"No... you've got to be kidding!"
Leorio's voice trembled.
He rushed to the wall in a few strides, planted both hands against the cold stone, and pushed with all his might. But the wall seemed rooted in place and refused to budge.
"It's a dead end... we still chose wrong..."
All his strength seemed to drain away as he slumped down, his back sliding along the wall. Despair covered his face. "It's over! It's all over! They played us!!"
The atmosphere grew unbearably oppressive.
Even the ever-optimistic Gon was speechless. He stared at the wall, then glanced at the timer on the wall beside it.
Its digits had turned a glaring red: 01:28:07.
They had less than an hour and a half left.
"Damn it!"
Killua slammed his fist into the wall beside him with a dull thud.
Unwilling to accept defeat, he paced around the tiny space, tapping every inch of the walls in search of a hidden mechanism.
"Calm down!"
Kurapika's voice was low and sharp. He pressed a hand to his chest, forcing himself into the "observer" state Lin Yan had taught him. "The worse things get, the more we need to stay calm."
Only Lin Yan stood motionless.
There was no despair or panic on his face, only absolute composure.
He trusted his judgment.
Within the earth's qi, the faint traces of human presence left by countless examinees had not disappeared here. Instead, like a river cut off midstream, they passed through the wall in an utterly bizarre fashion.
"It's a psychological trap," Lin Yan said slowly.
His voice was quiet, but in the deathly silence, every one of them heard him clearly.
"What do you mean?" Killua stopped pacing and snapped his gaze toward him.
"The examiner doesn't want to leave us with nowhere to go. He wants us to give up of our own accord at the very last moment."
Lin Yan's reasoning was crystal clear. "First, he wore down our will with a choice between three options. Then, he drained our stamina with a long route that seemed correct. Finally, he used this wall of despair to completely crush our psychological defenses."
He pointed at the stone wall before them. "Take another moment to feel the airflow here."
At his prompting, Killua and Gon immediately held their breath and focused.
"Wind..." Gon's eyes lit up as he sensed something.
"It's incredibly faint, but wind is coming through the gap at the very bottom of the wall! Behind it... there's open space!"
"You're right... the airflow is compressed here, but it hasn't stopped."
Killua looked stunned. "This wall isn't part of the maze. It's a gate they lowered afterward! Those bastards put a trick like this right before the finish!"
"It's not a visual trick. It's a more sophisticated battle of wills."
Lin Yan shook his head. "This wall is real, but it's only a flimsy disguise. It tests not just our judgment, but whether we still have the resolve to trust ourselves in the face of despair."
"Then what are we waiting for?!" Leorio sprang up, suddenly brimming with energy. "Smash it!"
"Killua!" Lin Yan looked at him.
"Leave it to me!"
Killua needed no further explanation. He took a deep breath, stepped back several paces, then lunged forward!
He concentrated all his strength in his right foot and unleashed it the instant he struck the wall!
BOOM!
A thunderous crash rang out, and shattered stone flew everywhere!
The seemingly indestructible stone wall had been kicked clean through, leaving a huge hole!
Beyond it was a new passage, just as they had expected!
"Nice work!" Leorio shouted excitedly.
"Hurry! We're running out of time!" Kurapika urged.
They immediately scrambled through the hole and charged into the final passage.
At its end stood five identical, enormous stone doors, each exuding an ancient air.
The timer on the wall had already jumped to 00:38:00.
"Another choice?! Are those bastards addicted to this?!" Leorio cursed furiously. "What now? We barely have any time left! Do we just pick one and hope we get lucky?"
"No. We don't need to choose."
Lin Yan's voice rang out again. He strode up to the five doors, and a faint gleam seemed to flash through his eyes.
At that moment, he pushed the supernatural ability he had gained after reaching Foundation Establishment-the Qi Observation Technique-to its limit.
The entire world transformed before his eyes.
Gone were the cold stone and dim light. In their place was a world of energy composed of countless streams of qi.
The first door on the left was lifeless and dull gray, filled with the death qi of a path that led nowhere.
The second door on the left was the same.
The two doors on the right were also shrouded in dense, stagnant gray death qi.
Behind those doors lay either traps or another meaningless stretch of maze.
Only the door in the middle was different!
Under Lin Yan's Qi Observation Technique, that door looked entirely unlike the other four!
Faint strands of golden-green life qi, carrying the fresh scent of plants and the warmth of sunlight from outside, stubbornly seeped through its seams!
In this tower filled with death qi, that wisp of life qi stood out like a beacon in the night!
That was the exit! The only passage connecting them to the world outside!
"The middle one!" Lin Yan shouted with all his strength. "That's the exit! Everyone, give it everything you've got and push it open!"
His voice rang with unwavering conviction, inspiring them all.
"Right!"
"Let's go!"
No one had the slightest doubt anymore.
The instant the timer reached 10:30, all five of them threw their full weight against the cold stone door in the middle!
"One, two, three! Push!"
Leorio's face flushed red, veins bulging at his temples. Killua and Gon gritted their teeth too, unleashing every ounce of strength they had.
Yet the stone door was far heavier than they had imagined.
It seemed to be more than just rock, as though some invisible, viscous force was holding it firmly in place.
"Something's wrong..." Killua said through clenched teeth. "There's something-Nen-on the hinges... stopping us!"
It was the final test left by the examiner, Lippo. He could increase the resistance according to the examinees' strength.
The timer read 05:00.
Tonpa stood beside them, putting on a show of pushing hard. In reality, his footing was loose and he wasn't exerting any real force. He was even trying to edge backward.
"Tonpa, don't try anything!" Kurapika shot him an icy sidelong glance, frightening him into quickly pressing his shoulder against the door again.
"Don't let up!"
Feeling the springy resistance, Lin Yan made the Dantian Embryo within his dantian spin furiously, channeling a strand of pure true qi into both arms.
"This resistance has a limit! Follow my rhythm and breathe as one!"
03:00...
"Yaaaaah!" Gon let out a beastlike roar, his entire body radiating astonishing life energy.
01:00...
Through his Qi Observation Technique, Lin Yan keenly caught the fluctuations in the Nen on the hinges. At the instant it was weakest, he shouted:
"Now! Burst!"
Creeeak-BOOM!
Their combined strength-all six of them-broke through the invisible resistance in one surge. The immensely heavy stone door groaned under the strain.
Slowly, with agonizing difficulty, it shifted inward, opening the tiniest crack.
"We've got it!"
Leorio shouted excitedly.
"Keep pushing, everyone!"
The digits on the timer were ticking down rapidly.
20... 15... 10...
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