Free Web NovelChapter 132: Chapter 132: Zhao Tianyu’s Descent
Zhao Tianyu had not been idle.
His defeats had changed him, though not entirely for the better.
After losing to Qin Yuheng, then Shen Wuji, then watching Qin Yuheng’s team rise through the First Gate, Second Gate, and commander-class floors, Zhao Tianyu’s arrogance had been damaged. But damaged pride did not always become humility.
Sometimes it became hunger.
He trained obsessively.
He consumed stabilizing resources provided by the Zhao family.
He entered floors more aggressively, sometimes taking risks his instructors warned against. His Crimson Beast Blood talent grew stronger, but also more unstable. He cleared Floor 10 with an A evaluation and later reached Floor 16 with mixed results.
Not terrible.
Not weak.
But compared to Qin Yuheng, his achievements looked dim.
That comparison poisoned him.
Zhao Lan saw it clearly.
"You are chasing his shadow," she told him one evening.
Zhao Tianyu’s eyes burned. ƒreewebɳovel.com
"I am catching up."
"No. You are reacting. There is a difference."
He slammed his fist into the table.
"You think I cannot surpass him?"
"I think you cannot surpass anyone while letting them choose your direction."
Zhao Tianyu looked away.
Zhao Lan sighed softly.
She was ambitious, but not stupid. The Zhao family had already lost too much face by pushing Qin Yuheng directly. Blood Sun-linked channels still whispered offers, but she had become wary of them.
Zhao Tianyu had not.
That was why Xue Rong approached through someone else.
A wandering resource broker brought Zhao Tianyu a sealed item: a Crimson Beast Stabilization Crystal.
The broker claimed it came from a beast-blood ruin and could help stabilize and strengthen Crimson Beast Blood before Floor 20.
Zhao Lan would have inspected it carefully.
Zhao Tianyu hid it.
The crystal was not openly corrupt. It did stabilize his blood aura at first. His training improved. His strength rose. His confidence returned.
But hidden inside the crystal was not a control curse.
It was a lure thread.
It made Zhao Tianyu dream of a red battlefield, of defeating Qin Yuheng, of standing above the academy, of proving his blood was superior.
It did not force him.
It fed what already existed.
When Zhao Tianyu reached Floor 18, he achieved his first S evaluation since early floors.
The Zhao family celebrated.
Zhao Lan frowned.
Something about his aura had become too smooth.
Too polished.
Like a blade coated in oil.
Meanwhile, Qin Yuheng heard only the public news.
"Zhao Tianyu improved," Qin Yuchen said.
Qin Mo shrugged. "Good for him, unless it becomes bad for us."
Qin Lian said, "His aura changed."
She had seen him at the academy training field.
Qin Yuheng looked at her.
"How?"
"Less explosive. More contained. But the containment feels external."
Qin Yuheng’s eyes narrowed.
"Blood Sun?"
"Possibly."
He informed Yu Qingmei.
She had already noticed.
"We are watching him," she said.
"Does he know?"
"No."
"Does Zhao Lan know?"
"Perhaps."
The next floor file arrived before Qin Yuheng could investigate further.
[Floor 24: Thunder Drum Battlefield]
Type:
War rhythm / sound pressure / lightning beasts / command morale.
Recommended:
Sound resistance, lightning resistance, battlefield coordination.
Warning:
Drum rhythm may affect blood, courage, fear, and aggression.
Qin Yuheng’s visible thunder talent made this floor suitable.
His command class made it more suitable.
That also meant the Tower might raise difficulty.
He prepared carefully.
The Thunder Drum Battlefield was a wide plain under storm clouds. Huge war drums stood across the field, each struck by lightning at intervals. Every drumbeat sent pressure through the blood and bones.
Mission:
[Main Mission]
Capture three Thunder Drum Altars and hold them until the storm rhythm stabilizes.
[Sub-Missions]
1. Defeat 30 Thunderhide Beasts.
2. Resist berserk drum rhythm.
3. Keep team morale above 70%.
4. Defeat Thunder Drum Warlord if awakened.
The floor felt almost designed for his class.
Gate Thunder Command Field performed excellently, stabilizing morale and rhythm. Qin Mo used sound-dampening formations learned from Silent Lake and Thousand Lantern River. Qin Lian disrupted beast packs. Qin Yuchen held altar lines.
They captured the first two altars smoothly.
At the third altar, the drum rhythm changed.
It began beating like a heart.
Qin Yuheng felt his blood stir—not Qin bloodline, but battle intent.
The Thunder Drum Warlord awakened.
Level 33.
A huge armored figure wielding twin drum hammers.
The fight tested rhythm. Every wrong movement was punished by drum pressure. Qin Yuheng used his class field to align the team’s attacks between beats.
The Warlord struck with thunder.
Qin Yuheng absorbed and redirected part of it using Primordial Thunder Emperor Body, but hid the depth.
At the final moment, the team broke the drum rhythm together.
Qin Yuheng pierced the Warlord’s chest core.
SSS evaluation.
Rewards included Thunder Drum Command Core, War Rhythm Crystal, Lightning Morale Banner Fragment, and Thunderhide Beast Core Bundle.
The War Rhythm Crystal, after enhancement, became:
[SSS Grade Sovereign War Rhythm Crystal]
[Effect: Stabilizes allied battle rhythm, resists fear/berserk pressure, improves army coordination under drum, horn, chant, or morale-based attacks.]
Gu Tianhe valued it highly.
But while Qin Yuheng’s foundation grew, Zhao Tianyu’s path bent further.
After hearing Qin Yuheng cleared Floor 24 with SSS, Zhao Tianyu entered Floor 19 before his instructor recommended it.
He survived.
Barely.
His evaluation was B.
But the Crimson Beast Stabilization Crystal fed his frustration.
And somewhere in the dark, Xue Rong smiled.
A bait that hated the hook would struggle.
A bait that thought the hook was power would swim willingly.
