Illumi's appearance definitely caught Xiang Nan by surprise.
But given his newbie protection period, Xiang Nan didn't give it much weight.
Because he still had his own matters to attend to, there was no time to waste on something like that.
As for whether Illumi would continue making trouble for him later on...Xiang Nan would be ready anytime.
If he wanted to keep going in this world, living with fear and hesitation would certainly not last long.
Another week passed, and Manman finally advanced beyond the 150th floor. Her climbing speed noticeably slowed. Once she was above floor 150, her disadvantages began to show, and her weaknesses became obvious.
It was very simple… Even if she possessed Nen, in her main‑personality state, Manman—despite being able to channel some basic offense or defense—still had no way to effectively strike back against skilled fighters who had refined combat techniques.
Her offensive and evasive moves, as well as her on‑the‑spot thinking, were too naive. Even if she had a Nen boost, it was meaningless if she couldn't land a single hit.
As for Nen techniques, Manman still wasn't making any real progress.
Hence, in her matches, a typical sight was:
At 150+ floors, her opponent would just wildly pummel her… Yes, pummel.
Frenzied, stormlike martial arts combos practically left her no chance to defend, only to raise her arms to shield her head… She was somewhat lucky that, with Nen providing a baseline layer of protection, her opponent couldn't break her guard in a short time.
But if her aura got drained completely, then the tide would change.
In fact, Xiang Nan had taught her a method—using malevolent intent combined with her Nen aura to scare off opponents in battle. At this stage, most normal fighters simply could not withstand a burst of Nen intimidation.
However, the degree of that intimidation also depends on the user's own mindset and spirit.
Because the main Manman was just a timid young girl, she wasn't able to muster hostility from her own heart… so…
That led to the current result.
Of course, she had made a bit of progress compared to when she first arrived at Heaven's Arena.
Her fundamentals had improved. At least she was much stronger now than she used to be.
Because Nen protected her overall life state, she rarely awakened her second personality in the middle of fights. She could endure the opponent's onslaught in matches, though she'd appear overwhelmingly abused. And if the foe slipped up even slightly and got hit by one of her blows, that was practically the end.
As a result, Xiang Nan did not worry about her advancement.
One could see that once you break past the 150th floor, the match atmosphere and intensity ramp up dramatically—the fighters' overall skill went up a notch.
You have to know, even a Nen‑capable fighter requires martial arts or battlefield experience to wield Nen effectively. Without a foundation of real combat skills and ways to respond to the enemy, no matter how high one's Nen level, it's just icing on the cake, with no real substance.
Additionally, above the 150th floor, the audience at every match seemed to be in an excited frenzy—fervently shouting so loud it felt like the roof might pop off.
When they roared, many people's faces turned red with passion.
Such intensity hardly happened on the lower floors.
The main reason: gambling!
Though there were wagers on the lower floors, it was far from the scale at higher floors. Each betting pool involved substantial funds—depending on the assigned matchups and each side's odds.
All over this city, you find countless large and small casinos. Among the spectators, besides a fighter's fans or those who simply love martial arts, many are gamblers. The outcome of a single match determines whether they rake in a fortune or go bankrupt.
Hence, the arena's energy was especially hot‑blooded.
Immersed in that environment, it was easy to be swept up by the crowd.
However, Xiang Nan merely went to watch one or two of Manman's bouts after she reached floor 150. The rest of the time, he stayed on the 200+ floors to watch matches between Nen users.
He had come to Heaven's Arena not just to train Manman.
He had his own plans, and Manman was merely someone he put out in the open to attract other people's attention… letting him act behind the scenes.
…
On a certain day, in a women's clothing store in a local mall:
Inside a fitting room, a woman with her hair in a bun was undressing her coat, preparing to try on the new outfit she had her eyes on.
At that moment, the curtain was suddenly pulled aside, and a man stepped in.
The woman wore nothing but a bikini‑style bra. She was just holding the new garment in her hands, and, seeing someone barge in, she showed no sign of panic.
She didn't even look up, simply giving a faint sigh of annoyance:
"Want an autograph?"
She assumed he was a fan. This sort of thing was not the first time she'd dealt with it. As a two‑hundred‑plus‑floor fighter at Heaven's Arena, she was fairly well known in this city.
