Meditating Elder X Netero

While everyone is busy at their own posts.

Kevin ventured alone into the depths of this remote, primeval forest.

The towering ancient trees blocked out most of the sunlight, with only sparse moonlight penetrating the thick foliage like silver threads, casting dappled light and shadow on the ground.

The night air was filled with the damp scent of earth and the stench of decaying vegetation.

He walked lightly through the woods, and soon his view opened up.

At the edge of the forest, a solitary cliff rises abruptly, piercing the sky.

From afar, Kevin could see a figure sitting cross-legged atop the precipitous cliff in the moonlight.

Chairman Netero.

At this moment, he cut off his signature braided hair that often swung with his movements, leaving only a pointed tip on top of his head.

He was wearing only a thin white vest embroidered with the character "heart," revealing a still-muscular physique that bore the marks of time.

His eyes were closed, and his chest rose and fell slightly with his long, deep breaths.

He was meditating.

A tangible, overflowing, surging desire for battle flowed and burned silently around him like an invisible flame.

This powerful and vigorous aura demonstrates that this centenarian is doing his utmost to try and regain his former peak of dominance and unstoppable strength.

"What a stubborn old man," Kevin murmured, pausing at a distance, a respectful smile playing on his lips.

"He's over a hundred years old, yet such an astonishing aura still bursts forth from his very bones, like a ferocious beast poised to pounce."

Nen Aura are the manifestation of Life Energy.

Although there are basic techniques like "entanglement" to restrain and condense one's own energy, aging is ultimately an inescapable natural law of life.

However, powerful Nen user, through their profound skills, greatly reduce the unnecessary leakage and loss of Life Energy, which allows them to generally have a lifespan and physical strength far exceeding that of ordinary people.

Legendary figures like Netero, who stand at the pinnacle of the world, possess an unfathomable level of Life Force and resilience.

At the age of one hundred, he still possesses terrifying combat power enough to contend for the title of the world's number one. This in itself is a living legend, enough to imagine how amazing and brilliant he must have been in his prime, with an aura that could shake mountains and rivers.

Perhaps, it will take at least another hundred years for this old man to truly grow old to the point of being frail and unable to move.

However, time is merciless. Even someone as strong as Netero, at the age of one hundred, saw his once seemingly inexhaustible and invincible strength begin its inevitable decline.

Although the peak remains, one can already see the gentle slope extending beyond the summit.

With these complex and slightly sentimental thoughts in mind, Kevin quietly approached.

He moved with lightness and swiftness, like a cheetah in the forest, and arrived at the foot of the mountain in a few silent leaps.

Then, with agile movements, he leaped and bounded, finally landing steadily on another relatively gentle cliff face not far from Netero.

He did not make a sound to disturb him, but stood there quietly, his gaze calmly fixed on the meditating old man, patiently waiting.

A night breeze swept by.

Time passed silently, and I lost track of how many hours had gone by.

The first faint glimmer of dawn finally appeared on the eastern horizon, a time when night and morning light intertwined between heaven and earth.

At this delicate moment of transition between day and night, Netero, who had been sitting cross-legged like a stone, suddenly opened his eyes!

"Boom!"

A surge of fierce Fighting Spirit, as violent as an ancient beast suddenly awakening, erupted from his deep eyes like a tangible shockwave.

That extremely fierce aura swept across, like an invisible hurricane rising from the ground, causing the surrounding dense branches and leaves to sway wildly, making a rustling sound like waves.

However, no birdsong or insect chirps can be heard in this area anymore.

Those creatures that were extremely sensitive to the aura had already fled in terror when Netero first unleashed this terrifying power several days earlier.

This place has become an absolutely silent land, except for the tenacious grass and trees that take root in the cracks of the rocks, where there is no other living thing.

Because this place is inhabited by a peerless beast known as "the strongest in the world," whose mere existence is enough to silence all things.

Haha, you've arrived.

Netero let out a loud, hearty laugh, as if instantly dispelling all the gloom.

He stood up nimbly, jumped around a couple of times with ease, stretching his muscles like a young man, his joints making a slight popping sound.

Kevin smiled slightly, and no longer lingered on the cross-section, he Spirit Ground leaped and silently landed beside Netero, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.

