Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

A nonchalant voice rang out, and by the time Shinobu turned around, the man had already left with Kanao, leaving her only to see his departing back.

Shinobu Kocho stood there, watching the departing figure, and suddenly wondered if he was really so sure that Tanjiro could cut through that boulder.

Why are you so certain?

Are you really not surprised at all?

How did he determine that Tanjiro could smell that seemingly elusive 'weak point'?

Should I ask the other person for advice on how to overcome my lack of strength and hunt down evil spirits more quickly?

Will he tell himself?

She had spoken harshly to him several times. Did he think she was an unreasonable woman, and that he had a very bad impression of her...?

Suddenly, more and more chaotic emotions surfaced in my mind.

Since her parents were killed by the demon, her heart has been filled with hatred for demons, and she has rarely felt this chaotic.

Shinobu Kocho suddenly felt that her emotions were in a bad state.

Chapter 179 Goes Further

Tanjiro returned quickly, his face filled with excitement and joy. He had successfully detected the 'weak point' and cut through the enormous rock that seemed impossible to sever. In fact, even Tanjiro himself was somewhat unsure of his own abilities.

But... in the end, they still succeeded.

To do the impossible...

This feeling was so exciting that Tanjiro wanted to share his joy with everyone.

…………

"Tanjiro, you cut that boulder in half?"

A boy put down his training, his face full of surprise.

"Really? It can even cut through that huge rock?"

"Incredible..."

"How is this possible..."

Then, the girl and the boy rushed towards the huge rock, saw the boulder that had been cut in two, and let out a series of exclamations.

Hearing the exclamations behind him, Tanjiro was no longer as excited as before, but he couldn't suppress the upturn of his lips.

Walking along the road, they soon encountered Urokodaki-senpai standing by the roadside, wearing a tengu mask.

"Tanjiro, you cut that boulder in half?"

Urokodaki Sakonji asked the same question. Although he heard the cheers and knew it must be true, he still couldn't believe it, so he asked to confirm it again.

"Ah."

Tanjiro lowered his head slightly, somewhat modestly saying, "It's all thanks to the guidance of Urokodaki-senpai and Master."

"Where is my teaching?"

Urokodaki Sakonji shook his head: "I can't believe it either. You can really cut that boulder in half. It wasn't something you could have cut with your current strength."

As he spoke, he looked at Tanjiro and asked, "You really sensed that so-called 'weak point'?"

"I don't know if it is, but I feel that's the weakest point... so I just followed that weakest point..."

Tanjiro described how he felt at that time.

"It's incredible."

Urokodaki Sakonji touched his nose slightly. He had the same keen sense of smell as Tanjiro, and could even sense a person's heart through their nose. However, he could not smell the 'threads of weakness'.

He also noticed Tanjiro's subtle extraordinary qualities, unlike others, but he never imagined that Tanjiro could achieve this level.

"Very impressive."

Urokodaki Sakonji couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"Thank you for the compliment, Urokodaki-senpai."

Tanjiro looked embarrassed. He knew that Urokodaki-senpai rarely praised people; at least, he had never seen him do so before.

He was the first person to be recognized by Urokodaki-senpai, and he felt very happy.

After walking past Urokodaki-senpai, I soon saw Shinobu Kocho standing by the roadside. This girl, who was always serious and had a tense expression, was also looking at me with a shocked expression.

Tanjiro bowed slightly, bending over. This was a very respectable doctor who had treated many people during this period of time, and even cured his mother's health.

"It's incredible."

Butterfly sighed in admiration, but in her mind she was thinking about how calmly that person had received the news.

…………

Tanjiro returned to his lodgings with great excitement, eager to share the news with his superiors as soon as possible.

open the door

His younger brother and sister had already received the news and excitedly surrounded him, happy that he had broken the boulder. His gentle mother stood under the eaves, smiling as she watched him, and his younger sister Nezuko clapped enthusiastically.

What was originally something that made me happy alone, I'm now sharing with everyone so that we can all be happy together. This feeling of happiness and joy seems to have been multiplied many times over at this moment.

This feeling is really good.

"The gentleman is waiting for you inside."

