Chapter 456: 456

Translator: 549690339

Ethan Smith gazed at the distant Hydrating Tower, his eyes filled with longing.

Releasing his divine sense, he gingerly stepped towards the Hydrating Tower.

The Hydrating Tower was perched on a remote mountain peak, appearing natural yet bearing slight signs of man-made craftsmanship.

The tower wasn’t very high, but it overlooked a good half of Dolan.

This towering Hydrating Tower was the private property of Atticus Kane.

After almost half an hour, Ethan finally reached the base of the Hydrating Tower.

Standing before the tower, Ethan seemed exceptionally tiny.

Looking up at the Hydrating Tower, he knit his brows and said, “Strangely, I can’t feel a trace of qi.”

Odd. If he couldn’t sense any qi, how did Atticus Kane and Dudley Lynch use the tower for cultivation?

“Could it be… the tower has nothing to do with this?” Ethan furrowed his brow.

Or could the Hydrating Tower just be a place for them to stay while they cultivated?

“No matter, I’m already here, let’s go up and see.” Ethan muttered to himself.

Then, he headed into the Hydrating Tower.

A simplistic large gate obstructed Ethan’s path.

The gate was at least five meters high and seemed extremely heavy.

Ethan reached out to try and open the gate.

However, the moment his hand touched the gate, a tremendous force surged up!

Ethan, who was taken by surprise, was knocked back by the force. He stumbled a few steps back before regaining control.

Ethan rose from the ground, dusted off his clothes, and frowned saying, “It seems to be sealed.”

Could it be… only Atticus Kane and Dudley Lynch were allowed into the tower?

Ethan walked up to the gate again, circulated his spiritual power, and tried to open the gate.

The repelling force arose again, blocking Ethan’s path.

“It really seems that way,” Ethan murmured.

If he couldn’t open the gate, then he had no choice but to force his way in.

But right now, Ethan’s spiritual power was depleted and he couldn’t even use a tenth of his strength.

So, he could only sit cross-legged under the Hydrating Tower and slowly recover his strength.

Meanwhile, Dudley Lynch had left Dolan and returned to the Hill Family of Central Plains on the same day.

Standing at the airport of the Hill family, a cold smirk surfaced on Dudley’s face.

“In the entirety of the Central Plains, I’m the only half-step Martial Marquis. Calling me the Number One Person of Central Plains wouldn’t be an exaggeration,” said Dudley nonchalantly.

At that moment, a hoarse voice echoed in his mind, “Even throughout Pyro, there aren’t many who have reached half-step Martial Marquis…”

Hearing this, the smile on Dudley’s face grew wider.

“From today going forward, I am the King of Central Plains!” Dudley chuckled.

Upon returning home, Dudley did not hurry to Chuzzle.

Instead, he sent someone to post a challenge letter on the Martial Arts Forum!

The target of this challenge was none other than Ethan Smith!

“Three days from now, I will be in Chuzzle. Prepare yourself,” Dudley coldly declared on the Martial Arts Forum.

When this message appeared, the Martial Arts Forum erupted!

“Dudley Lynch? The first person on the Potential Ranking?”

“So, the top two are finally going to battle?”

“What’s wrong with Ethan lately? First, the Halcroen Sect issued a kill order for him, now Dudley Lynch from the Central Plains Hill Family has challenged him to battle.”

“Maybe he upset some public sentiment.”

Countless people were discussing this, with some even beginning to analyze the strength of the two.

“Dudley Lynch has always been the top person on the Potential Ranking, he should have the upper hand over Ethan.”

“That’s right, besides the geniuses from the aristocratic families, Dudley Lynch should be considered the top person.”

“Ethan Smith, as the second man on the Potential Ranking, shouldn’t be too far behind, should he?”

For a while, no one dared to make a conclusive judgment.

In their eyes, Dudley Lynch and Ethan Smith should be on par with each other.

