Chapter Sixty-Three: The Grand Upgrade

Inside the Bureau of Investigation for Anomalous Creatures in Spirit City, Fan Tianxing was sipping his tea while Ren Zhonghao, with one leg broken, stood nearby giving his report.

Although it was the man before him who had broken his leg, Ren Zhonghao still wore a servile smile.

“Director Fan, just as you predicted, several of those low-level Spirit Tamers sent down from above have died. Your foresight is truly remarkable.”

“Dead? Not just missing? Are their anomalous creatures still present?” Fan Tianxing asked, frowning.

“Yes, seven are dead. Their bodies are barely recognizable, but they’re still there. Most of them didn’t have time to even summon their creatures, so the creatures are all intact.”

“How is that possible?” Fan Tianxing’s frown deepened. Ever since arriving in Spirit City, nothing had gone according to his expectations.

He had purposely called for a batch of low-level Spirit Tamers from above in order to lure out the owner of that bizarre space.

According to his deduction, the owner of the anomalous space couldn’t have assembled an army of anomalous creatures yet, and would surely try to do so. With the core already destroyed, triggering a full resurgence of the anomalous, it was no longer possible to assimilate other humans into anomalous beings. The only way left was to assimilate the creatures controlled by Spirit Tamers.

From what he knew, assimilating a Spirit Tamer’s creature required drawing the Tamer themselves into the anomalous space, so he had assumed those Tamers would go missing.

But now? The Tamers were indeed dead, but their creatures were unharmed and their bodies remained. What on earth was happening?

Shaking his head, Fan Tianxing decided not to dwell on this for now. The most pressing task was to reclaim Tianjing City.

With that thought, he glanced toward the doorway and smiled faintly. “Ah, our guests have arrived.”

No sooner had he spoken than several oddly dressed people pushed open the door and entered.

Leading them was a bald man, his body covered in scars, exuding a faint scent of medicinal herbs. As soon as he entered, he called out to Fan Tianxing.

“So, you’re Fan Tianxing?”

Fan Tianxing tilted his head, crossed his legs, and retorted, “Did no one ever teach you to knock before entering a superior’s office?”

“Hmph! Superior? You’re just an ordinary man—who do you think you are?” The bald man sneered, clearly looking down on Fan Tianxing's lack of visible power.

“An ordinary man?” Fan Tianxing smiled ambiguously, then his expression turned cold as he fixed his gaze on the bald man.

At first, the bald man was curious about what the director intended to do. The next moment, he felt an immense, invisible force pressing down on his head. In seconds, he dropped to his knees.

He struggled desperately, but the more he resisted, the greater the pressure became. Soon, blood trickled from his nose, and he collapsed on the floor.

“Hexin!” The others rushed forward, trying to help him up.

“I’d like to see who dares,” Fan Tianxing’s voice rang out coolly.

Even a fool could tell now that this was Fan Tianxing’s doing. At his threat, no one dared to move.

Fan Tianxing rose from his chair, walked slowly to Hexin’s side, and bent down to look him in the eye.

“By rights, I should kill you.”

Hexin glared up silently.

“But you might still be of use. Take this as a lesson—if you ever show me the slightest disrespect again, I’ll kill you on the spot!” Fan Tianxing’s gaze sharpened, his teeth clenched as he spoke.

The threat lingered in the air, the pressure vanished, and Hexin slowly stood up, wiping the blood from his nose, silent now.

He hadn’t expected this so-called ordinary director to possess such power. He himself was a top-class warrior, meticulously trained by Huaxia, a third-stage martial artist, yet he’d been rendered powerless.

Fan Tianxing, unconcerned with their thoughts, turned to face the map of Huaxia on the wall behind him and spoke in a measured tone.

“The resurgence of the anomalous has just begun, but not a single inch of Huaxia’s land can be lost!”

“Yes, yes, Director Fan is always right,” Ren Zhonghao seized every chance to flatter him.

“What I mean is, if some of those creatures from the ancient texts awaken and there’s a territory controlled by the anomalous, they’ll have ample time to regain their strength. When that happens, we’re finished!” He placed his hand on a book, his voice fervent.

All eyes turned to the book—it bore three archaic characters: The Classic of Mountains and Seas.

Everyone drew a sharp breath. No one doubted him, for all his predictions had come true.

If the monsters from the Classic of Mountains and Seas were real...

No one dared imagine further; they could only take things one step at a time.

Meanwhile, Feng Tianlin was reviewing his Terror Points, which had been steadily accumulating at an impressive rate. He now had over 1.6 million points, enough to raise his strength another tier.

He upgraded Freezing Frost, the Mimicker, and the Shadow skill all to Level 10, spending more than six hundred thousand points and still having over a million left. Each of these skills was extremely useful—well worth the investment.

“Host has upgraded Freezing Frost to Level 10. It has evolved into Age of Ice and Snow, Level 10.

Age of Ice and Snow: Freezes time within an area for a set duration (duration scales with skill level).”

“Host has upgraded Mimicker to Level 10. It has evolved into the Imitator, Level 10.

Imitator: Allows partial replication of the target’s abilities and traits (scales with skill level).”

“Host has upgraded Shadow to Level 10. It has evolved into Division, Level 10.

Division: Allows the user to split into multiple identical selves (scales with skill level), each possessing the user’s full power.”

This was a tremendous gain—each skill not only reached Level 10 but also evolved substantially. Age of Ice and Snow could freeze an area for an hour; the Imitator was now more than just a support skill; Division was practically an advanced clone technique.

Having upgraded himself, Feng Tianlin didn’t forget Long Mengting and the others.

He maxed out all their skills as well.

“Host has upgraded Bloodthirsty Loli’s Piercing Claw to Level 10. It has evolved into Terror Claw, Level 10.

Terror Claw: Greatly enhances the arm, imbuing it with a fearsome aura.

Host has upgraded Bloodthirsty Loli’s Invisibility to Level 10. It has evolved into Vanish, Level 10.

Vanish: Disappear from the current space for a certain duration (scales with skill level).

Host has upgraded Explosive Bear’s Little Bear Bomb to Level 10. It has evolved into Explosive Bomb, Level 10.

Explosive Bomb: Creates a corrosive crater upon detonation.

Host has upgraded Explosive Bear’s Tianxing Shield to Level 10. It has evolved into Red Kui Shield, Level 10.

Red Kui Shield: Forms a circular shield, its size and defense determined by the user; the smaller, the stronger, and with a chance to block all damage.

Host has upgraded Ghostly Woman’s Yin Spirit Breath to Level 10. It has evolved into Yin-Yang Breath, Level 10.

Yin-Yang Breath: Can forcibly absorb the souls of the living for sacrificial attack, converting them into power.

Once all upgrades were complete, Feng Tianlin spent every last Terror Point, yet felt no regret—only exhilaration.

With their current strength, combined with the anomalous domain, no human, however powerful, could stand against them. Not to mention, they still had the backup of Qi Xuan and Bai Langen.

“Tianjing City is as good as ours!”