Hunter x Hunter: Infinite Growth.

It doesn't mean anything to Kevin; he can just look at it casually.

Kevin stepped onto the field, his gaze fixed on Netero as he strolled over.

Chairman Netero stroked his beard and said, "The rules for your duel are that I will push you three times. As long as you are not pushed away by me even once, you will win this duel."

Upon hearing this rule, Kevin frowned slightly and began to think of a solution.

He didn't feel insulted; on the contrary, his intuition told him that the old man in front of him was unfathomably powerful.

At this moment, what he needs to think about is how to avoid being pushed away.

It's important to note that, according to the rules, being "pushed into the air" only counts if the person is actually pushed into the air. Simply being pushed backward or falling to the ground does not qualify as being "pushed into the air."

With that thought in mind, Kevin assumed a horse stance and got into a defensive posture.

As for dodging.

That's underestimating the other person too much; he had absolutely no room or opportunity to dodge.

"Are you ready?" Netero asked with a smile, not in a hurry.

“Come on,” Kevin replied seriously.

As soon as he finished speaking, Netero vanished from his spot almost instantly and appeared in front of Kevin, pushing out with a palm strike.

Just as Kevin had thought, he had no chance of dodging.

"boom!"

A powerful force struck, and even though Kevin was prepared to defend himself, he was still sent flying like a cannonball, crashing heavily against the wall.

Amidst the billowing smoke, Kevin coughed a few times and slid down the wall.

"This power is outrageous."

Kevin was secretly amazed. He clearly felt that this attack was a display of pure strength from his opponent, without using any techniques, yet it had forcefully pushed him away.

"Oops, did you go too far? Do you want to take a break?" Netero asked with a smile.

Kevin dusted himself off, walked back to the center of the field, and shook his head: "No need, let's continue."

"Are you ready?"

Kevin nodded.

This time, Netero didn't launch a sudden attack. Instead, he slowly walked up to Kevin, his palm visibly moving closer to Kevin before gently pushing it out, as if he were just lightly touching him.

"call out!"

This time, Kevin wasn't thrown back with great force like last time; instead, he glided forward at an even faster speed.

However, instead of crashing into the wall, he braced himself with his hands and stomped his feet, leaving two marks on the ground, and abruptly stopped just before reaching the wall.

Although Kevin didn't hit the wall, he did fly out, so this still doesn't count as him passing.

"Oh! Very good." Netero exclaimed, having just realized that Kevin had used some technique to unleash even more Nen.

Netero was very confident in his control of his strength, exceeding his opponent's limits by only a tiny bit.

So the sudden outburst of energy offset this, allowing Kevin to stabilize his body midway.

Kevin took a deep breath and returned to the center of the court.

“This is the last time, so you’d better use all your strength to stop me,” Netero said with a smile.

Kevin no longer hesitated and took out a vial of potion from his waist—a Strength Potion.

Upon seeing this, Locke, who was watching from the sidelines, widened his eyes and became completely focused, not wanting to miss a single detail.

With the power potion ingested, Kevin's physical abilities improved, but his apparent aura did not increase, because he had already mastered the relevant techniques and was currently in the state of using those techniques.

Kevin repositioned himself.

"Then, here comes the final blow."

This time, Netero actually adopted a stance that suggested he was going all out.

However, Kevin remained unmoved. He knew in his heart that if his opponent really used his full strength, he would have no chance to stop him, and the duel would lose its meaning. So worrying would be of no use.

Netero charged forward suddenly, this time not with extreme speed, but with a clearly visible movement, pushing his palm forward.

The palm landed firmly on Kevin's chest.

"when!"

A crashing sound rang out, like a fleshy hand smashing into steel.

Kevin was instantly propelled forward, but this time he didn't fly. Instead, his legs remained firmly planted on the ground, and he glided backward for a considerable distance until his back gently rested against the wall.

Two clear grooves were left on the ground, and Kevin's shoes were worn through.

Kevin took off his shoes and let out a long sigh of relief: "This shouldn't count as being pushed away, right?"

"Hahaha, congratulations, you've scored 1.5 points in this battle." Netero laughed happily.

"Then, let's begin the next battle."

After speaking, Nitero immediately took on the role of referee.

In this exam, candidates with later numbers have a greater advantage.

As the number one candidate, you need to fight against the president and three other candidates in succession.

During the battle with the president, his combat information is likely to be obtained by other examinees, and what follows is a series of battles that will not give you a chance to catch your breath.

Since Candidate Number Two has already fought Candidate Number One and had a break in between, he only needs to fight three battles in a row when it's his turn, one of which is a duel with the guild leader.

Candidate number three gets a break between the first two battles. When it's his turn, he only needs to fight two battles against the president and another candidate.

Candidate number four has the most obvious advantage. He can obtain enough information in battles with other candidates, and there is a rest time between each battle. When it is his turn, he only needs to fight the president once.

Kevin looked at Locke opposite him. At this moment, the chairman announced the rules of the duel between the two: "No surrender is allowed, and I will be the final judge of the outcome."

Upon hearing the rule "no surrender," Locke frowned.

He knew in his heart that he was no match for Kevin, and the chances of winning in such a place were even slimmer.

Moreover, surrender is not allowed, which means he must fight. As a result, his combat information is likely to be exposed, and his chances of winning in subsequent battles with other candidates will be even lower.

He felt that the exam seemed to be targeting him from every angle, and was full of malice.

However, Locke quickly came up with a solution.

Since surrendering is not allowed, he will not use his Nen ability and will deliberately lose the match, which may prevent his information from being exposed.

"Then, let's begin!"

As soon as the referee gave the command, the two players instantly went into battle mode.

However, before they could take a step, Netero suddenly said, "It's over, the outcome is decided."

The sudden announcement left the two of them frozen in place, and the surrounding candidates watching were also completely bewildered.

"What do you mean by that?" Locke asked, his face full of confusion.

“You lost this battle,” Netero said calmly.

"Why?" Locke asked, dissatisfied.

Although the result was the same whether it was a serious battle or a deliberate loss, this inexplicable way of ending the fight left him both confused and resentful.

Netero looked at him and said slowly, "Because from the beginning you never thought about winning, you only thought about how to lose the game."

"You, you despicable old man!" Locke was instantly enraged, his anger burning.

If he were allowed to surrender, he would naturally choose to surrender, since he knew he couldn't beat Kevin.

Moreover, given the current unfavorable conditions, he couldn't think of a better solution for the time being.

Therefore, he chose to deliberately lose the match without using his Nen ability in order to avoid exposing information, which was a choice he had no other option but to make.

But Netero's ambiguous, almost deliberately provocative and insulting behavior was simply unbearable for him.

Even if the result is the same, he finds this method unacceptable.

"Am I wrong?" Netero asked innocently.

“No, you’re absolutely right!” Locke retorted through gritted teeth, then turned away angrily and returned to the spectator area.

"That old man is too wicked."

Kevin couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Although he didn't know Locke well, based on their previous interactions, Locke seemed to be an arrogant person.

This old man deliberately provoked the other party in this way; he was really wicked.

"Candidate number three." Netero chuckled as he began the third battle.

Kate, holding a newly chosen weapon—a katana—stepped onto the field. The two women looked at each other.

"Start the battle when one side falls to the ground!" The rules of this battle are simple and clear.

Kevin charged out like a tiger, heading straight for Kate.

Faced with Kevin's attack, Kate did not dodge. He instantly drew his weapon, imbued his katana with his aura, and slashed straight down at Kevin without holding back, because he knew he had no right to do so.

Kevin didn't even dodge the incoming blade; he simply raised his arm to take the hit head-on.