Tower of Origin: I Evolve All Rewards

Chapter 190: Chapter 190: Return to Heavenly Gate

Heavenly Gate City looked smaller when the academy vessel returned.

Not weaker.

Not lesser.

Just more familiar.

After Central Eastern Tower City’s vast walls, ancient vessels, powerful delegations, and layered politics, Heavenly Gate City felt like a place where Qin Yuheng could breathe. Yet the moment the vessel descended, he knew things had changed.

Crowds gathered near the academy landing platform.

News had arrived before them.

Heavenly Gate Academy had produced the second-ranked core candidate of the Central Tower Youth Exchange Assembly.

Qin Yuheng.

Fourth Gate Banner Path.

Exceptional Shattered Sun assessment contribution.

Duel victory over Duan Xirong.

Coalition command recognition.

The academy tried to control the crowd, but excitement still spread.

Qin Mo looked down and groaned.

"Can we land somewhere else?"

Yu Qingmei said, "No."

"Can I disguise myself?"

"No."

"You answer too quickly."

The landing platform opened.

Students cheered.

Instructors stood proudly.

Local family representatives watched with complicated expressions.

Qin Yuheng stepped down calmly.

He did not wave dramatically.

He bowed once toward the academy instructors and continued.

That restraint only increased the whispers.

The Qin family carriage waited outside the academy’s inner gate.

Gu Tianhe stood beside it disguised as an old servant, but Qin Yuheng could feel the Silent Heaven Army’s hidden layers across the streets. Protection had increased.

The city had noticed him.

So had enemies.

At the Qin Estate, the return meeting happened immediately.

Qin Wanshan, Qin Zhengyuan, Mu Qinglan, Gu Tianhe, Qin Muchen, Qin Haoran, Qin Shouye, Qin Beiyan, Qin Ruyan, Qin Feng, Qin Yuze, and Qin Xue’er were present for the first greeting, though the deeper report would be restricted.

Qin Xue’er ran forward first.

"Brother! You were second!"

Qin Yuheng smiled and patted her head.

"News travels fast."

Qin Yuze tried to look calm.

"Second is good."

Qin Feng laughed.

"Good? It shook the city."

Qin Ruyan’s eyes were bright.

"You defeated Duan Xirong?"

"In a controlled duel."

Qin Feng waved that away.

"A win is a win."

Qin Wanshan looked at Qin Yuheng for a long moment.

Then nodded.

"You returned."

Simple words.

But they mattered more than praise.

The public celebration was limited. Qin Wanshan did not allow a grand banquet. Instead, the Qin family held a private meal. The younger generation asked questions about the assembly, the rankings, the other candidates, and Central Eastern Tower City.

Qin Mo, invited because he had suffered through everything, described the politics as "a Tower floor without panels but with better snacks."

Qin Xue’er laughed.

Qin Yuze asked about Duan Xirong’s combat style.

Qin Yuchen explained with precision.

Qin Lian remained quiet but answered when Qin Xue’er asked whether Jiang Yuexuan was pretty.

The table paused.

Qin Lian said honestly, "Yes."

Qin Xue’er’s eyes brightened.

Qin Yuheng calmly drank tea.

Mu Qinglan smiled faintly but did not tease.

The deeper meeting began after dinner.

Only the core members remained.

Qin Yuheng placed the assembly gains on the table.

Sleeping Seal Observation Lens.

Shattered Sun Evidence Summary Level Two.

False Sun Pattern Crystal.

Gate Stabilization Crystal.

Strategic Command Insight Jade.

Core Candidate Reward Chest.

Notes from Jiang Yuexuan.

Public ranking records.

Controlled copies of the temple tablet inscriptions.

Qin Wanshan read everything.

Qin Zhengyuan stopped at the phrase:

If the moon refuses collapse,

bind it as counterweight.

If blood refuses obedience,

turn command into anchor.

Mu Qinglan’s hand tightened again.

But this time, she did not look away.

"This confirms it," she said.

Qin Mo nodded.

