Netero seemed unable to hear Beans' words, nor did he have the time to listen.
He stood with his hands behind his back, facing Sean across that single falling leaf, seemingly entering a marvelous state of "self-forgetfulness".
The crowd was immediately confused.
"Eh? Why aren't Uncle and the old grandpa moving?"
Gon tugged at Kurapika's sleeve and asked quietly. In his designated "four-person group", aside from Sean who was fighting, Kurapika had naturally become the second strategist of the small group, at least in Gon's view. He was obviously much stronger than a certain useless Leorio.
"I can't figure it out either." Kurapika frowned deeply. Taking advantage of a moment when no one was noticing, his eyes were already turning deep scarlet.
But the sole surviving youth of the Kurta Clan had not yet opened his refined nodes. Even if he fully unleashed his Scarlet Eyes, he could not compare to Buhara, Menchi, Satotz, Hisoka, and Illumi who were using "Gyo".
"It's not that they aren't moving, but that you cannot see it." Satotz's leisurely voice drifted over, kindly resolving the confusion for all the doubtful candidates present. "The two of them have now entered a marvelous state called [Heart Drop Fist Listening]!"
"Legend has it that before people die, they experience a magical revolving lantern, reviewing their entire life in an extremely short period."
"Under the enhancement of this state, time and space are screened out, becoming completely meaningless concepts."
"Only the spirit and will, or perhaps the soul, remain within it. This is the so-called [Heart Drop Fist Listening]!"
"It is also a rare phenomenon that appears in duels between experts."
Satotz spoke eloquently, explaining the [Heart Drop Fist Listening] he knew to all the candidates. However, limited by his strength, what he did not know was...
The true [Heart Drop Fist Listening] was more than just that.
Aside from time and space twisting into a momentary standstill, under the enhancement of the [Heart Drop Fist Listening] state, the users could even be perverse enough to...
Pry into the opponent's inner voice!
Because Heart Drop equals the sensation of time, and Fist Listening equals the opponent's thoughts. This is the true meaning of [Heart Drop Fist Listening].
In the original work, when Zeno rode a giant dragon carrying Netero and descended upon the Ant King's palace like a Dragon Dive, the catwoman Neferpitou, who was responsible for guarding the palace, leapt up to stop them. It was at that moment she entered the state of [Heart Drop Fist Listening] and heard Netero's thoughts:
"I anticipated several patterns of attack and defense, but I didn't expect you to make a bad move, little ant."
Subsequently, in less than 0.001 seconds, Neferpitou hurriedly broke free from the [Heart Drop Fist Listening] state, only realizing then that she had "found" the wrong person!
The opponent's Nen was as terrifyingly quiet as a vast ocean. Silent when still, but once moving, it would set off a tsunami capable of swallowing her whole at any moment.
And at this moment, Sean, who had actively stepped into the domain of [Heart Drop Fist Listening] alongside Netero, felt it even more clearly than during their first meeting ten years ago. He did not behave as unbearably as the catwoman; on the contrary, Netero's old face twitched, and his eyes nearly popped out in shock!
"Haven't seen you in a few years, brat. How did your Heart Lake expand to be so large?"
Not only that, Netero let out a rare, uncomposed cry of surprise: "Why are there people in your Heart Lake?!"
"Surprised?" Sean blinked at Netero. "This isn't the time for you to be distracted, Old Man."
[Heart Drop Fist Listening] extension.
The Ice Dragon, formed from the entire stream, moved with Sean's will. Its giant tail swung, revealing its majestic head and horns. Facing the horrified gazes of the candidates, it roared furiously, leaned down, and charged in!
"Whoosh." A gale rose. The air along the path whimpered.
Between heaven and earth, it seemed only one color remained, and that was black!
"It's too dark! My god. Even though the opponent is Netero, Teacher Ben An doesn't look like he's joking."
"That dragon... I couldn't tell when it was coiled up, but once stretched out, why is it so long? It even blocked the damn sun!"
In a brief moment, the nine-fold true dragon emerged, washing away the emptiness of ten thousand ages!
The Ice Dragon meandered downwards, its body nearly a thousand meters long. Its dragon whiskers shook like two iron anchors, shattering the flowing clouds.
This familiar scene felt like it had happened just yesterday.
Even though the trio of Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio had been fortunate enough to witness this once on the "Sea God", staring at it now with wide eyes, they inevitably found themselves shaken by this domineering and peerless giant dragon.
Let alone the group of rookies seeing it for the first time, who hadn't opened their refined nodes and didn't even know what "Nen" was!
"Damn. As expected of Teacher Ben An who can draw Pirate King!"
"He can even create a damn dragon. Monkey D. Dragon, that guy, surely he wasn't created by Teacher Ben An using himself as a template!"
"That's possible. I even feel that those Devil Fruits might not be fabricated out of thin air..."
