Blinking a couple of times, Rengoku Toujurou finally snapped back to reality.
"The winner is... Si Shu!"
His simple words were like a lit match thrown into a barrel of dynamite, instantly igniting the entire crowd. A thunderous cheer, long held back, erupted with such force that it could be heard across half of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.
"Holy crap, holy crap, what did I just see?" "That Chizhong guy got taken out in one hit?!" "What just happened? I only blinked!"
While the crowd was in an uproar, Si Shu was looking at his reward with some dissatisfaction.
[Congratulations, Host, for defeating Chizhong. Reward: 50 Breathing Style points.] [Current Level: Novice Breathing Style (9750/10,000)]
"Fifty?"
Si Shu's eyebrow twitched in disappointment. He had defeated Chizhong in a single strike, and the result was a paltry 50 points. Did this mean that Chizhong was just a scrub with a power level of 50?
Then again, he thought, perhaps this was the system's way of encouraging him to fight. His gaze shifted back to Chizhong, a slightly wicked glint in his eyes.
"I wonder... can I use a bug-exploiting method like grinding the same monster over and over?"
With this thought, Si Shu began to walk toward Chizhong.
Clutching his neck, Chizhong slowly opened his eyes and pushed himself into a sitting position. A somewhat familiar figure was walking toward him. Chizhong squinted, trying to get a better look.
"Who's that person?"
"Holy crap! It's Si Shu!"
The realization hit him like a lightning bolt. As if a rocket had been lit under him, Chizhong shot up from the ground.
"Y-you, stay away from me!"
His face twisted in terror. Looking as if he had been thoroughly traumatized, he turned and fled the square. Seeing Chizhong run off, Si Shu lost the desire to experiment any further. A coward who had lost his confidence wasn't even qualified to be his test subject.
"Tch. I should just get ready and head out to hunt that demon."
Muttering to himself, Si Shu turned and walked toward the edge of the square. The moment the surrounding people saw him preparing to leave, they all scrambled to make way. A path opened up in the once-dense crowd, and Si Shu, not one for ceremony, walked briskly away.
Toujurou didn't stop him. Instead, he watched his retreating back with a thoughtful expression.
Young, bold, talented, and neither arrogant nor impatient. Such a talent is truly rare. I must report this to the Master immediately.
After asking a few corps members to organize the departing crowd, Toujurou himself left in a hurry. His destination was the residence of the current Master, Ubuyashiki Mitsuya.
Arriving at the estate, Toujurou expressed his request for an audience with the Master. Despite being the Flame Hashira, he was always meticulous about these formalities. Before long, he was granted permission to enter. However, besides himself, there was another visitor.
"Mr. Yoriichi is also at the Master's residence?!"
Toujurou's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Although Yoriichi Tsugikuni was the teacher who had taught him and the other Hashira their Breathing Styles, he never asked them to call him "Master." Toujurou always had the feeling that, in his heart, Yoriichi didn't truly see them as his disciples. Though he was puzzled, he still walked quickly into the residence.
Kneeling formally, Toujurou raised his head after bowing. Before him sat a man with black hair that was slightly longer than his ears. His sickly pale face was covered in curse marks and scars. This was the current Master of the Demon Slayer Corps, Ubuyashiki Mitsuya.
And next to Mitsuya, Yoriichi Tsugikuni was slowly sipping tea.
"Master, your health—" Toujurou began, but was cut off by Mitsuya.
"Ahem... you need not worry about my health." Mitsuya coughed into his hand, his face growing even paler. "More importantly, Toujurou, for you to suddenly request a meeting... has something major happened?"
Taking the cue from his master, Toujurou recounted the events that had just transpired.
"Yes. Just now, while I was giving a lecture on Breathing Styles in the square, there was a young boy named Si Shu..."
As he listened to Toujurou's words, Ubuyashiki's expression shifted dramatically—from calm to curious, from curious to surprised, and finally to deep joy and admiration.
And beside him, Yoriichi, who had been silently drinking his tea, had at some point put down his cup. He seemed to be paying very close attention to Toujurou's words.
"Is there truly such a child among the Demon Slayer Corps?" a faint smile appeared on Ubuyashiki's lips, his mood clearly lifted. "It seems that in a few years, an incredible figure will emerge from among my children. Perhaps he will become the next Hashira... or maybe even the strongest."
It was a long-standing tradition for the Master of the Demon Slayer Corps to view its members as his own children. This, combined with their unique charisma, was why the entire Corps revered them. Right now, Ubuyashiki was like any father who had just witnessed his child's incredible talent, and he was overjoyed.
"Yoriichi," he said, turning his head slightly. "What are your thoughts on this child?"
Toujurou also turned, staring intently at Yoriichi. He too was incredibly curious to hear what the strongest man in the Demon Slayer Corps would have to say about the boy he had just described.
However, even when facing the Master and a Hashira, Yoriichi's expression remained as calm and unchanging as ever. The atmosphere became momentarily awkward.
Just as Toujurou and Mitsuya thought their question would go unanswered, Yoriichi's next words sent a shockwave through both of them.
"Si Shu... is my disciple."
The moment he spoke, the atmosphere in the room changed completely. Even the ever-passionate Rengoku Toujurou was now staring at Yoriichi with an expression of utter shock and curiosity.
Mitsuya spoke first. "His disciple? Is he the child you found seven years ago?"
Yoriichi nodded slightly and continued. "He is diligent, and very talented. Just as Toujurou said, he will become an outstanding person in the future, enough to support the entire Demon Slayer Corps."
He paused, then delivered his final, most stunning assessment.
"I even see in him the possibility of surpassing me."
After speaking, Yoriichi calmly picked up his teacup and continued to drink his tea.
Toujurou rubbed his chin, a look of confusion on his face. "Wait a minute, Mr. Yoriichi. If you're saying that little guy is your disciple... does that mean the child you asked me to look after these past few years was...?"
"That's right," Yoriichi confirmed. "The one I entrusted to your care all these years was Si Shu."
Hearing Yoriichi confirm his suspicion, Toujurou finally understood. That feeling of familiarity he'd had earlier wasn't his imagination. Connecting the little boy from his home with the Si Shu from today, he could begin to understand Yoriichi's words.
Unlike Toujurou, Ubuyashiki was focused on that final sentence.
Surpass Yoriichi Tsugikuni? Surpass the man who taught the Demon Slayer Corps everything they knew about Breathing Styles, the master of all Hashira? Does that child truly possess such immense potential?
Though the statement sounded unbelievable, it had come from Yoriichi's own mouth. As such, it had to be taken seriously.
"Surpass Yoriichi...?"
Muttering the words to himself, Ubuyashiki's dim eyes seemed to grow a little brighter. If it was true, then perhaps this boy was the key to resolving the tragic fate that had plagued his family for centuries.
While the three men were discussing him, Si Shu himself had already finished packing his belongings. He had a small cloth bag slung over his back and a sturdy wooden sword tucked into his belt. It was a simple setup, but it was all the equipment he had.
Walking out the door, he looked back one last time at the place he had stayed for seven years.
This is a new step. My first real step into this world.
Let's go... to where the demons are!
Gently closing the door behind him, Si Shu walked toward the main gate of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.