Of course, Biscuit wouldn't reveal any information about the ability "Starlight Convergence" to Wing.
But to say that he had stolen the technique wasn't entirely wrong either.
Wing believed it, and couldn't help but begin questioning his own existence.
He wondered... was this really something a "human" could achieve?
Biscuit glanced at Wing's stunned reaction, considered explaining, but ultimately couldn't be bothered. She turned and headed toward the spectator exit.
The moment Morrow's Piercing Palm struck Brad, the match was already over.
There was no need to wait around for the official result.
Seeing his master leave, Wing hurriedly stood up, cast one last glance at Morrow in the ring, and quickly followed Biscuit.
—--
Meanwhile,
The referee approached Brad's side.
As the dust settled, the referee looked over and saw Brad lying unconscious in the rubble, his eyes rolled back.
"KO! Contestant Morrow wins!"
Seeing Brad completely out cold, the referee ran back to the center of the ring and raised his right hand to announce the result.
"What?! Contestant Brad has been one-hit KO'd! It's hard to believe this was a match between Floor Masters! Let's congratulate Contestant Morrow on his first victory in the Battle Olympia!"
The commentator's shocked voice boomed through the arena's speakers, electrifying the crowd.
The audience erupted into frenzied cheers, chanting Morrow's name.
For them, whether it was a brutal, bloody struggle or a one-hit KO, both delivered the same thrilling spectacle.
And on top of that, many had just won money betting on Morrow's victory.
That was the real reason for their madness.
Morrow ignored the deafening cheers and walked straight into the fighter's tunnel.
The Shingen-ryu Style's focus on physical combat was nothing short of a dimensional downgrade for fighters who relied solely on their Nen abilities.
Brad was the perfect example, someone who placed all his emphasis on Nen while gradually neglecting the importance of physical conditioning and martial techniques.
That was a mistake.
From the evidence before him, Morrow had found the correct answer.
Before returning to Heavens Arena, he and Brad had been the same, staking all their "potential" on the application of Nen abilities.
But now, under his new approach, he had finally ushered in a transformation.
But it's still not enough.
Morrow muttered to himself as he stared ahead.
The improvements in his physical conditioning and martial training were only the first steps past the starting line.
Compared to Nen users like Hisoka and Chrollo, he was still at least three-quarters behind.
And that wasn't even mentioning Illumi, a top-tier Nen user raised in the Zoldyck Family, subjected to hellish training from childhood.
After this match, Morrow had not only gained a deeper understanding of Biscuit's strength but also a clearer perspective on Nen users like Chrollo, Hisoka, and Illumi.
All three of them were prime examples of "balanced progression."
Especially Chrollo…
With an ability like Skill Hunter, most people would assume he'd focus solely on mastering and combining various Nen abilities, like a mage.
But Chrollo didn't bury himself in Nen, he devoted immense time and effort to honing his physical combat skills. The battle between Chrollo and Zeno Zoldyck serves as evidence of this.
It also shows that the leader of the Spider's head has always been clear about the path ahead.
He treads the right steps, directly influencing his companions behind him.
Those like Phinks and Feitan are of the same type.
They don't rely solely on "Nen" to fight, but rather establish their combat style through their own physical skills and speed.
Morrow is now walking on this correct path verified by the "Shingen-ryu Style."
He doesn't need to care how far ahead Chrollo or Phinks are on this path, but he must quickly close the gap between himself and Feitan.
Kastro should be able to defeat his opponent.
Exiting the player tunnel, Morrow didn't stay to watch Kastro's match. Instead, he returned directly to his room to begin his daily training.
Over nearly two months, the combined effects of custom-weighted gear and expensive medicinal cuisine have sculpted his body with noticeably defined, robust lines.
He would maintain this training rhythm until the last day of the "three months," before the Battle Olympia concluded.
—--
A few hours later.
Morrow finished today's strength training, drenched in sweat as if he had just been pulled out of water.
