Chapter 1 A Dusty Beginning

In a dust-filled attic, an old man sat in a wheelchair.

Ian was now one hundred and twenty-one years old.

He had witnessed over a century of changes on this continent and was revered as a "living fossil" by the scholars of Holy Cross Academy. But now, he was so old that he could barely speak, needing to rely on a mental link device to transmit his voice.

Hooper stood behind the wheelchair, gently pressing the old man's shoulders.

The old man coughed violently, causing the mental link device to tremble. Inevitably, the transmitted voice became rough and chaotic...

Gu Shen watched this scene, sighing inwardly.

Ian was simply too old.

It seemed even "mental linking" was difficult for him now.

Hooper looked worried, leaning down. The old man laboriously raised his neck, and the two whispered a few words.

He said earnestly, "Mr. Gu, my teacher believes there are two more suitable candidates..."

"One is Mr. Holling from Shangcheng."

Shangcheng?

The central city of Zhongzhou, its area was vast, equivalent to "Central City" in Beizhou, and "Luminous City" in Xizhou. Due to the twin divine radiance of the Source Tower, "Shangcheng" had lived up to its name in recent years, arguably the "First City" among the five continents.

"Mr. Holling is a professor at Holy Cross Academy, very talented and prestigious. He secretly joined the Ancient Text Society after the 'Suppression' incident." Hooper said slowly, "Two years ago, Mr. Holling visited my teacher in Linz."

Gu Shen memorized this name.

However, heading to Shangcheng was not a good idea. Shrouded in the radiance of the Source Tower, he would surely attract much attention if he went there.

It was said that Shangcheng was full of experts and abundant resources. Under the blessing of the twin gods, the extraordinary geniuses born there were no less than those of Beizhou... Zhongzhou was located in the center of the five continents, and the young geniuses here had mostly not experienced the life-and-death trials of the frontier.

But after all, there were two God Seats sitting there!

The help these two Seeds of Fire could provide was simply too great!

Legend had it that the Source Tower was as tall as the heavens—

When people looked up, they could only see the vast clouds, but not the top of the tower.

This was because the divine power of the two Seeds of Fire intertwined, creating an absolutely perfect "dream realm."

Stepping into the tower was equivalent to stepping into a "divine dream."

There were countless mystical wonders here.

It was said that the diviner who mastered divination was in a certain dreamlike layer of the Source Tower. His physical body had long withered, but his spirit had been able to maintain immortality for decades.

And the geniuses of Zhongzhou all flocked to Shangcheng.

After completing a portion of the "Deep-Water Zone" trials, their comprehension stagnated, and they could enter the Source Tower to undergo deeper training... The twin gods welcomed all, opening the doors of the Source Tower to the world. The first ten layers of the dream realm were woven by the Seeds of Fire. All young transcendents, as long as they had the courage and ambition, could try to come here for spiritual trials!

These first ten layers of dreams blocked countless geniuses.

Breaking through them was by no means easy.

And to become an "Apostle" of the Source Tower, clearing the ten layers of dreams was the first essential step.

"As it happens, Mr. Holling's hometown is actually in the small town of Linz." Hooper smiled and said, "It's just that he lives in Shangcheng year-round and only occasionally returns home... He lives not far from the end of the street."

"And the other one?"

"The other one is in Rhein."

Hooper said slowly, "Have you two ever heard of the 'Wind Rose' of Rhein City?"

"Wind Rose?"

Gu Shen didn't know much about Zhongzhou's information.

Due to "balanced" information processing and Zhongzhou's consistently low-key style... Many of the experts here had not participated in the "Council," but Chu Ling's mental sea was linked to the database, and the file was sent over in the next moment.

"Yekaterina, Grade A Transcendent, ability, challenged the Twin Gods' Illusion of the Source Tower, stopped at the ninth floor... Given the role of Star Envoy of Rhein City, thus left Shangcheng and is stationed in Rhein. Because of her powerful abilities and violent personality, she is known as the 'Wind Rose' for her incredibly fast speed."

A picture of a beautiful woman with large red wavy hair appeared before his eyes.

This woman was extremely beautiful, very charming.

Looking at her face alone, it was hard to associate her with "violent personality."

However... the title Wind Rose was very fitting; she looked like someone not to be trifled with.

"What is a Star Envoy?"

Gu Shen silently inquired.

"Shangcheng, as the core capital of Zhongzhou and the divine city where the Source Tower is stationed, sends a large number of transcendents to garrison various cities... Zhongzhou doesn't have the so-called 'Three Institutes and Five Great Families,' only one Source Tower. Therefore, those divine officials who come out of the Source Tower take on the heavy responsibility of maintaining transcendent order."

