatisfied. He pressed further: "I mean something faster—something that can make a person strong all at once."
Natsunishi's eyes flickered, and he wore a mysterious smile. "There is. The ultimate secret technique."
The three immediately pricked up their ears.
Natsunishi cleared his throat and spoke in a slow, solemn tone: "It is the knack for liberating your Nichirin Sword. Once mastered, your combat power might instantly leap five or even ten times over."
Kyojuro and Obanai's eyes lit up. However, Shinobu, who had spent more time with Natsunishi, sensed something was amiss.
The next moment, Natsunishi picked up his Nichirin Sword and held it vertically before his face.
"Howl in hatred, storm of flesh and blood—Shred them!"
"Ban-kai!"
"Venti-Sized Jinmai-Kiri!"
As the words fell, his breathing rhythm shifted abruptly. A heavy, oppressive pressure, far exceeding that of ordinary "Total Concentration," burst forth! The air seemed to stagnate.
The three children were so startled that cold sweat broke out on their foreheads. Their perceptions were sharp, so they naturally sensed the terrifying power within Natsunishi's instantaneous change in aura. It was a pressure that inspired trembling.
Kyojuro's eyes went wide, and he said with a serious expression, "Brother Natsunishi, I want to learn Bankai!"
Natsunishi chuckled and responded with equal gravity, "Before learning it, try to raise your Spiritual Pressure. After all, the essence of a swordsman's battle is a battle of Spiritual Pressure—"
The owl-like youth remained solemn. "Yes! Brother! Also, what is Spiritual Pressure!"
Obanai was speechless. Wait, Rengoku, you actually believe him?!
A vein seemed to throb at his temple. "...Is there a more serious method?"
Shinobu was already holding back laughter, her shoulders shaking. Even the bruises on her forehead didn't seem to hurt as much anymore.
Natsunishi dropped the joke and said seriously, "Serious? Of course. If your base attributes and skill damage have developed to a certain stage, and continuing to invest resources won't yield much improvement in the short term..."
"Then opening a new damage multiplier zone is the most cost-effective method."
The three of them froze. They couldn't understand him at all!
Natsunishi realized this and re-explained using different terms.
"Suppose your physical growth is approaching a bottleneck, and your Breathing Style is difficult to break through in the short term—perhaps it would take years or even over a decade of bitter work to take your strength to the next level. But even if you do reach that next level, the benefits aren't necessarily as great as you imagine. Furthermore, once you reach a certain age, your physique will inevitably begin an irreversible decline."
"Therefore, once you reach a certain limit, the so-called 'ten years of bitter cultivation' might not yield as much as swapping to a High-Frequency Nichirin Sword or taking a shot of Gene-Enhancement Fluid. This is what we call marginal utility."
You've reached Level 15 and maxed out your skills. How do you get stronger? By buying equipment or getting buffs, obviously.
"Of course, High-Frequency Nichirin Swords and Gene-Enhancement Fluids might not be realistic, but some things... are readily available."
Natsunishi looked at Shinobu. Kyojuro and Obanai followed his gaze, looking curiously at the purple-haired girl.
"The wisteria toxin she concocts is almost harmless to humans but is a deadly poison to demons. Even if it might not be enough to take down one of the Twelve Kizuki right now, it can serve as a supplementary trump card. Even if you just prepare some potent toxins that can paralyze a demon for a split second or disintegrate their body, hiding it in the tip of your blade or some concealed weapon to catch them off guard at a critical moment—then winning from a position of weakness or even fighting above your level will no longer be an issue."
Theoretically, as long as the person's reactions were fast enough or the demon was careless, even an ordinary person holding wisteria toxin had a chance to kill a demon.
"Brother Natsunishi! Allow me to refuse!" Kyojuro immediately shouted in response. "How can a fair and honorable battle use such insidious tricks!"
He was a single-minded child. Natsunishi didn't force the issue and turned to Obanai, who had asked the initial question.
The bandaged youth was lost in thought, his hand instinctively resting on his sword hilt. Using poison? He leaned more toward pragmatism. As long as it could kill demons, whether it was poison or deception, it wasn't unacceptable.
Obanai nodded. "I don't care much about the methods. I think... it's worth a try."
Shinobu's eyes, however, lit up. Her smile became even sweeter. "Oh my, Mr. Natsunishi, this suggestion truly speaks to my heart." It was the feeling of suddenly being validated while walking a lonely path. She was not alone!
"Obanai-kun! Although I don't object to you using poison, count me out! I will follow Brother Natsunishi to learn Bankai!"
"Idiot, I told you Senior was joking—"
While Kyojuro and Obanai were bickering, Shinobu let out a soft laugh.
As for Natsunishi... his earlier joke wasn't entirely wrong. If one replaced "Spiritual Pressure" with "Physique," it made perfect sense. Even Breathing Styles were nothing more than a means to amplify a swordsman's "Physical Attributes" within their respective fields of expertise.
The battle between swordsmen and demons was a battle between physiques. Natsunishi thought for a second and decided not to say it out loud, so as not to dampen their enthusiasm.
Then, he clapped his hands to draw their attention.
"Alright, besides sparring, there is another subject for today." He looked at the three with burning eyes.
"Is it practicing bandaging?" "It must be new ingredients Brother has prepared!" "Maybe Kuguruma-kun is taking us on a mission."
Natsunishi shook his head. "It's Breathing Styles. Obanai, Shinobu, don't you both want to find the path that suits you best? I know a thing or two about adjusting and even developing Breathing Styles."
None of them doubted him. After all, Natsunishi had mastered six Breathing Styles; calling him the Demon Slayer Corps' foremost "Breathing Style Doctor" wouldn't be an exaggeration. Even Shinjuro, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't deny this. At least in the eyes of the Flame Hashira, Natsunishi's attainment in "Total Concentration" alone was perhaps even higher than his own.
Kyojuro raised his hand. "Brother Natsunishi! What about me?!"
Natsunishi pondered for a moment. This child's compatibility with Flame Breathing wasn't bad; it was at least 90% or higher. One could only say that as the generations-long inheritors of Flame Breathing, the Rengoku bloodline had long since been thoroughly conditioned by it.
But...
"Your Flame Breathing doesn't need to take a new path. However, compared to your father's Flame Breathing, yours is... well, how should I put it? A bit stiff?"
Flame Breathing was, in the end, a swordsmanship technique for killing demons. It was supposed to involve variations and feints common in the way of the sword. Even the most direct Thunder Breathing followed this rule; many forms served the "First Form: Thunderclap and Flash," but it was undeniable that those moves weren't all just simple, forceful slashes.
But the Flame Breathing Kyojuro used... well, it was even more "straightforward" than his father's. Those techniques involving luring the enemy or feinting were almost never seen from him.
Upon hearing Natsunishi's words, Kyojuro wasn't annoyed. Instead, he straightened his back and responded with absolute seriousness and a loud voice: "Yes! Brother! I will cultivate diligently!"
-----------------------------------------------
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi