Xiang Nan returned to the Kotaki City garrison, focusing on his Nen training.
His battle against Machi made him realize two issues:
1. His Nen techniques still weren't refined enough. Though he had been working very hard to research and hone them, it was ultimately just feeling his way in the dark.
Machi's thread control was incredible. She used the "Hatsu" technique together with "Hiding," further leveraging combat skills plus the number of threads to distract the opponent's vision, making her very formidable.
Even with the system talent that boosts his comprehension, it still had its limits.
"Right now, my foundation in basic Nen training is stable enough, but I'm still fumbling with advanced techniques. It's obvious my growth rate has slowed down, and if I want to get stronger in a short time, the best way…is to find a mentor."
Sitting in his office, Xiang Nan emerged from his meditation.
After all, the reason he beat Machi was because he was overly familiar with the Phantom Troupe's battle prowess from the original storyline and took precautions in advance, whereas Machi knew nothing about his Nen abilities. That said, Machi was indeed careless.
Strictly speaking, Xiang Nan felt that in terms of pure Nen technical skill, he still lagged behind most Phantom Troupe fighters. Indeed, while his own combat experience and battlefield analysis weren't weak, his grasp of advanced Nen techniques wasn't skillful enough to instantly read a fight and gather authentic combat details.
2. Really, the best fix for that is to find a teacher.
"Who, though?" Xiang Nan pondered.
All along, his own Nen cultivation had followed the Shingen‐ryu path. In the original, the narrative depicting specific training and guidance mostly centered around the main cast. Details about other power systems and training routes were quite limited.
Despite his continued study of experimental subjects, his progress still didn't satisfy him.
"Biscuit…?"
Xiang Nan recalled a name.
Since his baseline method was Shingen‐ryu, the best bet would be to follow that lineage. This old witch who loved polishing raw gems was indeed a top‐notch developer of students.
However…getting her to accept a student still had a high threshold.
"Otherwise…there's the Zoldyck family or Netero."
Xiang Nan deliberated further.
The Zoldycks—so long as you had money, that's all you needed. Almost no other requirement.
But the fees might be astronomical. Although he occupied a high rank in the Republic of Padokea's military, earlier attempts by the government to hire Zeno Zoldyck for Nen user training had found the costs simply unaffordable. Let alone Xiang Nan paying from his own pocket. Indeed, beyond just paying fees, the length of time was no small matter.
Meanwhile, as for Chairman Netero of the Hunter Association…that looked like the best teacher. But whether or not the old man would teach him was anyone's guess. Plus, Xiang Nan's own identity was rather sensitive.
"Now I'm at Extinction 5…once I reach Extinction 6, the system's protective effect will vanish completely—meaning I've officially exited my newbie phase. At that point, I can make normal contact with story characters. Among humans in this world, top‐tier Nen masters are only so many…just a handful."
Xiang Nan mused inwardly.
The Zoldycks won't work out; that leaves Netero or Biscuit.
As for Beyond Netero…better to forget it.
If he wanted to learn from Netero, he wouldn't necessarily need to be a formal student; as long as he got the old man's interest, that'd be enough. The old man was presumably quite willing to cultivate promising juniors. Condition is, Xiang Nan had to join the Hunter Association, then show a certain degree of potential.
Xiang Nan glanced at the calendar.
Last year's Hunter Exam had ended. If he wanted to become a Hunter, the next exam would be held at year‐end, precisely the time the main storyline was about to start. There were 8 months left.
"So I'll get to meet the main cast, huh…" Xiang Nan let out a soft laugh.
He wasn't really looking to involve himself in the plot, but due to his own bottleneck, seeking out the Hunter Association seemed the best move.
Honestly, he didn't have that much interest in Gon and Killua. Yes, they're this world's protagonists, but their current ability and level were still far from genuinely fearsome characters; only their potential was monstrous.
"First, I'll spend some money to collect gemstones, as a bribe for her."
Xiang Nan rose from his seat and left.
In order to reach the realm of true masters, he'd never let any opportunity slip.
Biscuit or Netero… He'd try both.
…
Next, Xiang Nan traveled around the world for a while, collecting gems that might meet Biscuit's standards, preparing to join the Hunter Association. It was also a chance for some leisurely sightseeing.
Meanwhile, Manman finally contacted him, announcing she'd passed Extinction 5. It had taken quite a while—nearly a month from mission start to completion, presumably quite an ordeal. She said that in the end, only she and one other person survived; such a high mortality rate was terrifying.
Once again, a storyline‐related mission had ended, and the rest of the world saw some new events worth paying attention to—Xiang Nan compiled some data. Meanwhile, the system interface showed that after this round, the number of players worldwide had exceeded four hundred, even more than before.
Manman originally wanted to meet with Xiang Nan, but Xiang Nan received word and changed plans, heading for the Mimbo Republic, a member of the V5.
The tasks he had sent out earlier finally yielded a lead: the Republic of Padokea's military discovered that in a certain small country bordering the Mimbo Republic, there was a high chance Omokage was in hiding. A girl strongly resembling Xiang Nan's description of Omokage's sister, Retz, was doing puppet shows on the street. So Xiang Nan intended to go check it out.
According to the intel, after Omokage was removed from the Phantom Troupe, he'd been clandestinely roaming about, searching for "worthy" prey to craft into puppets. He also had an obsession with collecting "eyeballs," believing the eyes to be the puppet's soul. Hence, neither he nor his sister would stay long in any location.
As for Hisoka…he'd killed Omokage only once, but it turned out to have been a puppet. Out of "bad intentions," he never told the Troupe. The exact circumstances are unknown, but apparently, Omokage was also on Hisoka's "to be ripened apple list."
The Troupe presumably didn't know Omokage was still alive. Otherwise, by the Troupe's rules, Omokage must be killed for him to be replaced.
"A Specialist Nen user…"
Xiang Nan recalled Omokage's Nen and smirked.
That ability was fairly good.
Worth him suspending his trip and going out of his way. But, given that the system's protective effect remained in place, he'd have to "borrow" a bit of manpower.
~~~
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