The number of stages in the Hunter Exam is not fixed but is flexibly adjusted by the review committee based on the examiners and test content of the current session.
Typically, including the final test overseen by Chairman Netero, the total number of stages is roughly maintained at five or six.
However, with nearly three hundred sessions of the Hunter Exam held, there are always special circumstances.
For instance, in the current second stage of the exam, out of a total of 101 participants, only Morrow passed.
If previous examples were used as a reference, Morrow could be directly declared the sole passer of this year's Hunter Exam.
Nevertheless, the final authority to rule on such special cases still belongs to the Hunter Exam Review Committee.
Thus, Netero, as the highest authority of the Hunter Exam Review Committee, received the news immediately.
From 502 participants in the first stage to 101 in the first half of the second stage, and then to just one in the latter half of the second stage, this sharp decline in numbers was undeniably brutal.
Yet, such is the nature of the Hunter Exam: it is akin to a thousand troops crossing a single log bridge.
With this in mind, after understanding the situation, Netero believed that the current Hunter Exam rules urgently needed reform, but he still leaned toward respecting the judgment of this year's examiners.
After all, one candidate had already distinguished themselves through sheer ability. Arbitrarily overturning the results would be unfair.
Just as he decided to conclude this year's exam early, he received a call from examiner Satotz.
During the call, Satotz provided a detailed, objective report on the outstanding performances of this year's candidates.
From this, Netero realized that the overall caliber of this year's candidates far exceeded that of previous years, forcing him to reconsider his decision.
To restore the pass rate to a normal level, reforming the exam rules had become imperative.
But the immediate dilemma was whether to implement changes in this session or postpone them to the next.
—--
Aboard the airship, Netero was unusually deep in thought.
Beside him, Beans wore a somewhat serious expression, aware that the chairman's upcoming decision could impact both the current and future Hunter Exams.
Yet, no matter what decision Chairman Netero made, Beans would wholeheartedly support and trust him without reservation.
—--
Meanwhile, in the warehouse venue for the second stage of the exam in Visca Forest, many candidates wore expressions of discontent.
Most of these candidates were veterans, utterly unable to accept being eliminated by "a single dish."
In all their previous exams, the tests had always focused on physical strength, combat prowess, and survival skills.
If they had been eliminated in that type of test, they would have accepted it without complaint.
But to fail on a cooking assessment, what kind of logic was that?
The atmosphere in the warehouse began to shift.
Dissatisfaction seemed to spread like a contagion, yet Menchi remained unperturbed, completely ignoring the candidates' resentful expressions.
Ring, ring.
Buhara's phone suddenly rang.
Hearing the ringtone, Menchi, who was lounging casually on the sofa, rolled her eyes.
In her view, she had impartially evaluated Morrow's performance in the second stage from every angle and found it deserving of recognition. As far as this outcome was concerned, she saw no issue with it.
But she had anticipated the review committee's reaction, so she had turned off her phone in advance.
Now, hearing the ringing, she thought Buhara should have turned his phone off too.
Though it wouldn't make much difference.
Menchi knew that Satotz, the examiner for the first phase, was currently hiding in a tree outside the warehouse. Even if Buhara turned off his phone, the review committee would probably call Satotz instead...
There was no avoiding it.
"Give me your phone."
Menchi reached her right hand backward.
Buhara had just taken out his phone and obediently placed it in Menchi's hand.
Menchi answered the call, and Beans' voice came through the receiver: "Buhara, please hand the phone to Menchi."
"It's me."
"Huh?"
Beans on the other end of the line was momentarily taken aback but quickly recovered and got straight to the point:
"Menchi, regarding the results of the second phase test, the review committee needs to confirm whether there were any violations of the examination rules during the process. So before verification..."
"Cut the nonsense."
Menchi impatiently interrupted: "One person passed. That's the final result."
"But Menchi, before the official verification..."
"I don't care what you need to verify. For the second half of the second phase test, only examinee number 502 passed. If you have any issues with my judgment, then come tell me to my face."
Menchi's tone was firm, showing no intention of compromise. She added at the end: "But I'm about to send the examinees packing now. I won't wait around."
