The Special Investigation Team conducted a thorough search of every building in the entire residential complex.
However, aside from finding the long-dead, starved owner of Room 304, they came up empty-handed.
After the team wrapped up, Du Qionghua heard about the paranormal creatures from her husband. Her face went pale, and she shuddered at the thought of how close she'd come to danger.
"Something so dangerous was lurking right in the residential complex?!"
Thank goodness she hadn't gone out lately!
Over the next few days, news reports in Jiang City began to frequently announce that the Special Investigation Team had captured paranormal creatures.
The atmosphere grew calmer by the day.
Finally, a week later, an official press conference brought the whole matter out into the open.
On the television screen stood the city's top biologist, Wang Xiaoming, shoulder to shoulder with a linguist named Wang Xiao, who wore gold-rimmed glasses.
"...According to information uncovered by our reporters, the recent paranormal incidents stem from an extraterrestrial life-form."
"Our city's biologist Wang Xiaoming and linguist Wang Xiao have joined forces to decipher part of their language system. For now, this species has been named the 'Spirit Race'!"
"Citizens, please be advised: there are signs that can help you identify this species!"
"If you spot a 'Pink Hairdryer Pig' nearby, call the Public Security Bureau as soon as possible! Keep your distance from the area as well!"
"Starting today, the Special Investigation Team will conduct a gradual search, district by district!"
"We believe that before long, the Spirit Race will disappear from the public eye!"
In the living room, Liu Xin and Du Qionghua looked at each other, bewildered.
"What in the world is a Pink Hairdryer Pig?" Liu Xin asked, utterly confused.
"I think I've heard of it," Du Qionghua replied hesitantly. "It's a character from a cartoon for preschoolers..."
"It's hard to believe this is an official announcement. It's downright bizarre."
Though they didn't understand how this phenomenon worked, the martial artists of the Special Investigation Team followed this lead and launched a devastating assault on the Spirit Race throughout the city!
In just half a month, the Spirit Race vanished from the public eye like a virus that had been eradicated.
Jiang City had, for the time being, returned to its usual peace and quiet.
Meanwhile, in the nursery.
Chen Yan sat cross-legged, his qi and blood and mental power intertwining like two streams surging ceaselessly through his body.
He'd been incredibly busy these past few days.
During the day, he played with Yu Qingmeng. At night, he controlled "Peppa Pig" to patrol the city and mark Spirit Race hideouts for his father, Chen Kefa, and the Special Investigation Team.
He spent all his remaining time grinding skills!
At last, today his mental stat, which had lagged far behind his qi and blood, finally caught up.
[Qi and Blood: 2000/2000] [Spirit: 2000/2000]
In fact, Chen Yan's qi and blood had reached two thousand several days ago.
Then he seemed to hit an invisible barrier. No matter how he practiced the [Qi Nurturing Foundation Art], he couldn't increase it by even a fraction.
It wasn't until today, the instant his spirit reached two thousand as well, that something finally stirred in the system!
[Ding! The host's qi and blood and spirit have both reached the innate limit!] [Would you like to establish a Perfect Foundation and break through the first qi-and-blood threshold?]
With a thought, Chen Yan brought up his full status panel.
[Host: Chen Yan] [Age: 1 year, 17 days] [Cultivation: Amateur Fifth Dan] [Qi and Blood: 2000/2000 (human innate limit)] [Spirit: 2000/2000 (human innate limit)] [Charm: 93/100 (exceptionally gifted)] [Fortune: 23 (luck comes in droves)] [Constitution: Innate Dao Body (born close to the Dao, all arts come naturally)] [Skills:] [Qi Nurturing Foundation Art (proficient) (7000/10000)] [Meditation Method (proficient) (7500/10000)] [Efficient Absorption (proficient) (6500/10000)] [Deep Sleep (proficient) (6500/10000)] [Godly Movement (proficient) (6500/10000)] [Image Projection Scroll (proficient) (6000/10000)] [Shadow Concealment (proficient) (6000/10000)] [Divine Sense Differentiation (proficient) (7000/10000)] [Arrow Barrage (proficient) (6000/10000)] [Achievements: Self-Disciplined Baby Boy (Blue), Vigorous as a Dragon and Tiger (Blue)]
Looking at what he'd accomplished over the past half month, Chen Yan felt deeply satisfied.
This was what it meant to cultivate efficiently!
A cold system notification sounded in his mind at just the right moment.
