Chapter 5: Ashu X Nen

"Are you ready?"

A month later, when Noah once again opened the door of the wooden house, a butler in a tuxedo, Gatoh, was already waiting outside.

It was strange that for this past month, only Noah had been living in the wooden house. As for Ashu, who had also passed the second test, he had not been seen since, which led Noah to wonder if the guy with severe injuries had met his end.

Upon seeing Noah, the usually expressionless butler from the Zoldyck Family suddenly showed a hint of surprise. He could clearly sense a sense of pressure emanating from Noah.

This guy?

"I'm ready," Noah replied confidently.

Seeing this, Gatoh gave Noah a meaningful glance and then turned away.

"Follow me."

Following Gatoh, Noah arrived at the same location where the second test had taken place before. There, he saw the Zoldyck Family's estate, and, after disappearing for a month, Ashu.

Ashu, now wearing a black tuxedo, leaned calmly against a wall, and Noah could see a thin, transparent, water-like substance enveloping Ashu's entire body.

What was that? Nen?

Just like the feeling Noah had given Gatoh, Ashu now gave off a completely different aura compared to a month ago. It was a subtle sense of oppression.

So, this is Nen? Controlling the aura within one's body to enhance defense, if he remembered correctly, this technique was called "Ten."

However, what was going on? Disappearing for a month, did he learn Nen? Did the Zoldyck Family teach him? Did I miss something, which is why no one taught me?

Seeing the Nen surrounding Ashu, Noah also realized that his "Qi Refinement" and Nen abilities were completely different forces. "Qi Refinement" developed the human body's potential to enhance strength, while Nen abilities, though fundamentally about unlocking potential, manifested as an awakening of unique abilities within individuals. This power was unique to this world, much like the spiritual or magical powers in fantasy novels.

With this understanding, Noah became even more eager to learn Nen abilities. At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder why Ashu had learned Nen during this month while he had received no hints or guidance.

As Noah pondered in silence, Ashu and Gatoh also turned their gazes toward him. There was a subtle and intriguing expression in Gatoh's eyes.

This guy seems different? It looks like the results of this test might be unexpected.

"Bring them over," Gatoh said, his thoughts passing through his mind as he spoke.

Ten seconds later, the gatekeeper, Zebro, appeared in the distance, followed by the five individuals who had not passed the second test.

Noah and Ashu stood on opposite sides of the iron gate, facing the five brought by Zebro.

"You're all aware of the rules. Let's begin," Gatoh, the other butler from the Zoldyck Family, and Zebro announced calmly.

As Gatoh's words fell, Ashu moved. Dressed in a tuxedo, he rushed toward the five individuals opposite him like a black panther. There was only one agonizing scream, and the man closest to Ashu had his throat twisted and broken.

So fast!

Watching Ashu's lightning-fast movements, Noah was astonished.

In just one month, he had transformed completely. His speed and strength had greatly improved. Was this the difference between Nen users and ordinary people?

As Noah observed Ashu's newfound power, his desire to learn Nen abilities grew stronger.

In contrast to Noah, the other four individuals on the scene, after witnessing Ashu's thunderous strike, instinctively stepped back. They could clearly sense a terrifying murderous intent emanating from Ashu. It froze their bodies in place, making their scalps tingle and their bodies unable to move.

This was the greatest difference between Nen users and regular people. Those who possessed Nen had the power to dominate with their will alone. Ashu's mind was focused solely on killing these four individuals, and his killing intent turned into a formidable willpower that firmly subdued them.

This was also because all four of them had come from Meteor City and had experienced many life-and-death situations. If it had been an ordinary person living in a comfortable environment, they might have died instantly under Ashu's murderous intent.

In just a few seconds, the remaining four individuals fell one by one at Ashu's feet.

They had no resistance, like lambs among lions.

After snapping the last person's neck, Ashu turned his cold gaze toward Noah. His pitch-black eyes were filled with a murderous aura, locked onto Noah.

At the moment when Ashu's gaze fell upon him, Noah's body suddenly stiffened. He felt as though he could see the overwhelming killing intent emanating from Ashu's body. Those black-hole-like pupils seemed to infinitely expand and remained fixed on him. This immense pressure made Noah momentarily lose control of his body.

At the same time, Noah finally realized how those four individuals had died. Only when he truly felt this pressure did he understand the vast gap between Nen users and ordinary people.

Could learning just Nen enable someone to reach this level?

Thud, thud.

Footsteps approached Noah's ears from a distance, steadily getting closer. Ashu was slowly walking toward him, and his intentions were clear.

To kill!

In that moment, Noah felt as if something had struck his brain. The massive pair of pupils in front of him disappeared instantly. Ashu's figure was now just inches away from him. The surging killing intent brought Noah back to his senses. He bit his tongue hard, feeling the sharp pain spread throughout his body. At the same time, Noah regained control of his body.

Facing Ashu as he approached, Noah didn't retreat but moved forward instead. A faint mist surrounded his body, and his right fist whooshed toward Ashu.

Never could he have imagined that Noah could still move. Ashu only had time to widen his eyes before Noah's punch landed squarely on his face. He was sent flying backward, stumbling a few steps before coming to a halt.

Clutching his cheek and feeling the fiery pain, Ashu opened his eyes wide in astonishment. He slowly turned to look at Noah standing opposite him. Amazement turned into words spoken in disbelief.

"How is this possible?"