By the time he left the Internet café, it was already six in the evening, and the sky had begun to turn dark .
Lin Sheng grabbed some grub from the street vendor before he hailed a cab to head straight back home .
When he got home, his father was not around . Only his mother, Gu Wanqiu was in the kitchen peeling potatoes .
Lin Sheng went over to help out, and very quickly two dishes were made . The mother and son then had their dinner .
Gu Wanqiu asked what he had been up to throughout the day, and Lin Sheng easily weaved a story for her .
He did not want his family to know that he had joined a swordsmanship club outside…
Just like how he was not very willing to join Caeser’s company . But that was another headache altogether .
Besides, he knew nothing of Caeser .
Who was he? What sort of person was he? What was his background, was it good or bad? He knew nothing at all . Was it all just for money?
It, of course, seemed unrealistic, and he needed time to consider .
Once he was done with dinner and washing the dishes, Lin Sheng used revision as an excuse to go to his room after a quick gargle .
Two sets of questions later, he was feeling sleepy . He then put on his coat and the shoes he had prepared .
After that, he lay on his bed and closed his eyes to rest .
The Valent Sanctum .
Within the grayish-white sanctum…
Lin Sheng slowly got up from a pew and quickly scanned his surroundings .
The sanctum was the same as when he left it .
The air was calming, while the door, as well as windows, were in pristine condition and closely shut .
Lin Sheng rose up and checked his body .
He was wearing a black sports jersey and shoes, which he had worn before sleeping . By the pew was his weapon, the Elite Corrupted Sword .
He grabbed the sword and left the pew, ignoring the prayer dais at the center of the room . He headed directly for the small door at the back of the sanctum .
Lin Sheng had pretty much searched the entire sanctum already, and only the storage room at the back was left .
The entire sanctum consisted of a main hall, a sub-hall, a bedroom for the clergy, a kitchen, and a toilet .
After he scoured the whole place, there was nothing aside from a few daily goods .
The storage room was the only section he had not checked yet .
Holding his sword tightly, Lin Sheng speedily arrived before the storage room . He reached out for the cold bronze knob…
And he pulled it open .
*Creaaakkk…*
A gentle creak later, the grayish-white wooden door slowly opened .
It was a small space about a square meter wide .
There was nothing in it besides a meter-tall carved obelisk-like pillar .
The pillar was grayish-white in color, and there was a curved moon with three stars at the top .
At the bottom end, there was also a similar marking with a line of words .
Lin Sheng peered over to get a better look .
“Evaluation Obelisk: Career level assessment . Assessment parameters: Paladin, Warrior, Priest . ”
“Evaluation Obelisk??” Lin Sheng was stunned . This was his first time encountering such a thing .
From the memory fragments in his mind, he had discovered the identities and levels of certain individuals, but how was their level determined? There was no mention of it .
Perhaps, the memory fragments he had absorbed did not contain such information .
However, the small obelisk before him probably had something to do with the level assessment .
He walked toward the obelisk and checked it out .
Aside from the carvings on the surface, there were only two handles protruding out of each side .
On the edge of the handles were markings to hold them tightly .
Lin Sheng held his hands out and grabbed the handles with each hand .
Suddenly, he felt a warm surge from the obelisk . It entered his palm before it circulated through his arm and all across his body .
Then, as suddenly as the warmth appeared, it returned to the obelisk and disappeared .
*Hummmmm…*
A slight hum rang out .
Under Lin Sheng’s slightly astonished gaze, the carvings on the obelisk started to glow brightly, and a white line began to move upward along the entire obelisk from the bottom like a thermometer .
The white line slowly stopped at the Level 2 indicator and stayed there .
“Level 2?” Lin Sheng was surprised, and he released the handles .
The white line faded away as soon as he let his hands go .
“That means I’m a Level 2 warrior now?” Lin Sheng guessed .
He then placed his hands on the handles again .
Very quickly, the white line lit up once more and went all the way to Level 2, but the initial warmth did not manifest .
“Interesting… though I don’t have any idea what this thing is basing its grading on . ”
He released his grip and allowed the white line to disappear .
After he searched the storage room, Lin Sheng found nothing other than the Evaluation Obelisk .
He took the corrupted sword and went back to the sanctum’s main gate .
This time around, he did not plan to stay in that safe zone .
There were no beasts or dangers in the sanctum, so he had assigned it as a safe place to rest and recuperate .
“While this place is fine and dandy, I’m not here to stay in the safe zone…”
Lin Sheng gently pushed the main door, and it opened without a sound as the biting wind blew in .
Lin Sheng shivered a little but continued on outside with his sword in hand .
Standing before the sanctum’s gate, he could see the district of Blackfeather City with its empty streets and dilapidated buildings .
In the distance was a sky-scraping black tower surrounded by a massive ring wall .
“It feels like a giant cage…” Lin Sheng muttered to himself, and he started to scan for the direction he should advance in .
Holding his sword, he slowly walked toward the steel fence in the yard, and his sights fell upon a manor that faced the sanctum .
It was a fish-shaped mansion .
All over the grayish-white structure were carvings of infant angels, and in some places, wisterilike flowers grew .
Compared with the other buildings around the manor, it was much more well-preserved, and even its outer walls were in good shape without any signs of damage .
The manor had three levels, and the windows on each level were sealed shut .
Lin Sheng could see the center inner court from his position . There was a dried-up black fountain there, and before it was a white plaque .
Under the moonlight, he could detect some writings on it, and after some thought, he decided to go over to have a look .
It was not only due to the fact that the manor was well-preserved and would potentially hold some useful items . It was also, more importantly, due to the place being close enough to the sanctum, and as such, could be much safer as well .
Additionally, in comparison to the buildings around it, it was much shorter, and in some respect, its décor was not as lavish as that of the others .
It was clear that the status of the mansion’s owner was probably not too high, and in that treacherous place, the lower your position was, the safer you were .
*Creaaakkk…*
Lin Sheng gently pushed the steel gate open and walked out .
Just as he left the sanctum’s protection, he felt a chill down his spine .
There was a tingling sense of foreboding and danger .
Lin Sheng gripped the handle of his sword as he swept his gaze about . Then, he dashed toward the manor’s gate .
A few darting steps later, he had passed through the ten-meter-wide street and arrived in front of the manor’s gate .
With a gentle pull, the gate slowly opened .