Chapter 6

One week later.

Heather sat cross-legged on a huge rock, propping her cheek with her hand as she watched Izunabi instruct Kurapika in the practice of "Ren."

"Keep going! Haven't you eaten? Speed up!"

Izunabi, with his arms crossed, shouted loudly:

"Try to mobilize as much 'Ki' as possible inside your body! Squeeze it! Compress it! Is this tiny bit of 'Ki' supposed to make me laugh?"

Kurapika, drenched in sweat, stood by the stream, eyes closed, desperately squeezing the 'Ki' within his body. In Heather's view, the 'Ki' covering Kurapika's body grew stronger, transforming from a thin layer of mucus into a burning flame.

Wow, a Super Saiyan.

Heather silently mocked, thinking that if there were a few lightning bolts around him, it would be even more like it.

After a few minutes, Kurapika collapsed on the ground, panting heavily, sweat dripping down.

Izunabi nodded: "The total amount of 'Ki' has increased significantly. Rest for 10 minutes."

Kurapika was too exhausted to respond, only managing to catch his breath and recover his strength.

"Heather, it's your turn." Izunabi twisted his neck, making a cracking sound: "Let me see your 'Ren.'"

Heather leaped down from the rock, shook her hands and legs, did a few warm-up exercises, then stood with her legs slightly apart, fists at her waist, and shouted:

"Ha! SUPER! SAIYA-JIN!!"

A wild and full 'Ki' instantly burst from her pores, looking like a fiery ball from a distance!

"What are you shouting..." Izunabi instinctively raised his arm to shield himself, this guy's 'Ki' was truly terrifying: "Stop for a moment."

"Teacher, don't you think this form needs some improvement?"

Heather, with a craftsman's spirit, said: "I think it needs some lightning around it, and some surging air currents... and ideally, a 'whoosh' sound!"

Izunabi, having somewhat figured out how to deal with Heather, scratched his head and replied: "We'll discuss those later. Heather, try to slow down the refinement of your 'Ki' and transfer it to your eyes."

"Like this?"

Two ghostly 'Ki' gathered in Heather's eyes, and at that moment, she noticed a number "4" floating beside Izunabi, made of 'Ki.'

"See that? Read what you see."

"4, is this the 'Conceal' you mentioned earlier for hiding 'Nen'?"

"Exactly."

The number beside Izunabi kept changing shape: "The technique you're using to gather 'Ki' in your eyes is called 'Focus,' an application of 'Ren.' Conversely, 'Conceal' is an application of 'Zetsu.'"

Kurapika, having caught his breath, fell into deep thought. It seemed that 'Nen' was indeed profound, with various advanced techniques.

He tried to concentrate 'Ki' in his eyes like Heather, but immediately felt a huge drain, the 'Ki' rapidly disappearing! He could only maintain it for less than two seconds before the 'Ki' he had gathered disintegrated.

Izunabi glanced at Kurapika, who was lying on the ground, panting heavily, and reassured him: "Don't be impatient. Advanced 'Nen' techniques require rigorous training and practice to master."

He could see that his disciple was eager to master 'Nen,' but there were no shortcuts in the path of cultivation; one had to proceed step by step.

Well, except for Heather.

Suddenly, Izunabi remembered something, clapped his hands, and laughed: "Just right, your 'Ren' has progressed well, so let's test your 'Attributes.'"

"Attributes?"

A tall glass filled with clear water was placed on the rock.

Kurapika and Heather stared at the glass for a while, then turned to Izunabi: "Stop being mysterious. How do we test it?"

"Don't rush, don't rush... Oh, this leaf is good."

Izunabi placed a leaf on the water's surface: "Heather, didn't you ask me why I needed a tall glass when you were with Old Jack? Now I can tell you."

"First, Kurapika, congratulations, you've passed the final test of the Hunter Exam."

He looked at Kurapika, smiled, and stroked his bearded chin: "You don't seem surprised. Yes, learning 'Nen' is necessary to become a professional Hunter. Those who can't will be eliminated and their Hunter licenses revoked."

"But the four main types of 'Nen' and the final 'Emit,' you haven't taught us yet."

Kurapika frowned: "Isn't 'Emit' the most important part of 'Nen'?"

