45: Chapter 45 With the spark in hand, I am the fire.

The light film exit of the Thousand Layered Pagoda rippled like water waves, and Chen Fan's figure finally appeared in everyone's sight.

On his back was Su Shuang, who had fallen into a deep sleep. Her exquisite face, under the morning light outside the Tower, seemed to have shed all its sharpness, leaving only tranquility.

Silence.

After a deathly silence came an uproar like a mountain torrent!

"He's out! He really came out!"

"Carrying someone... He actually carried someone through the Thousand Layered Pagoda? Is that something a human can do?"

"Look at his body! Almost no scratches! How is that possible! Did the monsters in the Tower go easy on him?"

Countless players looked up at the figure emerging from the light gate, as if gazing upon a deity walking the mortal world.

The crown symbolizing the glory of the clearers had not materialized above his head, yet it hung like an invisible halo, inspiring awe in everyone. Their whispers were filled with incredulous speculation.

"He... he really cleared the Tower?"

No one could answer that question.

But the next second, a cold electronic voice rang out simultaneously from the player bracelets in every corner of the city, delivering the most shocking answer!

[City-wide Announcement: Player [Chen Fan] is the first to break through Bronze Tier 10, shattering the level barrier, and officially unlocking entry qualification for the "Silver Tier Dungeon"!]

If the previous moments were mere speculation, then this system announcement was a heavy hammer, fiercely striking the hearts of every player!

Immediately following, Chen Fan's own bracelet vibrated violently, and a light screen that only he could see popped up.

[Global Personal Strength Ranking Data Updated...]

[Player: Chen Fan]

[Current Rank: 812]

From a nobody, he leaped into the ranks of the global top one thousand!

This was not just a leap; it was a miracle!

Chen Fan ignored the surrounding clamor. His gaze fell upon his open palm.

The ancient copper coin he obtained at the top of the Tower lay quietly there.

It was only then that he realized the seemingly random patterns on the coin's surface perfectly matched the blood-colored threads on the piece of Kasaya remnant dropped from the Mysterious Candle Master!

Threads of red light, like living blood, were secretly flowing between the copper coin and the Kasaya remnant, forming a profound and complete cycle.

In the quiet room of the Teahouse, Su Shuang slowly awoke on a soft couch.

Her long eyelashes fluttered, and a wisp of pale golden Fox Fire instinctively ignited at her fingertips.

The flame flickered, light and shadow shifted, and an illusory scene materialized within the firelight: atop continuous, vast snow-capped mountains, a gigantic silver-white tower stood like a hideous bone spur, piercing the clouds.

The tower was massive. Above its entrance, two large characters were engraved in an ancient script—Starlight.

"Starlight..." Su Shuang's pupils contracted sharply, and the wisp of Fox Fire instantly extinguished.

She sat up abruptly, her face drained of color. "The next stage is in the Far North, but... deep within those snow mountains, there is an altar belonging to 'Them'!"

The word 'Them' seemed to carry a bone-chilling coldness.

Chen Fan sat opposite her, gently wiping the copper coin with a soft cloth.

Hearing her words, the wiping motion did not pause in the slightest. He merely raised his eyes, his gaze peaceful yet seemingly harboring a volcano on the verge of eruption.

"Then we burn it down," he said lightly, his tone admitting no argument.

The night was ink-black, swallowing the entire Teahouse district.

Three dark figures, like ghosts merged with the darkness, infiltrated silently.

The leader was Shadow Crow.

His eyes were icy cold. In his hand, he held a crystal compass, its needle rigidly pointing towards the Teahouse's backyard.

"The target is inside. The energy fluctuation is unusually strong," Shadow Crow lowered his voice. "As planned, deploy the 'Soul Catcher Net'. Remember, our mission is 'elimination,' not 'combat.' Once the net activates, the system rules will automatically erase the abnormal energy source."

The three figures called 'Scavengers' nodded and quickly dispersed, forming strange hand seals.

An invisible, colorless energy net, undetectable by any conventional means, instantly enveloped the entire Teahouse courtyard.

This net did not harm the physical body; it targeted only the soul.

Any soul holding energy deemed 'abnormal' by the system would be instantly extracted upon stepping inside, transforming into the purest data stream and being completely erased.

They thought they were acting without anyone noticing, unaware that in a pitch-black room within the courtyard, Chen Fan's lips were curved into a cold smile.

He had sensed the spying gazes long ago.

Instead of hiding, he deliberately placed the copper coin, which was tightly fitted against the Kasaya remnant, on the stone table in the courtyard, while he himself remained hidden in the deepest shadows, waiting for the prey to take the bait.

