Perhaps it was because the message Kuguruma Natsunishi had the Kasugai Crow deliver to the Demon Slayer Corps was taken to heart.
Or perhaps it was simply a stroke of good luck.
On the way to the location of the next recommended person, Kuguruma Natsunishi intermittently took on three more demon-slaying missions.
Compared to the previous multi-armed demon, the strength of these three demons was indeed slightly more formidable. Their attributes generally reached above 60.
Among them, one demon's attribute reached 87 for the first time, and it possessed a rather impressive Blood Demon Art. It could swallow a large amount of air and then continuously spit out invisible attacks that resembled cannonballs. The damage was high, the cooldown was short, and the trajectories were invisible.
If a normal swordsman encountered it, let alone slaying it, even getting close would be difficult. After all, demons possessed regenerative abilities on the level of limb reattachment. Swordsmen, on the other hand, were merely ordinary humans; even a minor injury would take at least a month to recover from.
Furthermore, this demon had high stats and a solid skill set. Even Kuguruma Natsunishi had to exert quite a bit of effort to deal with it.
Of course, the rewards for eliminating them were also substantial. Besides significantly increasing his savings at the Central Bank, his Wind Breathing experience bar successfully passed the halfway mark.
Moreover, a few days later, the Kasugai Crow brought more good news.
He had been promoted.
At that moment, he was training at the residence of the Stone Breathing Cultivator, swinging a sledgehammer and forging iron with wild abandon.
A pitch-black Kasugai Crow flew through the forest and landed precisely on the eaves of the house in the courtyard. It wasn't "Little White," whom Kuguruma Natsunishi was most familiar with. This one spoke human language very standardly—articulate, clear, and powerful.
"Mizunoto-ranked member, Kuguruma Natsunishi, receive your orders!"
"Verified by the Kakushi: In the past few months, twenty-seven demons have been eliminated by your hand. Among these feats, you collaborated with other members during the Final Selection to subjugate a demon possessing a Blood Demon Art."
"Five days ago, you independently subjugated a demon with a Blood Demon Art that had murdered several members."
"Your achievements are outstanding, and your contributions are extraordinary."
"Therefore, the leader, Lord Ubuyashiki Kagaya, specially issues this decree: Kuguruma Natsunishi's rank is to be promoted exceptionally, leaping from [Mizunoto] to [Kanoe]!"
"It is hoped you will remain diligent and achieve new merits hereafter!"
"The credentials and uniform for the new rank will be delivered by the subsequent Kakushi unit. End of order!"
After finishing, the crow gave Kuguruma Natsunishi a surprisingly human-like nod before flapping its wings and flying off toward the horizon.
His faction rank had increased? And it was a triple promotion all at once.
Lately, Kuguruma Natsunishi had gained some understanding of the promotion rules within the Demon Slayer Corps. Under normal circumstances, ordinary members were promoted one level at a time. This required not only the continuous accumulation of merit but also the recognition of their strength by other high-ranking swordsmen after thorough verification.
Simply put, one had to kill a sufficient number of demons. Furthermore, there had to be cooperation with other swordsmen on the scene to confirm there was no exaggeration or boasting. And basically, it was done level by level.
Kuguruma Natsunishi's promotion this time was clearly not part of the standard procedure.
"It seems the Master values you more than I imagined," said a man with a steady temperament and a stoic expression.
[Matsuyama Daimon (Energy Level: 137)] Stone Breathing LV.5.
Among all the Cultivators, he was a rare user of Stone Breathing. He was also a retired Kinoe-ranked swordsman with physical disabilities. Tall and strong was the first impression he gave. Even wearing loose robes, one could see his robust muscular lines and a prosthetic right leg made of hardwood and iron parts.
Compared to kind elders like Kazami Sarayoshi and Urokodaki Sakonji, Matsuyama was much younger, roughly in his thirties or forties—the prime of his life. However, because he suffered severe injuries during an encounter with a Lower Moon of the Twelve Demon Moons, he was forced to retire. Although he kept his life, his amputated body could no longer support him fighting on the front lines. Thus, he chose to become a Cultivator, continuing the fight against those demons from a different perspective.
