In the end, Morrow followed Biscuit into the room.
But it wasn't Biscuit's room; it was his exclusive luxury suite on the 244th floor.
As for Kastro and Calista, who had suffered quite the shock today, they were politely dismissed by Biscuit.
Though both were stunned by the power Biscuit had displayed, they didn't immediately comply with her request to leave. It wasn't until Morrow gave them a look that they obediently departed.
Inside the lavishly decorated, spacious room...
Biscuit casually glanced around before immediately opening all her aura nodes without a word. Her petite body instantly radiated an overwhelming surge of aura.
Then, from the raging, flame-like aura, a humanoid silhouette took shape, quickly materializing into a young and beautiful woman.
The woman had long pink hair, delicate features, and gentle emerald-green eyes.
"This is my Nen ability, Magical Esthetician Cookie."
Right after entering the room, Biscuit had unhesitatingly activated her Nen ability.
Without waiting for Morrow's reaction, she continued explaining:
"She's skilled in all kinds of massage techniques, full body massage, meditation massage, roller massage, acupressure massage, you name it. But what she's truly exceptional at is turning aura into a special lotion that, when applied to the skin, can reverse aging and enhance beauty."
"..."
Morrow had braced himself the moment Biscuit activated her aura. Now, he naturally feigned surprise.
Biscuit placed her hands on her hips, smug. "So? Pretty amazing ability, huh?"
"Absolutely incredible."
Without any hesitation, Morrow played along, giving her a thumbs-up in praise.
Pleased by his cooperation, Biscuit pointed to the large bed inside. "You're in luck today. Get on the bed and let Miss Cookie help improve your circulation and reduce swelling. Wouldn't want you embarrassing yourself when the tournament starts."
"Got it."
Morrow complied, a faint smile forming in his heart.
This old lady who loved acting young, though she enjoyed teasing others, could be quite considerate and attentive when it mattered.
Morrow lay down on the bed.
Miss Cookie knelt beside him, her hands enveloped in pink aura as she gently passed them over the bruises and swelling on Morrow's face.
Immediately, he felt a mix of tingling numbness and sharp stinging.
He had initially assumed Miss Cookie's ability was mainly for relieving fatigue and beautifying the skin; he hadn't expected it to also improve circulation and reduce swelling.
Biscuit watched from the side.
Miss Cookie's ability might have zero combat applications, but it actually combined traits of the Transmutation, Conjuration and Enhancement, a perfect embodiment of the Shingen-ryu Style's Nen of the Flame training philosophy.
The circulation improvement and swelling reduction, for instance, were manifestations of Enhancement abilities.
However, if the injuries were any more severe, Miss Cookie wouldn't have been able to handle them.
Though Biscuit had happily beaten Morrow up, she had been very careful with her strikes, keeping the damage precisely within the range Miss Cookie could treat.
Under Miss Cookie's massage, the swelling on Morrow's face gradually faded.
Improving circulation, reducing swelling and relieving fatigue, this ability was undoubtedly a godsend for daily training.
Morrow marveled inwardly.
Before long, Morrow's face was back to normal. Seeing this, Biscuit dismissed Miss Cookie and sat down on a single-seater sofa not far away, crossing her arms and legs.
"At first, I thought your second ability was an enhanced perception based on 'En.' But the appearance of the chains and the mark made me reconsider. Your ability, in terms of depth and complexity, is clearly not that simple."
Biscuit watched as Morrow got off the bed and spoke calmly:
"And you're smart. You knew I wouldn't go too far, so when you were getting hit, you didn't even think about retracting your ability to strengthen your Nen defense."
At this point, Biscuit scrutinized Morrow and suddenly smiled.
"So, what was the reason for insisting on maintaining your ability under those circumstances?"
"You used Magical Esthetician Cookie's Nen ability so decisively the moment you entered the room and even explained its effects proactively. It wasn't just to show off, was it?"
Morrow didn't answer immediately. Instead, he countered calmly, "But to make me voluntarily reveal the details of my ability?"
"You really are clever, Morrow."
Biscuit sighed, her gaze fixed on him. "It's fine if you don't want to say. I was just satisfying my curiosity."
"I don't mind."
