Online Shopping

The faint light of dawn pierced the dead silence of the old dormitory building, illuminating the charred zombie remains scattered across the floor and the blade marks on the walls with startling clarity.

The air reeked of scorching and rotting corpses, like a battlefield that had only just fallen silent.

Fang Gang strode out of the building with the Bronze Battle Halberd over his shoulder, his dark-golden bald head reflecting a cold, hard gleam beneath the morning light.

The combat uniform on his body had long since been torn into rags by the Nine Yang True Fire and the zombies' claws, revealing skin beneath that shimmered with dark gold and crimson-gold light. He was completely unscathed.

Beyond the cordon, Fatty Chen led a squad of fully armed, pale-faced team members who were craning their necks to look inside.

When Fang Gang emerged, Chen Tao looked as though he had seen his savior and scrambled across the cordon.

"Brother Fang! Master Fang! You... you're incredible!"

Chen Tao was so excited that he could barely speak coherently. Looking at the haunted building behind Fang Gang, which appeared to have been ravaged by a hurricane, even his voice trembled. "You wiped out the zombie horde alone! Destroyed the fierce ghost! You're the pillar of Linjiang! No! You're Linjiang's bald-headed beacon!"

Fang Gang glanced at him and ignored the exaggerated flattery. "Clean this place up."

"Yes, yes, yes! Right away! I guarantee not even a hair will be left behind!"

Chen Tao nodded and bowed, then rubbed his hands together with a fawning smile. "Well... Brother Fang, about this time... your contribution was so great... The bureau wants to do an interview with you and set you up as an example..."

"No time." Fang Gang cut him off calmly. Set him up as an example? Put him on display like a monkey? He had no interest.

"Uh... what about the reward money..." Chen Tao still refused to give up.

"Transfer it to my card." Fang Gang kept it brief and turned to leave with the halberd over his shoulder.

He needed to find somewhere to use those two hundred-plus Evolution Points and push True Nine Yang Divine Skill even higher! After mastery came perfection! Power enough to burn mountains and boil seas!

Just then, a cool voice came from nearby.

"The Special Affairs Bureau won't shortchange you on the reward."

Fang Gang paused and turned toward the voice.

Under a dead locust tree not far away stood a tall, slender figure.

Her black trench coat was crisp and straight. Her ink-black hair was tied behind her head with a simple wooden hairpin, revealing a smooth forehead and a pair of cold eyes as deep as frozen pools.

It was Ling Shuang, whom he had met once beneath the crematorium.

She held a palm-sized specialized tablet, its screen pointed at Fang Gang. A clipped video was playing on it—footage of Fang Gang in the fourth-floor corridor of the old dormitory building, blocking three horse-chopping sabers head-on, incinerating the Green Zombie leader with one palm, and sweeping through the zombie horde in a frenzy while bathed in Nine Yang True Fire!

The angle was tricky. It had clearly been captured by some sort of special surveillance device or spell-recording technique.

"Civilian Investigation Team. Ling Shuang."

She put away the tablet, her gaze passing over the dark-golden skin beneath Fang Gang's "beggar outfit." Her tone remained calm. "Not bad skills. Tough skin, too."

When Chen Tao saw Ling Shuang, he instinctively shrank his neck, clearly quite wary of her.

"Something you need?" Fang Gang raised an eyebrow slightly. This woman always appeared and disappeared like a ghost, and every time she showed up, she brought something with her.

Ling Shuang did not answer. Instead, she took a tightly oilcloth-wrapped square package from the inner pocket of her trench coat and casually tossed it to Fang Gang.

Fang Gang caught it one-handed.

It felt heavy in his hand. Beneath the oilcloth was the familiar texture of cheap paper, carrying a scent of dust mixed with inexpensive cinnabar.

"Payment." Ling Shuang was concise. "What you cleared out beneath the crematorium was worth this much."

Fang Gang tore open a corner of the oilcloth. Sure enough, it was another pirated book! The cover was made of cheap coated paper, printed with several crooked, gold-stamped words:

"Vajra Indestructible Divine Art (Collector's Secret Edition)"

Below was a line of small print: Once mastered, your head will be hard as steel, impervious to blades and spears! (Includes QR code for Golden Bell Shield instructional video.)

An even stronger air of jianghu scam artistry than the previous copy of "Vajra Indestructible" hit him in the face.