The intruder did not reply.
Sensing no response, the woman then glanced at the mirror. From the mirror's reflection, she saw a tall man in a black windbreaker.
Her eyes sharpened, but she remained rather calm.
"What do you want?"
the woman asked knowingly, clearly sensing his malicious aura.
"Though this isn't Heaven's Arena, you realize what happens if you want to fight me here… Don't you?"
Yes, in Heaven's Arena, official rules discouraged causing trouble, plus Nen users typically showed some restraint and wouldn't kill on stage lightly. Though there were occasional fatalities—if certain special conditions were met, or if the target refused to give up.
But outside, with no ring constraints or official staff around, a conflict between Nen users depended solely on their own decision.
This woman was obviously warning him: As a 200+ floor competitor with a record of three wins and one loss, she was no pushover. On the 200+ floors, each victory came at great difficulty. She was quite confident in her own power.
In front of Xiang Nan, she just went on changing, putting on the clothes she'd picked, even taking out a lipstick to apply in the mirror. Seeing Xiang Nan keep quiet, she thought he might have been intimidated by her words.
"I've never seen you around… Did you just arrive above 200 floors? Gutsy of you to come track me down so brazenly. Maybe you're also from some backwoods, huh?"
She called him "backwoods" referring to Stars.
Similarly 200‑floor players—some from that group had bragged about being from "Nowhere's Town" (the so‑called "no‑name village"). It didn't necessarily refer only to Stars, but from times when players first came to this world, they might mention they were from some unknown place. Over the years, the name stuck.
Before her in the past, those Stars members who lacked genuine power would only dare to pick on weaker Nen users. But a major fighter like herself—ranked among the top, with a decent record—they wouldn't risk provoking her so casually, to avoid needless casualties.
But Xiang Nan wasn't one of them.
"I watched your last match… I'm intrigued by your Nen ability,"
Xiang Nan smiled faintly as he spoke to the mirror,
"Or should I say… I'm a bit curious how you came up with it. I want to understand your creation process…"
The woman finally turned around, staring him in the eye:
"How disappointing…
"If you were here to profess your love, I wouldn't mind letting something interesting happen with you right here. You've got the looks and a nice figure.
"But my Nen secrets? Sorry, not happening. If in some future match we face off, revealing any details would be a headache for me."
She crossed her arms and sneered,
"Besides, you folks from Nowhere's Town have gained a bad reputation above 200 floors… Everyone knows what your lot is up to.
"Just leaning on your numbers, right? Alone, you can't stir any big waves."
Having said this, she gave a mocking grin and made to leave.
Xiang Nan simply shifted a half step to block her path.
"Really won't consider it?" he asked, smiling as he slowly pulled on a pair of white gloves.
Sensing danger, the woman retreated a step, abruptly flaring her aura.
In an instant, pinkish fragrance diffused through the cramped fitting room. She gave a cold smirk, eyes brimming with killing intent.
But in the next moment… her face froze.
Because… she realized her Nen ability was having no effect at all on this man.
"Y‑you…"
She immediately recognized the implication.
Her ability produced an aromatic "body fragrance," imposing certain effects.
Given how thickly the scent now blanketed the small space, in theory she'd hold a natural advantage. She was an Emitter type (Release type).
Yet the man seemed entirely unfazed.
Her ability required that the target have some "interest" in her, i.e. the natural attraction a female might hold over a male. If that condition were not met, it wouldn't be triggered.
Clearly… He wasn't drawn in at all. Possibly, he didn't even see her as a woman. Or thought she had zero appeal.
A white‑gloved hand reached through the pinkish haze and seized her head.
"When I watched your match, I guessed as much.
"Yes, your Nen design is straightforward enough,"
Xiang Nan gave a casual chuckle.
And just as she was about to cry out, the other hand clamped her throat.
"Since you won't tell me…
"I'll just have to forcibly take it myself."
"Don't worry… this won't take long."
Hearing him speak so close at hand, the woman felt a deep chill in her bones. His motion was too quick, too ruthless—she didn't even have time to react.
At that point, she realized: This level of skill definitely wasn't from those "Nowhere's Town" nobodies she was used to.
~~~
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