An indigo back flickered within the thick white mist, moving as naturally as mountain stream water rather than a burst of explosive sprinting.
Kiyokawa Izumi could only watch helplessly as the distance between them gradually widened.
Staring intently, he missed a step and nearly slid into a deep pit.
Kiyokawa Izumi broke out in a cold sweat.
What kind of decent person buries knives in a pit? Is this training? It feels more like trying to kill the trainee!
His breathing inevitably grew rapid.
Kiyokawa Izumi carefully observed Urokodaki Sakonji's rhythmic gait, muscle exertion, and the subtle timing of every shift in center of gravity.
Like a parched sponge meeting water, he absorbed everything frantically.
Kiyokawa Izumi's competitive spirit wasn't actually that strong; being left behind didn't surprise him, nor did it make him feel indignant.
What mattered was whether he could learn something and gain insights.
'This child seems calm, but his determination isn't firm enough, and he cannot truly quiet his heart.'
'His foundation is very good; he has undergone rigorous training.'
'His mastery of the Breathing Technique is very rough, as if he only recently learned it. Under repeated use, his lungs cannot even adapt.'
'He hasn't let his body memorize this breathing, and his body is not yet accustomed to it.'
Countless scents seemed to drift over invisibly.
Urokodaki Sakonji thought to himself as he caught these scents.
Regarding Kiyokawa Izumi, who had already passed the Final Selection, it wasn't a matter of satisfaction or dissatisfaction; he was simply making an objective and truthful evaluation from the perspective of a Trainer.
The point he was most dissatisfied with was that Kiyokawa Izumi's determination was not firm enough, and his heart could not truly find peace.
Water is formless, yet it is the softest and most resilient.
It encompasses and penetrates, capable of wearing through hard stone with constant effort.
To learn Water Breathing, one needs a clear, lake-like mind; as a Demon Slayer, one needs a firm determination—to face Demons with a human body, one absolutely cannot do without it.
This child, perhaps, is not so suited for Water Breathing.
Urokodaki Sakonji's evaluation couldn't be called incorrect.
It wasn't that Kiyokawa Izumi couldn't learn Water Breathing, but rather that he might not be able to advance to a certain Realm.
Murata also knows Water Breathing, but the gap between his Water Breathing and that of a true Water Hashira is immense.
Was it talent? Was it a lack of hard training? Or was it some other reason?
He was a swordsman who participated in the same Final Selection as Giyuu!
Years later, the gap between the two had grown beyond imagination.
As for Kiyokawa Izumi, he also vaguely felt that he wasn't that compatible with Water Breathing.
His evaluation of Water Breathing was that it was easy to learn but hard to master.
Even if he wasn't perfectly compatible, he could still master this balanced Breathing Technique, but to advance to the Hashira level, it would take at least a dozen years, if not a whole lifetime of futility.
Since he knew where the problem lay, why not solve it?
Learn other Breathing Techniques?
Putting aside whether he could even get access to them, even if he could, would he definitely be able to learn them?
He clearly felt that Flower Breathing and Insect Breathing were unsuitable for him.
Creating his own Breathing Technique was even more of a joke.
How could he have that kind of ability?
Amidst his wandering thoughts, Urokodaki Sakonji's footsteps gradually stopped, and a simple hut appeared before them.
Without any evaluation or unnecessary words, Urokodaki Sakonji simply said in a calm tone.
"Attack me! Treat me as a Demon you need to eliminate!"
The old man did not take out a real blade, but simply picked up a wooden sword used for training.
Kiyokawa Izumi wasn't foolish enough to say something like, "You're using a wooden sword while I'm using a real one, isn't that inappropriate?"
"You're a human, not a Demon, how can I draw my blade against you?"
He wouldn't say such nonsense because he knew very well how strong the person before him was.
"Hu—"
Gently exhaling a breath of turbid air, Kiyokawa Izumi, who had drawn his nichirin blade in haste without time to adjust his breathing, did not rashly launch an attack.
He was observing and also adjusting his own state.
In an instant, his figure shot out like an arrow from a bow, his sharp slash sweeping through the air, aimed directly at Urokodaki Sakonji's midsection.
There were no flashy techniques or redundant movements.
Compared to his recently mastered Breathing Technique, his Swordsmanship was truly impressive.
Urokodaki Sakonji felt a slight surprise, and his evaluation of the person before him rose significantly.
Behind this simple and unadorned slash, one could almost see his years of hard practice and several life-and-death battles.
The strength was more than enough, but it was somewhat inflexible.
Urokodaki Sakonji simply stepped aside slightly, not even assuming a parrying stance, and delivered a casual yet precise strike against the unsharpened side of the blade.
The force wasn't violent; instead, it was somewhat gentle.
The trajectory of the horizontal slash was altered, and the blade inevitably moved downward.
Kiyokawa Izumi's pupils constricted; it felt as if he had fallen into water, unable to transition smoothly to another Move.
With an extremely subtle twist of his wrist, the seemingly fragile wooden sword seemed to truly come alive, flexibly entangling Kiyokawa Izumi's nichirin blade.
An irresistible force was pulling his blade; even though he was the one holding it, he felt it difficult to exert strength, and his body involuntarily stumbled forward a step.
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This chapter is dedicated to the energy stones you donated... Thank you.