Chapter Summaries

Lu Li mastered Thunder Breathing shortly before the Demon Slayer Corps selection, and Jigorō asked him to look after Zenitsu. When Zenitsu heard other candidates insulting Lu Li, he rushed to defend his senior brother.

• Lu Li contemplated Jigorō's Thunder Breathing lessons while Zenitsu struggled with the First Form and feared the selection.
• Jigorō noticed signs that Lu Li was close to mastering the technique, sent Zenitsu down the mountain, and watched as Lu Li awakened Thunder Breathing.
• Lu Li thanked Jigorō, who asked him to look after Zenitsu during the upcoming selection.
• Lu Li went to find Zenitsu and buy dinner ingredients, while Zenitsu stopped at the market to get snacks for Lu Li and Jigorō.
• Zenitsu overheard other candidates mocking Lu Li for failing to learn a Breathing Technique and punched one of them for insulting his senior brother.

Lu Li rescued Zenitsu after he was beaten for defending his senior brother, then encouraged him to keep working until the other reserves acknowledged him. They returned to Jigorō’s home, where Zenitsu concealed the cause of his injuries and the three shared a meal.

• Zenitsu fought a group of reserves after they mocked him and Lu Li, then demanded an apology even as the buzz-cut youth raised a sword sheath to strike him.
• Lu Li caught the sheath, drove the reserves away, and helped Zenitsu leave while reassuring him that he could earn their respect someday.
• Lu Li bought Zenitsu snacks and secretly treated his superficial injuries on their way back to Peach Mountain.
• Lu Li told Jigorō that Zenitsu had bruised himself while practicing, and Jigorō let the brothers keep their secret.
• Lu Li, Zenitsu, and Jigorō ate porridge together as Lu Li remembered sharing a meal with his late master and senior apprentice-sister.

Lu Li and Zenitsu prepared to leave Jigorō and travel to Fujikasane Mountain for Final Selection. On the way, Lu Li discovered that his Zanpakuto, Prison Demon, could kill demons, and the two arrived at the selection grounds on time.

• Lu Li mastered the first through sixth forms of Thunder Breathing, and Jigorō urged him to keep training toward Total Concentration Breathing Constant.
• Jigorō persuaded Zenitsu to join Final Selection, and Zenitsu agreed to stay close to Lu Li.
• Jigorō gave Lu Li and Zenitsu supplies and farewelled them as they left Peach Mountain.
• During the journey, a demon fled after finding Zenitsu in a cabin, but Lu Li pursued and beheaded it with Prison Demon.
• Lu Li found that Prison Demon could kill a demon despite not being a Nichirin Blade, then arrived with Zenitsu at Fujikasane Mountain for Final Selection.

Lu Li reflected on the value of Breathing Styles before entering Final Selection with Zenitsu, who resolved to kill a demon despite his fear. They began the seven-day trial on Fujikasane Mountain, while two other Explorers worried that their faction was badly outnumbered.

• Lu Li decided that Breathing Styles were more useful to him than the Transparent World, Demon Slayer Mark, or Crimson Blade, and considered Stone Breathing's abilities promising.
• The twin girls explained that candidates had to survive seven days on Fujikasane Mountain, where demons lived beyond the wisteria-covered slopes.
• Two Explorers realized their faction seemed to have only three members against thirty-three from Muzan's faction and considered hiding to survive.
• Zenitsu told Senior Brother Lu he would try not to be a burden, and Lu Li challenged him to kill at least one demon.
• Zenitsu gathered his courage and vowed to slay a demon, then Lu Li entered the mountain with him as their selection began.

Lu Li entered Final Selection with Zenitsu and decided the Demon Slayer Corps’ deadly recruitment system needed to end. After helping Zenitsu kill his first demon, Lu Li swept Fujikasane Mountain clean of demons and headed for the exit, while the other candidates realized a powerful fighter was carrying them.

• Lu Li criticized the Final Selection for wasting potential recruits and resolved not to let it continue.
• Lu Li urged Zenitsu to face a weak demon, and Zenitsu killed it with Thunder Breathing’s First Form.
• Lu Li promised to keep Zenitsu safe by killing every demon on the mountain and led him deeper into the grounds.
• Xiao Chahua fled the Hand Demon until Lu Li beheaded it and disappeared before she could speak to him.
• Lu Li discovered that killing demons increased the Prison Demon Blade’s bonus length and killed every demon on Fujikasane Mountain within half an hour.
• Two Explorers watched Lu Li walk toward the exit and realized that a powerhouse was carrying them through the selection.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki learned that Lu Li had cleared Fujikasane Mountain in half an hour, allowing all forty-one candidates to pass, and decided to suspend future selections for now. After the candidates chose blade-forging materials, Lu Li urged Zenitsu and the others to train before revealing that he planned to seek out the Twelve Kizuki.

