Spirit Echoes.
This is a realm only the most elite masters can touch.
Throughout the entire world, only a handful have mastered it.
This state ability allows one to perceive an opponent's mental activity in an extremely short time while drastically accelerating one's own thought processes.
It can be considered an advanced form of "instantaneous thinking explosiveness."
Compared to the instantaneous thinking stage where experts like Biscuit and Zeno reside, Spirit Echoes not only maintains the characteristic of high-speed thinking but also possesses greater thought endurance.
Its remarkable aspect lies in extending the duration of thought while capturing crucial information from the opponent's mental activity, thereby seizing the initiative in offensive and defensive exchanges.
However, this realm is not about foreseeing the future.
Thus, even if one touches the threshold, if physical capabilities cannot keep up with the drastically accelerated thought rhythm, it becomes difficult to use accelerated thinking to intervene in the offensive and defensive process under "real-time flow."
Of course.
Whether thought and body can synchronize depends on the opponent faced.
If it's Netero's 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, even if Morrow could now skillfully utilize the realm ability of Spirit Echoes, the outcome would remain unchanged.
Nevertheless, to touch that threshold at such a young age... Though Netero's expression remained unchanged, his heart was already surging with waves.
Youth, how wonderful...
He silently marveled in his heart, moved by the tenacious will to win Morrow displayed despite being at a disadvantage, and delighted by the dazzling potential for the future that existed within Morrow.
The path ahead remains filled with unknowns, but such an outstanding junior is steadily advancing step by step.
What else is there to hold onto?
Beneath his long beard, Netero's lips slowly curved into a smile.
He closed his eyes, as if to solidify this spontaneously arising emotion and joy within his heart, forming an "OK" gesture with each hand before overlapping them vertically.
「100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva: 99th Hand」
The solemn golden Guanyin did not fully manifest within the limited space of this dimensional room, yet the multiple golden arms condensed through the power of Nen still obeyed Netero's pure and sincere will... pouring forth all their power, along with the admiration in his heart, unreservedly toward Morrow.
In an instant, countless palm shadows streaked across like flowing light, as if containing infinite techniques within.
At this moment, even the briefest thought of how to counter the palm strikes was undoubtedly a waste of time.
This old man...
Morrow had been calculating how to hold out until Astral Step's cooldown ended, but the next moment he witnessed Netero executing the 99th Hand in a partial Guanyin form... all his tactical deductions and considerations instantly vanished like smoke.
Only one thought remained in his mind: This is going to kill someone!
Boom, boom, boom...!
Continuous palm shadows descended like a crushing mountain, instantly swallowing his figure.
The sharp palm winds carried terrifying impacts, violently crashing against the walls, ceiling, and floor of the dimensional room.
Within this confined space, the entire area shook violently as if struck by a powerful earthquake, seeming on the verge of collapse at any moment. As the blinding golden light from the palm strikes continuously flashed, even a corner of Morrow's clothing was no longer visible.
While mobilizing the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva to strike, Netero paid no attention to Morrow's current state.
He kept his eyes closed the entire time, single-mindedly pouring out all the emotions in his heart.
—--
Meanwhile.
Inside Room 2, the second largest space within the Hide and Seek, Knov and the others suddenly felt a distinct tremor beneath their feet.
Before they could react, the trembling intensified abruptly.
Immediately after, the entire room began to shake as if experiencing an earthquake.
What's happening!?
Everyone who had entered as "guests" simultaneously turned their gaze toward Knov, the owner of Hide and Seek.
But at this moment, Knov also wore an expression of shock and confusion.
Because he realized that the source of this vibration likely originated from the largest room where Morrow and Netero were fighting.
However, he had never experienced such a situation before.
What baffled him even more was that the vibrations could transmit across the dimensional barriers of the rooms.
This completely contradicted his understanding of the Hide and Seek ability.
It must be caused by the Chairman and Morrow's battle... but how is that possible?
Knov stared at the tightly shut door, muttering to himself with disbelief in his eyes.
Every room in Hide and Seek is completely independent; it should isolate "everything"...
The unimaginable was happening right before his eyes.
This made Knov begin to doubt the absolute isolation of his Hide and Seek ability.
Coupled with the psychological trauma left from the assault on the Chimera Ant Nest, he unconsciously bit down hard on his thumb.
