Why does the world show a health bar? !

After cutting through the boulder and passing the test, Sakonji Urokodaki allowed Li Mo to participate in the upcoming **Final Selection**.

It seemed that this event had spurred Makomo into action, as she began investing even more time into her training. So much so that Urokodaki now took over the responsibility of preparing meals. Surprisingly, his cooking wasn't bad, though it still couldn't compare to Makomo's skills.

But since Li Mo no longer had to cook, he didn't mind the taste.

In truth, Li Mo had already been confident about cutting the boulder a month ago. After mastering **Total Concentration Breathing: Constant**, his confidence had only grown.

Of course, his confidence wasn't exactly 100%. It was more like 99%, with the remaining 1% left to fate. What if a meteor suddenly struck the boulder on the day he tried to cut it? That was his way of respecting the unpredictability of the future.

But to others, he always claimed it was 100%.

During the waiting period, Li Mo's life became more relaxed. Aside from his basic training, he spent his time mentoring his two juniors and hunting in the mountains. According to Urokodaki, what Li Mo lacked now was actual combat experience.

However, this leisurely life was about to change. One day, both Giyu and Sabito were sent to train in the mountains. Urokodaki explained that since Li Mo would soon be participating in the **Final Selection**, he wouldn't be around to act as their sparring partner. It was time for Giyu and Sabito to train on their own.

This left Li Mo with even more free time.

His mood could be summed up in one phrase: *Enjoying the ease.*

Secretly, he fetched a basin of water and opened his system interface.

Compared to before he arrived in this world, his six core attributes had undergone significant changes. Thanks to Urokodaki's training, sparring, and the nutritional supplements and medicinal baths, his **Physique**, **Strength**, and **Agility** had all increased to 15 points. Even his **Perception** had reached 11 points.

What did 15 points of strength mean? Li Mo pondered. It was probably two or three times stronger than when he had 11 points. He hadn't quantified his strength, so he could only estimate.

The benefits of increasing strength weren't linear. Each additional point provided more significant gains than the last. A single point of strength in the later stages might offer more benefits than all the previous points combined.

This improvement was largely due to Li Mo's hard work, but he also acknowledged the importance of **Breathing Techniques**. Without them to unlock his body's potential, his physical attributes wouldn't have improved so dramatically.

But…

"I feel like my body's purity has reached its limit."

The original world Li Mo came from was just an ordinary, everyday world. The physical limits there were much lower. Li Mo believed that no matter how much he trained, he wouldn't be able to improve further. Unless he somehow changed his origin to that of the *Baki* world, where the limits were much higher.

Looking at the single free attribute point on his interface, it felt like a seductive beauty tempting him.

With a sigh, Li Mo closed the system interface and stopped looking at it. Instead, he focused on recalling the moment he had cut the boulder.

Sheer physical strength alone couldn't cut through the boulder. Strength was just the foundation. Li Mo had grasped a certain feeling, a sensation, that allowed him to cut the boulder.

He believed that if he could fully understand that feeling, he might be able to achieve the **Transparent World**.

Perhaps.

After pouring out the basin of water, Li Mo continued his training, quietly waiting for the **Final Selection** to arrive.

---

The **Final Selection** was simple in concept: survive for seven days on a mountain infested with demons. The only requirement was survival—there was no obligation to kill any demons. It seemed like a relatively easy task.

About one or two weeks before the **Final Selection**, under Urokodaki's guidance, Li Mo began preparing for the journey to **Mount Fujikasane**, the location of the selection.

Originally, Li Mo thought he would be going alone. But just before departure, Urokodaki shattered that assumption.

"Li Mo, after you leave, take care of Makomo on the way."

"Makomo is coming too? Has she already cut the boulder? Why didn't I know about this?"

Li Mo was puzzled. Why hadn't he heard anything about this? When had Makomo cut the boulder? He doubted the truth of it. But when Makomo appeared with her luggage, he realized Urokodaki hadn't been lying.

Perhaps noticing his confusion, Makomo smiled and said, "So you can look confused too. I asked Urokodaki-sensei not to tell you. It was the same with Giyu and Sabito."

It was like that meme: *Everyone is invited to the party except you.*

The absurd image popped into Li Mo's mind. Was he being bullied? No, it was just a prank.

"Fine… It's not so bad going to the **Final Selection** with a beauty like Makomo. This time, your junior brother will carry you to victory," Li Mo said casually, brushing it off.

Sabito muttered under his breath, "You always say I'm arrogant, but aren't you just as bad? Hypocrite."

Sabito wasn't training today. Since his senior brother and sister would be leaving in a few days, Urokodaki had reduced their training load.

Just for a few days.

Unfortunately, even though Sabito's voice was soft, Li Mo was standing right next to him. In one swift motion, Li Mo trapped Sabito's head under his arm. "Kid, you talk too much. It's because I'm strong enough to back it up. When you reach my level, then you can talk like that."

"Ugh, Li Mo, let me go!"

"Let you go? Not a chance!" Li Mo laughed like a villain.

What was one more day of bullying Sabito? If he couldn't even suppress this kid after all his training, he might as well find a nice spot to end it all.

"This is the last time I'll say it, Sabito. Don't think you're strong enough to ignore your own condition. I can tell at a glance that you're the type who tries to eliminate all threats to protect others, even if it means neglecting yourself. You're the kind who prefers to work alone…"

Li Mo rambled on at Sabito. He vaguely remembered that in the original story, Sabito had died because he had killed too many demons, causing his blade to dull or something like that.

Sabito had chosen to kill all the demons on Mount Fujikasane alone to protect others, ultimately leading to his death. It was a tragic way to go. If Sabito had lived, he might have become a **Pillar** like Giyu, who later became the **Water Pillar**.

After lecturing Sabito like a broken record, Li Mo turned to Giyu and spoke gently. His advice was similar but tailored to Giyu's slower thinking. Giyu wasn't quick in social situations, but that didn't matter when fighting demons. He just needed to learn to act without thinking, letting his body move before his mind.

Once he finished lecturing his juniors, Li Mo returned to his usual demeanor and faced Urokodaki. "Mr. Urokodaki, thank you for your guidance during this time."

He bowed deeply.

Urokodaki accepted the gesture with grace.

After Makomo and the two juniors finished their goodbyes and bowed, the elderly man spoke. "In the **Final Selection**, you must survive."

"Take these with you."

Urokodaki patted Giyu and Sabito, who then brought out two masks from the house.

"These are **Warding Masks**. I've cast a spell on them to protect you from calamity."

Li Mo looked at the mask in his hands. It was shaped like a fox.

He liked foxes.

So, he liked this mask.