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

Chapter 144 Lynn is a fruit farmer! The power of public opinion!

Lynn remained expressionless as she listened to the reporter's interview.

After becoming the thread starter, he finally received the same treatment as everyone else, and had his own title: [Strongest Newcomer].

It would be even better if the words "newcomer" could be removed.

However, this title is not bad; at least he can accept it.

After taking the microphone, Lynn said, "Hello everyone, I'm Lynn."

"I am single-mindedly pursuing the highest realm of martial arts and yearn to fight against more strong opponents."

"Since some of the posters are rarely in the Sky Arena, making it difficult to challenge them, I'm extending a challenge to all posters with higher floors than mine!"

Lynn had barely finished speaking when the reporter next to her seemed to freeze, unable to process what he was saying.

What did he just say?

"Of course, if you are afraid and unwilling to fight me, I can understand."

It wasn't until Lynn added the next sentence and handed the microphone back to the reporter that she realized what had just happened.

Lynn directly provoked the other posters during the live stream, forcing them to fight him.

As the highest-ranking members of the Sky Arena, none of the hosts are without pride in their status.

At the same time, the reputation of the landlord is a tool for them to make a steady stream of money, so they naturally can't stand anyone provoking them.

If someone doesn't want to agree to a fight, it makes it seem to the audience like they're afraid of Lynn.

You, a well-established and highly ranked thread owner, are actually afraid of a new thread owner?

If most of those forum hosts weren't secluded, focused on their cultivation, or too busy making money to engage in combat, he wouldn't have resorted to this drastic measure.

Because the Sky Arena requires both sides to agree to host the match.

Meanwhile, Lynn's speech also attracted many people watching the live stream.

It has to be said that many people come to challenge the Sky Arena, but Lynn is the first to put down such "ambitions" so soon after becoming a host!

Suddenly, people had different opinions about Lynn.

Some people think that Lynn is just a boastful braggart who dares to challenge established forum hosts after getting the title of "strongest newcomer".

Some people think that Lynn is highly skilled and daring, and may have real talent. After all, his record speaks for itself. He even defeated the 238th floor boss in one move. To this day, no one knows where Lynn's limit is.

Lynn—is he planning to challenge the other posters?

The two children could hear obvious confidence in Lynn's words. Since he said that, it was clear that he was very confident of breaking through the Sky Arena.

I wonder just how strong Lynn really is?

On the other side, Lynn left immediately after speaking, leaving the reporter who had been brainstorming in the middle of it all still standing there in a daze.

After some discussion, the higher-ups at Sky Arena tacitly approved of Lynn's actions!

After all, Lynn's words successfully attracted a lot of attention.

The vast majority of viewers expressed their desire to see Lynn and the landlord fight, and these ticket fees would amount to a considerable sum.

Over time, those posters gradually turned into money-grubbing individuals, and they would even refuse to play a simple exhibition match when asked to.

With Lynn putting pressure on them and generating buzz, it's all to their advantage as Sky Arena officials.

After all, Lynn is also the host, one of our own.

Lynn lost, which is normal and shows that the quality of the Sky Arena hosts is still good.

Lynn's victory is still a good thing, it shows that the Sky Arena's leaders are getting stronger and stronger, each generation surpassing the last!

So the official channels actively promoted Lynn's live stream, and the interview was played on repeat in Sky Arena and other regions.

After a series of promotional efforts, Lynn was transformed in the public eye from a "rude and arrogant" madman into a master who was single-mindedly pursuing martial arts and unmoved by fame and fortune.

As time went by, public opinion continued to ferment.

Hotel suite, living room.

Today is the day we check on our apprentices' progress once a week.

"Watch me!"

Leorio unleashed his full power with [Refinement], sending out bursts of Nen energy that created considerable shockwaves, captivating Kurapika who was watching intently—soon, he too would possess such power!

Thanks to Lynn's tutelage, Kurapika already has a good understanding of all aspects of Nen, except for the fact that he hasn't yet mastered it.

Even so, he still couldn't truly experience this ability until he had it in person.

No matter how many books you read, you still need to actually get hands-on experience.

Lynn surveyed Leorio's achievements and nodded slightly.

Leorio has now thoroughly mastered the four fundamental skills and learned the relatively simple advanced application technique, "Shu," and has become more proficient in his Nen abilities.

