Free Web NovelChapter 26: Chapter 26: First Floor Settlement
The final hour of the first-floor trial passed inside the reinforced safe camp.
No one complained about returning this time.
Even Qin Yuheng understood that the team had reached its limit. Qin Mo’s mana was nearly empty. Qin Lian’s shoulder had reopened slightly during the Wolf King battle. Qin Yuchen’s breathing was steady, but his hands showed signs of accumulated strain. Qin Yuheng himself had leveled twice and gained power, yet repeated high-intensity battles had taxed both his body and focus.
A climber who did not know when to stop would eventually die with treasures in hand.
So they stopped.
The camp formation held through the final hour. A few low-level beasts wandered nearby but did not attack after sensing the blood and residual boss aura on the team. The gray sky slowly darkened again, and then, when the twenty-fourth hour arrived, a deep bell-like sound echoed across the Black Stone Trial Ground.
All movement in the world seemed to pause.
A Tower message appeared.
[Main Mission Completed.]
[Survived for 24 hours.]
[Calculating side missions...]
[Calculating hidden missions...]
[Calculating combat contribution...]
[Calculating exploration progress...]
[Calculating team survival status...]
[Calculating final evaluation...]
Qin Mo sat up immediately.
"This is the good part."
Qin Lian looked at him.
"You looked half-dead a moment ago."
"Rewards heal the soul."
The calculation continued.
Lines of text appeared one after another.
[Side Mission: Kill 20 monsters — Completed.]
[Side Mission: Collect 10 Black Stone Cores — Completed.]
[Side Mission: Locate a safe camp before nightfall — Completed.]
[Optional Objective: Reinforce safe camp — Completed.]
[Hidden Mission: Trial of the Black Stone Guardian — Completed.]
[Special Achievement: First Floor Boss defeated — Completed.]
[Team Survival: All members alive.]
[Emergency Withdrawal: None.]
[Final Evaluation: SSS]
For a moment, no one spoke.
Even Qin Yuheng’s eyes changed slightly.
SSS.
The highest known evaluation for ordinary Tower floors.
Qin Mo stared at the message.
"Can I retire now? I have peaked."
Qin Yuchen’s face showed rare excitement.
Qin Lian exhaled softly, her eyes bright.
The Tower message continued.
[SSS Evaluation Rewards]
EXP +500
Tower Coins x5,000
S Grade Black Stone Trial Chest x1
C Grade Strength Fruit x3
C Grade Agility Fruit x3
C Grade Constitution Fruit x3
B Grade Black Stone Wolf King Boots x1
B Grade Skill Book: Stone Shadow Step x1
Inventory Expansion Stone x1
Title Mark: First Floor Perfect Trial]
Qin Yuheng’s heartbeat deepened.
S Grade Black Stone Trial Chest.
Stat fruits.
Equipment.
Skill book.
Inventory Expansion Stone.
Title Mark.
This was far beyond an ordinary first-floor reward.
Then another message appeared.
[Due to hidden altar completion, additional reward granted.]
[A Grade Ancient Black Stone Altar Fragment x1]
Qin Yuheng’s eyes sharpened.
A Grade altar fragment.
Likely connected to the key fragment from the hidden chest.
Before he could inspect further, the Tower settlement light descended.
[Returning to Heavenly Gate Tower entrance.]
White light swallowed them.
When Qin Yuheng opened his eyes, he was standing on the return platform inside Heavenly Gate Tower’s entrance hall.
The hall was enormous, filled with black pillars and floating runes. Academy staff waited nearby, along with instructors and healers. Several student teams had already returned earlier. Some looked relieved, some disappointed, and some injured.
When Qin Yuheng’s team appeared, the return platform flashed with golden light.
Not white.
Not blue.
Golden.
The entrance hall fell silent. freёwebnovel.com
An academy staff member stared at the evaluation crystal in front of him.
His voice trembled slightly.
"Team Qin Yuheng... First Floor Black Stone Trial Ground... Final Evaluation..."
He swallowed.
"SSS."
The hall exploded.
"SSS?"
"First floor SSS evaluation?"
"Which team?"
"Qin Yuheng again?"
"Impossible! Even Core Class teams rarely get SSS on first entry!"
Han Shuren, standing near the instructor area, looked over sharply.
Yu Qingmei, who had come personally to observe first-floor returns, narrowed her eyes.
Zhao Tianyu had returned earlier with an A evaluation. That was already considered excellent. His team had survived, completed two side missions, and killed several elite beasts. Under normal circumstances, he would have been praised heavily.
But now, SSS appeared.
Zhao Tianyu stood in the hall, his face frozen.
He looked at Qin Yuheng like he was seeing a wall rising in front of him.
