Chapter 10: Shock

Splendid Jiang Mansion.

Villa, training ground.

Fang Xing had come here a few times to work with Liu Wei, but unfortunately never saw Bai Lianyi.

Perhaps that one time was merely a coincidence.

Even so, Fang Xing was happy to take Gu Yun’s jobs.

After all, Uncle Gu, though not as strong as Xia Long, occasionally gave advice far better than fumbling alone.

Moreover, there was an excellent sparring partner.

Thud! Thud!

Two figures clashed repeatedly across the open ground, silver gauntlets and wooden blades striking in rapid succession.

After a long while, Gu Yun stopped, flicking her wooden blade: “No good—you’ve improved too fast. How long has it been? Even with my gravity suit on, I can’t beat you…”

She squinted slightly, like a little fox: “Did my dad teach you this well? No… if he were this strong, he’d have applied to be a teacher or private coach long ago, not spend every day patrolling the streets like a laborer… Come on, I’ll turn off the gravity suit and fight again!”

“I’m a few years older than you… this gravity suit is top-tier training gear—better leave it on.”

Fang Xing felt a quiet shame.

He was two or three years older than her, yet could only match her with a one-fold gravity suit active.

‘Need to work harder… why can’t this panel add points? Terrible!’

“No good—I can’t even beat you. How can I achieve defeat without killing, subdue the demonic nature? The gravity suit must be turned off…” Gu Yun, obviously unaware of Fang Xing’s thoughts, replied seriously.

Training the Demon Blade requires opponents weaker than herself, so she can effortlessly control their life and death, and at the most critical moment, use unwavering will to achieve defeat without killing, thereby subduing the demonic nature.

The realm of subduing demonic nature is extremely rare; once achieved, training the Ghost and God Blade becomes nearly effortless.

Even, according to rumors, subduing demonic nature greatly aids in comprehending several demonic cultivation realms!

Otherwise, Uncle Gu would never have chosen such a blade art for his daughter and poured in so many resources.

After some playful sparring, Fang Xing bid Gu Yun farewell and left Splendid Jiang Mansion.

‘This time, without Uncle Gu present to guide me… a pity…’

He boarded a levitating train, passed through the city center, gazed at the neon lights and revelry outside, and silently resolved to return to his hovel for more training.

Now that the Great Dragon Stake has leveled up, this stake cultivation technique is unquestionably the best for Skin and Muscle Realm cultivators—daily progress is astonishing.

He only needs to invest time in training to rapidly raise his Wu Gong level.

‘Then see how Gu Yun beats me!’

‘I can selectively show off some skills at school—make Xia Long take notice, maybe even win a scholarship!’

Fang Xing felt quite satisfied.

“Happiness Garden Residential Area station. Please remain seated and hold on. Disembark in order…”

A smooth mechanical voice echoed in his ears.

Fang Xing stepped off directly and walked toward his residential complex.

Suddenly!

Boom!

A blast echoed!

“Huh? What’s going on?”

Fang Xing froze in place, bewildered, but still possessed a cultivator’s reflexes—he immediately adjusted his basic nanofiber protective suit to full-body coverage mode.

After the shockwave, fire and intense heat surged forward.

He saw…

A fireball exploded in the distance, thick smoke churning wildly.

Reinforced concrete structures shattered, machinery debris flew everywhere… occasionally mixed with human remains.

The world seemed to pause at that moment, then rapidly resumed.

Roars and curses surrounded him.

Thud!

Before Fang Xing could react, a tremendous force slammed into him, hurling him backward.

“What was that?”

His chest tightened, but it wasn’t painfully sharp.

Only then did he look down and see a cement chunk, the size of a human head, falling beside his foot.

“A piece of cement thrown by the explosion?”

“That speed and force… I couldn’t have blocked it… if not for the protective suit, I’d be dead?”

Fang Xing’s expression remained dazed.

In his past life as a salaryman, though hardworking, he’d never experienced anything this close to death.

Not just him—even the original body’s memories lacked such an experience.

“Help… help…”

Nearby, a moan came.

Fang Xing mechanically turned his head and saw a young man.

He appeared half-lying on the ground, several steel bars piercing his chest—he was clearly another victim of the blast.

“I…”

He stepped forward to help, then saw the youth’s lower body was gone…

‘Already… beyond saving.’

‘No—if he’s rushed into a medical pod and his lower body replaced entirely with synthetic or mechanical parts, he might… he might still be saved!’