• A crow reported to Kagaya Ubuyashiki and Amane that all forty-one candidates had passed the selection with no casualties because Lu Li had killed every demon on Fujikasane Mountain.
• Kagaya declined to meet Lu Li or assign him a higher rank, ordered the other successful candidates assessed by the Pillars, and suspended future selections amid rising demon activity.
• The candidates chose Nichirin Blade materials, and Lu Li picked high-quality ore for Zenitsu and himself before Tanjiro, Kanao Tsuyuri, and Genya Shinazugawa selected theirs.
• Lu Li warned Zenitsu to keep training and encouraged him and Tanjiro to learn from Kanao, who had shown strong fighting ability.
• Zenitsu asked Lu Li what he planned to do, and Lu Li said he would meet the Twelve Kizuki.

After passing the Demon Slayer selection, Lu Li received a mission to kill Muzan Kibutsuji within three months and set out to find the demons’ strongest forces. He headed for Yoshiwara alone, while Zenitsu resolved to train until he could help him.

• Lu Li learned that his final mission was to kill Muzan within three months, then decided he needed to act before Muzan hid in the Infinity Castle.
• Lu Li refused to take Tanjiro and Zenitsu to hunt the Twelve Kizuki, and told Zenitsu to focus on consolidating his strength.
• Zenitsu decided to train hard so he could one day help Lu Li.
• Lu Li left the mountain without reporting to the Demon Slayer Corps or taking a Nichirin Blade, and planned to investigate Yoshiwara for Upper Rank Six and enemy Explorers.
• Kasugai Crows spread news of Lu Li’s overwhelming performance at Fujikasane Mountain, and Jigorō celebrated the prospect of a powerful new Pillar.

Lu Li reached Yoshiwara and discovered that Upper Moon Six, Warabihime, was still at Kyogoku House. He entered the establishment and confronted a demon’s moving clothing, while Hinatsuru tried to warn him away before the real boss appeared.

• Lu Li asked a teahouse owner about Yoshiwara’s best establishment and learned that Warabihime was at Kyogoku House.
• Lu Li warned the teahouse owner to leave Yoshiwara, then forced his way into the locked Kyogoku House.
• Lu Li exposed a demon hiding as clothing when he ripped the front desk woman’s kimono off, and the clothing fled into the shadows.
• Hinatsuru arrived and urged Lu Li to leave, signaling that she recognized him as a Demon Slayer Corps member in danger.
• Lu Li said he had come for the establishment’s real boss, and an unseen figure approached, remarking that Lu Li had come alone.

Lu Li confronted two Explorer demons posing as newly appointed Lower Moons in Yoshiwara, while Hinatsuru tried to get him to safety. After Steel Cannon attacked, Lu Li killed him instantly and turned his attention to Moose.

• Lu Li threw the woman at the front desk outside and told Hinatsuru to evacuate the crowd.
• Moose and Steel Cannon revealed themselves as demons, and Hinatsuru realized both were Twelve Kizuki-level threats.
• The Explorers used an item to darken the sky, then showed Hinatsuru the numbers Lower Moon Seven and Lower Moon Eight in their eyes.
• Steel Cannon attacked Lu Li with a hammer, but Lu Li beheaded him with a single strike and closed the dead courtesan's eyes.
• Lu Li released a crushing aura and challenged Moose to attack him together.

Lu Li faced Daki and five hostile Explorers at Kyogoku House while Hinatsuru worked to evacuate Yoshiwara’s civilians. As the enemies attacked together, Lu Li unleashed a lightning-fast strike that cut through the building and left demon blood falling around him.

• Lu Li killed Steel Cannon in a single exchange, alarming Moose and the other Explorers.
• Lu Li told Hinatsuru to contact her companions and evacuate the civilians because Yoshiwara was about to become a battlefield.
• Daki revealed herself as Upper Moon Six and attacked Lu Li with her Blood Demon Art, while Hinatsuru ran to warn her companions and the Demon Slayer Corps.
• Moose ordered the team to attack Lu Li, and five Explorers and Daki surrounded him with strikes from every direction.
• Lu Li used high-temperature steam and golden lightning to evade the attacks, then drew Prison Demon and cleaved through the side of Kyogoku House.

