Chapter 12: chapter 12 : Master Shen X Trial (2)
Ash's face remained indifferent, he didn't care if being a Nen user is known to others, in fact he could order his aura to mimic the same natural flow of ordinary peoples, but he choose to not do so, after all, knowing that he is a Nen user, Master Shen will probably be extra serious in teaching him his knowledge.
The receptionist, maintaining her professional demeanor, conveyed the purpose of their visit. "Master Shen, this gentleman here, has paid one million Jenny and wishes to become a core disciple." she handed him the check that Ash gave her.
Master Shen, glanced at the check for a moment, a shrewd glint in his eyes, he looked at the receptionist with a smile and said: "Thank you for your hard work. You may leave."
then the receptionist nodded, she turned and left the room closing the door, Ash stood in front of the office of Master Shen motionless, waiting for what this old man will say.
leaning back in his dragon-carved chair, Master Shen studied the check with a knowing glint in his eyes, "The White Emperor, the new rising star of heavens arena. I didn't expect you'd want to join my dragon den gym."
Ash's eyes opened wide, a momentary shock freezing his features. 'How did he know?' he wondered inwardly.
seeing the shock on Ash's face, Master Shen chuckled and stroke his beard, he leaned forward, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. "Your disguise is really impressive, but everything had flaws."
Ash didn't deny Master Shen instead he asked humbly :"Flaws? Where did I slip up?"
at the same time His mind raced through his recent interactions, searching for the chink in his armor.
Master Shen, holding up the check, pointed to the source of the revelation. "This check, issued from Heavens Arena, bears your code name, the White Emperor. A slip in your otherwise flawless disguise."
Ash's eyes widened, a mix of disbelief and realization wAshing over him. "The check... I never thought it would give me away."
Master Shen chuckled, his voice carrying a mixture of wisdom and amusement. "Confidence can be a double-edged sword. If you seek to be my disciple, you must hone not only your strength but also your awareness. The path to mastery requires vigilance, White Emperor."
hearing these words, Ash recognized the old man's wisdom. This seasoned master hadn't lived a long life without reason he must be always vigilant, this time the consequence wasn't heavy, but in more serious things in the future, he must be prepared from all aspects, never leave a flaw!
Regaining his composure, Ash locked eyes with Master Shen. "Master Shen, I am earnest in my desire to become your disciple. Please guide me on the path of fighting."
Master Shen, now standing with his hands behind his back, regarded Ash with a keen gaze. "Many believe that becoming my core disciple requires a payment of one million Jenny. However, that amount serves as a deterrent to filter out those who might waste my time. The true condition for genuine core discipleship is to pass my trial. If successful, I will share all my knowledge with you, and the monthly fee will remain at one million Jenny. But, should you fail, not only will you be denied my special technique, but you'll also incur a steeper cost of five million Jenny each month. In that case, I'll focus solely on teaching you advanced techniques to enhance your fighting skills."
Hearing this, Ash's brows furrowed with a sense of betrayal. When he paid the one million Jenny, he had believed it would secure his place as a core disciple and grant him access to Master Shen's special technique. Now, the reality seemed far from his initial expectations, leaving a bitter taste of naivety.
As if sensing Ash's dissatisfaction, the old man grinned and let out a chuckle. "Dissatisfied? Could it be that our rising star, the White Emperor, believes he may not pass my trial?"
Unfazed by the mocking tone, Ash replied coldly, "The issue is not whether I pass or fail your trial, but why you didn't disclose this condition from the beginning."
Master Shen took a few steps forward, standing in front of Ash. He stroked his beard thoughtfully and spoke, "Ah, so you're displeased with the hidden information about the trial?"
Ash nodded.
"Let me clarify," Master Shen continued, "not everyone is qualified to undergo this trial. Only those who exhibit great talent or possess Nen abilities, like yourself, are deemed worthy. As for the unqualified, the price remains as initially heard— one million Jenny. However, I won't invest as much time and energy in their training. So, even if you fail the trial, you still have two choices: pay five million each month for a more dedicated training regimen, or pay one million for a more limited engagement. The amount you invest corresponds to the time and energy I'll dedicate to your improvement."
upon hearing this, Ash's mood lifted, his furrowed brows eased, He gazed at Master Shen with a confident grin and declared, "Then let's not waste any time. Let's begin the test."
Master Shen grined and said : "that's the energy young people should have, follow me!"
...
on the ninth floor, Master Shen took Ash to a special room.
"this is..." Ash looked at what it seems to be a maze made of smooth shiny walls and couldn't help but try to guess what kind of trial he will take.