"Menchi, you can't make decisions on your own..."
—--
On the airship, Beans looked helpless and turned to seek instructions from Chairman Netero.
But when he looked toward the spot where the chairman had been sitting and drinking, he found it empty.
"Eh? Where's the chairman?"
Beans looked around in confusion; Netero had vanished into thin air.
—--
Meanwhile.
Netero stood atop the airship's envelope, his right hand shading his eyes as he gazed into the distance toward the second phase test venue.
The next moment.
He leaped into the air, suspending himself mid-air.
As gravity began to pull him toward the ground, a golden light suddenly bloomed behind him.
The golden light was incredibly fast, yet it resembled a gentle hand softly enveloping Netero's body.
Crack!
A circle of white shockwaves exploded high in the sky.
Wrapped in the golden light, Netero tore through the air like a bullet and vanished into the distance in an instant.
—--
Inside the warehouse venue.
Menchi heard Beans' muttering. Though she wasn't entirely clear about the situation there, when she heard the word "chairman," she instinctively wiped the impatience from her face.
She could maintain a tough attitude toward the review committee members, including Beans.
But when it came to the highest authority, Netero, her attitude was one of respect and courtesy.
"Anyway, my decision is..."
Menchi intended to hang up after saying this, but halfway through her sentence, her expression suddenly changed.
Buhara behind her, as well as Nen users like Morrow and Hisoka, were the first to notice the anomaly.
Aura fluctuation... extremely intense.
Morrow abruptly turned his head, his gaze piercing through the open warehouse doors to the outside.
The moment his eyes locked on...
Boom! A blurry figure shot down like a cannonball, crashing into the ground with a deafening roar.
The earth instantly shattered, and a violent shockwave swept outward, carrying clouds of dust and sand.
The warehouse doors rattled violently under the impact, and billowing dust surged into the interior.
This sudden turn of events left the vast majority of the examinees present with expressions of shock.
"What just happened?"
"Did something crash down?!"
The examinees all stared intently at the towering plume of dust outside.
Morrow's eyes flickered slightly. He could sense the intense aura within the dust cloud rapidly fading into silence, and he recalled the faint traces of golden light he had glimpsed moments earlier.
Making such a grand entrance... Could he have flown here directly?
Morrow thought to himself.
Though the dust had yet to settle, he had already guessed that the owner of this aura was none other than the Chairman of the Hunter Association, Netero.
It seemed that even with his own qualification, the results of the second phase had left the review committee struggling to reach a decision.
And Netero's dramatic arrival at the venue was unlikely meant to placate the dissatisfied examinees.
It was more likely driven by a desire to reform the test rules.
Morrow had some recollection of this aspect.
Under the tense, breathless gazes of everyone, a white figure emerged from the dust and stepped into the warehouse.
It was an old man with snow-white hair and beard, a long ponytail tied atop his bald head, and two lengthy white eyebrows drooping like dragon whiskers. His thick beard nearly covered his entire chin, curving playfully into a pointed hook at the bottom.
Just as Morrow had guessed, the newcomer was the Chairman of the Hunter Association and the highest authority of the Hunter Exam Review Committee.
"Chairman Netero...!"
Menchi reflexively rose from the sofa, her expression slightly stunned.
Buhara, who had been sitting on the floor for a long time, clumsily got to his feet, using the gesture to show his respect for Netero.
"Hohoho."
Netero stroked his beard and chuckled. "I arrived in a bit of a hurry. I hope I didn't cause any trouble?"
As he spoke, he quickly scanned the examinees present, lingering a bit longer on Morrow and the other Nen users.
When he noticed the state of Morrow's aura, a flicker of surprise passed through his aged eyes, soon replaced by an inexplicable smile.
"Chairman Netero, what brings you here?"
Menchi tossed her phone to Buhara behind her and hurried over to greet him.
Netero looked at Menchi and replied with a laugh, "Didn't you ask me to come?"
"..."
Menchi was momentarily speechless.
She had meant the review committee members, not specifically the highest authority.
Besides, she had been confident that the committee wouldn't arrive so quickly, which was why she had dared to speak so boldly.
