Tower of Origin: I Evolve All Rewards

Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Turning the Trap into a Harvest

The western ridge did not become quiet after Zhao Tianyu left.

If anything, the silence that followed felt heavier.

The wind moved through the broken stones with a low, hollow sound. The corpses of Ironhide Wolves lay scattered across the black-gray ground, their metallic fur stained with dark blood. The collapsed tunnel still released faint threads of black iron energy, and every now and then, small stones would slide down from the unstable entrance.

Qin Yuheng stood near the stone basin, the twelve jade vials already sealed and stored away.

One of those vials had changed into an A Grade Black Gold Marrow Liquid.

The other eleven remained ordinary D Grade Black Iron Spirit Liquid for now.

He did not rush to evolve the rest.

That was one of the first lessons he had learned after awakening Primordial Origin Evolution. A powerful ability did not mean every choice should be made immediately. The more flexible an item was, the more valuable it became before its evolution path was decided.

A D-grade liquid could become many D-grade liquids through Quantity Multiplication.

Or it could become one higher-grade treasure through Quality Enhancement.

If separated carefully, each vial could become a different strategic resource.

For Qin Yuheng himself, quality mattered.

For the Qin family’s younger generation, quality also mattered.

But for the Silent Heaven Army, which he only faintly understood at this point, quantity might matter far more in the future.

He could not afford to waste opportunities simply because he was excited.

"Brother," Qin Yuchen said quietly, "Zhao Tianyu will not accept this result."

Qin Yuheng turned away from the basin.

"I know."

Qin Lian crouched beside the Ironhide Wolf Alpha’s corpse and inspected its claw marks. "He still has people nearby. They retreated, but not too far."

Qin Mo sat on a stone, looking pale and tired, but his eyes were open. "That means they are either waiting for us to leave the resource point, or they are waiting for another team to come."

"Both are possible," Qin Yuheng said.

The academy trial rules forbade intentional killing and the use of lethal restricted artifacts, but they did not forbid competition, pressure, or injury. Zhao Tianyu could not openly murder them, yet he had many ways to make their remaining trial difficult.

He could block paths. freewёbnoνel.com

He could steal monsters after they weakened them.

He could lead beasts toward them.

He could force a fight over Trial Tokens.

Most importantly, he could use numbers.

Qin Yuheng’s team had only four people.

Zhao Tianyu’s direct team had six, and his allied students brought the number to eleven. Even after the Ironhide Wolf Alpha battle, most of them still had fighting strength. If they coordinated properly, they could create constant pressure.

Qin Yuheng looked at the map crystal.

Their current score was already excellent.

The Ironhide Wolves, Wolf Alpha, Trial Tokens, and resource discovery had pushed their team into a high position. But the Newcomer Trial was not over. If they became careless, Zhao Tianyu could still surpass them.

More importantly, Qin Yuheng did not want to simply win.

He wanted to harvest.

This valley was a controlled training zone. Its danger was limited, its resources were mapped to some extent, and academy observers were watching from a distance. Compared with the real Tower, this was one of the safest places to test team coordination and gather early resources.

Leaving now would be cautious.

Continuing deeper would be risky.

But Qin Yuheng had never planned to avoid risk completely.

"Rest for ten minutes," he said. "Then we move along the upper ridge."

Qin Mo immediately raised his head. "Upper ridge? Not back?"

"No."

Qin Yuchen studied the map. "The upper ridge leads to the abandoned watch post."

Qin Lian added, "Records say that area has low token density but frequent beast movement."

Qin Mo sighed. "Which means normal teams avoid it."

Qin Yuheng nodded. "And because normal teams avoid it, Zhao Tianyu will not expect us to move there immediately."

Qin Yuchen understood first. "He thinks we will return to a safer region after gaining the resource."

"Yes," Qin Yuheng said. "If we retreat, he can intercept us. If we stay, he can surround us. But if we move deeper through an unpopular path, he must choose whether to follow."

Qin Lian’s eyes sharpened. "And if he follows, his larger team moves slower."

"If he does not follow," Qin Mo said lazily, "we get whatever is there."

Qin Yuheng smiled.

"Exactly."

The team rested quickly.

