Between Two Worlds: Nen and Haki

"Don't lose your focus. Use the method I taught you earlier to control your Nen aura right now..."

Seeing that the trio's aura nodes had been successfully opened, Menchi immediately urged them with a stern expression.

Opening the aura nodes was only the first step in learning Nen; the subsequent control was the real key.

She had hesitated to force open their nodes because such a method was essentially an unorthodox shortcut.

If the person undergoing the process lacked sufficient willpower, the constant leakage of Nen aura could be life-threatening.

Gon and the others were initially struck with wonder at the erupting aura.

But upon hearing Menchi's sharp command, the three of them snapped back to their senses and hurriedly tried to control the aura as instructed.

"Huh?"

Menchi, who was watching them closely, suddenly widened her eyes, a look of astonishment appearing on her face.

The reason was simple.

In less than ten breaths, the aura erupting from Gon and Kurapika had already stabilized, turning into a thin, invisible film that flowed gently around them.

This was the most fundamental technique: 'Ten'.

As for Leorio...

Though his speed in controlling the aura didn't match Gon and Kurapika's, he managed to stabilize it after only a few minutes.

"See? I told you they could do it," Zane said with a smile, noting Menchi's slightly agape mouth, clearly shocked.

"Were you just as fast as those two when you first stabilized your aura?" After calming her emotions, Menchi pointed tentatively at Gon and Kurapika.

Zane nodded slightly. "Roughly. My aura nodes were forced open by Hisoka's aura during our clash. Using my prior understanding of Nen, I opened the rest of my nodes and quickly brought the aura under control."

Menchi was left speechless.

She looked out the window, her gaze somewhat distant.

'This is far too discouraging,' she thought.

Menchi felt a sudden pang of self-pity.

'Aside from Leorio, whom I can somewhat compare myself to, are the other three just monsters?'

'Ugh... being a teacher is so hard. I want to go home and cook.'

.....

As the trio successfully entered the world of Nen, late that night, a feast was held to celebrate their awakening and to repay them for standing up for her during the second phase of the exam.

Menchi and Buhara, who had stayed behind, prepared a magnificent meal for Zane and the others.

What followed was a week of intense cultivation.

It wasn't just Zane.

Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio were like dry sponges, desperately soaking up every bit of knowledge Menchi provided.

It was worth noting that Menchi was a truly dedicated teacher.

Whether it was Nen techniques or the critical points and taboos of developing Nen abilities, she taught everything without holding anything back.

Of course, teaching was one thing; whether they could master it depended on the individuals.

Take Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio, for example.

As beginners, even with Gon and Kurapika's extraordinary talent, a week was ultimately too short.

The two of them had only just mastered the basic 'Ten', 'Zetsu', and 'Ren', as well as the advanced applications 'Ken' and 'Gyo'.

Leorio was slower, only managing to grasp the three basic applications.

The rest would clearly require them to spend time accumulating experience and refining their skills.

As for Zane...

His talent was no less than Gon's or Kurapika's.

Furthermore, he had already spent three months building a foundation in the pirate world.

This led to a massive breakthrough after receiving Menchi's systematic guidance.

It could be said that aside from not having developed a specific Hatsu yet, he had mastered all other applications to a high degree of proficiency.

"Here, this is my number. If you run into any trouble with your training in the future, you can call me. Also, be extremely careful when you go to the Zoldyck estate. They are world-renowned assassins. If you encounter danger, do not act recklessly."

At the hotel entrance, Menchi spoke to the four of them with a sentimental tone.

A week had passed, and if she had her way, Menchi would have preferred they didn't go to the Zoldyck estate at all.

After all, that place was simply too dangerous.

Likewise, after this week of instruction, she was very satisfied with their performance; she truly viewed them as both students and friends.

"Please don't worry, Teacher. We will act with caution," Kurapika said with a bow and a serious expression.

"That's right, don't worry. We just want to check on Killua's situation. We won't do anything crazy," Leorio added earnestly.

"Teacher, thank you for your guidance this week!" Gon said sincerely.

Not only had Menchi accepted Zane and the others, but the trio had also clearly accepted Menchi as their mentor.

"I'll look after them. I'll call you once it's over to let you know we're safe!" Zane also said to Menchi with a smile.

"Alright, then I wish you all a smooth journey!" Menchi nodded slightly.

Waving goodbye, Zane and the others left the hotel and took the hotel shuttle to the nearby airship port.

The Zoldyck family resided on Kukuroo Mountain in the Republic of Padokea.

The trio had already looked this up on a computer beforehand.

After arriving at the airship port, they purchased tickets for the Republic of Padokea and soon boarded the airship.

"Do you think Killua will be shocked when we show him our Nen?" Leorio suddenly started chuckling in their private cabin.

Kurapika frowned slightly and reminded him, "Leorio, we didn't learn Nen just to show off."

"Uh... I know. I just want to tease him a bit."

Gon suddenly turned to look at Zane, who was rapidly devouring delicacies.

"Zane, since Killua's family are the world's top assassins, they must all know Nen, right?"

Swallowing the food in his mouth, Zane wiped his lips. "As far as I know, everyone in his family except for him can use Nen."

"Then why doesn't Killua know it?" Gon asked, puzzled.

If Gon could learn it, then Killua's youth certainly wasn't the reason his family hadn't taught him Nen.

"Who knows!" Zane shrugged. Feeling that his stomach wasn't yet full, he went back to eating.

"There must be some special circumstances, right?" Kurapika guessed.

Leorio said nonchalantly, "We'll probably find out once we see him. There's no point in guessing randomly now."

Hearing this, Gon and Kurapika couldn't help but nod.

Indeed, their speculations didn't mean much at this point; everything would have to wait until they actually saw Killua.