Demon Slayer: Can I add points to my Breathing Technique?

Long weapons allow you to strike your opponent before they get close, and the tip of the weapon can generate a faster and stronger striking force when swung.

Moreover, the tolerance for error is usually higher.

but……

"In my hometown, there's another half to this proverb."

"An inch longer, an inch stronger; an inch smaller, an inch more skillful."

A longer range naturally has its advantages, whether in battlefield combat, frontal charges, or even open-field battles.

However, in complex all-terrain situations, the advantages of short weapons cannot be ignored.

It's like fighting someone in an alley or a dense forest.

Short weapons allow users to move flexibly in confined spaces, while long spears and halberds make it difficult to move even an inch.

Short swords, daggers, and even eight-slash swords are weapons that offer flexibility and portability.

These are weapons created to serve a purpose outside of battlefield combat.

Easy to learn, quick to execute moves, capable of both offense and defense.

At the same time, it requires very little physical exertion from the user and has very low barriers to entry.

Didn't you see the assassin's message? Those assassins all used hidden blades concealed in their sleeves.

In reality, many combat personnel are also equipped with tactical knives to deal with complex situations.

"Most importantly, I'm already used to the way I knock out my opponent with my own two fists."

In 2099, what weapon did action fighting game players trust the most?

Of course, it's the unparalleled iron fist he honed during his long career as a fighter, monk, and street fighter.

Besides that, there's the Magnum style of American Iaijutsu.

Besides, I'm not some old-fashioned person. Who says you can't use the three Supreme Grade Swords if you wear gauntlets?

Igarashi seemed thoughtful after hearing this.

"Is it true that the smaller the size, the more skillful it is?"

For him, this was a completely new approach he had never considered before.

However, he had never heard this proverb from Xia Xi in the Far East.

Could it have originated from Ryukyu, or be a legacy of the Ainu?

He didn't delve into it further, and the bespectacled young swordsman extended an invitation to Xia Xi.

He said, "Nine Carts, would you like to lend a hand and have a friendly spar?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Xi revealed a confident and excited smile: "That would be perfect, Senior Brother Aizen."

Compared to the tedious task of driving wooden stakes by myself.

When sparring with real people, the experience gained and training effects are significantly higher.

Moreover, since the opponent is Igarashi Yuzuru, one of the "Nine Pillars", Xia Xi doesn't even need to worry about overexerting himself and injuring the opponent.

"It is right dyeing, nine carts."

The young man made a helpless correction.

……

In the courtyard, the maple leaves had not yet turned red, but the air already felt solid.

Xia Xi put on the [Broken Wind], his fingers sometimes relaxing and sometimes clenching as he adapted to and adjusted the feel of the new weapon.

"Senior brother, I won't hold back later. Be careful not to get hurt."

Across from him, Igarashi adjusted his glasses and nodded, saying, "It's alright, just do your best."

At this moment, the young swordsman simply adopted a basic starting stance.

Like an ancient tree standing in a courtyard, his eyes behind the glasses were as calm as still water.

“Let’s begin, Xia Xi. Let me see how your so-called short weapon compares to a samurai sword.”

The moment the words left her lips, Xia Xi moved.

No breathing techniques were used.

It's solely due to his strong physical abilities and the special footwork he learned from other games.

It felt like I was gliding along the ground.

In an instant, it covered a distance of nearly ten meters and swooped down to cut into the gap in Igarashi's lower body.

Throw a punch.

Like a cannonball poised to fire.

An ordinary person might choose to parry with their sword or dodge to the side.

But Igarashi did not.

Because in his "First Before First" insight, he clearly saw that Xia Xi's punch was just a feint.

as predicted.

Xia Xi's left punch was just a feint; his real killing move was his right punch.

A short, sharp thrust from below, at a tricky angle!

Uppercut!

Igarashi took a leisurely half-step back, letting the sharp wind from the punch brush against the hair on his forehead.

He smoothly raised his sword and slashed to the side, the sword light flowing like water.

However, Xia Xi snatched him into her arms and precisely intercepted his wrist with an elbow strike, neutralizing the attack.

Most slashes and techniques require space and distance to be fully executed.

If we can enter their comfort zone before they fully exert their power.

Even the most ingenious moves will crumble on their own.

Mr. Lanzhu took another light step back, shaking off Xia Xi's relentless and fierce attacks.

But he couldn't help but think to himself.

This junior of mine seems to have far surpassed his peers in terms of skills and experience.

That move, a combination of feints and real attacks, and the way he deflected my sword draw and the timing of his maneuver...

You can't learn that without hundreds of real battles.

No, perhaps the practical experience needed is far more than that.

For an ordinary person to reach this level, it would probably require thousands, even tens of thousands, of life-and-death trials.

He sighed softly to himself.

My junior brother is truly a monster...

Igarashi had no idea how many games Xia Xi had "grinded" through during those compressed periods of time.

In a sense, he can indeed be considered a battle-hardened ancestor.

Chapter 50 This punch, the power of a World Championship Top 100 player

Xia Xi had expected that his initial probing attack would be easily neutralized by the opponent.

After all, the other party is the "Nine Pillars".

But this sparring session wasn't about defeating the opponent; it was about showcasing one's strength to the best of one's ability and experimenting with one's ideas for future sword techniques and combat styles.

So just give it your all.

The smooth combo paused slightly.

By shifting their stance, Xia Xi quickly raised her arms, assuming a defensive posture.

And underfoot, they took light and quick, bouncy little steps.

Igarashi was slightly taken aback.

He vaguely remembered this scene; he had seen it when he was studying in the West...

"Your posture is..."

That's right, it's modern boxing.

Xia Xi's lips curled into a slight smile.

In that instant of the other party's astonishment, Xia Xi moved.

Right slide step.

The body rotates in opposite directions with the waist and abdomen as the axis.

Then quickly follow up with the opposite left slide step.

Without activating any breathing techniques, he managed to create afterimages within a two-body-width range simply through high-frequency lateral movements and weight shifts.

It is a pendulum-like motion in the shape of the number 【∞】.

[Galloping displacement!]

This is a footwork technique that Xia Xi learned in a boxing game.

Although Igarashi roughly anticipated the opponent's movements, the excessively high frequency of his steps and actions made it difficult for him to seize the best opportunity to strike.

If we don't use breathing techniques and sword skills...

The young swordsman tentatively slashed with the back of his blade, intending to test Xia Xi's strength.

However, Xia Xi suddenly turned to the side while moving, dodging the blade, and at the same time, he unleashed the Broken Wind in his hand.