The corner of Fang Gang's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. This again? But... if the system could convert it, then it was good stuff!

"Thanks." Without changing expression, he stuffed the oilcloth package into the still mostly intact pocket of his pants.

"You're welcome."

Ling Shuang nodded slightly, but her gaze swept meaningfully over the Bronze Battle Halberd on Fang Gang's shoulder and the deep-black brand faintly visible beneath the tear in his sleeve. "The Nightmare Holy Cult has its eye on you. The Blood Sacrifice Priest lineage holds grudges fiercely. You ruined their plans in the old dormitory building and killed their people. They won't let this go."

Fang Gang's eyes turned cold. "I'd welcome it."

"You've got backbone."

The corner of Ling Shuang's lips seemed to lift in the faintest arc before vanishing. "A word of warning: be careful of their Blood Grudge Curse Kill. It takes lives from afar and is impossible to guard against. No matter how tough your skin is, it won't help if your mind can't withstand it."

Mental!

The word struck Fang Gang's heart like a heavy hammer! This was precisely his greatest weakness at present!

The Resentful Eye brand on his left arm and that bizarre mental assault from the flute had both made him wary!

"You have a solution?" Fang Gang looked sharply at Ling Shuang. This woman was mysterious. Maybe she really had something useful.

Ling Shuang did not answer directly, instead changing the subject. "Mental defense methods are rare and precious. The few in the Special Affairs Bureau's stores are either incomplete or come at an enormous cost. They don't suit someone like you."

She paused, watching Fang Gang's slightly furrowed brow before slowly adding, "But... I do know a source. On the Mou Xixi Online Shopping Platform, the owner of a shop called Metaphysical Sundries Shop has the ID 'Tong You San Ren.' Strange 'ancient secret manuals' occasionally pass through his hands. The prices... are very affordable. A few days ago, he listed a copy of 'Introduction to Mental Meditation (Includes Brain Domain Development Tutorial).' Zero sales, no reviews yet. Dare to take a gamble?"

Mou Xixi Online Shopping Platform? "Introduction to Mental Meditation"?

Fang Gang froze for a moment, then a sharp light burst from his eyes! Another pirated online book?! He knew this route well! The system loved this sort of thing!

"The ID?" Fang Gang pressed.

"Tong You San Ren."

After giving him the name, Ling Shuang turned and walked into the shadows. "Good luck. If there's any news about the Blood Sacrifice Priest, I'll notify you." Her figure flickered several times before disappearing into the dawn.

Chen Tao, who had been listening in confusion, said, "Mou Xixi? Mental meditation? Brother Fang, is this... reliable? What if it's a scam..."

Fang Gang ignored him and took out his phone, unlocking it with his fingerprint before opening the familiar orange app icon. His movements were practiced enough to make one sad.

He entered "Tong You San Ren" into the search bar.

Can't find the book by title? Try searching for the author instead. Maybe it was simply renamed!

The shop appeared. Its page was crude, with only a handful of products. Pinned at the top was indeed a booklet with an overly flashy cover:

"Introduction to Mental Meditation (Full-Color Illustrations)"

The accompanying image showed a cartoon old man sitting cross-legged in meditation with smoke rising from his head.

Price: 9.9, free shipping!

Sales: 0.

Reviews: None yet.

Description: Ancient Eastern secret art! Develop your brain domain! Strengthen mental power! Resist external evils! A blessing for those suffering from insomnia and vivid dreams! (Includes an ultra-value Brain Domain Development video tutorial. Scan the code to watch!)

An even denser aura of an intelligence tax scam than "Vajra Indestructible Divine Art" rushed at him!

Fang Gang's mouth twitched, but his gaze was exceptionally resolute. Without hesitation, he tapped purchase and paid by fingerprint! The 9.9 was deducted instantly!

Order successful! The seller has shipped your item! Estimated delivery: tomorrow!

Done! Fang Gang put away his phone, his heart settling. The key to mental defense was in hand! It was still pirated, but with the system, even something fake could become real!

"I'm leaving." He tossed those words to the still-dazed Chen Tao, hoisted the halberd, and strode away from the ruined battlefield.

He needed to return and use his remaining Evolution Points to push True Nine Yang Divine Skill to the peak of mastery! Then he would wait for "Introduction to Mental Meditation" to arrive and convert it!

