https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-9-Breakthrough-in-Stake-Practice/12581242/
Chapter 10: Startling Changes
Chapter 10: Startling Changes
In the splendor of the Jiang Mansion, within a spacious villa, a training ground extended.
Fang Xing had also come here a few times with Liu Wei to work, but to his disappointment, he hadn't seen Bailiany since their first encounter. Perhaps it had just been a coincidence that day.
Even so, Fang Xing was more than happy to take on Gu Yun's job offer. After all, while Uncle Gu might not be as skilled as Xia Long, his occasional pointers were far better than fumbling around on his own.
Moreover, there was also an excellent sparring partner.
Bang, bang!
Two figures crossed paths on the open ground, their movements a blur as silver-white boxing gloves and a wooden sword clashed relentlessly, creating a rapid succession of impacts.
After a long while, Gu Yun paused, tossing her wooden sword aside. "No way, you've improved so fast! It's only been a short time, and even with my gravity suit on, I can't beat you..."
She narrowed her eyes, resembling a cunning little fox. "Is my dad's teaching really that amazing? No, that can't be right... If he were that good, he would've applied to be a teacher or a private tutor by now. He wouldn't be out on the streets patrolling every day... Come on, let me turn off the gravity suit and we'll fight again!"
"Well, I am a few years older than you... This gravity suit is top-notch training equipment, so let's keep it on," Fang Xing replied, feeling a twinge of embarrassment.
He was a couple of years older than her, yet he could only manage a draw against her with the suit's gravity setting at double his weight.
'I still need to work harder... Why can't this panel give me some extra points? Poor design!'
"No, I have to turn off the gravity enhancement. If I can't even beat you, how am I supposed to achieve the 'Defeat without Killing, Tame the Demonic Nature' state? The suit has to come off," Gu Yun insisted, not hearing Fang Xing's inner monologue and responding with utmost seriousness.
Cultivating the Magic Blade required sparring with weaker opponents so that she could easily control their life and death. This would allow her, at the most dangerous moment, to firmly assert her will, choosing not to kill and thus tame the blade's demonic nature.
The 'Tame the Demonic Nature' state of the Magic Blade was extremely valuable. Once achieved, cultivating the Ghost God Blade would be a smooth journey.
According to rumors, taming the demonic nature was also said to be greatly beneficial for comprehending several demonic path states of mind! Otherwise, Uncle Gu wouldn't have chosen this blade technique for his daughter and invested so many resources into it.
After their playful sparring session, Fang Xing bid Gu Yun farewell and left the Jiang Mansion.
'It's a bit of a shame that Uncle Gu wasn't here to give me guidance this time,' he thought to himself.
He boarded a hovering train, passing through the city center, his eyes taking in the bright lights and vibrant nightlife outside. In that moment, he made a silent vow to return to his humble abode and continue his diligent training.
With the upgraded Dragon Stake, this stake technique truly lived up to its reputation as the most suitable skill for a Fleshly Realm warrior. His daily progress was remarkable.
All he needed to do was dedicate his time to practice, and his martial arts realm would soar.
'Then let's see how Gu Yun will try to take me down,' he thought with a smirk.
'I can even selectively reveal some of my skills at school, impressing Xia Long and maybe even scoring a scholarship!'
Fang Xing's confidence was soaring.
"Happiness Garden Residential Area, next stop. Please hold on to the handrails and disembark in an orderly manner..."
A smooth, mechanical voice echoed in the background.
Fang Xing alighted from the train and made his way toward his residential area.
Suddenly!
Boom!
A deafening explosion reverberated!
"Huh? What's going on?"
Fang Xing stood rooted to the spot, a bit dazed, but his instincts as a warrior kicked in. He immediately adjusted the settings on his basic nanometer protective suit to cover his entire body.
The sonic boom was followed by a wave of fire and intense heat.
He witnessed...
A ball of fire exploding in the distance, sending countless plumes of smoke billowing into the sky.
Reinforced concrete structures shattered, and mechanical debris rained down, mingling with the remains of human bodies.
In that moment, it was as if the world had pressed pause, only to abruptly resume its frenzied motion.
Angry roars and curses filled the air.
Bang!
Before Fang Xing could react, he felt a powerful force strike him, sending him flying.
"What the—"
He felt a dull pain in his chest, but thankfully, it wasn't too intense.
Lowering his gaze, he noticed a cement fragment the size of a human head falling to the ground by his feet.
"Was that from the explosion? At that speed and with that force... I wouldn't have been able to block it. If I hadn't been wearing the protective suit, I would've been dead," Fang Xing realized, still dazed.
In his previous life as an office worker, he had endured hardships, but he had never experienced such life-and-death situations.
Not only him but even the original owner of this body had no such memories.
"He... help... me..."
A feeble groan caught his attention.
Fang Xing turned mechanically and saw a young man.
The youth seemed to be half-lying on the ground, his chest pierced by several steel bars—undoubtedly another victim of the explosion.
"I..."
As Fang Xing stepped forward to lend a hand, he noticed that the young man's lower body was missing...
'He's... beyond saving.'
'No, if he's immediately placed in a medical capsule and his lower body is replaced with bionic or mechanical structures, he should still... he should still have a chance!'
