Chapter 150: Trials of Destiny

They took a full day to delay!?

Where’s Lin Rui!? Didn’t I order him to bring Yenir to me!?

Furious.

Inside the Military Region Command, Zhang Meng glared coldly at Tang Zhen, who stood before him, and demanded in a deep tone.

To buy time for Zhang Yang, he had arranged several rounds of persuaders to apply both overt and subtle pressure on Yenir, urging him not to rush into the trial.

But to their surprise, not a single one succeeded!

Wiping the cold sweat off his forehead, Tang Zhen wore a doleful expression as he forced himself to explain:

“Commander Zhang, Lin Rui said that Yenir completely ignored him. He didn’t dare to force the issue.”

“With so many eyes on Yenir these days, we simply can’t press too hard…”

“As soon as that guy arrived, he immediately inquired about Chen Guoping’s ranking without wasting a single moment. It’s clear he wants to hit Third-Stage status as fast as possible and claim those resources.”

“Not only did we delay him, but even Yang Guoping, when trying to properly introduce him to a senior official, was flatly rebuffed. He wouldn’t spare any face for anyone…”

Zhang Meng’s expression grew ever darker.

No one knew how much he had sacrificed to have some top brass suppress Yenir, but now it had all gone to waste!

Zhang Yang is still trapped inside the instance – he won’t be coming out any time soon!

Previously, to secure a solid foundation for his beloved son, he’d always used Spirit Crystals to aid in leveling, otherwise relying on a Third-Stage escort. Who would have guessed that a suddenly hyper-accelerated Yenir would catch him off guard?

In his view, Yenir’s rapid ascent must be due to a unique talent for absorbing system resources; and over in the North China Battle Zone, they even executed a sneaky ambush!

His temper was flaring.

To Zhang Meng, Yenir wasn’t meant to be a Third-Stage. He had countless strategies to suppress the first sequence. After all, everyone was a Second-Stage, with plenty of room to maneuver. Even if the first sequence was temporarily taken, he didn’t care about expending some Second-Stage resources.

His only fear was that Yenir might not only seize the first sequence but also advance to Third-Stage!

In his estimation, once Yenir became a Third-Stage, the very first thing he’d do was to exploit his first-sequence status to drain those most exclusive resources!

How could he possibly stand for that?

Mind you, many of those resources are so scarce that even he couldn’t obtain them—they were bartered for in blood by countless Third-Stages!

Taking a deep breath, a steely glint flashed in Zhang Meng’s eyes as he whipped out a special system item.

He planned to use it to contact Zhang Yang inside the instance, ordering him to exit at all costs by tomorrow!

……..

Inside the Deadly Realm Instance, a bloodied and disheveled young man, shielded by several Third-Stages, panted heavily.

Surrounded by heaps of corpses, since entering this instance six days ago, he had fought relentlessly without a moment’s reprieve. With his status, who had ever faced such hardship?

Had it not been for the full protection of the accompanying Third-Stages, he would have met death countless times.

“My father insisted I must exit the instance by tomorrow. That man has already arrived…”

Clenching his fists and staring at the horde of monsters marked on his task display in the distance, he felt an overwhelming despair.

To break into the Second-Stage Peak, he’d chosen an instance whose difficulty far exceeded his abilities. How could he possibly complete the task in such a short time!?

“Damn it!”

“Why can’t I have a few more days!”

In a fit of rage, Zhang Yang stomped and shattered a nearby monster corpse, his face twisted in bitter hatred.

Born with a silver spoon and the son of a top Third-Stage—bathed in glory since childhood—he wouldn’t allow himself to ever admit defeat, be it in pride or in his future.

Now, his only option might be to trade his life for precious time.

But it wasn’t even his own life at stake.

The young man inhaled deeply, a fierce gleam flashing in his eyes.

He looked directly at the loyal Third-Stages protecting him—trusted underlings of Zhang Meng, practically death warriors.

“Uncles, Zhang Yang needs your help with something…”

His voice dropped, a trace of reluctance softening his gaze as he clasped his hands in a greeting.

“My father demands I complete this task by tomorrow. Time is short. I beg you, lend me a hand!”

As his words faded, the elite Third-Stages, as if understanding the gravity of the situation, slowly nodded in agreement.

Finish the task by tomorrow…

The only solution was to send them off to their deaths, sacrificing their lives to clear a path.

The original plan was to gradually grind down the monsters so that in three or four days, the task could be flawless. But if time was of the essence, these men might very well pay with their lives.

