696: Retract force

Afterward, there was constant practice of swinging the blade, while Sakonji Urokodaki provided Su Chen with private training.

Mainly, Su Chen's talent was too terrifying; Tanjiro's training tasks held almost no difficulty for Su Chen.

"Let's conduct some combat training."

Sakonji Urokodaki's voice was calm. Although Su Chen had shown amazing talent before, when it came to actual combat ability, there was likely still a huge gap between them.

Su Chen hadn't Cultivated before. Although he possessed brute strength, speed, and reflexes, he... shouldn't be a match for him, right?

Sakonji Urokodaki felt a bit unsure.

"Alright!"

Su Chen nodded and then took a stance.

In the next moment, his figure lunged at Sakonji Urokodaki like a cannonball. His speed was incredibly fast, appearing before Sakonji Urokodaki almost in the blink of an eye.

The latter's face was full of surprise; this speed was truly very fast.

Unfortunately, speed alone is not enough in actual combat.

He raised both hands, preparing to deflect the force.

But Su Chen's hands immediately began to shift. In terms of combat ability, he was second to none. Although for Cultivators, it's almost always a clash of Divine Abilities, one still needs combat awareness.

Sakonji Urokodaki could no longer retract his movement. He had intended to deflect the force but never expected Su Chen to have other Moves. This strike was just a feint, leaving him unable to change his Move in time.

Oh no!

Boom!

A dull, loud thud sounded as Sakonji Urokodaki was sent flying back, crashing onto the ground. However, he didn't feel like he had sustained much damage.

He could sense that this was because Su Chen had held back. The destructive power of the force had been reduced, leaving only the impact, which is why it didn't cause much harm, only a slight sensation of pain.

The expression behind Sakonji Urokodaki's Tengu Mask became increasingly solemn. He felt that the Water Hashira's evaluation of this person was still too low.

He even felt that he was simply not Su Chen's match.

Or perhaps that was just the reality.

This was the first time he had encountered a situation where someone could defeat him before even joining the Demon Slayer Corps.

If he truly Cultivated for a while, wouldn't he quickly become a new Hashira?

After a long silence, Sakonji Urokodaki finally spoke slowly.

"You no longer need to practice ordinary swordsmanship. Next, I will teach you the ten forms of Water Breathing. Breathing Styles are essential for the Demon Slayer Corps; they not only enhance Mental Energy and perception but also make the Physical Body and healing power stronger."

Su Chen nodded, also very interested in Cultivating a Breathing Style.

Over the following period, he studied Water Breathing. Sakonji Urokodaki told Su Chen all the secrets of the Breathing Style.

With Su Chen's insight combined with his current Physical Body, he easily learned the first seven forms of Water Breathing and could use them with ease.

While Su Chen was practicing Water Breathing, Sakonji Urokodaki stood in the distant forest. His pupils constricted slightly, his face filled with shock.

"This... is a joke, right!?"

"Water Breathing, Seventh Form, just like that?"

Sakonji Urokodaki's heart could not remain calm for a long time. One must know that although the formulas for Breathing Styles aren't difficult, mastering them is incredibly hard. It requires not only hard practice but also a certain level of Comprehension Ability and talent.

Most importantly...

Being able to reach the Seventh Form meant Su Chen's strength had already reached the top tier of the Demon Slayer Corps.

What kind of terrifying talent is this!?

How much time had passed, yet he could reach such a level so quickly.

Deep in Sakonji Urokodaki's eyes flickered a profound shock: "Perhaps, the Demons will go extinct in this generation because of him!"

He didn't dare imagine what level of terrifying strength Su Chen would reach if given more time to Cultivate.

Could he completely master all ten forms of Water Breathing?

That should be very simple.

After all, from the time Su Chen learned about Breathing Styles until now, it seemed... only two days had passed.

In the following time, Su Chen worked on the Eighth Form of Water Breathing. As for Tanjiro, he was still slashing at the boulder; to participate in the selection, he had to cut that rock in half.

This seemed somewhat difficult for Tanjiro.

Su Chen, however, had achieved it on the very day he held the sword. The two were on completely different levels.

While Tanjiro worked hard to cut the rock, Su Chen's Physical Body grew rapidly. He soon mastered the Ninth Form and would not take long to master the Tenth Form.

Su Chen's Physical Body already had a very high ceiling. Now, in terms of Physical Body alone, he had almost completely grown to the level of a Hashira.

"Not bad, it's quite simple."

The corners of Su Chen's mouth curled up slightly. Once he mastered the Tenth Form, Tanjiro should also have cut the rock. Then it would be time to head to Mt. Fujikasane for the Final Selection of the Demon Slayer Corps.

The Tenth Form was not difficult; Su Chen mastered it in almost half a day.

Tanjiro took two days to cut the rock, completing Sakonji Urokodaki's test and gaining the qualification to participate in the Final Selection.

Similar to the original plot, Tanjiro left his sister there and prepared to head to Mt. Fujikasane alone, only this time Su Chen was with him.

The timeline of Demon Slayer followed the pace of the actual anime.

"By the way, Chen Tian, what level have you reached in your training? Urokodaki said you're already very strong now."

Tanjiro's eyes were full of curiosity because Su Chen almost never trained with him. Urokodaki gave him special training specifically because Su Chen's strength progressed too quickly.

Su Chen just smiled and shook his head.

Seeing that Su Chen wouldn't say, Tanjiro didn't ask further. The two walked along, chatting and laughing.

Soon.

Mt. Fujikasane arrived.

It was full of Wisteria flowers, which Demons dislike very much. For a Demon, this place was like a prison; they could not leave the area surrounded by Wisteria.

With his sword tucked into his waist, Su Chen walked inside with a calm expression.

Quite a few participants for this selection had already arrived, each looking calm. Su Chen also saw several members of the main cast among them.

"Everyone, welcome to Mt. Fujikasane."

Two crisp voices rang out from afar. Su Chen turned to look and saw two petite children dressed in purple, with a purple glow in their eyes, standing in the middle.

"Next is the Final Selection to enter the Demon Slayer Corps. Within Mt. Fujikasane, there are Demons captured by the Demon Slayer Corps. Because of the Wisteria, they can never leave."

"And your task is simple: survive inside for seven days."

Survive for seven days.

Su Chen nodded; it was pretty much as he remembered. However, he could sense that Tanjiro beside him was a bit nervous.

Tanjiro knew very well how powerful Demons were, but having trained for so long, winning shouldn't be hard, right?

"Chen Tian, why don't we cooperate after we go in?"

Tanjiro suddenly issued an invitation. It wasn't said that teaming up was forbidden on Mt. Fujikasane, and he was only familiar with Chen Tian.

Su Chen shook his head and declined: "Let's not."

Tanjiro didn't say more upon hearing this. After saying a few words of concern to Su Chen, he turned and walked into Mt. Fujikasane.

The corners of Su Chen's mouth curled up slightly. Just passing the mission would be so boring.

Then, all the people who came for the Final Selection walked inside. The surrounding Wisteria gradually disappeared, and the air revealed a sinister aura. The light mist made the interior look even more terrifying.

Not long after entering Mt. Fujikasane, a scream rang out.

"Help!"

A young man in grey clothes now had a face full of terror. Behind him, a Demon with fangs and long, slender nails was hot on his heels.

"You can't escape, just obediently become my food!"

...