Shortly after Xiang Nan returned to the military base, a major piece of news shocked the human world:
The Kakin Empire announced the formal establishnt of diplomatic relations with the Republic of Padokea.
Of course, to ordinary people, it was just a snippet on the news—sothing for idle chatter. The ones truly concerned were political figures in the various countries.
For years, Kakin had never announced any "relationship" with another nation. And now it was the Republic of Padokea, which was neither part of the sa continent (the Azian Continent) nor a V5 mber. To many, this seed a bit puzzling. Even the head of state in the Republic of Padokea himself was taken by surprise.
Nevertheless, Kakin dispatched envoys first, and once it received a favorable response from Padokea's governnt, it made the official announcent. From Padokea's point of view, being able to gain assistance from a powerful nation like Kakin was a godsend. On the surface, all processes appeared lawful and proper—it was rely the na "Kakin" and the suddenness that provoked a stir.
Naturally, V5 took notice as well. But two countries forging ties is quite normal at face value; V5 found no grounds for imdiate interference.
For Xiang Nan, his "mission" had not only been completed, but it also brought contributions to the Republic of Padokea once again. Though he had turned down Nasubi Hui Guo Rou's "help," the latter still—when dealing with Padokea's top leadership—dropped hints about Xiang Nan's role… openly or otherwise, implying it was Xiang Nan who orchestrated this affair.
As a result, Xiang Nan, originally a "Joint Deputy Chief of Staff," was promoted to the rank of "Chief of Staff." His military rank rose another notch.
Kakin's behavior was plainly a way for Hui Guo Rou to steady the situation—hoping Xiang Nan would not leak the secrets of the Urn Ceremony or the ants.
"With Hui Guo Rou's and Beyond's personalities, while they appear not to dare act rashly on the surface, there's no doubt that Kakin Empire will secretly investigate the Republic of Padokea, looking for how I ca to know about the 'Urn'… to figure out how many others have this intel, and bring things back under control."
In his office, Xiang Nan held a newspaper, reading the large headlines and photos:
On the front page, representatives of Kakin and Padokea's top officials shook hands with beaming smiles.
"True enough, Hui Guo Rou is incredibly cunning. He didn't show up in person, carefully controlling the degree of exposure so as not to arouse too much suspicion from the V5 or certain high-ranking figures within it. Still, Kakin's quick announcent and the scope of the public statents show how seriously it values this alliance.
"Working with clever people is indeed refreshing," Xiang Nan praised with a smile.
"Though if any perceptive players notice this event, they might realize it's related to so player's involvent… probably as part of the mission."
Xiang Nan again glanced at his system screen, which showed 380 remaining players after the round's eliminations.
"That's more people than after the previous round. If it goes on like this for another 20 or 30 rounds, the player count may stabilize at near 1,000—entering a 'crowded' late ga."
Still, thinking of the so-called "lazy crew" of the Stars (the Sky Arena player group), Xiang Nan mused that they were likely not alone in such ways. In ti, the system would inevitably drop a "hell-difficulty" round to rebalance the elimination rate.
"He's still at Rank 8, and his combat rating hasn't changed either."
Again, Xiang Nan inspected the display for the currently highest-level and highest-rated player in the "Hunter x Hunter" world, looking sowhat puzzled:
"Logically, we at lower tiers have cleared so many rounds. Even if the timing and frequencies vary, how can he be stuck so long? Possibly he's never opened the Extinction Ga at all? Or he's been stalling via so loophole? Or maybe the eighth round is just that difficult?"
He thought to himself, then shook his head.
"Enough. No need to dwell on that… My preparations are more or less done. Ti to start developing my own Nen ability."
Xiang Nan refocused.
At present, Manman was still recovering in the hospital. Once her injuries healed, she'd resu routine training in the base, sa as other soldiers—primarily to improve her physical condition, so she'd have more aura reserves. Otherwise, it'd be too pitiful.
During that period, Xiang Nan would "shut himself away" at the base, pouring all his effort into forging his own Nen ability.
He took this very seriously—likely needing half a year. He'd stay put in the base, not taking any outside assignnts, and handle his military duties while perfecting his ability.
…
One Month Later, at a barren test field near the base:
Xiang Nan sat on a stone, watching the aura drifting around his hands.
He concentrated the aura into his hands, letting it shrink and harden, forming a tangible shape.
"Indeed, the deeper drive behind constructing a Nen ability is the user's own inner mind and spirit power. Whether it's Ten, Zetsu, Ren, or Hatsu— all of it must be put to use, culminating in synergy. anwhile, giving your Hatsu special effects or settings— especially within Ren and Hatsu— demands high finesse, fueling your aura with your will, turning ideas into reality.
"A simpler ability, like Manman's, doesn't require that much intricacy. She just uses her 'emotional side.' But for , with my fighting style and ntal capacity, it can't be too trivial or too complicated. I need sothing adaptable enough to handle unexpected crises and foes, yet not so complex that it's easily seen through.
"I still need to polish my ntal state, refining my control. Hmm… I'll wait a bit longer."
Saying so, the shape in Xiang Nan's hands dispersed back into raw aura.
He shook his head and stood up, leaving.
Three Months Later, sa spot:
On Xiang Nan's hands, two partially "white gloves" made of aura were visible.
Still, the shape was a bit blurry, and one could see so uneven lines. It seed that the aura wasn't fully stabilized… but in reality, that wasn't the case.
By Xiang Nan's current standards, if he rely wanted to create a standard Hatsu, he could have done so within a month—like how Gon or Killua quickly invented their signature abilities to enter Greed Island.
But Xiang Nan's ability setup was sowhat more intricate. He needed to repeatedly refine, adjusting various aspects, ensuring each step lined up with the spirit-based concept he'd laid down.
Each ti he wasn't satisfied with the effect, he had to "rebuild" the ntal paraters, testing again.
It wasn't that he was a perfectionist— that's simply how Nen abilities worked.
The user's ability and self must align. Otherwise, it's not rely a "failed product"—look at Castro or other examples of flawed self-contradictory Nen.
So once a Nen ability is fixed, it basically decides your entire fighting style. Xiang Nan, being cautious, opted to take it slowly.
"Still feels lacking… Another failure, huh…"
He sighed, letting the white gloves vanish into aura.
"All right then, bit by bit."
He left the scene.
~~~
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