The Old Man of Peach Mountain

Chapter 96 The Old Man of Peach Mountain

Taoshan, as its name suggests, is covered with peach trees all over the mountainside.

It was late autumn, but unfortunately we couldn't see the magnificent scene of peach blossoms in full bloom and pink clouds filling the sky, nor could we enjoy the plump and juicy peaches that Zenitsu was eating.

The bird travels alone along the winding mountain path, the fallen leaves rustling softly beneath its feet.

Originally, he meant well and wanted to invite Zenitsu to come to Momoyama to learn from Kuwajima Jigoro, so that he could also come back and rest for a couple of days.

However, the child seems to have some reservations about returning to Momoyama, preferring to stay at the mansion for intensive training rather than come.

Upon reaching a wide, flat area on the mountainside, one finds the training ground for the Breath of Thunder.

Unlike the large-scale training grounds with numerous disciples at the Hayama Training Center, there was only a simple wooden house in front of us.

In front of the wooden house was a carefully leveled sandy area, with several thick wooden stakes driven deep into the ground, their surfaces covered with dense, uneven knife marks.

Not far away, there was a huge old tree that looked like it had been struck by lightning, its entire body now a deep black.

Is this the Peach Mountain dojo? It looks quite quiet, which suits my taste.

"Hey! You little brat over there, what are you looking at so furtively over there!"

A powerful shout, so loud it made Fei Niao's ears ring, came from behind him.

Immediately afterwards, a short figure rushed over in a flurry of activity.

He wore a tan kimono, and his wooden prosthetic leg struck the ground with a rapid and powerful thud.

On that wrinkled and scarred face, a mischievous, childlike smile played as he scrutinized the bird with his slightly cloudy eyes: "This is private property. I don't sell peaches here, nor do I take on apprentices!"

Asuka quietly observed the former Sound Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, sensing the aura within him.

The old man had completely suppressed his aura to the extreme; if it weren't for his sharp, lightning-fast breathing, one would almost think he was a harmless old man.

"I am Asuka from the Demon Slayer Corps. Nice to meet you." Asuka bowed slightly.

"Oh? You're the Storm Pillar that the Mysterious Crow mentioned, the one who's here to train?" Kuwajima Jigoro narrowed his small eyes, took a few steps closer with his wooden cane, and scanned back and forth between the sword at Asuka's waist and her brand-new haori.

"I thought that a Pillar who could slay an Upper Moon demon would be a strong man like Gyomei, but I didn't expect him to be a kid."

He chuckled strangely, but it also sounded like he was angrily muttering to himself: "Tsk... Mist Pillar or Serpent Pillar, how come all the kids these days are so strong at such a young age... When will our Zenitsu become a Pillar...?"

"senior?"

Interrupted from his rambling by Asuka, Kuwajima chuckled somewhat sheepishly, turned around, and asked curiously, "So what is there for me to practice here? You already have your own breathing techniques and fighting style. Aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew?"

He earnestly advised, "You must understand that more strength or more techniques aren't necessarily better. Sometimes, even knowing only one or two techniques, if mastered to perfection, can be an unstoppable killing move!"

Kuwashima Jigoro firmly believed this.

"I understand. I just wanted to take a look at the characteristics of Thunder Breathing, but ultimately I wanted to forge my own path."

Asuka answered crisply, "Furthermore, I wish to restore the breath of the sun."

Sangdao had already heard about this from the lord in the letter. Although it seemed a bit unbelievable, he had already prepared himself for it.

He looked at Fei Niao again and found that the boy's eyes were extremely pure, without the impetuousness of those who became famous at a young age, but with a calmness.

He had seen that look in many people's eyes, but few could maintain such a thirst for knowledge as Asuka, even after becoming a Pillar.

But he still wanted to test the young man's character again.

The strange old man chuckled twice and pointed with his wooden cane to a long-abandoned piece of land behind the temple.

"It's late autumn. I need to turn over all the soil there before the first snow falls so I can plant the herbs for next spring."