The lead Third-Stage calmly looked up with a wry smile:

“We will not disgrace our mission.”

“Your father saved us back then, and Commander Zhang provided all my strength.”

“Consider this life as my offering back to Commander Zhang!”

With that, the lead Third-Stage glanced at his comrades and let out a long sigh:

“Brothers, attack!”

“Let’s hack a bloody path through them!”

A burst of spirit energy suddenly erupted; trailing behind the Third-Stages, Zhang Yang charged forward under their cover.

Watching as these Third-Stages sacrificed their lives against the monsters, he gripped his weapon tightly.

All these men were Zhang Meng’s carefully chosen loyalists. Every loss was a painful price—they were meant to form the core of his future power, each deeply loyal.

But now, in a race against time, he could only watch helplessly as they were sent to their deaths.

In that instant, a deep, seething hatred surged from within him.

Yenir…!!

All these deaths happened because of you!

……..

Late at night, inside the Capital Military District’s Fire Seed Plan headquarters.

“What do you mean by this?”

“To have a group of nearly thirty-year-old Awakeners replace the seeds you selected?”

Inside the meeting room, Yang Guoping looked incredulous at the high-ranking faction leaders visiting him, his expression turning sour.

“Not replace—just temporarily cover… just cover…”

A leading Middle-Aged Man among the seven or eight visitors coughed lightly, signaling Yang Guoping not to get too worked up.

Aside from Zhang Meng being the first to hear that Yenir was about to initiate his Third-Stage promotion, the other factions backing the sequences had naturally caught wind of the matter.

Even Zhang Meng couldn’t immediately reach Second-Stage Peak; it was even harder for the others.

Thus, after deliberation a few days ago, they decided to take an alternative approach.

“That guy Yenir is about to start his trial, right? We have a few promising candidates who could also participate.”

“General Yang, you needn’t worry. Consider this a fair opportunity for us.”

“These folks are exceptionally talented; it’s just that they weren’t part of the Fire Seed Plan back then.”

“After much thought, we figured it’s better not to let talent go to waste. Let them join the trial and earn a shot at the Fire Seed Plan.”

As he spoke, the lead Middle-Aged Man flashed a confident smile.

If all the seeds were Second-Stage, they wouldn’t have considered this maneuver. But with Yenir suddenly advancing to Third-Stage, they refused to lag behind.

Since the earlier candidates couldn’t be promoted in time to secure resources, they might as well swap them out!

Once the resources were secured, whether they used them was their concern; they could simply reserve a slot for nurturing promising seeds.

For the sake of the future, no opportunity should be wasted.

Understanding their intentions, Yang Guoping sneered in anger and coldly questioned:

“Do you really think high-level leaders are idiots?”

“Having nearly thirty-year-old Awakeners compete—what kind of fairness is that? What sort of Fire Seed Plan is this!”

“We aim to nurture prodigies! Only the top echelon opens the treasury to release resources! What the hell is this!”

“What good is it making these people seeds!”

“General Yang, that’s a serious overstep.”

After a barrage of reprimands, the lead Middle-Aged Man’s face darkened.

“How is it theft? Just because we missed the plan, do these former prodigies lose all eligibility?”

“Furthermore, the rules clearly state that as long as the challenge is successful, the sequence will revert to the victor.”

“Besides, please don’t get agitated. We came here with higher-up approval…”

With that, the Middle-Aged Man gave Yang Guoping a meaningful look.

“We’re all on the same side. Even if these Awakeners secure the sequence, we have our ways behind the scenes. Once a true seed ascends to Third-Stage, they can reclaim the sequence by challenging.”

“Yenir’s unexpected rise has thrown off our schedule; we simply won’t sit idly by.”

After all, under normal circumstances, everyone would reach Third-Stage around the same time, ensuring resource allocation.

But if someone dashes ahead, the rest must follow.

With a grim face, Yang Guoping looked at the high-ranking faction members employing various tactics before him, a tinge of sorrow creeping in.

For the sake of profit, they’d resort to any method.

He could easily guess what they intended.

Nothing more than grabbing slots and using established Second-Stages to suppress Yenir’s performance while giving other sequences a chance to shine.

With a heavy sigh, Yang Guoping accepted that he couldn’t change a thing, silently shaking his head as he turned to leave.

Before departing, he couldn’t help but utter one final, angry word:

“I hope you will think about the future of this country…”

“What is the true purpose of the Fire Seed Plan!”