Insight X Contest

Baishi's gaze flickered.

It wasn't that he couldn't use the primary properties of other categories without developing a Nen Ability in the corresponding category!

The actual effect of Enhancement lay in strengthening, enhancing some property of oneself or an external object.

That property could be something as simple as eyesight, hearing, smell, teeth, limbs, internal organs, weapons, and so on-anything familiar and connected to oneself.

As a Transmuter, if he wanted to make use of Enhancement's strengthening properties without developing an Enhancement Nen Ability...

The best way should be to strengthen a particular property gradually, day after day!

On this point, he naturally wouldn't put the cart before the horse.

Enhancement was adjacent to Transmutation, so without using the Scarlet Eyes, he could only draw out eighty percent of its effectiveness.

Whether or not he developed an ability, there were limits.

Baishi already had some ideas for his future Transmutation ability, so naturally, he wouldn't squander his Nen capacity recklessly.

But that didn't mean he couldn't temporarily use Enhancement's strengthening properties.

Nen was connected to thought!

A powerful will could have an enormous effect on Nen!

With that in mind...

Having basically understood what Netero meant, Baishi removed the bloodstained bandage and took the dial off with his left hand. He stared at the several cuts still oozing blood, his expression intensely focused.

Now, drawing on the memory granted by Extensive Knowledge and Strong Memory, he stared at the wounds with only one powerful thought in his mind!

That was to enhance the speed at which the wounds healed!

Nen Aura was the product of thought and life energy combined. Driven by an intensely powerful will focused on a single thought, transparent Nen Aura enveloped the wounds and steadily seeped deeper.

However, an overly vague thought would leave the direction of healing unclear.

So Baishi focused mainly on enhancing cellular activity, causing the cells to repair and proliferate as the Nen Aura permeated them!

Being unable to see the minuscule cells wasn't what concerned him at this stage!

The important thing was that his powerful will had to be directed absolutely toward one purpose, actively influencing the direction in which the Nen Aura took effect.

Just like now.

As time passed bit by bit, Baishi's exceptionally keen dynamic vision allowed him to see clearly that the wounds, which had still been bleeding, really were beginning to close little by little beneath the covering of Nen Aura.

The healing wasn't fast; it could even be called painfully slow.

But to Baishi, the success lay not in the wounds, but in how it had shaken his preconceived notions of Nen!

One didn't necessarily have to develop a specialized Nen Ability to make use of the characteristics of the six Nen categories, nor did the Nen system exist independently!

Nen had limitless possibilities. He must never let the original work influence him into becoming trapped by fixed notions of its rules!

He committed that firmly to memory.

He silently enhanced the healing of his wounds until every cut had closed and scabbed over. Only then did Baishi come out of his focused state and look up at the three, whose contest was growing ever fiercer.

Hmm...

He grasped it that quickly...?

Netero's nimble figure deftly and narrowly dodged the pair's repeated surprise attacks. He had been secretly observing Baishi out of the corner of his eye all along, and a glint flashed in his eyes. Then, seemingly without meaning to, he guided the two closer to Baishi.

"Oh ho ho ho... are you two too tired? Your attacks are getting more and more predictable..."

With that, he turned his head and tilted his chin toward Baishi, casually sidestepping Gon's swift flying kick.

"You've rested for so long. Aren't you going to join in?"

Before Baishi could react,

Damn it!

Killua, having been ignored, was the first to fly into a rage. As his steps shifted between fast and slow, afterimage after afterimage rushed toward Netero's surroundings like shadow clones, pinning him in place.

"Gon-"

"Hee hee hee!!"

Giggling, Gon used the afterimages to conceal himself and seized his chance. With a swish, he sprang out, his astonishing leaping power driving a whipping kick toward Netero's head in a blur. A hint of cunning appeared in his eyes.

Swish!

Seeing this, Netero leaned back to dodge, his expression unruffled.

But the next instant, the force sent Gon's boot, its laces loosened at some unknown point, flying off his foot. It extended the attack's reach and struck Netero squarely in the face.

Rhythm Echo!

Baishi had been watching the situation at all times and had readied himself as soon as Netero spoke. Naturally, he wouldn't let such a perfect opportunity pass. The reaction speed granted by Reflex Nerves let him leave an afterimage with an unchanged expression in his original position in an instant.

