Legend of the Heroes of Another World's Divine Tower

Lin Chi, Uncle Ming, and Liang Zhuo walked silently along the forest path, the only sounds being their footsteps and the occasional chirping of birds. After walking for a while, Lin Chi spoke first, breaking the silence.

"Liang Zhuo," he turned his head to look at the man beside him who was shrinking his neck and trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible, "did you come from the fifty-eighth floor?"

"Huh?" Liang Zhuo seemed startled, quickly waving his hands and forcing an exaggerated expression of fear on his face. "Young Master, please don't flatter me! How could I possibly come from such a noble place? I'm just a rat wallowing in a stinking ditch on the 31st floor, utterly unworthy of respect, really!"

As he spoke, he kept glancing at Lin Chi's expression, afraid that the other might misunderstand that he had some hidden value. "I really have nothing left to offer, just this worthless life. If you're interested, you can take it anytime..."

"I didn't ask you for money," Lin Chi interrupted him, his tone flat. "Then do you know about the academy on the fifty-eighth floor?"

"Academy?" Liang Zhuo was taken aback for a moment, then his face showed a mixture of awe and longing. "Of course I know! It was founded by the great 'Warrior Warrior' himself! It was so that all children of the right age could have the opportunity to receive instruction and awaken powerful professions! The rule is that everyone must enroll when they turn twelve, study for three years, and when they turn fifteen, they will undergo a unified 'Profession Initiation' ceremony."

He paused, then habitually flattered, "Of course! Someone as intelligent and skilled as you, young master, would probably awaken an exceptionally powerful profession without even needing to attend an academy!"

"Stop flattering me and get down to business." Lin Chi rolled his eyes at him, annoyed. "Continue talking about the academy."

"Alright! Alright!" Liang Zhuo shrank his neck, cleared his throat, and spoke more fluently. "The core principle of this academy is that what profession a person ultimately awakens is closely related to their experiences, what they learned, and their mental growth in the years before that awakening! This was determined by the great scholars of the 'Tower Abyss Mystery Society' through research and statistics! That's why the first generation of heroes established the rules and built the academy, allowing children to receive systematic education at the best age, so that more talents can emerge to fight against the Black Tide!"

"The current headmaster of the academy is the founder himself, and also the only living first-generation hero—the 'Sorcerer Hero'!"

"Once you turn fifteen and your career awakens, the academy will plan your future based on your chosen profession. If you're a combat or support-combat type, you can stay at the academy for further studies and then be sent to a 'starting level' like the thirty-first floor to begin the real 'tower climb'—fighting monsters, leveling up, and collecting resources and equipment. By the time you turn eighteen and become an adult, most of you will be thrown into the front lines to fight soul-devouring monsters."

"If the awakened profession is a non-combat profession related to life and production, the academy will arrange for the student to withdraw from the school and return to a normal life in society."

"A profession... is actually linked to previous experiences?" Lin Chi listened intently, then caught another key point, "Also, you mentioned climbing towers to level up... so, does that mean you can only increase your 'level' after awakening your profession?"

His eyes flickered involuntarily, and his long-standing doubts were finally answered—the reason he had never felt the glow of experience might be that he didn't have a "profession" yet.

"That's right! That's exactly the point!" Liang Zhuo slapped his thigh and affirmed, "So, someone like you, young master, who hones your skills every day in this kind of... well, in this kind of challenging environment, will definitely have an amazing career when you awaken it in the future! Maybe... maybe you can even become a 'Hero'!" He became excited as he finished speaking, as if he could already see that day.

"Then I must congratulate the young master in advance." Uncle Ming, who hadn't spoken for a long time, suddenly replied in his deep and steady voice, revealing little emotion.

"A hero?" Lin Chi looked at Liang Zhuo and pressed, "Isn't that a profession? What is it then? Is it a very powerful title?"

"A hero! They're more than just strong!" Liang Zhuo's voice was filled with awe. "They're people burdened with a special destiny! And only those with pure human blood have a very small chance of awakening 'heroic potential.' Every hero is inevitably accompanied by an incredibly powerful profession, their abilities are practically heaven-defying!"

"Most importantly, the ancient prophecy states that the Black Tide calamity caused by the Soul Devouring will ultimately be ended by the 'Hero'! This prophecy is as old as the Divine Tower itself; it is said that before the destruction of the old world, all the top diviners saw this fragment of the future!"

"This brings us to the history of the Divine Tower, which is a long story. It is said that back then..." Liang Zhuo was about to launch into a long explanation when the three of them had unknowingly arrived at their destination—the teleportation array.

