Mortal Transcendence

Mortal Transcendence. Jiang Ning climbed the stairs to the sixteenth floor without stopping.

The Divine Sense Tracking spell showed that Lin Zida's mark was in the East Unit, completely motionless.

Jiang Ning's Spiritual Sense passed through the wall, and he sensed two people inside: Lin Zida, and another man around thirty-five or thirty-six.

Ding Shuyan didn't live here?

Jiang Ning pondered this as he continued probing several bedrooms with his Spiritual Sense.

The apartment was enormous, formed by connecting a Middle Unit and a Side Unit.

That showed the family had some means. Buying two apartments at once and knocking them together meant paying even more for shared space; it was less cost-effective than buying a Large Flat. This was clearly the behavior of people who didn't lack money.

Moreover, before connecting two apartments, the construction plans had to be submitted to the authorities for approval. Renovations involving knocked-down walls like this generally weren't approved.

Rumor had it that Ding Shuyan had a powerful background. To her family, something like this was no big deal.

Jiang Ning continued his investigation with his Spiritual Sense and discovered something unusual in a bedroom directly to the east.

His Spiritual Sense detected a dress nearly identical in style to the one Ding Shuyan had worn that night.

"This should be where Ding Shuyan lives." Jiang Ning withdrew his Spiritual Sense.

Jiang Ning stared at the door. With his abilities, he could open the lock by combining his Spiritual Sense with a streak of Sword Qi, but it would make too much noise and would surely alert the people inside.

Jiang Ning had observed from downstairs earlier. The apartment building's windows were sealed with aluminum alloy frames, so he couldn't climb in from the side.

"This is troublesome."

Ultimately, his cultivation was too low, and there were too few spells he could use. Otherwise, a single application of Spiritual Sense would have been enough to make the people inside hallucinate and open the door themselves.

With no other option for now, Jiang Ning simply stood outside the door and cultivated while waiting for Ding Shuyan to return.

After waiting for about an hour, Jiang Ning swallowed a Qi Gathering Pill.

"She's here."

The elevator stopped on the sixteenth floor. His Spiritual Sense struggled through the elevator's iron walls, and a figure entered his perception. His Spiritual Sense swept over her body, and her shape was unmistakably Ding Shuyan's.

At that moment, Ding Shuyan felt chills crawl down her spine. Terror was hidden within her bright eyes.

Her Six Senses gave her another warning, stronger than ever before. The malice pressing down on her nearly overflowed, making her body tremble slightly.

"Oh?"

Jiang Ning's Spiritual Sense enveloped Ding Shuyan, so he naturally noticed the change in her.

That surprises me. I never expected someone in this modern world to have such sensitive Six Senses.

People born with sharp Six Senses often placed extraordinary trust in their instincts, even to the point of obsession, because their Six Senses had never been wrong before.

Then it's no surprise. The one who ordered Lin Zida to investigate me was Ding Shuyan.

Jiang Ning truly felt rather unlucky. The first time he made a move in this modern world, someone had noticed him. What kind of luck was that?

Had he known, he would have acted somewhere deserted.

The elevator doors slowly opened. Ding Shuyan was only a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl. Though she had more courage than most girls her age, she had just been trapped in the enclosed elevator and suddenly realized someone was watching her. She was terrified.

The warning from her Six Senses kept feeding her that sense of being watched, sounding the alarm without pause. She took a deep breath and stepped out of the elevator.

Jiang Ning continued concealing himself as he watched Ding Shuyan, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He moved abruptly. Spiritual Energy formed into a giant hand and gripped Ding Shuyan's fair neck.

Ding Shuyan's body shuddered. Her dark eyes darted about, as if she hoped to find the person hiding in the shadows, but all she received were the constant warnings of her Six Senses.

The terror of the unknown enveloped her, as though death would descend the very next moment.

Invisible Man. It has to be the Invisible Man. He knows I've been investigating him, and now he's come for me!

A wave of regret suddenly surged from Ding Shuyan's heart. She had trusted her Six Senses too much, which was why she had sent someone to investigate the truth.

But she had overlooked one thing: since she was investigating someone beyond ordinary reason, once he noticed, he would certainly come for her.

The constricting sensation around her neck reminded her of that every moment.

That person had come for her.

What awaited her? Ding Shuyan had received an elite education since childhood and once believed she wasn't afraid of death. But when the pressure of death truly descended upon her, she was afraid.

She was even more afraid of being tortured, afraid of dying without dignity.

