Chapter 58: My Great Blade Has Long Been Aching for Blood

With a dull sound, Himekawa Gyomei displayed his Nichirin Blade to Chu Yang; at first glance, it bore little resemblance to a “sword.”

It was a long iron chain, one end attached to a broadaxe with a single sharpened edge, the other to a spiked mace, visually striking.

Paired with Himekawa Gyomei’s own expansive, forceful fighting style, it embodied a brutal aesthetic.

“My weapon is rather extreme and holds little reference value—so long as it aids combat, whether it’s a sword doesn’t matter,” Himekawa Gyomei swung the weapon, and a sharp whistling wind immediately echoed through the courtyard.

A gale swept across the entire yard.

Even Chu Yang, standing at a distance, felt a crushing force.

“It contains a large amount of high-purity Xingxingfeishatie , making it extremely heavy—try swinging it,” Himekawa Gyomei placed the weapon on the ground and gestured for Chu Yang to pick it up, wanting to test just how strong Chu Yang truly was.

The instant Chu Yang grasped the chain, he felt its weight; he took a deep breath, pulled hard, and lifted both ends of the weapon.

Himekawa Gyomei asked, “Can Itachi try swinging it?”

Chu Yang nodded, whirling the weapon with powerful, fluid motions, appearing effortless, not even breathing heavily.

Himekawa Gyomei was astonished; he had just emphasized that this weapon was extremely heavy and that no one in the Demon Slayer Corps except himself could wield it.

Yet Chu Yang, upon first contact, lifted it without effort and handled it with ease.

Himekawa Gyomei realized his intention to help Chu Yang refine his body might have been misguided.

He seemed born to perfectly adapt to his own strength.

“Put it down,” Himekawa Gyomei said after Chu Yang set the chain aside; he quietly retrieved and stored the weapon, then added, “Your talent is exceptional, so my expectations for Itachi will be higher—when Itachi master Rock Breathing, I will recommend Itachi for the Final Selection.”

“The Final Selection is the trial to become a Demon Slayer; there, Itachi will face your deepest fears and fight demons to the death—survive, and Itachi become a Demon Slayer; otherwise…”

Chu Yang smiled, “Don’t worry—I have that much resolve.”

“Then I have nothing more to warn Itachi about,” Himekawa Gyomei turned and entered the room, walking as he spoke, “In the back courtyard are several vats; there’s a spring at the mountain’s peak. Remember to fill every vat daily.”

Chu Yang clicked his tongue, recalling the training methods he’d seen on TV, and asked cautiously, “Master Himekawa, there won’t be any issues with the water-carrying tools, will there?”

Himekawa Gyomei paused, turned his head, and showed a look of surprise. “Itachi’re quite perceptive—that’s how I trained myself. Go see for yourself.”

Indeed!

Moments later, Chu Yang reached the back courtyard and saw beside a pile of vats two large conical buckets that couldn’t stand upright, pressed tightly against the vats.

Both buckets were made of iron, and so was the shoulder pole, connected by iron chains.

“Tsk tsk—no wonder he’s a monk; who else could conceive of such inhuman training? Conservatively, the total weight must be several hundred kilograms?” Chu Yang doubted even Himekawa Gyomei could carry them under normal conditions.

Unless he maintained Full Concentration Breathing at all times.

Thus, this training gear must be what Himekawa Gyomei used to cultivate the [Full Concentration · Constant] state.

“Up the mountain!” Chu Yang slung the pole over his shoulder, felt no pressure, and stepped out of the temple into the sunlight.

To his surprise, Himekawa Gyomei stood at the entrance glaring at him, several new buckets placed at his feet; he clasped his hands and declared loudly, “With your strength, two iron buckets won’t provide enough training—add these too.”

Chu Yang’s eyes nearly popped out—these buckets together must weigh several tons!

Are Itachi serious?

Himekawa Gyomei’s expression was utterly serious, not joking at all; Chu Yang immediately abandoned any thought of resistance and obediently attached the additional buckets to both ends of the pole.

Now, Chu Yang truly felt the weight; instinctively, he activated Full Concentration Breathing, striving to ease his body’s burden.

Himekawa Gyomei sensed the natural emergence of Rock Breathing from Chu Yang’s body, smiled, and turned back into the temple.

The mountain path was steep and slippery; after only a few steps, Chu Yang stumbled and nearly rolled down the slope.

Still shaken, Chu Yang took a deep breath, looked up at the sky, and sweat trickling down his forehead blurred his vision.

At that critical moment, an endless stream of vitality surged from within him, relieving his fatigue; he stepped forward again, his posture steady.

Himekawa Gyomei sat before the Buddha statue, chanting continuously; as the sun set, the sky outside darkened, and moonlight replaced daylight upon the earth.

The chanting ceased abruptly; Himekawa Gyomei rose and stepped out of the temple, preparing to search for Chu Yang—delay any longer, and Chu Yang might face danger.

Soon after leaving the temple, Himekawa Gyomei heard faint footsteps ahead; only then did he relax, standing quietly in place to wait.

Chu Yang trudged slowly toward the temple, the water in the buckets now only half full, the rest spilled along the path.

His clothes were drenched in sweat, heavy and clinging to his body; yet he still maintained Full Concentration Breathing, for without it, he could never have made it down the mountain.

When he reached Himekawa Gyomei’s side, Chu Yang’s legs gave out, his strength vanished, and he collapsed straight down.

Himekawa Gyomei reached out, one hand firmly gripping the pole.

The two buckets swayed gently, then stilled; the other hand supported Chu Yang.

“Itachi did excellently—I expected to have to go up the mountain to fetch Itachi,” Himekawa Gyomei smiled, his expression like the compassionate Buddha enshrined in the temple.

Chu Yang returned a smile, but before he could speak, he fainted.

Only then did his Full Concentration Breathing cease.

Himekawa Gyomei nodded inwardly, carried him back to his room to rest, then went to the back courtyard and poured the water Chu Yang had hauled into the vats.

From then on, Chu Yang climbed the mountain daily to fetch water.

At first, he had to set out at dawn and return only after dark, always bringing back only half-full buckets, unable to prevent spills.

As he grew more proficient in Rock Breathing, the time needed to descend shortened; gradually, he returned to the temple before nightfall, and the water in both buckets increased steadily.

After half a month, Chu Yang could return to the temple before dusk, ensuring not a single drop spilled from the buckets.

Through this half-month of training, Chu Yang could now maintain stable Full Concentration Breathing during any intense physical exertion.

The vats in the back courtyard were now all filled, sufficient for a long time.

Himekawa Gyomei watched all this in silence, his inner shock beyond words.

He had originally planned this training to take six months—but Chu Yang completed it all in half a month.

The next day, the Demon Slayer Corps’ special logistics unit, “Kakushi,” arrived to deliver items to Himekawa Gyomei.

Earlier that half-month, upon deciding to take Chu Yang in, Himekawa Gyomei had pre-ordered a set of heavy weapons from the Swordsmith Village.

These were prepared for Chu Yang, who must now choose the one that suited him best.

How else could one know which weapon one would prefer without trying them?

Each weapon contained varying proportions of Xingxingfeishatie and Xingxingfeikuangshi .

But without exception, all were extremely heavy and possessed terrifying lethality.

Merely transporting these heavy cold weapons required many members of “Kakushi.”

(End of Chapter)