The Four Major Principles

At the entrance to a small courtyard in the Mist Forest.

The blazing sun baked the bluestone paving slabs until they were hot, while Lianke's parasol cast a swaying shadow amid the rising heat.

Beneath the parasol, she slowly raised her right hand. Pale purple Nen Aura wound around her fingertips like liquid silk, finally forming a translucent gauze glove:

"Before I teach you, let me ask you a question."

"What do you think a Nen Ability is?"

Gazing at the glove of Nen Aura on Lianke's hand, Carl frowned, unsure what Lianke meant.

After hesitating for a moment, he slowly spoke:

"Desire!"

"I think a Nen Ability is the manifestation of desire."

Sunlight fell upon the black-haired boy, stretching his shadow out long behind him.

"Desire? That's a novel description."

Lianke looked thoughtful.

Her own master had asked her the same question back then.

Her answer had been "the ultimate art."

Nen Abilities were the finest expression of art.

"I'll start with the very basics. Hisoka, you can review them too."

Without dwelling on the question, Lianke turned to Hisoka and spoke softly.

"No problem. By the way, my answer is love~"

In the shade of a tree, Hisoka leaned against the trunk and spoke in a relaxed tone.

As far as he was concerned, Lianke's teaching was no longer essential.

The moment his Nen Ability had been decided, his own unique path had been set, and there was no chance of going back.

"First are the Four Major Principles, the foundation of Nen Abilities."

"The first is a technique called 'Ten.'"

"Ten is a technique for keeping Nen Aura within your body. Learning Ten can make your body stronger and keep you youthful."

At that, Lianke paused and motioned for Carl to watch her palm.

The pale purple glove of Nen Aura gradually grew thinner and fainter, until only a faint trace of purple remained on her fingertips.

But Carl watched closely. The flowing purple light only seemed to have dispersed; in fact, it was pressed tightly against her skin!

"You try."

Lianke glanced at Carl, who was staring intently, and spoke softly.

How could a student know how capable their teacher was without trying it firsthand?

"Okay!" Carl nodded.

With a thought, he slowly tightened the pale golden Nen Aura enveloping his palm.

One second, two seconds... until a minute had passed.

Looking at the thick, pale golden glove on his hand, Carl sighed.

That was his limit!

No matter how he manipulated and compressed it, no matter how the wheat-field-like glow surged in his palm, he could not refine it to be as thin as Lianke's.

"The strength of your Ten determines your defense in battle."

"Experienced Nen users precisely distribute the Ten covering different parts of their bodies according to their enemies' attacks."

"Your Ten is thick, but once it's spread over your whole body, not only is it pitifully thin, it consumes a lot of aura!"

"A person's aura is limited. If you can't manage your Nen Aura consumption in battle, you'll die a very ugly death."

Lianke's voice was soft.

But it made Carl sit up and take notice.

Ever since awakening his Nen Aura, he had been searching for a teacher like Lianke, someone who could point out his problems precisely!

The wealth of experience she possessed was the very truth Carl hungered for!

Without a teacher's guidance, was he supposed to correct his shortcomings only when he faced an enemy?!!

That would be far too foolish!

A single correct pointer from a teacher might seem ordinary, but it could take those without proper guidance a lifetime to learn!

Carl understood that better than anyone!

"Thank you for your teaching, Master. I'll remember it!"

Without hesitation, Carl bowed respectfully to Lianke.

If he had still harbored some doubts about Lianke before, now Carl felt nothing but pure respect for her.

Like a sponge about to fall into the sea, there was no emptiness left, only complete satisfaction in its place!

"Hee-hee~"

Seeing the boy's respectful manner, Lianke covered her mouth and laughed.

She actually had great hopes for Carl's future, which was why she had taught her something genuine right from the start.

Wasn't the point to win this student's sincere devotion?

"Come here." Lianke beckoned to Carl.

Without hesitation, Carl stepped forward.

"Like spreading jam on bread." Lianke's fingertips brushed the back of Carl's hand, and he immediately felt his Nen Aura collapse beyond his control.

"The thickness of Ten determines its defense, while its precision determines how long it lasts." At her prompting, the golden light abruptly drew inward, forming a fine mesh that followed the lines of his palm.

Staring at the golden mesh on her palm, Carl hurriedly focused on how it felt.

