Early the next morning, as the dawn glowed, a black sedan was driving down a country road.

Senior Brother Fu was dragged along to be the driver; Yang Qingqing sat in the back seat, gazing out at the fields, lost in thought.

Du Yu was fully equipped—he wore a fitted gray combat suit, its high collar covering the lower half of his face, and over that, a Beard Tree Cloak, with the hood pulled low to conceal the upper half of his face…

Hmm, he looked like someone who didn't want to show his face to the world.

In his arms, Du Yu also held Demon Soldier Qing Peak, staring at the fields whizzing by outside the window, his fingers absently rubbing the handle of his bow.

"Don't be nervous." Fu Jianzhou smiled gently, glancing at Du Yu with reassuring warmth, "The Shadow Gu Tower has been around for four months now. Countless Demon Tamers have gone in, but to this day, there still hasn't been a single death."

Hearing this, Du Yu nodded.

Fu Jianzhou added, "At worst, just serious injury and coma."

Du Yu: "..."

Fu Jianzhou looked into the rearview mirror, his attitude extremely respectful: "Master Qing, I've heard that for those Demon Tamers who end up seriously injured and comatose, the Shadow Gu Tower spits them out?"

Yang Qingqing made a sound through her nose: "Mm."

Fu Jianzhou looked back at Du Yu again: "You heard that, Junior Brother—relax."

The switch from "schoolmate" to "junior brother" clearly showed their relationship had grown closer.

In fact, Fu Jianzhou really liked this bright-eyed little junior brother. It wasn't just because Du Yu trained hard, but also for the name "Jianzhou."

Of course, Du Yu wasn't qualified to give anyone a name. Some days ago, when Fu Jianzhou was delivering fruit and vegetables to Master Qing's house and was invited to lunch, Yang Qingqing brought up the misunderstood name.

Fu Jianzhou didn't expect that, after cooking a hearty meal, he would be gifted a name by Master Qing.

He really liked this name. Especially after learning the little story behind it, he found it all the more interesting.

He kept pestering Du Yu for an explanation, but Du Yu only gave him words like, "Sword sweeps the world, outshines an entire province."

Master Qing had no particular reaction, but Fu Jianzhou cared a lot; he always suspected Du Yu was just making things up on the spot.

"Senior Brother Fu, have you ever entered the Shadow Gu Tower?" Du Yu asked curiously.

Fu Jianzhou shook his head: "Master Qing did have me queue up for it, but before my turn came, the Shadow Gu Tower was already conquered."

Du Yu's heart skipped; he quickly asked, "So, you're a third-level Demon Tamer then?"

Suddenly, a cool voice called out from the back seat: "If your senior brother trained as hard as you, he'd have surpassed me long ago."

Fu Jianzhou hastily replied, "Master Qing, you praise me too highly—there's no 'if' in fate."

Du Yu's expression turned odd. Are you sure Master Qing was praising you?

Yang Qingqing continued to gaze out the window, her voice gentle: "It's not too late now. You're almost at a breakthrough, right?"

"Yes, Master Qing. When the time comes, I'll have to trouble you for protection."

"Mm."

As the master and disciple fell silent, Du Yu whispered, "Protection?"

Fu Jianzhou patiently explained, "The Great Demon Tamer is the phase-change stage for our human race. Upon reaching this tier, we can finally coalesce a Demon Soul.

Though we can't have a 'second life' like Demon Beasts do, a Demon Soul is still something that defies the heavens—a power the gods do not allow. When Demon Tamers advance to Great Demon Tamers, the accident rate is very high, and so is the mortality rate."

"Jianzhou."

"Hm?" Fu Jianzhou quickly glanced at the rearview mirror.

The woman in the mirror gave him a cold glance, her lips parting slightly: "You're talking too much."

Fu Jianzhou answered his junior's questions so patiently out of kindness. It was just that he had an overly gentle and friendly nature—he had to share everything he knew.

But Yang Qingqing didn't wish to plant ideas like "accident rate" or "death rate" in Du Yu's young mind.

After all, the Demon Taming path requires total focus; you must not plant seeds of anxiety or retreat in your heart.

"Sorry, sorry." Fu Jianzhou tensed, apologizing repeatedly. Thankfully, the Shadow Gu Tower rescued him, and he quickly said, "We're here."

Du Yu leaned forward and looked out the front window, his curiosity piqued. Sure enough, in the woods to the right ahead, he could faintly see a tower's spire.

Seeing Du Yu's reaction, Yang Qingqing relaxed a little—though she was a bit surprised too.

This kid's heart is so big?

Does he not care about his own life?

The car turned onto a mountain dirt road, passed through several sentry checkpoints, and finally entered a military camp.

The three of them got out; several soldiers immediately came forward. The lead male soldier gave Yang Qingqing a military salute: "Master Qing, it's been a while."

The soldier looked to be in his forties. Faced with the young Yang Qingqing, his face was full of respect, far surpassing that which ordinary warriors show Demon Spirit Teachers.

"Liu Camp." Yang Qingqing smiled faintly, nodding, "How many ahead of us?"

"You're early—still five..." Before Battalion Commander Liu finished, they heard a startled cry.

"Ah!"

"Careful! Get ready to catch!"

Everyone turned to look and saw, at the weathered, majestic entrance of the Ancient Tower, a figure flying out.

The man looked more like he'd been kicked out—his body skipped along the dirt road like a stone over water, rolling and raising clouds of dust.

The soldiers hurried over, blocking the Demon Tamer who'd been flung out.

Battalion Commander Liu looked at Yang Qingqing, nodded, "Now there are four ahead. Is this our candidate about to enter the tower?"

Fu Jianzhou, full of energy and good looks, waved his hands repeatedly, gesturing at Du Yu beside him—who wouldn't show his face.