The moment he returned to the old apartment building he rented, Old Zhao, the security guard, poked his head out while holding a crumpled delivery bag. His expression was strange. "Little Fang! You've got a package! It just arrived! Looks... like a book?"

Fang Gang took it and tore open the seal. The familiar smell of cheap paper greeted him.

A thin booklet slipped out. Its cover was a deep blue, bearing several flamboyant characters:

"Nine Yang Divine Skill (Complete Detailed Explanation)"

Beside them was a line of small print: Nine Yang united, burn away the eight wastelands! (Includes Essence of Heaven and Earth Great Shift.)

It was the complete edition of "Nine Yang Divine Skill" that he had ordered earlier!

Golden flames flashed in Fang Gang's eyes! Perfect timing! With mastered Nine Yang and this complete edition, reaching perfection was just around the corner! He stuffed this newly arrived pirated copy together with the copy of "Vajra Indestructible" Ling Shuang had given him, then carried the halberd upstairs.

Back in his room, he locked the door. He leaned the Bronze Battle Halberd against the wall and impatiently sat down cross-legged.

"System!"

The light screen unfolded:

Host: Fang Gang

Realm: Tendon Transformation Realm (Mid Stage)

Strength: 10000 (Savage Elephant Holding Up the Heavens)

Constitution: 1200 (Indestructible Golden Body)

Agility: 650 (Chasing Stars and Moon)

Cultivation Techniques: True Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill (Perfection), True Vajra Indestructible Body (Perfection), True Nine Yang Divine Skill (Mastery 246/500)

Available Evolution Points: 214!

"Add points to True Nine Yang Divine Skill!" Fang Gang's will was iron!

Boom—!!!

All 214 Evolution Points burned away in an instant! A scorching torrent even more vast and tyrannical than when he had previously broken through to mastery erupted from deep within his dantian!

The crimson-gold Nine Yang Inner Breath seemed to have been infused with the core of a star, expanding wildly, compressing, and undergoing a qualitative transformation!

The searing torrent surged and roared through the broad meridians of his mid-stage Tendon Transformation Realm, its temperature soaring to a horrifying level!

Every pore on Fang Gang's body spewed tangible crimson-gold flames. The temperature in the room rose sharply, and the paint on the walls began to smell scorched!

True Nine Yang Divine Skill: Mastery (246/500) → Perfection (460/500)!

Nine Yang had reached perfection! Burning mountains and boiling seas were no longer empty words!

Fang Gang slowly opened his eyes. Deep within his pupils, two miniature suns seemed to be burning!

He slowly exhaled, and his scorching breath distorted the air, leaving a shallow scorch mark on the floor!

He clenched his fist. Crimson-gold molten currents flowed beneath his skin, and he felt that one punch from him now could blast the previous Blood Fiend Corpse Puppet into its most basic particles!

"Blood Sacrifice Priest... just wait." Fang Gang's voice was low, carrying killing intent that could burn away everything.

He picked up his phone. The screen lit up, and a pickup notification from the Cainiao Station popped up:

"Your package, 'Introduction to Mental Meditation (Full-Color Illustrations),' has arrived. Please collect it using pickup code XXXX."

The key to mental defense had arrived!

A sharp light burst from Fang Gang's eyes as he rose abruptly! His dark-golden bald head streaked a scorching trail through the room.

He grabbed the Bronze Battle Halberd leaning against the wall. It was scorching hot in his hand, and the weapon seemed to resonate with the Nine Yang True Fire within him, releasing a low hum.

This time, he would make up for his mental weakness as well! Nightmare Holy Cult? Resentful Eye brand? Let's see what tricks you can still pull!

He pulled open the door, ready to head downstairs to collect his package.

Suddenly!

The deep-black Resentful Eye brand on his left arm, which had remained relatively quiet until now, began to tremble violently without warning!

The dark-golden vertical eye slit at its end abruptly expanded to its limit!

A cold, greedy, yet intensely repulsed and hateful complex will surged out like a burst dam! Its target pointed directly... toward the Cainiao Station downstairs!

It was as though something there made it desperately crave it, yet fear it just as desperately!

Fang Gang stopped in his tracks! His eyes instantly sharpened like blades!

"Introduction to Mental Meditation... the book?"

He looked down at the violently writhing brand on his arm, then toward downstairs. A cold gleam flickered in his eyes. "Looks like... this thing is more interesting than I thought?"