Early the next morning, following directions from the Kakushi, Seiichi arrived at a designated meeting point outside the village.
From quite a distance away, he could see Tanjiro also waiting patiently. His distinctive deep red hair was still very conspicuous and eye-catching under the bright morning sunlight.
"Hey there, Tanjiro! Are you also heading to the Swordsmith Village today?"
Tanjiro's eyes immediately lit up with genuine joy and relief when he spotted Seiichi approaching. He waved his hand vigorously in greeting.
"Seiichi-kun! I'm so incredibly glad to see you here. With you coming along, maybe Hotaru Haganezuka will actually believe my explanation, right?"
Tanjiro had unfortunately broken the Nichirin Sword that Hotaru Haganezuka had carefully crafted for him yet again. A typical Nichirin Sword can generally only withstand the stress and energy of one specific Breathing Style.
If it's not specially manufactured with multiple techniques in mind, frequently switching between different Breathing Styles can easily cause serious structural damage to the blade's core.
During their previous major battle, Tanjiro had frequently switched back and forth between Water Breathing and Hinokami Kagura techniques. Although it had been absolutely necessary for survival, this constant switching had caused completely irreparable damage to his precious Nichirin Sword.
After sending the damaged weapon to the Swordsmith Village for emergency repairs, Hotaru Haganezuka had sent back an intimidating letter that read:
"You wish to get another blade from me..." The ferocious, angry handwriting had been absolutely terrifying to look at.
"I can only do my best to help you explain the situation."
Seiichi looked with obvious amusement at the crestfallen and worried Tanjiro.
"Honorable sirs, please put these protective items on for the journey."
The Kakushi agent took out standard-issue earplugs and thick blindfolds from his travel pack.
Without any further discussion or delay, after Seiichi and Tanjiro had properly secured the blindfolds and earplugs, they could only feel themselves being carefully lifted and carried on someone's strong back.
They must have started the journey now, Seiichi thought to himself. Although he couldn't see or hear anything around him, how could such simple restrictions possibly stump him in his current state?
With the subtle air currents touching and flowing across his exposed skin, he could instantly determine their direction of travel and anticipate any changes in their route.
In fact, I don't even really know how strong I actually am at this point, he reflected during the journey. If I were to reference combat power levels from my original world, I'm definitely much stronger than an ordinary First-Tier fighter, but probably not quite as powerful as a Second-Tier yet.
He had watched recorded battles of Second-Tier powerhouses online in his previous life. During those intense fights, entire areas spanning several kilometers would be reduced to complete ruins and rubble. This wasn't just a few hundred meters of destruction, but devastation that stretched for multiple kilometers in every direction.
Compared to the destructive power of a First-Tier fighter, who could easily destroy a small residential area or city block, a Second-Tier powerhouse could instantly obliterate an entire street and turn several residential districts into nothing but ashes and dust.
If a Second-Tier powerhouse were ever allowed to act recklessly without any interference, they could even easily destroy an entire small city within hours.
Of course, if a Third-Tier transcendent being were allowed to act without restraint and given enough time, they could probably destroy even the largest metropolitan cities, Seiichi mused.
Every county town in the Divine Sakura Country had transcendent beings of Third-Tier or higher stationed there for protection. As the capital city of an entire prefecture, it even had much higher-tier transcendent beings permanently stationed for defense.
The Transcendent Alliance also maintained specialized government agencies specifically designed to handle transcendent incidents and emergencies, so generally speaking, there were very few situations where transcendent beings could cause widespread chaos or destruction.
Mizusawa County was quite substantial in scale and population, roughly equivalent to the size of Tokyo from his previous life. Its jurisdiction and administrative area was even more vast and sprawling, with rural farming areas making up the majority of the territory.
Seiichi and his sister Mitsuki's parents had once lived peacefully in a quiet rural village, and the family had enjoyed a period of simple, comfortable daily life there. Later, their parents had decided to bring them to live in the more urban Mizusawa County, and Seiichi had transferred to a rather unremarkable elementary school in the county.
However, those good and peaceful times didn't last very long at all. Not long after the family had begun experiencing city life and all its conveniences, their parents had tragically passed away due to an unexpected accident, leaving Seiichi and Mitsuki to live completely alone.
There had been several relatives who had expressed interest in adopting the orphaned siblings, but most of them had only been interested in the valuable house and inheritance that their parents had left behind. Seiichi had refused all of these offers without any hesitation and had instead chosen to work incredibly hard by himself.
Through his own determination and effort, he had managed to get accepted into the best and most prestigious middle school in all of Mizusawa County. This was an elite institution where genuine prodigies from various large financial groups and powerful transcendent families all gathered to study.
It was specifically because of this academic achievement that they had been able to obtain the rare opportunity to live independently as minors. Otherwise, according to Divine Sakura Country law, all underage children were required to have legal guardians, with the single exception being transcendent beings who had proven their capabilities.
Although he hadn't quite reached a full Tier classification yet, he was still officially rated as A-Class, and had maintained top student rankings. So, not long after entering middle school, the Mizusawa government had officially designated him as a recognized transcendent being.
There was a very clear and specific distinction for determining whether someone qualified as a transcendent being. True transcendent beings possessed measurable spiritual power within their bodies, while non-transcendent ordinary people did not have any spiritual energy at all.
Only those individuals who could generate and manipulate spiritual power within their physical bodies were qualified to be called genuine transcendent beings. Possessing spiritual power was also the most basic and fundamental requirement for admission to A-Class at Mizusawa County Private No. 1 Middle School.
In simple, everyday terms, A-Class referred to transcendent combat classes, while B-Class referred to traditional cultural and academic classes. The basic division was essentially between martial arts and scholarly pursuits.