Before heading to the shower, he closed all his aura nodes, entering a state of "Zetsu" to accelerate fatigue recovery.
After a quick rinse, Morrow checked his phone and saw a message from Calista.
Kastro had also secured a victory, advancing to the second round.
The second round of eliminations starts in seven days, with the entire schedule running until the end of the month. By then, Kurapika should have already left to take the Hunter Exam.
Morrow put down his phone.
—--
That night.
Morrow dined as usual with Kastro and the others, then reviewed Kastro's match footage together, pointing out some of his mistakes during the analysis.
Though Kastro won today's match, his waist had been slashed by his opponent.
Fortunately, the wound wasn't deep and shouldn't affect his performance in the second round a week later.
—--
Over the following week.
Morrow lived a fulfilling routine.
Aside from daily foundational training, he engaged in combat drills with Biscuit.
The daily medicinal cuisine was still sustainable for now.
However, his savings would soon run dry.
To regain financial stability, he had to secure the generous prizes from the Battle Olympia.
—--
December 19th.
As the tournament progressed, the Battle Olympia's popularity soared.
It was said that by the final match of the fourth round, Hunter Association Chairman Netero would attend in person.
Various celebrities would also flock to witness the crowning of the Battle Olympia champion.
The second round soon began.
Whether by Heavens Arena's design or random draw, Morrow was once again scheduled for the first match.
This time, his opponent was a female Floor Master named Luna, the only woman among all Floor Masters.
Morrow reviewed her strength through match footage as usual.
Luna wielded a whip, confirmed not to be a conjured object.
With this ruled out, whip users were typically Enhancers.
Yet Luna was actually a Manipulator. Her whip was like a tamer's lash, each solid strike could weaken the opponent's fighting spirit and will, ultimately stripping them of the desire to resist.
The greater the damage inflicted by the whip, the higher the proportion of willpower drained.
This ability…
Well, it was somewhat troublesome, but nothing more than that.
If used in coordinated combat or against someone like Killua, whose mind had been tampered with via needles, it might have been quite effective.
Morrow and Luna stepped onto the arena one after the other.
Luna coiled her whip around her palm, her gaze fixed on Morrow with a fierce intensity.
"Your undefeated legend ends today."
As she hurled her taunt, she flicked her high, golden ponytail and sharply pulled the whip taut, producing a threatening crack.
Morrow remained silent, taking his position as signaled by the referee.
That fierce glare…
It was likely akin to the violent taming methods used in circuses, breaking an animal's spirit through punishment or pain, with a menacing demeanor being the most basic tactic.
Morrow had his suspicions but had no interest in confirming them through conversation. He waited patiently for the referee to announce the start.
A few minutes later.
The referee carefully checked both fighters' positions before stepping back and shouting, "Begin!"
The moment the word left his mouth, Luna bared her teeth, leveraging the whip's range advantage as she stepped forward and lashed out at Morrow, her weapon wreathed in aura.
Crack!
The whip writhed like a serpent midair, producing a sharp, ear-piercing sound as if tearing through the atmosphere.
Morrow leaped back lightly.
The whip struck empty air, slamming into the ground instead.
Boom!
The thick stone tiles shattered explosively.
Luna yanked her arm, retracting the whip.
But before she could follow up, Morrow landed, steadied himself, then used his toes to flip up a broken slab of stone, kicking it toward Luna like a shuttlecock, followed by two more, all three imbued with aura.
"Huh?"
Seeing the aura-wrapped slabs flying toward her, Luna's ferocious expression faltered.
To coat the stones with aura in a single kick…
That's an absurdly fast Hatsu activation!
She swung her whip, smashing the incoming projectiles while keeping a close eye on Morrow's movements.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The whip shattered the stones, sending fragments scattering through the air.
Before Luna could fully retract her weapon, Morrow vanished from her sight, his presence disappearing entirely.
The sudden shift startled her, and she instinctively retreated, hastily pulling back her whip.
But Morrow had already closed in from her blind spot, driving a Palm Blade toward her flank.
