A few days later, Natsunishi emerged from the misty shores of Lake Ashi.
There wasn't much joy of harvest on his face. Although the number of demons was slightly higher than he had anticipated, the quantity was still limited. It was just like before: minor fries with an energy level below 50 and no Blood Demon Art. A single one only provided 30 to 40 experience points.
Furthermore, due to his mission requirements, Natsunishi rarely slayed demons with an energy level below 50, making the experience they provided virtually negligible. Those with an energy level exceeding 60 provided around 70 to 80 experience points, but to be honest, such demons were few and far between.
Throughout the entire journey, only the Hand Demon at Mt. Fujikasane, who possessed a Blood Demon Art, provided slightly more experience—about 150 points. After clearing out two trial grounds, he had only increased his Thunder Breathing experience by around 700 points.
At this moment, although Natsunishi's breathing style had progressed, it was still a long way from Level 6.
Thunder Breathing: LV.5 (713/8000)
The higher the level, the more experience was required. The refresh rate of the demons simply couldn't keep up with his leveling demands. Natsunishi pondered. If only these demons could be like chives in a field, popping up batch after batch with just a bit of watering. Then he could harvest them periodically to reap massive amounts of experience.
Aside from slaying demons, there were only three other pathways available: cultivation, side quests, and accumulating achievement points.
As for cultivation, it wasn't that he lacked diligence or didn't work hard enough. Rather, he had observed the various Hashira and even the cultivators. They had trained for years, even decades, only to advance their breathing styles to Level 5 or Level 6. Filling the 8,000 experience points for Level 5 bar by bar, then filling the 16,000 experience points for Level 6, not to mention the even vaster experience deficit of Level 7... Even though the cultivation speed increased significantly after mastering Total Concentration: Constant, it was still a grueling duration measured in years. For Natsunishi, this efficiency was truly a bit too low.
As expected, did he still have to rely on side quests and achievement points from life skills? However, triggering side quests depended entirely on chance, making them difficult to control. Life skills yielded the highest returns between Level 1 and Level 3, so he had to try winning through sheer quantity. But where could he go to develop so many completely different life skills?
Natsunishi pondered for a moment before pushing these thoughts aside for the time being. He decided to first break the good news to his cheap master. He had successfully mastered the five main breathing styles. This was an achievement unprecedented—excluding the progenitor of breathing styles—and in all probability, unparalleled in the future. With such an achievement, he had to go back and show off properly in front of that old man.
As he drew closer to Kazami's small mountain hut and dojo, the bit of excitement in Natsunishi's heart gradually dissolved into softer, more detailed thoughts. Coming back this time, he hadn't brought any local specialties for the old man. That seemed a bit inconsiderate, didn't it? Perhaps he should buy some milk, eggs, and such in the nearby town. Right, back then, the old man always planted some incredibly bitter vegetable seedlings. He might as well buy him some new seeds while he was at it, since it was already the New Year after all.
And so, when a dust-laden Natsunishi finally returned to that original dojo, what Kazami Sarayoshi saw was a youth wearing a haori but laden with various goods and carrying large bundles, looking exactly like an itinerant merchant. If not for the signature three swords and the unique hair color, he almost wouldn't have recognized him.
This kid... has grown quite a bit taller.
"Mr. Kazami, I'm back!"
The old man stopped his action of instructing a youth in sword-swinging. He looked toward Natsunishi, the wrinkles on his face smoothing out. "You child, it's enough that you're back. Why did you carry so many things?"
Natsunishi replied, "Well, since I haven't been back in so long, shouldn't I bring some gifts for the left-behind elderly?"
Kazami was taken aback. Left-behind elderly? Me?
As if completely oblivious to the old man's subtle expression, Natsunishi busied himself by unloading the bits and pieces from his body. There were pastries from the nearby town and sliced smoked meat. There were new clothes for the old man and vegetable seeds. He had even brought back two live chickens.
The expression on the old man's face grew complicated; alongside his helplessness, there was also a touch of warmth. "This old man has no use for these things. Why did you waste your money..."
"Waste money?" Natsunishi raised an eyebrow. I am rich. I'm practically rich enough to buy a house in Tokyo, so why would I care about these meager pennies? "They're bought for you, so just take them." He stuffed a box of oil-paper-wrapped dried persimmons into the old man's hands. "I've tasted these dried persimmons before; the flavor is quite good. They can't be returned, so you can't possibly throw them away."
The old man shook his head helplessly and led the youth into the dojo.
Having traveled to various places to cultivate, execute missions, and visit different cultivators and Hashira, returning to the starting point of his Wind Breathing actually gave even Natsunishi a sense of being a world away. His gaze slowly swept across the familiar courtyard. Everything was as it used to be; even the wooden post he had chipped during his training back then was still in its exact spot.
Except for that short, honest-looking youth...
The youth waved from afar and shouted with a bright smile, "Senior Brother Kuguruma!"
"Who is this kid? A newcomer?" Natsunishi felt the other person looked somewhat familiar, but searching his memory carefully, he couldn't recall where they had met. Was he perhaps some minor background character who had appeared in some skipped cutscenes?
Thud!
The old man tapped the back of Natsunishi's head with a gentle but firm blow. He said, "You brat, have you forgotten Masachika?"
Masachika? Who is that?
Seeing Natsunishi's blank expression, Kazami's beard bristled with anger immediately. "Even though your junior brother is frequently away from the dojo, didn't you cross paths with him many times during your final breathing style training? He even sparred with you a few times back then."
Natsunishi blinked. Now that it was mentioned... he seemed to have some impression of it. So it wasn't just an nameless background NPC who appeared in the training animations.
Natsunishi turned his head to look at the black-haired youth. The other party didn't seem embarrassed or annoyed by his forgetfulness. He only rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly at him.
Kumeno Masachika
Energy Level: 18 (Body 8, Skill 6, Mind 4)
Wind Breathing: LV.0
This kid's stat panel... seems to have a lot of room for improvement.
"Ahem, well, Kumeno, it's been a while," Natsunishi greeted him awkwardly.
Kazami thought: So you do remember after all.
Only then did the youth speak up happily, "Senior Brother Kuguruma, Master and I have heard about your news recently. It's really incredible! The Five-Colored Divine Light! And the fastest-rising swordsman in recent years! Even Oyakata-sama favors you highly!"
Had these titles... spread so quickly? Natsunishi was slightly startled. Seeing that Masachika seemed ready to press on with more questions, Kazami waved his hand and sent him back to continue his training.
After bringing Natsunishi indoors, the master and disciple sat opposite each other to drink tea. Kazami appraised his disciple, who had already shed his childishness, and could clearly feel the steady, concentrated aura about him. That was a trait only found after undergoing multiple life-and-death combats and cultivating a breathing style to a certain level.
The old man spoke slowly, his voice gentle. "I assume your current Wind Breathing must have progressed significantly?"
Natsunishi nodded. Yes, his Thunder Breathing was already Level 5.
Kazami asked, "Have you mastered Constant?"
Natsunishi replied, "I learned it while I was in Tokyo."
Kazami stroked his beard. Mastering Constant meant that this child's current strength was at least on par with his own. If one factored in the other breathing styles he cultivated, as well as his growing body, perhaps he was already above him. He had completely completed his apprenticeship.
There was not a single trace of melancholy or resentment at being surpassed in Kazami's heart. There was only a heartfelt gratification for Natsunishi's growth.