Time flew, and a week passed in the blink of an eye.
At the first light of dawn, sunlight spilled over the rugged mountain path, where two figures were walking.
Shoma walked steadily ahead, occasionally glancing back at Teiichi, who followed close behind.
"Although your health has improved a little, you haven't fully recovered, and you're still not ready for high-intensity training. So, for the next few weeks, just focus on sensing the wind."
"Sensing the wind? Teacher, do you mean learning Wind Breathing? Is my body already ready to learn Wind Breathing?"
"No. With your current physical condition, you still can't learn Wind Breathing. With normal development, you'd have to wait until you were twelve or thirteen to start. Even if you started physical training now, it would take six months to a year at the earliest."
"When I say sensing the wind, you could also call it spending more time in the breeze. It's simply a process to help you better understand and master the power of wind. You can think of it as preparatory training before learning Wind Breathing."
"Sensing the wind?"
Growing increasingly confused as he listened, Teiichi couldn't help frowning and muttering to himself.
In the original story, didn't they get stronger just through physical training and honing their Breathing Styles?
Oh, no, that's not right. During his initial training, Tanjiro did spend some time sensing water, but it seemed to have been glossed over without much description.
Hearing the uncertainty in Teiichi's words, Shoma smiled faintly.
"That's right. Sensing the wind."
"Why do you think different Breathing Styles exist?"
At his teacher's question, Teiichi lowered his head and thought for a moment.
"I think... it must be because different Breathing Styles focus on different things."
Shoma nodded in agreement, but followed up with another question.
"Then what causes those differences?"
Listening to his teacher's instruction, Teiichi thought for a moment, recalling the explanation in the original story.
Originally, there was only one Breathing Style in the world-Sun Breathing.
But Sun Breathing was too overbearing, and ordinary people's bodies couldn't bear the strain of using it, so the first generation of swordsmen developed Breathing Styles better suited to their own bodies, using Sun Breathing as a foundation.
"I think it's because everyone has different physical gifts. Some people are faster, some are stronger, and some have thicker skin and grow taller, and so on.
Different Breathing Styles came about to better accommodate and make use of each person's gifts."
Kazeno Shoma couldn't help freezing for a moment. He had expected Teiichi to say he didn't know. Instead, to his surprise, Teiichi had responded clearly, without the slightest hesitation or confusion.
Not only is this child gifted and good-natured, but even his intelligence surpasses that of ordinary people?
"That's right. Among the five major branches of Breathing Styles,
Flame Breathing has the color closest to the sun of all the Breathing Styles. Its users can wield and release extremely hot flames to burn demons' bodies.
Thunder Breathing has the greatest explosive power of all the Breathing Styles. Its moves are swift and forceful, capable of unleashing powerful attacks in an instant.
Stone Breathing differs from other Breathing Styles in that it uses heavy weapons, which also means it requires greater physical fitness.
Water Breathing is the most balanced of all the Breathing Styles. It has no obvious strengths, but no obvious weaknesses either. When facing an equally strong opponent, it often lacks a decisive move.
Our Wind Breathing excels in speed while also being extremely offensive. When using this Breathing Style, we can unleash fierce winds to help us fight."
"But what does that have to do with sensing the wind?"
At Teiichi's question, Kazeno Shoma smiled and continued explaining.
"If you use a Breathing Style, you naturally need to understand its characteristics.
And imagination alone is far from enough to achieve that understanding. Only by personally experiencing and comprehending the nature of the element corresponding to your Breathing Style can you truly improve your proficiency with its moves and their killing power.
So, when training, you should experience for yourself what those associated elements truly mean, and attentively sense how they exist, the patterns governing their movements, and so on. Only then can you achieve perfect harmony with the Breathing Style you've learned and bring out your greatest potential."
Before they knew it, the two had reached the mountaintop.
Before them stretched a broad, flat expanse of ground, with an enormous wisteria tree towering at its very center.
Its crown resembled a huge open umbrella, blocking out a great swath of sky. Clusters of brilliantly colored wisteria blossoms hung among its dense branches and leaves, looking from afar like purple clouds fallen into the mortal world. As a breeze passed, wisteria petals drifted down, as light and graceful as snowflakes. They gathered beneath the tree, forming a thick layer of purple flower hearts.
Beyond the sea of flowers lay a sheer cliff.
A massive boulder jutted from the cliff's edge like an eagle spreading its wings to take flight, overlooking the mountains and rivers below. Standing here, one could feel the wind roaring past and the shock of the terrifying drop.
Teiichi followed Shoma onto the rock, and his teacher pointed at the ground.
"Sit cross-legged."
Teiichi obediently stepped forward and sat down cross-legged.
"From now on, come up here on your own every day and sit. Remember to go down for meals when it's time. The wind is stronger at the summit, making it better for sensing the wind."
"Mm, all right."
"Good. Now close your eyes."
Teiichi closed his eyes as his teacher instructed, then heard Shoma begin speaking beside him.
"First, gather your thoughts and try to focus your attention on your breathing. Breathe in deeply and exhale slowly. Let your breaths become deep and slow, and gradually relax all the muscles in your body."
"It might be difficult the first time, but after a few attempts, you'll gradually enter a deep state of meditation. Once you do, you may lose your strong awareness of your body and surroundings, as though you've merged into a greater, boundless consciousness."
"Once you reach that stage, you can begin sensing the wind."
"Wind has neither shape nor form, yet it is everywhere. It is the breath of nature, the rhythm of life."
"You can't see it with the naked eye, but you can feel it through touch. When the wind brushes against your body, carefully sense what it is."
Watching the boy before him trying hard to relax, Kazeno Shoma nodded and continued.
"All right, keep practicing like this. I'll head down first. Remember to come down for your meals when it's time."
After speaking, he worried that the boy might not know how to tell the time, so he added another sentence.
"Mm... come down when your shadow is almost directly beneath your feet."
"Mm, all right, Teacher."