Qin Yuheng did not look at him.
He was busy suppressing his own thoughts.
The golden return light had drawn too much attention.
There was no hiding the evaluation.
Fortunately, SSS evaluation was rare but not impossible. It could be explained by strong teamwork, hidden mission completion, and boss kill. The academy would know the details through Tower settlement records, though not his private reward evolution.
Han Shuren walked over.
His stern face showed a rare trace of approval.
"All alive?"
Qin Yuheng nodded. "All alive."
"Injuries?"
"Moderate. Manageable."
Han Shuren looked at Qin Lian’s shoulder and Qin Mo’s pale face.
"Healers."
Two academy healers immediately approached.
Qin Mo did not resist.
"I accept all healing."
Qin Lian allowed her wound to be treated after Qin Yuheng nodded.
Yu Qingmei approached next.
The students nearby quieted instinctively.
As Tower Affairs Vice Principal, her status was far above ordinary instructors. Her silver hair was tied neatly behind her, and her eyes seemed capable of seeing through lies.
"Qin Yuheng," she said.
"Vice Principal Yu."
"SSS evaluation on first Tower entry. Impressive."
"We were fortunate."
"Fortune favors prepared climbers," Yu Qingmei said. "But fortune alone does not complete hidden missions."
Qin Yuheng’s expression did not change.
"We found a Black Stone Altar and offered Black Stone Cores. The guardian was difficult, but we managed."
He did not mention evolution, enhanced rewards, or details beyond what the Tower record would likely show.
Yu Qingmei looked at him for a few breaths.
Then she smiled faintly.
"Submit a written mission report tomorrow. Include terrain, monster types, hidden altar location, and team tactics. The academy rewards useful first-floor data."
"Yes, Vice Principal."
She turned to the rest of the team.
"You all performed well. Rest today. Report tomorrow."
After she left, Qin Mo whispered, "She is terrifying."
Qin Yuchen said quietly, "She noticed something."
Qin Yuheng replied, "She noticed that there is something to notice. That is different from knowing."
Qin Lian looked at him.
"And if she keeps watching?"
"Then we give her enough truth to satisfy curiosity, but not enough to expose the core."
That evening, the Qin team returned to the Qin Estate.
The news arrived before them.
By the time Qin Yuheng entered the main hall, Qin Wanshan, Qin Zhengyuan, Mu Qinglan, Qin Yuze, and Qin Xue’er were already waiting.
Qin Xue’er rushed forward first.
"Big Brother! They said you got SSS!"
Qin Yuze’s eyes were burning.
"Is it true?"
Qin Yuheng smiled.
"It is true."
Qin Yuze punched the air. "I knew it!"
Qin Wanshan looked at Qin Yuheng, then at the entire team.
For a long moment, the old man did not speak.
Then he nodded slowly.
"Good."
Only one word.
But everyone heard the pride in it.
That night, after reporting the general process, Qin Yuheng returned to his room and sealed it.
Only then did he take out the true rewards.
The S Grade Black Stone Trial Chest rested before him, radiating powerful Tower energy.
His panel appeared.
[S Grade Black Stone Trial Chest]
[Type: First Floor SSS Evaluation Reward]
[Eligible for Primordial Origin Evolution.]
[Please select evolution direction.]
1. Quantity Multiplication
2. Quality Enhancement]
Qin Yuheng’s eyes were deep.
An S-grade chest.
If enhanced, what would it become?
He made his choice.
"Quality Enhancement."
Origin light descended.
The chest trembled violently.
For the first time, the Tower energy around a reward seemed to resist.
A message appeared.
[Reward structure strengthening...]
[Unknown Origin interference detected.]
[Correction attempt failed.]
[Result accepted by Tower Law.]
[Evolution successful.]
[S Grade Black Stone Trial Chest]
↓
[SSS Grade Ancient Origin Black Stone Chest]
Qin Yuheng’s breath stopped.
The Tower had tried to correct it.
And failed.
Then accepted the result.
This was the first clear sign that Primordial Origin Evolution could interfere with Tower rewards at a law level.
He looked at the chest.
"Open."
The SSS chest slowly opened.
Golden-black light filled the room.
[Obtained:]
[SSS Grade Origin Black Stone Heart x1]
[SS Grade Skill Book: Primordial Stone Thunder Body Art x1]
[SS Grade Origin Inventory Expansion Stone x1]
[S Grade Talent Fruit: Earth-Shadow Battle Sense x1]
[Ancient Origin Tower Coin Bundle x1]
Qin Yuheng stared at the rewards. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
A Talent Fruit.
A real S-grade Talent Fruit.
The first floor had given him something that could make entire families go mad.
And this was only the beginning.
