Chapter 17: Through Summer

"Liu Wei... is definitely hiding something from me!"

After school, Fang Xing did not go home with Liu Wei, but walked alone toward Xingfu Jiayuan Community.

Above the white dam, the river flowed gently, its sound unchanged.

Fang Xing knew, however, that their relationship could never return to how it once was.

'If it were the original owner, he’d probably be heartbroken—after all, they were best friends. But for me, he’s just an ordinary friend...'

He sighed, returned to the dormitory, prepared himself, and began his transit.

Another world, temporary camp.

Fang Xing first practiced zhuanggong, then daily soil-digging, renovating and expanding the temporary camp, followed by learning the alien language.

Under multiple effects, his progress accelerated rapidly.

Chirp chirp!

As he trained, a flock of simulated birds returned, each clutching surveillance devices shaped like stones and beetles in their claws.

'Recovering the devices is also crucial...'

'Though this world is utterly different from the Blue Star Federation, with no unified order and limited imagination unlikely to conceive of transmigration, if the surveillance devices are found, they’ll likely be mistaken for some intricate puppet...'

'But if perfection is possible, strive for perfection—leave no trace. Even broken surveillance devices must be fully recovered.'

'Now that I have enough Qi-Blood Pills, there’s no need to rush contact. First, master the foreign language...'

Fang Xing had already planned his next moves.

This semester was nearly over; after final exams, he’d have two months of vacation.

Then, exploring the other world wouldn’t be too late.

After all, daily classes tied him down—exploration was limited to nights or weekends, making it hard to fully satisfy his curiosity.

Morning.

Fang Xing jogged toward Yucai High School.

'These Qi-Blood Pills really pack a punch. If combined with Great Dragon Zhaung, I should achieve Perfect Flesh Refinement before the final exams... Perfect Flesh Refinement by the end of freshman year? That’s barely passable—but at least I now have a glimmer of hope for university.'

As he ran and trained, Fang Xing’s thoughts swirled.

'By then, my Great Dragon Zhaung should reach its third stage with the pills’ aid—even if I reveal my Jade Skin, it won’t matter. It might even attract more investors...'

The morning streets were quiet; few pedestrians walked along the riverbank.

Only a woman in athletic wear, wearing a baseball cap, strolled while walking a dog.

'Bulldog?'

Fang Xing glanced, slightly puzzled.

After all, it was uncommon for a woman to own such a large bulldog.

As if drawn by his gaze, the bulldog leapt forward on all fours, landing squarely before him, its face terrifyingly fierce.

For some reason, Fang Xing felt a terrifying danger!

'I’m a Jade Skin-perfected Flesh Refinement martial artist—how can I feel threatened by a dog?'

Fang Xing’s mind stirred, slightly odd.

'Ginger! Sit!'

At that moment, the woman in the baseball cap barked.

The bulldog immediately sat obediently—but still looked vicious and menacing.

'Sorry, Ginger’s in a bad mood today.'

The woman in the baseball cap smiled apologetically: 'I’m Jing Xia. What’s your name, little brother?'

'When I’m out, I never give my name.'

Fang Xing shook his head and continued jogging.

'Heh, interesting little brother.'

Jing Xia watched Fang Xing’s retreating back, touching her waist.

Ding ling ling!

A phone rang. Jing Xia pulled out a device from her waist, listened for a few seconds, then scowled: 'Your whole squad can’t handle a single cultist? Pathetic! Novices! Wait for me!'

She put the phone away and tapped her wristwatch.

Whoosh!

A skateboard materialized midair, hovering directly before her.

Jing Xia stepped onto it and ‘slid’ away at high speed toward the nearby city center.

'Woof!'

The bulldog named ‘Ginger’ roared, its back muscles writhing as a pair of demonic, fleshy wings sprouted, following Jing Xia into flight.

Nearby, Fang Xing watched, his expression grim: 'Flying so brazenly, unconcerned with traffic control... either a powerful cultist or an official operative. Even cultists wouldn’t be this reckless in public—so she’s probably official? Is she a martial artist, mecha Shi , psychic, or beast tamer?'

