Qingshui followed Morioka Nen into the temple. Amidst the chanting and wooden fish sounds of the monks performing their morning prayers, he arrived at a small courtyard behind the temple.
In the open space in the middle of the courtyard, two boys, who looked to be about twelve or thirteen, were practicing sword forms with bamboo swords.
"Mr. Morioka!" x2
The two boys stopped their movements, bowed to Morioka Nen, and curiously sized up Qingshui.
"Their names are Akiha Ren and Sagawa Kintsura. They are also aspiring swordsmen who practice Wind Breathing. Ren, Kintsura, this is Qingshui-kun. Although he hasn't officially joined the Demon Slayer Corps yet and hasn't learned a Breathing Style, he has already defeated a Demon."
Morioka Nen introduced the three to each other.
Qingshui greeted them, and then Morioka Nen told the two boys to continue practicing, leading Qingshui to a room on the other side.
"It was a long journey. Would Qingshui-kun prefer to rest for a day first, or start learning now? If you wish to rest, the wing room on the left has already been prepared for you."
Morioka Nen poured tea for himself and Qingshui from a teapot and asked.
He inquired of Qingshui with a relatively equal demeanor, not in the manner of a senior or a teacher.
Perhaps he had learned something about Qingshui's strength, potential, and background from Ubuyashiki.
While he trusted every companion who joined the Demon Slayer Corps to eliminate evil Demons, young masters from powerful families weren't always easy to get along with.
Especially with the Uesugi Family having provided a large batch of valuable supplies to the Demon Slayer Corps.
"Of course, the sooner the better. I've been looking forward to the amazing Breathing Style for a long time."
Qingshui said.
With Chakra, traveling was a very easy task.
"In that case, old monk here should first understand Qingshui-kun's current situation."
Morioka Nen clasped his palms together.
Since Qingshui could defeat a Demon without having learned a Breathing Style, he most likely possessed martial arts skills.
After putting down his luggage and taking a brief rest, Qingshui and Morioka Nen went to the open space in the center of the courtyard.
Akiha Ren and Sagawa Kintsura stepped aside, whispering to each other as they watched the two men, each holding a bamboo sword, face off.
"Master Morioka, I apologize for the offense."
Qingshui twirled his bamboo sword, assumed the starting stance of Sand Hidden Style Swordplay, and said to Morioka Nen.
"No matter."
Morioka Nen, with the bearing of a grandmaster, held his sword upright in front of him.
"Please—"
As soon as he finished speaking, Qingshui took a large step forward, rushing towards Morioka Nen, and brought his sword down from above.
Morioka Nen's hand moved, and his bamboo sword skillfully deflected the force. He shifted his feet, changing position, and swung his sword at Qingshui's neck.
*"Clang!"*
The two bamboo swords clashed in the air, emitting a crisp sound.
After one exchange, Qingshui had a rough idea of the old monk's skill level.
Although old and frail, his reaction speed, strength, and swordsmanship were all excellent.
While Morioka Nen certainly wasn't using his full strength, Qingshui, with the insight inherited from his true self, could roughly gauge his level from this glimpse.
If he were to compare him to the Naruto World, Qingshui believed this old man's combat strength in close quarters should be no worse than some of the Chunin in the Sand Village who specialized in swordsmanship.
Considering his age and that he was a retired Class-A Swordsman, the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps might possess combat abilities close to that of a Jonin in close-quarters combat.
*"Clang!"*
*"Clang!"*
*"Clang!"*
The two bamboo swords clashed repeatedly in the air, making whistling sounds as they swished.
Qingshui's form shifted, his feet moving continuously, maintaining a relentless offensive, yet Morioka Nen handled it with surprising ease.
"Wind Breathing: Fourth Form, Rising Sandstorm."
Sharp gusts of wind blades shot from the bamboo sword in Morioka Nen's hand, spinning like a tornado as they swept towards Qingshui.
Qingshui paused, planting his feet firmly. He continuously chopped his bamboo sword in front of him, blocking the incoming wind blades.
Just as Qingshui had parried all the wind blades and hadn't even had a chance to catch his breath, Morioka Nen had already leaped high into the air, bringing his bamboo sword down diagonally towards Qingshui.
This time there was only one wind blade, but it was several meters long, spiraling down towards Qingshui like a long dragon.
"Wind Breathing: Fifth Form, Cold Autumn Mountain Wind."
I can't take this head-on!
Even though he knew Morioka Nen would hold back, Qingshui still dodged to the side, putting all his strength into meeting Morioka Nen's shifting attack with his bamboo sword.
"Crack!"
The bamboo sword broke.
"That's some exquisite swordplay."
Qingshui retreated, looking at Morioka Nen.
Morioka Nen had definitely held back; only those last two strikes showed some real skill.
"Qingshui, you have incredible strength. So, you were born with superhuman power. No wonder you could defeat a Demon without using a Breathing Style."
Morioka Nen praised him in return.
In his opinion, Qingshui's swordplay was terrible, there was nothing to praise, so he could only compliment his strength.
With Chakra enhancing his body, Qingshui's strength and speed were naturally far beyond ordinary people, which they perceived as innate superhuman power.
"I'm old now, so I can only swing a sword for so long before I need to catch my breath. Plus, I'm missing a piece of flesh from my calf. If we kept fighting, I definitely wouldn't have been able to keep up. So, I might have been a bit heavy-handed. You're alright, aren't you, Qingshui?"
Morioka Nen put down his bamboo sword, rubbed his lower back, and spoke to Qingshui.
Qingshui looked at the cuts on his clothes, made by the old monk's wind blades, and shook his head.
In fact, Qingshui had already noticed during the fight that the old monk primarily used his left leg to generate power, indicating that his right leg was likely injured. It seemed that was indeed the case.
With a piece of flesh missing from his calf, his right lower leg had essentially lost its explosive power, and his footwork during combat had to rely solely on his left leg.
Combined with the weakening of strength and reaction time due to aging, to still possess this level of skill, this old man was truly worthy of being a Class-A Swordsman, second only to a Hashira, back in the day.
"I'm fine, Master Morioka. May I begin learning a Breathing Style now?"
Morioka Nen chanted a Buddhist prayer and shook his head.
"While Qingshui has some foundation in swordsmanship, it's not solid. Rashly learning more advanced sword techniques might not be suitable. However, Qingshui, you are strong and robust, born with superhuman power, so you don't need to build up strength like those two."
"Alright."
Qingshui felt a little disappointed but understood.
Although he had been learning Sand Hidden Style Swordplay, it had only been for a few months. Not to mention, Qingshui had dedicated most of his energy to cultivating Puppetry and Wind Release, so it was quite normal for his swordsmanship foundation to be insufficient.
After their brief interaction, the old monk realized that Qingshui was not as arrogant as he had imagined noble youths to be. Instead, he was quite reasonable and easy to deal with, which relieved the old monk.
"In my opinion, Qingshui, at this stage, you should address these deficiencies in your sword usage..."
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