Master Shen with hands behind his back like a wise master said : "The Vibration Perception Maze, it contain a complex network of corridors and chambers, these walls surfaces were designed to reflect and redirect sound waves. In the center of the maze is a small bell suspended from the ceiling. This bell serves as the exit marker, ringing three times per minute. your trial is to navigate through the maze and reach the exit by accurately perceiving and distinguishing the vibrations produced by the bell while you are blindfolded"
as the details of the trial unfolded, Ash found himself puzzled. Why did Master Shen choose to assess his ability to perceive vibrations, and how did it connect to mastering the techniques he sought to learn? Without answers, he decided to voice his curiosity.
"Master Shen, does learning your techniques require a heightened perception of vibrations?"
Master Shen acknowledged the inquiry with a nod. "Your guess is correct. In the case of my most advanced technique, the Dragon Roar Fist, a keen talent for perceiving vibrations is not just beneficial but absolutely essential to even begin learning it."
A surge of curiosity swept over Ash. 'A technique based on vibrations must be powerful. What exactly is the Dragon Roar Fist, and how does it harness the force of vibrations?'
Master Shen continued his explanation. "As you're aware, individuals who haven't mastered Nen struggle to inflict significant damage on those proficient in Ten. However, the power of vibrations is more profound than what you think, If a non-Nen user, well-versed in this power, were to confront a novice Nen user, they could easily penetrate the latter's Ten with the force of vibrations easily!"
"Really? Isn't that a bit exaggerated?" Ash expressed his skepticism. "No matter how profound a martial art technique is, it still falls within the realm of the ordinary. How can it contend with something extraordinary and supernatural like Nen?"
according to what he saw in the anime, Killua, who's fist power measured in tons, at least 16 tons, wasn't able to win easily against Zushi who just started his journey in learning Nen and in the end he had to rely on heavens arena points system to win.
as if the words of Ash touched the reverse scale of Master Shen, his dark green aura suddenly eurpoted wantonly and rushed towards Ash.
Ash was caught off guard and took a few steps back in surprise, 'what's wrong with this old man? did my words provoked him?'
'Ten' feeling the malice and the oppressive aura on him, Ash used, absolute order to strengthen his Ten, only then he felt the pressure dissipating.
"Brat, are you underestimating the sixty years I've dedicated to researching the power of vibrations? Fine, let me show you!" Master Shen's biggest pride in his life is the discovery of the power of vibrations and spending years of research and even recreating his Nen ability several times to come up with more usages for it, but yet he believes he had just touched the surface of this mysterious power. and what he hate the most is people looking down or even underestimating his techniques!
fortunately Ash didn't intentionally underestimate him or else he would let Ash himself experience his dragon roar fist.
"Old man, my intention was not to underestimate you. I kindly ask that you refrain from disrespecting me again, or you may discover the consequences to be quite dangerous." Ash said in a cold tone, striving to maintain his politeness and composure. His regard for the elderly martial artist had diminished, especially after the attempt to intimidate him with Ren. Should the old man dare to employ such tactics once more, Ash wouldn't hesitate to use his Absolute Order to teach him a lesson. Ash Bernard believed in treating others as they treated him—respect begetting respect, and harm met with multiplied retaliation. This is his approach in dealing with others.
Master Shen looked at the clear and confident eyes of Ash and was taken back, with his years of experience dealing with all kinds of people, he already developed the ability to discern whether someone is faking confidence or not, and from the look of Ash, and his aura flowing smoothly around his body, he sensed an absolute confidence radiating from him.
'interesting, the eyes of this brat tell me that he isn't afraid of getting into a fight with me, even knowing the gap in fighting experience between us, I bet he must have a powerful Nen ability that gave him this confidence. but the stronger the Nen ability, the more limits and conditions it must have, interesting...'
"Brat, don't get carried away, let me show you the power of vibrations!"
as he said this, Master Shen pointed his index finger towards a delicate-looking vase placed near the doors on the ground.
"Everything in the world possesses specific frequencies at which it vibrates, ranging from minute particles like electrons and atoms to colossal entities such as entire planets and stars."
as he said this, Master Shen gathered a small aura around his finger, making the aura around it even darker.
'Gyo.' using absolute order, Ash gathered aura on his eyes and saw this scene.
then Master Shen closed his eyes as if perceiving something, he continued his previous words.
"Vibrations is the language of the universe! and if one can perceive the frequency at which something vibrates and align their aura's vibration accordingly..."
Hum Hum Hum
"huh?" Ash was surprised to hear a humming sound emitting from the index finger of Master Shen, through his Gyo he saw the calm aura that was condensed around Master Shen's finger started vibrating.
