As the Demon Slayer Corps' second-strongest fighter, second only to Xia Xi...
Just how powerful had Gyomei Himejima become?
Objectively speaking...
Xia Xi felt that even without the War Mark's enhancement, this Great Monk...
With his monstrously powerful physique alone, combined with a Bright Red Nichirin Blade and the Transparent World...
Was strong enough to defeat Upper Rank Three, Akaza, single-handedly.
And after gaining a golden War Mark, which multiplied his physique several times over...
Xia Xi even felt...
That Gyomei's current strength was probably no less than his own had been during his bitter battle with Kokushibo.
[Energy Level: 1560 (Body 1209, Technique 179, Mind 172)]
With the War Mark's enhancement...
His [Body] attribute had broken straight through the thousand-point barrier.
That was so staggering that probably not even the Upper Rank Demons could achieve it.
Xia Xi reckoned that if he had not also awakened a top-tier golden War Mark not long ago...
He would probably only be a notch stronger than Gyomei now.
In the six months and more since the last battle...
Xia Xi had never slacked off.
Through hard training day after day, he had gained nearly 1,500 experience for Dawn Breathing.
Meanwhile, thanks to the effects of [Breathing Style Meditation lv.3], his other six Breathing Styles had gained anywhere from 300 to 500 experience for free, depending on their compatibility.
All told, that added up to more than two thousand.
Unfortunately, since his basic Breathing Styles were already at fairly high levels, this experience had only pushed their progress bars forward a stretch, without leveling them up.
Only the derivative [Mist Breathing], which had been at a very low level to begin with...
Had risen to lv.2.
It had provided Xia Xi with a paltry seven Energy Levels, a drop in the