"Um... Lu Ding, right?"
The man called out.
Lu Ding turned around. He had noticed these two earlier, but the monster had to be dealt with first. Their reaction to the monster and the scene had piqued his interest.
"I am Lu Ding. And you are?"
Zhou Jie smiled warmly: "We are trainee investigators from the 749 Bureau. I'm Zhou Jie, this is Long Shanshan."
"We came today to discuss the incident at the construction site earlier. This isn't the place to talk. Could we move elsewhere?"
**749 Bureau!!!**
The name struck Lu Ding like thunder.
In both his previous life and this one, it carried an aura of deep mystery.
Half-truths, half-rumors, impossible to verify.
He never imagined agents from 749 would actually seek him out.
Lu Ding nodded. "Let's talk at my place."
He turned to gather his spoils, only to see the corpse of the Wangxiang had vanished from the ground!
"Huh?!"
Long Shanshan explained: "That was a *Wood Wangxiang*, a spirit of wood and stone. After death, it dissipates back into the soil."
*So that's why.* Lu Ding hadn't known that.
He felt a pang of regret. If he could have preserved it, it might have been useful.
Seeing his disappointment, both Zhou Jie and Long Shanshan felt their eyebrows twitch. They had reviewed Lu Ding's file on the way here.
Beyond his excellent grades, he was listed as completely ordinary – perhaps a bit precocious, understandable given his background.
But this current behavior... this wasn't normal at all.
First, facing the unawakened Southern Mountain Boulder with an impact drill, getting drenched in blood, showing not a trace of fear but pure excitement. Now, brutally dispatching the Wood Wangxiang and looking disappointed he couldn't keep the corpse.
*This* was supposed to be an ordinary person?!?!
Following Lu Ding home, they saw the Southern Mountain Boulder fragments placed in the living room and exhaled deeply again.
Zhou Jie decided to speak up: "Lu Ding, the Southern Mountain Boulder shouldn't be left out like this."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because it's an essence of heaven and earth. Similar to Tai Sui but distinct, it exerts a powerful attraction on all kinds of spirits, demons, and monsters. That Wood Wangxiang earlier was likely drawn here by it."
Lu Ding's eyes lit up.
*This was good news!*
He might just take this thing for a walk downtown!
Right now, Lu Ding *craved* more monsters finding him!
Seeing his expression shift, Long Shanshan guessed his thoughts and quickly interjected: "You can't do that recklessly! Attracting a Wood Wangxiang is one thing. If you draw something truly terrifying, forget fighting it – you wouldn't even be able to *run*."
Hearing this, Lu Ding gave up the idea.
While he wanted more monsters for rewards, attracting something he couldn't handle would be disastrous.
He put away the Southern Mountain Boulder fragments.
The three sat down.
Zhou Jie activated a recorder on his chest. "Alright, I'll begin."
"Lu Ding, we wanted to ask: did you experience your 'Awakening' during the process of killing the Southern Mountain Boulder?"
"Awakening?"
Lu Ding looked puzzled.
Zhou Jie patiently explained: "People like us are called **Qi Refiners**. It's similar to cultivators in novels. To become a cultivator, you need spiritual roots. In the real world, there are no 'spiritual roots,' only innate talent."
"This talent – you either have it or you don't. Ordinary people who possess this latent cultivation talent are usually indistinguishable from others. It only manifests when stimulated by external forces, or... like you, after undergoing a 'Baptism'."
"External stimulation is self-explanatory. We'll focus on Baptism. Baptism, also called 'Pointing the Spirit' or 'Opening the Aperture,' uses rare treasures to catalyze one's latent talent, transforming it from hidden to active. During this process, there's a chance you might absorb and awaken the inherent magical abilities of the treasure used for the Baptism."
"The blood and substance of the Southern Mountain Boulder are such treasures. So, your cutting ability is very likely the absorbed talent of the Southern Mountain Boulder. You also possess your *own* innate talent. Have you discovered it yet?"
Lu Ding pondered.
*This was convenient.* It saved him explaining his 'golden finger.'
His 'innate talent' could serve as cover for future rewards.
He shook his head and asked the question burning in his mind: "Is it possible to absorb and awaken talents like this again later?"
"Impossible. This absorption opportunity only exists during the *first* Baptism, the Opening of the Aperture. The absorbed talent becomes instinctive. Of course, you can learn other arts and magical abilities later, but they won't feel as natural or effortless as an instinct."
Lu Ding understood. It was enlightening.
He followed Zhou Jie's line of thought: "Then... I suppose I must have undergone the Awakening."
*Exactly!*
Zhou Jie and Long Shanshan thought simultaneously.
The Southern Mountain Boulder was a rare treasure. Using it for Baptism and becoming a Qi Refiner was logical – within reason, but still surprising.
While absorbing the treasure's talent made sense...
The probability was incredibly small.
And succeeding meant being a dual-talent bearer from the start.
Leaping ahead of others by a huge margin. Truly enviable.
Especially with Lu Ding's terrifying combat power immediately after Awakening.
*Comparing oneself to others is infuriating.*
Both investigators attributed Lu Ding's current strength entirely to the Southern Mountain Boulder.
They had thought this was just a minor incident during patrol. Who knew the Southern Mountain Boulder was involved? If they had known, formal investigators would have been dispatched.
After the questioning concluded, Zhou Jie got to the main point.
"Alright, Lu Ding. Regarding individuals like you who have undergone Awakening, the 749 Bureau has two management standards."
"Option One: Join the 749 Bureau. Start as a Trainee Investigator. Complete ten missions or contain ten monsters to become a Formal Investigator."
"Formal Investigators receive **seven insurances and three funds**, plus a **monthly salary of fifty thousand yuan**. Mission pay is additional. Trainee Investigators also get **thirty thousand yuan monthly**, plus mission pay. A minimum of one mission per month is required."
"Additionally, joining the 749 Bureau grants access to cultivation resources, channels to exchange for cultivation techniques, and guidance from instructors – similar to joining a sect in novels. There are also numerous societal privileges, including but not limited to: firearm permits, unconditional cooperation from local authorities, and temporary highest command authority in local jurisdictions."
"Option Two: Do not join the 749 Bureau. However, you must guarantee you won't endanger society, report monthly to the local 749 office, and are forbidden from leaving the country."
The choice was obvious to anyone sensible.
Joining the 749 offered immense benefits. Why wouldn't he? Besides, Lu Ding felt a genuine sense of belonging to Great Han. He'd survived, had shelter, and received an education solely through state aid and subsidies.
A secure government job didn't sound bad.
And the chance to cultivate... *that* truly ignited Lu Ding's interest.
"You mentioned cultivation earlier. What exactly does that entail?"