With the addition of extra skills learned, such as [Shave] and [Finger Gun], he is roughly at the B-level strength.

B-rank might not mean much to him, and he could easily wipe them out, but in the entire Nen user circle, he is already considered a good one. If Leorio works hard, he might not be unable to get the position of the leader.

"Attack me," Lynn signaled Leorio to attack first.

"Master, please have mercy!" Leorio said helplessly.

Leorio's chanting has changed rapidly, from "Master, be careful!" when he first started chanting to "Master, please have mercy!" now.

Before and when he started chanting, he only had a vague concept of his master's strength; he only knew that he was very strong.

But when he actually embarked on the path of "mindfulness," he realized that his master's skill was not just strong, it was incredibly strong.

He naturally couldn't bring himself to say something like, "Master, be careful."

As soon as he finished speaking, Leorio activated his portable operating room, a five-meter radius space that encompassed both him and Lynn.

Lynn's expression suddenly changed, because Leorio had vanished instantly. In the blink of an eye, Leorio had moved behind him and simultaneously stabbed at his waist with the [Zhou] enhanced scalpel.

This kid—can he already teleport?

Lynn's lips curled slightly. He grabbed Leorio's outstretched right hand and threw him forward. Leorio fell hard on his butt.

"Hiss~ Master, you're too fast." Leorio pretended to fall and hurt himself, grimacing and gasping for breath, before rubbing his butt and getting up.

"Stop pretending. With your [Entanglement], you wouldn't feel any pain from a fall at all," Lynn said bluntly, continuing, "But you did give me a surprise today. I didn't expect you could teleport."

"Hehe, I've been waiting to give Master a surprise today." Leorio scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed.

Leorio's spatial teleportation is related to the weight of the object. At first, he could only teleport items weighing less than 20 kilograms, but now he can teleport items weighing as much as a person. In this way, he can achieve instantaneous teleportation and launch a surprise attack on the enemy.

However, this also requires a lot of Nen energy. With his current Nen energy, he can only teleport at close range, and the remaining Nen energy is only enough for a short period of combat.

On the other side, Kurapika was also greatly impressed by the abilities Leorio displayed.

The ability to teleport, something only found in storybooks, was being used by Leorio today, and he quickly realized how much of an advantage it was in the ever-changing battle.

If the enemy were not his master Lynn, but someone of similar or even weaker strength to Leorio, the outcome would probably be decided in the very first encounter—that's the power of Nen!

A mysterious and captivating ability that allows you to know nothing about your opponent's abilities until you witness it firsthand, thus enabling you to exploit this information gap to defeat them or even achieve great victories with limited resources.

Strictly speaking, this was the second time Kurapika had witnessed a battle between Nen users.

The first time was during Lynn's battle with Mianying, but due to the vast difference in their strength and the fact that he was watching from a distance, he was unable to get a clear picture of the situation.

Leorio's Instant Transmission demonstration today has given him a lot of insights.

Seeing Leorio's obvious progress and Kurapika's newfound inspiration, Lynn nodded almost imperceptibly, a look of satisfaction on his face.

If they continue to be trained like this, their future achievements will be at least A-level. Putting aside the cards for now, they can also do things for him.

The fruit grower's plan is going very smoothly!

Then, Lynn discovered that Leorio had just unlocked a new card.

【Name: Ghost Cry】

[Rank: B—]

[Type: Item Card]

[Background: One Piece]

[Description: Trafalgar D. Water Law's sword, a demonic sword, is hard and durable. It is imbued with a trace of spatial energy, and its power is slightly enhanced when used in a special space, making it easier to cut through objects.]

It's not a high-grade knife; it's a B-grade knife.

Law's "Oni-Ku" (Devil Cry), a fruit of the Op-Op Fruit, is not only hard and durable, but can also enhance its cutting power within a special space.

The discovery of this knife confirmed his two conjectures.

Each major stage of a person's growth presents an opportunity for a breakthrough in their abilities.

Previously, Leorio had never been in Nen mode before, but when he was in Nen mode, he went from having no rank to C-rank. After defeating him, I was lucky enough to get some cards.

Leorio has now been upgraded from C-rank to B-rank, and after defeating him, I successfully obtained another card.

