Heading to the Hunter Exam Venue

By the time the airship landed on the rooftop helipad of Heaven's Arena, dusk had already fallen.

Leo stepped out of the cabin with a simple pack on his back, and the familiar clamor rushed over him.

Seven months had passed. The giant tower still stood tall, its lights illuminating floor after floor like a monument to ambition that would never be extinguished.

He headed straight for the 200th floor.

Competitors occasionally passed through the corridor. Some recognized him, surprise flashing in their eyes—seven months of absence was enough to be forgotten in a place like Heaven's Arena, but Leo's two crushing victories had clearly left a deep impression on some people.

Room 2079 was exactly as he remembered it. There was even less dust than expected.

Heaven's Arena's cleaning service was evidently still operating as usual.

Leo set down his luggage and freshened up before contacting Sophia and Wing in turn.

Less than twenty minutes later, there was a knock at the door.

Leo opened it to find Sophia standing outside.

She wore a neat dark-blue training outfit, her blue hair tied into a crisp ponytail behind her head. Her gaze was even sharper than it had been seven months ago.

The moment she saw Leo, her eyes lit up.

"Master Leo!"

Her voice brimmed with barely contained excitement.

"I've successfully won one match! And I've been diligently training my Nen during this time. Please assess my progress!"

Leo nodded and stepped aside to let her in.

"No rush. Sit down first."

Sophia entered the room and sat on the sofa, her back ramrod straight. She was clearly a little nervous.

Then came another knock. Wing pushed the door open and entered.

He did not look much different from seven months ago, still carrying the air of a gentle scholar. Yet when he saw Leo, an imperceptible scrutiny flickered in his eyes behind his glasses.

"Mr. Leo."

Wing smiled.

"It seems these seven months of training have made you stronger."

It was not mere politeness.

As a fellow disciple of the Heart Source School, Wing could directly sense the restrained yet weighty "qualitative change" in Leo.

His aura had become more profound and composed. Even his every gesture carried the harmony of countless refinements, like an uncut stone honed into a sharp blade.

"Not bad."

Leo sat opposite them and poured three glasses of water.

"It was grueling, but the gains were substantial."

He paused, looked at Wing, and curled his lips into a faint smile.

"Oh, right. Master Biscuit asked me to check whether you've been training properly during this time—Senior Brother Wing."

He pronounced the last three words with particular clarity.

The smile on Wing's face froze for an instant. Then he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"That won't be necessary, will it... I've been training properly too. Junior Brother Leo, please spare me!"

Leo laughed and waved a hand.

"Don't worry, Senior Brother Wing. I won't tattle to Master Biscuit. But be careful yourself. She could suddenly show up to inspect your progress at any time."

Wing sighed, looking both helpless and resigned.

"Fine, fine. I understand."

He pushed up his glasses and changed the subject.

"By the way, what are you planning to do next? Continue challenging opponents and get ten wins?"

Leo shook his head.

"No. I'm going to take the Hunter Exam."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Sophia abruptly turned to look at Leo, astonishment and a trace of panic flashing through her eyes.

"Master Leo, you're leaving as soon as you get back? I still have so many questions I want to ask you... I-I, can I go with you?"

Her voice was hurried. The news had clearly come too suddenly.

Leo looked at her, his gaze calm but resolute.

"Sophia, you need to walk your own path from now on. All I can do is help you get started."

He paused, his tone softening somewhat.

"I'll still be here for several more days before I leave. During that time, I'll guide you properly."

Sophia lowered her head, unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes. She looked like a child who had been refused permission to come along.

Leo could not help smiling at her expression.

"All right."

He added,

"As long as you get three wins, I'll allow you to train alongside me."

Sophia abruptly lifted her head, light rekindling in her eyes.

"Really? I will! I'll definitely get three wins as soon as possible!"

Her voice once more carried that determined drive.

Watching from the side, Wing took a thoughtful sip of water before speaking.

"As for the Hunter Exam, I can tell you some information. Next year's exam will be held in Kaliru City on the Ulubian Continent."

