Chapter 167: Trials of Destiny

Inside the Hall, several people watched awkwardly as they stared at the sobbing Little Girl.

They had planned to ask if the Little Girl had run into Yenir inside—if it was an open scenario.

But now, it didn’t seem necessary.

Clearly she hadn’t met him; otherwise, she’d have been mentally prepared for it.

Seeing the girl beaten to tears, further questioning would only add insult to injury. Yet, it was understandable—if you were that age and suffered such a blow, you’d feel equally helpless.

Just look at Zhang Yang standing next to him, staring like a fool. If Zhang Meng hadn’t dragged him along, he’d have likely collapsed right there.

The more gifted you are, the harsher the blow. In contrast, the Second-Stage fighters managed a bit better.

“Is Yenir still refusing to come out?”

Fang Hao shook his head, unconcerned with the performance of these seeds. It didn’t matter—a single Yenir from the Fire Seed Plan was all they needed.

What about the others?

If they fall apart, they fall apart. Adjusting their mindset is up to them.

When Fang Hao asked him, Yang Guoping gave a wry smile and nodded.

“Yes, Chairman Fang.”

“Yenir has chosen to continue.”

“So, what do we do now?”

Not understanding Yenir’s motive, Yang Guoping had grown numb. The matter had slipped beyond their grasp; all they could do was wait to learn more once Yenir emerged.

“Then let’s proceed.”

“I’m curious—how far can he really go? Where exactly is his limit…?”

His expression was complex.

At that moment, Fang Hao no longer wanted to jump to any conclusions. Logically, after two successive trials, even a tough Yenir wouldn’t hold up forever. His triple affinity was already extraordinary—there was no room for yet another.

But who could say for sure?

He couldn’t shake the feeling that things were spiraling out of control. Yenir might very well shatter everyone’s preconceptions.

Hearing this, Yang Guoping nodded and signaled for the next batch to head in without delay. He, too, wanted to see how Yenir would perform in this Constitution trial.

………

At the Trial Tower’s Waiting Area.

Watching the system’s replay of the results, Yenir exhaled shakily, his heart still pounding in relief.

That was too close.

After unleashing Dimensional Slash at the heart of the Maze, he barely cleared the outer wall and ended up right at the entrance’s edge.

Just a few meters more, and he would have tumbled into a cluster of lingering mutants.

He hadn’t expected over forty mutated creatures to be gathered at the final exit.

These monsters were supposed to appear gradually along the final stretch to attack the trial entrants. But since he hadn’t moved inside the Maze, the system’s detection went haywire.

So much so that the system even paused for a few seconds during the final count.

It seemed the system had never anticipated such a scenario…

“Not bad. Although the time was identical, he still clinched first place.”

A smile crossed Yenir’s face as he mused with quiet admiration.

Things had turned out even better than he’d expected.

Perhaps the number of dodges also contributed to his stealth score, which is why the system awarded him first place. While the original top contender could blend into the wall, they still had to leap out at the end. Yenir, however, teleported instantly in the latter stages—there was no way monsters could reach him.

Judging by the system’s stats, his evasion data must have skyrocketed!

“The next Constitution trial is going to be troublesome…”

After bagging first place, despite his elation, Yenir couldn’t help but worry about the upcoming trial.

Among all these tests, defense had always been his weak spot.

After all, it’s a genuine battleground where one must take direct hits from monsters—a significant risk…

And the only time he could even muster half a defense-type skill was during the fleeting seconds when he activated Fallen Heaven.

There’s no guarantee he’d secure first place again…

A ripple of anxiety swept over him as Yenir quickly ran through a few approaches, yet he couldn’t conjure a better plan.

He had never used Fallen Heaven before, so he wasn’t sure how it would perform. For now, he had no choice but to gamble on hoping its defensive boost would last long enough and that the Constitution trial’s conditions would favor him!

……….

“The trial begins! Everyone, get ready to enter!”

“I’ll say it once more—if Yenir finds himself in danger, whoever can protect him becomes the second in line!”

He pledged that without hesitation.

With a somber expression, Fang Hao instructed the twenty-four Awakeners about to enter, not bothering to mention that his words violated the rules.

Yes, such a promise already broke the regulations and was overly biased in Yenir’s favor.

But in that moment, he couldn’t afford to worry about fairness.

The Constitution trial was among the most unpredictable dangers! For the higher-ups, if they couldn’t reach Yenir, they had no choice but to hope someone inside the trial would. Right now, Yenir’s priority had been raised to the utmost level—and deservedly so!

Among the Second-Stage fighters entering, Zhang Yang—who should have been among them—had already abandoned his spot in the Constitution trial. Instead, a new seed, Wang Kai, now led the charge.

Every instruction centered on Yenir. This once-revered prodigy carried a burden of unspoken sorrow.

Could it really be that no one cares about us…

Let me protect Yenir… I’m a prodigy too, a member of the Fire Seed Plan…

Although the outcome was still uncertain, at that moment, Wang Kai’s fighting spirit had fallen to its lowest ebb.

What’s the point? A straightforward trial had been twisted into an operation to safeguard our Yenir.

Even his father had privately advised him just moments ago: no matter how he performed, as long as he could connect with Yenir—even if it meant escorting him through the trial—it was better than trying to surge ahead on his own!

After all, the value of the Constitution Type among Awakeners was, frankly, underwhelming.

Since he had no chance of breaking into the top ten, he might as well stay composed and muddle through.

Though he longed to shout defiance: ‘I, Wang Kai, am a prodigy too!’ he kept his thoughts to himself. He feared that if he exerted himself fully only to see Yenir claim first place again, his confidence would shatter completely.

“Yes!”

In unison, the twenty-something trial entrants stepped into the vortex.

No one noticed that as Yenir’s performance grew increasingly remarkable, the mindset of the others had shifted dramatically.