"Star Envoy is the collective term for 'Star Messengers.'"

Chu Ling explained, "In Zhongzhou, regardless of strength, as long as the Source Tower grants a 'divine office,' they can be called 'Star Envoys.' They will receive a sealed item, a robe, similar to that of the Luminous Blessed Child, but the quality varies, and the number of stars embroidered on the shoulders and sleeves indicates the level of status, and in a sense, also reflects the strength."

Gu Shen understood.

His attention was on another point, and he asked worriedly, "Mr. Hooper, Yekaterina has challenged the Twin Gods' Illusion of the Source Tower and has taken over the 'divine office' of Shangcheng... Does that mean she is considered a transcendent under the Source Tower?"

"Yes."

Hooper smiled and said, "Mr. Gu, that's exactly why my teacher recommended her. Although Yekaterina receives a 'divine office' under the Source Tower, she is actually a confidante of the Ancient Text Society. She also studied and practiced with my teacher for a short period of time... Now she has a very high reputation in the Zhongzhou port area, and Rhein City is a trade city with a dense flow of people, so if we want to meet offline in the future, it would be a good choice."

"Star Envoy..."

Gu Shen frowned and said, "Since she holds a divine office, wouldn't the Twin Gods of the Source Tower leave a wisp of divine thought behind?"

"You're overthinking it. There are many 'Star Envoys' within Zhongzhou."

Hooper shook his head and said, "There are more than one 'Star Envoy' patrolling even in a small city like Linz. Most transcendents who enter the Source Tower are qualified to obtain the 'Star Envoy' divine office, depending on personal willingness... If each person were granted a wisp of divine thought, then even if the Source Tower had two God Seats, they would be too busy." He paused and added, "Of course, it's not so easy to enter the Source Tower. These divine officials, no matter how weak, are stronger than ordinary transcendents... They have the ability and the qualifications to maintain order. The Twin Gods have opened the doors of the tower to the world, leaving behind 'precious' dream resources, but just wanting to continue comprehending requires becoming a divine official, who will monitor everything. Once they have accumulated enough merit, they can return to Shangcheng, ascend to a higher position, and exchange for divine official robes with more stars."

"During this process... anyone can withdraw at any time."

Hearing this, Gu Shen understood.

The Source Tower used a rather free way to manage its subordinate divine officials.

Countless people flocked to the legendary tower.

Entering the Source Tower, comprehending the dream realm, could make one stronger... Top geniuses would be favored by the God Seat, and those who were slightly inferior, wanting to go further to gain the "Source Tower's" recognition, either struggled on their own or joined Shangcheng.

With supervision in place, these geniuses would naturally go to various parts of Zhongzhou to train!

"Now... the 'Seed of Fire of Wine' has returned to its place."

Hooper lowered his voice and said slowly, "The upper echelons of the Source Tower are already fighting madly. Those who followed the Wine God in the past are the most promising candidates to inherit the Seed of Fire... But the good news is that so far, no one has been able to complete the full trial of the 'Wine Seed of Fire Dream'. This Seed of Fire will probably take a long time to choose its master."

Upon hearing this, Gu Shen was slightly surprised.

He looked meaningfully at Ian's beloved disciple.

News from inside the Source Tower was not something that could be easily obtained.

This guy... didn't seem like a simple, ordinary disciple.

Hooper returned to behind the wheelchair, blinking slightly, hiding his merits and fame.

"Your Excellency, which one do you recommend more?"

Gu Shen crouched slightly, looking directly at the old man in the wheelchair. Ian seemed very tired, his eyes slightly closed, and his breathing had become difficult and slow.

He had prepared himself to meet these two recommenders.

However, since he was a newcomer and extremely unfamiliar with Zhongzhou, a simple "meeting room" appointment would probably not be enough to gain trust if he wanted to meet them offline smoothly.

Both of these two were familiar with Ian.

If the University Scholar himself acted as a bridge, it would be different.

"Holling... is on the way back."

The old man's dreamy, weak voice came from the mental link device.

"He's coming back soon."

……

……

Shangcheng was the core of Zhongzhou.

Here, countless trams traveled along the tracks, heading to all parts of Zhongzhou every day.

Even small cities like Linz had direct trains.

However... there were very few people returning from Shangcheng to "Linz," especially in the middle of the night. At this time, there were even fewer. Generally speaking, in the remote areas of Zhongzhou, people would only drive the train alone, from one unmanned station to another.