"The location is a ramen shop on Liyoupi Street—it's called 'Tonkotsu Number One.'"

"Order a special tonkotsu ramen, then say the code phrase, 'I don't eat beef, so add extra scallions.' That will get you into the exam venue."

Leo nodded.

"Is that so? I didn't expect you to know so much about it."

Wing waved a hand.

"All this information can be found on the Hunter information website. But only Hunters can log in, and every piece of information requires a corresponding fee."

Leo understood.

The Hunter website's intelligence network spanned the world. This kind of basic information was indeed easy to obtain, but for outsiders, it was an insurmountable barrier.

The three chatted for a while longer. Wing mostly asked about Biscuit's situation over the past few months, and Leo answered what he could.

Half an hour later, Wing stood to take his leave.

"Then I'll be going. The Hunter Exam... good luck."

He walked to the door and glanced back at Leo. He seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he merely nodded and left.

The room fell quiet again.

Leo stood and headed for the training room.

"All right, Sophia. Let me see the results of your training these past months."

Sophia immediately followed him, her expression as serious as if she were about to face an official match.

Inside the training room, she demonstrated the four major techniques one by one.

Her Ten was already very stable, with aura evenly covering her body in a solid, radiant layer.

Her Ren bursts still could not last very long, but her aura reserves had clearly increased greatly compared to seven months ago.

Her Zetsu was decent as well. She could completely suppress her aura within five seconds.

As for Hatsu—developing an ability as a Specialist was difficult to begin with, and she was still in the exploratory stage.

Leo watched silently throughout. Only after Sophia finished her demonstration did he nod.

"Mm, not bad. Keep working."

He walked to the center of the room.

"But there are a few issues you need to pay attention to. First, your aura flow in Ten has a faint sense of sluggishness, concentrated around your shoulder blades and lumbar spine. That's caused by maintaining tense postures for too long. You need to relax your deep muscles and let your aura circulate naturally."

Leo raised his hand and pointed at several spots on her back from a distance.

"Second, the timing of your Ren burst is too deliberate. You only activate it at the peak of your inhale, which gives your opponent time to anticipate it. Try suddenly shifting into a burst midway through an exhale. The rhythm will become much harder to read."

He demonstrated once—his breathing remained steady, then halfway through an exhale, his Nen aura erupted without warning before instantly withdrawing.

Sophia's eyes shone as she watched, and she immediately tried to imitate him.

"Third, your use of Zetsu still isn't natural enough. Right now, you're 'actively suppressing' it, but true Zetsu should be 'naturally dissipating.' Try imagining yourself as a fallen leaf, blending into the environment instead of forcibly hiding yourself."

Over the following days, Leo kept his promise and gave Sophia intensive guidance.

He adjusted the training methods and insights he had learned from Biscuit according to Sophia's actual circumstances, then taught them to her without holding anything back.

During that time, Leo also found time to log onto the official Hunter website and register for the exam.

Time passed amid training.

The New Year quietly arrived. Heaven's Arena held a grand New Year's celebration, with fireworks blooming across the night sky.

Leo and Sophia watched for a while from the training room window, but they did not join the festivities.

This was his first New Year in this world. There was no family, no gathering of friends—only the goal of becoming stronger, and the disciple beside him who was also pursuing power.

January 4th, early morning.

The Heaven's Arena airport was packed with people.

Dressed in casual white clothes, Leo waited leisurely for the airship to arrive.

Sophia had come to see him off.

She was not wearing training clothes today, but ordinary casual wear. Even so, her posture remained perfectly straight.

"Go back."

Leo said.

"If you want to train with me, get three wins sooner."

Sophia nodded forcefully.

"I will, Master Leo!"

She paused, and her voice turned even more solemn.

"I wish you success in obtaining your Hunter license."

Leo waved a hand and turned toward the boarding passage.

There were no further farewells. Clean and decisive.

The airship slowly rose into the sky. Through the window, Sophia's figure gradually shrank on the helipad before finally being blocked by the buildings.

Leo leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

The airship cut through the clouds and sped at full speed toward the Ulubian Continent.