A Scavenger's figure slid in like a phantom. The moment his toes touched the courtyard ground, the invisible 'Soul Catcher Net' suddenly tightened!

However, the anticipated soul-piercing shriek never sounded.

Instead, the copper coin on the stone table—its red light surged violently!

That light was no longer flowing secretly; it exploded like a miniature sun!

[Rule Critical Hit, Triggered!]

Buzz—!

A strange hum echoed through the space. The contracting 'Soul Catcher Net' seemed to be violently flipped by an invisible giant hand. All the erasure power directed at Chen Fan, amplified by the [Rule Critical Hit], rebounded with a hundredfold, thousandfold intensity, fiercely locking onto the net deployer themselves!

"No—!"

The Scavenger only managed to utter a brief cry of utter terror. His body instantly stiffened, and the light in his eyes visibly dimmed.

The net activated in reverse, transforming into countless scarlet chains that forcibly ripped and tore his soul from his physical shell!

Shadow Crow's pupils contracted violently. A fear stemming from instinct made him retreat sharply. The other two Scavengers were so terrified their souls scattered, and they turned to flee.

It was then that Chen Fan slowly emerged from the darkness.

He stepped onto the ground, and the residual net energy let out a series of crisp 'crackling' sounds, like shattering glass, before completely disintegrating.

"Go back and tell the people above you—"

His voice was not loud, but it pierced Shadow Crow's ears like an ice spike in deep winter, "My critical hits don't just drop equipment; they drop lives."

He bent down and picked up a pitch-black metal token from the scattered points of data left behind after the soul-extracted Scavenger vanished.

The token felt ice-cold in his hand. Engraved on the back was a line of small text: "Clearance Codename: Critical Hit Source."

The door to the Teahouse was pulled open. Su Shuang leaned against the doorframe, the moonlight draping her in a silver veil.

She looked at the ashen-faced Shadow Crow and said softly, "They are afraid of you now."

"Afraid?" Chen Fan let out a cold laugh, tossing the token between his fingers, "..."

The next day, the players in the Teahouse district witnessed a scene unforgettable in their lives.

Chen Fan actually pasted that incomparably precious "Silver Tier Dungeon Pass" directly onto the main door of the Teahouse, just like an ordinary notice.

Beside it, he had written a large line in flamboyant calligraphy:

"Whoever enters this door will have their critical hits doubled."

The entire street erupted in an uproar!

Double critical hits?

What a heaven-defying temptation!

Countless players surged toward the door, their eyes flashing with greed and desire.

But looking at the open wooden door, looking at Chen Fan calmly drinking tea behind it, not a single person dared to take the first step.

They remembered the city-wide announcement from last night, remembered the legend of this man clearing the Thousand Layered Pagoda, and feared the arrogance revealed between his lines—an arrogance that dismissed everyone else.

This immense opportunity lay right before them, yet it had become a dragon gate no one dared to cross.

Night fell again.

Just as Chen Fan was preparing to take down the pass from the door, the copper coin in his arms suddenly vibrated violently without any warning.

A broken will, not belonging to this world, seeming to originate from the eternal void, sounded directly in his mind with a harsh, metallic grating sound:

"Starlight Tower... bears your name... and records her day of death."

It was the voice of the Tower Spirit! Though broken, the lofty will within it was exceptionally clear.

Chen Fan's gaze instantly froze. He sharply looked towards Su Shuang, who was reading under a lamp inside the room.

That voice targeted her fate!

He took a deep breath, hesitation gone. He forcefully pressed the scorching copper coin onto the fragment of the Mysterious Candle Kasaya.

With a light 'click,' the copper coin fit perfectly into the reserved groove of the fragment. The red patterns on both surfaces instantly connected, forming a complete totem radiating an ominous and destructive aura.

"The next Tower," Chen Fan whispered, his voice suppressing a monstrous rage and killing intent, "I will not only reach the summit—I will shatter your so-called destiny with one punch!"

The moment his words fell, far away in the blizzards of the Far North, millions of miles away, the flame that had been silent for a thousand years at the center of a huge altar hidden deep in the snow mountains suddenly ignited. The soaring fire seemed to be echoing this overwhelming tide of rage triggered by the Critical Hit.

In the Teahouse courtyard, the remains of the Soul Catcher Net still clung to the ground like charred spider silk, emitting faint lingering energy.

The Scavenger's corpse had long since turned into scattered specks of blue data streams, gradually merging into the air, about to completely dissipate.