Qin Yuheng gave each person one B Grade Jade Marrow Recovery Pill, but he warned them not to use it unless necessary. The pill was too effective. If used carelessly in front of others, it might expose that the Qin team possessed better resources than expected.

For ordinary injuries, they would rely on basic academy medicine.

For dangerous moments, they would use the B-grade pills.

Qin Mo held the pill between two fingers and stared at it.

"This smells expensive."

"It is," Qin Yuheng said.

"How expensive?"

"Expensive enough that you should not drop it."

Qin Mo immediately stored it carefully.

After ten minutes, they moved.

The upper ridge path was narrow. Broken black stones formed uneven steps along the mountainside. Below them, the western valley stretched outward in layers of dark trees and jagged rocks. Far in the distance, Qin Yuheng could see movement from other teams, but none came close.

Qin Lian took the forward scouting position.

Her footsteps were almost silent.

Qin Yuchen stayed near Qin Yuheng, watching both the path ahead and the rear. Qin Mo remained in the center, occasionally placing tiny formation marks on stones behind them. These marks were simple, not enough to injure anyone, but useful as warning triggers if someone followed too closely.

After half an hour, Qin Mo stopped.

"One of my marks reacted."

Qin Lian immediately lowered her body.

Qin Yuchen’s hand moved to his sword.

Qin Yuheng looked back.

"Distance?"

"Not close. Maybe three hundred meters. They are moving carefully."

"Zhao?"

"Likely. Or someone equally annoying."

Qin Yuheng looked at the path ahead.

There was no surprise in his eyes.

"Good. Let them follow."

Qin Mo looked at him. "You sound like you wanted this."

"I did."

"Of course you did."

They continued toward the abandoned watch post.

The watch post stood on a flat stone platform near the upper ridge. It was built from black ironwood and gray stone, but most of it had collapsed. A broken tower leaned to one side, and torn academy flags hung from old poles.

At first glance, there was nothing valuable there.

No obvious Trial Tokens.

No spirit liquid.

No treasure chest.

Only silence.

But the moment Qin Yuheng stepped closer, his hidden panel flickered.

[Residual formation aura detected.]

[Old academy watch post.]

[Hidden mechanism damaged.]

[Possible resource cache nearby.]

[Current authority sufficient for partial analysis.]

Qin Yuheng’s eyes moved slightly.

A resource cache.

So there really was something.

He did not speak immediately. Instead, he looked at Qin Mo.

"Check the formation remains."

Qin Mo blinked.

"You noticed?"

"Somewhat."

Qin Mo glanced at the broken tower, then reluctantly walked forward. His lazy expression faded as he crouched near a cracked stone plate. He brushed away dust, revealing faint formation lines.

"These are old storage seals," Qin Mo said after a moment. "Damaged, but not dead."

Qin Yuchen asked, "Can you open them?"

Qin Mo tilted his head. "Open? Maybe. Open without making the entire post collapse? That is the difficult part."

"Try," Qin Yuheng said.

Qin Mo sighed. "Everyone always says that."

While Qin Mo worked, Qin Lian disappeared into the surrounding ruins to scout. Qin Yuchen guarded the main path. Qin Yuheng stood near the broken tower, observing both the formation and the distant ridge behind them.

The followers were still there.

Not close enough to attack.

Not far enough to ignore.

Zhao Tianyu was cautious now.

That was good.

A reckless enemy was dangerous in the short term.

A cautious enemy could be guided.

After several minutes, Qin Mo pressed two fingers against the stone plate and injected a small thread of mana.

The formation lines lit up weakly.

Then they flickered.

Then a section of the broken tower floor shifted open with a grinding sound.

A hidden compartment appeared beneath it.

Inside were six dull black crystals, three old talismans, and a sealed iron box.

The recording badge flashed.

[Hidden Resource Cache discovered.]

[Team Score increased.]

[Items recognized as trial resources.]

Qin Mo’s eyes brightened slightly. "Not bad."

Qin Yuheng inspected the items.

[D Grade Black Iron Formation Crystals x6]

[D Grade Stability Talismans x3]

[C Grade Sealed Trial Box x1]

[Eligible for Evolution.]