After chatting briefly with her younger brother and sister, Nezuko quietly reminded her at that moment.

Tanjiro nodded and walked into the house.

The adult was sitting there, with a sumptuous meal and a pot of wine laid out on the table. Beside the adult, Kanao was eating a chicken leg with her head down.

From what I remember, Kanao seemed to really enjoy eating chicken legs.

"grown ups……"

As soon as he entered, Tanjiro was excited to share.

"I see."

Before Tanjiro could reply, Su Mu had already spoken.

There wasn't much surprise at him splitting the boulder, which slightly cooled Tanjiro's excitement, leaving him with a vague sense of disappointment.

Haven't I done enough?

"Come and sit down."

Su Mu pointed to the spot next to him.

Tanjiro walked over and knelt down beside him.

Su Mu picked up the wine pot and poured himself a cup of wine.

Tanjiro was now old enough to drink, and as the adult raised his cup, Tanjiro immediately picked up his cup and raised it as well.

After Tanjiro drank a cup.

Su Mu said calmly, "I have never doubted that you can split the boulder; it is something you are capable of doing."

Tanjiro still felt a sense of loss. After all, he had accomplished something that others couldn't, but the adults didn't seem to care much about it.

Seemingly having discerned this, Su Mu took a sip of wine and said calmly, "If an ordinary swordsman could achieve this level, I would probably be shocked, but you, Tanjiro, are different."

Tanjiro unconsciously raised his head.

"Some people are just different from the start. For example, you, Tanjiro, are different. You can't hold yourself to the standards of an ordinary swordsman. You have to hold yourself to a higher standard because you are not facing an ordinary demon. It is not enough to just sniff out the flaws."

"The ability to cut through boulders might give you a chance to face a Lower Moon demon, but that's all. To fight a Lower Moon demon, you need to continue to improve your strength, but even if you reach the level of a current Pillar in the Demon Slayer Corps, it's still not enough."

"Isn't becoming a 'pillar' enough?"

Tanjiro whispered, having become a swordsman in the Demon Slayer Corps, he now understood the power of these 'Pillars'—powerful beings capable of slaying the Twelve Demon Moons.

"It's not enough. The Pillars can deal with the Twelve Demon Moons, but only the Lower Rank Demons. They are completely inadequate against the Upper Rank Demons. As far as I know, the current Pillars have no record of defeating Upper Rank Demons."

Tanjiro was somewhat surprised, and felt a great deal of pressure: "Even the Pillars can't face the Upper Moon demons?"

"Yes."

Su Mu nodded: "So, Tanjiro, you not only need to have the strength of a 'Pillar,' but you also need to go a step further."

"Going a step further..."

Tanjiro murmured, somewhat lost, wondering how he could take the next step.

"For example, you need to activate the markings, activate the Crimson Blade, and activate the Transparent World. These are the things you need to do next. Only by achieving these can you truly fight against the 'Upper Moon' demons."

Su Mu poured Tanjiro another cup of sake. After the boy drank it, he looked up at the door. Urokodaki Sakonji and Kocho Shinobu had already arrived and had heard his words. They had already turned their gazes to him.

Su Mu remained calm in response.

"Crimson Blade? Marks? Transparent World?"

Shinobu Kocho was almost frozen in place. She had almost never heard of these things before, not even with her older sister who was a 'Pillar'.

At least, his own sister didn't know any of this.

How did he know that?

Just as it was confirmed that Tanjiro could smell the elusive 'Flaw Line', now the so-called Crimson Blade, Mark, and Transparent World are being proposed. Do these things really exist like the 'Flaw Line'?

"Want to come in for a drink?"

Su Mu raised his glass and extended an invitation to Urokodaki Sakonji and Kocho Shinobu, who were standing at the door.

Chapter 180 Crimson Blade, Marks, and the Transparent World

"What is the Crimson Blade? What are the markings? And what exactly is this so-called Transparent World?"

The moment Shinobu Kocho entered, she urgently asked, "How can I activate the Crimson Blade and the Mark? And how can I reach the Transparent World?"

"No rush, no rush."

Su Mu drank a glass of wine and looked gently at the impatient Shinobu Kocho.