Xia Xi had made his decision.
He planned to train every Breathing Style to the same proficiency as his Wind Breathing.
At the very least, he wanted to reach a level where he could reliably use [Total Concentration].
In other words, LV.3 or above.
Ideally, the core Breathing Style that served as his foundation would be a little higher, reaching LV.4.
If he could reach LV.5 or even LV.6, like Cultivators such as Kazami and Nikaido, all the better.
With his mind made up, Xia Xi no longer hesitated.
Now that he had learned Thunder Breathing, which suited him better, he had no intention of hoarding his points anymore.
He brought up his breathing panel, ready to pour in a hefty dose of achievement points.
"Sorry, my bargain-bin master. Your disciple is doing this for the future of the Demon Slayer Corps."
Let's start with Thunder Breathing.
Current achievement points remaining: 15
System! Add points!
Points spent: 5 [Thunder Breathing] LV.0 (9/250) → [Thunder Breathing] LV.3 (359/2000) [Your Total Concentration effect has increased slightly] Points spent: 4 [Stone Breathing] LV.1 (170/500) → [Stone Breathing] LV.3 (10/2000) [Your Total Concentration effect has increased moderately] Points spent: 3 [Water Breathing] LV.2 (256/1000) → [Water Breathing] LV.3 (111/2000) [Your Total Concentration effect has reached its maximum] Achievement points remaining: 3
He had raised three Breathing Styles by several levels in one go.
Every level on his panel now read [LV.3: Proficient].
Along with that came the tremendous stat growth from leveling up his skills.
[Thunder Breathing]: Power level +5, +9, +16 [Stone Breathing]: Power level +13, +17 [Water Breathing]: Power level +15 [Kurumazuka Natsumi] [Power level: 157 (Body 69, Technique 42, Mind 46)] [Wind, Water, Stone, Thunder Breathing LV.3]
He felt brimming fullness, power flowing through him!
In that instant, the fruits of painstaking training ripened, tumbling joyfully into Xia Xi's body and mind, one after another.
Strength! Power! Might!
His strength was on an entirely different plane from before...
He felt fierce currents of heat surging freely through his body, a wellspring of strength coursing between muscle and bone.
Xia Xi slowly released a long breath.
Wind and lightning seemed to flicker faintly in his eyes, while the tranquil aura around him, like mountains and water, took on a fresh presence.
He could not help breaking into a radiant smile.
[Total Concentration!]
Xia Xi clenched his left hand around empty air, and a crisp crack actually exploded from it.
That sound could only arise when physical strength and bodily control reached their utmost limits.
"Old man Kazami, my strength is far beyond yours now..." Xia Xi murmured pointlessly.
In truth, the Demon Slayer Corps had almost never seen anyone like Xia Xi.
Practicing several Breathing Styles was already exceedingly rare.
Someone who could train every one of them to the point of mastering [Total Concentration] was utterly unprecedented.
After all, ordinary swordsmen did not possess Xia Xi's ability to "gain sudden enlightenment and break through several realms at once."
And mastering Total Concentration for four Breathing Styles simultaneously?
That was beyond what the vast majority of swordsmen would even think to consider.
Ordinary swordsmen could only master [Total Concentration Breathing], which greatly enhanced a Breathing Style's effects, after training their style to a certain level.
Then, as their swordsmanship improved, their mastery of Total Concentration deepened, and their physical abilities continued to grow.
They would eventually comprehend a technique called [Total Concentration: Constant].
To put it simply, a Breathing Style enhanced physical performance while it was maintained.
[Total Concentration], meanwhile, instantly took that enhancement a step further, at the cost of putting tremendous strain on the body.
As for [Constant].
It reduced that strain to a minimum, allowing an almost round-the-clock state of super-enhancement.
Within the Demon Slayer Corps, [Constant] marked the path toward the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
Once a swordsman mastered it, their physical abilities, swordsmanship, and command of their Breathing Style had all reached an astonishing level.
Although Xia Xi had yet to reach that realm.
Mastering Total Concentration four times in succession had caused its effects to stack to an astounding degree.
The enhancement his [Total Concentration] provided far surpassed that of other swordsmen.
If an ordinary swordsman's Total Concentration raised their physical performance to 200%.
Then Xia Xi's current Total Concentration raised his to 300%, or even 400%.
As a result, Nikaido Mei, who had been eager to spar with him, was beaten into utterly doubting herself.
Just the day before, he had barely been able to hold out against her.
The only exception had been when he first learned Thunder Breathing and caught her off guard.
How had he become so strong overnight that he seemed like a completely different person?
His proficiency in Thunder Breathing was nothing like that of someone who had only just learned it.
His strength and speed were also leagues ahead of hers.
It felt as though she were facing not a rookie, but a battle-hardened Kinoe swordsman.
Had she not watched him learn Thunder Breathing from scratch, going from nothing to something, she would have suspected the brat had been hiding his abilities all along.
Finally, after two identical streaks of lightning crossed.
The Nichirin Blade in Nikaido's hand snapped.
It was not that her Thunder Breathing or swordsmanship was weaker, but that the swordswoman had gotten carried away and chosen to clash head-on with Xia Xi.
Yet Xia Xi's blows carried greater force, and his blade was newer.
Looking at her Nichirin Blade, now reduced to half its length, Nikaido wore a complicated expression.
So easily surpassed by a junior...
After taking a deep breath, she said solemnly, "Listen well, brat. I've got nothing left to teach you about Thunder Breathing."
"If you can cut through my sword, you can cut through those demons' necks."
"Go on to your next stop."
"Take that talent and resolve of yours, and slaughter plenty more demons for me."
She raised her thumb and firmly tapped her eyepatch.
"If you run into a Lower Rank demon called Koyuki, make sure you kill her
"and avenge this eye of mine."
"And Tengen, too. Take him down a peg for me."
"I'm not asking for perfect fundamentals, but he can't keep obsessing over the ninja arts he used to kill people. Those demons aren't human. Sooner or later, a ninja's tricks won't be enough..."
Nikaido's usual overbearing fierceness had vanished like an ebbing tide.
All that remained were reminders and nagging.
Like a mother watching her child prepare to leave on a long journey.
Before he finally departed, she even brought Xia Xi a wine gourd and a scroll containing her own insights into her Breathing Style.
After walking a considerable distance from the dojo, Xia Xi looked back.
Nikaido Mei was still standing at the entrance. Seeing him turn, she merely waved a hand, then went back inside.
I owe her one...
Koyuki, was it? Let's hope she has enough eyes.
If she only has two, I'd pluck them out with two thrusts. That would be far too dull.
He had not gone much farther when the Kasugai Crow, which he had not seen for some time, flew in again from the distance.
"Kurumazuka Natsumi! Urgent orders! Urgent orders!"
It swooped down and landed on the boy's head.
Its deafening cries made Xia Xi's ears ache.
"Caw! Eastern logging camp! Kanae Kocho has encountered a powerful demon and is in danger! One Corps member, caw, caw, killed in action! Reinforcements urgently needed! Go now! Go now!"
Hm? Oh.
So there are reinforcement missions like this, too?
If it can force other swordsmen into a desperate battle, killing it should yield plenty of experience.
Xia Xi stopped, turned, and accelerated in the direction the Kasugai Crow indicated.
(Kanae)
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