Hearing Knov's explanation, the others reacted with either shock or uneasy suspicion.
The only certainty was, the battle between Morrow and Chairman Netero was intense.
So intense that it could shake the very foundations of Knov's Hide and Seek.
Such tremendous commotion inevitably made everyone worry about the outcome of this duel.
After all, both Chairman Netero and Morrow were irreplaceable combatants in the second assault on the Chimera Ant Nest.
If this so-called warm-up duel were to affect the second assault, it would be disastrous.
—--
Hide and Seek, Room 1.
The onslaught of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva: 99th Hand continued.
Thunderous impacts echoed through the space as if the entire room was groaning under the force.
Netero didn't need to rely on his eyes; with every palm strike, he could clearly discern through tactile feedback whether Morrow was still resisting.
Even after more than half the strikes had been unleashed, he could still feel the violent collisions of Nen.
Hoho...
Even without visual confirmation, Netero could imagine that Morrow must be curling up his body to reduce the surface area exposed to attacks.
Reducing the exposed area would naturally strengthen the defensive power of his Nen.
This was indeed the only countermeasure Morrow could employ under the circumstances.
However, it was ultimately futile.
Although this was the largest room in Hide and Seek, it remained far too cramped for a duel between top-tier Nen users.
Especially for an Emission ability user like Morrow; the spatial constraints undoubtedly stifled the advantage his Nen type could provide in terms of range. In contrast, if Netero couldn't materialize the complete form of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva in such a confined space, it would also impose restrictions on his ability to fight at full strength.
Yet the outcome proved that Netero could overcome environmental constraints, using his mental fortitude to precisely and vividly manifest the overwhelming assault of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.
This resulted in Morrow being completely suppressed by the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva: 99th Hand.
At this moment, he curled his body to the extreme, crossing his right arm and legs like a shield in front of him, stubbornly resisting the relentless palm strikes of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Despite his Nen defense covering his body, with every palm strike, he could feel the force penetrating his bones and muscles, seeping directly into his internal organs.
Morrow understood clearly that if his defensive will wavered for even an instant, he would be instantly crushed.
In that moment, his body would likely be pulverized like tofu under the relentless barrage of palm strikes.
This direct confrontation with death also made Morrow realize the resolve Netero held in this duel.
To this, he felt no turmoil in his heart.
Even as death drew closer, he instead peered through the gaps in his defense, observing the palm strikes following their specific trajectories.
He saw them more clearly.
In this state of constantly teetering on the brink of death, as if watching a flashback of his life, he discerned the path of every palm strike.
Even without using the Starlight Convergence ability, I'm experiencing a similar sensation... It's a pity my physical capabilities can't keep up with the speed of my thoughts. But I'm almost certain that I possess the potential to defeat the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, as long as... I remember this current sensation, activate the Starlight Convergence ability simultaneously, and the final piece of the puzzle is... a Nen ability similar to Killua's Godspeed and Lightning Speed.
By physically experiencing every palm strike of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, Morrow not only saw the trajectories of the attacks but also glimpsed the path to "victory."
Even the path to becoming the "world's strongest."
However, he currently lacked the ability to walk that path.
But he was not one to sit idly by and await his fate.
He was certain that continuing to defend like this wouldn't last even 20 seconds.
To change the situation, he had to take the initiative.
Morrow's decision was to trade "injury" for an opportunity to counterattack.
He decisively withdrew a portion of his aura output from defense and poured it into his upcoming counterattack.
「Insidious Shooting Star」
Almost the moment Morrow's defense cracked and he suffered a heavy blow from the Guanyin, a stellar cross materialized beneath Netero's feet.
Netero, who was attacking with only "one palm," indeed had enough leeway to maintain a Nen defense on his main body.
This had been proven in their previous exchanges.
But when executing the "100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva: 99th Hand" technique, it was absolutely impossible to retain such leeway.
Unless it was Netero in his prime!
Morrow staked his "final bet" on this judgment.
He bet correctly.
But the cost was injuries of varying severity to his right arm and legs.
The most severe was his right thigh, which suffered an almost comminuted fracture.
