Demon Slayer: Muzan, will you dance too?

Ten days later,

Kiyokawa Izumi, whose injuries were almost fully healed, couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia when she touched the Nichirin Blade.

Without my Nichirin Blade by my side, I always feel like something's missing.

He got up early and started his low-intensity training – running!

Maintaining my breathing technique, I ran five kilometers at a moderate pace.

This is certainly not the current limit.

However, since it has just recovered, it needs a warm-up process.

After running on an empty stomach, Kiyokawa Izumi, whose appetite had greatly increased, ate six rice balls, a bowl of miso soup, and some side dishes.

After a short rest, Kiyokawa Izumi went to the courtyard and decided to practice his basic sword swings.

He wasn't willing to just dangle his Nichirin Blade around aimlessly.

He moved a wooden table over and placed a palm-sized incense tray on it.

That wasn't all. He then took out a stick of white sandalwood incense, lit it, and inserted it into the incense burner.

Kiyokawa Izumi wasn't there to worship gods or Buddhas; he didn't believe in anything like that.

They just used these as training tools.

Two days ago, when Kanzaki Aoi went out to buy medicine, Kiyokawa Izumi specifically asked this person to bring back some incense.

Kanzaki Aoi was speechless at the time.

Ask him what kind of incense he wants.

Kiyokawa Izumi, however, said it was up to him.

The little girl didn't speak, but stared at him with a dark expression.

The two stared at each other, and Kanzaki Aoi, who had given up first, could only ask helplessly, "How about white sandalwood incense?"

Kiyokawa Izumi didn't know much about these things, so he could only nod—who knows what types of incense existed in this era, but they should be pretty much the same.

In fact, the incense that Kanzaki Aoi bought was exactly the type that Kiyokawa Izumi wanted.

This incense is for offerings at the Buddhist shrine—but that's not the main point; Kiyokawa Izumi is quite satisfied with its length and diameter.

It is about 22 centimeters long and 1.5 millimeters in diameter.

Kiyokawa Izumi didn't lie to the young girl; the incense was indeed for training.

His strange behavior naturally attracted the attention of others, and the three little ones and Kanzaki Aoi watched from the side.

"What's wrong with him?"

Before he finished speaking, the sharp tip of the knife grazed the incense stick and then quickly withdrew.

Kanzaki Aoi's eyes widened slightly—she hadn't even seen Kiyokawa Izumi swing his sword.

He only recently passed the final selection, yet he already possesses such swordsmanship?

Take another look at the burning incense, lightly touch it with the tip of the knife, and the ash is neatly divided into two pieces. The faint sparks are not extinguished, and wisps of white smoke still rise.

Such precise control is something that ordinary swordsmen could never achieve.

With a light touch of the Nichirin sword, the incense stick was split in two, yet the incense did not go out.

About half an hour later, the incense had burned down to half its original size. After swinging his knife more than a hundred times, Kiyokawa Izumi gently exhaled a breath of stale air and decided to take a short break.

"towel!"

Xiaoqing handed over the clean towel, and Qingchuan Quan took it while saying thank you.

I was highly focused, maintaining a state of complete concentration throughout, and the incense never went out even once while I was constantly wielding the knife.

Only then did he notice that it wasn't just the three little ones and Kanzaki Aoi standing by watching.

Beneath the wisteria trellis, the petite Butterfly Ninja smiled slightly, her appearance seemingly out of nowhere.

"Your control is incredibly precise, Mr. Kiyokawa Izumi. Your improvement is truly remarkable!"

"It's just the basics."

Kiyokawa Izumi shrugged, showing no sign of excitement.

As he said, it's just the basics.

Since transmigrating, he has never trained in a down-to-earth manner, and has been living off the original owner's past achievements.

Slightly moving her slightly sore arm, she looked at Shinobu Kocho not far away, hesitated for a moment, and then asked this question, for reasons unknown.

"Are you free? Can I give it a try?"

"!!"

Kanzaki Aoi looked at Kiyokawa Izumi with surprise, not understanding what this guy was up to now.

The difference between an ordinary swordsman and a Pillar is enormous.

He actually wants to challenge the pillar?

Are you serious?

Returning to Shinobu Kocho, her slender eyebrows were slightly raised, and her amethyst-like pupils showed no obvious change, indicating that she was not overly surprised by this sudden challenge.

"oops--"

Her fingers unconsciously twirled the stray strands of hair, and Shinobu Kocho smiled with feigned distress.

"Can I refuse?"

"oh!"

Kiyokawa Izumi shrugged and said nonchalantly.

What evil intentions could a lowly swordsman like him possibly have?

It's simply about improving oneself through practical experience.

Training is essential, but the importance of real-world practice cannot be ignored.

Of the nine pillars, he has had the longest contact with this one—he has never met the other pillars!

If you want to improve your strength by fighting the Pillars, Shinobu is definitely the best choice.

Let's not even talk about whether we can encounter other pillars.

Given the Wind Pillar's personality, if we really found him, would he agree?

The reply to you will probably be just four words—Get the hell out of here!

Then put on an expression that says, "I'm really unhappy right now."

As for Shuizhu, given his socially awkward personality, he definitely wouldn't agree.

In comparison, Sister Ren is the best choice!

"Oh, by the way, I told you last time that you have a bad temper and are ruthless, you weren't angry, were you?"

Kiyokawa Izumi pretended not to notice and casually mentioned it.

—How could I not be angry? The medicine that came afterward was all bitter!!