As night deepened, the moonlight illuminated a traditional Japanese estate, casting dappled shadows across the courtyard. Rows of meticulously tended wisteria trees stood tall along the stone path, their petals drifting gently in the breeze like a silent rain of flowers.
In the quiet night, the only sound was the rhythmic tapping of a shishi-odoshi water fountain.
A young man, his face severely disfigured above the nose and his eyes sightless, gazed up toward the sky, feeling the tenderness of the night wind. A woman of similar age knelt beside him, tending to the man who struggled to move, having just poured him a cup of fresh tea.
The young man accepted the tea from his wife. Though they remained silent, a sense of tranquil warmth enveloped them.
Suddenly, the cry of a crow shattered the serenity. It arrived on the night wind, cawing loudly as it landed on a branch, before speaking in human tongue.
"Urgent report! The Final Selection at Mt. Fujikasane has concluded! Urgent report! The Final Selection at Mt. Fujikasane has concluded!"
The crow repeated the message relentlessly, causing both figures below to waver slightly.
The young man's hand tightened around his teacup. He hadn't expected the selection to end so quickly. Deducing from the time it took the crow to deliver the news, less than half an hour must have passed since the selection began.
His first instinct was that the young children had been completely wiped out. He prayed that many had simply fled back to the wisteria line to withdraw, rather than being slaughtered by demons.
"What are the specific casualty figures?"
The master of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, inquired. Despite his steady temperament, the news of deaths during selections always caused him profound heartache.
"Casualties are zero! All 41 participants who entered the selection have passed the exam!" the crow replied.
"All of them passed?!" Kagaya's wife, Amane Ubuyashiki, exclaimed in shock. "But the selection has only been underway for half an hour, hasn't it?"
The moment the words left her mouth, she realized that "passing" didn't necessarily mean surviving for seven days. If the demons inside Mt. Fujikasane were dead, there was no need for the trial to continue.
"It seems an extraordinary child has appeared," Kagaya said, a smile gracing his lips. More than the appearance of a genius, the news that his "children" had not been annihilated brought him immense joy.
"It is the disciple of Lord Kuwajima, a man named Lu Li. By his strength alone, he cleared the entire mountain in under thirty minutes. There are currently no demons left on Mt. Fujikasane," the crow added.
"So it was Kuwajima's Lu Li..." the master murmured. "I have heard of him. A disciple taken in ten years ago who reportedly could never learn a Breathing Style. To think he was this powerful."
Amane wasn't surprised that her husband knew of Lu Li. Kagaya remembered the names of every member of the Corps, including the deceased and the trainees who had yet to join.
"Shall we meet the boy?" Amane asked. She was wondering if they should bypass standard procedure and assign such a powerhouse a higher rank immediately.
In the Demon Slayer Corps, the Hashira stood at the peak. Below them were the ten ranks of the Heavenly Stems: Kinoe through Mizunoto. Generally, new recruits started at the lowest rank, Mizunoto.
"No. With his strength, he will likely rise to Kinoe very quickly anyway. Best to avoid unnecessary gossip," Kagaya said, waving his hand.
"What of the other members who passed with him?" Amane asked. Similar events had occurred in the past; when a powerful participant "carried" a group through, many of those recruits were later killed by demons after being assigned missions.
"Distribute them among the Hashira for evaluation. If their skills are lacking, transfer them to the Kakushi," Kagaya decided after a moment's thought.
"And the next selection?" Amane acted as her husband's secretary, organizing his instructions into actions. Since his health was failing, she bore much of the logistical burden.
"Regarding the selections... I think we can pause them for now," Kagaya said. "The demons have become more active recently, and the Hashira are too busy to capture new ones for the mountain. Besides..."
He paused, his blind eyes turning toward the night sky. "...I feel the tide is beginning to change."
On the other side, a rather awkward situation had developed atop Mt. Fujikasane.
"Everyone, please remain calm! New ore will be delivered shortly! Everyone will receive their Nichirin Sword!"
The two small guides were encountering this for the first time. The supply of Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand and Scarlet Crimson Ore they had prepared was actually insufficient.
