Starry Sky Professional

In the grand Jiang Mansion, amidst the luxurious villa and training grounds, Fang Xing often came here with Liu Wei to earn some money. Unfortunately, he never had the chance to meet Bai Lianyi again. Perhaps that encounter was just a coincidence.

Despite this, Fang Xing was more than willing to take on assignments from Gu Yun. After all, getting pointers from Uncle Gu, though not as skilled as Xia Long, was still far superior to fumbling about on his own.

What's more, he found a formidable sparring partner in Gu Yun.

'Bang! Bang!'

Two figures swiftly crossed paths on the open ground, where silver gloves clashed with a wooden sword, producing a rapid succession of sounds.

After a while, Gu Yun halted, swinging her wooden sword with a flourish: “No way! You're improving so fast! It's only been a short while, and even with my gravity suit on, I can’t seem to pin you down…”

Her eyes narrowed slightly, reminiscent of a sly little fox: “Is my dad's teaching really that good? Hmm… If he were so skilled, he would’ve long sought a teaching position or worked as a private coach, instead of patrolling the streets every day like he does… Come, I'll turn off the gravity suit, and let's go again!”

“Considering I’m a few years older than you… That gravity suit is a top-notch training tool, so you should keep it on.”

Deep down, Fang Xing felt a bit embarrassed.

Despite being two to three years older, he could only manage a draw with Gu Yun, who was battling under double gravity.

'I really need to push harder… If only there were a way to add points to this skill panel! I'd give it a bad review!’

“There's no way I can subdue such strong energy if I can't even get the upper hand against you. The gravity suit needs to come off…” Gu Yun clearly couldn't hear Fang Xing's thoughts, and in a serious tone, responded instead.

Practicing the Demon Blade demanded opponents weaker than herself, allowing her to easily control their life and death, enabling her to defeat without killing at critical moments, thus suppressing the demonic nature.

Achieving mastery over the demonic nature is incredibly valuable; once accomplished, mastering the Ghost Blade Art becomes a smooth path.

Rumor has it that conquering demonic nature greatly aids in grasping several demonic artistic concepts!

Otherwise, Uncle Gu wouldn't have selected such a technique for his daughter, investing significant resources.

After a series of playful exchanges, Fang Xing bid farewell to Gu Yun and walked out of the grand mansion.

'A bit regretful that Uncle Gu wasn't around to provide guidance this time…'

He boarded the levitating train, passing through the city center and gazing at the lively nightlife outside. He silently resolved to return to his humble abode and intensify his training.

With his recent upgrade of the Dragon Pillar Exercise, he realized it’s an ideal practice for flesh realm martial artists, showing remarkable daily progress.

Fang Xing only needs to invest time in training, and he can quickly elevate his martial arts skills.

"When the time comes, let's see how Gu Yun plans to defeat me."

"At school, I can even showcase some of my skills selectively, impress Xia Long, and maybe even secure a scholarship!"

Fang Xing felt quite pleased with himself.

"We've arrived at Happiness Garden Community Station. Please sit tight, hold on, and disembark in an orderly manner..."

A smooth mechanical voice rang in his ears.

Fang Xing got off the bus directly and started walking towards his community.

Suddenly!

Boom!

A loud explosion echoed!

"Hm? What's going on?"

Fang Xing stood frozen, slightly dazed. However, his instincts as a warrior quickly kicked in, and he adjusted his basic nano-protective suit to full-body coverage mode.

The shockwave was followed by a wave of fire and intense heat.

He saw...

A ball of fire erupted in the distance, with dense smoke billowing upwards.

Reinforced concrete buildings shattered, and numerous mechanical wreckages flew around... occasionally intermingled with human remains.

It was as if the world pressed pause for a moment, then quickly resumed.

Roars and curses filled the air around him.

Bang!

Before Fang Xing could react, he felt a powerful force hit him, sending him flying backward.

"What was that?"

His chest felt tight, though thankfully it didn't hurt much.

Looking down, he saw a cement piece the size of a human head fall at his feet.

"Was that a chunk of concrete blasted by the explosion?"

“The speed and power earlier… I couldn't defend against it… If it weren't for the protective suit, I would've been dead.”

Fang Xing's expression remained somewhat bewildered.

In his previous life as a corporate drone, though it was quite hard, he had never experienced a life-and-death situation like this.

Not only him, even his original self didn't have any related memories.

“Help… help me…”

Nearby, a groan interrupted him.

Fang Xing turned mechanically, seeing a young man.

The man seemed half-lying on the ground, with several steel bars piercing his chest, clearly another victim of the explosion.

“I…”

Just as he was about to step forward to lend a hand, he saw that the young man's lower body was already gone…

'There's no… saving him.'

