A Final Night in the Old Home

Meanwhile, elsewhere—

Lu Ding arrived at the entrance of his apartment complex, dragging a suitcase filled with Stubborn Stone of Nanshan fragments.

Looking up at the place he had lived in for five years, he sighed.

"Man, I’m really going to miss this place. The environment isn’t great, but where else can you get a one-bedroom apartment for 300 yuan a month?"

Lu Ding was moving out.

Because of his special background and outstanding grades, the social welfare department 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 income ahead, he no longer needed to occupy a government-subsidized apartment.

Someone 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 Apartment 1503.

Changing his shoes, taking a shower, and shaking off his exhaustion, he finally sat down, opened his suitcase, and carefully examined the stone fragments.

Aside from some dried blood stains, they looked like ordinary rocks.

"What could these things be used for?"

"Medicine? Smithing?"

Only two possibilities came 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, something caught his eye.

In the bamboo grove behind the apartment complex—

A figure.

And at the exact moment 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 some shady figure was boldly counting his floor?!

What was this supposed to mean?

A home 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—come 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, someone was volunteering to be his target?

What perfect timing.

But the next moment—

He realized something.

That thing wasn’t human.

And instead of fear—

He got even more excited.

The moment he called out, the figure bolted toward his building.

Fast.

Leaping several meters 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 moment the 14th-floor light clicked on—

He attacked.

A slash erupted from his hand.

An invisible blade tore through the air.

The metal 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.

Slammed 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 squirmed within the wound.

A better look at the creature—

Over two meters 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 met.

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—Alarmed

The two newcomers exchanged glances.

"That’s a Wuxiang’s scream!"

"Sh*t! This is bad!"

They smashed the pavement beneath their feet, racing toward the building.

Just then—

A shadow plummeted 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 some 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 name triggered a memory.

Wuxiang.

Mentioned in Daoist texts, Huainanzi, and The Analects.

Some claimed 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, merging 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.