Free Web NovelChapter 75: Chapter 75: The Report That Failed
Xue Rong read Shen Wuji’s full report three times.
The first reading gave him facts.
The second gave him omissions.
The third gave him unease.
The report was clear, structured, and professionally written. Shen Wuji had not exaggerated, nor had he hidden his failure. He described Qin Yuheng’s thunder circulation as "fruit-awakened but unusually stable," movement skill as "high grade but consumption-heavy," combat control as "excellent," and hidden bloodline reaction as "not detected during duel conditions."
On paper, the conclusion was simple.
Qin Yuheng was a powerful young climber with a strong thunder-body talent and excellent control.
That should have been enough.
It was not.
Xue Rong had survived in Blood Sun Hall because he trusted patterns more than explanations.
Qin Yuheng’s explanation was plausible.
Too plausible.
A failed awakening followed by a Talent Fruit.
A thunder-body combat talent.
High-grade family resources.
Good team coordination.
Repeated high evaluations.
Each piece could be explained.
Together, they formed a picture that looked complete only if one did not ask why every dangerous path Qin Yuheng entered produced exactly the kind of resource the Qin family needed.
Soul stabilization.
Corrosion suppression.
Seal stabilization.
Bloodline cleansing.
Formation concealment.
Forging materials.
Too many useful coincidences.
Xue Rong opened Qin Zhengyuan’s file again.
The latest outer observations remained frustratingly vague. Since the Qin Estate strengthened its silence-domain concealment, spies could no longer detect inner formation changes clearly. Qin Zhengyuan still appeared weak in public. He still coughed occasionally. He still avoided combat.
But Xue Rong no longer trusted appearances.
He wrote a new instruction.
Do not attempt direct probe of Qin Estate.
Monitor resource markets for unusual purchases:
- Seal materials
- Blood cleansing resources
- Soul stabilizing treasures
- Moon/water cleansing items
- High-grade forging metals
Investigate academy reward logs where accessible.
Watch Qin Yuheng’s team distribution pattern.
Then he added one more line.
Priority hypothesis:
Qin Yuheng may possess reward-enhancement, reward-selection, or hidden luck authority.
He stared at the phrase.
Reward-enhancement.
It sounded absurd.
Yet Blood Sun Hall had records of stranger talents. Some climbers could improve drop chances. Some could sense hidden missions. Some could refine monster cores with abnormal efficiency. Some could merge skill fragments. Rare reward-path talents existed, though they were usually limited.
If Qin Yuheng had such a talent alongside thunder-body combat ability, it would explain more.
But Shen Wuji had detected no second talent.
Unless the second talent was hidden beyond his method.
Xue Rong’s eyes darkened.
"Qin Yuheng," he murmured, "what did the Tower give you?"
At Heavenly Gate Academy, Qin Yuheng’s victory over Shen Wuji changed the atmosphere again.
The wandering challenger’s reputation had made the match meaningful. Wei Chen had lost. Zhao Tianyu had lost. Qin Yuheng had won. Even if the fight looked close, the result reinforced his standing.
But Qin Yuheng did not celebrate.
He gathered his team the next morning and reviewed the duel.
Qin Mo listened while eating breakfast.
"So he sensed the fake answer?"
"The controlled answer," Qin Yuheng corrected.
"Fake answer sounds shorter."
Qin Yuchen said, "Will he believe it?"
"Partly."
Qin Lian looked at Qin Yuheng.
"Partly is enough?"
"No," Qin Yuheng said. "But it delays the next question."
Qin Mo sighed.
"Enemies ask too many questions."
The academy’s ten-day pause still had several days remaining. Qin Yuheng used that time to deepen training rather than seek more attention.
He practiced reducing visible thunder output.
He practiced making ordinary attacks look slightly stronger than they were.
He practiced showing fatigue at believable moments.
Qin Zhengyuan approved.
"A hidden blade should not look dull," his father said. "It should look sharp enough that enemies respect it, but not so sharp that they fear it before you can cut."