Recalling the bulldog’s odd behavior, Fang Xing’s expression grew heavier. He touched his pocket.

Inside his pocket still lay a single Qi-Blood Pill.

'I was careless... that dog’s nose is sharp.'

'Life is always full of surprises... tomorrow or an accident—which will come first?'

'But fortunately... she showed no suspicion.'

Fang Xing thought for a moment, then decided to stick to his routine and go to school.

And he must study hard—to ace the final exams!

A minor martial prodigy naturally draws more attention and investment; a few good items on him are perfectly normal!

Downtown, somewhere.

Boom!

A massive fireball erupted, with several figures caught within.

Some wore black nanofiber protective suits; others had exoskeletal armor, wielding guns with thick barrels, their demeanor fierce.

Yet now, they looked disheveled.

'It’s the Blood Descent Sect!'

One team member roared, blasting freezing gas from his exoskeleton.

Instantly, all flames vanished—not even a wisp of smoke remained.

'Damn it, covert arrest turned into open battle... now I’ll have to write pages of extra reports and get scolded by Big Sister!'

The black nanofiber-suited member looked desperate.

For them, the Big Sister’s wrath seemed worse than extra paperwork.

Roar! Roar!

'Here it comes!'

Amid strange beast roars, a monster burst forth from the icy snowscape.

It resembled a humanoid, standing over three meters tall, its body covered in folds and slime, with various skulls grafted onto its chest and shoulders.

Among them were human heads, as well as those of tigers, leopards, and other wild beasts.

It looked like a haphazardly stitched-together humanoid.

Merely seeing this sight could deliver a powerful mental shock to anyone with weak willpower.

'Slight lower-tier servant-class contamination traits... an aberration? The Blood Descent Sect always loves this kind of thing.'

The first speaker’s tone dripped with revulsion.

Demonic Cult!

A tumor within the Blue Star Federation!

Those extraterrestrial demons held dominion over 'imaginary space' and could project power into human territories!

Though the Blue Star Federation had established defenses, larger entities were far harder to breach.

Like a fishing net: small fish and shrimp slipped easily through the mesh; big fish became trapped fish in a jar.

Projecting servant-class entities was easiest, but they were nearly useless to humans.

Only at the Juanzu -level did they become somewhat threatening—but still minor.

The extraterrestrial demons desperately sought to descend fully into human territory and begin their mad harvest.

Of course, such descent was extremely difficult.

So they settled for a second-best option: using Juanzu to project partial power, 'corrupting' humans into cultists, who would then attempt to 'summon' them.

So far, none of these attempts had succeeded. The best results were merely horrific massacres, birthing 'demon offspring.'

Many Blue Star scientists thus believed these extraterrestrial demons possessed some rationality—yet this clashed with their followers’ occasional chaos and madness.

One could only say: even demons must consort with madness; reason is always temporary.

The 'Blood Descent Sect' was one among many such cults.

The extraterrestrial demon they worshiped was codenamed 'Endless Blood Sea'; its true name remained top secret.

After all, even uttering such a being’s true name might bring contamination and corruption!

Even the deceased 'Star Devourer Kegutulemu' was no exception—the textbook recorded only aliases, not true names.

For such entities, their very concept possessed duality: contradictory states coexisted simultaneously; the boundary between death and survival was profoundly blurred.

In the words of the cultists, even death fades before their master...

"What the hell are you guys doing?"

Just as the monster of the Blood Descent School let out a screech, a flying skateboard descended from the sky.

Ssshh!

A brilliant slash of blade light fell, splitting the monster cleanly in two.

Plop!

Then, a leather boot stamped down upon one of the monster’s heads, causing it to burst like a watermelon, brains and blood splattering across the ground.

Jing Xia looked up at his squad members: "Useless! Useless! All of you are useless! Worse than my dog!"

"Woof!"

The bully dog beside him opened its mouth wider and wider, expanding beyond its head and body; its bloodied maw stretched like rubber, revealing countless serrated teeth forming a vortex that devoured every last shred of the monster’s remains...

The other squad members, witnessing this, fell silent: "..."