Hunter x Hunter: Card Master, the Strongest in the World.

Chapter 137 The Battle with Netero! Netero's Surprise!

During the waiting period, candidates arrived at the bottom of the tower one after another. After passing the first half of the exam, they immediately began the second half, making the most of every second.

Three days passed quickly.

Some are happy while others are sad. Those who pass are naturally in a good mood, while those who don't can only wait until next year to try again.

In the end, only 22 out of 46 candidates passed the third exam.

The fourth exam awaits them!

At the bottom of the Tower of Tricks, Riber stood before the crowd, with a lottery box placed in front of him.

The fourth exam was titled "Hunting and Being Hunted".

Each candidate draws a number according to their ranking at the bottom level, and the number they draw is their target number!

The exam venue is "Sebi Island," which can be seen with the naked eye when standing under the Tower of Tricks.

As per the rules, Lynn slowly walked out of the crowd, came to Riber to draw a lot, grabbed it casually, and left.

After everyone received their lottery cards, Ribert asked them to tear off the film covering the cards to reveal the numbers underneath.

The candidates immediately thought of the examiner's words about "hunting and being hunted," and they all covered their numbers with their hands. Even though they hadn't rehearsed, their actions were surprisingly synchronized!

A sly glint flashed in Riber's eyes as he chuckled inwardly, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips, as he continued reciting the rules.

The exam uses a point system. Your own bib counts as three points, the target's bib counts as three points, and the bibs of other non-target participants count as one point.

A score of 6 or higher is considered passing.

In other words, provided their number plate is not stolen, candidates can choose to target one person or target three other candidates.

If your number plate is taken away, it will be much more difficult to qualify.

Boarding the yacht prepared by the Hunter Association, the examinees set off for Sebiru Island.

On the yacht sailing against the wind and waves, Xiao Jie looked around and muttered to himself, "The exam has already started now—"

"Yes, at a glance, everyone has put away their number tags, which can reduce the risk of being hunted to some extent."

Kurapika remained calm, glanced around, and slowly spoke, pausing before continuing, "However, there are still some people who don't need to resort to these petty tricks—"

For example, Lynn!

He didn't hide his number plate; instead, he proudly wore it around his neck, showing it to everyone.

At this moment, Lynn was looking with great interest at a small island in the distance, which was adjacent to "Sebilo Island".

After some time, the yacht slowly docked amidst the increasingly tense atmosphere among the examinees.

The third session only lasts 72 hours, so those who arrive earlier can enjoy more rest time before the next exam.

For some individuals who barely manage to complete the exam within 72 hours, their only rest time is this short period on the yacht.

The order of arrival on the island is the same as the order of drawing lots, except that there is a two-minute interval between each person who arrives before the next person is allowed to arrive.

So Lynn once again took the lead and set foot on the island, and then, to the horror of the examinees, stood there.

Lynn stood there with his arms crossed, silently watching everyone with calm and profound eyes, without choosing to venture deeper into the island.

They're not even going to act anymore!

He didn't intend to wait at all; instead, he simply seized it on the spot!

This news came like a bolt from the blue. Everyone's faces changed instantly, turning gloomy like dark clouds before a storm. Although Lynn hadn't shown his strength to the examinees, the mystery surrounding the first-place candidate's passing the third exam and his acquaintance with the examiners was enough to instill fear in them.

Even if you don't want to, rules are rules.

Once the time is up, candidates must go to the island; otherwise, it will be considered a forfeit.

Leorio and Kurapika arrived on the island one after the other.

Until—Hanzo arrives on the island!

When Lynn saw that his target had finally appeared, he walked straight toward him.

"Are you going to hand it to me directly, or should I collect it?"

Hanzo paused for a moment, then tried to assume a fighting stance, not to mention that he had overcome many obstacles to get here.

Even his status as a Jonin of the Cloud Ninja School wouldn't allow him to act cowardly before the battle even begins.

Hanzo's expression was serious, and his tone was firm and powerful: "I know you must be hiding your true strength, but I am also a member of the Cloud Hidden School—"

Hanzo's voice abruptly stopped. He had only spoken halfway when his eyes rolled back, his body went limp, and he fainted.

"Never mind, I'll just take it myself."

Lynn casually took the number plate from Hanzo's pocket and put it into his own pocket.

