A Final Night in the Old Ho
anwhile, elsewhere—
Lu Ding arrived at the entrance of his apartnt complex, dragging a suitcase filled with Stubborn Stone of Nanshan fragnts.
Looking up at the place he had lived in for five years, he sighed.
"Man, I’m really going to miss this place. The environnt isn’t great, but where else can you get a one-bedroom apartnt for 300 yuan a month?"
Lu Ding was moving out.
Because of his special background and outstanding grades, the social welfare departnt had provided him with this low-cost housing after he left the orphanage.
He had lived here ever since.
Back then, he had no money and no other options.
But now, things are different.
With his Golden Finger finally unlocked and a steady flow of inco ahead, he no longer needed to occupy a governnt-subsidized apartnt.
Soone else could use it more.
After all, affordable housing was scarce, and demand was high.
Besides, he needed a better place to live.
Tonight would be his last night here.
Carrying that thought, Lu Ding returned to Apartnt 1503.
Changing his shoes, taking a shower, and shaking off his exhaustion, he finally sat down, opened his suitcase, and carefully examined the stone fragnts.
Aside from so dried blood stains, they looked like ordinary rocks.
"What could these things be used for?"
"dicine? Smithing?"
Only two possibilities ca to mind.
But no matter how long he stared at them, nothing magical happened.
So, he gave up thinking about it.
Instead, he got up and started packing for the move.
A Shadow in the Bamboo Grove
As he was folding clothes on the balcony, sothing caught his eye.
In the bamboo grove behind the apartnt complex—
A figure.
And at the exact mont Lu Ding looked over, it looked back.
Their gazes locked.
A chill ran down his spine.
Before he could react—
The figure raised its hand.
Slowly, deliberately, from low to high—
It pointed.
Counting the floors.
Lu Ding instantly understood.
It was counting where he lived!
Wait a damn second!
He had just unlocked his Golden Finger—
And now so shady figure was boldly counting his floor?!
What was this supposed to an?
A ho invasion?
A robbery?
Oh, hell no.
He had just gotten his powers—there was no way he was letting himself get scared now!
Without hesitation, he threw down his clothes and shouted:
"Quit counting, you bastard! I live in 1503—co up if you’ve got the guts!"
Honestly, he had been looking for an excuse to test out his Path of Jinche slashes.
And now, soone was volunteering to be his target?
What perfect timing.
But the next mont—
He realized sothing.
That thing wasn’t human.
And instead of fear—
He got even more excited.
The mont he called out, the figure bolted toward his building.
Fast.
Leaping several ters with each step.
In the dim light, Lu Ding could see its long, flowing fur.
No human could grow hair that long!
The creature disappeared through the back entrance.
And Lu Ding?
He was thrilled.
"Goddamn it! I waited nineteen years and didn’t see a single monster—now two show up in one night?!
The hell is this?! If they were always this common, why did I have to wait so long?!"
A Fight in the Stairwell
Staying inside was not an option.
Too cramped.
Lu Ding quickly put on his shoes and stepped into the hallway.
He needed to take the fight outside.
At the stairwell entrance, he peered downward.
A dark figure was racing up the stairs at an inhuman speed.
Floor after floor, the motion-activated lights flickered on in rapid succession.
10th floor.
11th.
12th.
13th.
Lu Ding’s adrenaline surged.
The mont the 14th-floor light clicked on—
He attacked.
A slash erupted from his hand.
An invisible blade tore through the air.
The tal railing was instantly sliced apart, the wall behind it scarred with deep cuts.
When the lights fully illuminated the scene—
Lu Ding finally saw the monster.
Slamd against the stairwell wall, chunks of plaster crumbling around it.
A deep gash ran from its shoulder to its ribs.
No blood.
No flesh, either.
Instead—tangled vines.
Thin, writhing tendrils squird within the wound.
A better look at the creature—
Over two ters tall.
Covered in long, black fur—but lean, not bulky.
Its face—a dried, mask-like visage.
Its eyes—glowing yellow, eerily like light bulbs.
Horrifying. Ugly.
But still acceptable.
The monster lifted its head.
Their eyes t.
And both of them—
Looked thrilled.
The Kill
"Tch. I thought you’d be tough.
But you just ran here to die.
Now let’s see—is your neck as tough as your chest?"
Another slash—instant, no buildup.
The creature reacted, ducking—
But not fast enough.
Half its skull flew off.
Its screech echoed through fifteen floors.
And that scream—
Caught the attention of two people just arriving at the complex.
749 Bureau Agents—Alard
The two newcors exchanged glances.
"That’s a Wuxiang’s scream!"
"Sh*t! This is bad!"
They smashed the pavent beneath their feet, racing toward the building.
Just then—
A shadow plumted from above, slamming into the ground.
The two agents turned.
The monster—
Bloodied. Scarred.
Once ferocious and ruthless—
Now it lay on the ground, barely breathing, struggling to crawl away.
As if so unfathomable horror had just torn through its entire being.
Lu Ding’s voice rang out:
"Oh, now you want to run?
Too late, motherf***er!"
Another slash.
The creature, barely standing, collapsed.
Its upper body severed.
Its legs still standing upright.
The agents instinctively looked up.
A small black figure leaped down, rebounding off the building’s ledges, landing effortlessly on the ground.
A breeze blew past.
And suddenly—
Their faces stung.
Like tiny blades were slicing their skin.
They turned back to the monster’s corpse—
Now cut cleanly into four pieces.
New Power—Unlocked
Lu Ding felt the rush of power settling into his body.
【Contained Monster: Wuxiang】
【Reward Obtained: Oneness with Formlessness】
【Oneness with Formlessness: Qi Flows to the Heavenly Gate, Losing Self, Becoming One with Heaven and Man】
The na triggered a mory.
Wuxiang.
ntioned in Daoist texts, Huainanzi, and The Analects.
So claid it was a waterborne evil spirit.
Others described it as a mountain-dwelling demon that ate humans.
And in Daoist texts, Wuxiang was a state of being—where the soul detached, rging with the heavens.
Now, with this ability—
Lu Ding could enter that state at will.
The agents stood behind him—stunned.
If taking down the Stubborn Stone of Nanshan was luck—
Then this brutal execution of Wuxiang was pure skill.
Even they wouldn’t have had it this easy.
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