Wooing

"Just kidding, meow!"

On the way to the cafeteria, Xiluo scratched his head and chuckled, explaining to Louis, "Louis, little brother, we're good friends, meow. If we really meet, we'll play rock-paper-scissors to decide the winner, meow."

"Righteous."

Louis returned a gentle smile.

"Hahahaha, of course, meow,"

Xiluo's eyes narrowed into wrinkles as he laughed, "We're good friends, you see."

Louis couldn't figure out what this guy was thinking, but the one thing he knew was that if he actually encountered Xiluo, his chances of winning wouldn't be high.

The Zoan Cat-Cat Fruit. He didn't know the specific form, but the physical enhancement was undeniable. Xiluo's Dao Force was even slightly inferior to Stuart's, but after using his ability, he could immediately dominate Stuart. The gap in strength was that obvious.

Louis couldn't think of a better way. Xiluo's strength was all-encompassing; defeating him wouldn't be easy.

The training continued, but the atmosphere in the training camp had changed drastically.

Stuart, the former uncrowned king, had been thoroughly defeated by Xiluo. The once proud man had become exceptionally irritable, injuring his sparring partners multiple times during training. Eventually, the training camp had to assign an instructor to spar with him. His former lackeys had disappeared; he had lost his status and his influence.

Conversely, Xiluo's status had skyrocketed. He was now the undisputed number one in the training camp. Louis's ranking had dropped, and he had taken Xiluo's former third place. Some trainees even wanted to follow Xiluo like they had followed Stuart.

This was what Xiluo had replied in the cafeteria, Louis heard.

"Eh? Sorry, meow. Cats don't need to be friends with mice, do they?"

Watching the dejected trainees leave, Louis knew very well that this man had never been kind, nor was he his friend.

The training for Rankyaku was complete. Louis hadn't thought of any deeper applications for this technique. He could only try to use it with different parts of his body, such as his hair.

After using Life Return, Louis could freely control his hair. He could even harden his hair with Tekkai. In the original work, CP9's Mighty Lion, Weiqu, could use Shigan with his hair.

With these two precedents, it was perfectly normal to use Rankyaku with hair.

In the fifth month, the Rankyaku training was completed. Louis finally began training in the last of the Six Powers, Shigan.

The essence of Shigan was hardening the fingers and explosive power.

This transformed the fragile fingers into the sharpest spears capable of piercing a human body in a single blow.

There was nothing much to say about hardening; it was a partial application of Tekkai. Louis, who had mastered Tekkai, could easily harden his fingers. The only thing that needed training was explosive power.

Mere hardness was not enough to pierce a human body. The more important secret of Shigan lay in the instantaneous explosive power of the arm muscles, giving the hand a force like a bullet's ejection.

While training Shigan, Louis wondered if this explosive power could be applied elsewhere, creating techniques like Fist Gun and Leg Gun.

While piercing Shigan was powerful, its versatility was ultimately insufficient.

As it turned out, Louis's idea was feasible. By not hardening his fingers and instead hardening his entire wrist and fist when using Shigan, Fist Gun was completed. The power of his fist increased dramatically. Leg Gun was a bit more troublesome, but with a little effort, it could also be accomplished.

Shigan was quickly perfected. With this, Louis had mastered all Six Powers. His strength had increased immeasurably compared to when he first entered the CP9 Training Camp. At this point, there were still seven months left in the one-year training period.

In the fifth month's combat, Louis's opponent was still a nobody, easily dealt with. Xiluo was as usual, playing cat and mouse. The only things that interested him were the changes in two people. Stuart had become extremely violent, as if deliberately showcasing his martial prowess, brutally inflicting comminuted fractures on his opponents. Louis roughly understood his psychology.

The second person was Yerika. After her last fight with Louis, this hot-tempered woman had surprisingly calmed down, becoming composed and steady, unlike her previous self.

The training of the Six Powers came to a temporary halt. Louis focused all his energy on Life Return. The training of the skin was relatively slow. Controlling the skin covering the entire body was no less difficult than controlling the digestive system. It was still a long way from achieving free control like that of his hair. Moreover, it wasn't just the skin; it also included the underlying fat layer.

The seventh and eighth months gradually passed.

The training life was calm and uneventful. Louis was immersed in his cultivation, and the skin covering his body was gradually coming under his complete control.

Then, one day in the ninth month.

"Instructor, is there something you need?"

After finishing his class with Teacher Anna, Louis was led to a corner by an instructor.

"Louis, you're only thirteen this year, aren't you?"

The instructor spoke thoughtfully.

"Yes."

Louis nodded. He had indeed turned thirteen and was entering puberty. With the boost from Life Return, his physical development speed was beyond imagination.

"What a genius!"

The instructor exclaimed, "At such a young age, you're already the third strongest in the training camp, second only to Xiluo and Stuart."

"As for Stuart,"

Louis thought for a moment, "Let's forget about him."

"Oh? Hahahaha, interesting. You kid, you're really proud. But that's right, geniuses should be proud,"

The instructor laughed heartily, "Stuart is indeed nothing to you. I'll be direct, Louis. Lord Skello admires you greatly. He asked me to tell you that his CP9 welcomes your joining."

He emphasized the word "his."

"Lord Skello? Is he..."

Louis tried his best to appear hesitant.

"Lord Skello is the current CP9 commander, meaning your future leader,"

The instructor explained.

"Really? Such an important figure is paying attention to me?"

Louis revealed a genuine smile. "Don't worry, Instructor, I will definitely become the best CP9 agent."

"No, no, no, Louis," the Instructor denied. "That person means they hope you become the best agent within the CP9 they lead."

"Of course," Louis smiled. "Because that person is the commander of CP9."

"..."

The smile on the Instructor's face gradually faded. "No, Louis, what I mean is, I hope you pledge allegiance to CP9 because the commander of CP9 is that person."

"Isn't that the same thing?" Louis retorted.

"Is that so?" The Instructor raised an eyebrow. "Louis, you can go back now. I've received your attitude. I hope you get your wish."

Watching the Instructor's retreating back, Louis raised an eyebrow. Joining Skello's faction now was probably like joining the KMT in 1949. While it wasn't impossible to feign compliance, he still needed to show Spandine some kind of attitude.

"Tickets please!!"

Heaven did not give birth to me, Snake Grass Flower Dew, and the path of tickets is like eternal night!

On this day, Snake Grass Flower Dew re-entered the realm of a ticket-begging fanatic.