They had prepared thirty sets of high-quality forging materials. Based on previous years, this was usually overkill, as many participants died or chose to quit even if they survived. But because Lu Li had cleared the mountain, everyone survived.
Fortunately, after facing actual demons, many participants realized they lacked the courage for a life of slaughter and chose to forfeit their status as Demon Slayers.
"So these are the materials for the swords..."
Lu Li looked at the ores on the table. Using his [Appraisal] function, he discovered they were actually Purple-grade forging materials.
The participants who had "won by lying down" knew their place. No one dared compete with Lu Li for the best pick. Thus, Lu Li selected the ore with the highest systemic rating... and gave it to Zenitsu.
He then picked a high-quality piece for himself, intending to spend Terminus Coins to "certify" it so he could take it back to the Hub to sell.
Items obtained in a Mission World that aren't mission rewards usually cannot be taken out unless certified. The certification fee is typically less than half the item's market value, allowing Explorers to flip them for a profit.
Lu Li had recently learned this trick from the sailor-suited blacksmith girl. She told him that if he provided the materials, custom forging would be cheaper, and the best place to find high-end materials was within the Mission Worlds themselves.
When Tanjiro stepped forward to pick his ore, he bowed politely to Lu Li. "Hello! I am Tanjiro Kamado. Thank you for looking after us!"
"See? Senior Brother Lu is the strongest!" Zenitsu had become a total fanboy. He never imagined that Lu Li's promise to "ensure he passed" meant killing every single demon on the mountain.
"Zenitsu, remember that after today, I won't be by your side," Lu Li said, stepping on Zenitsu's foot to ground him. He didn't want the boy becoming overly dependent on him.
Turning to Tanjiro, he smiled. "Hello. I am Lu Li." He had a good impression of Tanjiro from the manga. People generally like a genuine, kind person; they only hate those who are "holier-than-thou."
"It is an honor. I am ashamed that I passed only because of your help, but I still wish to become a Demon Slayer and work hard to slay demons. Therefore, I will shamelessly choose my ore," Tanjiro said respectfully before approaching the table.
The others felt no resentment. Many had seen Tanjiro's skill—he had killed several demons before Lu Li ended the selection prematurely.
After Tanjiro, Shinobu's disciple Kanao Tsuyuri and Genya Shinazugawa (the Wind Hashira's brother) also made their selections. Genya's short temper had almost flared up, but the invisible, oppressive aura Lu Li radiated kept him quiet.
Once the group finished, Lu Li turned to Zenitsu. "Zenitsu, I suggest that after you rest a bit, you resume your training immediately. Your Thunder Breathing is still far from proficient. Compared to that girl over there, you're quite far behind."
Zenitsu followed Lu Li's gaze toward Kanao, who stood apart from the crowd. His eyes immediately glazed over—or rather, they had been for a while. Driven by his fear of death and reproductive instinct, he was always looking for a girl to marry and leave a legacy with.
"That girl... is indeed very strong. I saw her kill a demon instantly," Tanjiro agreed.
"Mmm. You're all about the same age. You should try asking her how she trains," Lu Li suggested.
He was giving the protagonist group a head start. Unlike the original story, Tanjiro and the others likely wouldn't have the luxury of a slow growth period. Once they began active duty, they would be targeted by Explorers from the Muzan faction.
Based on his experience in the Kengan world, Lu Li knew "Protagonist Armor" wasn't invincible. Tanjiro could die. While Lu Li didn't plan to rely on Tanjiro to defeat Muzan, strengthening the Demon Slayer faction was a logical move. He hoped these kids would stay in the Butterfly Mansion until they mastered Total Concentration: Constant. Otherwise, they wouldn't just struggle against demonized Explorers—they wouldn't even survive an encounter with a Lower Moon.
"Wait, Senior Brother Lu," Zenitsu said, suddenly sensing something off. "You're telling us to train... but what about you?"
Lu Li bared his teeth in a grin. "Me? I'm going to go find the legendary Twelve Kizuki."
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