Chapter Thirteen: Bright Moon Community

After descending to the fourth floor, Luo Yuan, led by a staff member, entered a private cultivation room. As the alloy door closed behind him, Luo Yuan glanced at the training equipment inside with complete disinterest. He sat cross-legged on the floor—now was the time to reap his rewards.

"Attribute fusion!"

At his mental command, the bubbles in his attribute space began to burst. Instantly, a searing, soul-tearing pain shot through his mind—a torture of the spirit. The agony overwhelmed him, and he lost consciousness.

Beeps—shrill and insistent—sounded from an electronic alarm, rousing Luo Yuan from his stupor. Groggy, he sat up and pressed his hands to his throbbing head.

"Dear user, you have been in the cultivation room for four hours. Moderate training is good for the mind, but overindulgence harms the body. Please manage your time wisely and enjoy a healthy life."

"Well, well, even a private cultivation room comes with anti-addiction features," Luo Yuan mused, recalling his gaming days in his previous life—it brought an amused smile to his lips.

"Open personal attribute panel."

Name: Luo Yuan
Strength: Apprentice Level (Intermediate Warrior)
Power: 2200 kg
Speed: 45 m/s
Defense: 2200 kg
Spirit: 1500 kg
Cultivation Method: None
Skill: Movement Technique (Subtle Mastery)

Surveying his attributes, Luo Yuan frowned. Aside from his spirit power, which had tripled, his other stats had barely increased. It seemed his suspicion was correct: as his power grew, the attribute values provided by those students and monsters beneath the Warrior threshold were no longer sufficient for his advancement. He would have to seek out places where beings of Warrior level or higher gathered to continue collecting attributes.

According to the logic of this world, a spiritualist’s physical strength typically lagged two levels behind their spiritual power. If the body was at Beginner Warrior level, the spirit would usually be at Advanced Warrior. Should the body reach Intermediate Warrior, then the spirit would ascend to Beginner War General, and so on.

Yet Luo Yuan’s situation was different from orthodox spiritualists. Most spiritualists were prodigies who awakened their powers naturally, while Luo Yuan strengthened his spirit by picking up attributes. Thus, he couldn't be measured by this world's standards. In fact, he held a unique advantage—natural talent had its limits, but as long as there were spirit attributes to collect, his own spirit could grow without bounds.

Spiritualists fell into three main categories. The first was object controllers: those who could wield spikes, flying knives, and similar weapons for long-range attacks. Their telekinetic assaults were far deadlier than heavy sniper bullets—sniper fire was almost always straight, but a spiritualist’s controlled weapons followed unpredictable paths and carried varying destructive force.

The second kind specialized in direct spiritual attacks—a mysterious art that struck at the soul of a person or beast. Success meant the body remained unscathed, yet the target perished instantly. Such attacks, however, were difficult; they typically only worked on beings two levels below the user. Among spiritualists, those who mastered this technique were exceedingly rare.

As for the third category—beast tamers—Luo Yuan knew little about them.

Exiting the cultivation room, Luo Yuan glanced at the night sky outside. So it was already evening—he had lost all sense of time while training. At the door, a staff member awaited him.

"Mr. Luo Yuan, the master of the dojo asked me to deliver these to you: the keys to your assigned villa and its address, located in Moonlight Community. The place has been thoroughly cleaned for your arrival. Here is a gold card with ten million Huaxia credits—the password is written on the back. Is there anything else you require?"

"No, thank you for your trouble." Luo Yuan looked at the keys and the gold card in his hand, unable to hold back a sigh at the efficiency of Master Jiang—talent truly was valued everywhere.

He took the bus back to his low-rent apartment in South Shore Community, only to find Xu Qian lying on the sofa, engrossed in a movie. It was a rare sight to see her in the evening; she must have been seriously injured this time.

"Sister Qian, I have something to tell you—I'm moving out tomorrow. The Extreme Martial Arts Dojo recruited me early and has assigned me a villa in Moonlight Community." Luo Yuan sat beside her, the faint, intoxicating fragrance of her perfume stirring a restlessness within him.

"Oh, the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo is quick to act. What are your thoughts on it?" Xu Qian tilted her head, her beautiful, almond-shaped eyes brimming with curiosity. She found herself growing fond of this young man beside her—not romantically, but with genuine admiration. After all, their relationship hadn’t reached that stage, and the age gap made her hesitant.

"I've thought it over; I won’t be joining your organization. As for actual combat experience, I can spar with people from the dojo. I'm sorry," Luo Yuan said apologetically. He owed this woman a lot—she had helped him time and again.

She laughed it off. "No problem. Joining the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo is just fine; the underground league isn’t easy to navigate anyway. But this means I won’t get to eat your cooking anymore. Honestly, you’re quite the chef." Her eyes, though, betrayed a hint of regret.

"Sister Qian, why don’t you move into my villa? It’s far better than this place," Luo Yuan blurted out.

"Oh? Are you planning to keep me as your mistress, or are you hiding a beauty in your golden house?" Xu Qian teased, winking at him.

"No, no, it was just a thought," Luo Yuan quickly explained, realizing he’d spoken without thinking.

She waved a hand dismissively. "Forget it—I’m a killer, used to being alone and keeping a low profile. If I wanted to live in a villa, I’d never have come here. But thank you for your offer. Just promise me—if we meet again, don’t pretend you don’t know me." There was a trace of sadness in her eyes.

Back in his bedroom, Luo Yuan reflected on everything he’d experienced since arriving in this world—it all felt like a dream. Yet the world was so vivid, the people so alive. Especially his co-tenant, this woman—he didn’t know her well, but he sensed she was a good person.

The next morning, as usual, Luo Yuan prepared breakfast for Xu Qian. Then, dragging his suitcase, he quietly left South Shore Community. Xu Qian did not come out to see him off. Luo Yuan laughed at himself, unaware that she was watching his departing figure from the window.

By late morning, at the main entrance of Moonlight Community, six armed soldiers stood at attention on either side of the gate, their eyes scanning the surroundings.

"Halt!" barked one of them, raising his assault rifle and aiming at the approaching taxi.

With a screech of brakes, the taxi came to a stop.

Luo Yuan got out. The white-haired old guard at the gatehouse seemed to have been informed in advance. After verifying Luo Yuan’s ID and keys, he let him in.

Inside, Luo Yuan took in the central Extreme Martial Arts Dojo, the small bridges over flowing water, the artificial hills and ponds, and the secluded villas encircled by streams. Satisfied, he made his way to his own villa. At the door, he noticed the house number—200—raising an eyebrow at the auspicious number.

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