HxH: Noah’s Heart

It doesn't seem like an illusion.

In the bathroom of the room, Noah was frowning, looking at his right arm.

Since after dinner just now, Noah had felt something unusual in his right arm. His entire arm had a slight burning and tingling sensation. He initially thought it was his imagination, but as time passed, this burning and tingling sensation grew stronger. Noah realized that it wasn't just his imagination.

Cold water flowed over Noah's right arm, but he didn't feel any coldness. He tried clenching his fist and found that the movement was very smooth and unaffected.

"What's going on?" Noah was puzzled by the current situation. He couldn't determine whether the sensation in his arm was good or bad.

After drying himself off and leaving the bathroom, the burning sensation in his arm had not subsided. Noah shook his arm and decided to ignore it. He sat cross-legged on the bed, preparing to start today's Qi Refining.

Although he was aware that his Qi Refining had no connection to Nen abilities, Noah had no intention of giving up Qi Refining. Even though Qi Refining wasn't as apparent as Nen abilities, it undoubtedly enhanced his strength. Without the relentless training and Qi Refining over the past month, Noah believed that his fate today wouldn't be any better than those five unlucky individuals.

Just as Noah closed his eyes and entered his Qi Refining state, a sudden and intense pain shot through his right arm.

The sudden pain made Noah abruptly open his eyes and instinctively grasp his right arm, breaking his Qi Refining state.

"Ah!" he cried out in pain.

His body collapsed onto the bed, and Noah stared wide-eyed, gritting his teeth.

Things had happened too suddenly, and Noah had no time to react. He had to silently endure this pain. Following the intense pain was a swelling sensation. Noah felt as if his arm were like an inflated balloon, ready to burst with the slightest touch.

As time passed, this pain and swelling sensation not only didn't recede but gradually spread throughout his entire body. What was worse, intense pain could trigger the body's protective mechanism, and after reaching a certain point, it would make a person faint. However, Noah was fully conscious and even frightened by his current state.

After who knows how long, Noah felt that he had become numb. It was literal numbness; every inch of his body was tingling and unresponsive.

The swelling sensation had reached its limit, and Noah could clearly sense that, in the next moment, his body would explode like a balloon!

"Ah!"

With his last bit of strength, Noah let out a roar. Then, he felt like he had "exploded."

Not dead?

One second? Or maybe two seconds. Noah slowly opened his eyes, realizing that he was still alive, and the expected blood and gore hadn't occurred.

The burning sensation, intense pain, and swelling had all disappeared at this moment. All Noah could feel was that his body was filled with endless power.

He easily sat up and saw that a milky-white flow, like steam, was emanating from his body's every pore.

Life energy! Nen abilities!

Looking at the milky-white flow surrounding him, two concepts flashed through Noah's mind like lightning.

The so-called Nen abilities involved opening one's pores to trigger the body's life energy, which is Qi. Mastering the control of this Life energy was what made someone a Nen user.

Noah's current condition was undoubtedly a sign that his pores had been opened. The milky-white flow, like steam, emanating from his body's every pore was Noah's Nen.

If he allowed this energy to dissipate, the only outcome for Noah would be exhaustion. So, to prevent this from happening, there was only one thing Noah could do now, controlling this aura and keeping it within his body, achieving the most basic step in using Nen abilities – Ten!

With this thought, Noah flipped off the bed, stood upright at its edge, closed his eyes, and began attempting to sense the aura within his body.

He had no idea before, but the very next moment after closing his eyes, Noah was shocked. There had been an unprecedented change within his body. He found that he could now control every muscle in his body, not only that, but his bones, and even every single cell throughout his body, he could sense and control them.

This feeling? Controlling cells? Master?

Suddenly, Noah remembered that he had once seen his master cut a deep gash in his hand with a sharp knife. Then, under Noah's gaze, in just a short two minutes, the wound, which had been visible down to the bone, had healed completely, leaving no trace of a scar.

At that time, his master had told him that at his level of Qi Refining, he could easily control every inch of his body – muscles, bones, and even cells. Controlling cell division to achieve rapid regeneration was as easy as pie.

Just by opening the pores, he had already caught up with his master. Was this the Nen ability of this world?

Excitement, intense excitement – that was Noah's current mood.

With this ability to perfectly control his body, Noah easily sensed the scattered aura within him. As he focused his mind, these auras quickly calmed down and, as Noah envisioned, enveloped his body.

Slowly opening his eyes, seeing the aura enveloping him like a second layer of skin, Noah couldn't help but smile.

Ten, one of the four major applications of Nen abilities, and also a basic skill in using Nen. It stabilizes and controls the aura flowing throughout the body, enhancing one's defensive capabilities.

Learning En meant that Noah had officially stepped into the world of Nen abilities. Even though this was just a tiny step, it was enough to make Noah feel excited and joyful.

If he were to fight Ashu again at this moment, he might not necessarily defeat him, but at least he wouldn't end up as battered as before. Aside from that, Ashu's malicious methods to suppress opponents would have no effect on the current Noah.

What Noah needed to do next was to master the usage of En, incorporate it into his instincts, and then slowly learn the methods of using other Nen abilities, step by step, to enhance his strength.

Divide, Train, Release… and various other techniques related to Nen ability application. Just thinking about it, Noah felt immensely excited.

"It's not just Nen abilities; I can't neglect my Qi Refining. Master said he had just touched the edge of that realm, and the real power lies ahead."

Standing by the window while maintaining Ten, Noah muttered softly.