A few days later, deep inside a mountain range belonging to the ancient Kukan'yu Kingdom.
A gigantic creature—something like a dinosaur—crashed to the ground, the impact shaking the earth and scattering flocks of birds.
"Hm… Judging by its life‑force, this prey must be the most powerful beast in these mountains. It should give your body a decent boost," Linne said softly, watching from nearby as Xiang Nan jumped down from the monster's back.
Xiang Nan had begun training under Linne—specifically, tempering his physical body.
But her method was anything but conventional: instead of ordinary cultivation, he was to absorb the nutrients—the life energy—of slain beasts.
Targets, in other words, whose life‑force was overflowing.
"Why did you have to enrage it before killing it?" Xiang Nan asked, glancing at the dead beast.
He had actually considered searching the continent for a powerful mount—ideally a magical beast. After all, in the original story both the Zoldyck family and Ging Freecss rode extravagant creatures.
The Zoldycks even kept a "guard dog," the fearsome Mike.
With a mount, travel across the Human World would sometimes skip airships or long marches—far more convenient.
"Nonsense… it's an ingredient. Hunting is the first step in cooking, and sourcing is part of the process. If we care only about harvesting life energy—not taste or nutrition—we must first stimulate that energy. It's like haute cuisine: you can't ignore any detail. Beasts like this think almost purely on instinct; their emotions are simple. Rage is the best catalyst, letting them unleash the greatest vitality in the instant before death."
She urged him: "Hurry—while it's still warm, cut the heart out and bring it here."
"Understood."
Xiang Nan complied at once.
The corpse was enormous; its heart alone was surely adult‑sized. A normal hunter would need at least an hour just to dissect it.
Xiang Nan knew his wife could butcher it effortlessly, but right now she clearly wanted him to do the grunt work.
That was fine; as a doctor he could remove a "heart" quickly with his Nen skills.
A surgeon's dissection is surprisingly similar to a chef's prep work.
Minutes later, he hefted the still‑steaming, blood‑soaked heart and laid it on the ground.
Linne clasped her hands before the carcass, her expression solemn, almost reverent—giving thanks for the beast's sacrifice.
"Let's go."
With that, she turned and started off.
Xiang Nan smiled wryly, picked up the heart again, and followed.
…
In the past few days he had reflected on his talks with Linne.
The "emotion" she spoke of was like Chairman Netero's concept of "heart," yet not quite the same.
Kurapika's burning desire for revenge let him push Nen to heights ordinary people could never reach—beyond the Scarlet Eyes.
Later, Gon, to avenge Kite, mortgaged his future life, turned into his adult self, and killed Neferpitou.
Those feats—aside from conditions and vows—were fueled by immense emotion, "heart," catalyzed by intense experience.
Xiang Nan understood the logic, but matching Gon's resolve—mortgaging his future—might well be beyond him.
Because he lacked that emotion—that heart.
And this factor can trigger terrifying transformations in a Nen user's will.
He could not do it yet… but once he found his heart, he could.
Formerly he treated the System as a game, a source of fun. Now he decided it would be more than novelty:
He would lead the Hunter × Hunter world to its very peak.
That is his vision—one he will pursue with total effort and resolve, painting the canvas of his own life and enjoying the scenery along the way.
Professional growth as a Hunter can yield the same results as emotional breakthroughs.
With Linne's guidance he now had direction.
The professional part could wait; for now he at least knew how to become stronger…
…
That night, in a hotel room.
Linne set down a dish in front of Xiang Nan.
The heart that had once been adult‑sized was now, after her cooking, no bigger than a fist.
"Eat."
He obeyed, swallowing the cooked meat.
It tasted lousy and was tough to chew—hardly the work of a top gourmet hunter, but the situation was special.
Before biting, he had checked with Gyo: the flesh still radiated obvious Nen—life energy. Normally that vanishes once a creature dies, yet Linne had locked it in through cooking.
Whether his body could absorb it was another matter; he felt both curious and nervous.
In the original story, some ancient relics carried lingering Nen. Gon and Killua used that fact to judge antiques when "flipping" treasures.
…
Two or three minutes later he sighed—no reaction from his body.
Apparently it had failed. Given his digestion, the meat was surely dissolving already.
"What's the rush?"
Linne smacked her lips—and unleashed her Nen.
A terrifying aura swept the room, the temperature soaring.
Xiang Nan felt the same blistering heat he'd endured when sparring with her.
Emitter type, with Transmutation traits—the Nen she spread was… changing.
"A wok…?"
He soon saw the Nen filling the room take on a hazy outline—of a pot.
"Don't move. Sit still. Open every tenketsu in your body, but keep only the minimum Ren to stay alive—no more than that. The longer you last, the better the result." As she spoke, Linne knelt down and yawned.
Xiang Nan's pupils tightened.
Opening every aura node without control, in these conditions, was incredibly dangerous—worse than forced Nen awakening. It was practically a "wide‑open gate." The high heat and the old woman's aura could easily injure him, and any injury would be severe internal damage.
"Relax. Trust my craft. I'm a gourmet hunter—if I couldn't control the heat, how would I have survived till now?"
"You too… are one of tonight's ingredients."
Sensing his hesitation, she grinned wickedly.
Without further thought Xiang Nan flung every tenketsu wide open.
Instantly his face twisted in agony—his body felt as if roaring flames were searing him from the inside out.
Watching, Linne's lips curved.
A row of shark‑like teeth gleamed in her smile.