On the wasteland at the edge of the Moonlight Tundra, the morning light dyed the cracked ground a pale gold.
Biscuit stood in the center of the clearing, hands behind her back, the morning breeze fluttering her golden twin-tails.
Leo stood three meters opposite her, already prepared for the training.
"Even though you have a comprehensive understanding of Nen, I still need to explain it once more."
Biscuit extended her right hand, palm facing up.
Nen surged from her body, forming an even white halo that covered her entire person.
"The state of 'Ken' means offensive and defensive power are fifty each. A balance of offense and defense, fifty-fifty."
She clenched her fist, and the halo rippled slightly along with it.
"In other words, when both sides are in 'Ken', no matter how the battle goes, neither side will be heavily injured. So, how would you break this balance?"
Leo did not hesitate for a second.
"With 'Ko'. By instantly concentrating all the Qi in the body into a single point."
"Correct."
Biscuit nodded, her gaze becoming sharp.
"But when you are in the state of 'Ko', the offensive and defensive power of the part reinforced by Qi is one hundred, while other parts are zero! What if the opponent's attack hits a part where you haven't activated 'Ko'?"
Leo answered immediately, "Use 'Gyo' to observe the opponent's attack trajectory, while simultaneously using 'Ryu' to quickly adjust the distribution of Qi—shifting defensive power to the part being attacked before impact."
The corners of Biscuit's mouth curled up slightly.
"Right. This is the foundation of combat."
She began to walk slowly, her voice echoing clearly across the open wasteland.
"A total offensive and defensive power of fifty is the basic form of combat. But in actual combat, you need to constantly adjust according to the situation—at the moment of attack, the right fist's power becomes seventy while the body drops to thirty; when defending, the part under attack rises to eighty while other parts drop to twenty."
She stopped and turned to face Leo.
"This real-time change in offensive and defensive power is called 'Ryu'. Your goal is to practice 'Ryu' until it's as fast and precise as possible."
Biscuit flexed her wrists, her joints making a faint clicking sound.
"Today's training is simple. You're already using 'Gyo' fluently, so next is combat Cultivation."
She took a stance, and the Nen around her began to condense.
"Alright, activate your 'Ren'. I will attack you using 'Ko', and you need to maintain 'Ken' at all times, using 'Gyo' to observe the flow of my Qi and 'Ryu' to quickly shift your offensive and defensive power—until I am satisfied."
Leo took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The next second—
Boom!
Nen erupted.
"Ren!"
A white halo enveloped his body, stable and even.
Almost at the same instant, Biscuit moved.
Her movements weren't fast, but they were terrifyingly precise.
A right fist struck straight out, highly concentrated Qi condensed on the knuckles—'Ko'.
"Right fist! Power fifty-five!"
Biscuit's voice arrived simultaneously with the attack.
Leo's eyes were already covered with 'Gyo', and he could clearly see the distribution of Qi on Biscuit's fist.
With almost no time to think, he instantly boosted the defensive power of his right arm to sixty, while the rest of his body dropped to forty.
Bang!
Fist collided with arm, producing a dull thud.
Leo's right arm felt slightly numb, but he successfully blocked the blow.
Biscuit didn't pause, whipping out her left leg like a lash.
"Left foot! Power seventy!"
The Qi was more concentrated this time, and the power was significantly higher.
Leo judged quickly, raising his left leg's defensive power to seventy-five to take the kick head-on.
Bang! Another dull thud.
Leo stepped back half a pace, a stinging pain coming from his left leg, but he still stood firmly.
Biscuit stopped her movements, a flash of satisfaction in her eyes.
"Very good. I will slowly increase the speed, so pay attention."
"No problem, bring it on."
Leo readjusted his breathing, his muscles tensing, his mind highly focused.
For the next half hour, continuous sounds of impact echoed across the wasteland.
Bang! Left elbow, power seventy-five!
Bang! Right shoulder, power sixty-five!
Bang! Left knee, power eighty!
Biscuit's attacks came like a tide, each strike accompanied by a precise power indicator.
