With a heavy, muffled sound, Gyomei Himejima displayed his Nichirin weapon to Chu Yang. From appearances alone, it barely had anything to do with a "sword."
It was a long iron chain—one end connected to a single-edged massive axe, the other to a spiked iron flail. The visual impact was overwhelming.
Paired with Gyomei's wide, powerful fighting style, it embodied a brutal kind of aesthetic.
"My weapon is rather extreme and doesn't offer much reference value," Gyomei said as he swung it. A sharp howl of wind instantly echoed through the courtyard.
A gale swept across the entire yard.
Even Chu Yang, standing at a distance, could feel the oppressive force bearing down on him.
"A large amount of high-purity Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand was added, making it extremely heavy. You can try swinging it," Gyomei said, setting the weapon on the ground and gesturing for Chu Yang to pick it up, intending to test just how strong he was.
The moment Chu Yang grasped the chain, he felt the weight. He took a deep breath, pulled hard, and lifted both ends of the weapon.
"Can you try swinging it?" Gyomei asked.
Chu Yang nodded and whirled the weapon with a vigorous flourish. It moved smoothly, effortlessly—he wasn't even out of breath.
Gyomei was astonished.
He had already emphasized how heavy this weapon was. In the entire Demon Slayer Corps, no one but himself could wield it.
Yet Chu Yang had picked it up on his first try and used it with ease.
Gyomei realized then that his idea of "tempering Chu Yang's body" might have been misguided.
It seemed Chu Yang could naturally adapt to his own strength.
"Put it down," Gyomei said. After Chu Yang set the chain down, Gyomei quietly stored the weapon away before continuing, "Your talent is exceptional, so my standards for you will be higher as well. Once you can proficiently master Stone Breathing, I will recommend you for Final Selection."
"Final Selection is the trial to become a Demon Slayer. There, you will face fear head-on and fight demons in battles of life and death. Survive to the end, and you'll become a Demon Slayer. Otherwise…"
Chu Yang smiled. "Please rest assured—I have that level of resolve."
"Then there's nothing more I need to warn you about," Gyomei said as he turned and walked inside. "There are some jars in the back courtyard. At the top of this mountain, there's a spring. Remember to fill all the jars every day."
Chu Yang smacked his lips, recalling the training methods he'd seen on TV before, and asked tentatively, "Sir Gyomei… the tools for carrying water—there won't be any problems with them, right?"
Gyomei paused, turned his head with a surprised expression. "You're quite perceptive. That was a method I used to train myself. Go take a look—you'll see."
As expected.
Moments later, Chu Yang arrived at the back courtyard. Beside a row of water jars stood two cone-shaped, oversized buckets that couldn't even stand upright, leaning against the jars instead.
They were made of iron. Even the shoulder pole was iron, with the two buckets connected by iron chains.
"Tsk tsk. As expected of an ascetic monk—coming up with something this inhuman. Conservatively speaking, all of this together must weigh several hundred kilograms," Chu Yang muttered. "Under normal circumstances, even Gyomei probably couldn't lift this…"
Unless he maintained Total Concentration Breathing the entire time.
So this setup was clearly something Gyomei had used to train Total Concentration: Constant.
"Up the mountain we go!" Chu Yang hoisted the pole onto his shoulders. He felt no pressure at all and strode out of the temple toward the sunlight.
To his surprise, Gyomei was standing at the entrance, staring at him. Several additional buckets lay at his feet. With hands pressed together, Gyomei said solemnly, "With your strength, two buckets won't provide any training effect. Add all of these as well."
Chu Yang's eyes nearly popped out.
All of these together would weigh several tons!
Was this a joke?!
But Gyomei's expression was serious—clearly not joking. Chu Yang immediately abandoned any thought of resistance and obediently added the extra buckets to both ends of the pole.
This time, Chu Yang truly felt the pressure. He instinctively activated Total Concentration Breathing, trying his best to lighten the burden on his body.
Sensing the naturally emerging Stone Breathing aura from Chu Yang, Gyomei smiled faintly and turned back into the temple.
The mountain path was rugged and slippery. After only a few steps, Chu Yang stumbled, nearly tumbling down the slope.
Heart pounding, Chu Yang took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. Sweat streamed down his forehead, slowly blurring his vision.
At that critical moment, a steady flow of vitality surged from within, easing his fatigue. He took another step forward, his posture steady once more.
Gyomei sat before the Buddha statue, continuously chanting sutras. As the sun sank beyond the mountains, darkness gradually fell, moonlight replacing daylight over the land.
The chanting abruptly stopped.
Gyomei rose and stepped out of the temple, intending to search for Chu Yang. If it got any later, Chu Yang might encounter danger.
Not long after leaving the temple, Gyomei heard faint footsteps approaching from ahead. Only then did he relax, standing quietly in place to wait.
Chu Yang trudged slowly toward the temple. Only half the water remained in the buckets—the rest had spilled along the path.
His clothes were completely soaked with sweat, hanging heavily off his body. Even so, Chu Yang struggled to maintain Total Concentration Breathing. Without it, he wouldn't have made it down the mountain at all.
When he finally reached Gyomei, Chu Yang's legs gave out. He suddenly lost all strength and collapsed straight down.
Gyomei reached out—one hand firmly catching the shoulder pole.
The two buckets swayed gently before settling. With his other hand, Gyomei supported Chu Yang.
"You did very well. I originally thought I'd have to go up the mountain to fetch you," Gyomei said with a smile, his expression carrying the same compassion as the Buddha enshrined within the temple.
Chu Yang returned a smile. Before he could say anything, he lost consciousness.
Only then did his Total Concentration Breathing finally cease.
Gyomei nodded to himself, carried him back to the room to rest, then went to the back courtyard and poured the hard-earned spring water into the jars.
From then on, Chu Yang climbed the mountain to fetch water every day.
At first, he had to set out at dawn and wouldn't return until nightfall, and each time he could only bring back half a bucket—unable to prevent the water from spilling.
As he grew more proficient with Stone Breathing, the time it took him to descend the mountain gradually shortened. Bit by bit, he began returning before nightfall, with more and more water remaining in the buckets.
Half a month later, Chu Yang could return to the temple before dusk and ensure that not a single drop spilled from either bucket.
After these two weeks of training, Chu Yang could maintain a stable Total Concentration Breathing state during any intense physical activity.
The water jars in the back courtyard were all filled—enough to last for quite some time.
Gyomei silently observed all of this, the shock in his heart beyond words.
The training plan he'd set for Chu Yang had been meant to span half a year.
Yet Chu Yang completed everything in just half a month.
The next day, members of the Demon Slayer Corps' logistics unit, the Kakushi, arrived at the temple. They had come to deliver items for Gyomei.
It turned out that half a month earlier, when Gyomei had decided to accept Chu Yang as his disciple, he had already commissioned the Swordsmith Village to forge a batch of heavy weapons.
These were prepared specifically for Chu Yang, who would choose the one that suited him best.
How could one know what weapon they liked without personally trying them?
Each of these weapons contained varying amounts of Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand and Scarlet Crimson Ore.
But without exception, they were all incredibly heavy, with terrifying killing power.
Just transporting these heavy cold weapons had required the Kakushi to dispatch many members.
(End of Chapter)