Three days after the gathering ended, Leo and Sophia returned to Heavens Arena.
At ten o'clock at night, Leo had just returned to his private room on the 200th floor and was planning to take a shower and rest when a knock came at the door.
The rhythm was light and brisk, carrying a certain deliberate sense of cadence.
Leo's brow furrowed slightly. At this hour, if Sophia had something to discuss, she would use the room's internal phone.
He walked to the door and looked out through the peephole—a face painted with star and teardrop makeup was smiling right back at him.
Hisoka!
Leo remained silent for two seconds before pulling the door open.
"Hi~ Mr. Leo, it's been a long time."
Hisoka tilted his head, lightly tapping his lips with a finger.
"My name is Hisoka. Do you remember me?"
Leo remained expressionless.
"Is there something you need?"
"Oh my, how cold~"
Hisoka put on a hurt expression.
"Last time in Chirok City, our wonderful encounter was forced to an end, and I've been thinking about it ever since. So, I wanted to ask, are you interested in doing it again? One-on-one, the kind where we can go all out."
Leo felt goosebumps crawl from his back all the way to the nape of his neck.
He said without hesitation.
"No time."
Bang! The door was slammed shut, nearly hitting Hisoka's nose.
Hisoka stood frozen in place, his smiling expression stiffening.
He had anticipated many reactions—a ready agreement, bargaining, a stern refusal... but such a clean and decisive shut door was truly unexpected.
He stared at the closed door for a full ten seconds, the corners of his mouth gradually splitting into a twisted curve.
"Hehe... interesting."
At seven o'clock the next morning, Leo pushed open his door, preparing to go to the dining hall for breakfast.
Then he froze.
On the corridor floor outside the door, Hisoka sat leaning against the wall, legs stretched out and crossed, with a pyramid of playing cards nearly half a meter tall built in front of him.
Every single card was precisely stacked on the edge of another, trembling slightly in the breeze from the corridor's air conditioning, yet maintaining an eerie balance.
Hearing the door open, Hisoka looked up and revealed a brilliant smile.
"Morning, Mr. Leo~"
Leo's eye twitched.
He didn't say a word and walked straight past Hisoka, without even giving the card pyramid a second glance.
Hisoka wasn't angry either; he stood up with a smile, brushed the dust off his pants, and followed behind Leo.
The two maintained a distance of about three meters, walking through the corridor one after the other and into the elevator.
There were several other contestants from the 200th floor in the elevator.
When Hisoka walked in, those few people clearly stiffened, subconsciously shrinking into the corners—it seemed Hisoka had already made a name for himself on the 200th floor recently.
Leo ignored the gaze behind him and pressed the button for the dining hall floor.
After the elevator doors opened, he didn't go to the dining hall but instead turned toward Sophia's room.
Hisoka continued to follow.
"Master?"
Sophia was a bit surprised when she opened the door, then immediately saw Hisoka behind Leo.
"This person is..."
"Ignore him."
Leo walked into the room.
"We're adjusting the training plan today; first, consolidate the basics of the Four Great Principles."
"Okay."
The door closed, shutting Hisoka out.
In the corridor, Hisoka leaned against the opposite wall with his arms crossed, looking like he was waiting patiently.
The occasional passing contestants all gave him a wide berth.
Inside the room, Sophia lowered her voice.
"Master, that person outside..."
"A troublesome guy."
Leo took two bottles of water from the fridge and handed one to her.
"Don't pay him any mind. If he wants to wait, let him."
Throughout the morning, Leo guided Sophia through her basic Cultivation.
At twelve noon, Leo pulled open the door.
Hisoka was still standing there, his posture barely changed.
"Going to eat? I know a pretty good restaurant~"
He suggested enthusiastically.
Leo ignored him and said to Sophia.
"I'm heading out for a bit this afternoon. Practice on your own."
"Understood."
Leo walked toward the elevator, and Hisoka naturally followed.
This time, Leo didn't go to the dining hall but went straight down to the first floor, crossed the lobby, and walked out the gates of Heavens Arena.
The afternoon sun was pleasant, and the streets were bustling with people.
Leo reached a crossroads, stopped, and sighed.
He turned around and looked at the smiling Hisoka three meters away.
"What exactly do you want?"
"I just want to have a fight with you~"
Hisoka tilted his head.
"A very simple wish."
"I'm not interested."
"That's a real shame."
As Hisoka spoke, his steps followed once more.
Leo's eyes turned slightly cold.
He wasted no more words as the Nen within his body erupted!
Nen instantly enveloped his entire body, the airflow kicking up dust from the ground.
In the next second, he charged into the dense crowd ahead like an arrow leaving a bow!
Hisoka's eyes lit up.
"Want to play a game of tag? I like it~"
He also sped up to keep pace, his body weaving through the crowd like a red phantom, surprisingly not a bit slower than Leo!
The two raced through the bustling streets one after the other, drawing side-glances from passersby.
Leo deliberately chose crowded and complex routes, attempting to shake Hisoka off, but Hisoka's tracking skills were extremely superb, always allowing him to accurately lock onto Leo's position through the gaps in the crowd.
After crossing three blocks, Leo ducked into a relatively quiet alley.
Hisoka followed closely behind.
The alley wasn't long, and it ended in a dead end.
Hisoka's steps faltered slightly—Leo was gone.
He narrowed his eyes, his golden pupils scanning the surroundings.
Trash cans, stacked cardboard boxes, fire escapes... there was no place to hide.
Just as his attention was focused straight ahead—the air behind him suddenly compressed!
Leo dropped silently from the shadow of the fire escape above, his right fist gathering highly compressed Nen as he slammed it toward Hisoka's back without any flair!
This strike was timed cunningly and was incredibly fast.
Hisoka only sensed the danger the moment the wind from the punch reached him; he only had time to hurriedly gather Nen at his back for defense—Bang!!!
The dull sound of the impact exploded like a drumbeat!
Hisoka was sent flying forward, snapping a utility pole as thick as a bowl at the alley entrance, and rolled four or five meters on the ground before barely coming to a stop.
Dust filled the air.
The surrounding pedestrians were startled by the sudden commotion and stopped to watch.
Hisoka lay on the ground, coughed twice, and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.
He propped himself up slowly; the clothes on his back had shredded, and a large bruise appeared on his skin—if he hadn't used "Ken" to protect his vitals at the last moment, this punch might have broken his spine.
He looked up toward the depths of the alley.
Leo was already long gone.
Hisoka stood by the collapsed utility pole, head bowed, his shoulders beginning to tremble slightly.
"Heh... hehe..."
A low laughter squeezed out of his throat, gradually growing louder.
"Hahaha... that's it, Leo..."
He looked up, his makeup appearing a bit disheveled in the dust, but those golden eyes were terrifyingly bright.
"Someone like you... is truly worth hunting!"
His voice gradually rose, carrying a twisted excitement.
"Only you! Only you are the most perfect fruit in my heart!"
"You can only die by my hand! It can only be me!!"
The surrounding crowd watched this suddenly crazed red-haired man and backed away to avoid him, fearing they might get into trouble.
Hisoka didn't care at all.
He brushed off the dust, tidied his messy hair, and with that pleasant smile back on his face, turned and walked toward Heavens Arena.
His steps were light, as if the punch he just took was merely a wonderful seasoning.