Looking down at the vast forest below, gradually bathed in the morning light.

"Kevin," Netero looked at him intently, his gaze filled with scrutiny and amusement, "You should be considered a member of the Shingen-ryu School, shouldn't you?"

Kevin nodded readily. "You could say that. After all, my mentor was Biscuit, and Biscuit was your student."

"By that calculation, you are my grandmaster."

"Oh? Hahaha!"

Netero burst into laughter upon hearing this, his white beard twitching with delight. "So, the Shingen-ryu is indeed brimming with talent."

After a few casual pleasantries, Netero's smile gradually faded.

He stopped looking at Kevin, his gaze sharpening as he looked at the distant, layered mountain ranges that were gradually fading into darkness in the dim morning light.

"You've been there, haven't you?" he suddenly asked, his voice low and certain. "What are your thoughts on it?"

Kevin understood immediately; he knew the other person was asking about the Dark Continent.

As expected, nothing could be hidden from this old man.

No wonder even someone as powerful as Jin often spoke of this old man with a sense of helplessness and "dislike".

These two people are, in some ways, equally "annoying."

"I've been there," Kevin said calmly, without hiding anything. "As for what I think—it's huge, really huge. Everything is ridiculously big, beyond the realm of common sense."

"Moreover, danger lurks everywhere, with murder at every turn. But there, one can indeed obtain invaluable resources that are absolutely impossible to obtain in the human world, resources that can be described as miracles."

"To use my analogy," he paused, gazing at the boundless sky, "The human world is like a vast and comfortable cradle, protecting our ignorant selves. The Dark Continent —that's the boundless, unknown realm beyond that cradle, full of challenges and uncertainties."

Netero merely nodded slightly at Kevin's insightful assessment, offering no comment or rebuttal, as if he already knew it all.

He continued, his tone heavy, "I've been there a few times. So, I brought back some 'trouble,' some trouble that even I can't solve."

"If even I am helpless against this, what can anyone else do? If this continues, the entire human society will likely be completely destroyed by these ineradicable scourges. Therefore, I have joined forces with V5 to issue Blockade order."

Kevin already knew this information; it wasn't a secret. So he simply nodded calmly and replied casually, "You can't stop human curiosity. It's ingrained in our nature, even if it leads to destruction."

Netero simply chuckled at Kevin's almost common-sense assertion.

Having lived for so long, how could he not understand this principle?

He himself is the most vivid embodiment of this desire for exploration and the spirit of challenge.

With a knowing smile, he said in a resolute tone, "Therefore, before I breathe my last, I will absolutely not allow anyone to organize a large-scale Exploration Team to go to the Dark Continent under the official name."

He did not mention the issue of illegal immigration in detail.

After all, illegal immigration is something that is difficult to prevent, but illegal immigration and formal, large-scale exploration are two completely different concepts.

Smuggling can only ever be sporadic, small-scale operations, carrying extremely limited supplies.

Entering the Dark Continent in this way, you may be lucky enough to obtain some sporadic discoveries or resources, but it is absolutely impossible to shake the pattern of that continent.

Given this, it would be even more impossible to establish a long-term, stable Forward Base or outpost there.

Netero considered these ideas to be unrealistic fantasies.

It's important to understand that the Dark Continent is so vast that it far exceeds the extent of the Cognitive World by humankind.

The scattered groups that smuggled themselves across were like a few grains of sand scattered into a vast ocean, so insignificant as to be negligible.

If large-scale official exploration is a high-stakes gamble with a slim chance of survival, then illegal immigration is almost equivalent to a suicide mission with no chance of survival.

The chances of them returning alive are extremely slim. Even if they were lucky enough to survive, their numbers would be pitifully small, and they would be unlikely to accomplish anything substantial on the Dark Continent.

Due to various limitations, the "trouble" or "gains" brought back by smuggling activities are usually localized and controllable.

However, large-scale explorations driven by official or large organizations and lured by written accounts were quite different.

Their targets are often the legendary "Five Great Hopes" or "Seven Great Calamities" and other secret treasures.

Although no one has yet succeeded in bringing back the true treasure, almost every such expedition has been accompanied by irreversible and catastrophic consequences.

These disasters often possess the terrifying potential to destroy the entire human society.