Fang Xing's thoughts raced, and he was about to spring into action to save the young man when a piercing sound reached his ears.
—Cheep! Cheep!
It was like the cacophony of countless insects, suddenly overlapping in a discordant chorus.
And it was as if various musical instruments suddenly exploded in his mind.
Through the blazing fire and thick smoke, he saw vague limbs appearing out of the haze.
Even with the smoke obscuring his vision, he could vaguely make out a massive creature, standing at a height of three to four meters tall, with compound eyes and mouthparts resembling those of an insect.
No! There was something about the blurry and indistinct outlines of the creature that seemed to draw him in, with subtle curves that were strangely captivating, making him want to see more, to study it, to know more...
"That's... a subordinate of the Outer God?"
"This is bad. I must not look directly! Thankfully, the smoke is obscuring its mysterious patterns. Otherwise, I'd be in deep trouble..."
Fang Xing immediately lowered his head and, following the instructions from his textbooks, began to flee in the opposite direction.
He took one last glance and noticed that the youth who had been pierced through the chest was no longer breathing.
'Was that sound an insect's chirp? Some kind of sonic attack?'
'I'm fine because I'm wearing a protective suit that covers my ears as well... But most martial artists should be able to withstand it and at most suffer minor injuries. However, it would be deadly for someone who's already severely wounded.'
Never before had Fang Xing felt so keenly the fragility of life as he did at this moment!
Whoosh!
He accelerated frantically, his figure seemingly transforming into a series of afterimages.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
In the sky above, the piercing sound of sonic booms could be heard.
Fang Xing looked up sharply, his eyes catching the fiery trail of a missile.
Additionally, there seemed to be several figures moving against the flow, rushing towards the terrifying creature's location.
"Martial artists!"
"They're professionals!"
Cheers broke out among the fleeing crowd.
Fang Xing kept running, his fists clenched tightly. "I..."
All the experiences he had gone through, from the euphoria of obtaining the Golden Finger to the small pride he felt in his boxing and Dragon Stake breakthroughs, were shattered in this moment.
"I swear... I will take control of my destiny and hold it firmly in my own hands!"
"I never want to feel this powerless again. I never want to go through something like this a second time!"
...
Several minutes later, Fang Xing arrived at school and saw Xia Long standing at the school gate, looking like a vice principal with a huge sword in hand, his face solemn as he gazed in the direction from which Fang Xing had fled.
"Go to your classroom first. You know where the school shelter is, so wait there for further instructions." Xia Long instructed sternly.
Fang Xing nodded.
Of course, he understood that there was no safer place in the nearby area than Yucai High School.
It wasn't just because there were over a dozen teachers with martial arts skills above the fourth level, but also because the school had a high-level shelter, said to be able to withstand even an upper-level subordinate of an Outer God for more than 48 hours!
There was some chaos on campus, but the situation was generally under control.
Fang Xing scanned the crowd and spotted several classmates, including Liu Wei.
"Quick, check the Maple Leaf City official website, they've made an announcement!"
No one was in the mood for pleasantries, and a piercing scream shattered the air.
Everyone quickly went online and visited the official website.
[Upper-level subordinate 'Moon Insect Beast' has been slain!]
[The air-raid warning has been lifted! The virtual space tunnel has been closed!]
[Rescue operations are proceeding in an orderly manner. Please remain calm, and if you discover anyone with abnormal mental conditions, please contact the nearest security unit immediately!]
According to the timestamp, the announcement had been made just a few seconds ago.
Fang Xing's eyes narrowed.
The Outer Gods from beyond the realm were the arch-nemeses of the Blue Star Federation, and their war had been raging for hundreds of years.
These Outer Gods possessed the ability to manipulate 'virtual space', allowing them to open up void tunnels and bypass the heavily fortified interstellar defensive line of the Federation, deploying their subordinates into the heart of the Federation's territory.
Even though the Blue Star Federation employed various means to intercept 99.99% of these attacks, there were still some that slipped through the net.
The previous attack was one such example.
'Was that really just an upper-level subordinate?'
'The odds of that are slim enough to win the lottery, considering that the previous owner of this body never encountered a single attack in his sixteen years of life.'
'Should I move house? Well, aside from the financial considerations, based on the idea that two shells don't fall into the same bomb crater, it seems like the Happy Home Residence is actually the safest place to be right now?'
He continued reading and noticed that the bottom of the webpage had turned black and white.
[As of now, the number of casualties stands at 134, with 528 severely injured. Mental pollution assessment is ongoing...]
[In order to swiftly eliminate the 'Moon Insect Beast', the professionals 'Lin Jia' and 'Gu Renwang' have sacrificed themselves...]
Fang Xing fell silent.
'...Gu Renwang?'
Looking at his profile, Fang Xing immediately thought of Gu Yun.
That man from the Gu family...
The man who, despite not earning much, wanted to give his daughter the best...
The man who had taught him a few times...
Was now reduced to a monochrome memorial portrait.
"Fate..."
Fang Xing's lips tightened, and he reached out with his right hand, only to grasp at the air futilely.
(End of Chapter)
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