A C Grade Sealed Trial Box.

Qin Yuheng’s interest rose.

Boxes were special.

As he had already reasoned from his talent rules, a chest or box counted as one item. If he evolved the box before opening it, the contents might improve. After opening it, the items inside might still count as separate products and become eligible for evolution as well.

This was one of the most important paths for maximizing value.

However, this was not a true Tower reward chest. It was an academy trial resource box. The effect might be lower, but it was still worth testing.

Before Qin Yuheng could decide, Qin Lian returned from the shadows.

"Two teams approaching."

Qin Yuchen looked down the path. "Zhao Tianyu?"

"Yes. And another team from the central route."

Qin Mo closed the hidden compartment quickly. "They saw the score notification?"

"Probably," Qin Yuheng said.

Whenever a hidden resource was discovered, the recording badge updated the score. Other teams could not see exact details, but sudden score jumps could reveal that something valuable had been found.

Zhao Tianyu must have noticed.

Qin Yuheng took the sealed iron box and stored it away.

"Do not fight here."

Qin Yuchen frowned slightly. "We are giving up the watch post?"

"We already took the core resource. Let them fight over the shell."

Qin Mo smiled. "That sounds satisfying."

Qin Yuheng looked at the broken tower, then at the approaching paths.

"Before leaving, Qin Mo, can you make the damaged formation look unopened?"

Qin Mo’s eyes became more awake.

"Not perfectly."

"Good enough to delay them?"

"That I can do."

Qin Mo worked quickly. He shifted loose stones, reconnected a few useless formation lines, and left behind a misleading energy trace near another collapsed wall.

When Zhao Tianyu’s group arrived at the outer edge of the watch post, Qin Yuheng’s team had already moved into the side path leading downhill.

But they did not go far.

They waited behind a cluster of black iron trees where Qin Lian had found a blind spot.

Soon, voices came from the ruins.

"There was definitely a score jump here."

"Search!"

"The Qin team must have taken something."

"Brother Tianyu, another team is coming."

Zhao Tianyu’s cold voice followed. "Then move faster."

A different team arrived moments later.

That team was led by a student named He Jun, an awakened student from a mid-level family. He was not as strong as Zhao Tianyu, but he had five members and clearly did not want to retreat after detecting a hidden resource point.

Arguments began.

Then pushing.

Then someone activated a talisman.

A small explosion of energy shook the ruined watch post.

Qin Mo listened from the trees and whispered, "They are fighting over the fake trace."

Qin Lian said calmly, "The other team thinks Zhao Tianyu is hiding the resource."

Qin Yuchen glanced at Qin Yuheng. "And Zhao Tianyu thinks we may have left something behind."

Qin Yuheng looked at the path ahead.

"Let them waste time."

The Qin team quietly left.

Half an hour later, they reached a stream flowing through black stones. The water carried faint metallic energy, and several low-level beasts drank near the bank. frёewebnoѵēl.com

Qin Yuheng did not stop.

The team crossed the stream, collected two Trial Tokens, killed four beasts, and moved toward a safer return route.

Their score continued to rise steadily.

But the greatest harvest was already hidden in Qin Yuheng’s inventory.

The C Grade Sealed Trial Box.

The Black Iron Spirit Liquid.

The Ironhide Wolf Alpha Core.

The Black Iron Formation Crystals.

Each one represented a future evolution opportunity.

As the afternoon sun began to tilt westward, a sharp cry suddenly came from the sky.

All recording badges flashed at once.

[Newcomer Trial Announcement]

[Hidden Event Triggered]

[Black Iron Beast Tide will begin in thirty minutes.]

[All teams may choose to evacuate early or defend marked safe zones.]

[Additional score rewards will be granted based on performance.]

Qin Mo’s expression froze.

"Beast tide?"

Qin Lian looked toward the valley. "That was not in the basic rules."

Qin Yuchen’s eyes became serious. "A hidden event."

Qin Yuheng looked at the announcement, and instead of fear, a faint light appeared in his eyes.

A beast tide meant danger.

Danger meant chaos.

Chaos meant opportunities.

And opportunities, in his hands, could evolve into something far greater.