Chapter 156: Trials of Resolve

Worrying, Zhao Long let out a sigh.

Watching the device in Chen Kailai’s hand—which resembled a display screen—he only hoped that Yenir wouldn’t fall too far behind.

But things didn’t go as planned.

About sixteen minutes later, as the trial was just beginning its tenth level, Yang Guoping raised an eyebrow and suddenly spoke:

“Somebody made it through!”

“Level ten—someone has already broken through!”

As his words died down, the chatter abruptly ceased and all eyes turned curiously to the screen in Yang Guoping’s hand.

That pace was incredibly fast!

Without wasting time, Yang Guoping forced a smile and looked at Zhang Meng:

“Congratulations, Commander Zhang.”

“Zhang Yang was the first to clear level ten.”

“His performance was truly impressive.”

Zhang Meng felt a surge of joy, though his face remained impassive.

“This kid’s not bad.”

Zhang Yang breaking through level ten first was no surprise to him. Feeling the curious gazes from around, his smile grew even wider. Zhang Yang had indeed lived up to his expectations. Now, it was a matter of how many more levels he could conquer. If he continued to perform as splendidly, Zhang Meng had plenty of ways to make a big show of the First Series achievement.

Zhang Long, one of the senior sanitation staff, nodded slightly. When it came to lower-tier Awakeners, he treated every impressive performer equally.

“Truly impressive.”

“Clearing ten levels in sixteen minutes almost seems instantaneous.”

“By the look of it, Commander Zhang has put a lot of effort into training Zhang Yang. Without enough combat experience, even the best talent couldn’t have managed this feat.”

Not far off, Zhang Meng listened with a smile as Zhang Long showered him with praise, nodding repeatedly.

This gave him even more confidence in securing the top spot in the First Series.

Yenir had shocked the higher-ups, but ultimately, actions speak louder than words. More than a minute had passed, and while six others had consecutively advanced, Yenir had yet to move. His performance was far from outstanding.

In assessing potential, combat skills played a crucial role.

According to the records, Yenir had only made one public move—a typical instance of merely unleashing his skills. In real battles, without the boost of any special talent, his fighting power was indeed worrisome.

Awakeners who hadn’t been tempered by life-and-death skirmishes were seen as significantly lacking by the Military.

“Wang Kai has cleared the level—he’s in 11th place.”

Clutching the device, Yang Guoping continued to relay the information.

Out of a total of 22 participants entering the trial, over half had cleared the level. But on his screen, Yenir still appeared to be on level 9.

He shook his head slightly, choosing not to comment further.

It seemed that without tapping into his Willpower Type talent, Yenir was becoming rather average pretty quickly.

Amid the crowd, the initially worried Wang Hai let out a sigh of relief, feeling a mix of disappointment and gratitude.

With 11 participants…Wang Kai’s performance was just about adequate. At least he was a bit better than Yenir.

As time ticked by one minute at a time…

When Yang Guoping announced the 17th name, he then uttered another name with a hint of disappointment:

“Yenir, in 18th place for clearing level ten.”

“And now, Zhang Yang is on level 13.”

After the brief announcements, the Third-Stage mid-level fighters and the higher-ups looked on in disbelief, with several even snickering.

Being the 18th to clear the level, that pace was as slow as a snail’s crawl.

It must be remembered that among the remaining veteran Second-Stage fighters, some still hadn’t maxed out their attributes. This meant that Yenir wasn’t exactly last—there were a few Awakeners lagging behind him.

“One is barely clearing level ten… and another is on thirteen…”

“There’s a significant gap here…”

……….

Inside the trial tower, Yenir weaved around a two-headed mutant. His dual swords sliced through massive chunks of flesh with the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel. It was like a brutal form of slow execution—eliciting an enraged roar from the creature.

Cool and efficient.

Focused solely on the most optimal moves, Yenir paid no mind to how long the fight was taking.

Up to now, he hadn’t even once used his attribute conversion. His stamina remained at peak level.

He believed his pace might be among the slowest, but so what?

The more stamina he conserved, the better his chances for the deeper levels!

For him, the goal was to reach at least level twenty!

Having experienced hundreds of prolonged life-or-death duels in his previous life, he was well-versed in conserving energy and maintaining strength. Even though his pace was slow, his masterful conservation allowed him to breeze through twelve consecutive levels without breaking a sweat.

“Pfft!”

After leaping onto the monster’s head using a counter-move, Yenir swiftly drove his sword into the creature’s spine at an incredibly tricky angle. A slight twist, and the monster was finished.

“Level twelve already…”

“At this rate, he might not have to use any skills until level twenty-one…”

Patience and composure.

Using a combat method that remained undisclosed to outsiders, he resembled a sword gathering strength for a dazzling reveal—waiting for that moment to astonish the world!

……….

“Hah…”

“Hah…”

Gasping heavily.

Standing before a two-headed giant corpse crushed by his successive outbursts, Zhang Yang’s hand trembled slightly as he gripped his battle-axe with all his might.

For the first time without any equipment enhancements, he found it difficult to adjust to combat without his usual attribute boosts.

Without strong enough talent in both explosive power and recovery, he was nearly at his limit.

Just as outsiders had speculated.

Determined to stand out, he attacked right at the respawn point. As soon as a monster appeared, he unleashed his full power. Such an all-out fighting style naturally led to impressively swift clearances.

But with it came a massive drain on his stamina.

“Level sixteen now…”

“I should be first!”

“Just a few more levels, hang in there!”

Gritting his teeth.

During a cherished one-minute break, Zhang Yang desperately tried to recover his stamina. Yet, as he glanced at the leaderboard, a wave of bitterness washed over him.

He could feel that his limit might be around eighteen or nineteen. Aspiring to break into the global top ten, he was still a long way off.

“Damn it…”

“Why does the difficulty spike so drastically later on!”

Just the thought that his hasty advancement had cost him potential strength filled him with a deep, inexplicable anger.

Having jumped straight from the dungeon to the trial, his condition hadn’t yet reached its peak!

……….

“Zhang Yang, level seventeen.”

“Feng Shaoguo, level sixteen…”

..

“Wang Kai, level fifteen…”

..

“Yenir… level fifteen…”

As Yang Guoping read out the current rankings in order, many Awakeners had already opted to withdraw after level ten.

Only nine remained in the trial.

Contrary to everyone’s speculation, Yenir hadn’t quit. His pace was slow, but he persisted. This surprised many.

“Interesting. Holding on at level fifteen isn’t too bad for Yenir.”

People began to chat casually, with many now keeping an eye on Yenir—though most were still eagerly awaiting Zhang Yang’s performance.

“If he clears three more levels from seventeen, he might just break into the global top ten…”

“Commander Zhang really did raise a fine son.”

Enjoying the compliments, Zhang Meng smiled lightly, though a subtle tension gripped him. He had once participated in the Strength Trial himself and knew what might come next.

Zhang Yang’s pace noticeably slowed, indicating he was beginning to struggle.

Keep it up…

Now, he only hoped Zhang Yang could push forward and break into the top ten! That way, his performance would decisively outshine Yenir’s!

Yet, for some reason, seeing Yenir’s name stirred a sense of unease in him.

Logically, Yenir should have given up by now—without any attribute boost, there was no reason he could have advanced this far. Could it be that the kid was equally experienced in combat?

With growing doubt, Yang Guoping furrowed his brow in surprise and spoke again:

“Yenir…”

“Level sixteen already!?”

The room fell silent as everyone instinctively turned their gaze in that direction.

Zhang Yang was still stuck on level seventeen—indicating that the gap between them was rapidly closing. Yenir’s pace was suddenly picking up!