At close range, the whip's advantage was nullified.
However, as a Floor Master who had advanced to the second round, Luna wasn't so easily exploited.
Her peripheral vision caught Morrow's approach, and beneath her loose coat, aura surged.
At the same moment Morrow's Palm Blade thrust forward, a hardened object burst through Luna's coat, lunging at his body.
It was a set of jagged, razor-toothed bear traps.
A trump card Luna had never revealed before, now unleashed in her battle to end Morrow's undefeated streak. As long as the bear trap could clamp onto Morrow, combined with the lashing of her whip, Luna could turn him into fish on the chopping block.
Morrow hadn't expected Luna to have a hidden trump card, but…
The speed of her ability activation was too slow, and the flow of her aura was far too obvious.
If you had Hisoka's speed in releasing abilities, I might've really been caught off guard.
A thought flashed through his mind like lightning. Morrow detected the trajectory of Luna's aura flow in an instant, switching from offense to defense in a split second. Then, with a burst of Nen at his feet, he kicked off the ground, instantly shifting two body lengths to the side.
The Conjured bear trap that lunged from beneath Luna's coat snapped shut on empty air.
"What…!?"
Seeing that Morrow had actually reacted, Luna's heart pounded wildly. In a panic, she tried to track Morrow's shifted position with her eyes, ready to flick her whip and reset her defenses.
But the Morrow she locked onto at that moment was nothing more than an illusion, a phantom created by his Rhythm Echo.
The real Morrow had already circled around to her blind spot once more.
Thwack.
A Palm Blade struck.
Luna's body jolted violently, her eyes widening in shock before losing focus entirely. Her body went limp, collapsing to the ground.
Morrow stepped over her and strode toward the other side of the arena.
Whether it was the whip or the bear trap, a fighting style that relied on tools to manifest Manipulation abilities posed no threat if they couldn't land a hit.
As Luna lost consciousness and fell, the referee shot Morrow a stunned glance before rushing to her side to check her condition.
"KO! Contestant Morrow wins!"
The referee announced the result.
Another one-hit KO!
The commentator's expression twisted in disbelief. Though her emotions were in turmoil, her professional instincts kicked in, and she immediately launched into an impassioned play-by-play.
But the audience had long stopped paying attention to her commentary, their eyes fixed on the figure striding away.
After a brief, deafening silence.
Thunderous cheers erupted as expected.
Yet Morrow remained unchanged. The moment he won, he left the arena without hesitation.
The spotlight and cheers that would excite most Floor Masters had never made him linger for even a second.
He exited through the competitor's tunnel and returned straight to his room to resume his daily training.
Next round, Orion will step into the ring.
Strapping on his weighted gear, Morrow muttered to himself.
The second round was the top ten narrowing down to five, and the victorious Floor Masters would then draw lots, along with last year's champion, Orion, to determine the matchups.
Morrow didn't dwell on it for long, quickly immersing himself in his training.
—--
High up in Heavens Arena, in a room decorated in traditional Japanese style, a low table sat atop the tatami mat, a phone placed upon it.
"Chairman, where have you run off to this time? There's still a lot of work that requires your approval today!"
The phone was on speaker, broadcasting the frantic voice of Beans, the secretary of the Hunter Association.
Seated before the table was the chairman himself, Netero.
"Hohoh, I'm at Heavens Arena."
Netero stroked his beard, his gaze shifting from the TV screen broadcasting the Battle Olympia to the phone on the table.
"Huh?" Beans' incredulous voice came through the phone: "Why would you go to Heavens Arena? According to the confirmed schedule, you're supposed to attend during the finals..."
"Eh? Can't hear you clearly. Bad signal?"
Netero extended his Index Finger and ended the call.
Of course he remembered the schedule.
But coming early meant he could legitimately slack off.
"Hohoho."
Netero chuckled softly, his aged eyes glinting as he looked at the TV screen before him.
"Rhythm Echo, huh..."
--------
Bonus chapter for the 40 power stones.