The sun had fully risen and was scorching hot as Shikyou stared at the huge boulder in front of him. One cho... Gyomei said he should push the boulder one cho.
Shikyou touched the boulder with his pinky and climbed it. At first, he slid down like a little worm but got his grasp and sat on the boulder cross legged.
Breathing. Gyomei said he should breathe. Ironic since literally all humans breathe. So, like any human, Shikyou took deep breaths before breathing out. He did that for a while before getting down to push the boulder that was bigger than his will to live. He didn't feel different, just unimpressed.
Shikyou pushed the boulder with all his might but fell and scratched his cheek. He did what Gyomei said. He breathed but instead the boulder had moved him. As he laid on the floor, his mind replayed whst Gyomei had said last. "Breathing is the ability to gather as much oxygen as you can into your bloodstream then distributing to every inch of your body to boost strength and speed. If you master basic breathing, you'll be able to use it all the time. Even while sleeping."
Gathering oxygen... Shikyou tried to do as Gyomei said and fainted from taking in too much oxygen. When he woke up, it was late afternoon and Gyomei wasn't back. Shikyou continued his futile attempts at breathing until he gave up and collasped.
Gyomei came back and gently lifted the boy off the ground and carried him to his room. For the next three months, Shikyou tried to perfect the art of breathing. He could do it but he couldn't keep it constantly. He skipped training a few times to meditate on the boulder. Gyomei did still kidnapped him sometimes to eat fish and told him more about demons and the corps.
He got to know that the first demon was named Muzan Kibutsuji who had the power to turn others to demons. Was he the one who came to the village and turned that man into a demon?
Shikyou didn't dwell much on it and focused on Gyomei's teachings. Everyday, he collasped on the rock exhausted and sometimes woke up on his bed which was when Gyomei was around.
One day, Shikyou tried again and the boulder moved, barely but still, it had moved.
Shikyou kept on trying. Not because he wanted to but because he knew that Gyomei would probably kidnap him and force him to use total concentration breathing: constant. Which meant using total concentration everyday even while sleeping. He hadn't even learn total concentration and he had to do it constantly.
Another three months passed and Shikyou was able to master total concentration breathing. He was even able to keep it for twelve hours tops but instead of pushing the boulder, Shikyou meditated instead or did some exercises (For three minutes.) Gyomei scolded him at first but slowly let the boy be.
One night, as the rain poured heavily from the sky, Shikyou watched the rain hit the boulder from the window. He got up and walked in the rain, not paying attention to his soaked clothes.
He stood by the boulder and gently touched it. 'Here, we go.'