Three days later, Mount Sagiri.
Kurozawa and his fellow disciples returned to the familiar place.
Before they even reached home, a figure stood straight ahead, looking as though he had been waiting for a long time.
Fourteen people, not one missing. Sakonji Urokodaki breathed a sigh of relief, the tense expression beneath his mask finally relaxing.
"You all passed the test. Well done. However, after becoming official swordsmen, the life of blood and fire has just begun."
"You must not let your guard down."
As soon as they met, Sakonji Urokodaki spoke calmly.
The disciples spoke up one after another, stating that they understood the ferocity and strangeness of Demons and would be extra careful in the future.
Only Kurozawa stood at the back of the group, turning his head away guiltily.
However, Sakonji Urokodaki immediately spotted him.
"Kurozawa, your aura has grown much stronger."
"It seems you gained a lot from this trip to Mount Fujikasane."
In Sakonji Urokodaki's Enhanced Sense of Smell, the chaotic and deep scent belonging to Kurozawa was more than twice as strong as before.
He found it difficult to see through the disciple before him.
What is this scent, neither human nor Demon? Sakonji Urokodaki didn't know.
But he knew that Kurozawa wasn't a bad person. He was very good to his fellow disciples, very respectful to his master, had no malicious personality, and everything about him was normal.
"Ahem, it was alright. I fought with a few powerful Demons, and I did gain something."
"Hmm? Why are you holding your hand behind your back?"
Sakonji Urokodaki immediately saw Kurozawa's guilty expression. Coupled with not seeing his Nichirin Blade at Kurozawa's waist, an ominous feeling arose in his heart.
"Ah, this..."
A blue figure flashed, and Sakonji Urokodaki crossed a distance of over ten meters, closing in on Kurozawa.
Kurozawa swallowed, then with a shifty look, brought his hand out from behind his back.
The blue Nichirin Blade in his hand still shone with a sharp light, just like before.
However, the middle of the Nichirin Blade was wrapped with several turns of white bandage.
Sakonji Urokodaki let out a long sigh, then silently picked up the Nichirin Blade.
He held the hilt with one hand and the tip with the other, then applied a little force with both hands.
*Crack!*
The blue Nichirin Blade snapped in response, the blade splitting in the middle.
An almost imperceptible sigh came from beneath the mask. Sakonji Urokodaki looked at Kurozawa, saying nothing.
"Master, you can't blame me for this. I encountered a Mutated Demon, and its body was too hard. Then I thought about using Constant Flux to cut it down, but who knew your Nichirin Blade would break right in the middle."
"Thankfully, I, Kurozawa, was quick-witted, otherwise you might not have seen me today."
Kurozawa's scalp tingled from being stared at. He spoke the truth at a rapid pace.
"Well, it's good that you came back safely."
"I really didn't do it on purpose, huh?" Kurozawa heard Sakonji Urokodaki's words clearly and was slightly stunned.
Sakonji Urokodaki, who always treasured his Nichirin Blade so much, didn't get angry or scold Kurozawa for damaging it.
Kurozawa even heard genuine concern in his calm tone.
"In the period after I first obtained it, it broke three times. Each time, it almost cost me my life. Thankfully, I was lucky."
"But after I became an official swordsman for a year, it never broke again."
"Only immature swordsmen break their Nichirin Blades."
"Kurozawa, you still have a long way to go."
"These words are not just for you. All of you listen carefully and remember, when fighting Demons, the Nichirin Blade is our only reliance."
Sakonji Urokodaki said the last sentence facing all the disciples.
If Kurozawa had mastered his Sword Forms more skillfully, the Nichirin Blade wouldn't have broken.
"When your swordsmanship isn't mature enough, facing Demons with bodies like steel, your Nichirin Blade can break. And at the same time, the swordsman's life can also break."
"If you want to survive, to live to my age, then train yourselves harder. The official Demon Slaying Missions will be assigned soon. That's when the real danger begins."
Sakonji Urokodaki carefully picked up the broken Nichirin Blade, and after speaking, slowly walked back into the house.
The disciples looked at each other, the atmosphere becoming somewhat heavy for a moment.
Sakonji Urokodaki was just that kind of person, a strict and demanding teacher to his disciples.
He wouldn't comfort his disciples, only tell them the cruelty of the world.
"What are you standing around for? Go practice your swordsmanship!" Kurozawa waved his hand, dismissing his fellow disciples.
He himself followed Sakonji Urokodaki back into the house.
This was also his house.
Kurozawa had always lived under the same roof as Sakonji Urokodaki, as he had been adopted since he was an infant.
"Kurozawa, my clothes."
Sakonji Urokodaki carefully put away his Nichirin Blade, hanging it on the wall inside the house, and spoke to Kurozawa with his back turned.
"Clothes..."
Kurozawa almost forgot about that.
Sakonji Urokodaki's light blue water-patterned haori had been ripped into countless pieces when Kurozawa's strength increased, and it was now pitifully lying in the mud on the summit of Mount Fujikasane.
"Your Nichirin Blade is broken, and your clothes are torn. Kurozawa, the Demon you encountered truly cannot be underestimated."
"I didn't expect such a Demon to exist on Mount Fujikasane. It poses a significant threat to the aspiring swordsmen."
Sakonji Urokodaki didn't mind the damage to the Nichirin Blade and the haori, but he understood the hidden danger on Mount Fujikasane from Kurozawa's words.
"Yes, that Demon was actually captured by you, Master."
"It shouted 'Urokodaki' once; it knows your name."
"A Demon covered in hands... I don't recall." Sakonji Urokodaki thought for a moment, but still couldn't remember which Demon the Hand Demon was.
He had captured quite a few Demons on Mount Fujikasane, and this was a memory from decades ago. At that time, the Hand Demon was still in human form and hadn't mutated to have its current abilities.
It was normal for him not to know the origin of the Hand Demon.
"That doesn't matter, but I think Mount Fujikasane needs to be cleared periodically. We can't let those Demons that have lived for decades remain there."
"This can no longer be considered a trial. Most aspiring swordsmen who encounter them are simply offering themselves up for death."
Demons that would likely require a Hashira-level swordsman to handle consistently are far too much for a group of rookies.
Sakonji Urokodaki brewed a cup of tea, sat at the table, and slowly took a sip. "In two days, I will go to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters and resign from my position as Water Pillar."
"I will mention this matter to the Master then."
Kurozawa looked surprised. "Resign from your position as Water Pillar?"
"Kurozawa, my blade is still sharp, but my body is dull."
"Now that you have become Demon Hunter Swordsmen, my position has successors, and I no longer need to force myself."
"Originally, I planned to resign from my position as Water Pillar after you became Demon Hunter Swordsmen and focus on being a Cultivator, training swordsmen for the Demon Slayer Corps."
The death rate in the Demon Slayer Corps is over eighty percent, and the same applies to the swordsmen who are Pillars.
Few Pillars have a good end or live to be as old and physically sound as Sakonji Urokodaki.
Sakonji Urokodaki never believed he survived until now because he was strong enough; he believed he was simply lucky.
"Being a Cultivator is also very good."
"I am old, but I can still inject fresh blood into the Demon Slayer Corps. It can be considered continuing the fight in another way."
Kurozawa clenched his fists and smiled. "That's great. Master, you can finally rest well. From now on, you can rest assured and leave the tasks of directly fighting Demons to me."
Sakonji Urokodaki nodded almost imperceptibly. "Rest assured... As a Cultivator, I will be responsible for my disciples, but the one I worry about the most... is you."
Sakonji Urokodaki drank his tea and did not speak these words aloud.
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