But at this moment, a mysterious person released bombshell news:

“Dudley Lynch has stepped into the half-step Martial Marquis Realm, even overpowering Baxter Mercer, who is hailed as the Number One Person of Central Plains.”

Following this, a video was posted on the Martial Arts Forum.

In the video, Baxter Mercer was doing his best, pulling out all the tricks, but looked extremely flustered.

In contrast, Dudley Lynch was taking things lightly, treating Baxter Mercer like a nobody.

With just one move, Baxter Mercer was knocked down, his ribs broken, unable to get up.

The gap in strength between the two was clear as day.

The release of this video shocked countless people!

“Dudley Lynch actually stepped into the half-step Martial Marquis Realm? That’s a real top-notch figure!”

“No wonder he is the top person on the Potential Ranking. His potential is beyond imagination!”

“Baxter Mercer has been hailed as the Number One Person of Central Plains for many years, undefeated for a long time. But today, he was defeated so miserably!”

“Baxter Mercer was totally powerless in front of Dudley Lynch. It seems that Dudley truly stepped into the half-step Martial Marquis Realm.”

The Martial Arts Forum’s “Young Generation Power Ranking” was finally updated.

Dudley Lynch made his first entry into this list, ranking at number ten.

That being said, there are at least nine young people in Pyro who have already stepped into the half-step Martial Marquis Realm.

This is almost equivalent to an official confirmation that Dudley Lynch has indeed stepped into the half-step Martial Marquis Realm!

“Now that Dudley Lynch is a half-step Martial Marquis, the gap with Ethan Smith has widened.”

“In this case, Ethan Smith probably has no chance of winning.”

“Although Ethan Smith is a genius, nobody can bridge the gap between the Grandmaster and the half-step Martial Marquis, not even Ignacio Burke.”

Just a moment ago, the odds of winning for Ethan Smith and Dudley Lynch were the same, but in the blink of an eye, the evaluations have become one-sided.

Therefore, everyone believes that Ethan Smith is bound to lose.

After all, Ethan Smith is just a Grandmaster and can’t possibly defeat a half-step Martial Marquis.

Seeing the news on the Martial Arts Forum, Dudley Lynch couldn’t help laughing.

“That’s about right.” Dudley Lynch put away his phone.

“Heading to Chuzzle tomorrow.”

“Son, you…why…why did you kill Baxter Mercer?” At this moment, Kedrick Lynch entered from outside the door.

Dudley Lynch glanced at him and said indifferently: “Isn’t he the Number One Person of Central Plains? Only by killing him can I take his place.”

Kedrick Lynch clenched his teeth, saying with some sorrow: “Baxter Mercer always regarded you as his nephew. Even if you wanted to establish your authority, you didn’t need to kill him!”

Hearing this, Dudley Lynch’s face suddenly turned cold.

Feeling the murderous spirit emanating from Dudley Lynch, Kedrick Lynch couldn’t help but take two steps back.

Dudley Lynch looked at Kedrick Lynch. After a while, he said coldly: “I am now the Number One Person of Central Plains. Aren’t you happy? The Lynch Family has become the top-ranking family in Central Plains because of me. Aren’t you happy?”

Kedrick Lynch opened his mouth but was speechless.

Yes, when Kedrick Lynch was forcing Dudley Lynch to bring glory to the Lynch Family, did he ever think about these things?

At this time, Ethan Smith was still sitting under the Hydrating Tower, slowly regaining his strength.

After a whole day and night, Ethan Smith’s strength had only recovered by fifty percent.

“The consumption of this Spiritual Fire Seal is too great. Just after using it once, my whole body almost dried up.” Ethan Smith frowned slightly.

The Spiritual Fire Seal must not be used again unless it’s a critical moment.

“But… fifty percent of my strength should be enough to break through this gate.” Ethan Smith stood up from the ground.

The golden light on his body ignited at this moment. His fists were like made of gold, shining brilliantly under the sun.

“Well then, let me see what secrets are hidden in this Hydrating Tower.” Ethan Smith said coldly.