Chapter 168: Trial of Tenacity

Beep. Entering the Physical Trial.

This trial takes place on a regional battlefield, with mutant levels determined by the zones.

The more damage you take within a fixed period, the higher your score. Choose your zone carefully.

The trial lasts 10 minutes. You can exit at any time, but doing so counts as a failure.

In a flash of white light, Yenir found himself on a vast, scarred battlefield.

The sky was a gloomy shade of gray.

Tank wreckage was scattered everywhere, and groups of mutants stood rigidly in place, as if marking their territory.

“The deeper you go, the tougher the monsters…”

“Only 10 minutes? Doesn’t that mean you have to push into the hardest zones to get a top score?”

Before the trial even began, Yenir quickly scanned the distant distribution of monsters.

Closest were scattered first-stage mutants, with first-stage peak fighters appearing a bit further away, and so on.

At the far edge of his view, he even spotted colossal third-stage mutants that resembled battlefield behemoths.

It was clear that this trial spanned two extremes of difficulty.

To score high, you had to deliberately up the challenge.

If you didn’t care about your score, you could simply stick to the first-stage zone.

You had to admit—the system’s test was ingeniously tricky.

“Is it solely about survival and courage… or does it also test your understanding of your own strength?”

“No one can be sure they won’t falter under mutant attacks. Those lacking courage would naturally opt out of venturing deeper.”

“A single misjudgment could mean death.”

After a few seconds and a quick route assessment, Yenir took a deep breath and shaped his plan.

He knew winging it was not an option.

Confident in his performance in the Willpower Type trial, he had already secured first place among the three types.

Giving up on the Physical Trial now or settling for a low score would nullify all his previous efforts.

“Most damage taken in a fixed time…”

“If it were based on survival time, he might have to quit…”

“But maximizing damage taken might leave room for a clever play!”

Regarding survival time, even his high willpower conversion wouldn’t keep him safe for long—he lacked defensive talent and recovery. Under mutant assaults, disaster was imminent.

By his estimates, he could barely match an A-grade rating!

But when it came to enduring damage in the short term, that was a different ball game!

“Charge straight into the third-stage zone!”

With a steely gaze, Yenir resolved to invest his stats into agility. He was determined to dash headlong into the most challenging area!

Glancing at the leaderboard, he noticed that the top Awakener came from the Southeast Battle Zone, with his damage intake nearly double that of the runner-up.

Although Yenir didn’t recall the name well, he could surmise the other’s talent.

Probably one that rapidly recovers life force after a near-death experience—almost like having a second life. Otherwise, there’d be no explaining such high damage absorption.

But two lives…

Almost instinctively, Yenir’s eyes shifted to the SSS-grade skill, Fallen Heaven.

The skill’s defensive boost lasted only a few seconds, but with his spiritual energy offsetting damage, it was as if he had two—or even three—lives!

After all, his spiritual energy reserves had long surpassed those of Second-Stage Peak Fighters!

In terms of life force, his power was scarcely any inferior to third-stage levels.

Time to gamble!

And if things went south, there was still the option to bail out!

Beep. The trial begins!

As the cold system prompt rang out, Yenir charged forward without hesitation.

He wasn’t about to waste time in the easier zones. His plan was simple: reach the third-stage mutants as fast as possible and take on enormous damage. In years of Physical Trials, no Awakener would dare mess with third-stage mutants!

……….

The Capital Assembly Hall.

“The seventh discussion meeting is now in session.”

“On November 23, friction broke out between our border battle zone and the Northern Myanmar Battle Zone. Some hostile third-stage forces crossed the border to seize a resource point, resulting in 117 deaths. Our nearest battle zone troops are now ready to move.”

“Further, last month’s Asian regional instance saw our dispatched Awakeners perform poorly, collecting very few spiritual energy ores and severely impacting the operation of the spiritual energy factories. Does anyone…”

Inside the solemn Assembly Hall, the highest officials of the Capital had gathered.

The dozen or so present were top leaders in their respective fields and government affairs.

Listening to reports from across Huaguo, their expressions grew grim.

“Some neighboring countries seem rather restless,”

“It appears someone is trying to stir up trouble,”

“It’s natural. With the recent abnormalities in the corpse tide and our high-level forces spread thin, those neighboring nations were bound to have designs.”

“And with these intercontinental instances…”

Amid the heavy discussion, the Middle-Aged Man seated on the dais frowned and instantly turned his gaze toward the pounding conference room door.

Rapid knocking, mixed with a flurry of footsteps, echoed through the room.

Among the attendees, a third-stage senior Awakener’s expression turned icy; he was clearly displeased by the interruption.

“Didn’t we say no information sharing during meetings? Whatever it is will wait until the session is over!”

After these words, the Middle-Aged Man on the dais unleashed his mental power, a flicker of suspicion crossing his eyes.

He noticed that the interruption came from several other senior officials.

It looked as though they had something important to say.

“Let them in.”

The meeting was interrupted as the Middle-Aged Man calmly spoke, deciding to hear them out.

Knowing those senior officials well, he understood that if it weren’t truly important, they wouldn’t dare disrupt such a critical meeting.

At once, the senior officials outside quickly strode onto the dais and urgently whispered into his ear:

“Premier!”

“Chairman Fang and the Political Department Director have asked me to notify you. They want you and the Military Department Commander to personally visit the Trial Tower Center!”

“Your communications are down; this is the only way to reach you!”

The Middle-Aged Man was taken aback; he hadn’t expected such news to cause this much anxiety among his subordinates.

His frown deepened—years at the top had taught him that even a hint of displeasure could make his reporters catch their breath.

“What are we doing there? Isn’t that where the Fire Seed Plan trial is being conducted?”

“Is something promising emerging?”

They asked casually.

It wasn’t that he didn’t take the matter seriously.

Compared to national affairs, this issue was trivial. Even if a promising talent emerged, it hardly warranted such a massive commotion, right?

Afterward, a simple meeting to encourage the candidate would suffice.

Noticing the Premier’s displeased expression, the Awakener who had rushed over quickly explained:

“Premier! It’s not that simple!”

“In this trial, one Awakener has already clinched first place in two categories—and he’s number one in the world!”

“According to Chairman Fang, this talent could very well challenge for first place among the three types—an unprecedented feat!”

Onstage, Li Xuanguo’s previously displeased expression changed abruptly as he asked in a deep voice:

“Is this for real!?”

“When did this happen? Why wasn’t it announced!?”

Suppressing his astonishment, he realized why Fang Hao had interrupted the meeting to send someone—he, too, was shocked by the news.

“It’s true!”

“Just an hour ago! He’s still in the trial, and everyone is waiting for him to emerge!”

Faced with the group of third-stage Awakeners who had rushed in, Li Xuanguo suddenly stood up and took a deep breath, his inner shock indescribable.

Though the news seemed unbelievable, he doubted that these senior officials would risk reporting false information.

If it’s true…

If it’s true, this will undoubtedly cause a sensation not only across Huaguo but globally!

“Let’s adjourn the meeting for now. We’ll discuss it later!”