60: Chapter 60 Skill Changes

Zhen Lu stood on the Main Star Plaza.

He looked down at his hands; they were no longer Su Yunxiu's slender, fair wrists.

He flexed his fingers and opened his personal panel.

Three new names had appeared in his skill bar.

Mastery-Level Swordsmanship, Mastery-Level Movement Technique, and Basic Camouflage all lay quietly there.

Then, the panel began to flicker.

[Detected fusion of similar skills: Mastery-Level Blade Technique, Mastery-Level Swordsmanship, Mastery-Level Marksmanship → Merged into Mastery-Level Weapon Mastery]

[Fusion complete. Strength +1, Agility +1, Mental Power +3.]

[Detected fusion of similar skills: Mastery-Level Movement Technique, Basic Climbing, Basic Lightness Technique, Basic Coordination, Basic Balance → Merged into Mastery-Level Movement Technique]

[Fusion complete. Agility +2, Mental Power +2.]

Zhen Lu stared at the panel for several seconds.

His armed combat capabilities had merged, and none of the special effects had disappeared; they now applied to all weapons.

The movement technique category had swallowed all five scattered skills; climbing, lightness, coordination, and balance were all fused into Mastery-Level Movement Technique.

Strength increased by one point, Agility by three points, and Mental Power increased the most, jumping by a full five points.

He could feel his body changing.

His bone density was increasing, his fascia was tougher, and his mind was sharper.

The movement technique had twisted his previously scattered perception and balance abilities into a single strand; he used to walk steadily, but now, standing in place was like being nailed to the ground—he didn't even need to move his ankles when slightly adjusting his center of gravity.

The effect on his Mental Power was most obvious; it was as if his brain had been cleared out, and his thoughts were clearer than usual.

He closed the panel and didn't look at it anymore.

Xiao Guang floated out from behind his shoulder. Zhen Lu waved at it and clicked exit directly.

Opening his eyes, he saw the ceiling of his Central City apartment.

He reached for the communicator on his bedside table and checked the time: late night.

The hunger came.

It was much lighter than last time.

He walked calmly to the kitchen, dug out the high-calorie reserves he had stockpiled from the cupboard—energy bars, chocolate, compressed biscuits, jerky, protein powder—piled them all on the coffee table, and ate them slowly, opening them one by one.

He turned on the TV to watch some recent news; eating while watching was quite pleasant.

He drank half a carton of milk and heated up a bowl of oatmeal.

His body was absorbing it all; every bone felt like it had been polished anew, and the slight swelling sensation brought by the increase in Mental Power was slowly fading.

After eating nearly half of the cupboard's reserves, he finally felt full.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he let out a burp that tasted of chocolate.

He swept the empty packaging into the trash can and went to the bathroom to wash his face.

The cold water splashed onto his face, and he looked up at himself in the mirror.

His face had changed slightly; it was a bit more defined, and his eyes were more spirited.

Returning to bed, he pulled the quilt up to his shoulders and turned over.

He closed his eyes and quickly sank into a dreamless darkness.

The next morning, Zhen Lu was awakened by the alarm on his communicator.

It was already bright outside, and pale golden light squeezed through the gap in the curtains, drawing a thin, long strip of light on the floor.

He rolled over and sat up, stretching his neck, which popped with a couple of creaks.

The strengthening of his body after last night's big meal had been completely digested. Now, he felt incredibly light; when his feet touched the floor, his knees automatically absorbed the force, and his steps were almost silent.

The deltoid muscle between his collarbone and shoulder acromion stretched the sleeves of his T-shirt tighter than before.

After changing his clothes, he left the apartment and walked along the streets of Central City toward Saint Grace Cathedral.

He had nothing to do today, no Healing orders from the Guardians, but he didn't want to stay at home.

Ever since the incident on the Ring Road, he had felt uneasy.

He was at the scene when that warship was sunk, and the night he found the ring was also when The Resistance blew up the rich young master's spaceship.

All these events were too close to him.

He was afraid, and he didn't want to stay alone in the apartment overthinking things.

Going to the cathedral gave him a decent cover, and it was something to do.

Arriving at the side door of the cathedral, he scanned his face and went straight in.

Bishop Lin knew he was coming and was waiting for him in the reception room, with two cups of hot tea on the table as usual.

Seeing Zhen Lu enter, he smiled and pushed one of the cups toward him. "You've arrived early today."

Zhen Lu sat down opposite him and took a sip of tea. "Bishop Lin, do you need me to perform blessings today? There are quite a few people here for worship, aren't there?"

"Not today." Bishop Lin shook his head and picked up the teapot to refill his own cup.

"Blessings shouldn't be performed every day. The miracles of the Holy Light require proper intervals so that the believers will cherish them. You just demonstrated one last week; we'll wait a while before doing another."

He paused and looked at Zhen Lu. "If you want to stay here, you can put on the church robes and walk around the cathedral as you please. Peripheral members are free to move around the cathedral; it's no big deal."

Zhen Lu nodded and took another sip of tea.

"By the way," Bishop Lin set down his teacup, "I have reported everything about you. The approval will come down soon. Once it arrives, the higher-ups will arrange for someone to guide you, providing you with systematic training methods and paths for advancement. You are currently in the foundational stage, and there is still much room for you to grow. The church will not let someone with a talent for Holy Light Healing stagnate."

"Thanks, Bishop Lin."

"You're welcome." Bishop Lin stood up and straightened his robes. "Go change your clothes first. There are no specific tasks today; you can arrange your own time." With that, he pushed the door open and left.

Zhen Lu went to the changing room, put on the set of dark blue church robes, and spent the entire day in the cathedral.

In the morning, he sat in the back row of the main hall for a while, watching the priest conduct the service.

In the afternoon, he walked back and forth in the side corridor, reading the stories of the Holy Light on the stained-glass windows from beginning to end.

The day passed just like that.

There were no surprises, and this idle calm made him feel a little more at ease.

In the evening, he ate a bowl of noodles by the roadside, returned to his apartment, lay on the bed, and touched the ring.

"Enter."

A white light flashed. The plaza of the Realm of Holy Light unfolded before his eyes.

There were quite a few people at this time, and people were gathered in front of several portals.

He was about to tell Xiao Guang to switch to the Inner World to grind tasks when his communicator suddenly vibrated. It was a message from Sun Yi.

"Are you there? Let's grab a drink at the old spot. Haven't seen you in a couple of days, let's chat."

Zhen Lu stared at the text for two seconds.

Sun Yi had been introduced to him by Wei Guoliang.

Wei Guoliang had connections to a contact point for The Resistance; did Sun Yi know about it?

What exactly was his role in this matter?

Zhen Lu wasn't sure, but he didn't intend to ask over the communicator.

He replied with two words: "Sure, wait for me." Then he walked toward the drink shop on the edge of the plaza.

Sun Yi was already sitting in their usual spot, the glowing vines on the ceiling flickering on and off.

Seeing Zhen Lu approaching, he raised his hand and waved.

Zhen Lu sat down opposite him and ordered two cups of Radiant Black Tea.

The two chatted for a while, discussing what tasks they had recently undertaken, news about the Realm of Holy Light, and what new treasures had appeared behind which portal.

Neither of them mentioned Wei Guoliang, and neither mentioned The Resistance.

It was just two ordinary players who had known each other for a long time chatting in the evening.

After finishing their tea, Sun Yi stood up, patted Zhen Lu on the shoulder, and left first.

Zhen Lu sat alone for a while, then put down his cup and left the drink shop.