Who was he? Was he Jiang Ning? Whoever he was, she had to escape. Otherwise, facing a transcendent being, her fate would surely be miserable.

She had seen much of the world and understood the darkness of human nature.

Ding Shuyan moved her feet with difficulty, inching toward the door. The distance was only a few meters, yet it took her a full five minutes to reach it.

She pressed her finger to the lock. The fingerprint scanner recognized her, and the door unlocked.

She wanted to flee inside immediately, but the pressure around her neck grew even stronger.

Ding Shuyan shut the door, but her mood did not improve in the slightest. She knew that figure had followed her into the apartment.

"You're back!" Lin Zida said.

Ding Shuyan felt the constriction around her neck ease considerably, though it still hovered before her, ready to descend at any moment.

Her expression remained unchanged as she replied, "Mm, I'm back."

Lin Zida approached. Ding Shuyan knew he was about to tell her about the investigation. She wanted to stop him, but she didn't dare.

She feared that the Invisible Man would kill everyone present.

"I had Wang Yong look into it. Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong are very close. They go home together every day."

"That night, Song Sheng got into a fight with classmates from their class and knocked over Xue Yuantong's desk. The desk hit Xue Yuantong, then Jiang Ning stepped in and made Song Sheng apologize," Lin Zida said.

If it had been before, Ding Shuyan would definitely have been pleased to hear this, because it filled in the gaps in her deduction and made everything seem more logical.

The game she could toy with at will would have become even more interesting.

But now, she wished she could block it all out.

With Lin Zida's words, her investigation into Jiang Ning had been completely exposed.

And that person was standing right beside her.

"Mm, all right. I understand." Ding Shuyan felt sorrow in her heart, but none of it showed on her face. Her aunt had taught her long ago how to maintain her expression, how to remain unflinching even if Mount Tai collapsed before her.

Lin Zida paid it no mind and continued playing games. He had recently found another game, Dark Souls, and the more he played, the more addicted he became.

Ding Shuyan entered her room and shut the door behind her.

Then she leaned against her chair, facing the wall.

Ding Shuyan muttered in a low voice, "You can kill me, but let me remind you: I backed up the investigation records in my email. If anything happens to me, my aunt will take over the account. With her abilities, she'll definitely catch you."

Jiang Ning smiled. She still dared threaten him? Surging Spiritual Energy clamped over Ding Shuyan's mouth as Jiang Ning activated his Spiritual Sense and sent a Soul Shocking Spike at her.

Ding Shuyan's Six Senses screamed warnings. The next instant, agonizing pain that pierced her soul struck her. She let out a muffled groan, her mouth blocked as her delicate body trembled.

After a long while, she could finally breathe again. Sweat from Ding Shuyan's forehead had soaked her hair, plastering it against her face. Her brows were furrowed and her eyes exhausted, giving her a breathtakingly disheveled beauty.

The pen on the desk moved without wind, and a line of writing appeared: Keep investigating, and die.

Ding Shuyan stared at the words in silence for a long time.

At that moment, the pride she had cultivated since childhood shattered completely.

She had once believed she was different. She had boasted that she understood the laws governing society.

Her peers seemed childish and ignorant before her. She had thought herself above them all, the one moving the pieces on the board.

Now, she suddenly realized that her intelligence, beauty, experience, and family background were utterly useless before such an absolute disparity in power.

If Jiang Ning wanted her dead, she would die.

The feeling of having her life controlled by someone else was unbearably suffocating.

She slowly spoke, her voice hoarse.

"I won't investigate you anymore."

"I'll erase every trace related to you."

"Please spare me."

She had experienced that pain once. She never wanted to endure it a second time.

She finally understood why Song Sheng had screamed on the School Field. Song Sheng had suffered the same attack that day.

That person was a Superhuman. She was certain he was Jiang Ning.

Yet Ding Shuyan did not dare mention even half his name, because she knew that once she spoke it, she would certainly die today.

A white pill fell onto the desk.

Another line of writing appeared: Swallow it to prove your sincerity. Otherwise, die.

Ding Shuyan looked at the white pill. She knew it had to be some kind of poison.

She did not hesitate. She swallowed it in one gulp.

In the shadows, Jiang Ning's gaze remained cold.

At first, he had considered killing Ding Shuyan. But on second thought, killing her might bring even more investigations.

It was better to cut things off here. Ding Shuyan was a smart person. Keeping her alive was more useful than killing her.