In the dead of night,
Inside a guest room at a Wisteria House.
Rin sat cross-legged on the tatami mat, looking at the 360 dimension points on the system panel as he asked casually in his mind, "System, check how many points are needed to upgrade the current template to the 'Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.'"
[Ding! To upgrade the current template to the 'Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan Period,' 50,000 dimension points are required.]
[To unlock more advanced stages such as the 'Rinnegan,' even more points will be required. Please work hard to explore, Host.]
"Fifty thousand points, huh... it seems I still have a long way to go."
Rin rubbed his chin and decisively closed the panel. Killing a demon with a Blood Demon Art in one strike only gave fifty points, but causing emotional fluctuations and cognitive changes in Miss Shinobu had earned two hundred points.
This showed that simply killing minor demons was only a small bonus. Changing the fate of plot characters and causing them shock was the real way to farm points.
...
Early the next morning.
Rin pushed open the sliding door, and fresh air carrying the faint fragrance of wisteria flowers rushed toward him.
In the courtyard, Shinobu Kocho had already changed into a clean Demon Slayer Corps uniform. Over it, she wore her iconic butterfly-patterned haori and was adjusting the Nichirin blade at her waist.
The morning light fell on her petite and well-proportioned figure, making her look exceptionally serene.
"Good morning, Mr. Rin. Did you rest well last night?" Hearing the sliding door open behind her, Shinobu Kocho turned and greeted him with a smile.
"Unexpectedly well. Are you heading out already?" Rin stretched and walked onto the porch in his geta.
"It can't be helped. A Hashira's duties are quite complicated, and I have to hurry to the next jurisdiction to confirm the movements of demons," Shinobu Kocho said softly.
However, before she could finish her sentence, the geta beneath her feet suddenly exerted force.
Shring!
Accompanied by an extremely faint sound of a sword being unsheathed, Shinobu Kocho instantly transformed into a nimble purple butterfly, crossing several meters in an instant.
The specially made slender Nichirin blade, carrying a sharp whistling sound, pointed straight at Rin's throat.
It was incredibly fast. This was not a killing blow, but an extremely sharp test at the level of a Hashira.
As the Insect Hashira known for her speed, Shinobu Kocho was truly curious about Rin's astonishing reaction speed from the night before.
She wanted to see whether this mysterious young man, who did not even bother to draw his sword, could keep up with her speed when caught off guard in the morning.
However, facing this thrust so fast that an ordinary swordsman could not even see an afterimage, Rin did not even move his shoulders.
Hum!
His originally clear black eyes turned crimson in a tenth of a second. Three black tomoe appeared in his pupils, spinning rapidly.
Three-Tomoe Sharingan, activate!
Under the capture of its extreme dynamic vision, Shinobu Kocho's lightning-fast thrust seemed to slow down in Rin's eyes.
The contraction of her muscles, the shift of her center of gravity, and even the path of the blade tip slicing through the air were all crystal clear down to the smallest detail.
"Too slow."
Rin gave a light chuckle, tilting his head half an inch to the side with the smallest movement.
Swish!
The slender blade brushed past his neck, failing to cut even a single strand of hair.
At the same time, Rin raised his right hand, his index and middle fingers accurately pinching Shinobu Kocho's blade.
Clang.
A crisp clashing sound rang out, and time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Shinobu Kocho's movement came to an abrupt halt. She instinctively tried to pull back her Nichirin blade, only to find it completely immovable.
"Ara..."
Shinobu Kocho's beautiful eyes widened slightly. Her gaze fixed on Rin's crimson eyes, and her voice carried undisguised shock. "Mr. Rin, your eyes..."
If what she saw last night had only been a fleeting illusion, now she clearly saw those eerie red eyes.
Just being stared at by them gave her the unsettling feeling that all her flaws and intentions were instantly seen through.
Most terrifying of all, as one of the fastest among the Nine Hashira, her full-force probing strike had been effortlessly caught by the other party with only two fingers.
[Ding! The host demonstrated the Sharingan's superior insight, greatly overturning the perception of the key character "Insect Hashira · Shinobu Kocho." Dimension points obtained: 150!]
"It's just a hereditary ocular technique from my family that allows me to see through high-speed movement trajectories." The crimson in Rin's eyes quickly faded as he released the blade and looked at her with a faint smile. "However, if you greet me like this in the morning, I might take it seriously."
Shinobu Kocho sheathed her sword. The shock on her face quickly subsided, returning to her gentle smile, though a deeper sense of awe and curiosity now lingered in her eyes.
"Sorry, sorry. I was simply too curious about Mr. Rin's strength and couldn't help myself."
After this brief test, Shinobu Kocho's evaluation of Rin rose by several levels.
Powerful, mysterious, and completely at ease.
"It seems the trial at Fujikasane Mountain will really be nothing more than a stroll for you."
Shinobu Kocho took a small purple wisteria sachet from her sleeve and tossed it to Rin. "I prepared this wisteria sachet myself. Although it cannot deal with high-level demons, it is quite effective at repelling annoying insects and low-level demons. Consider it an apology for my rude test just now."
Rin reached out and caught it, bringing it to his nose. A faint, refreshing medicinal fragrance instantly cleared his mind.
"Thanks. Well, see you later."
"Good luck in battle. I hope to see you officially wearing the uniform at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters in a few days." Shinobu Kocho waved her hand, turned, and disappeared into the depths of the forest with a light swoosh.
After watching Shinobu Kocho leave, Rin weighed the sachet in his hand and casually tied it to his waist.
"Rest is over. Time to get down to business."
Fujikasane Mountain, the site of the Final Selection.
A large number of demons are kept there year-round for the trials of new recruits. For the current Rin, it was simply a natural "dimension points" ATM.
Especially the Hand Demon who had lived for more than forty years and devoured Sabito and Makomo. It was definitely a key boss that could drop a large number of points and even affect the perception of the Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka.
Rin returned to his room to pick up his Kusanagi sword, then strode out of the Wisteria House and headed toward Fujikasane Mountain at high speed.