Qin Yuheng remembered that.
During this period, Qin Yuchen’s growth also became more obvious.
His Iron Blood Thread Sword had improved his endurance, and repeated high-evaluation floors had sharpened his combat instincts. In sparring, he began predicting Qin Yuheng’s feints earlier. Not enough to win, but enough to force Qin Yuheng to adjust.
Qin Yuheng was pleased.
Qin Lian’s improvement was quieter but perhaps more dangerous. With the Silent Moon Shadow Cloak and Moon Shadow Agility Fruit, her stealth had reached a level where even academy detection arrays sometimes delayed before registering her presence.
Qin Mo, under protest, created the first prototype of the Anti-Corruption Field.
It looked like a messy triangle of formation lines, powdered pills, beast cores, and sound resonance marks.
Tie Zhenshan called it ugly.
Qin Mo called Tie Zhenshan old.
The formation worked for nine breaths before exploding into red smoke.
Qin Mo coughed for half an hour.
Then he said, "Progress."
By the ninth day of the pause, Qin Yuheng’s team had digested most of their recent gains.
That night, Yu Qingmei sent a formal notice.
Tower progression restriction will lift tomorrow. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Recommended next floor:
Floor 7 — Broken Spear Battlefield.
Known traits:
Battlefield spirit waves.
War intent pressure.
Weapon fragments.
Possible ancient military remnants.
Warning:
Students with unstable bloodline, strong weapon intent, or high sensitivity to battle memories may experience visions.
Qin Yuheng read the notice slowly.
Broken Spear Battlefield.
The name alone stirred something faint in his blood.
Not as strongly as the Broken Seal Ruin.
But differently.
Older.
Prouder.
The Qin family had ancient connections to spear and seal power. Qin Zhengyuan’s brief recovered spear form had cut a dummy without sound. Qin Wanshan’s hidden strength carried the feeling of old battlefields. The Qin bloodline itself was called Heaven-Sealing.
A battlefield full of broken spears might not be ordinary for him.
He brought the notice to Qin Wanshan.
The old man read it and became quiet.
"Floor 7," he said softly.
"You know something?"
"Only that some Floor 7 variants contain echoes from ancient wars. Most are harmless. Some are not."
"Should I avoid it?"
"No."
Qin Yuheng waited.
Qin Wanshan looked at him.
"Your bloodline must remain dormant, but not every resonance is bad. Sometimes echoes teach without awakening."
Qin Zhengyuan, seated beside them, added, "If you see spear visions, do not accept them blindly. Watch. Learn. Do not kneel to memory."
Qin Yuheng nodded.
Mu Qinglan’s voice came from the doorway.
"And if you hear a voice calling you heir, do not answer."
Qin Yuheng turned toward her.
His mother’s expression was calm.
Too calm.
Qin Wanshan did not ask how she knew to say that.
Neither did Qin Zhengyuan.
Qin Yuheng stored the warning carefully in his heart.
The next morning, the team gathered before the Heavenly Gate Tower again.
Qin Mo looked at the floor notice.
"Battlefield spirits. Spears. War intent. Visions." He sighed. "I miss the grassland."
Qin Lian said, "You hated the grassland."
"It was honest heat. This sounds like emotional weapons."
Qin Yuchen looked serious.
"War intent pressure may affect judgment. We should set confirmation phrases again."
Qin Yuheng nodded.
"Every thirty breaths during vision zones. If someone stops responding, pull them back."
Han Shuren supervised their entry.
His expression was unusually solemn.
"Broken Spear Battlefield is not the most physically dangerous early floor, but it has broken many minds. Remember: battlefield memories are not yours. Do not drown in them."
Yu Qingmei stood farther away.
Her gaze met Qin Yuheng’s.
She said nothing.
The Tower gate opened.
[Entering Floor 7: Broken Spear Battlefield.]
A sound like distant war drums filled Qin Yuheng’s ears.
Then the world turned gray.