He doesn't have that much free time to waste here talking nonsense with Hanzo.

He's going to an appointment.

After finishing his work, he was finally able to do what he wanted to do.

Lynn moved and vanished from his spot in an instant, leaving only a wisp of breeze behind.

This action startled the remaining candidates who hadn't yet reached the island, who thought it was haunted.

The island next to Sebi Island.

This is an extremely ordinary-looking island, with almost no living creatures on it, except for an old man waiting for Lynn!

"Hehehe, what an unusual entrance."

Netero looked up at Lynn, who was descending the sky step by step like climbing stairs using [Moonwalk] until he stepped onto the ground.

When Lynn, whom he had been waiting for, suddenly appeared before him, a glint of light flashed in Netero's eyes as he stroked his beard.

An old man and a young boy stood on the ground, looking at each other from a distance.

Lynn had a handsome face, and although he was dressed casually, he still couldn't hide his charisma. He had a sword called Hyōrinmaru, which was the incarnation of the demon princess, hanging at his waist. He didn't have any other weapons.

Netero was wearing a sports T-shirt, clearly ready to stretch his muscles.

Lynn gazed at Netero not far away, a sense of emotion rising within him. At this moment, standing before him was the nominal "strongest in the world," a powerful figure representing an era.

Not everyone has the opportunity to fight Netero; one must have sufficient qualifications.

In addition, he was also curious about what kind of cards he could get if he defeated Netero one day; the level would definitely be S-rank.

Judging from his appearance, he might be a powerful old man like Netero, such as the old master of Under One Person, or Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni of Death.

In terms of ability, he might be Hashirama Senju from Naruto, or Sengoku from One Piece.

Of course, there is also a very small possibility: it could be due to a duplicate name. For example, there is a creature in Toriko with the same name.

"Nitro".

Collecting his thoughts and clearing his mind of all distractions, Lynn looked at Netero with clear eyes, his gaze filled with pure fighting spirit.

Let him experience the combat power of the top level in the six continents!

"Hehehe, very good eyes." Netero looked at Lynn with a smile, his arms hanging naturally at his sides.

That's how it is; the better Lynn is in, the more he can enjoy himself!

Then, Netero assumed a fighting stance and didn't move, and Lynn understood his intention.

"You want me to make the first move, huh?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a large amount of Nen energy suddenly surged from Lynn's body. The results of his long-term hard training were on full display at this moment. A strong air pressure formed around him, and a gale quickly rose up, making his hair fly high, like a Saiyan transforming.

Netero's gaze sharpened as he examined Lynn's [Refinement], secretly praising him. The sheer strength of Lynn's Nen alone surpassed that of many others, demonstrating his formidable power.

Lynn's figure swayed, and the ground beneath his feet suddenly cracked.

There were no fancy opening moves, no probing feints; he knew that against an opponent of Netero's caliber, any unnecessary action would be a weakness.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Netero, his right fist twisting out from his waist, the path of the fist flowing like ripples on water.

The air was compressed by the punch, emitting a low groan, and wherever the fist passed, it seemed to leave behind afterimages like flowing water in the air.

【Water Flow Rock Crushing Fist】

"No knife needed?" Netero neither dodged nor evaded. His strong arm, unlike that of an elderly man, suddenly jerked, and he clenched his fist and punched out.

Peng!

In an instant, the two fists collided, and a jellyfish-shaped shockwave, visible to the naked eye, swept out in all directions, forming a fierce wind that stirred up a large amount of grass and dust.

The next moment, Lynn's expression turned serious. He used his skillful and exquisite Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist with both fists, which was wrapped with abundant Nen and Armament Haki. It looked like a turbulent flow, but it was also steady. While maintaining a tight defense, he also launched an attack on Netero!

But Netero is Netero after all.

With his incredible stats and top-tier skills, he combined to become the world's strongest in the hexagonal world.

Over several rounds, every punch Lynn threw was precisely intercepted by Netero, who used just the right amount of force, only slightly more than Lynn.

Seeing this, a glint flashed in Lynn's eyes. Taking advantage of Netero's punch, he used the Water Stream Rock Smash Fist to counterattack, sparing no expense in expending Nen energy to unleash a powerful punch, clashing fists with Netero once more.

This time the commotion was significantly greater than before.

The ground beneath their feet made a buzzing sound.