Morrow suddenly activated his aura and used his ability, Starlight Convergence.
For a moment, dazzling starlight floated in the air, swirling around Morrow like a galaxy.
"When it comes to revealing abilities, if it's you, Biscuit, I have no problem with it."
"Hmm?"
Biscuit was taken aback, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Just a couple of days ago, who was the one testing me?"
"Precisely because I tested you, I came to deeply understand one thing."
Morrow replied without changing his expression. "That is, your heart is as beautiful as your appearance."
"(* *)"
Hearing this, Biscuit instinctively straightened up, clasping her hands together, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Morrow. For the first time, she sensed sincerity rather than the previous discomfort.
"What's this? So you have a likable side too~~!"
"..."
Morrow slightly averted his gaze from Biscuit's starry eyes and began explaining his ability.
"My ability is called Starlight Convergence, and its effect is..."
He described the ability's mechanics in a steady tone.
After listening to Morrow's explanation, Biscuit finally understood why he had insisted on maintaining his ability even while being hit, and how he had managed to correct certain body mechanics and habits in such a short time, something that usually took martial artists years to master.
So that's how it is...
Biscuit's eyes gleamed with amazement. "I always thought Magical Esthetician was the most useful ability in the world, but your Starlight Convergence isn't bad either."
"Not at all."
Morrow remained expressionless. "In terms of practicality, your ability is far superior."
"Hehe."
Biscuit lifted her chin as if to say: obviously, what could be more important than beauty and skincare?
Then she immediately shifted back to business mode, her eyes sharp as she stared at Morrow. "So it seems you still don't intend to use Nen abilities in the Battle Olympia, but rather want to use this period of combat training to enhance your martial arts as much as possible."
"That's right. If you're willing to cooperate, Biscuit, my chances of success will be even greater."
Morrow replied calmly.
Upon hearing this, Biscuit raised her hand to her chin.
Now that she thought about it...
As a martial artist, she had trained diligently day and night, enduring hardships, yet it couldn't compare to a single information extraction from Starlight Convergence.
If it were some other martial artists, they might start doubting their own choices.
But was Starlight Convergence itself truly formidable?
No.
What was truly remarkable was Morrow, who had developed Starlight Convergence and could utilize it to such an extent.
In this world, there was only one Morrow and only one such ability.
Wait a minute...
This guy...
Biscuit suddenly looked sharply into Morrow's eyes.
Not only did he possess an overpowered ability like Starlight Convergence, but he also had formidable Nen exorcism skills.
Most importantly, this guy was just too young!
"What's wrong?"
Morrow momentarily felt Biscuit's gaze was as fierce as a wolf or tiger and instinctively took two steps back.
—--
The Battle Olympia was scheduled to begin on December 12th.
The format of the competition was the most straightforward single-elimination tournament.
Apart from the previous champion, the remaining twenty Floor Masters participating in the Battle Olympia would have their opponents determined by drawing lots.
Each round would eliminate half of the participants based on the match results.
From twenty to ten, then from ten to five.
By the third round, the previous champion would enter the bracket, making it six to three.
Finally, the "accumulated points" from the third round would determine who got a bye and the matchups.
The rules seemed simple, but they were brutal.
After all, this was a life-and-death combat tournament. To stand until the end, one needed strength powerful enough to avoid serious injuries during the matches, as well as scoring techniques that could stand out in fierce battles.
On December 12th, the city where Heavens Arena was located welcomed its liveliest moment of the year.
Countless tourists, drawn by the event's fame, crowded the areas around Heavens Arena to the point of congestion.
Throughout the day, there would be a total of five Floor Master-level matches.
This arrangement drove the ticket prices for the five venues to astronomical levels.
In the first round, Morrow drew a Floor Master named Brad as his opponent, who, like him, was an Emitter.
Heavens Arena had combat footage of this Floor Master.
Morrow had watched it and had a general understanding of Brad's ability.
It was an Emission ability somewhat resembling a "serve"; he would first gather a Nen bullet in one hand, then use an iron shovel-like paddle to smack the Nen bullet toward his opponent.
After being struck, the Nen bullet would gain tremendous speed.
Moreover, it could manifest in two forms of lethality, depending on Brad's will.