As for why there's such an important distinction between A and B classes, perhaps the true importance of spiritual power far exceeds what I originally imagined, Seiichi thought analytically.
If a person with supernatural abilities couldn't possess any spiritual power, they could only drive and control their powers through raw physical strength alone. This approach not only produced very limited power output, but also dangerously consumed the user's natural lifespan with overuse and strain.
In the transcendent community, there was a classic and well-known saying: "Supernatural ability is the car, spiritual power is the fuel."
As for B-Class students, technological progress and advancement was closely related to their studies and research, and the potential lethality of advanced technology was truly beyond most people's imagination. Even powerful Third-Tier fighters weren't confident in their ability to withstand direct hits from large-yield nuclear weapons, and beyond that level, there were even more advanced energy weapons and other devastating technologies.
In short, this world is incredibly exciting and complex, but that's definitely a story for later, Seiichi concluded. The most urgent task right now is to first completely resolve all the matters in this Demon Slayer world. After returning to my original reality, I plan to personally learn much more about everything. Relying solely on secondhand memories is still far too abstract and incomplete.
While he was deep in contemplation about these matters, he had already sensed through subtle changes in movement that several different Kakushi agents had rotated carrying duties.
The actual location of the Swordsmith Village was kept extremely well hidden and secret. Even the individual Kakushi agents who were specifically responsible for just one section of the long journey didn't know how to proceed to the next section of the route.
They ensured that the Swordsmith Village would never be discovered by demons by using an elaborate relay system, with each agent only knowing their own small section.
A very clever and strategic choice, Seiichi noted with approval. It's quite similar to the security method used by the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters.
Moreover, according to what he had heard, Ubuyashiki Kagaya didn't actually reside at the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters on a regular basis, but instead lived in an even more secluded and protected location. He only came to the Ubuyashiki Residence at the Headquarters when absolutely necessary for important meetings.
Only by always remaining cautious and vigilant in this manner had the Demon Slayer Corps been able to successfully survive multiple potential annihilation crises over such an incredibly long period of time.
I shouldn't think too much further about this right now, he decided. This journey can be considered a well-deserved rest period.
After an unknown number of Kakushi agents had rotated carrying duties and an unknown number of messenger crows had been switched for communication purposes, their long journey finally came to an end.
"We have arrived safely at our destination. Honorable sirs, you may now remove your blindfolds."
The final Kakushi agent gently and carefully placed Seiichi down on solid ground and removed the protective earplugs from his ears.
After removing his blindfold and blinking to adjust to the light, the first thing he saw was a small, traditional archway entrance. Notably, it did not have "Swordsmith Village" written anywhere on it.
Of course not! Who would be foolish enough to advertise the location like that? he thought with amusement.
What came into his clear view were two impressive rows of well-constructed buildings. The first floor of most structures consisted of busy blacksmith workshops where the sound of hammering could be heard. The upper floors appeared to serve as the craftsmen's residential quarters.
"This smell in the air... is there a hot spring located somewhere nearby?"
Tanjiro sniffed the air carefully with his enhanced sense of smell and asked the Kakushi agent beside them with curiosity.
Your nose is definitely more sensitive than a tracking dog's, Tanjiro, Seiichi thought.
"Yes, both honorable sirs can eliminate travel fatigue by soaking in the natural hot springs later this evening."
After the helpful Kakushi agent finished explaining, he bowed respectfully and took his leave. A village resident walked out from the main settlement, politely guiding both Seiichi and Tanjiro to meet with the village chief.
They were led to a traditional teahouse where several people were already seated and waiting. In the center of the group sat a particularly short elderly man wearing the characteristic Hyottoko mask of the swordsmiths.
"I am the village chief of the Swordsmith Village, the shortest but highest-ranking person in this entire village."
This little old man certainly has an eccentric personality, Seiichi observed with quiet amusement.
After exchanging polite greetings and formal introductions, the elderly village chief expressed his obvious dissatisfaction that the Nichirin Sword forged by Hotaru Haganezuka had been broken yet again. He made a firm vow to bring Hotaru Haganezuka back to the village for a thorough scolding about proper blade durability.
"Lord Sun Hashira, your custom Nichirin Sword has been forged exactly according to your detailed requirements and specifications."
After leaving the teahouse, Tetsuya approached them with obvious pride, holding a beautifully sheathed long Nichirin Sword carefully in his hands. He presented the weapon with both hands to Seiichi in a respectful ceremonial manner.
Seiichi accepted the long Nichirin Sword with appreciation, and immediately felt a pleasant warmth upon first contact with the handle. His spiritual energy would conduct extremely well through this particular Nichirin Sword. With just a single touch, he could draw confident conclusions about its exceptional quality.
He slowly and deliberately drew the Nichirin Sword from its sheath, and the pitch-black blade gradually emerged into the light. As he continuously infused his spiritual energy into the weapon, the long Nichirin Sword gradually transformed to a brilliant snow-white color.
The sharp, cold light reflecting from the blade made the entire corridor noticeably brighter. Compared to a typical Nichirin Sword, this blade was significantly longer and had distinctive design differences.
The tip wasn't curved like a normal Nichirin Sword, but rather diagonally cut to form a sharp point. The back spine of the blade was about one-fifth the thickness of a pinky finger, and the entire blade was perfectly straight like a ruler, completely lacking the traditional curved profile of a Japanese Nichirin Sword.
If someone from my previous life were here right now, they would immediately realize that this is essentially a Tang Dynasty Hengdao! Seiichi thought with satisfaction.
"What an absolutely magnificent Nichirin Sword!"
Seiichi handled and examined the Nichirin Sword with obvious delight and appreciation for the craftsmanship.
Tetsuya was visibly pleased and proud to see Seiichi so clearly satisfied with his work, while Tanjiro watched with wide, envious eyes at the beautiful weapon.