She no longer limited herself to fixed attack patterns—sometimes a straight punch, sometimes a side kick, sometimes an elbow strike, sometimes a shoulder ram.
The attack angles were tricky, and the speed gradually increased.
Leo was fully concentrated.
His eyes were glued to Biscuit's movements while using 'Gyo' to observe the flow of Qi.
His brain worked at high speed, making judgments the instant before an attack landed, mobilizing 'Ryu' to adjust his defense distribution.
Sweat began to seep out, and his breathing became heavy.
Maintaining the 'Ren' state itself required a continuous consumption of Qi, and combined with the frequent use of 'Gyo' and rapid adjustments of 'Ryu', the consumption of stamina and Nen was increasing sharply.
But Leo didn't make a single mistake.
With every attack, he was able to make the correct response at the last moment.
Though he was occasionally pushed back and felt sharp pain, he never let an attack break through his defense to hit an unprotected area.
Biscuit praised him inwardly.
"Not bad. At this rate, we can proceed to the next stage of special training in just half a month."
Ten days later.
The same wasteland, the same morning light.
But the scene in the field now was completely different.
Two figures crossed, collided, and separated at speeds difficult for the naked eye to catch.
Nen agitated the air, and every clash erupted with a dull thud.
Biscuit no longer gave any prompts.
Her attacks were completely random—sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, sometimes feinting, sometimes striking for real.
The distribution of Nen was no longer regular either—one moment eighty percent of her Qi might be concentrated on her fist, and the next it might suddenly drop to forty, causing the opponent to misjudge.
And Leo had completely adapted to this rhythm.
His eyes constantly maintained 'Gyo', but he was no longer just observing the flow of Qi; he had begun to predict Biscuit's intentions.
From the subtle changes in muscles, from the brief lingering of a gaze, from the adjustment of breathing rhythm—these minute clues gathered together, allowing him to have a premonition before an attack was even launched.
Bang! Biscuit struck with a straight right punch, the surface Qi showing as sixty.
But Leo keenly noticed the unusual tension in her right shoulder muscles—this was a feint.
He didn't distribute too much defense to his right arm, instead concentrating his main defense on his abdomen.
Sure enough, the moment the punch was about to land, Biscuit's body suddenly sank, and her right leg swept toward Leo's lower body like a venomous snake!
The Qi in this kick had reached a staggering eighty-five!
Leo's prepared defense snapped into place instantly.
The defensive power of his left leg rose to ninety, taking the blow head-on.
Bang!
After the loud crash, Leo was pushed back three steps, a sharp pain coming from his left leg, but he had successfully defended.
Biscuit stopped her assault, standing in place, her face showing heartfelt admiration.
"Huge progress."
She brushed off non-existent dust from her hands.
"I thought it would take half a month. Since you've already mastered the essence of 'Ryu'..."
Biscuit held up her right index finger, and a number '7' composed of Nen appeared on the fingertip, staying for only 0.3 seconds.
Leo shouted it out almost the instant the number appeared.
"7!"
Biscuit nodded with satisfaction, and the number dissipated.
"Then, it's time for the final systematic training."
She walked to a rock at the edge of the clearing and sat down, gesturing for Leo to sit and rest as well.
"Leo, you are an Enhancer. It's fine to only Cultivate your own category, but you'll eventually hit a Bottleneck, your Cultivation speed will slow down, and efficiency will drop."
Biscuit drew a hexagon in the sand, labeling the top as 'Enhancer', then labeling the other categories in order.
"The ideal is a mountain-shaped Cultivation model—centering on your own category, then training the abilities of the neighboring categories. Of course, excluding the Specialist category."
She used a twig to draw arrows on both sides of 'Enhancer', pointing to 'Transmuter' and 'Emitter'.
"If you can Cultivate the abilities of adjacent categories in a balanced way, the abilities of your own category will become easier to Master, and your understanding will be deeper."
He nodded, expressing his understanding.
But after a moment of silence, he looked up at Biscuit.
