Lin Qiao leaned forward, resting her elbows on the stone table. She placed her chin lightly on the back of her hands and smiled with an effortless confidence that made Zhao Ren roll his eyes. Her gaze settled on Zhang Rui.
"The first thing you need to understand," she said, nodding toward the golden coin on his pedestal, "is that little thing right there. The Golden Spirit Coin. If you crush it, you'll awaken your Status Panel—kind of like character stats in video games, just… more wuxia. Its description says sometimes people get lucky, and a unique trait awakens along with it. Something special that can define your entire path in the Tower."
She lifted a hand and shrugged. "If you don't get a trait, don't panic. The next item covers that."
Her finger moved to the golden bamboo slip.
"This slip doesn't look like much," she continued, "but what's inside it is the foundation of power in this world—a Dao Seed. If you've read xianxia, cultivation novels, fantasy manga—whatever—you already know what that means. A Dao Seed is a path. A direction for your life. Fire, metal, life, shadow, thunder… whatever yours is, it'll be the element you grow with. The thing that shapes you."
She tapped the slip with obvious affection. "This is the best thing here. Trust me."
Then she slid her gaze toward the silver bamboo slip. "That one's more practical. Inside is a martial technique—basic, but still useful. Mine is Verdant Wind Hands. Zhao Ren got Steel Bone Tempering. Nothing too crazy," she said, waving dismissively, "but techniques combine with your Dao later. That's when things get interesting."
Zhao Ren smirked. "Mine's already better than hers."
She ignored him and continued, pointing casually at the last item—the smooth, floating white Return Token. "And finally… that. The Return Token. You should've already seen the Tower notification about it. Break it and you get a one-way trip back to Earth. There should be no strings attached."
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she studied Zhang Rui's face.
"I really hope," she said slowly, "that you're not the type of guy who'd go back. Earth has nothing for people like us. No Mystical Paths. No Dao. No awakened power. Just bills, debt, bosses, school, taxes, and a miserable grind until you die."
She leaned closer, voice dipping just above a whisper, eyes sharp.
"In the Tower—we can become something. Power is real here. Ascension is real here. Every path is open. So I hope," she gave him a thin smile, "you're not a loser who wants to quit early."
Zhao Ren laughed. "Pretty sure he didn't even get the chance to think about going home before you started preaching."
Lin Qiao flicked her fingers dismissively and leaned back in her seat. "I just don't want someone weak-minded dragging down our clears. If we're going to reach the top, we need people who are hungry."
Her gaze lingered on Zhang Rui—sharp, appraising, and almost predatory in how openly she measured him.
"So," she asked, voice cool, "are you planning to stay… or are you going to run home the moment things get hard?"
Zhang Rui didn't answer immediately. Instead, he gave a slow smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"You know… I really did want to go home," he said, his tone carrying a quiet, tired honesty.
Lin Qiao raised a brow, as if already disappointed—but he continued.
"That was back when I was still trapped," he said, voice dropping, growing colder, "surrounded by a dozen man-eating monsters."
A hard glint surfaced in his gaze. The air around him shifted.
"But once I killed the first one… once I watched it stop moving and felt the power of its kill essence coin pour into me—I changed how I thought."
He tilted his head slightly, smirking now.
"If I became stronger from killing one… what about two?"
His fingers lifted, counting casually.
"Two became four… four became eight… eight became twenty-five."
He reached out and picked up the golden coin from the pedestal. He held it between his fingers for a moment—then crushed it without hesitation.
The coin dissolved into golden particles that surged into his chest.
A notification flashed before his eyes.
+5 Pure Essence gained
True Status Panel Unlocked
Name: Fang Yuren
Path: ??? → Archer
Pure Essence: 29/100
Physique: 9
Unique Titles: "Lake Devourer" (Grants a five-unit boost to all stats during water-based combat)
Title: "Husband"
Condition: content, drained
Trait: Booster Technique (Incomplete), Improvised Craftsman (Uncommon)
True Physical Stats:
Strength 16 (Rare) | Agility 11 (Common) | Stamina 11 (Common) | Intelligence 19 (Rare) | Endurance 15 (Rare) | Luck 17 (Rare)
Disposition: Selfish Neutral
Equipment: Tutorial Bow, 3 Mystic Bamboo Slips (1 active respawn), 4 Kill Essence Coins, 15 Lower Essence, and 29 Ruby Blood Coins.
Ding!
A mechanical chime rang out.
Trait (×1) Gained
A new purple screen materialized in front of the first.
Voyeur Insight
Grade: Rare
A voyeuristic perception trait that allows you to secretly observe what others cannot see. When activated, your senses sharpen and a faint glow covers your eyes.
You can briefly see through walls and solid objects (limited clarity and distance).
Threat colors appear over people, revealing their intentions:
White – No harmful intent
Orange—Hidden hostile intent nearby
Red—Extreme danger—lethal threat
You can glimpse a person's surface thoughts about you or others nearby, usually a single impression or emotional reaction.