This is completely different from the risks associated with illegal immigration.

Therefore, Netero's core strategy was to use all available resources to completely nip this formalized, large-scale exploration of the Dark Continent in the bud.

Hearing Netero's seemingly resolute words, Kevin scratched his head, a strange expression on his face.

"It's rather strange that you're suddenly emphasizing this at this time."

He asked with a hint of inquiry, "Could it be—you're planning to use some extreme method of mutual destruction this time?"

He then added, "Although I don't know much about you and haven't had much contact with you, Biscuit has mentioned you to me quite a bit."

"An old man like you, who has dedicated his life to martial arts, surely wouldn't be content to die naturally from old age on his sickbed, would he?"

"So that's why you only brought Morel and Nobu to deal with this Chimeric Ant crisis, right?"

Kevin directly voiced his doubts.

His analysis was very clear.

First, Netero was absolutely aware of the Chimeric Ant incident, especially the appearance of the Ant King, and where its roots and potential for destruction lay.

Despite knowing the seriousness of the situation, as the Chairman of the Hunter Association, he only brought two veteran Hunter x Hunter Morel and Nobu.

Admittedly, these two are top-tier in terms of Nen ability and experience, but the Association also has even stronger "Zodiacs," as well as many other powerful Nen ability users of the same level.

If summoned by order of the Chairman, these people will certainly do their utmost to assist.

But the Chairman only brought this few people.

This in itself is the biggest point of suspicion.

From the very beginning, when Kai Gong and his team raided the old Ant Nest wood, he had a vague feeling that the chances of that mission succeeding were almost zero.

However, after the Ant King was born, and especially after learning from Nobu about the terrifying power the Ant King might possess, the old man's demeanor underwent a dramatic change.

He started doing what he's doing now, doing everything he can to get himself into peak condition.

He even asked Fan Kai Shang and have high-intensity sparring with him in order to accelerate his recovery.

All of this points to one possibility—he is preparing for an ultimate showdown.

The Netero didn't reply, but just chuckled twice, a laugh tinged with nonchalance.

"That's right," he admitted, "I crave challenges. My challenges have always been centered on martial arts. But I don't know when it started, I've gone from being the one to challenge to being the one being challenged."

"To be able to fight again in my twilight years as a challenger, rather than a defender, is such a rare and precious thing!"

His words were forceful and resonant, each word carrying immense weight, unlike the typical old man who was skilled in trade.

"I understand your thoughts," Kai Gong responded frankly, "But I can't truly empathize with you."

He was not a martial arts fanatic.

For him, power is first and foremost a form of protection, a tool.

He yearns to explore the unknown, yet pursues peace, enjoys freedom, and has the right to choose.

Power is an indispensable and most important tool for realizing these desires.

That's all.

Power is a means, not an ultimate goal. This has been his attitude throughout his imprisonment.

Perhaps martial arts itself has its unique charm and enjoyment, but if Bachi regards it as the most important goal in life and the only direction to move forward, then in Kai Shang's view, that would be putting the cart before the horse.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Netero burst into hearty laughter at Kai Shang's retort.

Amid laughter, he said with understanding, "That's normal! Just like my son. He also aims for challenges in life, but his challenges are the vast and boundless nature itself, those extremely harsh natural environments."

Upon hearing the name "Beyond" from Netero, Kai Shang couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

This old man's son is probably old enough to be a grandfather, isn't he?

Taking nature as the target of challenge --

Kai Shang understood instantly.

No wonder Beyond was so determined to go to the Dark Continent, even going so far as to lie low and plan for it for decades.

By Beyond had been to the Dark Continent, which, according to Jin, was the closest he had ever come to success.

We will never be overly forceful.

The reason there's been no news is that I've been placed under individual restriction by the Chairman.

Whether V5's Blockade is easy to break through or not, there is actually a chance.

Netero is, after all, just a person; he only holds a position of prestige within the Hunter Association due to his Nen ability.

In essence, the Hunter Association is nothing more than an organization that relies on V5 for its livelihood.

If V5 truly wants to grant anyone the right to explore the Dark Continent, then legally, Netero has no way to stop them.

However, it is said that he would absolutely not allow his son to continue his journey to the Dark Continent before his death.