Lu Li overwhelmed Daki and the Muzan-aligned Explorers in Yoshiwara, then faced the Upper Rank Six siblings after Gyutaro emerged to help her. The chapter ended as Lu Li launched a lightning-fast slash at Daki’s neck.

• Lu Li split Kyogoku House with a Thunder Breathing strike, injured Daki, and forced the crowd to flee Yoshiwara.
• The five Explorers recognized Lu Li as a powerful opponent, but he entered his Shikai state and prepared to attack them.
• Gyutaro emerged from Daki’s back and helped her reconnect her severed body.
• Lu Li assessed Gyutaro’s abilities and heard him threaten to kill everyone who bullied Daki.
• Lu Li declared that he would bully Daki further and slashed toward her neck with a lightning-fast attack.

Lu Li overpowered Gyutaro and the Explorer squad, killing Daki, Moose, and Yu-ge while the remaining Explorers attacked him. The fight continued as Gyutaro demanded to know what Lu Li had done to his sister.

• Lu Li used Gyutaro's intercepted strike to cut through Daki's neck, then knocked Gyutaro through several houses.
• Moose attacked Lu Li from behind, but Lu Li's clothing and body stopped the poisoned dagger before he killed Moose.
• Yu-ge thrust at Lu Li with his purple-quality sword, which shattered against Lu Li's palm; Lu Li grabbed him and cut him in half.
• Steel Plate charged Lu Li with his tower shield, but Lu Li shattered it with a kick and sent him flying.
• The female mage attacked Lu Li with Scarlet Smoke Spirit Flame, and Gyutaro emerged from a broken house to strike at him.
• Lu Li blocked Gyutaro's attack as Gyutaro demanded to know what he had done to Daki.

Lu Li used Prison Demon to kill Daki by severing her soul, then fought Gyutaro and the Explorers who had joined forces against him. He left Gyutaro wounded and the remaining attackers overwhelmed, as Gyutaro demanded to know what Lu Li was.

• Lu Li realized Prison Demon had killed Daki outright, despite Gyutaro remaining alive.
• Gyutaro mourned Daki and charged Lu Li, while Lu Li challenged his belief that everyone happier than him deserved to die.
• Lu Li used Thunder Breathing to wound Gyutaro and cut down Steel Plate during the battle.
• Lu Li interrupted the female mage’s spell, pinned her to a wall with his blade, and then killed the sniper who fired at him.
• Gyutaro attacked Lu Li again, but Lu Li blocked his blood sickles and resisted the tiny blades, prompting Gyutaro to ask what he was.

Lu Li fought Gyutaro after killing the sniper and seven demons, while Hinatsuru, Makio, and Suma watched in disbelief. Gyutaro realized Lu Li had repeatedly spared him and accused him of humiliating him.

• Lu Li sprinted to the sniper’s rooftop and Prison Demon killed the sniper before he could fire.
• Lu Li struck Gyutaro into a house, then Gyutaro unleashed a storm of blood blades and charged back at him.
• Hinatsuru returned with Makio and Suma, saw seven demon corpses, and wondered how Lu Li had fought and killed so many demons.
• Lu Li and Gyutaro battled through the ruined street as Gyutaro’s wounds and Blood Demon Art drained his strength.
• Gyutaro recognized that Lu Li could have beheaded him but had held back, and he demanded to know whether Lu Li was humiliating him.

Lu Li killed Gyutaro after holding back to draw out more enemy Explorers, then collected demon blood and discovered a hidden mission to provide Tamayo with samples from the Twelve Kizuki. The battle ended with Lu Li eager to open the chests he had collected and prepared to pursue the mission.

• Lu Li admitted he had held back against Gyutaro while waiting for more Explorers to appear, but none came.
• Gyutaro charged at Lu Li in an attempt to self-destruct, and Lu Li killed him with a lightning-fast strike.
• Lu Li told Gyutaro he could be reincarnated with his sister, then collected blood from the demon corpses using syringes.
• Hinatsuru and the others praised Lu Li for defeating an Upper Rank and wiping out eight demons, while Lu Li asked them to calm the civilians and handle cleanup.
• Lu Li counted the purple and Doomed Chests he had gathered, then discovered the hidden mission Tamayo's Research, which required him to provide Tamayo with Twelve Kizuki blood samples.

After killing the demons in Yoshiwara, Lu Li told Hinatsuru to find Uzui Tengen and left to continue his journey. He opened a female mage's Doomed Chest, but his three draws yielded a Pleasure Wand, a Jumbo Red Candle, and partially used shampoo.