"Mother’s moon trace is stabilizer, not corruption. Father’s command-blood thread may be where they tried to turn resistance into anchor."

Qin Zhengyuan’s expression remained calm.

"Then we observe. Carefully."

The Sleeping Seal Observation Lens was prepared under the strictest conditions.

Qin Yuheng did not operate it alone.

Qin Mo handled formation alignment.

Mu Qinglan controlled moon counterweight pressure.

Qin Wanshan suppressed external fluctuations.

Gu Tianhe guarded the chamber.

Qin Zhengyuan sat at the center.

The lens activated.

A pale light passed over Qin Zhengyuan’s wound without touching it.

For the first time, the sleeping seal structure became visible.

It looked like a black-red eclipse wrapped around a pale-gold seal. Around it flowed silver moon restraint, bone-shadow residue, nightmare loops, and a deep thread of command blood twisted into a knot.

The map updated.

[Crimson Eclipse Anchor Map — Major Update]

Blood-Sun Corrosion Layer: 78% mapped.

Seal Suppression Layer: 71% mapped.

Marrow/Bone Residue: 63% mapped.

Spirit Nightmare Loop: 81% mapped.

Command-Blood Dormant Thread: 62% mapped.

Moon Counterweight Trace: 68% mapped.

External Ritual Center: confirmed.

False Sun / Shadow Witness framework: confirmed linked.

Sleeping Seal Core: observed but not disturbed.

Warning:

Anchor removal impossible without external ritual center data.

The chamber fell silent.

External ritual center data required.

That meant they could not heal Qin Zhengyuan fully from inside the estate.

They needed the place.

The first shadow.

The false sun.

The external center.

Qin Yuheng closed his eyes briefly.

Not frustration.

Clarity.

Qin Wanshan spoke first.

"We do not move yet."

Everyone expected it.

"We now know what is missing. That does not mean we chase it."

Qin Zhengyuan nodded.

"The observation itself is progress."

Mu Qinglan looked at Qin Yuheng.

"You brought back pattern, not poison."

That was praise.

Qin Yuheng accepted quietly.

Only after the observation chamber was sealed did he open the Core Candidate Reward Chest.

First, he evolved it.

[SS Grade Core Candidate Reward Chest]

↓

[SSS Grade Ancient Core Candidate Sovereign Chest]

Opening it produced:

[SSS Grade Sovereign Candidate Path Crystal x1]

[SS Grade Skill Book: Coalition Thunder Banner Step x1]

[SS Grade Multi-Force Trust Stabilization Seal x1]

[SS Grade Candidate Fate Protection Talisman x3]

[S Grade Central Exchange Authority Token x1]

The Multi-Force Trust Stabilization Seal was immediately useful for future coalitions.

The Candidate Fate Protection Talismans were rare protective items against assassination, curse tracking, and fate-mark interference during large public events.

Qin Wanshan approved their use.

"Carry one. Store two."

The Sovereign Candidate Path Crystal was not used yet. It could support future class development, but Qin Yuheng had learned patience.

Outside the estate, rumors spread.

Inside, the Qin family strengthened.

Far away, Mo Cangyan received confirmation that Qin Yuheng had returned and used the lens successfully.

He smiled.

"The map has advanced."

Xue Rong asked, "Is that bad?"

"No," Mo Cangyan said. "Now they know they need the external center."

He unfolded an old map.

Several ruin sites were marked.

One mark glowed faintly red-black.

"The question is not whether they will seek it."

His finger rested on the mark.

"The question is when."

Back in the Qin Estate, Qin Yuheng stood beneath the night sky.

The assembly had ended.

Floor 40 was behind him.

The Crimson Eclipse anchor map had advanced.

The external ritual center was confirmed. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

The next stage of the novel’s world had opened.

But Qin Yuheng did not rush.

He had learned too much to be hurried by truth.

He looked toward the distant Tower.

First, he would climb.

Then he would prepare.

Then, when the road was chosen by clear mind rather than enemy timing, he would find the false sun.