"Don't rush, listen to me."

Izunabi sat beside the rock, gesturing for the two to sit down:

"For you, 'Emit' isn't difficult to learn. After learning 'Emit,' you'll need to practice and integrate your unique personality and creativity to build your own 'Nen.'"

"'Emit' is the technique to manipulate 'Ki' at will, essentially the pinnacle of 'Nen' ability. 'Emit' can be divided into six main attributes."

"'Nen' is closely related to each person's personality, partly innate and partly developed through life. Determining your attribute is simple, using the 'Water Divination' technique. Kurapika, you go first, release your 'Ren' on this glass of water."

Kurapika walked to the rock, held the glass in the air with his hands, and released his 'Ki.'

Gradually, the water in the glass began to sparkle.

Izunabi bent down to examine the glass closely and said: "Some impurities appeared in the water. Kurapika, you are 'Materialization,' an attribute that can transform 'Ki' into any desired object, essentially materializing 'Ki.'"

"Materialization..."

Kurapika lowered his hands, frowning: "What are the other attributes?"

"That's what I was about to explain."

Izunabi took out a piece of white paper and laid it on the rock, drawing a hexagon:

"Based on its nature, 'Ki' can be divided into six categories. Besides the 'Materialization' you just demonstrated..."

"If the water in the glass increases, it's 'Enhancement,' which can strengthen the body for combat, making it the strongest in terms of combat ability."

"If the taste of the water changes, it's 'Transmutation,' which can alter the properties of 'Ki.'"

"If the leaf moves on its own, it's 'Manipulation,' which can control objects or living beings with 'Ki.'"

"If the color of the water changes, it's 'Emission,' which can project 'Ki' over a distance for combat."

"If a phenomenon different from the other five occurs, it's 'Specialization.'"

Kurapika was a bit disappointed: "Is that so... I wish I had 'Enhancement,' the strongest in combat."

"Idiot, this isn't something you can choose; it's determined by your constitution. Of course, you can still learn 'Enhancement' techniques, but..."

Izunabi poured out the water, refilled the glass, and replaced the leaf: "Come on, Heather, let's see what attribute you have."

"Finally!"

Heather also placed her hands on either side of the glass, activating her 'Nen.'

Crack! Crack!

With a series of crisp sounds, fine cracks appeared on the glass, and metallic crystals began to form in the water, growing rapidly!

In just a second, the glass couldn't hold, shattering, and the water spilled onto the rock, the crystals disappearing.

"You're also 'Materialization.' Surprising, I thought you might be 'Enhancement' or 'Specialization'..."

Izunabi subconsciously stroked his bearded chin.

"Master! You haven't told me how to use 'Enhancement' yet!" Kurapika couldn't wait any longer.

"Tsk, what a practical disciple. You only call me Master when you need something!"

Izunabi scratched his head, picked up a pen, and labeled the six corners of the hexagon with the six attributes, then wrote corresponding values.

"Listen carefully. Assuming you can fully utilize 'Materialization,' the proficiency in other attributes would be as follows."

He pointed to the values on the paper: 'Materialization' 100%, 'Transmutation' 80%, 'Enhancement' 60%, 'Emission' 40%, 'Manipulation' 60%, 'Specialization' 0%.

"No matter how talented you are," Izunabi glanced at Heather, "if it's not your attribute, you can't fully utilize it."

He pointed to 'Emission,' opposite 'Materialization': "The further the attribute is from your own, the lower the proficiency."

Kurapika frowned, looking at the hexagon for a while, then asked: "Why is 'Specialization' 0%?"

"Specialization is very unique, not something you can just learn. It requires special bloodlines or unique growth environments."

The pen spun quickly between Izunabi's fingers, then he grabbed it: "Placing 'Specialization' between 'Materialization' and 'Manipulation' is because people with these attributes have the highest chance of converting to 'Specialization,' meaning you still have a chance to learn it. However, don't be misled by the name; most 'Specialization' abilities are peculiar auxiliary powers, not as effective in direct combat as 'Materialization.'"

Kurapika frowned even more: "Compared to 'Materialization' and 'Specialization,' I need the power to defeat enemies alone!"