"This is—" Netero showed a hint of surprise, his hands moving without stopping as he pushed Lynn away, creating some distance between them.

Netero re-examined Lynn, and his gaze changed again.

Not simple.

If he wasn't mistaken, Lynn's punches were also quite exquisite.

It wasn't Nen ability, nor any martial art he knew.

The core essence of that boxing style lies in the concept of "water." It is soft when encountering hardness and hard when encountering softness. The combination of hardness and softness also contains the explosive power to shatter any rock. Even when it is tightly guarded and defended, it still has the strength to launch an attack, or even use the opponent's force against them. It is very suitable for fighting a war of attrition.

"Interesting." Netero stroked his beard, his wrinkles deepening as he smiled. "This set of boxing techniques is no simple matter. I've seen all kinds of martial arts, big and small, and the set you've demonstrated is absolutely top-notch among the martial arts I know."

He never gave up searching for excellent martial arts, and he fought against all the well-known schools of martial arts across the six continents.

He was certain that such excellent boxing skills could not possibly have remained unknown, and certainly could not have been discovered by him only now.

Then there's only one explanation—this set of boxing techniques was most likely created by Lynn himself!

"What's the name of this set of boxing techniques?" Netero asked, his tone more like that of a peer in martial arts than an elder.

At this moment, he regarded Lynn as a martial artist who shared his pursuit of martial arts.

"Water Flow Rock Shattering Fist," Lynn said truthfully.

"Hehehe, what a great name, Flowing Water Rock Shattering Fist—" Netero laughed loudly; he hadn't been this happy in a long time.

Just witnessing this set of boxing techniques made his trip worthwhile!

"I originally wanted to see your swordsmanship, but I didn't expect you to give me such a pleasant surprise. You're really amazing." Netero exclaimed sincerely, believing that Lynn's talent in martial arts was probably even greater than his own.

At the same age, he didn't have the achievements Lynn has today.

"May I witness your swordsmanship?" Netero asked with a smile.

"Of course, that's exactly what I was thinking too," Lynn said firmly.

He didn't expect to defeat Netero today, but rather regarded this sparring match as an opportunity to assess his own strength.

Therefore, one must exert all one's strength to make a correct assessment.

Netero's eyes gleamed with fighting spirit.

Let him see his superb swordsmanship!

The next moment, Lynn rushed out again and appeared in front of Netero in an instant. Hyōrinmaru was enhanced by Armament Haki and Nen in one go and was pulled out in a very short time, drawing a blinding light.

【One-Sword Style: Lion's Song】!

boom!

In an instant, the sharp blade collided with Netero's arm, and the two astonishing forces created an explosive effect, kicking up a large amount of dust.

Lynn continued his movements without stopping, quickly unleashing slashes with Hyōrinmaru in his hand.

【One-Sword Style: Thirty-Six Troubles of Wind】!

The terrifying slashes created a barrier of sword light and shadow around Lynn. After countless rounds, while attacking Netero, it also caused significant damage to the surrounding environment. The strength it has shown so far is beyond what an ordinary A-rank can handle!

In the smoke and dust, a hand suddenly waved, and although it was only one hand, it seemed as if countless hands were stirring.

A moment later, the thick smoke drifted to the other side, as if an invisible hand had pushed it aside.

As the smoke cleared, Chairman Netero's solemn posture was revealed, with pure white Nen energy surrounding him.

With his right foot on the ground and his left foot tucked in, he clasped his hands together in front of his chest, and a pure aura emanated from Netero, expanding outwards in all directions.

Lynn's expression changed slightly, and he was quite shocked.

At this moment, Netero is assuming the starting stance of the Hundred-Armed Kannon. The image of the "Thousand-Armed Kannon" is the core of Netero's entire martial arts style!

That compassionate essence perfectly aligns with Netero's gratitude and prayerful boxing spirit, making it easy to understand why he incorporates it into his own martial arts.

"Lynn, thank you for the surprise you gave me today."

Netero spoke slowly, and at the same time his right hand began to move, leaving afterimages in Lynn's eyes.

Netero's movements are very strange; he seems to be waving his hand very slowly, but countless afterimages appear.

This was caused by Netero swinging his arm too fast!

The whole process was smooth and graceful, and it was extremely pleasing to the eye. But behind this highly entertaining action lay endless danger!