'his aura is vibrating, how he did it?' Ash couldn't help but wonder, if he didn't use absolute order then he is not sure how to achieve this feat, after all, from what Master Shen just said, he seems to be vibrating his aura to match the same frequency of that vase, so it's not just merely shaking his aura. the degree of aura manipulation and perception ability needed to achieve this feat is ridiculous high!
unaware of Ash's shock, Master Shen suddenly opened his eyes and shouted : "Go!"
a dark green Nen bullet shooted out of his finger, it instantly crossed the distance and hit the vase.
*crack*
Upon impact, the vase erupted into a symphony of tinkling sounds as it shattered into numerous fragments.
Ash, standing at a distance, observed the result with a dumbfounded expression on his face. To him, it seemed like a standard demonstration of breaking an object. there is no surprise that the Nen bullet will break that vase, he really want to say to the old man, 'that's all?'. but he was afraid of unintentionally provoking Master Shen again and making the situation worser.
"the meeting of two vibrations with identical frequencies results in cancellation. Consequently, this cancellation has the potential to disrupt the structure of things at various levels, allowing for the shattering of the target!" Master Shen with his hands behind his back said, he then continued : "this is just one of the many applicants of vibration force, go check that broken vase closely and you will understand what i said better."
Master Shen, with a knowing smile, gestured for Ash to inspect the aftermath closely.
Perplexed, Ash approached the remnants of the vase. As he examined the shards, Ash's mouth opened wide, he couldn't even express his shock in words.
Here is the corrected version:
Each fragment was of an identical size and shape! Ash had previously thought that Master Shen had simply broken the vase using a Nen bullet. However, he didn't expect that Master Shen could break the entire vase into identical fragments! Most importantly, he performed this feat using a long-range Nen attack, increasing the difficulty several times. Ash thought that he could only achieve a similar effect if he used Absolute Order. As for other methods, he felt helpless.
"This stinky old man and his vibration techniques shouldn't be underestimated!" This was Ash's thought after witnessing Master Shen's demonstration of vibration force. Now, he started to believe what Master Shen had said previously about how a non-Nen user who mastered vibration force could penetrate a Nen user's defense and cause heavy damage. Moreover, if used by a Nen user, its effects would be marvelous.
Seeing the shocked expression on Ash's face, Master Shen chuckled and stroked his beard proudly. In a tone filled with pride, he said, "Now, kid, do you realize the power of vibrations?"
Ash regained his composure and stood up, facing Master Shen. He looked at the old man with respect, believing that anyone who dedicates their entire life to pursuing dreams and goals deserves respect. Master Shen had dedicated almost his entire life to studying the power of vibration, and Ash's desire to master this power reached its peak. He was afraid there was no person in the world better than Master Shen to teach him. In a humble tone, he said:
"Master Shen, let's begin the trial. Your vibration techniques, in my mind, are no less magical than Nen abilities. Their potential is endless!"
Ash spoke these words from the bottom of his heart, recalling a quote from Nikola Tesla: "If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration." Now, Ash believed that the power of vibrations, coupled with the power of Nen, could truly achieve something miraculous.
"Haha, you are right! The magic of vibrations is nothing less than Nen abilities. However, we shouldn't ignore the fact that with Nen, the power and functions of vibration techniques can be strengthened hundreds of times, achieving more mysterious effects. It can be used for attack, defense, or auxiliary purposes—the possibilities are endless!" with a wide smile spread across Master Shen's face. He laughed and patted Ash's shoulders.
"now wear this blindfold, and let's start your trial, your task is to reach the location of the bell within five minutes. Success, and you pass the trial." Master Shen handed Ash a black blindfold.
Ash grasped the blindfold and directly put it on his eyes, plunging the room into darkness.
The subtle creak of the door and the subsequent hush of the room was clearly caught by Ash's ears, his senses heightened in the absence of sight.
Master Shen entered another chamber on the same floor, where an array of security camera screens and microphones adorned the walls. Fixing his gaze on one of the monitors displaying the maze room, he observed Ash's unmoving figure.
Utilizing the microphone, Master Shen's voice resonated through the room: "boy, are you ready?"
in the maze room, Ash heard the voice of Master Shen echoing through the room as if it's coming from all the directions, creating a disorienting symphony that masked the source of the inquiry.
Ash's features transformed into an excited grin, the trial won't be easy, but in the face of daunting challenges, Ash felt the rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins. His response, uttered with determination, pierced the ambient echoes.
"Let's fucking start!"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
SaikiKusu
SaikiKusu *sigh* Well, it's disheartening to see the lack of the support I anticipated. It's quite disappointing, really. The Hunter x Hunter fandom is not living up to my expectations, and I'm starting to lose faith in them. I'm contemplating shifting my focus to writing One Piece fanfics or perhaps delving into some High School DxD or other Hentai fandoms that seems to garner a significant amount of support on this platform.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone