The days slipped quietly by in battle and training, and a week passed in the blink of an eye. With their astonishing talent and Lin Ye's precise guidance, Gon and Killua fought their way through one opponent after another and reached the 180th floor, leaving only twenty floors between them and the 200th. Meanwhile, Lin Ye remained undefeated in the 200th-floor arena, his winning streak now standing at forty-eight matches. His reputation as the "Gale Force Hunter" continued to grow, and even several top Nen users on the 200th floor had begun watching this mysterious newcomer. That day, Gon and Killua faced their matches on the 180th floor. It was also their first time encountering opponents who truly wielded Nen Abilities in the lower-floor arenas. Gon's opponent was an Emission Nen user named Tom. Thin and sinister-eyed, Tom specialized in condensing Nen into Nen Bullets for long-range attacks. With thirty-eight wins and seven losses, he ranked among the strongest fighters on the 180th floor. "Kid, I didn't expect you to make it to the 180th floor. You've got some skill." A malicious smile curled Tom's lips as a pale blue Nen Bullet formed at his fingertips. "But you're just a rookie who's only just learned Ten. You're no match for me. Today, I'll let you taste the power of my Nen Bullets." Gon clenched his fists, his gaze resolute. Following Lin Ye's instructions, he stabilized Ten over his body while activating Ren, slowly gathering the aura within him into his fists as he prepared to fight. "I won't lose! I'm going to reach the 200th floor and join Lin Ye!" "Begin!" At the referee's command, Tom attacked immediately. The Nen Bullet at his fingertips shot out at astonishing speed, whistling sharply through the air toward Gon's chest. Gon was ready. With nimble footwork, he dodged swiftly, and the bullet skimmed his shoulder before striking the floor and blasting out a small crater. "Pretty quick reactions." Tom sneered and formed several more Nen Bullets at his fingertips, firing them at Gon in a fan-shaped spread that cut off every escape route. Gon's pupils contracted. Unable to dodge them all in time, he gathered all his aura into his arms and activated Ken, taking two Nen Bullets head-on. Thud! Thud! The two muffled impacts drove Gon back several steps. His arms went numb, and the Ten covering his body wavered slightly. He could clearly feel that the Nen Bullets were far more powerful than ordinary physical attacks. Without Ken's protection, those two shots would have seriously injured him. "Well? Do you understand how powerful Nen Abilities are now?" Tom grinned maliciously as he condensed more Nen Bullets, preparing his next volley. Gon refused to lose heart. He recalled Lin Ye's advice: "Emission's weakness is that Nen Bullets take time to form, and the farther they travel, the weaker they become. Get close to him, and you can overcome his attacks." With that in mind, Gon took a deep breath, pushed off hard, and charged toward Tom. Tom immediately fired Nen Bullets to keep him from closing in. Anticipating the shots accurately, Gon kept dodging, drawing closer and closer. "Impossible! How can you dodge my Nen Bullets?" Disbelief filled Tom's face. His bullets were incredibly fast, and few people could evade them all. Gon didn't answer. Taking advantage of Tom's shock, he rushed straight up to him and drove a fist packed with dense aura toward his chest with all his strength. With no time to form another Nen Bullet, Tom could only activate Ken and try to block. Thud! Gon's fist struck Tom's chest, sending him staggering back several steps. A trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth, and his Nen faltered. Seizing the opening, Gon surged forward again. His fists rained down on Tom, every punch infused with aura and landing precisely on a vital spot. Tom retreated again and again, unable to defend himself. Finally, a punch struck his cheek, sending him crashing to the floor unconscious. "The match is over! Gon wins!" Cheers rose from the stands. Gon raised his fist, a brilliant smile spreading across his face. He could clearly feel his Nen growing more condensed through the battle, and he could even faintly sense the beginnings of an Enhancement Type Nen Technique. Meanwhile, Killua was also locked in a fierce match. His opponent was a Transmutation Nen user named Lia. Petite and highly troublesome to fight, Lia specialized in turning Nen into threads that entangled her opponents, restricted their movements, and attacked them at the same time. Her record stood at thirty-five wins and nine losses. "Kid, you're fast, but my Nen Threads can catch you easily." Lia smiled confidently as several transparent Nen Threads formed at her fingertips and shot toward Killua. Killua's gaze sharpened. He pushed off and dodged in an instant. The threads skimmed past his body and wound around a nearby railing, slicing it apart immediately. Killua's heart tightened. He could sense that the Nen Threads were far tougher than ordinary thread. Once caught, he would have a hard time breaking free. "Begin!" Lia gave Killua no chance to catch his breath. More Nen Threads shot from her fingertips, spreading toward him like a spiderweb. Relying on his tremendous speed, Killua kept dodging. The threads brushed past his body again and again, but none managed to catch him. Yet as Lia produced more and more threads, the open space in the arena shrank. Killua had less and less room to dodge and gradually found himself on the defensive. "Stop running! My Nen Threads will catch you sooner or later!" Lia sneered, formed another