"I'm not going, Grandpa, I'll die! I don't want to die yet! I haven't even gotten married!" At this moment, a blond young man was crying loudly, hugging an old man's leg.
Fang Hao watched this scene helplessly from the side, rubbing his temples, feeling a headache. "As expected of you, Zenitsu."
That's right, the blond young man was Zenitsu, and the old man was naturally Kuwajima Jigorou. At this moment, Zenitsu's face was filled with fear; he genuinely didn't want to participate in the selection. He heard that during the selection, one had to survive for several days while being hunted by demons. Was this something he could participate in? If he saw a demon, he probably wouldn't even be able to draw his nichirin blade, and he would die.
Why did someone like him, who had only learned Thunder Breathing, First Form, have to participate in the trial? There must be a better way to court death than this, right?
Thinking of this, Zenitsu became even more distraught, his fear intensified, and his arms tightened their grip on Kuwajima Jigorou's leg.
However, he didn't notice that Kuwajima Jigorou's face was growing increasingly grim, and the veins on his forehead were throbbing.
"Alas, Zenitsu, good riddance," Fang Hao muttered to himself.
Kuwajima Jigorou said nothing, pried Zenitsu's arms open, and then began a flurry of punches. Kuwajima Jigorou didn't consider Zenitsu his adorable grandson at all.
Well, perhaps he considered it a little, possibly thinking that Zenitsu needed to participate in the final selection and that injuries would affect his combat ability. Kuwajima Jigorou aimed every punch at Zenitsu's face, each one landing squarely, giving Zenitsu no chance to breathe, and deliberately avoiding Zenitsu's body. Soon, a new, bruised and swollen little blond boy was "freshly baked."
At this moment, Fang Hao only wanted to recite a poem: "Though the divine tortoise lives long, its time will eventually end. Though the soaring serpent rides the mist, it will ultimately turn to dust. An old steed in the stable, its ambition is a thousand li. A valiant hero in his twilight years, his grand aspirations never cease."
The old man truly lived up to his reputation as the former Sound Pillar, the strongest Pillar of the past. His combat prowess indeed hadn't diminished, and Zenitsu had indeed become a physically bruised adolescent pig-headed boy. However, he probably wouldn't get to see a bunny girl senpai, which was truly cause for celebration.
In the end, Zenitsu still happily (?) set off with Fang Hao. Incidentally, the nichirin blades in Fang Hao and Zenitsu's hands were left behind by their senior disciples.
Cultivators are veteran members of the Demon Slayer Corps who, due to old age or injuries, have seen their strength decline and thus retired from the front lines of demon slaying, dedicating themselves instead to training disciples, ensuring a continuous supply of fresh blood for the Demon Slayer Corps.
While these disciples haven't yet joined the Demon Slayer Corps, those participating in the final selection undoubtedly need nichirin blades. Some of these nichirin blades are broken swords from Demon Slayer Corps members that, after being reforged, became idle because their original owners already had new swords. Others are nichirin blades that have lost their owners.
Their owners perished at the hands of demons. While it would be an honor for these masterless nichirin blades to accompany their owners, forging nichirin blades is extremely complex, and letting these swords go to waste would be too great a loss.
This is how the nichirin blades for Demon Slayer Corps reserves come to be.
A few days later, Fang Hao and Zenitsu arrived at the location of the Demon Slayer Corps' final selection—Mount Fujikasane. This was a deep mountain surrounded by a wisteria flower forest.
It was already night. Illuminated by the lantern light, the purple-white small flowers hung down from slender branches like piles of snow. The flowers on the trees spread out like brocade, and under the moonlight, thousands of trees resembled a sea of flowers draped in thin gauze. Though the line "Suddenly, like a spring breeze in the night, a thousand trees, ten thousand pear blossoms bloom" describes snow, it perfectly captures the beauty of the scene before them.
However, such beauty went unappreciated (except by Fang Hao; if he had a camera, he would have even wanted to take a photo with the flower sea). In the clearing at this time, most of the participants simply stood still, doing nothing. Few people conversed, and no one paid attention to the scenery before them.
After all, the selection hadn't started, and they weren't familiar with each other. Before an exam, acquaintances might chat more to ease tension, but a group of strangers standing there would likely just do some last-minute preparation.
And they couldn't review anyway; practicing drawing their swords would be awkward with people around, and the assessment would last for several days, requiring them to conserve stamina. So, they could only stand still.
Zenitsu, however, seemed out of place among the others. Most of them were expressionless, yet their tightly clenched hands or other tells revealed their nervousness.
Zenitsu, on the other hand, was visibly terrified. Tears soaked his face, his already bruised cheeks mixed with tears, and combined with his trembling figure, he looked somewhat horrifying from a distance, but ridiculous up close. He alone created a funny yet tense atmosphere.
Fang Hao really wanted to tell him, "I wouldn't watch a horror-comedy without you." But looking at Zenitsu, who was clinging to him, and the faint amusement in the glances from others, Fang Hao just wanted to say, "We're not close, can you please not cling to me?"
But Zenitsu was his junior disciple, and he was already in such a pitiful state. Besides, there were so many people here (this was probably the real reason), so Fang Hao didn't feel right tormenting him now. He just silently moved a few steps to the side.
Zenitsu was also very clever. Seeing his older brother move, he leaned back towards him. Fang Hao's face darkened. He decided that once the assessment began, he would find a demon for Zenitsu, so he could review his breathing technique, and Fang Hao could fulfill his responsibility as a senior brother and older brother.
Of course, besides those participating in the assessment, another type of creature lived deep within the wisteria forest—demons.
These demons were imprisoned within the wisteria forest. Wisteria flowers are a poison to demons; they generally dislike or fear wisteria.
Of course, this fear is relative. Unless in very large quantities, the effect on demons is not that strong, especially for demons of the Twelve Kizuki level, where it has almost no effect, just an instinctive aversion, like humans facing a sewage ditch, they just don't want to get close.
Of course, if concentrated and refined wisteria sap, it can indeed be made into a deadly poison for demons. Unfortunately, in terms of both cost and craftsmanship, the cost is high, the process is complex, and the required technology is difficult, just like Konan and her six hundred billion explosive tags, it's not universally applicable. Probably only the Insect Pillar or her accomplished disciples can try these poisons; of course, Tamayo can definitely do it too.
So, for now, nichirin blades and breathing techniques are the most reliable and cost-effective methods to kill demons. Of course, the wisteria forest is an excellent choice as a prison to prevent demons from entering and exiting.
Fang Hao stood by, quietly observing those participating in the final selection. Among them, a young man with dark red hair, a scar on his forehead, and wearing a short water-patterned kimono stood with a serious expression. "Kamado Tanjiro, the protagonist of demon slayer, the Head Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps."
There was also a quiet young girl in a pink kimono with a side ponytail. "Kanao Tsuyuri, the Insect Pillar's successor."
Adding in "Sleeping Pillar" Zenitsu, the main characters of the Mount Fujikasane trial from the original work were all present.
"Head Pillar, the Insect Pillar's successor, Sleeping Pillar, and me, a Swordsmanship Prodigy—we're all here. Why haven't you proctors shown up yet? Are we that insignificant?" Fang Hao, bored, began his internal monologue.