Fang Xing’s mind raced, preparing to act—when suddenly, another piercing sound pierced his ears.

—Ji ji!

Like countless insect chirps, abruptly overlapping.

Like various instruments exploding inside his mind.

He saw… within the flames and smoke, strange limbs emerging.

Even through the thick haze, he could barely make out a colossal creature, three or four meters tall, with insect-like compound eyes and mouthparts.

No!

Its blurred, indistinct contours seemed to curve in subtle, hypnotic ways—drawing him in, compelling him to see, to study, to know more…

“That… is a Demon God’s Follower?”

“Bad! Don’t look directly! Thank goodness the smoke obscured its mysterious patterns—if I’d seen them clearly, it’d be trouble…”

Fang Xing quickly lowered his head and fled in the opposite direction, following textbook instructions.

He cast one last glance—the young man, now half-dead, was already lifeless.

‘That insect chirp! A sonic attack?’

‘I’m fine—my suit protects even my ears… normal cultivators might endure it with minor injuries, but for the severely wounded, this would be fatal.’

Fang Xing had never felt the fragility of life so clearly before.

Whoosh!

He accelerated wildly, his figure blurring into afterimages.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

In the sky, deafening sonic booms erupted.

He snapped his head up—his eyes caught the fiery trail of a missile.

Beyond that, several figures were ascending against the tide, charging toward the terrifying Follower’s location.

“Wu Dao Masters!”

“Professionals!”

Someone in the fleeing crowd cried out in relief.

Fang Xing kept running, fists clenched tightly: “I…”

All past experiences—the joy of gaining the golden finger, the small pride from breakthroughs in fist techniques and Great Dragon Stake—shattered in this moment.

“I swear… I will seize my own fate in my own hands!”

“I never want to feel this helplessness again!”

…

Over ten minutes later, Fang Xing arrived at school and saw Xia Long standing at the gate, leaning on a massive sword like a headmaster, staring grimly toward the direction Fang Xing had fled from.

“Go to your classroom. You know where the school shelter is. Wait for instructions.”

Xia Long gave the order with a serious face.

Fang Xing nodded.

He understood—nowhere in this area was safer than Yucai High School.

Not just because over a dozen teachers were at Wu Dao Level Four or higher, but because the school housed a high-tier shelter, rumored to hold out for over 48 hours even against high-ranking Followers!

The campus was in slight chaos, but overall stable.

Fang Xing glanced around and spotted several classmates—Liu Wei was among them.

“Check the Maple City official website—they’ve made an official announcement!”

No one had the energy for small talk—until a scream pierced the air.

Everyone hurried online to Maple City’s official website.

【Upgraded Servant — ‘Moon Worm Beast’ — SLAIN!】

【Air Raid Alert Lifted! Numerical Space Tunnel Closed!】

【Rescue operations are proceeding in an orderly manner. All residents, please remain calm. If you observe anyone exhibiting abnormal mental states, contact nearby security units immediately!】

The notice was posted just ten seconds ago.

Fang Xing’s eyes narrowed.

The extraterrestrial deities are the great enemies of the Blue Star Federation; their war has lasted for centuries!

These extraterrestrial deities wield authority over Numerical Space, capable of opening void tunnels to bypass the Federation’s heavily fortified interstellar bastions and deploy their kin into the Federation’s heartland star systems.

Even though the Blue Star Federation employs every possible means to intercept 99.99% of attacks, some still slip through.

The previous attack was one such case.

‘Just an upgraded servant?’

‘The odds are good enough to buy a lottery ticket — after all, the original owner never encountered one in his entire sixteen years of life.’

‘Should I move? Hmm… not to mention whether I have the money, but according to the principle that two shells rarely land in the same crater, isn’t Happiness Home Community the safest place right now?’

He continued reading and noticed the website’s footer had turned black and white.

【Current casualty count from this attack: 134 dead, 528 seriously injured; spiritual contamination assessment in progress…】

【To swiftly eliminate the ‘Moon Worm Beast,’ the professionals ‘Lin Jia’ and ‘Gu Renwang’ sacrificed themselves…】

Fang Xing fell silent.

‘…Gu Renwang?’

Looking at his profile picture, he couldn’t help but think of Gu Yun.

That man from the Gu family…

That man who could never earn much but always wanted to give his daughter the very best…

That man who had taught him a few things…

Now reduced to a black-and-white memorial portrait.

‘Fate…’

Fang Xing clenched his lips tightly, reached out with his right hand into empty air — but grasped only nothingness.