The airship descended slowly, coming to a halt at the foot of the World Tree.
The hatch opened, and fifty-five Examinees filed out, standing before the massive roots.
Everyone instinctively looked up, gazing at the colossal tree that pierced the clouds.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the canopy, casting mottled shadows across the ground.
The air was fresh and crisp.
The Examinees looked around, searching for the examiner.
"Where is the examiner?"
"Haven't they arrived yet?"
Seeing that the Examinees were in place, Leo leaped toward a branch below.
Using the branches to buffer his descent, Leo plummeted toward the base of the tree at extreme speed; when he was still three hundred meters away, Leo jumped directly.
Just then, someone suddenly looked up and let out a startled cry.
"Look! Someone's jumping down!"
Everyone looked up simultaneously.
A figure leaped down from the tree!
It wasn't climbing, nor was it a fast descent—it was a true jump.
Free-falling.
Under the watch of countless terrified gazes, that figure plummeted rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The wind howled in his ears, and his clothes flapped violently in the gale!
The distance of over three hundred meters was crossed in an instant!
Two hundred meters! One hundred meters!
Some had already closed their eyes, not daring to watch the following scene.
BOOM—!!!
A dull, massive roar shook the entire area!
The ground shattered instantly!
Spiderweb-like cracks spread frantically outward from his landing point!
Dust and gravel shot up, forming a small shockwave!
The scene fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone stood as if under a freezing spell, mouths agape wide enough to fit an egg, eyes bulging.
Leorio's jaw nearly hit the ground.
"Is... is... is this a human?"
Killua's expression changed for the first time.
Shock gleamed in those cat-like eyes, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
He believed he could easily climb this tree, but to jump directly from such a height and remain unscathed—he couldn't do it.
A drop of cold sweat rolled down Kurapika's temple, his eyes filled with gravity.
This level of physical strength, this absolute control over power...
A monster!!!
Gon's eyes shone brilliantly, his face covered in an excited smile.
"So amazing!!!"
In the crowd, Tonpa looked terrified; the examiner was actually him. Two years ago, when Leo took the Hunter Exam, he had left an indelible impression on him.
Powerful, incomparably powerful!
He hadn't expected him to become an examiner so quickly; as expected of the demon who defeated over 700 people in the entire exam hall!
Tonpa swallowed hard, his body instinctively shrinking back into the crowd to hide.
Nearby, Nico and Uvogin exchanged a look, both seeing the awe in each other's eyes.
Although they had long known Master Leo was strong, every time they saw it with their own eyes, they were still shaken.
And in the corner, Hisoka's golden pupils suddenly contracted at this moment.
He stared fixedly at the figure slowly emerging from the dust, his breathing becoming heavy, his fingers trembling slightly out of control.
It's Leo!
He didn't expect to meet him again in the Hunter Exam.
He's grown stronger—stronger than five months ago.
That aura, that pressure, that posture as he stands there—
Hisoka stuck out his tongue, slowly licking his dry lips, a suppressed low chuckle escaping from deep in his throat.
"Heh... hehe..."
The dust gradually cleared.
Leo's figure was clearly revealed.
He stood in place, beneath his feet was a crater over three meters in diameter, with spiderweb-like cracks extending over ten meters away.
But there wasn't a single scratch on his body; even his clothes weren't wrinkled.
He looked up, his gaze sweeping over the shocked faces of the Examinees before him, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
"Hello everyone."
His voice wasn't loud, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.
"I am the examiner for the Third Phase, my name is Leo. Congratulations to all of you for successfully passing the first two phases."
He turned and raised his hand, pointing to the towering giant tree behind him.
"The location for this phase is the World Tree behind me."
The Examinees followed his finger, looking at the giant tree that pierced the heavens, complex emotions rising in their hearts.
"I have randomly placed thirty-five number plates on the World Tree."
Leo continued.
"Passing is simple—climb this tree, find a plate I've placed, and hand it to me to qualify."
He paused and held up two fingers.
"Time limit—two hours."
As his words fell, the crowd instantly erupted.
"Th-thirty-five plates?!"
"Meaning only thirty-five out of fifty-five people can pass?!"
"Climbing a thousand-meter-tall tree in two hours?! You've got to be kidding!"
Whispers rose and fell; some faces were pale, some grit their teeth, and some clenched their fists.
Gon stood in the crowd, looking up at the World Tree, Battle Intent burning fiercely in his eyes.
Killua narrowed his eyes slightly, quickly calculating the climbing route and stamina distribution in his mind.
Kurapika took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down and beginning to observe the structure of the World Tree's trunk.
Leorio's legs felt weak, but he grit his teeth to keep from falling.
Nico and Uvogin exchanged a look and both nodded slightly—this test was not difficult for them.
Hisoka still stood at the very back of the crowd, his golden pupils always locked onto Leo.
A playing card flipped silently between his fingers, over and over again.
Leo's gaze swept through the crowd, lingering for a moment on Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio, then passing over Tonpa, Hanzo, Pokkle, Ponzu, Nico, and Uvogin, as well as Gittarackur, before finally—meeting Hisoka's gaze.
In that instant, the air seemed to freeze.
Hisoka's mouth slowly pulled into a wide, crazed, and gleeful smile.
Meanwhile, Gittarackur showed a fleeting trace of killing intent; Leo's face was one he had been waiting for for a long time.
Leo remained expressionless, merely shifting his gaze away indifferently.
"Now—"
He raised his hand, then swung it down abruptly!
"The Third Phase, officially begins!"
The moment the words fell, all the Examinees moved!
Some charged frantically toward the World Tree, climbing directly upward!
Gon took the lead, his hands grabbing the crevices in the bark, his body darting upward as nimbly as an ape!
Killua followed closely behind, even faster than him, overtaking Gon in a few leaps!
Killua looked down at Gon and said with a smile.
"Gon, let's have a race to see who reaches the top first."
Gon became even more excited and shouted.
"Okay! I'll definitely be the first to climb to the top!"
Kurapika and Leorio were not to be outdone, following closely behind!
Hanzo calmly observed the trunk, looking for the best route!
Pokkle and Ponzu followed behind the crowd, not daring to consume their stamina too quickly!
Gittarackur glanced at Leo, then walked slowly to the base of the tree, climbing up using both hands and feet!
Nico and Uvogin didn't rush to the front, instead maintaining their own pace, climbing upward steadily.
Behind the crowd, Hisoka still stood in place.
He didn't move. He just looked at Leo.
Leo didn't move either, just standing before the roots with his hands in his pockets, watching the Examinees climb upward.
Hisoka smiled.
Then he turned, gave a light leap, grabbed the trunk with one hand, and headed up.
Leo withdrew his gaze and looked toward the upper reaches of the World Tree.
Thirty-five number plates, two hours.
How many plates could these Examinees get?
Moreover, these plates weren't light; they were special metal plates he had the Association specifically make, each weighing 50 catties.
The corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
This is going to be a good show.