"Master Biscuit, I have another ability. This ability... is one I obtained in a Secret Realm."
A look of surprise appeared on Biscuit's face.
Leo's decision to speak out was made after careful consideration.
Over the past month, Biscuit had put her heart and soul into his special training, without the slightest bit of perfunctoriness.
Not only was she strict during training, but she would also explain various theories and combat techniques of Nen during breaks, even sharing her experiences as a Hunter.
This unreserved teaching had earned Leo's trust.
He extended his right hand and rolled up his sleeve, revealing the dark red vortex-shaped tattoo on the back of his hand.
"This ability is called 'Proof of Humanity'."
Leo explained the ability to Biscuit—the type, the restrictions, the growth mechanism, and the Rank and state he was currently in.
Biscuit remained silent for a long time after listening.
Her gaze moved back and forth between Leo's face and the tattoo on the back of his hand, her expression shifting from initial surprise to deep thought, and finally to admiration.
"A Legacy from an ancient civilization... I didn't expect you to find such an Opportunity."
"This ability is indeed a perfect fit for you. If you use it well, standing at the top of the world one day is only a matter of time."
Biscuit's expression suddenly turned serious.
"However, you must adhere to your original heart."
Her voice was low and powerful.
"Power itself has no good or evil, but the person using it does. This kind of ability that grows through hunting... once you lose your way, it's easy to degenerate into a monster that only knows slaughter."
Meeting Biscuit's gaze, Leo said solemnly.
"I will never become a murderous maniac!"
"Power is a tool used to protect what is important, not a toy to satisfy a desire for slaughter. This is my bottom line."
Seeing the unwavering determination in Leo's eyes, Biscuit nodded with relief.
"Good. In that case, the training plan needs to be adjusted slightly."
She walked back to the sand and wiped away the original hexagon with the twig, re-planning.
"Starting today, mornings will be for systematic Cultivation of Enhancer, Transmuter, and Emitter categories. I will teach you the application techniques of each category."
The twig traced a new time allocation in the sand.
"In the afternoon, you will enter the Moonlight Tundra Dense Forest to hunt and increase your Rank. There are many powerful creatures deep within the Moonlight Tundra, enough for you to hunt for half a year."
Biscuit looked up, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"I hope that in five months, your progress will meet my expectations."
She paused and added:
"Of course, I will be supervising nearby during your hunts. On one hand, to ensure your safety, and on the other..."
Biscuit showed a sly smile.
"I also need to collect some Materials unique to the Moonlight Tundra. The Glowing Moss and certain plants here are rare raw Materials for jewelry processing."
Leo smiled too. This was very much Biscuit's style—deception, gemstones, and handsome men, her three great loves in life.
"Then it's settled."
Biscuit clapped her hands and stood up.
"This morning, we'll start with the preliminary Cultivation of the Transmuter category."
"Cultivating the Transmuter category primarily involves changing the properties of Qi, such as giving it'sharp','scorching', or 'paralyzing' characteristics. This is a massive enhancement for a close-combat Enhancer."
She held out her hand, palm up.
Nen surged out, condensing into a white ball of Qi in her palm.
"Watch closely. The foundation of the Transmuter category is imagination and perception. You must first clearly imagine the property of the Qi you want, then perceive the essence of the Qi and guide it to change—"
The ball of Qi in Biscuit's palm began to change.
The white was gradually dyed with a faint red, the temperature rose accordingly, and the surrounding air distorted slightly due to the heat.
"This is the simplest 'heating'. Now, your task is to raise the temperature of the Qi ball to the point where it can ignite dry leaves."
She dispersed the ball of Qi and looked at Leo.
"Begin."
Leo took a deep breath and concentrated his mind.
A new Cultivation had begun.
And in the afternoon, accompanied by Biscuit, he went deep into the Moonlight Tundra Dense Forest to begin hunting.
[Rank: 27 (91%)]
Only 9% left until Rank 28.
And half a year later, with systematic Cultivation and hunting proceeding simultaneously, his growth speed would reach a whole new level.