A few days later, Kurozawa returned to Mount Sagiri with Iguro Obanai.
The entire way, he was worried about whether Hongyue was following him, so he took many detours cautiously and repeatedly tried to test for her presence.
However, in the end, it seemed he had been fighting against thin air; there was no sign of any demon tracking him.
After every Demon Slaying Mission, there was a rest period for the swordsmen to adjust their minds and bodies. This time was no exception. Half a month after returning to Mount Sagiri, no new Demon Slaying Missions were issued, nor did any swordsmen come to arrest Kurozawa because of the incident on Hachijo Island.
Kurozawa spent a peaceful half a month on Mount Sagiri. He had put the matter of Hongyue out of his mind. No matter how strange Hongyue acted or how unguarded she seemed towards him, it was impossible for him to court death by marrying that female demon.
At this moment, on the summit of Mount Sagiri, Kurozawa was sitting under the rising sun, his internal energy surging as he honed his physique with his Breathing Technique. The view was the best here, offering a panoramic sight of Mount Sagiri, and the air was fresh. This was Kurozawa's favorite place to stay.
He had already sent Iguro Obanai to his master for training. Sakonji Urokodaki was also very happy because Iguro Obanai truly lived up to his potential as the future Serpent Pillar. His talent was extremely strong; he grasped the Breathing Technique, Sword Forms, and everything else instantly.
What was even more unbelievable was that Iguro Obanai felt the Water Breathing was obscure to cultivate and was researching his own style of Breathing Technique, the Serpent Breathing.
Given Iguro Obanai's current training progress, it was estimated that he would master the Total Concentration: Constant stage of Breathing Technique in less than half a year and become another powerful swordsman under Sakonji Urokodaki.
"After honing my body every day for the past half month on Mount Sagiri, my stats have only increased by a little, reaching slightly over 0.6."
He sighed softly and looked at the more than five hundred Potential Points accumulated in his sight.
He still hadn't upgraded his Water Breathing to the fifth stage.
Because Potential Points came with a healing effect when used for upgrades, he planned to upgrade during combat. Although this sacrificed the opportunity to familiarize himself with it beforehand, as a human, his body was too easily injured, which made Kurozawa decide to temporarily save the Potential Points.
Besides that, Kurozawa was somewhat apprehensive about the fifth stage.
He had asked Sakonji Urokodaki about it. In an era long ago, powerful swordsmen who surpassed the Total Concentration: Constant stage appeared. They were called Marked Swordsmen. All Marked Swordsmen were covered in hideous patterns, similar to the Demon Marks on demons, which looked extremely ferocious. However, their strength was also like that of a Demon.
Kurozawa guessed that the fifth stage of the Breathing Technique, as assessed by the Gray-White, was likely the Marked stage.
The Demon Slayer Corps during the time of the Marked Swordsmen was also its most glorious period, hunting Demons as easily as picking things out of a pocket.
Of course, if Marked Swordsmen were just powerful, Kurozawa would have upgraded without hesitation. Unfortunately, Marked Swordsmen had a fatal flaw.
Lifespan. The lifespan of Marked Swordsmen was very short. If a powerful swordsman didn't die in battle or from hidden injuries, they could easily live to be a hundred years old given their physique. However, many Marked Swordsmen died suddenly; it was common for them to die in their sleep.
"This is tricky. I should research it more." After much thought, Kurozawa didn't dare to casually upgrade to the fifth stage of Water Breathing.
If there was an opportunity, he would ask the Demon Slayer Corps Leader about the mark. He definitely knew more than his master and might know how to avoid the side effects of the mark.
As for the Potential Points, keeping some for upgrades and using the rest to improve body stats as needed was also a very good option.
After a moment, Kurozawa calmed down, intending to continue honing his physique.
But just then, a harsh, unpleasant squawking sound came from nearby.
"Caw caw caw"
Turning his head, he saw a completely black Kasugai Crow flying from far away, approaching rapidly. Just by looking at it, he knew it wasn't good news.
Landing on a boulder, the Kasugai Crow tilted its head and stared at Kurozawa, then opened its beak.
"Kurozawa Danryu, I am here to deliver a command."
"People are continuously disappearing on Mount Natagumo. A large number of swordsmen are missing. Please go and investigate."
After delivering the mission, the Kasugai Crow flapped its wings and flew away without any unnecessary movements, not giving Kurozawa a chance to catch it.
"Mount Natagumo? Just from the name, it doesn't sound like a good place."
"Also, they always assign me missions where swordsmen are missing. They must think highly of me."
Kurozawa's first mission was the trip to Hachijo Island, where three Rank Tsuchinoto Swordsmen went missing. Sending him, the lowest-ranked swordsman, to deal with the disappearance of Rank Tsuchinoto Swordsmen indicated that the person assigning the mission indeed viewed Kurozawa differently.
And now, with a large number of swordsmen missing, they were sending him to handle it again. Kurozawa had already vaguely guessed the reason: he must be a swordsman receiving special attention. Otherwise, why would he always receive missions that sounded dangerous?
Standing up, Kurozawa's body straightened, crackling sounds emanating from him.
He twisted his neck and quickly descended the mountain, finding Sakonji Urokodaki who was instructing Iguro Obanai.
"Master, I have a new mission."
Sakonji Urokodaki had resigned from his position as Water Pillar some time ago and was now wholeheartedly training swordsmen on Mount Sagiri. One could say Iguro Obanai was truly lucky. Previously, Sakonji Urokodaki still had to go on Demon Slaying Missions, but now he could fully dedicate himself to guiding his disciples.
Currently, only the bruised and battered Iguro Obanai enjoyed this treatment.
Seeing Kurozawa arrive, Sakonji Urokodaki stopped his unilateral beating—no, instruction—of Iguro Obanai, and said calmly, "Where is the problem?"
Kurozawa reported truthfully: "Mount Natagumo, they say a large number of swordsmen are missing."
A large number of swordsmen are missing. Sakonji Urokodaki chewed on these words, then turned his head and said seriously, "Kurozawa, any mission where a large number of swordsmen disappear means the Demon is powerful."
"There is a considerable chance of encountering a Moon Demon in such cases. You must be cautious."
Slaying a Moon Demon was the prerequisite for becoming a Pillar.
Sakonji Urokodaki was actually somewhat looking forward to Kurozawa encountering a Lower Moon Demon to test himself. In his opinion, his disciple was a late bloomer, and his current progress speed made him take notice. He seemed to improve significantly every time he saw him.
In terms of safety, as long as he didn't encounter an Upper Moon, Sakonji Urokodaki wouldn't worry about Kurozawa. And Upper Moons were always very mysterious; they weren't that easy to encounter.
Under the sunlight, Kurozawa nodded and smiled, "Don't worry, Master. I am the man destined to conquer the Demon Progenitor. A mere Moon Demon can be extinguished with a flick of a finger."
Ignoring Kurozawa's bragging, Sakonji Urokodaki gave a few simple instructions and then resumed instructing Iguro Obanai.
Iguro Obanai was being beaten badly, but he didn't say a word, clenching his teeth and trying his best to dodge Sakonji Urokodaki's attacks. His appearance was very resolute; his past experiences had forged Iguro Obanai's strong inner heart.
Kurozawa glanced at the peaceful atmosphere of Mount Sagiri and descended the mountain under the increasingly warm sunlight.
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