• Lu Li told Hinatsuru he had joined the Demon Slayer Corps only the previous night and urged her to have the Kakushi handle the aftermath and find Uzui Tengen.
• Lu Li left Yoshiwara by ox cart and opened the female mage's Doomed Chest while traveling.
• Lu Li drew a Pleasure Wand from the chest and recoiled in disgust.
• Lu Li drew a Jumbo Red Candle, then made his final draw and obtained Doomsday Brand Shampoo with 37% remaining.

Lu Li opened the chests taken from the defeated Explorers, finding valuable equipment among the junk and calculating that his spoils were worth over forty thousand Doomsday Coins. He then opened Upper Rank Six’s Purple chest and obtained a pair of Purple-quality blood sickles, leaving him eager to claim more rewards from the remaining Upper Ranks and Muzan.

• Lu Li opened his remaining Doomed Chests and found assorted junk, 5,400 Doomsday Coins, and an Inheritance Crystal.
• Lu Li examined Godslayer, a Purple-quality sniper rifle, and decided he would use it when needed before selling it after returning.
• Lu Li assessed Heart of the Giant and valued its defensive effects despite its Constitution bonus being useless to him.
• Lu Li calculated that the six defeated Explorers’ spoils were worth more than forty thousand Doomsday Coins.
• Lu Li opened Upper Rank Six’s Purple chest and obtained a pair of Purple-quality blood sickles, then looked forward to the rewards for defeating the other Upper Ranks and Muzan.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki learned that Lu Li had slain multiple Twelve Kizuki demons in Yoshiwara without any Demon Slayer Corps casualties and declared him the tenth Hashira. After arriving in Asakusa, Lu Li received a Respected reputation notification and was addressed by someone who recognized him.

• Kagaya Ubuyashiki heard that Upper Moon Six, Upper Moon Nine, and five Lower Ranks had been slain in Yoshiwara, with no deaths or Demon Slayer Corps injuries.
• The Kasugai Crow reported that newly inducted swordsman Lu Li had traveled from Fujikasane Mountain to Yoshiwara overnight and defeated the demons alone.
• Kagaya Ubuyashiki announced that Lu Li would become the tenth Hashira and temporarily be called the Rumble Hashira.
• Kasugai Crows spread news of Lu Li's achievement, while the Master's crow set out to find him and deliver the appointment.
• Lu Li arrived in Asakusa, received a notification that his Pioneer reputation had reached the Respected level, and heard someone ask whether he was Swordsman Lu Li.

Lu Li entered Asakusa to search for Miss Tamayo while trying to avoid endangering the city’s civilians. Meanwhile, Muzan’s Explorers gathered to plan an attack on him, but Muzan Kibutsuji interrupted them with an order.

• A Kasugai Crow told Lu Li that he had been promoted to the Demon Slayer Corps’ tenth Hashira and invited him to a Hashira Meeting in three days.
• Lu Li declined to gather the few nearby Demon Slayers and entered Asakusa alone to investigate and find Miss Tamayo.
• Lu Li spotted three demons but held back from attacking, deciding to fight without restraint if Muzan’s faction forced a battle.
• Muzan’s Explorers discussed Usa Sword’s group being wiped out and suspected Lu Li had come to Asakusa after the battle in Yoshiwara.
• Muzan Kibutsuji’s order arrived in the Explorers’ minds as they discussed hunting Lu Li.

Lu Li found Tamayo and Yushiro and convinced them that he wanted Tamayo’s medical expertise against Muzan, not their lives. Tamayo remained wary of joining the Demon Slayer Corps, while Yushiro objected and Lu Li drew his blade before he could finish speaking.

• Muzan ordered the demons in Asakusa Castle to keep hidden and avoid Lu Li after learning that Upper Moon Six and the newly created Twelve Kizuki had been killed.
• Lu Li used a hidden mission’s guidance and his heightened senses to locate Tamayo’s concealed courtyard.
• Yushiro attacked Lu Li and then tried to protect Tamayo, but Lu Li disarmed and restrained him without seriously hurting him.
• Tamayo used her Blood Demon Art to cover their escape, but Lu Li quickly broke free of the illusion and told them he had not come to kill them.
• Lu Li explained that the Demon Slayer Corps needed Tamayo’s medical skills to oppose Muzan, and Tamayo hesitated while Yushiro tried to stop her from trusting him.
• Lu Li drew the blade at his waist as Yushiro began to argue again.