[Perfect Foundation Establishment: Across the myriad races of the universe, only a handful of peerless prodigies have the chance to achieve this supreme starting point at the beginning of their cultivation journey.] [Requirements: Practice an unparalleled foundational art that points straight to the origin of the Great Dao, such as the Qi Nurturing Foundation Art. Before breaking through to a professional martial artist, cultivate both qi and blood and spirit to their innate limits (2000 points), bringing them into perfect balance, uniting yin and yang as an Integrated Whole.] [Ordinary martial artists are limited by the grade of their cultivation arts. Their qi and blood often reach only a few hundred points before they hastily attempt a breakthrough, while their spirit remains far below the required level. Their foundations are impure and mixed, and they spend their entire lives unable to glimpse the peak of the martial path.] [Note: Achieving Perfect Foundation Establishment (a Golden achievement) will merge the effects of two Blue achievements. Please consider carefully!]
So that was how it worked.
No wonder his father, Chen Kefa, was a Professional Fifth Dan martial artist with powerful qi-and-blood pressure, yet seemed to have nothing special about his spirit.
It turned out that most people had taken the wrong path from the very beginning!
Or rather, they'd never had a choice.
The Spirit Race had lopsided stats, too...
And as for merging Blue achievements...
What was there to think about?!
Two Blues for one Gold—even a simpleton would know which to pick!
Chen Yan didn't hesitate any longer.
"Yes!"
He silently gave the command.
A chaotic boom, like the birth of the universe, erupted at once in his sea of consciousness and his dantian qi sea!
The little baby sitting cross-legged on the carpet suddenly radiated a soft yet unmistakable milky-white glow.
Within the radiance, pale golden qi and blood burned like a furnace on the left, while pure spiritual energy, cool as moonlight, shone on the right.
Two wholly different, even opposing, energies
now began to revolve slowly inside and around his body, like two yin-yang fish chasing each other's tails.
They chased and melded into one another.
With every rotation, Chen Yan felt his body and soul being cleansed and remade, again and again!
His bones grew denser and tougher, like white jade.
The energy within his flesh and blood surged exponentially!
His sea of consciousness roared like a raging ocean. His spiritual power was compressed and refined without pause, growing purer and more agile!
An unprecedented sense of power, completeness, and control welled up within him!
He felt a wondrous resonance with the world around him.
All he had to do was will it, and he could easily stir the air around him into a gale!
This was... power!
After an unknown length of time, the rotating yin-yang fish slowly faded, then disappeared completely into his tiny body.
Everything returned to stillness.
It was as if nothing had happened.
But Chen Yan knew he'd been reborn.
[Ding! Congratulations, host! You have broken through the qi-and-blood threshold and completed Perfect Foundation Establishment!] [Congratulations, host! You have earned the Golden Legend achievement—Perfect Foundation Establishment!] [Achievement: Perfect Foundation Establishment] [Quality: Gold (Legendary)] [Requirements: Reach the human innate limit in both qi and blood and spirit (2000 points), then break through the first qi-and-blood threshold and officially enter Amateur First Dan.] [Effect 1: Flawless Dao Foundation (Your qi and blood and spiritual power will forever remain in perfect balance. They can transform into and nourish one another, and you will never again risk a deviation in cultivation. Every day, qi and blood and spirit each increase by 50.)] [Effect 2: Innate Dignity (You will find it easier to earn others' initial goodwill or intimidate enemies with weak resolve.)] [Effect 3: Fortune +50!]
Chen Yan slowly opened his eyes.
A flash of brilliant golden light passed through his round, dark eyes.
His Fortune had shot up by a full 50 points!
He could clearly sense an ineffable aura enveloping him.
It was as if, from that moment on, he was the most favored child in the world!
"Is this what it feels like to be the chosen one?" Chen Yan grinned from ear to ear.
The achievement was certainly cause for celebration.
But Chen Yan knew that the most pressing matter was to find the Spirit Race's "invasion route" into Jiang City as soon as possible.
Over the past half month, with the covert guidance of him, the "Peppa Pig Hero," the Special Investigation Team had nearly wiped out every Spirit Race scout openly lurking in Jiang City.
Most of the Spirit Race had been captured alive by Chen Kefa and the others using specially made devices that restrained their spiritual power, then sent to Wang Xiaoming's laboratory.
As for the few whose bodies had been accidentally blown apart during the pursuit, he'd followed behind them with his sparrow avatar and devoured every last trace of their remaining spiritual energy!
Now the crisis on the surface in Jiang City had temporarily passed, and the city was beginning to recover.
"Xiao Yan, Qingmeng, come down here!"
Du Qionghua's voice rang out from downstairs.
"The weather's lovely today. Your mother and Auntie Liu Xin are taking you out for a stroll! You haven't been outside in ages!"
Hearing that, Chen Yan climbed to his feet from the carpet.
He'd stayed home and been self-disciplined for long enough...
It was time to see this now-"safe" Jiang City with his own eyes.
Before you continue