Chapter 153: Trial of Ambition

In the vast ground-floor hall, Yang Guoping’s voice echoed as it faded away.

Yenir and the others, already prepared, stepped forward.

At the front, Yenir distinctly felt hostile eyes fixed on his back.

Among them, three were especially intense.

For some reason, he even caught a faint scent of blood. The blood and those glaring red eyes clearly marked that they had just come off a fierce battle.

Had they just emerged from the dungeon? He could sense that these three’s auras were unstable.

How interesting… Are they trying to catch up with me?

Yenir chuckled softly, unconcerned.

In his previous life, he had trampled every so-called genius underfoot, carving a bloody path from a mountain of corpses. Faced with these unexpected rivals, he would crush each one—showing them what real terror was.

….

Behind him, among the high-ranking officials present at the trial, Zhang Meng looked at his youngest son’s retreating back with heavy concern and hopeful expectation.

Few knew that Zhang Yang had only emerged from the dungeon an hour ago; the mission was barely completed at the cost of four Third-Stage fighters who died in battle.

At that moment, the energy surrounding Zhang Yang was dangerously unstable, just barely qualifying as a Second-Stage Peak Fighter.

Fortunately, Zhang Meng had unwavering confidence in his son’s talent and had already maxed out his attributes. The trial itself was hardly an issue.

As long as any Third-Stage, first-tier fighter fell into the right hands, there was plenty of justification!

Feeling his father’s high expectations, Zhang Yang took a deep breath, glanced back at Zhang Meng, and signaled that he would put his worries to rest. He was sure to shine in this trial!

The only frustrating part was that he hadn’t yet reached his peak—he hadn’t even had time to rest. Otherwise, his performance would have soared even higher!

And it was all thanks to that brat standing in front of him!

If it weren’t for his opponent’s coercion, he wouldn’t be in such a sorry state—barely solid at the basics, forced to rush into the Third-Stage!

If he hit a plateau because of this, Yenir would be the one to blame!

Staring intently at Yenir’s receding figure, Zhang Yang recalled the fallen Third-Stage fighters, feeling as if his heart was bleeding.

Yet he also noticed that several top officials from major factions had sent their seeds—apparently, they too had just come out of the dungeon.

One was Wang Kai, the descendant of the Deputy Minister from the Military Supply Department. Known for his S-level talent, he had previously ranked fourth in the first tier as a Strength user.

The other was Huang Lingyu, a descendant from a Private Faction’s Third-Stage Peak fighter. An S-level talent and a girl, she specialized in Agility.

Clearly, many factions weren’t willing to be outdone—they had chosen the same route, determined to push through to the Third-Stage by any means.

…..

In front of everyone, Yang Guoping swiftly arranged for a group of Third-Stage fighters and staff to prepare the trial tower.

During the preparations, his eyes, cold and disappointed, surveyed the selected trial participants.

Those three seeds fresh from the dungeon were clearly the handiwork of the major factions. That unmistakable scent of blood couldn’t be hidden!

And among the remaining trialists, the Awakener seeds who had been stuck at the Second-Stage Peak for who knows how long only ignited a nameless fury within him.

What a mess!

Unable to promote his own seed to the Second-Stage Peak, he had no choice but to deploy his seasoned Second-Stage elites to occupy the slots.

He had expected at most six or seven, but to his surprise the high-ranking officials had mustered over a dozen!

It felt like a pack hunt—they were determined to muddy the waters of this trial no matter what.

Moreover, the unplanned trial entrants that suddenly emerged were clearly brought in by the same clique.

He could only guess what schemes they were hatching, what tricks they intended to play.

It was nothing more than a horde rushing to the Third-Stage to dilute Yenir’s ‘performance.’ After all, being the lone contender for the Third-Stage was far more impressive than a group effort!

Furthermore, these recruited trial entrants were nothing more than props.

When it came to Yenir’s performance in the Willpower trial, there was no clear standard for excellence.

But it was different for the other disciplines.

Consider this: Zhang Yang, competing in the Strength category, scaled more floors of the trial tower than anyone else. That instantly set him apart, leaving a lasting impression on the major figures. When the First-Tier is selected, this achievement won’t go unnoticed.

Yenir? Clearing the Willpower trial was commendable, but just how commendable? No Willpower user had ever made it to the Third-Stage!

Combat power? Can these seeds really go toe-to-toe until the bitter end? Who’s to say who’s stronger? After all, once you’re past the Third-Stage, downing a Third-Stage Mutant isn’t exactly remarkable. They’re all SS-level. Your S-level talent in the Second-Stage might not guarantee superiority in the Third-Stage.

Cunning at bending the rules, in Yang Guoping’s eyes, these competitors were like rats—always finding a way out.

Among the high-ranking sanitation crew, Zhang Long at the rear also noticed that this trial didn’t seem quite right.

Furrowing his brow, he directly asked his subordinate.

After a few low murmurs from his subordinate, his expression darkened and he shook his head slightly.

At his level, he knew that some things were simply inevitable.

Where there is light, there is always darkness.

He understood that these people were up to no good, but at least on the surface they followed the rules. Still, he found himself rather optimistic about Yenir. With a quiet sigh, Zhang Long suddenly ordered his subordinate:

“Don’t let them go too far.”

“They must be given the sequence they deserve.”

“When talent is evident, it’s worth nurturing.”

The subordinate paused, nodding cautiously. Though Zhang Long didn’t mention any names, he knew he was referring to Yenir.

For Zhang Long, issuing orders like that was already pushing his limits. The rest would depend solely on Yenir’s performance.

Before long, with everyone’s intentions set, the preparations for the trial tower were complete.

“Vroom”

As spiritual energy surged in, a massive black whirlpool began to form and slowly rotate within the tower.

“Trial has begun!”

“First batch of Strength trial participants, please step forward!”

“Once inside, you will ascend the trial tower. Climb ten floors to secure your promotion! The higher you reach, the better the final evaluation and rewards!”

“Moreover, your scores will be recorded on the system leaderboard! If you’re fortunate enough to achieve a high ranking, you’ll receive exclusive rewards! This is a once-in-a-lifetime trial—make it count!”

His voice faded away.

After a brief explanation of the rules by Yang Guoping, a colossal light screen, over a hundred meters tall, suddenly materialized beside him.

The screen was densely filled with names, chronicling the achievements of trial participants from around the globe!

“No.1: Buckwade! (North American Battle Zone)”

“No.2: Ivan Allen! (Eastern European Battle Zone)”

“No.3: Sushma Swaraj”

…

“No.7: Hua An! (Huaxia Battle Zone)”

..

Facing the enormous light screen, many trialists were stunned and exhilarated. They had heard of a leaderboard, but this was the first time they saw it with their own eyes.

Yet compared to their excitement, many Third-Stage high officials wore somber expressions, clearly unwilling to discuss the rankings.

Although the Huaxia Battle Zone boasted many top fighters, its ranking on the board was rather low.

There were simply too many global prodigies—some had dazzled even back in the Second-Stage.

Fixated on the leaderboard, Zhang Yang took a deep breath and strode out with the others.

“I’m first! I’m a Dual-Type: Strength and Body fighter!”

“This trial, I swear I’ll break into the top ten!”

Clenching his fists, he glanced instinctively at Yenir, snorted coldly, and silently mouthing words.

“The first sequence…”

“Is mine!”

He was determined to leave an indelible impression on all the high officials present!

But in the very next moment, Yenir calmly stepped forward amid astonished gazes.

“I’ll participate in the Strength trial, too.”

At his words, the tower erupted into a roar.