Gathering X Hatsu X Training

When Jiang Ye reopened the iron gate, Iron Wall was still standing outside, his shield still up, and his face looked like he had just swallowed a live fly.

"Leader, I've been pondering your words 'our own people, temporarily' all the way here."

"Then keep thinking about it."

Jiang Ye walked past him, his steps slow, still catching his breath.

Iron Wall caught up, hoisting his shield onto his shoulder. Mud from the edge of the metal scraped his neck, but he didn't bother to wipe it off.

"No, I mean the leader of the Phantom Troupe, and the eldest son of the Zoldyck Family, when did those two become our own people?"

"Start from when they think keeping me around is useful."

Jiang Ye turned into the narrow passage between the containers, his shadow thinly spread out beneath his feet, the outline of the Max Elephant lying deep within, more stable than the previous two days, but each throbbing still made his temples throb.

He raised his hand and pressed it to his temple.

"Where are Iron Wall, Gray Beak, and Shattered Eye?"

"Gray Beak is checking the accounts at the warehouse, and Shattered Eye is changing shifts at the northern cordon."

"Call him back and wait for me in the container."

Iron Wall didn't ask any more questions. He slammed his shield on the ground, turned around, and strode away.

Jiang Ye pushed open the door of his container, went inside, and first took off his arm guards. A thin layer of sweat covered the inside of the alloy plate, and the old scar on his forearm was red from being constricted.

He placed the arm guards on the headboard of the iron-framed bed, sat down, and circulated his qi through the coils. The flow of qi was smoother than in the morning, but it was still about 20% less than the amount needed for the next suppression of Max Elephant.

Ten minutes later, the three people squeezed into the container.

Gray Beak was still clutching a half-pencil and a crumpled inventory slip in his hand. Shattered Eye had a newly changed gauze on his forehead, which looked like he had been scratched by loose sheet metal on the scrap metal pile during his shift change.

"Sit."

Jiang Ye leaned against the edge of the table, his gaze sweeping over the three faces.

Iron Wall squatted down, Gray Beak folded the inventory list and stuffed it into his pocket, and Shattered Eye sat on an overturned iron bucket, his light-colored pupils still showing lingering wariness.

"I have a question for you, and you should answer truthfully."

He paused for a moment.

"How far have you progressed in your recitation practice?"

The three exchanged glances. Iron Wall spoke first.

"It can hold its ground and prevent the fight from breaking out for at least half an hour."

"If it's absolutely necessary... stealthy scouting is fine, but it won't last long; once the energy dissipates, I'll feel dizzy."

Connect the Gray Beak.

"I'm a beat slower than Iron Wall. I can wrap my whole body around it without any problem, but my fine control is still lacking."

"It's enough for surveillance, but once you're on the run, you can't keep up."

Shattered Eye said it last.

"I know it far better than they do; I've used reconnaissance much more."

"If the binding isn't strong enough, it will still penetrate if it's firmly applied."

After listening, Jiang Ye didn't rush to comment.

He picked up an old water glass from the table and twirled it halfway in his hand.

Do you know how many types of Nen user there are?

The three shook their heads.

"They can be roughly divided into two categories."

"One type uses Nen to Enhancement; they're strong, resilient, and fast."

"Another type shapes thoughts into certain forms or rules, Conjuration, Manipulation, Transmutation, and Specialization. There are many variations, but all of them require advance planning."

He put the water glass down.

"The three of you have the same problem: you only know how to use entanglement and ultimate techniques, and when it comes to fighting, you still rely on your physical strength to withstand attacks."

"Gray Beak, you're good at commanding and coordinating, but when you actually go up and chop people, you're just a thin layer of skin."

"You 'Shattered Eye at scouting, but once you get close, your entanglement isn't strong enough; one puncture and you're through."

"Iron Wall, you can handle the line, but all you can do is hold it; you can't fight back."

Iron Wall grinned as if to say something, but Jiang Ye silenced him with a look.

"So I'm going to teach you how to 'pronounce'."

The Gray Beak pencil stopped.

Shattered Eye raised his head, the wariness in his light-colored pupils mostly dissipating, leaving behind an uncontrollable gleam.

Iron Wall squatted on the ground, his two rough hands resting on his knees, his fingers unconsciously picking at the loose threads on his trousers.

"Hair?"

"Entanglement is to contain the energy, 'absolute' is to shut off the energy, and 'practice' is to unleash the energy."

"Developing your own style is based on these three elements, shaping your inner energy into something uniquely your own."

Jiang Ye picked up the old water glass from the table and ran his finger along the rim of the glass.

The shadow spreads up from the bottom of the cup, a thin layer, enveloping the cup, and then condenses into a ring of fine black spikes at the rim, each spike pointing outwards.

"You've seen my hair before."

"Shadow Spike, Shadow Screen, Shadow Space, and those few Nen Beast."

He turned the water glass upside down on the table, and his shadow disappeared beneath his feet.

"But you don't need to follow my example."

"Everyone's hair is different; it's related to your body, your habits, and how you fight."

"Iron Wall..."

His Iron Wall back stood straight.

What's your favorite thing to do?

"Shield."

"Then let's think about it from the perspective of the shield."

What do you want most when you're carrying the load?

Iron Wall thought for three seconds.

"It can hold out longer."

"Be more specific."

"The shield isn't big enough."

"Sometimes the enemy attacks too spread out, and one shield can't block three or four directions. I have to distract myself and move to different positions, and if I do, I'll get exposed."

Jiang Ye nodded and turned to Gray Beak.

What about you? What annoys you the most when you're chopping someone up?

Gray Beak clipped the pencil to his ear.

"One slash and then we have to retreat."

"If the other side reacts quickly, my back will be completely exposed when I retreat."

"Shattered Eye?"

Shattered Eye tilted his head.

"When I'm marking someone, my biggest fear is that they might suddenly turn around."

"Once we get close, I can't escape, and I can't win."

After listening, Jiang Ye pulled an old wooden box from under the bed and took out three blank Nen Ability record cards that he had bought from the black market.

The paper is rough, and the edges still have burrs from the cutting process, but it's usable.

"You don't need to accompany me on missions for the next few days."

Every morning I would go to the open space north of the camp and figure out how to shape the air into the desired form.