Terrible news! My deskmate's first chapter is gone!

"Progressing to Tier III? It's easy in some ways, but difficult in others."

"Level I is deduction and Level II is task. Although they are different, they are similar. You can simply understand these two levels as a unique upgrade mode."

"Tier III is a universal model that is the same for everyone."

Everyone must upgrade by "waiting," without exception.

"wait?"

"Yes, it's exactly the literal meaning of waiting."

"You must stay in the Black Tower."

Chen Xi was silent for a few seconds:

"You don't have to do anything?"

"Just stay here?"

Lu Xitong gave a soft "hmm," and said, "That's why I said this thing is quite simple in some ways, and quite difficult in others."

Chen Xi continued walking with an unchanged expression.

"So, what's difficult about it?"

"Survive?"

"That's right."

"All creatures at Tier III from 0% to 99% progress will suffer 'misfortune' from the Black Tower if they remain inside it."

"doom?"

"Yes, it's the same as the literal meaning."

"If I just give you the answer, you probably won't understand. So, let me explain it to you briefly."

Lu Xitong continued her explanation at a leisurely pace:

"Our destination now is behind that black tower door, which is the 'first floor of the black tower.'"

"The Black Tower has three levels, but let's not discuss that now, since I've only been to the first level."

"The first floor of the Black Tower can be roughly divided into two areas."

"One is called the 'Safe Zone,' and the other is called the 'Doom Zone.'"

"No one can say for sure what the percentage is, but we can say that the doom zone is much larger than the safe zone."

"Now that I've said this, you should understand to some extent."

"These two districts are still used literally."

Staying in the safe zone grants "relative safety," while staying in the doom zone invites the doom of the Black Tower!

As Lu Xitong spoke, a glint flashed in her eyes, as if she were recalling some painful past.

Chen Xi saw through it but didn't say anything:

"Does 'relatively safe' mean that even safe zones can bring misfortune?"

"No."

Lu Xitong shook her head:

"Safe zones are free from misfortune, but they are not without danger. Some are extremely dangerous, some are moderately dangerous, and some are completely safe."

"But danger mixed with misfortune is not one thing."

"The way I mentioned waiting before is that you have to stay in the Doom Zone!"

"For every 24 hours spent in the Doomsday Zone, your Tier III progress will increase by 1%. Don't take any chances here."

"There is no distinction between strong and weak in the Doom Zone. Everything outside the safe zone is the Doom Zone. The higher your progress, the stronger the Doom you will attract."

"The only place where we can take a short break is the safe zone."

"As mentioned before, the safe zone is free of misfortune, but it is dangerous, so it is relatively safe."

"The safe zone will keep bad luck out, but bad luck won't disappear just because you enter the safe zone; it will always be waiting for you in the bad luck zone!"

"As for the form of this misfortune, it is indescribable. It can only be said that it takes all sorts of forms. If I had to describe it, most of it would be tangible, and a small part would be intangible."

"You'll understand when the time comes."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xi unconsciously swallowed.

No wonder Lu Xitong said that this thing is both simple and difficult.

It's simple: just stay put. It's difficult: you have to survive!

"Quantitatively speaking, it means I have to stay in the Doom Zone for a full 2400 hours, right?"

"right."

"However, there is some good news for you right now."

Who am I right now?

"I would like to hear the details."

"Third-tier transcendent traits do not have identity curses, but using their abilities still comes at a price, unfortunately there is no item like the Black Tower Stone to bear the cost."

"Therefore, most people use Tier II transcendental traits in combat."

"After reaching the third rank, it's not just about increasing physical attributes, but also about changing one's physical constitution. All third-rank superhumans can use themselves as a medium to bear this price."

"And this cost can be purified by one's own mental power, which is equivalent to possessing the attributes of the Black Tower Stone."

"However, this purification can only remove curses on Tier II transcendent traits; it can't remove curses on Tier III traits."

"As the progress increases, the speed at which it purifies itself will become faster and faster."

No wonder...

Chen Xi suddenly realized why the principal didn't have the Black Tower Stone on him.

"He possesses the Black Tower Stone attribute, which he already had at Tier II as a lawyer."

"What happens if a lawyer's rank is raised to Level III?"

"Will I lose this trait?"

"No, the lawyer will receive enhanced attributes, which is equivalent to a more durable and easier-to-purify Black Tower Stone, thus improving efficiency."

Chen Xi nodded, with an expression that said, "I knew it."

No wonder Lu Xitong said that this is good news for you right now.

"I see. But what is the cost of reaching Tier III?"

Although there was no way to avoid it and he could only tough it out, Chen Xi still wanted to find out:

"The cost, in essence, is an 'exchange.'"

"The price for a superhuman to use a Tier III superhuman trait is the cost of their lifespan."

"How about that? Does it look familiar? It's the price that a Stage II pseudo-human has to pay when using their abilities, and now it's happening to a Stage III superhuman."

Even a Level III transcendent being only has a lifespan of a little over a hundred years, which is not enough to withstand any deductions.

"A fake person is randomly given the identity curse of a superhuman. If they have a stolen identity, the curse will be chosen from either the stolen identity or any of the stolen identities."

Chen Xi was taken aback when she heard this.

He frantically told himself as he bit down slightly.

Can't laugh!

Don't laugh!

Don't laugh!!!

The price of reaching the third stage of the superhuman realm is the direct deduction of lifespan!

No wonder the principal was reluctant to use it; it turns out that extraordinary individuals have to pay with their lifespan.

It's not worth it for a Tier III superhuman to risk their life to kill a Tier II superhuman, unless there's absolutely no other way.

This price might be fatal for others, but it's a different story for Chen Xi!

Chen Xi has the option to choose how he pays the price.

This means that once you reach Tier III, you can use your extraordinary abilities freely!

If you play it safe for a bit and accelerate your progress, you'll be unstoppable!

The two then talked about the Black Tower.

Chen Xi discovered that Lu Xitong knew far less than he had thought.

Lu Xitong had no idea what the Black Tower was.

But thinking about it, it makes sense, since the other party has never even been to the second floor.

"By the way, what did you mean when you said, 'If we're too slow, the Black Tower will be closed'?"

"It means to close the door."

"I'm a very direct person; I almost always say the literal meaning of what I say."

"The Black Tower closes down every fifty years, and the closure period is also fifty years."

Lu Xitong said calmly.

Fifty years...

Chen Xi's expression remained unchanged, but a barely perceptible glint of something unusual flashed in his pupils.

It's not surprising that the Black Tower's gates will close.

but......

Why exactly fifty years, neither more nor less?

If Chen Xi remembers correctly, the Black Tower appeared in this world exactly fifty years ago!