Late at night.
The low hum of the airship's engines filled the corridor, like the heavy breathing of some enormous creature.
Most of the candidates had fallen asleep. A few murmurs occasionally drifted from the common area, only to fade into the night.
Lin Yan sat cross-legged in his room, his breathing long and steady.
After Marrow-Washing, his body felt lighter and clearer than ever before.
Deep within his sea of qi, the Dantian Embryo spun rapidly to a mysterious rhythm, greedily drawing in ambient energy and converting it into true qi to nourish his entire body.
This spontaneous cycle was far more efficient than before.
Suddenly.
A weighty pressure of Nen pressed against his heart through the door.
It held no malice, yet carried an unquestionable grandeur.
It was the gaze of someone standing at a mountain's summit, looking down upon a climber.
Lin Yan opened his eyes, their keen gleam held in check.
Chairman Netero.
After displaying his abilities at the Trick Tower and attracting the attention of someone like Hisoka, drawing the interest of the man at the pinnacle of the Hunter Association had been inevitable.
Since he could not avoid it, he could only let things take their course.
Lin Yan stood and opened the door.
Outside, Netero stood with his hands behind his back.
Dressed in a loose white martial arts uniform, a kindly smile on his face, he looked just like an old neighbor out for a stroll.
But Lin Yan knew that this shriveled body concealed enough power to shake the world.
"Good evening, Candidate Lin Yan." Netero's voice sounded gentle.
"Good evening, Chairman." Lin Yan bowed slightly, his tone neither servile nor arrogant.
Netero's gaze swept over him, and one eyebrow rose almost imperceptibly.
He sensed that Lin Yan's aura was even