"Holy cow! Now that you mention it... I'm getting goosebumps. Does it have to be this exaggerated?"
Exclamations rose clamorously. The rookies truly witnessed the power of the Ice Dragon and felt ashamed of their small perspectives for the first time.
But in the eyes of Buhara, Menchi, Satotz, Hisoka, and Illumi, that "Ice Dragon" was not merely a dragon, but a manifestation of Sean's vast and oceanic aura!
Without sufficient aura, it would be completely impossible to support such a long giant dragon, let alone manipulate it with such ease.
"It really is ridiculous..."
"Sean Zoldyck, this guy, definitely isn't just at the Second Limit Break! Perhaps he has already reached the Third Limit Break."
Menchi bit her lip halfway, her gaze locking dead onto the Ice Dragon.
Two dragon horns suddenly thrust upward, rippling the air. Following Sean's will, it went straight for Netero's face!
Netero narrowed his eyes and laughed. "Indeed. Fighting with you, brat, one cannot relax for even a single moment."
"Crack." The Grand Chairman simply rolled his shoulder blades. His feet stomped onto the ground with a snap, rooting him in a horse stance. Surprisingly, he neither dodged nor evaded, waiting directly for the Ice Dragon to open its mouth and bite at him.
Suddenly, he shouted in a low voice: "Up!"
He keenly caught an opening, lowered his waist slightly, extended his arms, and with palms shaped like blades, pierced into the Ice Dragon's neck. Immediately after, he threw with force.
A beautiful over-the-shoulder throw directly slammed the Ice Dragon, from head to tail, onto the ground!
"Boom!" The earth trembled. [Heart Drop Fist Listening], Broken!
Flying gravel kicked up a cloud of dust that swept violently toward the surroundings.
Amidst the haze, Sean's figure was already gone!
"Where is Teacher Ben An?" The candidates finally witnessed what was meant by "The World's Strongest Man"!
They hurriedly searched for Sean's figure, wondering if he had been crushed into meat paste by Chairman Netero in a single move.
But unexpectedly, a startled cry came, pulling everyone's thoughts back to reality.
"Look up!"
The great sun hung in the sky, shedding golden brilliance. Unknown to anyone, a black dot had obscured the sun!
He stood with arms crossed over his chest, stepping on ripples, walking down slowly. Each time his foot landed, it seemed as if a staircase of air was generated out of thin air, supporting him firmly. Looking closely, who else could it be but Sean, also known as Teacher Ben An?!
"My god. How did Teacher Ben An get up into the sky?"
Cries of alarm rose one after another. Candidates including Hanzo, Bourbon, Ponzu, Cherry, and Geretta stared in shock at Sean walking down the steps. They were dumbfounded!
"Huh... Don't you guys know? Uncle can fly," Gon's innocent voice rang out. It failed to resolve everyone's doubts but instead fueled the flames, causing an even greater uproar.
My eyes aren't blind, I can see that myself. The key is... "How did he do it?"
Buhara, Menchi, Satotz, Hisoka, and Illumi obviously perceived it more deeply than these rookies. They could faintly hear some fragmented sonic booms coming from the ripples oscillating beneath Sean's feet.
So it was certain... This was not some Nen ability. It felt more like a type of physical technique!
"Ho ho ho. It is [Moon Walk]." Facing Sean directly, no one saw it more clearly and meticulously than Netero. Those fragmented sonic booms were nothing else but the wailing of the air being forcibly exploded by Sean relying on his own tyrannical strength.
Wasn't this exactly the Moon Walk from the Navy Six Styles?
"Manga... Manga... It's not just for entertainment. Sometimes, you can also learn something from it, children."
Netero looked up at Sean, the corners of his mouth hooking diagonally upward, as if to demonstrate to the candidates what "learning" meant. He stomps his foot upwards, and with a "Bang", the air explodes. A weak buoyancy was born, surprisingly supporting him as he stepped up toward the sky.
And with this first step, came the second and the third. Just like that, "Bang... Bang... Bang..." Netero actually clumsily copied Sean and flew into the sky!
From the initial unfamiliarity to proficiency within just a few steps, and then to final mastery. This learning talent was truly shocking to hear of!
"Chairman!" This was the gold standard of the World's Number One! The candidates, including several examiners, watched Netero ascending to the heavens, their gazes passionate and envious.
However... "The battlefield is not your practice ground, Old Man."
Sean paused his steps, standing erect in the sky above. He quietly watched Netero walking up step by step. The corner of his mouth hooked up, and the hand holding the Kusanagi Sword suddenly slashed downward.
A simple, unadorned normal attack cleaved straight toward the center of Netero's brow.
A green slash. A crescent-shaped ribbon of energy. Swordsmanship taken from Hawkeye.
Great Swordsman, Dracule Mihawk!