Bouncing Demon

Nohime slumped onto the ground, gasping for air as she stared at the spot where the demon had disappeared. It wasn't from exhaustion, but from fear.

A moment later, she turned back to Han Zhiqi with a cute smile, holding up a V-shaped victory sign. Her triumphant expression seemed to say, "See? I told you I could protect you."

However, she didn't notice a dark shadow leap out from behind a nearby rock. The jump was easily fifteen meters high, and it was descending towards her from mid-air. Let's call it the Bouncing Demon for now.

The Bouncing Demon had been waiting for this moment, waiting for Nohime to let her guard down.

Han Zhiqi was also waiting.

He hadn't sent Nohime to slay the other demon to truly test her strength, but rather to lure out the demon hiding behind the rock. As expected, the beast had taken the bait.

However, what Han Zhiqi hadn't expected was for it to possess such an ability.

He had learned from books that some demons' blood could mutate later in life, evolving certain special abilities.

Clearly, he was fortunate enough to encounter one today.

"Ice Breathing: Sixth Style: Phantom."

Han Zhiqi's figure instantly vanished from the stone platform, a series of illusory afterimages stretching from the platform towards Nohime.

By the time Nohime snapped back to attention, he was already standing behind her.

"Such speed! What breathing technique is that, Han Zhiqi? It's so beautiful. Huh? Why is it so cold?"

Nohime hadn't yet sensed the approaching danger. As she turned, she struggled to get up from the ground, the sudden cold making her feel uncomfortable all over.

Han Zhiqi gripped his sword sheath with his left hand, flicked open the guard with his thumb, and grasped the hilt with his right, assuming a drawing stance.

"Ice Breathing: Fifth Style: Swift Ice Thorn."

A dazzling white light flashed. Nohime instinctively closed her eyes, hearing a sharp whistle in her ears, like the prelude to fireworks ascending into the sky, only this sound was sharper.

"Swift Ice Thorn" was Han Zhiqi's fastest and sharpest move, proving exceptionally effective in unexpected situations.

Indeed, in mid-air, his Nichirin Blade pierced the Bouncing Demon's palm. But it was only its palm.

One above, one below, in the instant their eyes met, both knew they had encountered a formidable opponent.

In that brief moment of stalemate, to Han Zhiqi's shocked gaze, the Bouncing Demon used the blade as support, lowered its legs, clamped the blade between its feet, and wrenched its hand free from the frozen Nichirin Blade. It then performed a 180-degree backflip, landing steadily a few meters away.

There was no sound as it landed, standing perfectly straight in the moonlight.

Yes, as you've likely imagined, it was exactly like a gymnast's perfect landing during a competition.

What a light, agile body, what terrifying flexibility.

Finally, Nohime also noticed the Bouncing Demon and realized Han Zhiqi had just saved her. She quickly got up from the ground, holding her Nichirin Blade, and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Han Zhiqi.

In the moonlight, the two finally got a clear look at the demon's appearance.

It also had a bald head, its upper body was bare, and it wore only a pair of torn shorts on its lower half, likely its last attire as a human.

Its entire body was covered in bulging muscles, not an ounce of fat. Its physique was beautifully sculpted, its skin smooth and bright, as if coated in oil. Its long, slender legs were even more taut and full, as if springs were attached behind them.

Its streamlined body could reduce air resistance, and its developed lower limbs could enhance its jumping ability.

The mutation of its blood had not only granted it unique abilities but was also gradually changing its appearance.

This was just one mutated demon. Who knew how many powerful mutated demons like it were on Mount Fujikasane? The final selection for the Demon Slayer Corps was indeed not simple. It was likely that the entire assessment would turn into hell before long.

"What... what is that thing?"

"A demon, a mutated demon."

The Bouncing Demon looked at its injured palm. The wound on its palm had already frozen over, emitting white cold air. It raised its head and glanced at the two opposite it.

