Breathing Techniques—Seeking Recommendations and Collections

Far from where Tanjiro and Giyu were, Mu Yu trudged through the snow, each step sinking deep and crunching loudly. He could not help feeling a little oppressed.

Whether or not the One Piece World became terrifying upon closer thought, its theme was dreams and adventure, and overall, it was stirring and impassioned.

For ambitious men, it was an era like a dream!

But the Demon Slayer World was more like a racial war, filled with blood and hatred. If it had to be summed up in one sentence, it would be—humans would never be food!

The demons of the Demon Slayer World were not spirits or ghosts in the traditional sense. They were more like ghouls or vampires, feeding primarily on humans. It could be said that they were humanity's natural enemies.

Demons possessed immense strength, far surpassing humans in both power and recovery. Other than sunlight, the Demon Slayer Corps' Nichirin Blades, and the wisteria poison specially made by Sister Shinobu, they were practically ageless and immortal, with no weaknesses.

In this world, ninety-nine percent of demons had been directly or indirectly created by the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji.

It could be said that Muzan Kibutsuji was the source of all tragedy and conflict in this world.

Because of the lessons from the One Piece World, Mu Yu would not lightly alter the fate of the main cast. But since he had come to the Demon Slayer World, he naturally hoped to accomplish something here.

"The story won't begin for another two years. Let's set a small goal first—kill a few hundred demons!"

As a Tree Planter, Mu Yu could gain energy from every action he took. Killing demons was an act that interfered with the fates of countless people, so it would certainly earn him a huge amount of energy.

Over the next two years, his strength would inevitably rise by leaps and bounds again.

First, he would keep his head down and farm. Then he would hit Boss Muzan hard and farm energy and rewards until they overflowed. A perfect plan!

What interested Mu Yu most about the Demon Slayer World was actually the Demon Slayer Corps' Breathing Techniques.

By regulating one's breathing, one could effectively strengthen the body, allowing an ordinary human to reach a level where they could fight demons.

If one mastered breathing well enough, they could even use it to halt the spread of poison through the body and lessen the pain caused by injuries.

The clearest example was when Zenitsu Agatsuma had been poisoned on Mount Natagumo. He used a Breathing Technique to prevent the poison from spreading rapidly and held on until the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho, arrived to save him.

Its value was obvious!

Other than the original Breathing Technique, Sun Breathing, Water, Flame, Wind, Thunder, and Stone Breathing were all derived from Sun Breathing and were known as the five foundational Breathing Techniques.

Stone Breathing balanced offense and defense and possessed the greatest power, but it was too difficult to cultivate, to the point that it did not even have a successor.

Thunder Breathing possessed tremendous explosiveness, with both attack power and speed being extremely impressive. However, its difficulty was also top-tier, to the point that one of its two successors could only learn the First Form, while the other could not learn the First Form no matter what.

Flame Breathing emphasized powerful offense and direct confrontation. Its attack power was formidable, while its difficulty was moderate.

Wind Breathing excelled at speed and favored swift attacks, but it also affected one's temperament. Wind Breathing users were basically all hotheaded guys.

Water Breathing was the gentlest and most adaptable, with the greatest number of derived Breathing Techniques. However, its offensive power was slightly lacking. It had no high-burst ultimate move and leaned more toward defense.

Flower Breathing, Insect Breathing, Serpent Breathing, Mist Breathing, Beast Breathing, Love Breathing, and Sound Breathing were further derivatives of the five foundational Breathing Techniques.

The Breathing Technique best suited to oneself was the best one, but there was no doubt that users of the five foundational Breathing Techniques were stronger than users of their derived techniques.

And Sun Breathing, which was even more powerful than the five foundational Breathing Techniques, was universally acknowledged as the strongest Breathing Technique in the Demon Slayer World!

The Dance of the Fire God passed down through Tanjiro's family for generations was suspected to be Sun Breathing.

But precisely because it was the "strongest," the threshold for using it was absurdly high.

Even Tanjiro, the protagonist known as the Child of the Blazing Sun, would be left unable to move after using the Dance of the Fire God.

What Breathing Technique would suit him?

All things grew by relying on the sun. With the constitution of his World Tree Body, he should be able to withstand the burden of Sun Breathing, right?

Probably!

Mu Yu was incredibly curious and incredibly eager!

For the sake of the Breathing Techniques, he still had to find a way to make contact with the Demon Slayer Corps.

But there was no rush. He should farm first and hone the skills he already possessed!

He looked up at the gloomy sky and the endlessly falling snowflakes, then glanced at his short sleeves. After thinking for a moment, Mu Yu headed straight into the courtyard.

After changing into different clothes and shoes and socks, he finally felt much more comfortable.

In winter, it really was best to dress warmly!

Heavy snow filled the sky, blanketing everything in silver. At first glance, it was exceptionally beautiful, but after looking at it for too long, visual fatigue set in.

Walking alone through the snow-covered mountains, Mu Yu even felt cut off from the rest of the world.

Still, it had a certain wild charm.

After unexpectedly catching a wild rabbit, that feeling of being a recluse grew even stronger.

The snow finally cleared completely three days later. During that time, Mu Yu visited the town at the foot of the mountain.

To be honest, it surprised him quite a bit.

During the Taisho Era, Japan had already begun the Meiji Restoration.

Yet the town beneath Tanjiro's hometown mountain remained primitive. Other than the absence of sword-carrying samurai, it basically felt no different from the old society.

Mu Yu even felt as though he had returned to ancient times!

"What wonderful weather!"

Though the snow had only stopped not long ago, once the sun came out, it became pleasantly warm, almost giving him the feeling of spring.

Was that the benefit of an oceanic climate?

The town was truly tiny. He finished touring it in just half a day.

What embarrassed Mu Yu was—he had no money!

Although there was still some gold and silver in the courtyard, there was not even a gold shop where he could exchange it for cash.

It seemed he would have to make a trip to a slightly larger town!

Along the way, fields stretched in neat rows, and hardworking people could be seen everywhere.

The air was fresh, and the people were diligent and happy!

Mu Yu came into contact with several groups of people, and he could faintly sense their simplicity and joy.

It was something Mu Yu had never felt in modern society, making his heart grow increasingly tranquil, as though his entire heart had calmed down!

Evening came.

Mu Yu unexpectedly discovered a small lake beside a bamboo grove. Its water was crystal-clear and icy, and from afar, he could even see plump fish swimming through it.

Mu Yu immediately perked up, even recalling the days when he used to fish with his grandfather as a child.

At the thought of it, his mouth began to water.

"Fish it is tonight!"

Mu Yu immediately made up his mind, and before long, he had fashioned a simple fishing rod.

The leisure of fishing made Mu Yu deeply nostalgic. It was a long-lost happiness!

Before he knew it, the sky had gradually darkened.

After the moon rose from behind the clouds, the earth, the lake, the bamboo grove, and even Mu Yu himself were draped in a hazy layer of moonlight.

It was so beautiful that Mu Yu felt he could never tire of looking at it!

Just then, Mu Yu's ears twitched. Though it came from extremely far away, through the rustling of leaves in the breeze, Mu Yu still heard heartbeats pounding like drums!

"What astonishing vitality. Is it a demon?"

At that moment, Mu Yu once again "saw" an image.

On a small road.

A caravan pulled by several ponies moved forward slowly, while that demon raced at high speed toward it.

[Soru.]

Mu Yu's figure flashed, vanishing from where he stood. Only a crude fish basket remained behind, still sitting there alone.