Chapter 94: Peak of Silver!

“Ready?”

Silver energy erupted around him, it wasn’t the power of his transformation but his own.

He had reached the peak of silver in thirty cores. They all thought.

Even the best awakeners needed four hundred cores minimum to reach the peak of silver. And that assumed perfect absorption over months or years of careful cultivation.

Thirty cores. Thirty seconds.

“H-How?” Ezekiel’s voice cracked with disbelief.

This anomaly keeps doing the impossible.

“I’m different. I’m what you call a Child of the World.” Ethan’s smile held depths that spoke of secrets beyond their understanding. “I can do things others can’t. Now, do you see why I wouldn’t hide resources from you? It’s because I don’t need to. We evolve at completely different rates.”

Child of the World.

The term carried weight beyond simple description.

Myths claimed they appeared during times of great change, wielding power that transcended normal limitations.

He’s not just strong. He’s something else entirely.

“What do you think?” Ethan extended his hand. “Work with me. Using justice and fairness in this city, we’ll reach places you never dreamed of.”

The offered partnership hung between them like a bridge across an impossible chasm. On one side lay death—the natural consequence of defying someone with such overwhelming power. On the other waited, an opportunity beyond imagination.

Justice and fairness.

Ezekiel’s eyes found Ruan and Zhao again. Both generals watched with expressions that mixed hope with wariness. They’d suffered under his authoritarian rule, resources denied in favour of personal advancement.

Could it work? Real cooperation instead of exploitation?

The concept felt alien after decades of viewing power as zero-sum competition. Yet the demonstration had shattered his fundamental assumptions about cultivation. Perhaps cooperation with a Child of the World offered possibilities he’d never considered.

Partnership with someone who doesn’t need my resources. Who gains nothing from holding me back?

For the first time in his life, Ezekiel contemplated surrender not as defeat but as opportunity.

Ethan’s hand remained extended.

What do I have to lose? My old way clearly isn’t working.

Slowly, painfully, the broken City Lord reached toward the offered alliance.

“Alright. I accept it.”

Ethan smiled, satisfaction settling in his chest like warm light. The first step toward establishing real order in this chaotic city was accomplished.

Ezekiel withdrew a vial from his storage ring, the healing potion glowing with soft blue radiance.

He drained it in one gulp, his wounds slowly healing. Colour soon returned to his pale features as strength flowed back into his exhausted muscles.

Ethan wasn’t worried about betrayal anymore. His demonstration had shattered any illusions about their relative power levels.

Even if Ezekiel somehow reached Low-Gold rank, the combination of Ethan’s talents and Peak-Silver attributes would overwhelm his advancement.

Ethan’s power wasn’t simply dominating within the same rank, no. He could leap ranks and fight those above his rank, like he had always.

Besides, showing his capabilities had been strategic. The City Lord now understood that Ethan represented his best chance at breaking through his personal limitations.

I can ensure his cooperation through mutual benefit.

“Ruan, Zhao.”

Both generals turned to face their new superior.

“Begin cleanup operations in the outer districts. Rescue any survivors, eliminate the remaining beasts. I want a full sweep.”

Both nodded without hesitation, accepting their new chain of command with visible relief.

“At once,” Ruan replied, already moving toward the ruined sector.

Zhao followed.

Good. They don’t seem against the notion of me becoming the new leader.

“I need to check on some people first,” Ethan told Ezekiel. “Then we’ll discuss the city’s future at your mansion.”

The healed City Lord nodded, curiosity flickering in silver eyes.

People he protects. Interesting.

As the current City Lord, Ezekiel had lost everyone close to him once upon a time to the beasts. After he had lost them, his main focus was always to get stronger, he had always seen people as a nuisance and heavy baggage that were not needed.

He had one thought and one thought only.

Strength

So to see Ethan with his strength and talent have people he cares about so much that he had to visit even during these times was interesting to him.

They moved through devastated streets with insane speed.

Dawn approached on the horizon, painting broken buildings in shades of gold and crimson.

The apartment building stood intact—Ethan’s careful battlefield management having kept the fighting away from this particular sector. He scaled the exterior wall with Ezekiel remaining down.

The window opened at his gentle knock. Tiana’s face appeared once again, her face filled with joy. Only one person would knock on the window, and it was Ethan.

“You’re back.” Her voice carried emotions too complex for simple words.

Behind her, Lin and Hong Wei crowded forward with relief across their faces once again.

“It’s over,” Ethan assured them. “The beast tide has been broken. The city is secure.”

Their tense shoulder immediately relaxed, tension draining from fear throughout the endless night.

Tiana’s gaze shifted to Ezekiel, noting the silver-haired man standing next to the building behind Ethan.

Who’s this?

The stranger appeared to be a warrior.

Yet his deference to Ethan suggested subordinate status rather than equality.

Ethan’s new ally?

None of them recognised the City Lord. Ezekiel had cultivated mystery throughout his reign, rarely appearing.

To most citizens, he remained a distant figure of authority rather than a flesh-and-blood individual.

“This is Ezekiel,” Ethan provided the minimal introduction. “He’ll be helping restore order to the city.”

“Stay here for now,” Ethan instructed. “The immediate danger has passed. If you need food, water or anything. Just head to the walls and talk to one of the generals, they will recognise you. Or you can just wait for me, I will only take a few hours at most.”

They all exchanged glances.

“We will wait for you.”

“Alright,” He nodded.

He departed with Ezekiel after saying farewell once again.

They moved through the unattacked streets as they approached the city’s heart. Here, buildings stood undamaged by the night’s chaos.

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