Law's shutout of Biscuit wasn't just luck, but the result of two grueling months of intense training.
Even after Biscuit hit him ten more times, maintaining the same speed and power as before, she still couldn't land a single two-hit combo, with Law shutting her out completely.
"Hehe."
Under the night sky, seeing Biscuit's frustration, Law couldn't help but laugh smugly. Achieving stable success after all his suffering, how could he not relish the moment?
Biscuit threw away the stick, pretended not to see Law's sly smile, and walked over to a chair in front of the stone house to sit down.
This stone house is their current residence. It was created on the spot by Law using God Hand, and is made entirely of rocks from the Talma Mountain Range.
Since the training ended perfectly without injuries, there was no need for Sanbica to heal Law this time.
"What's the plan for tomorrow?" Law walked over and sat down with Biscuit and Sanbica.
After practicing the stick-beating method for two months and seeing the effects, it's time to change the method.
Sanbica took a fruit that looked like bread and ate it in small bites, quietly looking at Law and Biscuit.
She only persisted halfway through the stick-beating training before quitting, but she did achieve some results, though not as good as Law.
"It's very simple." Biscuit also took the fruit and started eating, then looked at Law with a smile. That smile... was sinister.
Seeing Biscuit's sinister smile, Law instinctively shrank his neck and cautiously asked, "What kind of training?"
Biscuit narrowed her eyes and said calmly: "You'll keep using Ken until you run out of Aura."
"Uh… that does sound simple." Law said.
"Mm." Biscuit nodded.
…
The next morning.
Law activated Ren, opening all his Aura Nodes and letting his Aura pour out freely. He then used Ten to compress the Aura and coat it over his body, forming Ken.
At this moment, Biscuit suddenly struck him with a punch, sending him stumbling back a couple of meters, though he didn't feel any pain.
Biscuit's sudden punch made Law momentarily stunned. Before he knew what was going on, he saw Biscuit flashed behind him and delivered another punch to his back. It still didn't hurt, but it knocked him forward another couple of meters.
"Maintain it."
With those words, Biscuit treated Law like a human punching bag, striking him back and forth.
When she punched, she also used Ken. However, she did not use Ryu to adjust the attack power. Essentially, her attack power of 50 was colliding with Law's defense of 50, resulting in no injuries.
After being punched several times, Law finally realized the meaning behind Biscuit's sinister smile from the night before. He didn't have time to think about it and concentrated on maintaining his Ken.
Each of Biscuit's punches hit a different part of Law's body, sending him swaying around like a drunkard.
From the sidelines, Sanbica observed closely and soon noticed a circle forming around them.
Biscuit was moving along the perimeter, continuously throwing punches, while Law was like a ball trapped inside the circle, bouncing back and forth but never stepping out.
Under normal circumstances, Law could maintain Ken for fifty minutes, while in Nen combat, the minimum standard is thirty minutes.
But just twenty minutes into this 'human punching bag' training, Law's Ken was already becoming unstable and the Aura coating his body began fluctuating unevenly.
'Twenty minutes… not bad.'
Biscuit noted his progress but didn't slow down her punches.
Theoretically, with Law's current foundation, against such relentless and intense attacks, Law shouldn't have been able to last more than ten minutes. But now, he can maintain it stably for twenty minutes, which is the clear evidence of the progress he had made over the past two months.
Once Law's Ken was on the verge of collapse, Biscuit sent him flying out of the circle with a single punch, causing internal injuries.
The training continued until his Aura was fully depleted.
With Sanbica around, Biscuit stuck to the plan without holding back, pushing Law to his limits and drawing blood again and again.
Each punch landing on Law's body penetrated deep into his muscles, drawing out sharp pain.
Over the past two months, Law had endured countless stick strikes, and his pain tolerance had evolved significantly. So now, despite Biscuit's relentless assault, the pain did not interfere with his control over his Aura.
The boring and monotonous training continues every day, rain or shine, without stopping for a single day.
Sanbica witnessed Law's steady transformation with her own eyes. During this time, she even abandoned the obligations she had previously imposed on herself, choosing to stay by Law's side solely to heal him with her abilities.
Time passed, and the date for this year's Hunter Exam drew closer. However, Law had no intention of participating this year. Before heading to Heavens Arena, every bit of his time had to be dedicated to training.
The Hunter Association's Headquarters, Netero's office.
Beans organized the information sent over by Biscuit and handed it to Netero. Taking a glance, Netero quickly scanned the contents before crumpling the paper into pieces and tossing it into the trash.
"Rapid progress." Netero remarked with a smile.
Beans asked, "Will Law take part in this year's Hunter Exam?"
He had read the report as well and knew that Law's progress was astonishing. He was also aware of Law's Nen Exorcism Ability, believing that such a talent should be recruited into the association as soon as possible.
"Who knows?" Netero responded nonchalantly.
Beans's eyes widened and he said, "Chairman, didn't you send Biscuit to train Law specifically to get him to become a Hunter sooner? Why do you seem so indifferent about whether he takes the exam?"
Upon hearing this, Netero immediately asked in confusion: "Did I ask Biscuit to teach Law?"
Beans opened his mouth but could only sigh helplessly, "Wasn't it you who arranged for Biscuit to contact Law?"
Netero nodded and said seriously, "Yes, but I never asked her to train him."
"…"
Hearig this, Beans was momentarily stunned. After thinking about it carefully, it seemed like that was indeed the case.
"Then... what exactly are you planning?"
Netero grinned, stroked his beard, and said, "I'm still thinking about it."
"..." Beans sighed softly in his heart, thinking that with Netero's evil intentions, he didn't know how he wanted to play tricks on Law.
.....
Heavens Arena, the 230th floor.
The stands were packed to the brim, filled with an excited crowd, and all eyes were fixed on the square stone arena in the center.
There were two people standing on the arena and one person was lying on the ground.
Among the two standing, one was a middle-aged referee in uniform, and the other was the towering figure of Atomu.
The referee raised his right hand and declared, "Atomu wins!"
As soon as the words fell, the audience erupted into thunderous cheers.
Atomu stood beside the referee with an expressionless face, though his right arm was visibly broken.
"What a pity! Mr. Garo, who was just one step away from claiming the Floor Master title, has ultimately fallen before Mr. Atomu. Congratulations to Mr. Atomu for defending his qualification as the Floor Master!"
From the commentary box, a young female announcer delivered the final words of the match with a clear and enthusiastic voice.
The cheers of the audience continued unabated as the staff carried the unconscious Garo away on a stretcher, leaving only Antomu and the referee on the arena.
Immediately afterwards, reporters from the TV station came over with microphones, first offering polite congratulations, and then asking Atomu a series of questions.
"Mr. Atomu, how do you feel about defeating Mr. Garo, who earned the right to challenge you with a 10-win, 2-loss record?"
"You lost three points in this match. Is it because you lose three fingers on your right hand?"
"What exactly happened during your 90-day preparation period that led to you losing three fingers?"
"Mr. Atomu, was your hand injury caused by an accident or by someone? If it was someone, who did it?"
Atomu looked coldly at the reporter who asked the last question. When the reporter felt Atomu's Aura, he couldn't help but trembled.
"He will come, and when he does... I will kill him!"
Leaving behind this cryptic statement, Atomu turned and walked away, leaving a group of eager reporters buzzing with excitement.
'He?'
The reporters' eyes lit up and they instantly crafted sensational headlines in their heads.
[Breaking News! Floor Master Atomu's missing fingers was caused by 'Someone'!]
[Who is responsible for Floor Master Atomu's missing fingers? Let us enter the mind of Mr. Atomu!]
[Who is that 'he'!?]