"You, go and turn that place upside down."

What herbs? Isn't that just pure wasteland? This excuse was clearly made up on the spot.

The bird looked at the barren slope, then at the old man's back.

"it is good."

He took off his haori and basilica, picked up the hoe by the dojo, and walked towards the cold slope.

For the next three days, Kuwashima Jigoro seemed to genuinely treat Asuka as free labor.

He moved a rattan chair to the edge of the slope, holding a chipped, rough earthenware bowl in his arms, drinking steaming hot brown rice porridge while gesturing at the birds.

"Hey! Kid! Are you a butcher? That chop was way too hard! The soil is supposed to be loose but not crumbly, but you practically cleaved it in two!"

"Too slow! The essence of Thunder Breathing lies in a single instant! At your speed, before you even draw your sword, the demon will have plucked every hair from your body!"

"Oh dear, these young people nowadays, their bodies are as weak as paper. Back when I was training in Taoshan, this kind of work only took me five minutes... Ah, that crybaby may be useless, but his talent for work is far superior to your blockhead!"

Whenever the crybaby is mentioned, a hint of tenderness and a touch of pride always flashes across Kuwashima Jigoro's wrinkled face.

So what if he only knows the First Form? Didn't he still manage to kill the Upper Moon alongside the Pillars? Zenitsu will definitely amount to something.

The bird did not become agitated by these taunts.

He began to realize that Sangdao's mockery was only meant to shake his resolve, and that this so-called soil-turning, under his command, had turned into a kind of sword-like training.

Under Sangdao's command, he compressed his physical strength to the extreme and then unleashed it in an instant through his legs and arms.

If mastered, this technique, when combined with spiritual pressure bursts in battle, can achieve the effect of instantly killing the enemy.

By dusk on the third day, the once barren slope had become flat and soft.

"Old man, the tilling is finished."

Kuwashima Jigoro strolled over, opened the dojo door, and stomped his prosthetic leg on the ground, showing no intention of inspecting it.

"It's alright, come in. Don't just stand there waiting. If you catch a cold, I'll have to waste my medicine."

Inside the temple, the firewood in the hearth crackled and popped.

Kuwashima Jigoro sat cross-legged opposite Asuka, his expression becoming extremely serious, displaying the demeanor of a former grandmaster.

"Listen carefully, Asuka-Thunder Breathing is different from other breathing techniques. It pursues ultimate explosiveness, a brutal exploitation of the body's limits. In addition, it requires the resolve and courage to draw your sword and charge forward no matter how powerful the enemy!"

"Therefore, swordsmen who practice the Breath of Thunder are often more prone to injury or physical disability, as they are trading their lives for a moment of brilliance."

He picked up a pair of fire tongs and drew a straight line in the fire pit.

"Among my disciples, there was once a very talented fellow... Unfortunately, he could never understand this point, and he could never draw the straightest line, so he could never master the First Form." Kuwajima's voice deepened, and a trace of heartache flashed in his eyes.

"As for the other one..." Kuwashima's tone softened considerably, revealing a sense of satisfaction as if he had found a treasure: "Although he only knows the First Form, he cries and shouts that he can't do it, and wants to run away every day."

"But I know that he worked very hard to master the First Form to a level that even I admire."

"That child's name is Zenitsu. He will definitely become an even better Naruto than me..."

'

"Now, watch carefully."

As the bird listened quietly, Kuwashima Jigoro suddenly drew his sword.

In that instant, the bird felt as if the air in front of it had been sliced ​​open.

Without any fancy sword shape, a golden light flashed past him, faster than the naked eye could perceive!

laugh!

A straight sword aura traversed a distance of three meters, precisely slicing through a wooden stump opposite the fire pit.

"This is the First Form: Thunderclap Flash."

Kuwajima sheathed his sword in one fluid motion: "It is the foundation and the ultimate goal of all Thunder Breathing techniques. If you can master this move, your understanding of thunder will be complete."

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