This was because, to mobilize his aura for a faster counterattack, the instant he channeled Nen through his toes into Insidious Shooting Star, his thigh lost part of its Nen protection. However, this counterattack released at the cost of injury successfully forced Netero to interrupt the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva: 99th Hand's assault.
This outcome aligned with Morrow's expectations; when executing the 99th Hand technique, Netero's defensive capabilities were indeed limited.
However, when Netero used this move to suppress his opponent, he truly had no need to worry about the possibility of a counterattack.
Unless the opponent was willing to risk severe injury while also possessing an instantaneous, space-piercing attack method.
And Morrow happened to fulfill both conditions.
Facing the Shooting Star assault emerging from beneath his feet, even with an absolute advantage, Netero showed no carelessness.
More accurately, he simply gave Morrow no opportunity.
Netero decisively halted his offensive and leaped backward.
The Nen bullet that shot out from the starlight's core soared past his eyes, striking the ceiling and triggering a violent explosion.
While still mid-air, Netero once again clasped his hands in prayer.
His backward leap hadn't removed Morrow from the 100-Type Guanyin's attack range.
「100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva: 99th Hand」
Fierce and domineering palm strikes erupted once more from the golden light, descending upon Morrow.
Yet, Morrow forcefully pushed off the ground with one foot, propelling himself forward in a swift dash.
This movement allowed him to narrowly evade the 100-Type Guanyin: 99th Hand's opening strike at the last possible moment.
He dodged it without using Starlight Convergence...
This was neither coincidence nor luck.
Because the 100-Type Guanyin's palm strikes all followed established patterns.
Its true power lay in its near-infinite chain variations, making it impossible to predict the trajectory of the next strike from fixed patterns.
But for the "99th Hand's" first strike, as long as one could see it clearly, no deduction was needed.
Morrow had seen it clearly before.
So after personally confirming Netero's merciless attitude, he concluded that this old geezer would immediately follow up with the 99th Hand after an interrupted assault.
Reality proved him right.
Through this "foresight," Morrow finally synchronized his body with his slowed temporal perception.
Unfortunately, with multiple severe fractures throughout his body, after dodging the first strike of the 99th Hand, Morrow simply lacked the capacity to seize this opportunity to increase his counterattack success rate.
His counterattack rhythm lagged by a beat, exposing a minuscule opening.
But before the 100-Type Guanyin, this opening would be infinitely magnified.
Netero gazed at Morrow with admiring eyes.
The astonishing willpower and strength displayed by his opponent in these thirty seconds were enough to amaze him.
The next instant.
A merciless golden giant palm swept horizontally.
Boom!
Unable to defend, Morrow was violently sent flying, crashing hard against the dimensional room's wall.
Already severely injured, this final blow plunged him into darkness as he completely lost consciousness.
Netero watched Morrow slide down the wall, slowly lowering his hands.
Only now did he have a moment to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Youth... such a wonderful thing...
He once again laughed while making this sentiment.
This was one of the rare times he felt he had benefited from his "age" advantage.
If he hadn't walked the path a century ahead of Morrow, the outcome of this battle might have...
—--
Two days later.
A streak of emerald light tore through the sky, striking a Chimera Ant that was frantically flapping its wings in mid-air.
Boom!
An explosion erupted, sending shockwaves rippling through the air as the Chimera Ant's corpse plummeted heavily to the ground.
Immediately after, specks of emerald light floated up from the corpse, drifting toward Morrow's location.
Morrow stood still, allowing the emerald light particles to seep into his body.
The injuries he had sustained from his encounter with Netero two days earlier were completely healed in that moment.
It was precisely because of his ability, Shooting Star · Essence Siphon, and the two Chimera Ant prey already marked by Star Mark, that Morrow dared to trade injuries for a counterattack opportunity during his duel with Netero.
After all, with this ability as his safety net, no matter what happened, it wouldn't affect the second assault operation.
And it was only after understanding Morrow's ability that Netero had fought without holding back during their warm-up match.
"Today, Supreme Commander Diego personally delivered a speech, urging all citizens to participate in the National Foundation Day ceremony to be held in the capital, Peijin, ten days from now..."
A woman's voice suddenly emerged from the radio Morrow carried with him.
After losing one Royal Guard, they're indeed resorting to "selection" to create an army and food supply...
Listening to the broadcast, Morrow's eyes narrowed slightly.