Who would have thought Netero could fly here in an instant...
"Hohoho."
Netero chuckled lightly, his gaze sweeping over the messy cooking stations in the room. The place was in disarray, with even unprepared fish casually discarded on the floor.
The intent of the second phase's test was to assess the candidates' courage to challenge the unknown, and on that foundation, evaluate their observation and judgment skills.
But judging by the chaotic state of the cooking stations, it seemed Menchi's evaluation criteria had gradually shifted toward attitude during the test.
Moreover, in tests like this, once the first qualified candidate emerged, it essentially became an open-book exam. Even so, among so many examinees, there wasn't a single additional qualifier.
Netero believed the evaluation process itself was sound; the only issue was that Menchi had given the examinees too little time.
Especially after tasting Morrow's dish, the entire test pace had clearly accelerated.
So even with an answer right before their eyes, the examinees simply didn't have enough time to replicate it.
Netero withdrew his gaze and turned back to Menchi, speaking slowly: "The Examination Committee must ensure the standardization of test procedures. In terms of judging criteria, your approach was not problematic."
"Yes!"
A flicker of delight passed through Menchi's eyes, and her tense shoulders relaxed slightly.
"However..."
Netero's tone shifted, "The time allotted for the test question was indeed too rushed."
Menchi immediately found herself at a loss for words again.
Indeed...
If it were about judging standards, her conscience was clear.
But the time issue raised by Chairman Netero left her with no defense.
Requiring examinees to demonstrate judgment and observation skills through kitchen station arrangements, while also demanding they catch a migratory sea fish within limited time, these two requirements were fundamentally incompatible.
Unless the examinees were given more time.
Observing Menchi's reaction, Netero said seriously: "It seems you understand where the problem lies."
"Yes."
Menchi bowed her head in acknowledgment: "This is my fault. I failed to properly grasp the core requirements of the test."
"But there's still time, isn't there?"
Netero turned sideways, gazing at the deepening twilight outside.
"Let me make a suggestion."
He raised his hand, pointing toward the faintly visible orange-red sunset glow, and said slowly: "How about extending the test deadline until midnight?"
"I'll follow your arrangements completely, but..."
As she spoke, Menchi looked up at the silent Morrow and hesitated: "Won't such a last-minute adjustment be too unfair to examinee number 502?"
Her words drew everyone's attention to Morrow.
The examinees who had been secretly relieved by Chairman Netero's intervention suddenly grew tense again.
While stroking his beard and examining Morrow, Netero's gaze lingered on his face for an extra moment, a meaningful glint flashing in his eyes.
This subtle gesture was unmistakable, and Morrow could sense it, his heart slightly tightening with Gyo.
"Examinee number 502, may I have a word with you in private?"
Netero suddenly asked.
Morrow nodded in agreement.
Netero smiled slightly, then turned to Menchi and reminded her calmly: "Time waits for no one."
"..."
Menchi hesitated briefly upon hearing this, but still followed Netero's intention. She immediately faced the assembled examinees and said indifferently: "In the lake less than 200 kilometers south, there dwells a species of phototropic fish."
"!!!"
Hearing Menchi's hint, the examinees reacted quickly. Setting aside their excitement at getting another chance, they each grabbed headlamps from the cabinets and rushed out of the warehouse.
Meanwhile, Netero had already taken Morrow toward the back of the warehouse.
Twilight slanted across the warehouse walls, a few blades of grass swaying faintly in the shadows.
Netero stood facing the fading twilight, his back to Morrow, and said: "The Examination Committee's duty is to ensure test fairness, so we have the authority to adjudicate disputes arising during testing procedures."
"..."
Morrow remained silent, quietly observing the aura surrounding Netero. Once again facing this former world's strongest Nen user, a different thought arose in his mind.
With his current Starlight Convergence precision... Could he evade the sharp edge of the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva?
Just as Netero was explaining the stakes and about to give Morrow a choice, he suddenly sensed something and turned to look into Morrow's piercing, spirited eyes.
Assessing some possibility, are we...
Having already seen through Morrow's identity earlier, Netero smiled meaningfully.