He just learned Insect Breathing yesterday, Shinobu thought, so how could he be having another epiphany today?
Just then, Su Chen's eyes opened.
"Brother Su Chen is awake!" the three little girls shouted excitedly.
Kanao also smiled, her grip on her wooden sword tightening slightly.
Kochou Shinobu couldn't help but ask, "Su Chen-kun, what were you thinking about just now?"
Su Chen smiled but didn't answer. Instead, he gently took the wooden sword from Kanao's hand. "Shinobu-san, would you like to spar with me for a moment?"
Seeing his confident smile, Shinobu's mood brightened. "Of course!"
With a swish, her special Nichirin Sword was out of its sheath. Almost instantly, the deadly tip of the blade was flying right at Su Chen.
The three little girls didn't even have time to blink, and Kanao stared, stunned. The spar had begun! This was one of Shinobu's tactics: a blindingly fast strike to catch her opponent off guard. But she was being very careful. She was holding back her true speed, ready to pull her Nichirin Sword back in an instant so she wouldn't accidentally hurt him.
The next moment, however, Kochou Shinobu was dumbfounded.
Faced with her attack, Su Chen didn't retreat. He advanced! He pointed his wooden sword right at her and thrust forward.
Is he trying to trade hits? Shinobu didn't understand his plan. Based on their speed and distance, her blade would definitely hit him first. And since her sword used poison, she would win if she even grazed his skin. He has to dodge this!
The blade closed in, just centimeters from his chest, about to touch his skin!
Just as Shinobu was about to pull her sword back, Su Chen moved.
His body suddenly vanished from where he stood. The next moment, he was right next to her. His Shadowless Hand technique activated, and his fingers lightly tapped her chin.
Feeling the sudden touch, Shinobu was startled and immediately jumped back. A faint blush flashed across her face; she hadn't expected him to be so bold! But after her first flash of annoyance, her rational mind took over.
He had dodged her attack. And he had touched a vital spot.
She had lost this exchange.
Su Chen saw her confusion and said, "Shinobu-san, what did you think of that move?"
Shinobu blinked, collecting her thoughts. "It was very fast. If I hadn't attacked first, your wooden sword would have pierced my chest in less than a second."
"Exactly." Su Chen smiled. Shinobu was right. If she hadn't taken the initiative, he could have been even faster. "It's a Breathing Style I developed myself. That was the First Form: Poison Sting."
"Poison?" Xiao Qing, who was watching nearby, couldn't help but ask, "Isn't that Lady Shinobu's way of attacking?"
Shinobu understood, too. He meant the move was designed to be used with a poisoned blade.
Su Chen continued, "I found that while your Insect Breathing is amazing, Shinobu-san, it has too many extra movements for me. My training time is short and my stamina isn't as good as yours, so I came up with this new method."
Shinobu blinked. "Then what about that high-speed movement? You disappeared so fast... even I couldn't react. For that one moment, your speed surpassed my own."
Su Chen answered her question. "It's a movement I created by making my body vibrate intensely." He glanced at the flower bushes in the courtyard. "These past few days, I've been watching the bees. They're always collecting nectar, but when they sense danger, they can dodge it instantly. I wondered why."
"Then I discovered the reason," he explained. "They create powerful air currents by vibrating their wings at a high frequency. This does two things: first, it reduces the air resistance around them, and second, it gives them a powerful thrust, letting them fly very fast. They also constantly adjust the angle and frequency of their wings to fly as efficiently as possible."
"I wondered what would happen if a human used that same idea. Based on that, I developed a new Breathing Style."
He paused. "It's a variation of Insect Breathing. I call it... Bee Breathing."
This explanation left everyone completely dumbfounded. Even Kanao, who usually had a perfect poker face, had her mouth slightly open. That's how shocking Su Chen's words were.
Kochou Shinobu's smile was gone. She was stunned for a full five seconds before she could speak. When she did, her voice was trembling and a little unclear.
"Su Chen-kun... you mean... you created your own Breathing Style? Yourself?"
Su Chen nodded. "Yes."
Boom.
Shinobu felt as if steam, like from a train, was rising from the top of her head.
Day one, he encounters the Demon Slayer Corps. Day two, he learns swordsmanship. Day three, he learns a Breathing Style. And now, on day four, he's creating his own?!
Could this boy truly be a gift from the heavens to the Corps?
With his current strength and this talent, Shinobu couldn't even imagine how amazing he would be on a real battlefield. Even Muichiro Tokito took two months to become a Hashira. Su Chen would definitely break that record!
Seeing Shinobu standing there in a daze, Su Chen waved his hand in front of her. She finally snapped out of it.
Su Chen smiled. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Shinobu's smile bloomed again. "Su Chen-kun, could you demonstrate Bee Breathing for me? I'd like to see it properly."
She needed to see it again. She had to know how powerful this new Breathing Style really was. If he truly understood Breathing Styles this deeply, he could maybe even become an instructor for the Demon Slayer Corps, teaching others how to apply them. If that happened, the overall quality of the Corps would improve so much. Shinobu could already imagine how happy the Master would be to hear this news.
Su Chen nodded. He borrowed the wooden sword from Kanao and slowly walked to the center of the courtyard. He had simulated the forms countless times in his mind, but thinking about it wasn't the same as doing it. Without a real test, he couldn't be sure of the true strength of the Breathing Style he had developed.
"Shinobu-san, would you mind being my opponent?" Su Chen looked at Shinobu, who was standing on the veranda.
She didn't decline. She drew her Nichirin Sword and moved into the courtyard, taking a position across from him.
Su Chen took a deep, sharp breath. A huge amount of air filled his lungs, and his entire body began to visibly vibrate. He gripped the wooden sword tightly, pointing it directly at Kochou Shinobu.
"Then... Bee Breathing, Seventh Form: Rapid Trailing Thrust!"