The End

"Bzzz!!!"

An unusually dull sound.

"Ugh!!"

Xiluo let out a piercing scream.

Behind him, the invisible shockwave converged into a pillar of air, extending far into the distance. The hair bound around his body instantly exploded into pieces. A huge hole was torn through the front and back of his clothes, and blood gushed out.

"Hoo hoo hoo"

Freed from the restraint of his hair, Xiluo had returned to his human form and slid limply to the ground. Louis's legs felt weak, and he involuntarily took two steps back, his body trembling uncontrollably. Rokuogan, a concentrated burst of all his strength, had left Louis exhausted.

"Hoo hoo, what kind of move is this, meow?"

Xiluo struggled to lift his head, his eyes completely unfocused. "Really, one hit and I can't get up anymore, meow."

His internal organs had suffered severe damage, and even breathing was extremely difficult. Even with the enhancement of his Zoan Devil Fruit ability, he couldn't withstand it.

"Rokushiki, hoo hoo."

Louis gasped for air. "Secret technique, Rokuogan."

"Secret technique?"

Xiluo's head thudded to the ground, and he could no longer move. "You guy..."

"Just a little bit more."

Panting heavily, Louis finally recovered some strength. He looked at his right arm, where the blood had not yet dried. Although the massive wound had been forcibly closed by Life Return, with the muscles and skin sealing up, there was no longer any immediate danger. However, the depth of the wound was still chilling. Louis spoke, "Xiluo, just a little bit more."

It had to be said, Xiluo's reaction speed was incredibly strong. When the final blow still didn't hit Louis's body, his left hand nimbly shifted, grabbing Louis's right hand.

"What is that?"

Xiluo asked with his last bit of strength. "I thought I could cut off your arm, meow."

"Guess."

Xiluo's claws were incredibly sharp. Using Shigan and Rankyaku techniques simultaneously, they could easily tear through steel. When using Rokuogan, Louis couldn't use Kami-e to dodge, so he could only defend with Tekkai. But it wasn't enough, still not enough. Louis understood that Xiluo's Dao Force value was overwhelmingly powerful compared to his own, and his Tekkai definitely wouldn't be able to block it.

Xiluo thought the same, but he noticed something had appeared on Louis's arm, something very tough that greatly obstructed his attack.

Xiluo didn't know what it was, but Louis certainly did. It was something he had created, a thick layer of calluses, or keratin. After gaining the ability to control his skin, he could achieve such a feat.

"So, Xiluo."

Louis took a step forward, his hair beginning to flutter.

"I concede."

Xiluo's voice held a hint of a smile.

"Tsk."

Louis clicked his tongue and left the stage.

"The winner!"

The instructor's expression was one of profound shock. "Louis!!"

"He actually won?"

"Are you kidding me? His opponent was that Xiluo, a Zoan Devil Fruit user, a monster who was as strong as a monster!"

"Xiluo is a monster, but isn't Louis too?"

"Indeed, Louis is also incredibly strong. Although his Dao Force value is far inferior to Xiluo's, his Rokushiki techniques are too powerful! Kami-e made Xiluo unable to touch him, and the final Rokuogan strike defeated Xiluo. His victory is only natural!"

"But how did he make his severed hair move? If it couldn't restrain Xiluo, he wouldn't have been able to land the final blow!!"

"This, Life Return?"

It was indeed Life Return.

What was the essence of Life Return? Infusing consciousness into the body.

So, what was consciousness? Louis began to ponder this question after he first gained the ability to control his hair.

According to theories from his past life, it was probably something like brainwaves. Reading brainwaves could indeed achieve mind-reading. Then, the so-called Life Return was likely due to the power of brainwaves penetrating the body, forcibly connecting parts of the body that had no nerves, thus achieving control.

For example, hair itself has no nerves or sensation, but after using Life Return, Louis's hair gained sensation and could be controlled. However, hair and the body still lacked nerve connections. It was the brainwaves, or essentially consciousness, that controlled them remotely.

So, why couldn't severed hair be controlled?

Louis discovered this after cutting off his blood-stained hair during his previous match against Stuart. He realized that he could still sense the hair detached from his body; there was residual consciousness on it. Louis realized he seemed to have opened the door to a new world.

Remote control of detached body parts was just one simple aspect. Louis was more interested in the fact that his consciousness remained on the detached hair. This was more intriguing.

Having defeated Xiluo, Louis's battles in this training camp were over. He had defeated several of the most outstanding students of this batch, undoubtedly making him the strongest of this generation.

The subsequent battles were unremarkable. The only highlight was Xiluo, who had been severely beaten by Louis, fully displaying the might of a Zoan Devil Fruit user. Despite his serious injuries, he unleashed a full-powered Rankyaku that sent his opponent flying, securing a victory before immediately falling into a coma, unable to continue. This man possessed considerable courage.

The final assessment concluded, marking the end of the year-long CP9 training. Out of the nineteen trainees, only seven managed to pass this final assessment. They would undergo the final graduation assessment, and only after passing it would they have a chance to join CP9.

Xiluo recovered quickly, his monstrous Zoan ability user physique fully evident. The next day, he was able to get out of bed and chat and laugh with Louis.

"You're incredibly amazing, meow."

Xiluo had no bandages on him, which was only natural as he didn't have a single external wound. The one wrapped in bandages was Louis. Although the injury on his hand had been suppressed by Life Return, it hadn't reached the point where it could be healed directly.

"I thought I was definitely going to win, meow."

Xiluo didn't seem too dejected. "But you won't be so lucky next time, meow. This time, I lost because I didn't understand your moves."

"As long as you're happy."

What Xiluo said wasn't wrong. If Xiluo had understood Louis as well as Louis understood himself, the outcome wouldn't have been so easily decided. How could Rokuogan, an attack that wasn't fast, hit the unbelievably fast Xiluo?

"Not going to CP0 was indeed a good choice, meow."

Xiluo smiled. Louis felt his smile was more sincere than ever before. "Not only do I not have to deal with the Celestial Dragons, but I also get to meet someone like you, my little brother Louis. It's truly wonderful, meow."

"Is that so?"

"Mhm, I've always wanted a rival, meow. But I could never find one. Then I saw you in the data. Wow, a genius, meow! This is the guy I've been looking for, I told myself, meow."

Xiluo was full of smiles.

"Then your world is a bit too small."

Louis shook his head. Monsters in this world were as numerous as one could imagine.

"Next is the graduation assessment, little brother Louis. You have to be careful, meow. You're different from me. I at least have a father who's a high-ranking official in the CP series. But you, hehe."

Xiluo laughed gloatingly. "This is the best opportunity to make a move, meow."

"Is that so?"

The man who legend said possessed everything, Snake Grass D Flower Dew, his pre-update sentence sent everyone rushing to the starting point.

"If you want it, then go find it! Use your recommendations, collections, and rewards!"

From then on, the world ushered in the era of the great vote.