Perhaps sensing it couldn't defeat Han Zhiqi, it turned, crouched, and leaped, soaring ten meters into the air before disappearing into the distant woods.

"This..."

Nohime's mouth fell open. During the attack, she hadn't seen the Bouncing Demon's movements.

Now, seeing it with her own eyes, she was utterly astonished, unable to close her mouth. Only after the Bouncing Demon vanished into the air did she slowly come back to her senses and turn to look at Han Zhiqi beside her.

It had probably intended to attack her from mid-air. If Han Zhiqi hadn't blocked it, she would likely be... Nohime dared not think further.

As the Bouncing Demon disappeared, Han Zhiqi also withdrew his gaze, casually sheathed his Nichirin Blade, and turned to see Nohime staring at him blankly with her mouth agape. He reached out and hooked her chin, helping her close her mouth.

"Still not full? Now you're eating people?"

Her upper and lower teeth clicked together, making a crisp sound.

Nohime shivered, snapping out of her daze. She caught up to Han Zhiqi and quickly asked, "Wh-what was that just now?"

Han Zhiqi didn't answer, as he had already answered that question. Moreover, Nohime clearly knew the answer, and asking again now was merely to confirm what she had heard.

"Was that a demon? Why would a demon look like that?"

The two returned to the stone platform, one after the other. Nohime anxiously looked at Han Zhiqi, longing for a reasonable explanation. Her ample chest pressed against Han Zhiqi's arm.

Han Zhiqi shifted his arm slightly.

Nohime didn't know that he didn't know either. Nohime had never seen a demon before; he had only seen two, including that man. Therefore, they were equally clueless.

Nohime asking Han Zhiqi was like asking her own reflection in a mirror.

"What should a demon look like? You haven't seen a demon either?" Han Zhiqi replied with a question.

This statement struck Nohime to the core, leaving her speechless as she slumped to the side, dazed.

She hadn't seen it, but she had imagined it, heard about it from her sister, like listening to a story.

"It must have mutated. Books say that when demons are extremely hungry, they'll devour their own kind. Consuming each other can potentially cause blood mutations. Demons, to humans, are unstable life forms, full of unknowns."

Han Zhiqi had originally planned to use this assessment opportunity to test his training results. Now, it seemed that simply surviving the seven days intact would be a great achievement, let alone having such a treasure by his side.

To this day, he still couldn't figure out how he'd gotten tied up with her. And just now, he'd even found himself unable to resist saving her. Even though he had intended to use her as bait, this was too far from his usual style.

"Oh right, I heard the breathing technique you used earlier, called 'Flame Breathing,' is that one of the derivative styles of the Five Great Breathing Styles?"

Nohime nodded. "It's a derivative style of Flame Breathing. Flame Breathing has special requirements for the practitioner's body temperature. Women in our clan have strong cardiopulmonary functions, high metabolism, and fast blood flow, so our body temperature is slightly higher than normal."

Among the Five Great Breathing Styles, Water Breathing has the most practitioners and is the simplest, due to its strong adaptability and lack of strict physical requirements, unlike other breathing techniques.

For example, Flame Breathing requires strong cardiopulmonary function and a higher body temperature.

Thunder Breathing excels in speed and requires leg strength that is beyond ordinary.

Stone Breathing relies purely on physical strength for combat, placing extremely high demands on the practitioner's physique, hence it has the fewest practitioners.

Wind Breathing also has few practitioners because it requires formidable upper body strength to wield the Nichirin Blade while simultaneously unleashing wind slashes.

What are called derivative styles, or more accurately, are downgrade or simplification methods.

Due to their own limitations, they cannot unleash the ultimate power of the Five Great Breathing Styles. Truly, only four people can be considered to stand at the pinnacle of the Five Great Breathing Styles.

The first is the Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima; the second is the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa; the third is the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku; and the fourth is the Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka. As for other derivative styles, they can only be considered second-tier.