"Ahem, pay attention."

After a while, Lianke coughed softly twice and spoke with a serious expression.

"The second is a technique called Zetsu."

"Zetsu is a technique that stops the loss of aura and allows you to restore your energy in the shortest possible time."

"Hisoka, demonstrate it for Carl."

Just as Lianke was enjoying her explanation, she glanced at the boy building a house of cards nearby and spoke in annoyance.

"Snap~"

Hisoka's fingers trembled, and the three-story house of cards he had just finished instantly collapsed, scattering cards all over the ground.

"All right, Master Lianke."

The boy was not angry. Instead, he smiled at Lianke as he answered.

With that, he mysteriously vanished for an instant under Carl's gaze.

More precisely, Hisoka's body was still there, but his outline seemed to merge with the tree's shadow, and his presence suddenly faded like a candle flame going out.

That was what had given Carl the momentary illusion.

"Clap, clap!"

Lianke clapped her hands to draw Carl's attention:

"Tighten and shut off the aura and presence of your entire body, making your presence faint. That is Zetsu!"

"But remember, unless you have absolutely no other choice, you must never, ever use this technique!"

"Because it means your defense will drop to its lowest point, leaving you as vulnerable as a newborn lamb!"

"And your perception will likewise drop to its lowest point, which means..."

Lianke paused there.

"It means I wouldn't even know how I died," Carl finished for her.

"Clever."

Lianke stroked the armrest of the wicker chair and praised her with a smile.

Carl froze for a moment when she heard that.

Was she... praising me?

Then again, from Lianke's perspective, he was just a child, at an age when he needed praise!

Lianke held up three fingers and continued, looking at Carl:

"The third is a technique called Ren."

"Sending the aura 'refined' within your body out through all your Aura Nodes at once, releasing more aura than usual-that is Ren!"

As she spoke, Lianke gestured for Carl to look at her.

"Whoosh~"

Suddenly, a wind sprang up, centered on Lianke.

Pale purple Nen Aura spread continuously, reaching several meters away in the blink of an eye.

"Nen Aura is the crystallization of us Nen users' will and bodies, so..."

"I'll kill you."

Before Lianke had finished speaking, the killing intent she suddenly released stabbed into Carl's bone marrow like an icicle.

"Hah~"

In only a moment, Carl's heart began pounding, and a suffocating sensation wrapped around his body like a venomous snake in the blink of an eye.

"I love you~"

Another sentence followed, but this time, what enveloped Carl was no longer icy killing intent, but affection as warm as spring sunshine.

"The materialization of emotion-that is the true essence of Ren."

Lianke spoke a third time, and as her words fell, the Nen Aura that had surrounded Carl rapidly withdrew, returning to her body.

"Thank you for your teaching, Master."

After remaining in a daze for a while, Carl slowly came back to her senses and hurriedly thanked Lianke.

Just now, he had distinctly sensed various emotions from Lianke's Nen Aura. This teacher's teaching method was indeed sound!

Experiencing it firsthand had given him an exceptionally clear understanding of Zetsu!

Only one thing left him in a daze-so this was what it felt like to be surrounded by love?

What an intoxicating feeling...

"Last is 'Hatsu.'"

Carl's youthful face was reflected in Lianke's emerald eyes.

"This is the culmination of Nen Aura: an ability born from freely manipulating and using your own aura!"

"That is how Nen users got their name!"

"In this world, no two Nen Abilities have ever been the same!"

At this, Lianke's voice grew increasingly solemn, and her emerald eyes fixed on Carl:

"Before you have my permission, you must never develop your own Nen Ability on a whim!"

"An ability is no joke. Once it's decided, there's no room to change it, ever!"

"Make sure you remember that!"

"I'll remember."

Carl nodded. Lianke's words were extremely serious, and he clearly had no room to refuse.

Besides, he reckoned that even if he were to develop a Nen Ability, it would be a long time from now!

He certainly would not try before he was fully prepared!

"Very good!"

Seeing how well-behaved Carl was, Lianke nodded in satisfaction.

To be fair, well-behaved, obedient children like this were more likable!

Compared with a certain deceitful brat, she was countless times better!

"Snap~"

In the shade of a tree not far away, Hisoka's back suddenly stiffened.

The house of cards he had just built collapsed for the second time.