Learning to play games, a 40-year-old woman achieves a remarkable turnaround.

Xiao Jiu tilted her head, thinking: "But a low number means less overall growth after absorption, right?"

“Not necessarily.” Yuan Bao pointed to an ice crystal deer labeled “80+”. “Look, when its number drops to 70, the sign changes to ‘80++’. I guess that means the gain ratio has increased.”

To verify this hypothesis, Yuan Bao found a demon whose number fluctuated between 90 and 110 and waited patiently.

When the number dropped to 95, the sign indeed changed from "35+" to "35++".

Yuan Bao immediately absorbed the energy, resulting in an increase of 52, far exceeding the base value of 35.

"Success!" Yuan Bao exclaimed excitedly. "Absorbing during a period of low volatility enhances the buff effect!"

Thanks to this discovery, Yuan Bao became extremely efficient on the third level.

When the number exceeds 1200, the system will reward you again:

[Hidden Mechanism Discovered]

[Gain the ability to predict volatility]

[Can predict the trend of demonic number changes for 5 seconds]

This new ability is a huge boost to Yuan Bao's abilities.

She can accurately predict the lowest point of each demon's numerical fluctuation and strike at the most opportune moment.

When she left the third floor, her number had reached an astonishing 1850.

The challenge on the fourth floor is the "Mirror Maze".

The platform is divided into dozens of small areas, each with the exact same combination of demons, except for one that is real.

"This..." Yuan Bao stared at the twenty identical red demons before him, each displaying "150=" above its head; even the symbols seen by his Eye of Truth were the same. "How can we tell them apart?"

Xiao Jiu suddenly perked up her ears: "My lady, listen!"

Yuan Bao calmed down and noticed a very subtle difference—the voice of the real demon was half a beat slower than the other mirror images.

With this discovery, and confirmation from the Eye of Truth, Yuan Bao successfully found the true target in the maze.

When the number broke through 2500, Yuan Bao felt dizzy.

Xiao Jiu quickly explained, "This is a digital overload reaction, indicating that your mental state is nearing its current limit."

The system pops up a suggestion:

Current number: 2536

[We suggest redeeming some points to reduce the workload]

[Exchange ratio 1:3, exchange 1000 numbers now to get 3000 points]

"Should we exchange it?" Xiao Jiu asked worriedly. "Continuing to take the risk might be even more dangerous."

Yuan Bao pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "No, I want to take a bigger gamble. What's so special about the fifth floor?"

Xiao Jiu checked the system information: "The fifth level is the first checkpoint. You can choose to exit safely with your current points, or challenge the 'Double Bet'—the absorption efficiency of the next level doubles, but failure will result in the loss of half your points."

Yuan Bao replied without hesitation: "Of course, I'll choose the gambling game!"

As they stepped into the pillar of light on the fifth floor, the entire Demon Tower suddenly trembled.

The system announcement resounded throughout the instance:

[An unusual growth rate was detected]

Activate the hidden challenge "True Trial"

The next level will reveal the core secrets of the Demon Tower.

[Risks and opportunities coexist]

Xiao Jiu nervously huddled on Yuan Bao's shoulder: "Master, this isn't part of the normal game flow...it might be a special event triggered by the Eye of Truth."

Yuan Bao took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming with determination: "Just what I wanted. Let's see what secrets this Demon Tower holds."

When the light faded, they found themselves in a pure white space.

Yuan Bao blinked.

She subconsciously reached out and touched Xiao Jiu on her shoulder, feeling the little furball trembling as it gripped her collar tightly.

"Where is this?" she asked softly, her voice echoing strangely in the pure white space, as if it were being absorbed by something.

white.

An endless expanse of white.

There are no platforms, no demons, and no distinction between up, down, left, or right.

Yuan Bao looked down and couldn't even see his own shadow.

The only sense of presence came from Xiao Jiu's warm fur and soft breathing.

A line of glowing text floated in the air:

[Welcome to the Realm of Truth, holder of the Eye of Truth]

The second line slowly appears below the text:

Please prove you deserve to know the truth.

"Xiao Jiu," Yuan Bao lowered his voice, "what's going on?"

Xiao Jiu's black nose twitched, and its round ears twitched warily: "Master, we may have triggered the deepest secret of the Demon Tower... This isn't part of the normal dungeon progression."

Yuan Bao took a deep breath, the rise and fall of his chest standing out against the pure white background.

Her black hair, which was tied in a ponytail, had come loose at some point, with a few strands sticking to her neck where she was sweating.

“How can I prove I’m worthy?” she asked the void.

The space suddenly began to fluctuate, and countless tiny numbers and symbols appeared on the white background, dancing like living fireflies.

They gradually formed three huge door-shaped outlines, with a piece of text floating in front of each door.

The first gate: [Proof of Power - Absorbing millions of values]

The second door: [Proof of Wisdom - Unraveling the Numerical Puzzle]

The Third Door: [Proof of Intuition - The Path to Truth Through Blind Choice]

Xiao Jiu tightened its grip: "My lady, this is a triple test! We must choose a way to prove ourselves."

Yuan Bao thought quickly: "A million is impossible to reach in a short time; blind selection is too risky..." She pointed to the second door, "I choose the Proof of Wisdom."

As she made her choice, the other two doors vanished. The chosen door gradually materialized, transforming into a large bronze gate engraved with complex equations. At its center was a numeric keypad and a display screen.

New text appears:

You have three chances to solve the puzzle.

Failure will deduct 50% of your current value.

Question: In the Demon Tower, what is the boundary between reality and illusion?

Yuan Bao frowned: "Is this some kind of philosophical question?" She looked at Xiao Jiu, "Any hints?"

Xiao Jiu tilted her fluffy head: "Maybe...maybe it has something to do with your Eye of Truth?"

Suddenly remembering something, Yuan Bao pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket—she had obtained it from a special demon on the third floor, and it had a string of seemingly meaningless symbols written on it.

She thought it was a trophy and put it away casually.

“Wait…” She unfolded the note, the symbols on it glowing faintly in the Eye of Truth.

Yuan Bao placed the note close to the bronze door, and the symbols suddenly projected onto the display screen, rearranging into an equation:

[Truth = Σ (Observation x Trust) / Doubt]

"What does this mean?" Yuan Bao bit his lower lip, deep in thought. "In the Demon Tower, the symbols I observed through the Eye of Truth were all accurate; they never deceived me..."

Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she typed on the keyboard: "Numbers can lie, but symbols don't."

The door made a low rumble, but did not open.

The display shows: [Remaining attempts: 2]

"Isn't that wrong?" Fine beads of sweat appeared on Yuan Bao's forehead. She changed her approach, "Or perhaps... the surface values ​​are fake, but the hidden attributes are real?"

Type again: "Seeing is believing, but the heart is the only true witness."

The door shook even more violently, as if it were some kind of warning.