Hunter x Hunter: The Strongest Zoldyck

Chapter 102 The Perception of Qi

"You've already succeeded in the first step of your cultivation."

Biskey leaned back on the sofa, her hands behind her head, her legs crossed and propped up on the edge of the table, looking as lazy as a cat sunbathing.

The fruit candy in her mouth, which was probably the umpteenth one, rolled down to her left cheek and then to her right, making her cheek bulge and crease at different times.

Roy sat on the ground, having taken off his dirty coat, leaving only a tight black undershirt.

There were several small holes in the inner shirt, revealing bruised and purple skin underneath.

He had just washed his face, and the ends of his silvery-white hair still had water droplets clinging to them, glistening like shattered ice under the light.

"But a point is not just about concentrating power at one point."

Bisky lowered her legs, then suddenly sat up straight, her azure eyes staring directly at Roy.

"What you've learned by digging holes is only the most superficial level..."

...the concentration of force.

"That's to lay the foundation for your body, to let your muscles and nerves first remember the feeling of cohesion."

She stretched out a finger and pointed it in the air.

"The next step is the second step... mental concentration."

Roy's eyebrows twitched slightly. He didn't open his eyes, but his slightly slower breathing indicated that he was listening.

"Concentrating your power can make your punches heavier, faster, and more accurate."

"But if you want to sense the Qi, that life energy that seeps out from every cell in your body..."

'

"Muscle memory alone is not enough."

Bisky pointed her finger at Roy's temple: "You need to use this."

"When you're digging, how do you transfer the force from your fingertips to your palm?"

Roy thought for a moment: "Don't think about it, let your body remember it on its own."

"right!"

"But have you ever considered why not thinking about it might be more effective than thinking about it?"

Roy was silent for a moment.

He began to recall that afternoon in the canyon, how whenever he consciously tried to control his power transfer, his movements would always be a beat too slow, and the transmission of force would always get stuck at some joint.

"On the contrary, when he stopped deliberately exerting force and focused only on the action of digging, the transfer of power suddenly became smooth."

"Because...deliberate actions will create resistance."

Roy spoke, as if talking to himself, or perhaps answering Bisky.

"My mind is thinking too fast, and my body can't keep up; there's a delay in between."

"That's right."

Bisky nodded, her tone unusually tinged with admiration.

"Strength is like this, and so is qi, or rather... qi is even more sensitive than strength."

"The more you try to catch it, the more it will slip through your fingers."

"So...you must learn...to let go."

She took two steps back, crossed her arms over her chest, and raised her chin slightly.

"From now on, there is only one thing you need to do: close your eyes, calm your mind, and bring the mindless state you had when you were digging the hole into your consciousness."

Bisky's tone became serious as she said, word by word, "When you're digging a hole, you sense the location of the force by the resistance the soil provides. Where the resistance is greatest, that's where the force should go."

"Now let's try a different approach... You need to use your body to sense the location of the Qi."

"You don't need to deliberately seek it out, just... feel it."

"Feel where it comes from, where it passes through, and where it stops."

"Feel it gathering where you are injured, feel it moving through the gaps in your bones."

"Feel it...like feeling the wind blowing through the canyon. You don't need to try to catch the wind; you just need to know that the wind is blowing."

Roy lowered his eyes, seemingly processing what he had just said.

Bisky looked at his profile and suddenly added, "Your body has reached its limit due to the breakdown. Those torn muscles, worn-out joints, and bones on the verge of collapse... they are now the medium through which you sense Qi."

"Every wound on your body will become a point where energy gathers."

"The more severe the injury, the stronger the energy sensation. This is why people who are on the verge of death sometimes unleash power beyond their limits... It's not because their bodies have become stronger, but because their bodies have finally consciously sensed that power that has always existed but has never been acknowledged."

Creak.....

She sat back on the sofa, crossed her legs again, and resumed her nonchalant demeanor.

"So, your injuries... are not a burden, they are the gateways to your Qi."

Roy's heart skipped a beat. Bisky's words were like a key, opening a door he had never noticed before.

The gateway to thought...

The more severe the injury, the stronger the qi sensation.

He tried to feel his left arm; his shoulder was still throbbing from overexertion.

But this time, he didn't ignore the pain as usual. Instead, he gently and without any deliberate effort focused his attention on the painful area.

Then... he felt it.

It's not pain.

At the heart of the pain, there was a faint, warm, tiny flame-like thing.

The flame was so small that he was almost unsure if it even existed.

But it is indeed there...

Between the torn muscle fibers, deep within the congested and swollen tissue, it burned silently, like a spark buried in ashes.

Roy's breath hitched slightly.

Bisky saw the glint in his eyes and knew he had reached the door.

"How are you feeling?"

Roy was silent for a few seconds, then slowly said, "It's weak, but... very real."

"That's right."

Bisky crossed her arms, a slight smile playing on her lips: "For the next few days, you don't need to rush to enhance it, and you certainly shouldn't try to control it."

"You only need to do one thing... sit down, close your eyes, and see that Mars clearly."

"See where it comes from and where it's going."

"Observe how long it stays on the wound, when it will disperse on its own, and when it will reassemble."

"When you can effortlessly see the complete flow of Qi throughout your body... then you've completed the training of the tongue."

Roy sat there, his right hand unconsciously covering the spot on his left chest where Hisoka had hit him.

There, a more distinct mass of air was slowly swirling, like a small, warm vortex.

He didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.

Bisky waved her hand: "Alright, go to sleep. We'll meet at the usual spot in the canyon first thing tomorrow morning."

Roy got up and walked towards the door.

As he placed his hand on the doorknob, he suddenly paused, turned his head, and looked at Bisky.

"Thanks."

The volume wasn't loud, and the tone was flat, but those two words were spoken with more seriousness than ever before.

Bisky waved her hand impatiently, as if shooing away a fly.

"Don't give me that crap. We'll talk after you survive."

Roy smiled slightly, opened the door, and walked out.

The door closed behind me.

The room fell silent, with only the low hum of the incandescent bulb remaining.

Bisky leaned back on the sofa, looked up at the ceiling, and reflected the pale white light in her blue eyes.

"This is incredible..." she murmured to herself, her voice so soft it was as if she was afraid the neighbors would hear.

"From the perception of strength to qi, I haven't even explained a tenth of it, and he's already found the door on his own."

T

She closed her eyes, but the smile on her lips just wouldn't go away.

"6

"...I definitely made the right choice picking this rough stone."