Why does the world show a health bar? !

Sakonji Urokodaki had been away for several days this time, but it didn't affect the lives of the two. There were plenty of stored food at home, and training didn't require Urokodaki's help. During this short period, Li Mo even returned to his old ways, sharpening his trusty axe and going up the mountain to hunt some rabbits for food.

Makomo had no objections to this, but she did have an issue with something else.

"Junior, aren't you going up the mountain today?"

"Up the mountain? For what? Senior Sister, let me sleep a little longer, okay?"

Going up the mountain referred to the physical training they usually did there. Initially, Makomo thought Li Mo just didn't want to go near the boulder. But it turned out that, aside from hunting, he rarely went up the mountain. Most of the time, he only completed basic training and sparring with her. The rest of the time, he sat there with a basin of water in front of him, seemingly doing nothing.

It was like he was throwing a tantrum.

"I hope you can still say that when Mr. Urokodaki returns."

"Of course I can."

Makomo's footsteps grew fainter until they completely disappeared. Li Mo decisively chose to go back to sleep. However, he faintly heard voices outside the house.

Perking up his ears, Li Mo recognized one of the voices as Makomo's.

"Mr. Urokodaki, you're back."

Mr. Urokodaki is back? No way, how is he back already? He's been gone for… let's see, one, two, three… actually, it's been quite a few days. It's normal for him to return now.

At this point, Li Mo's sleepiness vanished. He crawled out of bed, got dressed, and leisurely walked outside.

In the courtyard, he saw the iconic tengu mask. Who else could it be but Sakonji Urokodaki?

"You've been slacking off, Li Mo."

"Ahaha."

Li Mo scratched his head, laughing awkwardly.

He had been procrastinating for quite some time, and during that period, Makomo had probably told Urokodaki everything. Although he had a legitimate reason, being caught still felt a bit embarrassing.

But it was just a little awkward.

"You're not scared?"

"I don't think you'll scold me, Mr. Urokodaki."

"Oh?"

Because of the tengu mask, it was impossible to see Urokodaki's expression. He was probably puzzled.

—Hopefully, I can get through this.

Urokodaki stepped closer to Li Mo. The two were almost the same height, but Li Mo felt much shorter.

Was it a psychological effect?

"I see. Your breathing has reached this level? I'll let it pass."

After standing there for a few minutes, Urokodaki gave his fair assessment.

Now it was Makomo's turn to be confused.

"Mr. Urokodaki, why is that?"

"He hasn't been sleeping well these past few nights, so of course he's been sleeping in. Plus, his breathing has been uncomfortable, and his body isn't used to it, so he doesn't want to move around."

Hearing Urokodaki's explanation, Makomo frowned. Various pieces of knowledge swirled in her mind, and an answer emerged. "Total Concentration Breathing?"

"Exactly. I've been trying to replace normal breathing with Total Concentration Breathing, even while sleeping at night. That's why I haven't been sleeping well," Li Mo said with a bright, toothy grin. His expression practically begged for praise.

"I see," Makomo replied calmly, which made the other person slightly disappointed.

Total Concentration Breathing had a time limit for ordinary people. Once that limit was exceeded, it felt like your lungs were about to explode. It was a painful process.

Achieving this was indeed impressive, but Makomo didn't feel like praising him.

"Won't you get hurt doing this?" Makomo asked.

Li Mo said, "I value my life too much to get injured from training."

During training, he always kept a basin of water in front of him to monitor his health. If his health dropped even a little, he would stop training immediately.

He didn't want to get injured and end up lying in bed waiting for treatment.

"Let's end this discussion here," Urokodaki interjected with a serious tone.

He knew that once his foreign disciple started talking, it was hard to stop him. Especially when talking to Makomo, for some reason, he always enjoyed seeing her flustered. Even if he got payback later, it didn't matter.

If he didn't stop it at the beginning, it would waste a lot of time.

Thinking this, Urokodaki pushed forward two boys from behind him.

"These two are Sabito and Giyu Tomioka."

"From now on, they'll be your juniors."

Urokodaki had gone away this time specifically for these two boys. To be precise, it was for Sabito, while Giyu Tomioka was picked up by a hunter friend on the way back.

But regardless, these two would now be his disciples.

...

With two new juniors, life continued as usual.

Makomo still couldn't make progress with the boulder. As the days passed, she began to feel like she was getting used to it.

Perhaps she really wouldn't be able to participate in the Final Selection.

One day, as Makomo returned from the mountain, she saw someone in the courtyard sparring with Sabito. It wasn't Urokodaki, but Li Mo.

"Sabito, are you not eating? You have no strength at all. Put some effort into it! Are you even a man?"

"You're the one without strength! You're just bullying me because you're older!"

"You always call me stupid, but can't you even tell if I'm using technique or strength?"

"Damn it!"

"I've told you countless times, don't be arrogant. Do you think you're strong? Charging in recklessly, are you an idiot? Or just stubborn? Can't you try a different approach? You'll get yourself killed with that attitude."

Makomo watched as Li Mo threw Sabito to the ground again, muttering, "Adapt, adapt, adapt! How many times have I told you? Can't you learn to adapt a little? Yesterday you charged straight in, today you added a tackle. And then what? Nothing! Can't you be more flexible? Don't be like a toad, hopping only when poked."

"And can't you pay attention to your own condition? You're clearly exhausted but still charging in. Good grief..."

Li Mo's training with Sabito went on for a long time until Giyu Tomioka returned from the mountain.

Sabito and Giyu trained separately. This was completely different from how she and Li Mo had trained together. The reason for this was Li Mo's rest.

This cheap junior was trying to master Total Concentration Breathing: Constant. It was a difficult task, and Makomo felt she was far from achieving it.

While practicing this technique, and on Urokodaki's advice, Li Mo maintained Total Concentration Breathing while sparring with Sabito and Giyu. Thus, one suffered under Li Mo's torment at home, while the other endured it on the mountain.

When Giyu returned, Sabito's suffering finally ended. Then it was Giyu's turn to undergo wrestling training.

But compared to how he treated Sabito, Li Mo's demeanor changed completely.

"Giyu, take it slow. Use your body to feel. You're usually a step slow in understanding people's intentions, but that's okay. You don't need to listen to a demon's thoughts."

"Your slow nature isn't a flaw because there's no need to communicate with demons. What you need to practice is moving your body before your mind catches up."

With Sabito, he was the irritable older brother. With Giyu, he was gentle.

Was it really okay to treat them so differently?

Makomo noticed that Urokodaki didn't say anything, so she decided not to comment either.