His real body appeared silently behind Netero, both arms becoming a blur of lashing whips through Snake Awakens as he rained blows down on Netero's head and face.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The air hissed as the blows cut through it.

Even though he was surrounded from above, below, left, and right and caught in a perilous assault,

Netero, struck in the face by the boot, keenly sensed the danger behind him. He immediately turned his wrist and sent the ball flying with a swift slap.

It immediately drew Gon and Killua's attention, causing their follow-up attacks to falter.

"Oh ho ho ho~"

No matter how fleeting an opportunity was, Netero could easily turn it to his advantage.

Swish, swish, swish! Tap, tap, tap!

His own steps likewise shifted between fast and slow. Yet in that cramped space, taking advantage of Gon and Killua's momentary pause, Netero shifted and twisted, leaving afterimages that dispersed at a touch as he met Baishi's high-speed lashes with fluid movements.

The display of skill left Baishi in awe, but he also memorized every bit of it and quickly copied it!

Gradually, Baishi, who had never learned how to use a whip, stopped flailing his arms randomly. Instead, as he copied Netero's technique...

He simplified the complex, turning whip into sword!

With every strike, he took the shortest path, thrusting out his arm like a sword as fast as he could!

But for the battle-hardened Netero, it was as easy as drinking water. Turning his body and twisting his feet, he effortlessly dodged every surprise attack.

The few blows that did land couldn't breach his defenses in the slightest.

Of course, that was on the condition that Baishi didn't use a large amount of Nen Aura.

Ultimately, this was only a game, and what Baishi had to do was satisfy Netero's desire to play as much as possible over the remainder of it, thereby obtaining higher-quality Advent Emulation!

Swish, swish, swish!

As Gon and Killua spun around and lunged for the rebounding ball, Netero lowered his body and took all of Baishi's fingertip thrusts head-on. Then he shot forward at high speed and got his hand on the ball half an arm's length ahead of the two.

Seeing this, Baishi, close behind, decisively grabbed Netero's right ankle and twisted at the waist and hips, intending to send him spinning away.

Smack! As though he had eyes in the back of his head, Netero brought the instep of his left foot down on Baishi's arm like a sledgehammer, swift and heavy.

In an instant, the Nen Aura wrapped around the arm was scattered by the brutally forceful impact.

Baishi's pupils contracted sharply, and the five fingers gripping the ankle abruptly let go.

That old man has no martial virtue!

Maintaining Gyo continuously consumed a great deal of Nen Aura, so apart from occasionally gathering Nen Aura in his eyes, he generally avoided squandering the little he had.

He had thought that a powerhouse like Netero wouldn't use Nen Aura to counterattack unless Baishi provoked him by releasing a large amount of Nen Aura first.

Yet that sudden blow...

If he hadn't pulled back quickly enough, his unprotected arm would definitely have broken on the spot after its Nen Aura was scattered!

Tap!

Having gotten the ball again, Netero turned to Baishi with a cheerful smile and winked, the meaning self-evident.

Just as I thought...

Once Nen Aura was used, Netero's response would change according to the situation!

Baishi was expressionless.

It was clearly unrealistic to grab the ball and pass Netero's game in a short time. The techniques of Shingen-ryu were one thing, but how could Netero, the person ultimately responsible for hunter qualifications, grant one so easily?

So, with his strength outmatched in every respect, the only path left to him was to increase Netero's satisfaction!

Tsk...

Baishi gestured to Killua and Gon to coordinate with him. No longer hiding in the shadows and waiting for an opportunity, he faced Netero head-on for the first time.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap!

Rhythm Echo!

With silent steps, Baishi moved counterclockwise, alternating between fast and slow, creating a series of familiar afterimages that made Killua's eyes widen.

"Baishi! How did you..."

"Wow! It's just like Killua's!!"

"I'll tell you later..."

The voices seemed to overlap, temporarily suppressing Killua's question. Expressionless, Baishi shifted his position and movements among the afterimages, his keen gaze repeatedly fixing on the vital points on Netero's body.

"Act when you see an opening..."

Before the words had even faded,

The afterimages became piercing spears, rushing straight at Netero like sharp arrows!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-