But tonight was an exception.

A middle-aged man, draped in a long black trench coat, with his hair slicked back, was tidying up his briefcase on the train.

His briefcase... was filled with drawings, drawings covered in symbols that no one could understand, obscure "writings," one after another, densely packed, numbering in the hundreds. In the solitary train, he tirelessly sorted through the drawings, watching them over and over again.

Finally.

The train reached its final stop, Linz.

"You have arrived at your destination, Linz, please exit the train."

"You have arrived at your destination, Linz, please exit the train."

It was not until two gentle reminders sounded in his mind that Professor Holling realized that the long journey from Shangcheng had unknowingly reached its destination. He quickly stuffed the drawings into his briefcase and hurriedly left.

Outside the station, the moonlight was like the sea, somewhat pale, even a bit dazzling.

The train whizzed away.

Holling frowned, looking at the direction from which the pale moonlight was shining. He narrowed his eyes... A large lamp was shining directly at him. The facilities in the small city always lacked consideration for user experience. He reached out to shield his eyes, preparing to lower his head and leave.

The next moment.

He suddenly froze.

Due to the illumination of the pale lamp, the entire waiting corridor of the station was illuminated in a ghastly white... But a long shadow stretched out in front of him.

Holling slowly raised his head.

That person was standing at the exit, arms crossed, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

"Long time no see, Holling."

That person's voice carried a light, teasing smile, speaking to Holling in a tone of old friends reuniting.

Holling stared blankly at the dark figure.

He couldn't see clearly.

"No, that's not right..."

After speaking, the person quickly shook his head, and said with emotion, "Sorry, I called you by the wrong name."

"Should I be calling you... the esteemed Professor Holling now?"

"Now you are admired by countless people in the academy in Shangcheng. Fame, status, position, today you have everything. You are no longer the nameless assistant in the laboratory, who was scolded until he was black and blue for even knocking over a bottle."

Holling's expression immediately turned pale.

"Tsk tsk, I really didn't expect that after more than twenty years, you are still as young as ever. Compared to back then, you just have a little more vicissitude... It seems like you followed the right teacher."

The figure stood in the darkness, reaching out to stroke his chin, and smiled, "Over the years, you have been researching 'that thing,' haven't you? This time you came back, you want to share the latest results?"

"Who are you?"

Holling's expression became gloomy.

Countless memories flashed through his mind, but he could not equate any of them with the face of the man before him.

"That's so hurtful..."

The figure slowly advanced.

The lights went out, the brightly lit corridor was instantly engulfed in darkness, and a gale howled.

Holling suddenly rushed forward. He pulled out a bare hilt of a cross-shaped sword from his chest, and at the moment of source energy infusion, a ray of laser shot out instantly.

"A clerical worker of the Deep Sea First Order, dares to draw a sword against me?"

The black figure folded his arms and smiled, "Your courage is commendable."

He looked at the man drawing his sword with the gaze one might reserve for a clown.

The next moment.

Holling threw the laser sword, but his target was not the black figure, but the alarm on the ceiling of the corridor...

"Not bad... you still have some brains."

The black shadow watched the laser being thrown, piercing the alarm.

The entire corridor remained silent.

He said softly, "If I wasn't fully prepared, how would I dare to return to Zhongzhou, how would I dare to come looking for you..."

Holling was stunned.

"Rest assured, no one knows what happened here."

"They can't see it."

The black figure slowly moved forward. He stretched out his large hand, grabbed Holling's neck, lifted the man up, his feet off the ground. Only at this moment did Holling's eyes gradually adapt to the darkness.

Between gasps, his vision turned crimson.

As if shrouded in a dream, he saw faces constantly changing on this person's face.

All strangers' faces.

Until the very end...

He saw a "familiar face" covered in scars, ninety percent of which had been burned away.

"Is... it you?"

Holling could no longer squeeze out a sound. Under the force of the great strength, his eyeballs almost popped out.

"You're still alive?!"

"It's me... Thanks to you, I'm still alive, but I'm not living very well."

The figure laughed self-deprecatingly.

The next moment, he suddenly exerted force, and with a snap of his fingers, he twisted Holling's neck.

"Pa—"

A muffled sound of a fall echoed in the quiet corridor.

Holling's body slammed to the ground, blood flowing from his seven orifices, and soon... it stained the corridor red.

The briefcase he carried with him, and the drawings, scattered all over the ground.

.

The Panda Who Tumbles reminds you: Remember to collect after reading.