Sight Share—By linking vision with an ally who grants permission, you can see through their eyes. All other abilities function through this link.
Consumes essence from both users while active.
This is… my trait? Zhang Rui stared blankly, stunned for a moment. I didn't think I'd actually awaken one naturally, he thought as the world around him began to ripple into flowing colors. I was planning to get the Mind's Eye trait from the Lesser Cyclops boss…
That was before my class path solidified. If it hadn't, I would've tried going down the Devourer path and absorbing monster traits. But this will do for now. If Bai Lian can make enough healing talismans, maybe I can still switch later…
His thoughts drifted off as he looked at the two players in front of him.
A strange pressure suddenly washed over him—dense, heavy, yet silent. Something stirred behind his eyes, like a second pair of pupils slowly opening beneath his own. The world shifted—subtle, but vast. Lin Qiao was now outlined in a faint white aura, soft and calm like mist beneath moonlight. Above her head, glowing words materialized.
[Surface Thoughts: Husband?! Isn't this guy younger than me? And what the hell are these stats!?
Her thoughts drifted into his mind as clearly as if she had spoken them.
The golden status panel hovered in the air before them like an ancient decree. Both Lin Qiao and Zhao Ren sucked in sharp breaths.
Then something else caught Zhang Rui off guard—Lin Qiao's green qipao was slowly becoming see-through. His enhanced vision slipped past the fabric, tracing the curves of her body before he quickly shut the trait off.
Zhao Ren blinked hard. "Brother… what kind of monster are you?"
Lin Qiao leaned closer, scanning his panel twice just to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. "Four rare-grade stats… and a unique title?" She stared at him as if he had grown a second head.
Her brow furrowed when she noticed something else. She pointed at the golden screen. "And hold on—why do you have the title Husband?"
Zhao Ren coughed, barely suppressing a laugh. "You're married?"
Zhang Rui—Fang Yuren—smirked and shrugged casually, like it was nothing. "Well, I do have a cute wife," he said, tone relaxed. "And I'm sure she's watching right now… just can't reply yet."
Lin Qiao stared at him blankly. "Aren't you a little young to be married?"
He met her gaze evenly. "Does it matter?" His voice deepened, steady and unshaken. "You asked if I'm the type to run home when things get hard. I'm not. I have reasons to climb—and hunger, like you wanted to see."
For a heartbeat, silence hung between them.
Then Lin Qiao's lips curved into a sharp smile. She nodded once. "That's more like it."
She tapped his status panel again. "To think you'd show up with four rare stats—and a buffed Water title—on top of two traits… no, three traits?!" Her eyes paused on the newly listed Voyeur Insight.
Zhang Rui's ability flickered on again by instinct. With Lin Qiao leaning over the table, he couldn't help it—his gaze slid downward. Her green qipao grew translucent under his vision, curves and soft skin becoming clearer by the second.
[-1 Pure Essence]
"That's ridiculous. You're a stacked archer, Fang Yuren," Lin Qiao said, eyes gleaming as she leaned even closer. Her arms pressed against the table, unintentionally pushing her chest forward. To him, those two soft mountains were now completely visible—swaying lightly, dangerously tempting. "We're definitely keeping you with us."
"Agreed," Zhao Ren nodded. "We need firepower. And you've got talent—and a brain."
Zhang Rui quickly switched his x-ray sight off and looked away from Lin Qiao's chest, clearing his throat. What the hell am I doing? he muttered inwardly. Bai Lian is way too bad of an influence—why is the first thing I do with a new ability something like that?
"You're both making me self-conscious about not living up to your expectations," he said with a small sigh. "Sometimes being overly praised is worse than being underestimated."
"Don't worry, Brother Zhang, we won't expect you to do the impossible," Lin Qiao said, sitting back down and crossing her legs. "You're just… more impressive than we thought an archer could be. Honestly, with your stat build, it feels like you should've been a swordsman or something."
Suddenly, the roof of the pavilion pulsed with golden light. An enormous panel descended in front of their table.
Tutorial Progression Notice
Participants: 3/3—Group Formation Complete
Final Tutorial Trial Initiating
You will be transported in 10 minutes to an F-rank dungeon.
Objective – Final Tutorial Scenario
Prevent a mock dungeon break.
Place Sealing Stones at designated locations within the F-rank Dungeon.
Rescue at least 12 civilian captives on the first floor.
Defeat the Dungeon Boss.
Secure the Dungeon Core to complete the clear scenario.
Performance will determine final tutorial rewards.
Failure Condition: Total Party Elimination
The golden light reflected in their eyes as the pressure of the coming trial settled over them like a mountain.
Lin Qiao smiled first—sharp and eager. "Looks like the warm-up is over."
Zhao Ren cracked his knuckles and placed a hand over his wooden sword. "Good. I've been itching to test myself."
Zhang Rui rested a hand over his bowstring, calm but alert. "Then let's make sure we win."
The timer began counting down, glowing harshly above them.
[09:59]
[09:58]
[09:57]
The real climb was about to begin.