There's even a popular saying: "There are only two schools in the world: one is the Shingen-ryu, and the other is the rest."
This school is known for its unique training system, requiring an aptitude test through special methods, such as the Water Divination, at the introductory stage.
It's worth noting that, later on, when conditions improved, Luke also had each of them do the Water Divination.
The results were just as expected: aside from Feitan being a Transmuter, the other three were all Enhancers.
Luke himself secretly tried the Water Divination as well.
And what was the result?
Luke briefly recalled the scene.
It's well known that Nen had six main categories: Enhancement, Transmutation, Emission, Manipulation, Conjuration, and Specialization.
The Water Divination method determined affinity by placing a leaf on a glass of water and focusing the aura into it.
Each category produced a different phenomenon.
Enhancement: The water's quantity changes, usually increasing, sometimes decreasing; often, water overflows.
Transmutation: The water's taste changes, varying by individual.
Conjuration: Crystals or other solid matter form in the water.
Emission: The water changes color.
Manipulation: The leaf moves, as though controlled.
Specialization: Any result that doesn't match the other five falls here.
When Luke tried it, as soon as he focused his aura, the water began overflowing.
That was the classic sign of Enhancement.
But his ability, invention, didn't seem like an Enhancement at all?!
While he was still puzzled, the water began to change color, which was a sign of being an Emission type.
Then, crystals appeared in the water, Conjuration.
Meanwhile, the leaf floating on top started moving, Manipulation.
Luke: "..."
Staring at this bizarre sight, he stayed silent for a moment.
Then he dipped a finger into the water and tasted it.
The taste had indeed changed, with sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty flavors bursting out on his tongue almost simultaneously.
That was Transmutation.
So, after focusing his aura, five aura types had all manifested at once: Enhancement, Emission, Manipulation, Conjuration, and Transmutation.
Clearly, this didn't point to a single category.
All five were present.
Which meant…
"It must be Specialization, right?"
Luke wasn't entirely sure.
"I remember when Kurapika's Scarlet Eyes activated, he did the Water Divination again. The water changed color, and the leaf also spun. Color change pointed to Emission, leaf rotation leaned toward Manipulation. Since both appeared together, he was judged to be a Specialist."
"So basically, any phenomenon outside the five main categories falls under Specialization."
This includes the appearance of all five phenomena together, which should also be classified as a Specialization.
As expected of an inventor, truly something that encompasses everything…
"In short, the Shingen-ryu school is the undisputed leading martial arts school for the training of Nen in the world today."
Luke briefly introduced it to Uvogin and the others.
"Ever since Isaac Netero became Chairman of the Hunter Association, every applicant who passes the hunter exam is taught Nen through the Shingen-ryu school, becoming a Nen user and a qualified professional hunter."
"That Wing, who just fought Phinks, is a practitioner of this school."
"They have the world's foremost lineage, and their strength is already formidable. With guidance from renowned masters..."
Luke looked at Phinks.
"Losing to him isn't really something hard to accept."
"In fact, it was only natural."
Phinks: "..."
His expression brightened slightly.
But…
"A loss is a loss. I won't make any excuses."
Phinks could be incredibly stubborn at times.
"Since the opponent can become stronger through training, no matter which school they trained in, their strength is real."
"And I absolutely won't lose to him again. I can also grow stronger through training!"
Well, he was full of determination and fighting spirit, not letting a single defeat bring him down.
Phinks was determined to come back stronger, even work harder to chase and surpass Wing, who had defeated him.
Even Uvogin and Nobunaga said nothing this time, no mocking or sarcasm at his words.
Normally, when it wasn't a big matter, they would tease each other.
But in moments like this, they knew better.
"Looks like we'll need to... look... for some books and knowledge about Shingen-ryu school."
Feitan whispered, putting a little extra emphasis on the word look.
Look, for him, a former thief, probably didn't have a positive connotation.
Uvogin and Nobunaga didn't see anything wrong with it.
They were originally from Meteor City, and they generally took this approach to what they wanted.
And it wasn't just for Phinks.
If they wanted to become stronger, they would also need this kind of knowledge.
But there was still one important question…
"Where do we find this kind of information?"
Nobunaga rubbed his chin.
"The Hunter Association?"
"Applicants who pass the hunter exam all train under the Shingen-ryu school, and their boss is the chairman of the association..."
The more Uvogin spoke, the brighter his eyes lit up.
"The Hunter Association definitely has this information!"
Yes, it does, but if they want to target the Hunter Association…
"You don't have to go to such trouble."
Seeing the few people who seemed clearly interested and ready to make a move, Luke immediately dismissed their idea.
Instead, his lips curved with a meaningful smile: "If there's anything you want to know about the Shingen-ryu school..."
He had seen the state of all four people present: "You can just ask me..."
From Biscuit, Luke had already gained years of knowledge and experience about Shingen-ryu.
Naturally, this also included keen judgment and insight.
It allowed him to easily notice certain issues in Uvogin and Phinks.
For example, after awakening Nen, they still didn't know how to properly use their aura in combat.
They simply and crudely wrapped their aura around themselves, increasing their strength, attack, or defense.
That worked well enough for straightforward brawls.
And it suited Enhancers like them.
However… If they faced Manipulators or Transmuters, whose abilities are strange… Even the slightest carelessness could put them at a huge disadvantage.
Luke's requirements for Uvogin and the others are simple.
