A sudden enlightenment!
Ryosuke's body trembled; Urokodaki's words were like a lightning bolt, cleaving through the accumulated mist in his heart.
He had been fixated on maintaining the state of his Breathing Technique, treating it as a skill that required deliberate control, which instead led to a dissociation of mind and body during sleep, creating resistance.
What he needed to do was to fully integrate it, to let breathing become the most fundamental, instinctive rhythm of life!
"Instinct... instinct!"
Ryosuke murmured to himself, the confusion in his eyes fading, replaced by sudden clarity!
Urokodaki nodded slightly, said no more, and quietly disappeared into the darkness.
Ryosuke closed his eyes again.
This time, he no longer tried to control his breathing or maintain a specific rhythm.
He let go of all obsessions, allowing his mind and body to completely relax and feel the most primal, natural flow of each breath between his nasal cavity, chest cavity, and dantian.
His breath was silent, like a gentle breeze in a mountain valley, a clear spring underground, unrestrained and ceaselessly flowing.
His consciousness gradually blurred, sinking into darkness.
This time, there was no struggle, no sudden awakening.
Even, long breaths rose and fell in the silent room, circulating throughout Ryosuke's body.
A dreamless night.
When the first ray of morning light pierced through, Ryosuke slowly opened his eyes.
This time, there was none of the usual grogginess and heaviness of waking up.
An unprecedented clarity and strength filled his limbs and bones.
His body felt as light as if it had no weight, full of vitality, like a deep ocean, calm on the surface, but surging within.
He instinctively clenched his fist, and the immense breath accumulated within his body instantly responded, surging through him without any delay.
No deliberate guidance was needed, no intense focus was required; the power of his breath was now at his command, completely integrated into every inch of his life's muscle and tissue, becoming his foundation.
It's done!
After several months of dedicated practice!
Total Concentration Breathing Constant! It's done!
The obstacle that had troubled him for so long was overcome naturally, thanks to Urokodaki's guidance and his own realization!
In the courtyard, Urokodaki Sakonji was already standing silently in the thin mist, his back to the wooden house.
He didn't turn around, his voice murmuring.
"His breath is steady as an abyss, flowing smoothly and ceaselessly..."
Urokodaki paused, then said with approval: "He is indeed clever."
Ryosuke got up and stepped out the door.
Sabito was practicing sword swings with Giyuu, the sound of air being cut particularly clear in the forest.
"Brother Ryosuke!"
Sabito was the first to notice his appearance, keenly catching the aura around Ryosuke, and his eyes burst with light of surprise.
"You... you've mastered Constant Concentration?!"
"Yes."
Ryosuke nodded, with genuine gratitude: "Thanks to Mr. Urokodaki's enlightenment."
After his excitement, Sabito couldn't help but feel deflated.
"Tsk, it seems there's no hope for us to catch up to you in the short term."
"That's not true."
Ryosuke walked over and patted his shoulder: "Your talent is better than mine; it's just a matter of time. Once you find that point, your improvement will be faster than mine."
As soon as he finished speaking, Makomo ran over.
"Brother Ryosuke, your letter!"
A letter?
Ryosuke's heart skipped a beat, and his rear unconsciously tightened.
No way... is Shinjuro still after me?!
But when Ryosuke saw the familiar peach blossom mark in the corner of the envelope, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
He tore open the envelope, inside was Rika's delicate handwriting, rambling about the trivialities of Peach Mountain.
Grandpa's new medicinal tea is so bitter, Shota twisted his wrist again while training by wrestling with a wooden dummy, the peaches behind the mountain are almost ripe... between the lines was a young girl's careful longing.
At the end of the letter, a line of crooked handwriting, clearly revised several times, came into view.
"...The wound medicine is on the second shelf of Rika's cabinet, don't die outside."
Haki Shota! You rascal!
Ryosuke held the letter, his fingertips seemingly able to feel the warmth of the writer.
The demons of Yamagata Prefecture, the ascetic training on Mount Sagiri... unconsciously, it had been several months since he left Peach Mountain.
During this time, besides cultivating, he was out on missions, killing demons that were either low-level or mid-level, completely without difficulty.
There was no other way, after all, high-level demons weren't like cabbages by the roadside; he couldn't encounter them every time.
Most of the time, they were these little 'experience bread' demons.
Now that he thought about it, that whole misunderstanding about the old lady should have also faded with time.
A strong sense of longing for home welled up in his heart.
Having learned Constant Concentration, it was also time to go back and see.
When he formally thanked Urokodaki and bid farewell, Moriyama Akira happened to be out on a new mission.
However, on the way down the mountain, Ryosuke encountered Murata sitting by a small stream.
During Ryosuke's time on Mount Sagiri, their interactions were few; most of the time, Murata was accompanied by Moriyama Akira.
"Murata?" Ryosuke called out.
Murata jumped in surprise, turned around, and saw it was Ryosuke, his already dejected face sagging even more like a bitter gourd.
"Ah, Mr. Ryosuke, it's you. Training... sigh, I feel like I haven't made any progress at all."
"What's wrong?"
Ryosuke looked at his distressed face and felt like laughing for a moment.
What could make my famous 'Road Pillar' so bothered?!
You are the contestant whose clothes were only slightly dirty on the front lines of the Infinity Castle decisive battle!
"The final selection is in a few months."
Murata frowned, worried: "With my current level, can I really come out alive...?"
He squatted down, unconsciously pulling at the grass leaves on the ground, as if a gloomy drizzle was floating above his head.
Ryosuke couldn't hold back.
"Hey, Murata."
"Huh?"
Murata looked up blankly.
"Trust me!"
Ryosuke looked at him with a subtle gaze: "You will absolutely become the cleanest legendary figure in the Demon Slayer Corps! Fujikasane Mountain? That's just a light drizzle!"
"Keep it up! I have high hopes for your future, where your clothes will only be slightly dirty!"
After speaking, Ryosuke ignored the even more bewildered Murata and stepped onto his path home with light steps.
With his heart eager to return, Ryosuke incorporated Thunder Breathing into his running, his figure transforming into a streak of flowing light and swift shadow.
As night deepened, just as Peach Mountain was distantly in sight, a strong smell of blood assailed his nostrils!
"There's a demon!"
Ryosuke's eyes sharpened, he instantly reined in his aura, and sped off in the direction of the smell.
Alright, alright, it seems I've been away for too long!
These little 'experience bread' demons have gotten bolder, daring to show themselves in the territory of Peach Mountain!
In the dense forest of the mountain hollow ahead, the scene was tragic.
Three women and one man were being cornered by a fierce demon resembling a wolf.
The demon was entirely gray, with saliva mixed with blood foam dripping from its fangs, its stench pungent.
It swept its thick arm, easily knocking down the thrown kunai and shurikens.
Boom!
Explosions erupted, and as the smoke and dust cleared, the demon's wounds healed at a visible speed!
The three women protected behind, though terrified, did not break down.
The man standing at the very front was exceptionally striking.
He was only sixteen or seventeen years old, with an extremely robust and tall build, long silver-white hair tied into a high ponytail, a jewel-encrusted headband on his forehead, and strange red markings painted on his face.
"Hinatsuru! Makio! Suma! Step back! This thing isn't right!"
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