One was maintaining the Nen bullet's original form, while the other involved the bullet splitting into dozens or even hundreds of smaller projectiles.
However, Morrow didn't simply assume Brad was purely an Emitter. He had noticed Brad's Shu wasn't weak, and when combined with that iron paddle, it gave off a strong Enhancer vibe.
The moment for the match soon arrived.
Amid deafening cheers, Morrow and Brad each stepped onto the arena.
In the audience, Biscuit and Wing sat together, while Calista and Menchi were seated elsewhere. Among the group, Wing was probably the most eager to watch this match.
Although Morrow's presence had reignited Wing's pursuit of practical combat, at his core Wing still greatly enjoyed broadening his horizons through observation.
On the arena, with the referee's signal to begin, Morrow and Brad entered their respective combat stances.
Morrow adopted one of the Shingen-ryu Style's opening postures, right palm extended forward, left hand naturally resting near his chest.
This was also the stance Biscuit most frequently used during their practical training sessions.
"Huh?"
Seeing Morrow's stance, Wing couldn't help but pause momentarily before quickly glancing at Biscuit beside him. But Biscuit showed no reaction, arms crossed as she intently watched the match unfold.
Meanwhile, Brad showed no intention of testing the waters.
After all, Emitters rarely needed such preliminaries.
He immediately condensed a Nen bullet, tossed it upward, then smashed it forward with his iron racket like a powerful spike.
Crack!
In an instant, the Nen bullet exploded like fireworks, transforming into dozens of streaking light projectiles aimed directly at Morrow.
Facing this barrage of luminous Nen bullets, Morrow pushed off with his feet, advancing instead of retreating.
Simultaneously, as he charged forward, Morrow bent his fingers, condensed his aura, then precisely tapped each incoming projectile with flawless timing.
One by one, he shattered every single streaking Nen bullet that came his way.
Wing's eyes widened further at this display.
That finger-tapping technique to destroy Nen bullets, wasn't that...?
He turned to Biscuit again, disbelief in his voice. "Master, just now.."
"Watch the match quietly."
Biscuit never took her eyes off Morrow as he blasted through the luminous projectiles, his body shooting forward like an arrow. She marveled inwardly at the effects of Starlight Convergence.
Finger Tap Enlightenment appeared to demand exceptional eyesight, but in truth it primarily tested the synchronization of timing and bodily coordination.
This wasn't a technique one could master in mere days.
Yet that ability called "Starlight Convergence" had somehow enabled Morrow to achieve exactly that.
Back in the arena, having shattered the luminous Nen bullets blocking his path with precise finger strikes, Morrow stepped decisively into Brad's lifeline.
Rhythm Echo.
With a fluid body sway, he created a substantial afterimage.
Brad swung his iron racket, only to strike the afterimage.
By then, Morrow had already circled to Brad's flank.
Piercing Palm!
A straight, powerful thrust struck Brad's side with tremendous force.
A dull thud echoed.
Brad's body flew sideways like a bell struck by a massive hammer, crashing violently into the thick wall beneath the spectator stands.
The impact sent debris flying and dust billowing.
The audience collectively held their breath, tension thick in the air.
Morrow didn't bother watching the swirling dust. He simply retracted his arm and calmly walked back to his starting position.
His face remained expressionless, but inwardly an unusual realization dawned.
The moment his Piercing Palm sent Brad flying, he'd gained another profound appreciation for Biscuit's extraordinary skill.
Without relying on the Nen system...
Through nothing but the optimal combination of physical strength and refined technique, she could unleash devastating combat power.
This represented the pinnacle crystallization of what a martial artist could achieve.
And now, having glimpsed merely the tip of the iceberg of Biscuit's techniques, he'd already attained such formidable striking power. It was hard to imagine the level of oppressive aura Biscuit could create when going all out in her muscular form.
In the spectator stands, Wing stared wide-eyed, unable to comprehend how Morrow had mastered the offensive techniques of Shingen-ryu Style so proficiently in just a few days.
"Master..."
"I know what you want to ask."
Biscuit stood up from her seat and said calmly, "He 'stole' the techniques, that's all."
"What?!"
At this moment, Wing began doubting not just his eyes, but his ears as well.