Battalion Commander Liu looked over and saw Du Yu standing alone, gazing up at the magnificent Ancient Tower, studying it closely.

The Shadow Gu Tower had a total of seven floors, easily sixty to seventy meters high. From the outside, you could vaguely see traces of red walls and golden eaves.

But, after many years, its walls were peeling and faded, its colors dulled, no longer as magnificent as in days gone by.

The top floor of the Ancient Tower was missing a wall. Thanks to this, and his sharp eyes, Du Yu could see inside—aside from looking old, nothing seemed special?

"You go get Du Yu registered."

Fu Jianzhou: "Yes!"

Yang Qingqing walked to Du Yu's side, hands behind her back: "The interior structure you see now means nothing."

Du Yu: "What do you mean?"

Yang Qingqing gazed up at the tower's peak, her voice soft: "Inside the tower, you'll see a different world. Do you know why it's called the Shadow Gu Tower?"

Du Yu shook his head.

Yang Qingqing had always been strict in training Du Yu, demanding that he focus solely on refining his skills, never telling him stories about this Ancient Tower.

A voice came from behind—Battalion Commander Liu: "Shadow, as in phantom; Gu, as in beguilement."

The male soldier stepped forward, giving Yang Qingqing face by personally explaining to Du Yu: "Whoever enters will see different scenes. Even Demon Tamers at the same stage see different worlds inside.

This strange Ancient Tower Demon Soldier crafts a different world for everyone who enters.

The only constant is that Demon Tamers of the same tier experience nearly identical stories in their respective scenes."

Du Yu nodded thoughtfully: "So, the Ancient Tower wants to tell us a story. It creates different worlds so that each entrant can better understand that tale."

At those words, Battalion Commander Liu couldn't help but raise his brows in approval: "As expected of Master Qing's disciple, you have insight."

Du Yu turned and asked the soldier, "What's the story for the Demon Taming Prentice tier?"

Battalion Commander Liu: "So far, we only know the beginning. You'll undergo an assassination."

Du Yu: "Assassination?"

Battalion Commander Liu nodded: "You might appear in a village, in ruins, in a forest, or in a cave. Wherever you are, you'll face an assassination."

Du Yu: "And then?"

Battalion Commander Liu shook his head: "No prentice has ever survived the assassination. We hope you'll give us more answers."

As they spoke, another person flew out of the tower—not from the main entrance, but ejected from a third-floor window.

The soldiers stationed outside rushed over, and Battalion Commander Liu sighed deeply, "Let's go, get your gear on."

"Alright."

It took only a few hours; every Demon Tamer ahead of Du Yu was forced to retreat in failure.

One who came flying out of a second-story window was actually a Great Demon Tamer.

This auntie was kicked out, covered in dust and rather humiliated—her furious punch left a crater in the ground!

With countless eyes riveted on her, she slowly got up. In her rage, no one dared approach.

It took her a long moment to master her anger, then she nodded apologetically to the surrounding Demon Spirit Soldiers.

"It's your turn." Yang Qingqing patted Du Yu on the shoulder, feeling a little down. As a fellow Demon Taming Master, she knew what it was like to be expelled in front of everyone.

At this level, aren't all present objects of respect?

But your so-called pride, your glory, your mighty power that makes the world fear you—before this Ancient Tower Demon Soldier, none of it matters.

Du Yu stood up and strode toward the tower's entrance.

"I'll be watching you on the monitors. If you need anything, I'll contact you at once." Yang Qingqing reached out, adjusting the miniature camera strapped to Du Yu's head.

She reached into Du Yu's hood, checking over his invisible headphones. The coolness of her fingers against his ear made his face flush pink.

"Go on." Yang Qingqing stepped back, giving Du Yu a soft smile.

No pressure, no orders—her beautiful eyes radiated only encouragement and light expectation.

So…

How could you let someone like that down?

Du Yu turned and went, striding into the tower!

From outside, the first floor of the tower looked ordinary, its decor old and simple. But the moment Du Yu crossed the threshold, he found himself standing in the night?

"Drip…滴滴嗒嗒..."

Fine raindrops fell on Du Yu's coat, making a soft, dense sound.

Du Yu looked shocked, glanced around—and saw he was standing by a bustling city street!?

In the cold, rainy night, neon lights flashed ceaselessly.

Cars rolled by, splashing water everywhere.

Two passersby walked toward him, sharing an umbrella, arms linked—like lovers out together in the rainy night.

Yet beneath the umbrella, their faces were missing—just swirling masses of gray mist, roughly resembling faces.

Grotesque. Nightmarish!

Du Yu raised his guard to the maximum, searching his surroundings.

In this bustling, yet eerily icy city street, crowds in dark clothes, their faces swathed in gray fog, hurried by with unknown purpose or destination.

"Ring~ ring-ring~"

Suddenly, the crisp jingle of a bell came from behind him.

Du Yu whipped around. Someone came streaking toward him, lightning-quick—he could only glimpse a petite figure in a red raincoat, who flashed by like the wind.

She knocked aside passersby and sped for the corner of the block.

Du Yu's pupils contracted. Among all those shadowy silhouettes, only that little figure in red burned bright!

"Wait..." Du Yu stepped to chase after her—but both his words and body froze in place.

For no reason, the city around him suddenly froze. Cars and people halted where they stood.

All that remained was the patter of rainwater in the silence.

One by one, those gray-fogged faces under umbrellas and raincoats slowly turned toward Du Yu. Even with no eyes, he felt their gaze lock onto him!

"Gulp." Du Yu's throat bobbed. In this motionless world, he slowly took a step forward.

As his toe tapped the wet pavement,

the couple under the umbrella began walking again, heading straight toward Du Yu...

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