Kuguruma Natsunishi replied, "Of course. After all, as a violent organization dedicated to slaying demons, 'the capable rise and the weak stay down' is the most basic judgment a leader needs to make. It shows the Boss appreciates my efficiency in clearing mobs."
Matsuyama nodded. His face remained calm, as if Kuguruma Natsunishi had just said the firewood was finished.
"Confidence is naturally a good thing. Now, boy of wind, keep striking." He pointed the hammer in Kuguruma Natsunishi's hand toward the anvil ahead. Resting on it was a dull red iron ingot that had not yet lost its high heat.
Matsuyama Daimon's training method was somewhat unique. It wasn't the traditional swordsmanship training of Kazami, nor was it like Urokodaki's method of teaching a style and letting the student comprehend it. Instead, he had Kuguruma Natsunishi undergo arduous training that seemed boring and highly repetitive.
On the first day he agreed to train Kuguruma Natsunishi, he had Kuguruma Natsunishi press his back against a house pillar and drop into a basic horse stance. Then, he had him breathe according to his rhythm. This was to make Kuguruma Natsunishi feel the connection between his soles and the earth—to converse with the land beneath his feet. It allowed the breath to flow through the lungs in a state of "stillness," letting consciousness and strength sink into the waist, the legs, and the heels like tree roots.
He wanted Kuguruma Natsunishi to imagine the feeling of growing out of the ground. It was an abstract teaching method, yet simple.
This horse stance lasted for eight hours. After Kuguruma Natsunishi fast-forwarded through the training animation, his entire body was stiff with backaches and sore muscles.
He didn't complain about Matsuyama's training method, however. Because while he was doing the horse stance, Matsuyama was right beside him, doing it as well. The man believed in leading by example.
"Wind will bypass, and water will seep through, but only repeated tempering creates the hardness of mountain rock. Once you grasp this feeling, you will naturally learn the essence of Stone Breathing."
Whatever Matsuyama asked Kuguruma Natsunishi to do, he did himself. With things like this, what else could Kuguruma Natsunishi say? He could only watch the training progress of [Stone Breathing] slowly climb day by day through the horse stance.
After imparting this philosophy, the second stage of training soon began. Matsuyama called it "Conversation with the Mountains."
He took Kuguruma Natsunishi to the bottom of a cliff behind the town. Using his wooden prosthetic leg, he tapped the cliff face and signaled Kuguruma Natsunishi to push it with everything he had.
Never mind Kuguruma Natsunishi, whose attributes hadn't even broken 100 yet; even with attributes in the thousands, it would be impossible to move this cliff. After all, if one could move this, it meant they weren't far from toppling the entire mountain.
Kuguruma Natsunishi attempted it with a face full of doubt. He used every technique, squeezing out all his physical strength and potential. He wondered if this cliff had some special property. Just as a Nichirin Sword would change color, perhaps this mountain would automatically announce results like "Combat Power 18,000" or "Third Stage of Spirit Power" based on his output.
However, the mountain was just an ordinary mountain. Kuguruma Natsunishi naturally couldn't move it.
Then Matsuyama stood beside him and demonstrated. His muscles bulged, and the gravel beneath his feet was kicked flying, but the mountain didn't move either. However, compared to the large scuff marks Kuguruma Natsunishi's feet made on the ground due to the reaction force as he struggled, Matsuyama's feet looked as if they were welded to the ground. Despite constantly exerting force against the mountain, he formed a subtle balance with it.
"What are you pushing?"
"I'm not asking you to wrestle with the mountain. It's the breathing. I want you to become part of the mountain."
Kuguruma Natsunishi tried to learn, maintaining the pushing posture while studying Matsuyama's incredibly long and deep breathing.
The progress bar began to move again. The essence of Stone Breathing, along with the continuously dripping sweat and Kuguruma Natsunishi's taut muscles, slowly but steadily flowed into the system panel.
After fast-forwarding through several days of grueling training...
Crack.
The ground beneath Kuguruma Natsunishi's feet, under the pressure of his hours of full-effort standing and continuous downward and backward force, split where it met the mountain body.
And so, the Stone Breathing training entered the third stage. Which was what Kuguruma Natsunishi was currently doing: wielding a hammer and forging iron.
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