Chapter 57: My Blade Has Long Been Thirsting

Chapter 57: My Blade Has Long Been Thirsting

With a heavy, dull sound, Gyomei Himejima displayed his Nichirin Blade to Chu Yang. At first glance, it hardly resembled a "blade" at all.

It was a long iron chain, with one end connected to a single-edged broad axe and the other end attached to a spiked flail—creating an intense visual impact.

Matched with Gyomei Himejima's sweeping and forceful combat style, it was a violent form of aesthetic beauty.

"My weapon is quite extreme and doesn't have much reference value. As long as it's effective in battle, it doesn't matter if it's a blade or not," Gyomei Himejima remarked as he swung his weapon, causing a sharp whistling wind to echo through the courtyard.

A fierce wind swept through the entire yard.

Even from a distance, Chu Yang could feel a powerful, oppressive force.

"This weapon contains a large amount of high-purity crimson iron sand, making it extremely heavy. You can try swinging it." Gyomei Himejima placed the weapon on the ground and gestured for Chu Yang to pick it up, intending to test his strength.

As soon as Chu Yang grabbed the chain, he felt its weight. Taking a deep breath, he tugged at the chain, lifting both ends of the weapon.

"Can you try swinging it?" asked Gyomei Himejima.

Chu Yang nodded and began swinging the weapon with ease, creating a gust of wind with each move, seemingly unfazed.

Gyomei Himejima was astonished. He had emphasized that the weapon was incredibly heavy—so much so that no one in the Demon Slayer Corps, apart from him, could wield it.

Yet, Chu Yang not only lifted it with ease but also swung it with incredible finesse on his first attempt.

Gyomei Himejima realized that his initial plan to help Chu Yang train his body might have been a mistake.

It seemed like Chu Yang was born perfectly attuned to his own strength.

"Put it down for now," Gyomei Himejima said after Chu Yang laid the chain down. He quietly stowed the weapon and added, "You have exceptional talent, so my expectations for you will be higher. Once you master the Stone Breathing, I'll recommend you for the Final Selection."

"The Final Selection is a trial to become a swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps. There, you'll face your fears and battle demons to the death. Survive, and you'll become a swordsman. Otherwise..."

Chu Yang smiled. "Don't worry, I'm prepared for this."

"Then I have nothing more to warn you about," Gyomei Himejima said, turning to enter his room. As he walked, he added, "There are some water barrels in the backyard, and at the top of this mountain, there's a spring. Make sure to fill these barrels daily."

Chu Yang clicked his tongue, recalling similar training scenes from TV shows. He tentatively asked, "Mr. Himejima, there's no issue with the water-carrying tools, right?"

Gyomei Himejima paused, surprised. "You're quite perceptive. It's a method I used to train myself. You'll understand when you see it."

Sure enough!

Moments later, Chu Yang arrived at the backyard. Beside a heap of water barrels were two large conical water buckets that couldn't even stand upright, leaning against the barrels.

The buckets were made of iron, as was the carrying pole, and the two were connected by an iron chain.

"Tsk tsk, as expected of a monk, to come up with such inhumane training methods. These must weigh several hundred kilograms in total, right?" Chu Yang figured that even under normal conditions, Gyomei Himejima might not be able to carry them without constantly maintaining a state of total concentration breathing.

Thus, this training equipment was likely for practicing Total Concentration: Constant.

"Off to the mountain!" Chu Yang hoisted the carrying pole onto his shoulders and, feeling no pressure, walked out of the temple toward the sunlight.

Unexpectedly, Gyomei Himejima was standing at the doorway, glaring at him, with several new barrels at his feet. Joining his hands in prayer, he said in a booming voice, "With your strength, those two iron buckets won't offer much training. Add these as well."

Chu Yang's eyes widened. Adding these barrels would make the total weight a few tons!

Was this a joke?

But Gyomei Himejima's expression was serious, showing no signs of jest. Seeing this, Chu Yang immediately dismissed any thought of resisting and obediently added the new barrels to the ends of the pole.

Now, Chu Yang truly felt the weight. He instinctively entered a state of Total Concentration Breathing, trying to ease the burden on his body.

Gyomei Himejima sensed the natural emergence of the Stone Breathing from Chu Yang and smiled as he turned back into the temple.

The mountain path was rugged and slippery. After only a few steps, Chu Yang stumbled, almost tumbling down the slope.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Chu Yang looked up at the sky, sweat from his forehead gradually blurring his vision.

At this crucial moment, vitality surged from within his body, relieving his fatigue. Stepping forward again, he regained his composure and balance.

Gyomei Himejima continued chanting sutras before the Buddha statue. As the sun set behind the mountains, the sky outside gradually darkened, and moonlight replaced the sunlight on the earth.

The chanting suddenly stopped, and Gyomei Himejima stood up, walking out of the temple to search for Chu Yang. If it got any later, Chu Yang might face danger.

Not long after leaving the temple, Gyomei Himejima heard faint footsteps ahead. Relieved, he quietly stood and waited.

Chu Yang slowly made his way toward the temple. Half the water in the buckets had spilled along the path.

Sweat had soaked Chu Yang's clothes, which clung heavily to his body. Even so, Chu Yang maintained his Total Concentration Breathing, knowing he wouldn't have made it down the mountain without it.

When he reached Gyomei Himejima, Chu Yang's legs gave out, and he collapsed.

Gyomei Himejima calmly reached out, firmly grasping the carrying pole with one hand.

The buckets swayed slightly, then settled. With his other hand, he steadied Chu Yang.

"You did very well. I thought I'd have to go up the mountain to fetch you," Gyomei Himejima said with a smile, resembling the serene, compassionate Buddha statues in the temple.

Chu Yang smiled back, but before he could speak, he fainted.

Only then did his Total Concentration Breathing cease.

Gyomei Himejima nodded to himself, carrying Chu Yang back to his room to rest. He then went to the backyard to pour the water Chu Yang had fetched into the barrels.

From then on, Chu Yang fetched water from the mountain daily.

At first, he had to leave at dawn and wouldn't return until nightfall, often with only half-filled buckets, unable to keep the water from spilling.

But as he became more adept at the Stone Breathing, the time it took him to descend the mountain gradually decreased. He began to return to the temple before nightfall, with more and more water left in the buckets.

After half a month, Chu Yang was able to return to the temple by dusk with not a single drop of water spilled from the buckets.

Through this half-month of training, Chu Yang had mastered the ability to maintain Total Concentration Breathing even during intense physical exertion.

The barrels in the backyard were now completely filled, enough to last for a long time.

Gyomei Himejima silently observed, feeling an indescribable sense of awe.

The training he had set for Chu Yang was meant to take six months, but Chu Yang had completed it in just half a month.

The next day, the special force "Kakushi," responsible for logistics in the Demon Slayer Corps, visited to deliver supplies to Gyomei Himejima.

It turned out that half a month ago, after deciding to take Chu Yang as his disciple, Gyomei Himejima had placed an order with the swordsmith village for a batch of heavy weapons.

These were meant for Chu Yang to choose from, as one must personally test weapons to find their perfect match.

Each of these weapons contained different amounts of crimson iron sand and crimson ore.

However, without exception, they were all extremely heavy and devastatingly lethal.

Just moving these heavy weapons required a considerable number of Kakushi members.