Chapter 1678: The Shock They Deserved

United City (Main Post)

In the administration office, the old council elder relaxed in his chair after hearing the news. He had been worried that the young man could be seriously injured.

However, he had not expected the young man to finish the sixth challenge and walk out successfully.

He then heard an even more shocking piece of news: the young man had become a Red Mark Warrior.

He knew that the young man was only a Half-Step Red Mark Warrior before entering the night cell tower, so he must have attempted the breakthrough inside.

This was even more shocking. He knew that the death row criminals and the elite foreign creatures would not have given the young man an opportunity to do so.

Yet the young man had managed to achieve a breakthrough and complete the challenge in the end. It was an achievement that would go down in history.

When the news reached the staff working there, they sighed in relief as well. Like everyone else, they were bewildered by the fact that Zack Lockwood had become a Red Mark Warrior.

It had not been long since he arrived at the main post, yet he had already reached the same level as the other warriors. He could no longer be treated differently.

...

Council Hall

A deafening silence filled the hall. The council elders were present in the room, including Freya.

They were discussing the upcoming battle. It had been some time since the last one, and the secret land battlefields could open at any moment.

However, they were interrupted by another update from the night cell tower: Zack Lockwood had completed the sixth challenge and exited the tower.

Not only that, Zack Lockwood’s strength was reported to be at the Red Mark Level, an observation confirmed by the warriors gathered in front of the cell tower.

Gasp!

Several loud gasps were heard. The council elders present were all taken aback; the news was unbelievable to them.

Freya, who was among the elders, widened her eyes in disbelief.

She was not surprised that Zack Lockwood had managed to complete the challenge, as she had assumed he might use other inheritances to win. However, she had not expected him to achieve a breakthrough.

She did not know which inheritance had triggered it. Now, they were faced with yet another dilemma: they had to decide whether they should let Zack Lockwood enter the main secret land battlefield.

It did not take long, however, for the debate to settle.

The senior elder from Dark Shadow University made his stance clear: he did not want Zack Lockwood entering the main battlefield with the others.

After immense effort, they had prepared a vast battlefield exclusively for Zack Lockwood. Furthermore, they had used their power to dispatch several foreign creatures to that special battlefield.

Everyone was contributing to the preparations for this isolated zone.

Hearing the senior elder’s words, the elders from Eclipse University and Star University voiced their agreement.

Now, the Star University elders and the Red Moon University elders had nothing left to say. It was true that significant resources had been expended to prepare this special battlefield for Zack Lockwood.

They would be satisfied as long as Zack Lockwood continued fighting on that battlefield and helped them deal with the powerful elite creatures.

They were using Zack Lockwood as a trump card—one the foreign creatures knew nothing about.

Freya could only remain silent. She knew Zack Lockwood was no longer weak; having become a Red Mark Warrior, his strength was now comparable to that of the elders.

She could finally stop worrying about him.

...

The following day,

Inside my room, I woke up from my sleep. After getting out of bed, I immediately began my morning routine.

I recalled yesterday’s trial at the night cell tower. The challenge had not been easy. Fortunately, I had undergone training at the sub-post before arriving at the main post.

I could not blame the elders; they were well aware of the challenges here. I spent the next hour completing my morning routine.

Afterward, I decided to head to the essence chamber. The trial battles had consumed most of my inheritance resources.

Once inside the essence chamber, I flipped the switches, and the entrance door shut automatically.

Pure, dense energy began flowing into the room, quickly saturating the entire space. I walked to the center and sat cross-legged on the floor.

Closing my eyes, I began circulating the Red Mark Chapter of the Lightning Method. As time passed, a dark purple lightning bolt covered in crimson runes began to throb.

The dense energy drifted toward my body. Beyond ordinary essence, it contained a specialized form of energy with a much higher concentration—the tier intended for Red Mark Warriors.

As this Red Mark Level energy entered my body alongside the lightning force, I guided the flow through my meridians.

The Red Mark Level inheritance force circulated through my body before gathering inside my dantian, where the lightning force settled into its designated space.

Simultaneously, the dark lightning sprout absorbed both the lightning inheritance force and the specialized energy.

Through this process, the lightning sprout grew stronger.

Time passed.

After completing the lightning method, I switched to the other inheritance techniques.

Outside,

Ominous clouds foretelling the next battle loomed over the United City. The respite had lasted long enough, and the call to arms could sound at any moment.

The Red Mark Warriors in the city were in peak condition.

Most avoided using the training facilities, leaving them only to those with minor areas to refine. For those individuals, securing last-minute improvements in their techniques could prove decisive in combat.

Past noon:

Alarm!

The battle alarm sounded across the city as multiple spatial cracks ripped open in midair, jolting the warriors into action.

The Red Mark Warriors began leaving their quarters one after another, all heading toward the plains where the concentration of spatial cracks was highest.

The rifts continued to tear open across the plains in rapid succession. Soon, a swarm of Red Mark Warriors was marching toward the open land.

At the same time, the council elders were put on alert upon receiving confirmation that the battle alarm had sounded.