Consequently, it didn't matter who Ron's opponent was.
"Having a battle tomorrow will grant me a three-month cooldown."
"I can maintain my status as a competitor in the Sky Arena."
"And I can keep this luxurious suite."
Ron completed the application form.
At that moment, a young man turned the corner of the hallway. Upon seeing Ron at the front desk, his expression froze, and his face soured.
"Ron?"
After finishing the application, Ron left and returned to his room.
The young man hurried to the front desk and asked, "Did Ron apply for a match?"
"Yes, tomorrow," the staff replied.
When Xius saw Ron at the front desk, he suspected that Ron had applied for a match.
The thought of this possibility sent Xius's mood plummeting.
It conflicted with Xius's plans.
Not long ago, a contestant had advanced from the 199th floor to the 200th floor
Xius had devised a strategy for this contestant to apply for a match today.
He had submitted his application half an hour earlier.
Xius had observed the other contestants and knew they wouldn't apply at that time.
Thus, he would inevitably be matched with the newcomer.
This would guarantee him a victory.
However, Ron's appearance left Xius utterly despondent.
Ron had applied for a match during the same half-hour window, which meant he would be matched against Ron.
And the newcomer would have to wait for other applicants.
There was no way Xius could compete against Ron.
Patric's recent defeat was fresh in everyone's mind.
Among the rookie competitors, Patric wasn't particularly weak.
Yet he had been completely crushed and dominated by Ron.
There was no way Xius could stand a chance against Ron.
If they were matched, he would undoubtedly face defeat.
Moreover, the newcomer he had worked so hard to find would miss the chance to fight him.
That newcomer would end up facing someone else.
It was essentially giving someone else the opportunity to shine.
"Ron!"
"Why did you apply?"
"Why are you opposing me?"
Xius was furious but had no way to retaliate against Ron.
The next day, as the match time approached, Ron walked toward the arena through the competitors' passage.
Xius arrived at the arena before Ron.
When he saw Ron appear, his expression fluctuated between hope and dread.
Even though he knew he wasn't Ron's opponent, Xius was unwilling to back down. He wanted to give it a shot—even if he couldn't win, he wanted to try.
"Start!"
As Ron focused, Baki Hanma manifested.
Without hesitation, he charged straight at Xius.
What followed was a one-sided beatdown.
Xius didn't even get a chance to showcase his abilities.
Ron had hoped to test Baki Hanma's strength a bit more.
However, Xius was too weak.
The testing effect was nowhere near that of the Killer Queen.
"Bang!"
Xius was sent flying off the stage.
"The winner is… Ron!"
A young man with silver hair observed Ron on the stage and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"A new Nen Beast?"
"It looks promising."
"I wonder when it will be able to challenge the floor master."
"It's quite exciting."
An elderly man sitting in the audience smiled.
Xius's plan had been for that newcomer to fight him.
But he hadn't anticipated Ron cutting in.
As a result, that newcomer was naturally left waiting.
After noticing this, the old man wasted no time and quickly applied to recruit that newcomer.
He effectively took advantage of Xius's situation.
This way, he could achieve a victory that was practically within his grasp.
Plus, he would enjoy watching his rival, Xius, suffer a setback.
It was truly a double blessing.
Ron ignored the cheers from the audience and walked directly off the stage.
"Hey there, big brother."
Nina rushed over as soon as she heard the commotion at the entrance.
The next day, Zeno arrived.
"Grandpa Zeno."
"Ron, are you ready?"
"I'm ready."
"Then let's head out."
"Okay."
Before they left, Zeno glanced at Nina and the white bear.
It wasn't until they exited the Sky Arena that he mentioned Nina.
"Is that little girl the one you've taken an interest in?"
"Yeah."
Ron nodded and said, "Nina has good potential. After her experience with removing the Nen curse, she's gained some benefits; her future potential won't be too shabby."
"Has she developed her abilities?"
"Not yet."
"What type does she have?"
"Manipulation"
"Like Illumi's category?" Zeno paused for a moment and asked, "What did you think of the Combat Tournament?"
Ron hesitated for a moment.
"I just feel that the power gap between Nen users is quite large."
"The difference between ordinary competitors and the floor masters is enormous."
"And the gap between the floor masters and the arena masters is also significant."
Zeno smiled.
"That's for sure. Not only is there a disparity between Nen users, but even among those of the same rank, the gap can be greater than that between Nen users and ordinary people."
"Besides, the Sky Arena isn't in our line of work."
"That's just staged combat on the platform."
"What we need are skills for killing."
Ron nodded.
The battles in the Sky Arena indeed have limitations.
They differ from real-life life-and-death confrontations.
A car stopped in front of them.
"Get in."
Once they were in the car, Zeno didn't say anything further.
Ron also remained silent.
The inside of the car was very quiet.
Nina stood by the window, gazing outside for a long time before pulling her gaze back.
"Woof!"
White bear nudged against Nina's side.
Nina placed her hand on bear's head.
"We have to work hard; we can't let big brother down. I need to develop my Nen abilities quickly and become a competitor on the 200th floor of the Sky Arena within three months!"
Nina clenched her fists.
"Nina, you can do it!"
Before setting off, Ron had given Nina some instructions.
One was to develop her specific Nen abilities.
The other was to challenge a floor master.
Ron didn't know how long he would be away this time. If it exceeded three months, he would lose his status as a competitor in the Sky Arena, and that luxurious suite would naturally be reclaimed.
Therefore, allowing Nina to become a competitor in the Sky Arena was a better choice.
Moreover, Nina had the strength to do so.
After all, there were almost no Nen users below the 200th floor of the Sky Arena.
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