"Oh dear, we've arrived!" Liang Zhuo stopped speaking, chuckled awkwardly, "Young Master, you'll understand these historical stories clearly when you go to the fifty-eighth floor. With a 'floor-skipping teleportation talisman,' someone who's been to the fifty-eighth floor before can carry you there directly, without having to climb each floor. I'm confident that someone of your status, Young Master, obtaining such a rare item wouldn't be difficult!"

"Okay, I understand. Thank you for telling me all this." Lin Chi nodded, giving Liang Zhuo a sincere, youthful smile. "See you again someday!"

"Young Master! I've long seen that you're different from everyone else here! You have the potential to become a dragon! You're sure to soar to great heights in the future!" Liang Zhuo said auspiciously as he hurriedly stepped onto the teleportation array. As the array activated, a burst of light engulfed him and he disappeared.

Lin Chi and Uncle Ming watched him leave in silence. This was the first time Lin Chi had seen the entire process of the teleportation array operating so closely and clearly. The flow of light and the fluctuations in space stirred his emotions.

"A teleportation scroll... Mom must have used this for her plan. Straight to the fifty-eighth floor... Academy, professions, heroes... It really is a whole new world!"

Liang Zhuo's words were like a key, unlocking a tightly closed door in his heart. A surge of emotions, a mixture of longing, desire, and youthful passion, quietly spread out, making his palms feel slightly warm.

"Young Master, you look a little different than usual today..." Uncle Ming, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, his face, hidden in the shadow of his hood, seemed to turn towards Lin Chi.

"Really?" Lin Chi tried hard to suppress the urge to smile, but the light in his eyes was impossible to hide.

He looked at Uncle Ming beside him, always shrouded in an old black cloak, who had accompanied him on countless missions. He didn't know when it started, but Uncle Ming had become like a silent shadow, always by his side. Besides his mother, Uncle Ming was probably the closest and most trusted person in his heart.

An urge to share his joy welled up inside him, and Lin Chi couldn't help but lower his voice, excitedly saying, "Uncle Ming, I've decided to go to the academy!"

"You're going to school?" Uncle Ming's voice paused, as if he was processing the news. "So... you're leaving this floor? Leaving... me?" His tone remained steady, but Lin Chi seemed to keenly detect a very subtle, unusual hesitation, like loss, or something else entirely.

"Uncle Ming, don't be sad!" Lin Chi immediately assured him, his tone firm. "I'm only leaving temporarily! When I become strong enough, I will definitely come back for you! I swear, when that time comes, I will completely destroy everything here!" As he finished speaking, a clear anger ignited in his eyes, a hatred for this twisted camp, for Madman, and for all oppression.

However, Uncle Ming seemed unmoved by his vow. He stood there silently, his back hunched, as if lost in thought, pondering something completely unrelated to Lin Chi's words.

This brief silence made Lin Chi's heart skip a beat.

"Then you..." Uncle Ming spoke again, his voice lower than before, "How do you plan to go? Specifically... when do you plan to leave?"

"Uh..." Lin Chi hesitated. His mother's repeated instructions about the plan echoed in his mind, and an instinctive sense of vigilance suddenly rose up, making him swallow back the "leave at dawn" that was almost blurted out.

He sensed a faint chill emanating from Uncle Ming's direction, though it was likely just his imagination. Pretending to still be planning, he replied, "In a few days! I still need to discuss the specific time with my mother!"

"Oh, really?" Uncle Ming replied simply, his tone devoid of emotion.

"Sigh, let's not talk about it anymore!" Lin Chi changed the subject casually, and arranged things as usual, "Uncle Ming, you should go back to the camp and rest early today. You're getting old, and you must be tired after walking for so long. I can handle the rest of finding the teleportation point location by myself."

"...Yes, is that so? Okay." Uncle Ming nodded without asking any further questions. He turned around, wrapped his black cloak tighter around himself, and with a hunched back, slowly walked back towards the camp along the path he had come from.

Lin Chi stood there, watching Uncle Ming's retreating figure gradually disappear into the shade of the trees, appearing exceptionally lonely. A sudden surge of intense guilt and sorrow welled up within him. He spoke softly to that figure, in a voice only he could hear:

"I'm sorry, Uncle Ming... This is a plan my mother made, and it has to be kept secret. But I swear, once I'm settled and have the ability, I will definitely come back... and take you and Sister Qiluo away from this nightmare."

After saying that, he blinked hard, shaking off that inexplicable emotion, turned around briskly, and ran towards the tree hole. He planned to wait until evening, then confirm the latest location of the teleportation array, making full preparations for the operation at dawn tonight.