The next time might be when Leorio reaches A-rank. At that time, he won't be able to fight him casually anymore, because he plans to let Leorio take over the position of the twelve earthly branches in the future, giving him another chance to break the spell.

Judging from Leorio's discovery of Law's "Kikoku" (Demon Cry), it's highly likely that he can influence a person's development, thereby causing cards to appear in a specific direction.

For example, Leorio now possesses a Nen ability that is very similar to the Op-Op Fruit's ability, which is why Law's sword was revealed.

Next time, who knows, we might get a [Operation Fruit].

Of course, this conjecture isn't entirely accurate. Perhaps it's because Leorio and Law are both doctors that the "Kiko-wa" (demon's cry) was revealed.

However, the probability is very small. He still believes more in his previous idea that as long as he selectively changes and shapes a person, that person will have a chance to obtain the corresponding card.

In this way, once Leorio and Kurapika become the twelve Earthly Branches, it may be possible for a talisman to be unearthed.

Before that, he had to quickly attack the other Earthly Branches. If any Earthly Branch didn't produce a talisman, he would have to consider how to replace that person with his apprentice.

Collecting his thoughts, Lynn flipped his right hand and magically produced the [Demon Cry] in his hand, then handed it to Leorio.

"This is a gift for you. It's a nice knife, and it would suit you perfectly."

"For me? Thank you, Master!" Leorio was taken aback at first, then thanked him first, deciding to express his gratitude regardless.

His master would never betray him.

Leorio then took the Kiku and examined the sword closely. He found that it was different from any sword he had seen before, and it had a unique feel that made him particularly fond of it.

It was as if his subconscious was telling him that this was a knife that suited him perfectly.

"A fine sword," Leorio exclaimed instinctively. "Looks like I need to practice my swordsmanship too; I can't let this sword go to waste."

He used scalpels before, which had nothing to do with normal swords.

Even so, Lynn believed that it was most suitable to give it to Leorio, since the effect of [Kikoku] was that it was easier to cut within space, which perfectly suited Leorio, the "bootleg Ope Ope no Mi user".

In addition, it's a bit of a hassle for Leorio to carry a scalpel around all day to cut things. It's fine for small objects, but when it comes to larger things, a long knife is much more useful.

As for Kurapika, he also prepared a gift, but he will give it to him after the ceremony begins.

It's mid-February now. Kurapika has been training for over a month, and his physical condition has changed dramatically. He has also reached the 170th floor of the Heaven's Arena.

He planned to wait until Kurapika had settled down for a while and reached the 200th floor before he could start using Nen.

A few days later, more than half a month after the interview.

The pressure from public opinion finally made one of the posters unable to sit still and choose to challenge Lynn to prove his strength.

This person was none other than the original owner of the 238th floor, the leader of Jiao Qi's small group, and the owner of the 244th floor, the "Dancer" Jeslev.

Lynn was naturally pleased with this, as floor 244 was considered a high-quality target in the Sky Arena.

Soon, the day of the competition arrived.

Sky Arena venue.

The audience seats were packed with people, with no seats available.

Thanks to Lynn's previous remarks, the popularity of this match far exceeded that of the usual host matches. Many scalpers have inflated the price of tickets to ten times the original price, but even so, tickets are still hard to come by.

In the audience, Leorio, Kurapika, and the two little ones, Gon and Killua, sat together, waiting for Lynn to appear.

"Finally, we can see Lynn's match again." Yun Gu pushed up his glasses and said in a warm tone. If you didn't look at the exposed corner of his clothes and his slightly disheveled hair, you would think he was a very clear-headed person.

"So, Mr. Yung-ku had watched Mr. Lynn's matches before?" Xiao-jie exclaimed in sudden realization.

"Yes, although there weren't many, every single one was unforgettable." Yun Gu closed his eyes, as if reminiscing.

"Sigh~ I wonder who's stronger between you two? Have you ever fought in private?" Qi Ya asked curiously, his hands behind his head.

"Ahem." Yun Gu coughed twice unconsciously, recalling the result of his previous sparring with Lin En, and forced a smile, saying, "My skills still need improvement."

"If we're talking about sparring, perhaps it would be more appropriate for my master to fight Lynn—"

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