"You said you became a Hunter to reclaim the scarlet eyes left by the Kurta clan. This will inevitably involve battles, so your desire to gain 'Enhancement' is understandable. 'Enhancement' balances offensive, defensive, and healing abilities, making it the strongest combat system."

Izunabi shook the pen: "Unfortunately, you're 'Materialization.' Learning 'Enhancement' would only allow you to achieve about half the techniques and power."

Heather suddenly asked: "If both parties have similar quality and quantity of 'Ki,' who would have the upper hand in a battle between 'Materialization' and 'Enhancement'?"

"Hmm..."

Izunabi scratched his head, threw the pen onto the paper: "It's hard to say. Facing the highly offensive and defensive 'Enhancement,' 'Materialization' would find it difficult to win. However, if you use 'Materialization' to create physical objects, you can unleash incredible power. Heather, can 'Materialization' create a 'blade that can cut anything'?"

"Probably not. That's far beyond theory and human limits." Heather tilted her head.

"Correct, such an absurd object can't be materialized. However, creating a 'hard and sharp blade' is possible. But, would you be satisfied with just that? Why not buy a real famous sword?"

Izunabi stroked his chin, slowly explaining:

"Simply materializing real weapons doesn't fully demonstrate the peculiar power of 'Nen,' at most providing a flexible effect. If so, 'Materialization' would be at a disadvantage in combat... Use your imagination!"

Heather began to understand: "You mean, as long as I believe I can materialize something and have enough 'Ki,' I can do it?"

"Idiot, are you even listening? You must carefully consider the most suitable object to materialize, and you must not fail. It requires a lot of concentration, imagination, and practice to materialize something flexibly."

Kurapika fell into a low mood, ordinary weapons couldn't possibly deal with the Phantom Troupe's demonic thugs!

"I have a question. Suppose I want to materialize a 'blade that can cut anything,' which is impossible, right? What if I add conditions, with weaknesses, and a similar effect, can it be materialized?"

Heather's words suddenly enlightened Kurapika, who looked up at Izunabi.

Izunabi scratched his head: "What troublesome disciples... Okay, there is a way, 'Constraints and Vows.'"

"Establishing conditions and making vows. Set rules and swear to follow them, 'No matter what, I must adhere to this condition!'"

Izunabi raised his right hand and clenched his fist: "The stricter the rules, the greater the power! Like in mahjong or poker, the harder the hand, the higher the score. If strengthening 'Nen' through normal means is additive, then 'Constraints and Vows' are multiplicative, enhancing the ability several times over!"

"Within the limits of what you can adhere to, set constraints for the weapons you materialize. Honestly, this bold technique is unstable, like a double-edged sword. If you break the vow, your 'Nen' will be destroyed by the backlash! Have you decided what to materialize?"

"Chains."

Kurapika said calmly:

"When I learned I was 'Materialization,' I immediately thought of this. To bind the Phantom Troupe, these demons, with chains to the underworld!"

"It seems you won't settle for ordinary chains. Do you have an idea?"

"Chains that can only be used on the Troupe and cannot be broken."

"Is the condition that they can't be used on anyone else? Not strict enough!" Izunabi shook his head: "Just that won't create 'unbreakable chains.'"

"Don't rush. Not using chains on anyone outside the Troupe is just a prerequisite."

Kurapika's eyes gradually turned scarlet: "I'll stake my life. If I break the vow, my heart will be shredded by my own chains. That's my resolve!"

Izunabi stood up, surprised: "Wait, Kurapika! When you turn into the scarlet eyes, does your 'Ki' increase... Yes, it increases significantly!"

He hurriedly found a new glass, filled it with water, and threw in a leaf: "Come over, do the water divination again! You might be..."

"The leaf is moving, the color is turning red, the water level is rising, and there are impurities... Wait..."

Izunabi dipped his finger in the water and tasted it: "The taste has changed! Kurapika, you're not just 'Materialization.' When you turn into the scarlet eyes, you're 'Specialization'!"

"Is this really okay? Creating a game-breaking ability on the spot?"

Heather, who had read the manga, was speechless. This was the ultimate power-up for a main character.

Kurapika's 'Specialization' ability, when in the scarlet eyes state, allows him to fully utilize any 'Nen' system! It's called—

"Absolute Time"!