Hadn't he only learned her Insect Breathing yesterday? How had he had another epiphany today?
Meanwhile, Su Chen finally opened his eyes.
"Big Brother Su Chen is awake!" the three little girls cried excitedly.
Kanao Tsuyuri smiled too, unconsciously tightening her grip on the wooden sword in her hand.
Shinobu Kocho couldn't help asking, "Mr. Su Chen, what were you thinking about just now?"
Su Chen smiled without saying anything.
He simply took the wooden sword from Kanao Tsuyuri's hand.
"Sister Shinobu, care to exchange a few moves with me?"
Seeing Su Chen's smile, Shinobu Kocho's mood instantly brightened considerably. "Sure!"
Whoosh!
The sword in Shinobu Kocho's hand slid out of its sheath.
Almost instantly, its blade was already in front of Su Chen.
The little girls hadn't even reacted, and even Kanao Tsuyuri froze for quite a while.
The fight had already begun!
Shinobu Kocho's approach was all about catching her opponent off guard.
But she knew her limits and deliberately kept the speed of this slash under control.
Even if Su Chen couldn't dodge it, she could pull her sword back in time without accidentally injuring him.
But the next moment, Shinobu Kocho was dumbfounded.
Facing such a swift attack, Su Chen actually advanced instead of retreating!
He pointed his wooden sword at Shinobu Kocho and thrust toward her at the same time.
"Is Su Chen planning to 'take us both down'?" Shinobu Kocho couldn't understand his intentions.
But judging by the speed of their attacks and the distance between each person and the other's sword, her blade should reach Su Chen first.
Besides, she used poison, so merely breaking Su Chen's skin would count as her victory.
Su Chen had to dodge this strike!
The blade skimmed Su Chen's chest, seemingly about to cut his skin!
Just as Shinobu Kocho was about to pull back, Su Chen moved!
His body suddenly vanished from the spot and appeared at Shinobu Kocho's side the next instant.
Shadowless Hand activated, and Su Chen successfully touched Shinobu Kocho's chin.
Startled by the sudden touch on her chin, Shinobu Kocho sprang away like a frightened deer.
A blush crossed her fair little face. She hadn't expected Su Chen to be so bold!
Once her embarrassment and indignation passed, Shinobu Kocho gradually regained her composure.
Su Chen really had dodged her attack just now, and he had even touched a vulnerable spot!
She had actually lost this test!
Noticing Shinobu Kocho's puzzlement, Su Chen spoke directly. "Sister Shinobu, what did you think of that move?"
Shinobu Kocho blinked and offered her assessment. "It was very fast. And if I hadn't attacked first, your sword would have pierced my chest within a second."
"Exactly." Su Chen smiled.
Shinobu Kocho was right. If she hadn't seized the initiative just now, he could have been even faster.
"This is a Breathing Style I developed myself. What I just used was the First Form I came up with, Poison Stinger!"
"Poison?" Kiyo couldn't help saying from beside them. "Isn't that Lady Shinobu's way of attacking?"
Shinobu Kocho understood too. Su Chen meant that the move he had just used should be usable in combination with poison.
Su Chen continued, "I realized that although Sister Shinobu's Insect Breathing is excellent, it has too many unnecessary movements for me. After all, I haven't trained for long, and my endurance still isn't as good as yours. That's why I came up with this approach."
Shinobu Kocho blinked. "Then what was that high-speed movement you used just now?"
Even she hadn't been able to react when Su Chen suddenly vanished. His speed in that instant had already surpassed hers.
The next moment, Su Chen answered her question.
"That was just a movement I made by vibrating my body intensely." Su Chen's gaze settled on the flowers in the courtyard.
"Over the past few days, I've noticed a lot of bees in the courtyard. They're constantly gathering nectar, yet they can quickly dodge away when danger appears. I wondered why."
"Then I discovered the reason. They generate powerful air currents through the high-frequency vibration of their wings, both to reduce the air resistance around them and to provide strong thrust that lets them fly quickly."
"At the same time, they constantly adjust the angle of their wings and the frequency of their vibrations to achieve the most efficient flight."
"I wondered what would happen if a person used this technique, and then I developed a new Breathing Style based on it."
"A variation of Insect Breathing-Bee Breathing!"
His explanation left everyone utterly dumbfounded.
Even Kanao Tsuyuri, whose face was usually expressionless, parted her lips slightly.
That showed just how staggering Su Chen's words were!
The smile had disappeared from Shinobu Kocho's face, and she stood stunned for a full five seconds before reacting.
She began speaking shakily, almost unable to get her words out clearly.
"Mr. Su Chen, do you mean that you've created a Breathing Style of your own?"
Su Chen nodded. "Yes."
Boom!
Shinobu Kocho felt as though her little head was letting off steam like a train.
Su Chen had first encountered the Demon Slayer Corps on the first day, learned swordplay on the second, and learned a Breathing Style on the third, and now, on the fourth day, he had already begun creating his own Breathing Style?
Could Su Chen truly be a gift from heaven to the Demon Slayer Corps?
Combined with Su Chen's current strength, Shinobu Kocho simply couldn't imagine how astonishing he would be once he took to the battlefield!
Even Tokito had taken two months to become a Hashira, and Su Chen would definitely break that record!
Seeing Shinobu Kocho standing there in a daze, Su Chen waved at her.
Only then did Shinobu Kocho come back to her senses.
Su Chen smiled and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." A smile bloomed on Shinobu Kocho's face again. "Might I ask you to give another complete demonstration of Bee Breathing, Mr. Su Chen?"
She wanted another look, to see just how powerful Su Chen's self-created Breathing Style was.
If Su Chen truly understood Breathing Styles deeply, perhaps he could become a teacher in the Demon Slayer Corps dedicated to explaining their application.
Then more members of the Demon Slayer Corps would learn Breathing Styles, bringing a qualitative leap in the overall caliber of its ranks!
Shinobu Kocho could even imagine how happy the Master would be if he learned this news.
Su Chen borrowed a sword from Kanao Tsuyuri, then slowly walked to the center of the courtyard.
Although he had already simulated it countless times in his mind, even the best memory was no match for written notes. Without testing it in actual combat, Su Chen couldn't be certain how powerful the Breathing Style he had developed was.
"Sister Shinobu, would you be my opponent?" Su Chen looked at Shinobu Kocho in the corridor and asked with a smile.
Shinobu Kocho didn't refuse. Drawing her Nichirin Blade, she flashed into a corner of the courtyard.
Su Chen spread the corners of his mouth, drawing a large amount of air into his lungs.
His body began to vibrate visibly!
"Then, Bee Breathing, Seventh Form."
Su Chen gripped the Nichirin Blade tightly, pointing it straight at Shinobu Kocho.
"Swift Lunge!"
Before you continue