A person in Japan, a sword that soars to immortality.

"What, Taichi, you've finally figured it out? The Demon Slayer Corps' breathing technique training method is the correct one, isn't it?"

Raizo smirked smugly, his nostrils flaring slightly, his hands crossed in front of his chest, glancing at Taiichi out of the corner of his eye.

A few days ago, the two had a slight disagreement while discussing breathing techniques.

Taichi told Raizo that this kind of breathing was like overdrawing on the body, a form of slow suicide, and that he thought the Demon Slayer Corps' method of selecting members was too cruel.

Actually, when he said it was cruel, Taiyi held back; what he really wanted to say was that it was simply outrageous.

Basically, the reserve members selected all had tragic backgrounds; they were either enemies of ghosts or orphans.

Then they are first sent to trainers to develop their skills. After they have mastered martial arts and the ideology of loyalty to the Demon Slayer Corps, they are sent to Fujikasane Mountain to play battle royale.

Furthermore, those ultimately selected in this battle royale may not necessarily be the truly strongest, such as Sabito and Giyu.

In Taiyi's view, this screening mechanism is equivalent to failing the second part of the driving test. Either you die from the crash, or you fall off a cliff edge, or you fall to your death when you can't turn on an L-shaped log bridge.

When Taiichi said these things, Raizo expressed his strong disagreement, saying that if they didn't do it this way, then all the people chosen in the future would be cowards.

Ultimately, neither of them convinced the other, and the two parted on bad terms.

"No, no, no, I still think that the method of practicing total concentration breathing is incorrect, but I suddenly realized a truth from it."

Taiyi picked up a piece of wood and threw it into the campfire. As the fire crackled, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"Huh? So what do you understand?"

Raizo pursed his lips, indicating that this guy was showing off again.

Although he was making faces, he still admired Taiichi very much.

The reason is that the other party was able to create the Dragon-Tiger Breathing Technique, which is comparable to a mythical story, simply by studying the Daoist Canon and the Demon Slayer Corps' breathing techniques.

At the same time, he also sincerely admired Taiyi, a fanatic who cultivated whenever he had time.

"Through the total concentration breathing method, you have indeed obtained a substitute for the body's attributes, which means that you can refine your Qi at any time."

"When I was cultivating before, I only practiced during the two time periods of noon and midnight."

"But if something happens in the middle of this kind of cultivation and I miss the time, I will not be able to cultivate anymore."

"It wasn't until I discussed it with you that I realized I was wrong."

As Taiyi finished speaking, he suddenly sat up straight and began to close his eyes and circulate his qi.

It seemed as if something invisible and intangible was being absorbed into Taiyi's body from the air.

Before long, the red and blue energies began to flow subtly beneath Taiyi's skin. Finally, Taiyi opened his palm, and a ball of vermilion energy appeared, only to disappear back into his hand.

When Taiyi opened his eyes again, they were even brighter, and the corners of his mouth slowly turned up. Then, he suddenly stood up from the ground, startling Raizo who was standing next to him.

"Yes, it is recorded in the Daoist Canon that the kidney qi is generated at midnight and the heart fluid is reduced at noon. It says that these two time periods every day are the time to cultivate qi."

"But through the total concentration breathing method, I finally understood that the many wonders of this world do not necessarily have to be learned and applied rigidly according to the records in the classics."

"As soon as I start practicing Qi cultivation, the time I am refining the Yin Tiger Qi is equivalent to midnight, and the time I am refining the Yang Dragon Qi is also noon."

"Based on this calculation, and considering the body's adaptability, I can double the amount of essence and qi I gain each day through breathing techniques, which is 10 points a day!"

Taiyi looked up at the starry sky and felt incredibly comfortable in his body and mind. At the same time, his thoughts gradually resonated with the heavens and earth.

Ding!

[Spiritual Energy +10]

Hmm? Another improvement?

Sure enough, each time he gained some insight, his spiritual power was strengthened.

But this feeling is something you can only experience by chance; you still need Ah Xia to give it to you...

Thinking of this, Taiyi's gaze moved to Axia's side and found that while playing with the peacock, she actually crawled into its wing, which made him laugh.

However, he raised an eyebrow, as if he had also noticed something amiss.

"Has this peacock... grown bigger again?"

Meanwhile, at the Yamada family's residence.

Everyone else had already gone to bed, and the entire courtyard was completely silent.

In a corner of the courtyard, under the cherry blossom tree, in the dappled moonlight, a slender figure stood alone, serene and graceful.

Zoccher lowered his head and carefully folded a strand of his hair into a paper amulet.

"Taiyi will be back soon; he must have faced many dangers on his journey." Looking down at the amulet in his palm, his worried expression turned to annoyance in less than a second. Then, Sōkiri frowned and snorted softly:

"What a troublesome fellow. Giving you this amulet feels like a waste, hmph."

On a rooftop not far behind her, a samurai with six eyes on his face stood quietly. He wore a kimono with purple snake patterns and black spots, a white belt around his waist, and a scabbard that looked like it was made of flesh and blood.

Hiss~ Whoosh~

Kokushibo sensed his surroundings, then tilted his head back and exhaled softly.

"The moon over Mount Mikasa, it should be the same as this one..."

Looking towards Senso-ji Temple, at the full moon hanging atop the five-story pagoda, he seemed to recall something.

Unconsciously, Kokushibo slowly raised his hand, preparing to reach into his robes, but the next second, he stopped.

"A samurai who interests that lord...?"

"This is the residence of the Yamada Asaemon family. I never expected it to be a place filled with the feeling of death."

"Although there are a few people with relatively strong auras, they should not be Yamada Asaemon Taichi."

"So, where exactly are you... the strongest warrior among humans?"

Kokushibo's six pupils all shifted downwards, looking at Sagaragi under the cherry blossom tree, his fingers gripping the hilt of the sword gradually tightening.

But the next second, he seemed to realize something, and then he vanished from the rooftop in an instant.

Kara.

The sound of tiles rubbing together immediately caught Zoche's attention, but when she turned to look, she found nothing.

Yoshiwara Flower Street, along the Black Tooth Canal.

A thin woman, her clothes patched and her face aged, was lying on the ground. She was barely breathing and about to die.

In the darkness, Daki stood with her arms crossed in front of her chest, her chin tucked in, staring at her with a displeased expression.

"Hey, it's my turn to go first this time."

"What? Why am I getting to go first? Don't you know I don't like cold food?"

"Stop arguing, okay? If you're so capable, go at Taiyi! Don't talk back to me..."

Just as Daki was talking to thin air, a figure suddenly appeared behind her, causing her to shut up immediately and widen her eyes.

Then, trembling, she slowly turned her head, and after seeing what it was, she collapsed to the ground, her mouth agape, unable to say anything for a moment.

"What are you doing?"

The petite Daki was like Bai Suzhen facing Leifeng Pagoda in front of the 1.9-meter-tall Kokushibo; she dared not move at all and could only tremble in fear.

"I...I was about to eat...eat a corpse."

"Why do this?"

Kokushibo tilted his head, immediately drawn in by her words.

Seeing that the other party did not make a move, Daki swallowed hard and then explained the reason why Taiichi had threatened them earlier.

a long time.

Kokushibo's usually expressionless face underwent a rare change. He then lowered his head, pinched his temples, and uttered two words softly:

"idiot......"

Then he spoke up again: "It seems that you... know that samurai named Taiichi. Why don't you tell me about him?"