They didn't need to use many advanced techniques or abandon fighting with instinct; it was fine to stay true to themselves.
However, they must also clearly understand and master the application of those advanced techniques.
That way, when facing other Nen users with different abilities, they'd at least have clear awareness and recognition.
And so, with this mindset, and with Uvogin and Phinks's eagerness to become stronger, Luke had given them comprehensive instruction during their time in the Heavens Arena.
Perhaps even with Biscuit's teaching abilities, Luke couldn't guide them as perfectly as Biscuit could.
But compared to the vast majority of instructors in this world, he was far superior.
Furthermore, Uvogin and Phinks were all very obedient to Luke's instructions.
Even Nobunaga and Feitan, when Luke asked Nobunaga to obediently hand over his sword to him, Nobunaga obeyed.
Feitan didn't say much, simply silently and obediently following Luke's instructions.
And so, under Luke's guidance, time passes quickly.
As the saying goes, when training, time flows like water through open hands; it keeps moving forward and can never be stopped.
With such a wonderful place as the Heavens Arena, providing them food, lodging, training, and battles… life was truly comfortable.
On normal days, they stepped onto the battlefield and fought their opponents.
After their battles, they would return to their rooms to receive instruction from Luke.
Undoubtedly, under Luke's targeted coaching, the four of them had made tremendous progress!
This also led to a rapid rise in their rankings within the Heavens Arena.
Feitan and Uvogin were soaring like rockets.
It didn't take long for them to reach the 200th floor.
Phinks wasn't to be outdone.
Except for the first match, where he lost to Wing, in every subsequent duel, he successfully defeated his opponents, fulfilling his promise not to lose a single one.
Soon, he followed Uvogin and Feitan to the 200th floor.
All fighters who reached the 200th floor or above were reassigned to a more luxurious room.
The 200th floor is filled with powerful fighters, and advancing to the next level becomes increasingly difficult. For this reason, all floors above 200 adopt a challenge by application.
Here, each player has a ninety-day battle preparation period and can choose to participate in the competition any day during this period.
After every match, they were granted another ninety-day preparation period.
But if they didn't fight within the ninety days, they would lose their qualification.
On this floor, one only needs to win ten games to pass, but if one loses four games before reaching ten wins, he or she will be disqualified.
If one wins ten matches, they could challenge the floor masters, and if they could claim the title, they could enjoy fame and a carefree life.
Luke's short-term plan for Uvogin and the others is to practice diligently while fighting and earning money in the Heavens Arena.
Of course, he wasn't going to teach them as personally and thoroughly as Biscuit had taught Gon and Killua.
If that were the case, then every member of the brigade who awakened their Nen would come to him for help.
If that happens, that would mean working himself to death, and what about his own business?!
Luke only gave them reasonable training methods and schedules based on their individual conditions.
Then, as they trained and fought, he observed their changes and made some adjustments.
That was all.
Luke strictly adhered to the old saying: A master leads the way, but the training is up to the student.
And without a doubt, Uvogin and the others, who had already grown monstrously strong through sheer wild instinct, now, with Luke's guidance, their natural talent was fully realized.
The four of them experienced an indescribable, terrifying improvement in their strength.
Even after reaching the 200th floor, they felt no pressure at all.
Even those who had undergone the initiation and barely managed to survive, seeing the imposing aura of Uvogin and the others, they all silently retreated, not daring to provoke them.
Well, above the 200th floor of the Heavens Arena, there existed a group of people like them.
They were all promising martial arts masters or rising stars.
They had relied on their own formidable skills and strength to fight their way to the 200th floor.
But they were unaware of the existence of Nen, and immediately engaged in battle with the Nen users there.
It was obvious that ordinary people were no match for Nen users, even for martial artists who came up relying solely on martial art techniques.
After being thrashed by a Nen user, the unlucky ones perished.
The more fortunate ones barely managed to survive.
But under the attacks of Nen users, their aura nodes were forcefully opened, and they passively became Nen users.
Then they struggled to learn and experiment on their own, barely surviving on the 200th floor of the Heavens Arena.
This was the so-called initiation of the Heavens Arena for newcomers ignorant of Nen.
Clearly, Uvogin and the others, who had already understood and trained their Nen to a solid degree, were not in this category.
Their dangerous aura made those losers who could only barely survive here shrink back in fear.
"That trio, Sadaso and others, aren't here yet. Looks like it'll take a few more years..."
Luke hadn't found traces of Sadaso and others who had targeted Gon and Killua in the original story.
After all, when they subsequently targeted Gon, it was already 1999.
It was only 1984 now, a gap of fifteen years.
Thus, without anyone coming to disturb them... After reaching the 200th floor, Uvogin and the others didn't rush into battle immediately.
With ninety days to prepare, they weren't in a rush.
This was the perfect time to complete all their training.
There were ninety days between each of the ten matches.
If they could ensure they could complete all ten, they would be able to stay here for the full nine hundred days.
That was a little over two years, plenty of time.
Therefore, Uvogin, Phinks, and Feitan weren't in a rush at all. They settled down and focused on learning from Luke, striving to become stronger.
Under Luke's guidance, the four of them spent the entire year of 1984 leisurely.
In the blink of an eye, it was 1985.
A year isn't long, but it's also not short. But it's enough time for a lot to happen, especially in the Heavens Arena, where competition is fierce.
Almost every moment, a formidable fighter emerges, while once-renowned fighters fall like meteors across the sky.