thread, and shot it toward his ankle. Killua's gaze sharpened, and he pushed off to dodge, but a thread still wound around his ankle. It tightened instantly. A sharp pain shot through his ankle, and he lost his balance, nearly falling. "Got you!" A triumphant smile spread across Lia's face. She pulled with her fingers and sent more Nen Threads shooting toward Killua, intent on binding him completely. Killua didn't panic. He recalled Lin Ye's advice: "Transmutation Nen may be flexible, but it requires a constant expenditure of Nen. Interrupt her Nen flow, and you can break her threads." With that in mind, Killua took a deep breath, activated Ren, and gathered his aura into his fingertips. He yanked hard on the thread around his ankle while pushing off and charging toward Lia. The thread stretched taut, and Lia felt her Nen fall into disarray. She hurried to tighten the threads, but it was already too late. Killua reached her in an instant. His right hand clenched into an aura-coated fist and struck her wrist. Her wrist went numb, her Nen flow stalled, and all her threads dissipated. Killua seized the opening and punched her in the chest. Lia staggered back several steps, unable to continue fighting. "The match is over! Killua wins!" Gon and Killua had both won again, advancing to the 181st floor. When they met up, excited smiles lit their faces. Gon scratched his head. "Killua, I think I felt an Enhancement Type Nen Technique taking shape just now. If I work a little harder, I'll be able to master a real Nen Technique!" Killua nodded, his eyes brimming with excitement. "Me too! I can feel my Nen combining with my speed, making it faster and sharper!" Standing a short distance away, Lin Ye smiled with satisfaction as he watched their progress. He knew Gon and Killua were close to moving beyond the basics of Nen and mastering Nen Techniques of their own. Lin Ye himself, however, had hit a bottleneck. He had won forty-eight consecutive matches in the 200th-floor arena, and his opponents were growing stronger: Enhancement Type fighters skilled at defense, Manipulation Type fighters adept at control, and Transmutation fighters who excelled at concealment. Every match demanded everything he had to secure victory. Yet over his last few matches, he had discovered that improving his abilities was becoming increasingly difficult. His defensive aura was powerful but lacked flexibility; Flash Shave was fast, but he couldn't sustain its bursts for long; his predictive perception was precise, but it began to falter against opponents with extreme speed and unusual Nen. That night, Lin Ye went to the rooftop alone, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes to reflect on his abilities. Again and again, he worked through the fusion of the Six Powers and Nen, trying to find a way past his bottleneck. He recalled the intimidating force born from his will during his fight with Illumi at the Zoldyck Family Estate, then the explosive release and condensation of aura during his fight with Leo. He realized he had focused too heavily on combining defense and speed, overlooking his aura's flexibility and penetrating power, as well as the fusion of will and aura. At that thought, Lin Ye opened his eyes. Aura flowed slowly around him as he tried separating his defensive and offensive aura, then merging them again. At the same time, he infused his will into his aura to make it more responsive and give it greater penetrating power. He tried combining Tempest Kick's aura blades with his own penetrating aura, making the blades sharper and better able to pierce defenses. He also tried combining Kami-e with his predictive perception to make his evasions more precise and effortless. Attempt after attempt, failure after failure, Lin Ye refused to give up. Sweat ran down his cheeks and soaked his clothes. His aura grew increasingly erratic, but he persisted, constantly adjusting its flow and refining the fusion of the Six Powers and Nen. Just before dawn, Lin Ye's eyes snapped open, a gleam flashing in their depths. The aura around him was no longer heavy and rigid as before. Instead, it had become fluid and condensed. His defensive aura could adjust its thickness flexibly according to the strength of an incoming attack; his offensive aura could condense into tiny aura needles that pierced an opponent's defenses. His predictive perception had also grown more precise, allowing him to clearly anticipate every movement his opponent made and even sense the flow of their Nen. At last, he had broken through the bottleneck. Lin Ye stood and stretched, aura flowing slowly around him. He could clearly feel that his strength had risen to a new level. He clenched his fists, resolve flashing in his eyes. Hisoka, whenever you come, I'm ready. Just then, Gon and Killua arrived on the rooftop. The moment they spotted Lin Ye, they ran over, their eyes full of delighted surprise. "Lin Ye, you seem even stronger!" Lin Ye smiled and nodded. "I broke through my bottleneck. Don't slack off, either. Master your own Nen Techniques as soon as you can. We'll fight our way to the 200th floor together and face the challenges ahead." Gon and Killua nodded firmly, determination filling their eyes. The light of dawn fell across the three of them, warm and dazzling. Their path of training remained full of challenges, but their resolve only grew stronger. The gale sweeping through Heavens Arena was growing fiercer, and amid those winds, they would keep growing, keep breaking through, and let their own edge shine.
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