The End of Fifty Hours

Time slipped by, little by little, in that strange atmosphere.

It was like being cut with a dull knife, neither quick nor endless.

For Leorio, it was nothing short of torture.

Losing that reckless gamble had forced the entire team to waste two days and two nights in this cramped stone chamber.

At first, he paced restlessly like a caged beast.

Later, boredom drove him to count the cracks between the stones in the walls. Eventually, he simply curled up in a corner and slept, escaping his guilt and exhaustion.

Meanwhile, in the shadows of another corner, Tonpa tried his hardest to make himself invisible.

Whatever little schemes he had harbored as the "rookie crusher" had long since turned into deep fear before the terrifying strength Lin Yan had displayed.

He hunched his shoulders and barely dared to breathe, afraid of disturbing the boy in meditation. Trembling with fear, he could only lie low.

But for several of the others, those fifty hours offered a rare chance to consolidate their gains.

Lin Yan remained in his meditative posture throughout.

The true qi within him had already completed hundreds of microcosmic orbit cycles.

The hidden damage to his meridians from his battle with Johns had not only healed completely, but the ceaseless nourishment of his true qi had also made them tougher and wider than before.

If his meridians had once been a country lane, they had now widened into at least a two-lane road.

More importantly, the rice-sized dantian embryo in his lower dantian had become more solid and luminous.

It was no longer the somewhat insubstantial white it had been before, but now bore a faint, mellow sheen like ivory.

With every rotation, it gave off a steady, substantial presence.

Lin Yan knew that his foundation establishment stage had truly stabilized.

Now, the true qi within him could circulate through the microcosmic orbit on its own, without his deliberate guidance.

That meant his cultivation would slowly improve even while he walked, ate, or slept.

That was the greatest benefit of crossing the threshold into cultivation.

Killua had gained quite a bit as well.

Although he did not understand things like "dantian embryos" or "meridians," his talent as an assassin and astonishing perseverance had allowed him to get a feel for that deep, slow breathing method.

He discovered that as long as he maintained that breathing pattern, he not only felt no fatigue, but also became remarkably focused and calm.

The bloodlust and excitement that had once taken him a long time to settle after a fight could now be suppressed with just a few deep breaths.

For him, that was an enormous discovery.

It meant he could leave his combat state more quickly and conceal himself more effectively. It also meant his control over his own body had reached a new level.

He secretly opened his eyes and glanced at Lin Yan, grumbling inwardly, This guy's weird method actually works... but I'm not telling him that.

He pursed his lips, closed his eyes again, and continued practicing.

Kurapika had changed the most.

He spent most of his time silently reciting the six-word mantra Lin Yan had taught him.

He did not enter that berserk state again, nor did he deliberately suppress his hatred. He merely watched the sea of fire within him quietly, as an "observer."

After watching it long enough, he discovered that the sea of fire did not burn eternally at the same intensity.

It had its own ebb and flow.

When he thought of his clansmen's smiling faces, the flames grew gentler, carrying a sorrowful warmth.

When he thought of the Phantom Troupe's spider tattoos, the flames instantly surged into black fires of rage that threatened to consume everything.

He began to distinguish the different "emotions" within the flames.

That awareness gave him an entirely new understanding of his power.

Instead of being passively driven by anger as he had been before, he began trying to "guide" that power.

Though he was still inexperienced and often failed, it was undoubtedly a tremendous step forward.

Even his perpetually tense face seemed to have softened a little.

As for Gon...

He slept for a long time, and slept soundly.

Occasionally, he rolled over or smacked his lips. In his dreams, he was probably chasing some enormous beast through the forest or fishing for a legendary giant fish.

For someone with an innate dao body like him, fifty hours of confinement amounted to far more than a good, long sleep.

When he stretched, yawned, and sat up, the nourishment of nature's energy had left his entire being brimming with vitality and spiritual vigor.

"Ah-that was such a good sleep!" He rubbed his eyes and looked at everyone. "Can we go out now?"

Just as he finished speaking-

Creak-rumble-

The heavy stone door slowly rose, and the glaring sunlight made everyone in the chamber instinctively squint.

Leorio was the first to rush out. Spreading his arms, he shouted like a madman in the sunlight, "Oh, yeah! Freedom! I'm finally out!"

His exaggerated movements and nearly cracking voice made even Lippo, the examiner standing at the entrance, raise an eyebrow.

Gon and Killua ran out after him, curiously surveying the world outside the Trick Tower.

They seemed to be on a platform at the top of the tower, surrounded by sheer cliffs. Mountain ranges and a sea of clouds stretched into the distance, forming a breathtaking view.

Lin Yan and Kurapika came out last, quietly savoring the warmth of sunlight on their bodies.

After fifty hours confined in darkness, even this most ordinary sunlight felt especially precious.

"Congratulations, examinees." Lippo clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.

"Your fifty hours of confinement are over."

"Now," he paused, a smile spreading across his face that sent a chill down their spines, "since everyone has had a good rest, let's begin the final challenge of the Third Phase."

"The final challenge?"

The wild joy on Leorio's face froze instantly. "Haven't we already passed? We won four matches!"

"No, no, no."

Lippo wagged his index finger, his tone laden with meaning. "Getting through the majority-rule room only earned you the right to continue the challenge."

"There's a price to pay for losing that reckless gamble."

He stepped aside, revealing an enormous passage behind him whose depths disappeared from sight.

The passage sloped downward, and the stone walls on both sides were riddled with branching paths like an ant colony. A single glance was enough to make their scalps prickle.

"This is..." Killua's brow furrowed deeply.

"To reach the exit at the bottom of the Trick Tower from here, you'll need to make your way through the Labyrinth of Choices."

Lippo announced it with a smile, as though introducing some entertaining amusement park attraction.

"And the time you have left..."

He raised his wrist, glanced at his watch, and then slowly spoke in the tone of someone delivering a final judgment.

"Is only fifteen hours."