I STACK ATTRIBUTES IN THE APOCALYPSE -MyOwnEdit-

A grueling hour of relentless strikes passed.

It turned out that even self-healing abilities had their limits...

After thirty minutes of Lu Ming's relentless assault, the regenerative speed of the three humanoid monsters began to falter. By the end of the hour, three lifeless mounds of flesh lay sprawled on the ground, devoid of any sign of life.

Lu Ming's saber technique had gained 1500 proficiency points during the intense training session. Despite sacrificing his lunch break, Lu Ming felt it was a worthwhile trade-off.

After confirming the demise of the humanoid monsters, Lu Ming stretched, massaging his sore wrists before turning to address Huo Sheng and the others.

"I'm going to take a nap," he announced. "Please handle this for me."

Huo Sheng nodded eagerly as Lu Ming made his way home. Perhaps due to the additional hour of intense exertion, Lu Ming's afternoon slumber was exceptionally deep that day.

Meanwhile, the Blood Flesh Mother Tree, nestled in distant Linhai County, was far from tranquil.

As the main body, it shared a visual link with its subordinates, witnessing the entire spectacle of Lu Ming decimating the Tier 5 humanoid monsters.

Surprise?

Immensely so.

The Blood Flesh Mother Tree was utterly astonished by Lu Ming's raw power. His combat prowess must have reached at least Level 7, it reasoned.

The very presence of a Level 7 creature in Nanxiang, a mere "novice village" at this stage of the apocalypse, was an absurdity, a defiance of logic.

However, after the initial shock, the Blood Flesh Mother Tree was overcome with a wave of elation.

If it could acquire this human's genetic sample, it would be an immense boon for its evolution.

The fungal carpet on the ground quivered as more heads detached from the treetop. Combining these resources, the Blood Flesh Mother Tree spawned another batch of Tier 5 humanoid monsters. This time, it adjusted its strategy.

"There's no need to kill Lu Ming," the Mother Tree's voice echoed through the minds of its creations. "All I require is a sample of his genes."

A single drop of blood would suffice. This meant that the dozens of humanoid monsters, who had nearly depleted the Mother Tree's energy reserves, could accomplish their mission simply by injuring Lu Ming.

They didn't even need to inflict significant harm. A strand of hair, a bead of sweat, a fragment of skin - any of these would fulfill their objective.

It was that simple.

The humanoid monsters were eager to embark on their mission. The weakened Blood Flesh Mother Tree reveled in the anticipation of soon possessing a powerful weapon.

With Lu Ming's genes, it would be unstoppable.

That afternoon, Lu Ming had just woken from his nap when the alarm bell on the watchtower blared once more, signaling another enemy attack.

Despite having woken up in a decent mood, even the most patient individual would be irritated by the sight of dozens of human-headed monsters swooping down from the sky.

"Are you kidding me?!" Lu Ming muttered in exasperation. "You send the kids first, then the adults? After I beat three, you bring thirty more?!"

You can't beat me, no matter how many of you come... And yet, you still persist in provoking me...

It was like swatting a fly, only to attract a swarm.

This kind of situation was truly vexing.

With a grim expression, Lu Ming grabbed his saber and leaped out of Good Hope Village, ready to put an end to this annoyance.

As he moved, the humanoid monsters followed, leading him away from the settlement.

Now, with no need to worry about collateral damage, Lu Ming could unleash his full power. As the saying goes, herding one sheep or a thousand requires the same effort.

When the individual strength disparity was this vast, numbers became meaningless.

No amount of blood control could coagulate Lu Ming's blood. No matter how many ultrasonic waves assaulted his ears, they only caused mild discomfort and annoyance, never truly harming him.

Meanwhile, Lu Ming's every swing drew blood, the humanoid monsters shrieking in agony as they were battered and mutilated by his relentless onslaught.

His afternoon of zombie target practice had unexpectedly turned into a saber technique training session. Lu Ming embraced the spirit of continuous improvement, knowing that any form of practice could enhance his strength.

This unexpected turn of events served as a cathartic release for his pent-up frustrations. The entire afternoon was spent tormenting these weaker adversaries.

By dinnertime, only a dozen or so human-headed monsters remained. With desperate cries, they finally took flight and fled in all directions.

Lu Ming briefly considered giving chase. These creatures were a nuisance, after all. However, their ability to fly, their scattered escape routes, and their remarkable self-healing abilities made pursuit futile.

After half an hour of fruitless chasing, Lu Ming returned, his expression grim.

"More than half of them escaped," he lamented at the dinner table, a hint of frustration in his voice.

The humanoid monsters had indeed dampened his mood. However, when Lu Ming discreetly checked his attribute panel, his spirits lifted slightly.

His Basic Saber Technique had advanced to Lv19 (1500/1900), and even his fitness skills had gained 100 proficiency points. Today's efforts hadn't been entirely wasted.

After dinner and a brief rest, Lu Ming commenced his nightly resistance stance training.

Unbeknownst to him, the Blood Flesh Mother Tree in Linhai County was facing a dilemma.

"He wasn't injured?! How is that possible?! Where's his hair? His sweat? Don't tell me you failed to collect even those!"

The Blood Flesh Mother Tree's frustration was palpable. The surviving humanoid monsters stood silently before their creator, afraid to voice the obvious question: "How could you not have witnessed our failure?"

The Mother Tree was well aware of the afternoon's events. Its current rage was merely an emotional outburst, not a demand for answers.

The truth was plain to see. The Tier 5 humanoid monsters had attacked Lu Ming but failed to breach his defenses, let alone collect a blood sample.

As for sweat, there might have been some, as Lu Ming would undoubtedly perspire during combat. However, his sword aura was a ranged attack, keeping the humanoid monsters at bay, making it impossible to gather any of his sweat, hair, or skin flakes.

All their efforts had been in vain...

A collective sigh echoed through the leaves of the Blood Flesh Mother Tree, the voices of the humanoid heads filled with disappointment.

"He's not easy to deal with," one of them lamented.

Just like a factory required electricity, raw materials, and other resources to produce goods, the Blood Flesh Mother Tree needed energy reserves to create its monstrous offspring. The creation of the dozens of humanoid monsters earlier in the day had drained its energy significantly. In the short term, it couldn't produce any more.

Furthermore, the events of the afternoon had proven that sheer numbers weren't enough to subdue Lu Ming. To defeat him, they would need to rely on quality, not quantity.

However, Gris Klass had been the strongest biological sample the Mother Tree had encountered. It couldn't create anything more powerful than that.

The situation seemed to have reached an impasse.

But after a brief period of contemplation, the Mother Tree devised a new plan.

"We must continue gathering energy reserves," it declared, its voice echoing through the interconnected minds of its creations. "More! I need more biomass!"

"And you..." it addressed the remaining humanoid monsters, "tonight, you will infiltrate Lu Ming's home and discreetly collect his biological samples."

Hair, skin flakes, any trace of his essence would suffice. Surely there would be some remnants in his house, his bed, his bathroom...

Lu Ming couldn't possibly not shed hair or use the toilet, could he?

It was a cunning plan, a desperate gamble to gain the upper hand.