Free Web NovelChapter 170: Chapter 170: Invitation Confirmed
The Central Tower Youth Exchange Assembly confirmed Qin Yuheng’s candidacy three days after his Fourth Gate clear.
The official letter arrived through Heavenly Gate Academy and the Central delegation jointly.
It was formal, elegant, and impossible to ignore.
To Heavenly Gate Academy Candidate Qin Yuheng,
In recognition of your demonstrated performance, class development, Fourth Gate clearance, and command potential, you are hereby invited as a preliminary core candidate for the Central Tower Youth Exchange Assembly.
Candidate may attend with registered team members:
Qin Yuchen
Qin Lian
Qin Mo
Further evaluation will occur at the regional gathering site.
Signed,
Central Tower Youth Exchange Committee
Qin Mo read the letter twice.
"Preliminary core candidate," he said. "That sounds like more than normal candidate."
Yu Qingmei nodded.
"It is."
"Can we request demotion?"
"No."
"I expected that."
Qin Yuheng looked at the names.
His team was included.
That mattered.
"Can they force team separation during assembly?" Qin Yuchen asked.
"Not officially," Yu Qingmei said. "But events may include individual trials."
Qin Lian asked, "Security?"
"The assembly is heavily guarded, but that does not mean safe."
Jiang Yuexuan’s earlier warning echoed in Qin Yuheng’s mind.
Some forces collect abnormal talent.
A key.
A vessel.
A growth engine.
Different names from different mouths, all dangerous.
The Qin family held an internal meeting that night.
Qin Wanshan approved attendance.
"Refusing now draws too much suspicion. Attending after Floor 40 gives you stronger standing."
Mu Qinglan was less comfortable but agreed.
"Take every anti-control, anti-contract, anti-memory, anti-authority protection you can carry without exposing them."
Qin Zhengyuan looked at Qin Yuheng.
"Do not accept private invitations without academy or family awareness."
"I know."
"Especially if they offer Crimson Eclipse information."
Qin Yuheng nodded.
That was the most obvious bait.
Gu Tianhe arranged Silent Heaven protection along travel routes, though not openly. The academy delegation would travel by official vessel, but the Qin family would shadow from a distance through Silent Root Network and Hidden Night Web assets.
Qin Mo prepared a "paranoid travel kit."
Its contents included:
Contract-breaking talismans.
Memory Anchor Water.
False Future Severing Mirror shard.
Blood thread detection lens.
Vow-cleansing crystals.
Anti-domination resonance token.
Path anchor. ƒreewebɳovel.com
Silent communication jade.
Emergency wakefulness pills.
Poison and curse cleansing pills.
Formation needles.
Three kinds of chalk.
Qin Yuchen asked, "Why three kinds of chalk?"
Qin Mo answered, "Different surfaces betray differently."
No one argued.
Before departure, Qin Yuheng visited the treatment chamber.
Qin Zhengyuan was awake, reading the Crimson Eclipse anchor map.
"You are worried," Qin Yuheng said.
"Yes."
"About the assembly?"
"About what the assembly represents."
Qin Zhengyuan placed the map down.
"Until now, most enemies near you were local or mid-level branches. The assembly gathers eyes from forces with longer memories. Some may know things about Qin family, Mu family, Blood Sun, or Tower anomalies that even we have not recovered."
Qin Yuheng understood.
"What should I do if someone recognizes something?"
"Listen more than you speak. Never deny too quickly. Never confirm accidentally."
Mu Qinglan entered then.
"And if someone mentions Void Moon?"
Qin Yuheng looked at her.
"Do not engage deeply."
She nodded.
"Good."
He did not ask more.
Not yet.
The departure day arrived under clear skies.
Heavenly Gate Academy’s delegation included Yu Qingmei, Han Shuren, several instructors, Qin Yuheng’s team, Wei Chen, Lin Xian’er, Zhao Tianyu under observation status, and several senior students.
Zhao Tianyu’s inclusion was controversial, but Yu Qingmei explained it plainly.
"He was targeted by Blood Sun. Hiding him makes him easier to isolate. Under supervision, he may recover his path."
Zhao Tianyu said nothing.
His aura was weaker than before but cleaner.
Zhao Lan personally saw him off.
She also spoke briefly to Qin Yuheng.
"Do not trust him too much."
Qin Yuheng replied, "I do not."
"Do not give up on him too quickly either."
That was more surprising.
Zhao Lan smiled bitterly.
"I am allowed to be contradictory. He is family."
Qin Yuheng understood that better than most.
The academy vessel rose into the sky.
It was shaped like a long silver ship with formation wings, powered by Tower crystals and wind arrays. Heavenly Gate City shrank beneath them.
Qin Mo stood near the railing.
"I dislike that this trip is not inside the Tower but still feels like a floor."
Lin Xian’er, standing nearby, smiled.
"Because it is. The real world has worse rules because it pretends not to have panels."
Qin Mo considered.
"That is disturbing."
Wei Chen looked toward the horizon.
"Where is the gathering site?"
Yu Qingmei answered from behind them.
"Central Eastern Tower City. A regional hub connected to several major Tower entrances."
Qin Yuheng looked ahead.
Far in the distance, beyond clouds and mountains, a giant Tower silhouette pierced the sky.
Larger than Heavenly Gate Tower.
Older.
More crowded with power.
The world was widening again.
And somewhere beneath that widening sky, Mo Cangyan’s agents were already moving.
Not to attack.
Not yet.
To observe which doors opened when the key arrived.