'No, if he enters a medical capsule right away and has his lower body replaced with a bionic or mechanical structure, he might still… he might still be saved!'

Fang Xing's mind raced as he prepared to act and save the man, when suddenly, an ear-piercing sound hit his ears.

—Chirp!

It was as if countless insects were suddenly chirping over one another.

He saw in the blaze and thick smoke, mysterious limbs seemed to surface.

Even though the dense fog shrouded it, he could vaguely make out a gigantic creature three or four meters tall, with insect-like compound eyes and mouthparts.

No!

The indistinct, hazy outline of the creature carried a subtle arc, making him unconsciously drawn to it, wanting to see, to study, to know more…

“Is that… a minion of an evil god?”

“Not good, can't look directly! Luckily, the smoke is obscuring it, so I didn't clearly see the mysterious patterns on it, otherwise there'd be trouble…”

Fang Xing promptly lowered his head, and following the teachings in his textbooks, fled in the opposite direction.

He took one last glance, noticing that the young man, now just half a body, had long ceased breathing.

‘It was that insect sound! A sonic attack?’

‘I’m fine, my protective suit covers everything, even my ears... Ordinary warriors should be able to withstand it too, maybe with minor injuries, but for those who are already gravely injured, this could be fatal.’

Fang Xing had never felt the fragility of life so intensely as he did now!

Swish!

He accelerated wildly, his figure almost transforming into a series of afterimages.

Swish, swish!

In the sky, a piercing sonic boom emerged.

He sharply looked up, catching the tail flame of a missile.

Besides that, there seemed to be several figures, moving against the current, rushing towards the terrifying clan’s location.

“Martial artists!”

“Professionals!”

A cheer rose from the crowd fleeing in panic.

Fang Xing didn’t stop, his fists clenched tightly: “I...”

All his past experiences, from the ecstatic joy of gaining his powers to the small pride of a martial arts breakthrough, were shattered in that moment.

“I swear... I will take control of my own destiny!”

“I never want to experience such helplessness again!”

...

About ten minutes later, Fang Xing arrived at the school, seeing Xia Long standing at the gate, like a director leaning on a huge sword, staring solemnly in the direction from which they fled.

“Go to the classroom first, you know where the school’s shelter is, wait for further instructions.”

Xia Long instructed with a serious demeanor.

Fang Xing nodded.

He knew well that there was no safer place in the vicinity than Yucai High School.

Not just because over a dozen teachers of fourth-degree martial arts were stationed there, but also because it had a high-level shelter, said to withstand even the superior clans for over 48 hours!

The campus was somewhat chaotic, but overall, the situation was still manageable.

Fang Xing glanced around, seeing many classmates, Liu Wei among them.

“Quick, look at the Maple Leaf City official website, there's an announcement!”

No one was in the mood for small talk when a sharp scream pierced through the air.

Everyone hurried online, navigating to the Maple Leaf City official website.

【Superior Minion ‘Moon Insect Beast’ has been slain!】

【The current air raid alert has been lifted! The Imaginary Space Tunnel is closed!】

【Rescue operations are underway. Residents, please remain calm. If you notice anyone with abnormal mental conditions, immediately contact your nearest security unit!】

The notice had been posted just seconds ago!

Fang Xing’s eyes narrowed in focus.

The extra-terrestrial evil gods were the Blue Star Federation's arch-enemies, and the war between them had raged for centuries.

These gods wielded the power of ‘Imaginary Space’, enabling them to open void tunnels and circumvent the heavily guarded interstellar fortress lines of the Federation, deploying their minions into the heart of the Federation's galaxies.

Despite the Federation intercepting 99.99% of these assaults, some managed to slip through the cracks.

The recent attack they faced was one such instance.

‘Was it merely a superior minion?’

‘The odds are akin to winning the lottery; after all, this was the first time in sixteen years anything like this happened to the original owner.’

‘Should I consider moving? Uh... Not to mention the lack of money, but from the viewpoint that two shells seldom land in the same crater, perhaps Happy Home Estate is the safest place right now?’

He read further, noticing the website’s footer had turned black and white.

【In this attack, the current death toll is 134, with 528 severely injured. Mental contamination assessment is ongoing...】

【To swiftly kill the ‘Moon Insect Beast’, professionals Lin Jia and Gu Renwang sacrificed themselves...】

Fang Xing fell silent.

‘...Gu Renwang?’

Seeing the other's photo, he was reminded of Gu Yun.

That man from the Gu family...

The one who couldn’t make much money but wanted to give his daughter the best of everything...

The man who had taught him a few lessons...

Now, it has become a black and white memorial portrait.

“Oh, fate...”

Fang Xing pressed his lips tightly together and reached forward with his right hand, grasping at empty air in vain.

(End of Chapter)