Chapter 160: Unexpected Breakthrough

In the brief silence, Fang Hao, who had rushed in, realized just how out of line he’d been.

After regaining his composure, the nearby Third-Stage cultivators exhaled in relief but still cast nervous glances at the man standing atop China’s pinnacle.

Every single level matters—each drop in level means a world of difference in power.

Moments earlier, Fang Hao’s lapse had unleashed such overwhelming pressure that it nearly suffocated them.

Yet this only highlighted how staggering the news of Yenir breaking through Level 22 truly was.

“Wasn’t he just at Level 21 a moment ago!?”

“What on earth is happening?”

Suppressing his doubts, Deputy Chairman Fang Hao growled, directing his question at Yang Guoping while his eyes involuntarily darted toward the trial vortex.

Level 22…

How did he do it!?

Back in his day, he only reached Level 21. Even with such leniency, he was hailed by China’s top brass as a prodigy—the strongest talent after a few revered commanders.

Remember, he arrived so swiftly because he was coincidentally inspecting the base with several high-level officials. As soon as he caught wind of it, he raced over.

They thought it was a promising talent worthy of his attention.

Yet when he arrived he was still at Level 20; on the way, it leapt to Level 21!

Within three or four minutes of his arrival, it had surged to Level 22!

Damn it—who can stand this?

Even after all these years, he vividly remembers that trial. No one knows better than him just how brutally difficult it gets past Level 20!

As the difficulty escalated, every ounce of power had to be meticulously managed. Back then, he had to struggle for nearly half an hour to break through Level 21, draining a beast to its last breath. By the time he emerged, he was nearly dead—almost having sacrificed half his life!

“We just don’t know…”

With a bitter smile, Yang Guoping explained nervously. In the presence of these top-tier officials, he was practically a bundle of nerves.

“Before Level 15, Yenir’s performance was abysmal, and his pace was agonizingly slow.”

“But strangely, once past Level 15, he began accelerating—almost a level per minute!”

“He lagged a few minutes at Level 20, then picked up the pace again!”

“It’s as if… it’s as if…”

After holding back his words for so long, Yang Guoping almost wanted to say that Yenir was playing on a whole other level—like he had a cheat code. This was beyond anyone’s understanding.

Honestly, after living half his life, this was the first time he’d seen anything like it.

Sure, having a fast start is one thing, but how can the difficulty drop as his speed increases?! He was desperate to jump in and find out what that kid was doing inside!

Barely past Level 20, he had his eyes glued to the information panel. Then, as soon as news of Level 21 broke, it instantly jumped to Level 22!

He could practically guess the significance behind it with his eyes closed!

Instant kill!

The only explanation is that the mutant at Level 21 was instantly obliterated!

If not for the swarm of Third-Stage cultivators present and the fact that they were in the Capital Safe Zone, poor Yang Guoping would have seriously suspected a paranormal event.

Listening to Yang Guoping’s rapid-fire account, Deputy Chairman Fang Hao’s expression darkened even further.

“Pull up his records and show me his data!”

“Now! Immediately!”

After exhaling a long, tense breath, the Political Department member trailing him couldn’t help but murmur:

“This is unbelievable…”

“I heard his info indicates he’s a Willpower Type. Could the data be compromised?”

His political intuition was razor-sharp.

Arriving alongside Fang Hao, he immediately noticed the rest of the trial candidates in the hall. Clearly, many didn’t meet the Fire Seed Plan’s criteria.

His instincts screamed suspicion—perhaps those below had hidden Yenir’s true talents.

He knew full well that corruption within the Authorities could run deep!

“Commissar Hu, we’ll discuss this later.”

“If there’s indeed something off, we’ll uncover it soon enough.”

Catching Commissar Hu’s insinuation, Fang Hao nodded subtly, his eyes flashing with a cold glint. In his view, Yenir might not be a Willpower Type at all—but a dual-type! His underlings had deliberately fed false intel to cover it up.

But Yenir’s performance was simply too extraordinary. Even if they tried to hide it, he’d still be selected for the Fire Seed Plan.

Otherwise, there’d be no way to explain how Yenir broke through to Level 22!

For some things, these high-ranking officials often turned a blind eye as long as their subordinates didn’t overstep.

But now?

He recalled rumors of Yenir being eliminated in the first round due to his Willpower Type talents. Believing Yenir to be dual-type, Fang Hao was seething with unnamed anger.

Playing covert games and even suppressing information might be tolerable.

But reporting false intel was a line he could never allow anyone to cross! If Yenir hadn’t been sent in the second round, it would mean that a top-tier dual-type prodigy had been wasted!?

Some people are outrageously daring! This kind of behavior could very well spell disaster for the nation! If even he was deceived, then the underlings responsible must be purged!

The thought alone sent a chill down his spine, hardening his already volatile demeanor.

The surrounding Third-Stage disciples instinctively picked up on Fang Hao’s suppressed fury, plunging everyone into a state of alarm.

Especially those high-level officials involved in shady dealings—their hearts chilled even more.

They were all cunning individuals, and they knew exactly what Fang Hao was thinking right now!

Yes, they had employed some unsavory methods, but they truly hadn’t reported false intel! After all, when Tang Zhen tried to stall, none of them dared suppress the information; they could only resort to minor tricks, which never succeeded!

Meanwhile, not far away, Zhang Meng, who was with Zhang Yang, suddenly felt a jolt of apprehension.

He knew that Chairman Fang was likely misunderstanding them. Once the accounting began, and many people were called in for questioning, he’d end up trapped—with no way to explain his suffering!

Glancing nervously at Yang Guoping, he felt a sudden dread—afraid that any further ‘good’ news might be the last straw.

The better Yenir performed, the more trouble they’d be in!

Yet, contrary to their expectations,

Almost right on the one-minute mark, in the gaze of everyone present, Yang Guoping’s body shuddered as if fueled by adrenaline and he bellowed:

“Level 23!!”

“It’s already Level 23!!”

Overwhelmed with indescribable excitement, clutching the info panel in his hands, he felt as though they were witnessing a miracle!