"Master," Fang Hao greeted as he entered, then began to demonstrate his sword skills, saying, "I can control Thunder even better now."
Although he was quite pleased with his achievement, his words were incredibly humble, partly due to his education before transmigration, and partly due to Kuwajima Jigorou's strictness.
"Mm." Kuwajima Jigorou simply nodded and hummed in response.
If Fang Hao hadn't known what kind of person his master was before transmigration, he might have thought Kuwajima Jigorou was displeased with his progress. Of course, the original work could only serve as a reference. However, after a year of living together, Fang Hao had already figured out the old man's personality.
Simply put, he was reserved, keeping everything to himself, or one could say he was a tsundere. In the original work, Kuwajima Jigorou had noticed Kaidake's dissatisfaction; after all, having spent so much time together, how could he, with his experience, not see it? But he didn't say anything, hoping Kaidake would slowly understand that he and Zenitsu should work together. The result was Kaidake's 'filial piety' of becoming a demon.
As for Zenitsu, Kuwajima Jigorou only told Zenitsu, "You are my pride," just before his death. Kuwajima Jigorou's affection for both of them was undeniable, but he didn't show it normally, so he naturally wouldn't show it to Fang Hao either.
"Maybe he's praising me in his heart right now. A man being tsundere is really not cute, and tsundere is already out of fashion, isn't it? He should join the Praise Cult instead."
Of course, Fang Hao only dared to think these words to himself. He couldn't say them out loud, not because he was timid or afraid of Kuwajima Jigorou getting angry, but mainly because he had to respect his master.
Although Kuwajima Jigorou didn't say it, Fang Hao could still feel that, despite having many disciples, Fang Hao was truly regarded by the old man as his successor. He believed Fang Hao could surpass him, and thus was much stricter with Fang Hao than with others. But if not for that, Fang Hao wouldn't have progressed so quickly.
A few months ago, "Master, I feel that the sword techniques of Thunder Breathing are too flashy and impractical."
"Hmm, tell me in detail." Kuwajima Jigorou became the Sound Pillar by relying on Thunder Breathing and was also the strongest swordsman at the time. He had always been confident in Thunder Breathing, but he still didn't interrupt his disciple's astonishing words. What should convince people are facts, not authority.
"Take Thunderclap and Flash, for example. When using Thunderclap and Flash, you use the Breathing technique to generate electricity to stimulate the body, especially the calves and arms, thereby unleashing speed far beyond normal, and thus delivering an Extreme Speed drawing slash."
Kuwajima Jigorou nodded. Fang Hao's summary of Thunderclap and Flash was simple and clear, indicating his deep understanding of this sword technique.
"However, during this process, some of the electricity will dissipate, and generating electricity consumes stamina, meaning that portion of stamina is wasted. If this problem can be solved, the duration of Thunder Breathing will be longer."
Kuwajima Jigorou carefully considered Fang Hao's words, "Difficult, difficult, difficult." He recalled his own use of Thunder Breathing and found it difficult to achieve what Fang Hao described.
In fact, if it was just about simply controlling the electricity, it would be very easy. But in combat, Thunder Breathing aims for quick and efficient demon slaying. If one is required to control the electricity and reduce consumption during this process, it inevitably leads to distraction.
And the result of distraction would be a slower speed or weaker burst, even if only by a hair, but sometimes that hair is the difference between life and death.
Unless it's a special situation, like when dealing with weaker opponents or conserving stamina, but at such times, enhancing control and pursuing precision isn't very normal, is it?
Fang Hao's idea was that he wouldn't dare to use it for big matters, but for small matters, he would subconsciously consider it. However, Kuwajima Jigorou did not directly reject Fang Hao. He thought it was a good thing for his disciple to have his own ideas.
Even if this idea was wrong, maybe the next one would be right. Constantly denying disciples would only make people afraid to speak and act, which is not a good thing. He hoped his disciples could surpass him, not become another Kuwajima Jigorou.
"Then go do it. Improve Thunder Breathing according to your ideas. During this time, I, your master, will guide you, help you. Go ahead and do it." That's what Kuwajima Jigorou said that day.
Kuwajima Jigorou was indeed shocked by Fang Hao's ability to improve the Thunder Breathing sword techniques, and of course, he was also proud.
He had initially thought that Fang Hao's improvement only meant he enhanced his control, but the results Fang Hao showed him genuinely reduced the stamina consumption of the Breathing technique, and crucially, the power did not diminish in the slightest.
"I knew his talent was high, but I didn't expect it to be this high. Even the first generation swordsmen were probably just like this!" However, although Kuwajima Jigorou's heart was filled with complex emotions, he showed no trace of it on his face.
"Excellent. The Thunder Breathing you improved reduces consumption from the original foundation. For users of Thunder Breathing, this greatly enhances their sustained combat ability."
"The unfortunate thing is that it requires even higher control, but..." At this point, Kuwajima Jigorou stopped speaking.
Fang Hao looked at Kuwajima Jigorou, who seemed to want to speak but hesitated. "This expression is quite rare, but I still shouldn't let Master be put on the spot." So he proactively asked, "But what, Master? Just say it directly."
"This..." Kuwajima Jigorou began, "Are you willing to pass this Breathing technique on to others?"
Kuwajima Jigorou spoke very slowly. In his opinion, what he was saying was indeed difficult to utter. The matter of inheritance was of great importance. Even though they were all demon slayers, it would be understandable if Fang Hao was unwilling to teach it.
Whether it was Daxia or the Island Nation, the importance placed on inheritance was unimaginable to people from many other countries. Kuwajima Jigorou was also unwilling to force his disciple.
"I am willing, but I'll tell Master directly, and then Master can teach them." Fang Hao said this very frankly. He truly didn't care about passing this Breathing technique on to others.
It's all for slaying demons, and this could also be considered making a name for himself in the Demon Slayer Corps, couldn't it? Maybe he could add another legend to the legendary compendium. Furthermore, if he wanted to learn other Breathing techniques in the future, the Pillars wouldn't be able to refuse him, would they?
After this improvement of the Breathing technique, he developed an even greater ambition: he wanted to combine the advantages of various Breathing techniques to create the strongest Breathing technique. Although the Breathing techniques of various schools were all derived from Sun Breathing, they each had their own advantages. Fang Hao believed that combining them would result in a Breathing technique that surpassed Sun Breathing.
"What's more, I also want to combine Sun Breathing and Moon Breathing," Fang Hao thought.
As he was thinking, he saw Kuwajima Jigorou beside him, no longer his usual serious self, with tears of excitement and emotion in his eyes. "Fang Hao, you are my pride."
In Kuwajima Jigorou's view, Fang Hao's willingness to pass on the improved Thunder Breathing showed that Fang Hao had great love in his heart, and was willing to contribute to the cause of the Thunder Breathing successors in slaying demons. How could this not move him?
Fang Hao didn't feel any great love. He just wanted to know why Kuwajima Jigorou's demeanor suddenly changed so much. "What did Master imagine? What 'you are my pride'? Isn't that what he says to Zenitsu? What kind of NTR is this!"
"Grandpa, Big Brother!" A little blonde boy ran in, crying profusely. Fang Hao's heart skipped a beat. "Catching him in the act?"
He quickly shook his head. Catching what in the act? Bah, bah, bah.
"Zenitsu, what's wrong? Why are you suddenly crying like this?"