Chapter 139: The Onset of the Third-Stage Trial

After everyone stated their positions, a brief silence fell over the tent.

Surveying the five before him, Yenir let out a satisfied chuckle and passed over a list.

“Everything I need is on this. I expect you to have it ready by the end of today.”

“Also, once you return, get in touch with the senior officials of the Capital Military District and inform them…”

“That I’m about to start the Third-Stage Trial!”

His tone was flat—more like an order.

As his words rang out, the group couldn’t help but feel a jolt in their hearts.

They weren’t about to waste any time; they were already set to compete with several seed talents for the top sequence.

Strangely enough, although Yenir was young and came from one of the poorest settlements—as described by Xiao Hai—every gesture he made exuded overwhelming authority, as if he were a superior.

Such poise and natural composure couldn’t possibly be innate.

It wasn’t just an act or calculated reserve; it truly seemed he had once held a high position.

Taking the list, Zhang Tao instinctively looked up at Yenir and, hesitating, began:

“Yenir, um…”

“I’ve already mentioned your situation to Commander Chen. He wants to meet with you at his convenience—either he comes to you or you go to him.”

“And rest assured, Commander Chen Kailai fully supports our cooperation; otherwise, I wouldn’t have agreed.”

“This arrangement is clearly meant to give you a nominal post in the military, making external communication smoother.”

Unlike Wang Tian, who acted like a true merchant by seizing every opportunity regardless of his status, Zhang Tao, representing a major military region, was more concerned with maintaining a respectable image.

“No problem.”

After casually agreeing, Yenir turned to Xiao Hai:

“Commander Xiao, please report in again. You can honestly detail my situation to the Capital.”

He intended to hide nothing.

Standing at the Second-Stage Peak and nearing the Third-Stage, entering the trial required going through the facilities of the Capital or other major powers—there was no hiding it. In fact, if it weren’t for the Sword God System’s restrictions, Yenir wouldn’t mind showcasing his talent.

He needed abundant resources to speed up his growth.

Yes, some might grow envious and try to cut him down or engineer conflicts. He had already experienced that in a past life.

Before facing the threat of total annihilation, infighting was humanity’s specialty—even during the apocalypse.

Yet, while some wished to keep him down, others were eager to back him. The higher his potential and value, the safer he became.

“Understood.”

Grasping Yenir’s meaning, Xiao Hai regarded the young man before him with a complex expression. He knew that filing this report would likely result in many facing accountability.

Although the decision was collective and everyone agreed that the Willpower Type was useless, with a phenomenon like Yenir it was inevitable that someone would take the fall.

“Yenir, just call me Uncle Xiao.”

“Anything else? Uncle Xiao will make sure it’s all taken care of.”

Suppressing stray thoughts, Xiao Hai forced a friendly, even obsequious smile—more attentive than when he first met Yenir. In a world where power ruled, it was natural for him to play the subordinate, even if it meant just being a minor player.

In truth, he knew Yenir would eventually rope him into cooperation, simply because of the prestige of the Tianfeng Security Zone.

Without resources or manpower, his faction paled in comparison to Chen Yong’s or Wang Tian’s. In this small group, he was nothing more than a minor cog. All hopes for the Third-Stage and beyond rested solely on Yenir.

Shaking his head, once Yenir confirmed there were no further arrangements, he turned and left.

He had already assigned the preparation of the Spiritual Energy Fruit and the sword skills to the forces backing Chen Yong and Wang, confident they’d deliver a satisfactory result.

For now, his only task was to wait for the Capital to receive the report and escort him to the trial.

Admittedly, he was curious—curious about who had been responsible for downgrading his potential in the last assessment.

After all, he was measured as SS-Class. Even for the Willpower Type, shouldn’t he at least be rated average? How could they drop him to a trash B-Class? Was the Fire Seed Plan’s standard really that harsh?

Even as Yenir departed, the remaining members exchanged looks and exhaled deeply.

“I never imagined coming over would make me feel like such an underling…”

Zhang Tao chuckled self-deprecatingly—it was just a joke, though inside he felt a mix of emotion and excitement. They had practically stumbled upon a super genius; who knew, Yenir might become their superior one day.

“Yeah, I never expected this either. I, Wang Zheng, was sure this visit was only about discussing side project gains. Who would have guessed…”

Wang Tian shook his head and grinned, his eyes filled with satisfaction and approval as he regarded Wang Zheng.

Sure enough, it was like his own son—casually knowing someone turned into having a top-tier ally. His insight clearly surpassed his own.

“Let’s not dwell on that. Once Yenir’s news is reported, the central authorities could stir up quite a storm…”

“Who knows just how many complications might arise…”

A trace of worry flashed in Zhang Tao’s eyes.

At present, various factions and forces were scrambling to boost their sequence rankings and purchase materials and tools to enhance their abilities. Yenir’s emergence would undoubtedly upend the current order.

In truth, he suspected Yenir’s approach of “recruiting” them was simply to get their public support. The so-called mysterious benefactor behind him might be powerful, but officially, they’d be of little consequence.

“Brother Zhang, now that we’ve placed our bet, let’s roll the dice.”

“As long as Yenir outclasses every talent and seals the top sequence, no one will dare touch him openly.”

“There’s no such thing as a risk-free venture. If we win, everyone benefits!”

Wang Tian smiled nonchalantly. In his eyes, a loss was merely a slight material setback—nothing major. Besides, he was convinced they would win.

After all, how could a being with Second-Stage strength and Third-Stage potential possibly lose to those so-called geniuses!

…….

Capital Military District, Fire Seed Plan Office.

“Commander Liu! The Tianfeng Security Zone has submitted an urgent message—claiming it’s extremely important and related to the plan!”

Surrounded by stacks of documents, Tang Zhen furrowed his brows as he examined the report handed to him by a subordinate.

“Tianfeng? That name rings a bell. Which subordinate from the Safe Zone sent this?”

“Understood. Place it on the desk.”

He paid no heed to the so-called critical intelligence.

Since the inception of the Fire Seed Selection Plan, countless military regions and local safe zones had been making such claims—trumpeting an A-Class rating as if it meant a super genius, using ever more exaggerated language just to grab attention.

Such reports might be significant locally, but to the central authorities, they were practically clichéd.

A few hours later, after processing some documents, Liu Hongjun, looking rather exhausted, prepared to leave the office.

As he rose, he noticed again the Tianfeng report nested among a pile of files.

On a whim, he sighed and picked it up.

‘Forget it, just take a look…’

Curious about what mischief these small-time players were up to again…

Seconds later, after reading the rather brief report, Liu Hongjun suddenly stiffened, swallowing hard.

His eyes widened in disbelief.