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nTranslator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

nAfter breakfast, Lin Sheng got on the public bus, still uncertain, to Hui An High School.

nOn the way, many of the commuters were discussing the explosion last night in whispers.

nThese were normal passengers, and some were simply throwing things out there, but some sounded factual and logical.

nFrom their chatter, Lin Sheng heard something, “Fort Whitehawk”.

nHe knew what that was, it was Anduin province’s only naval base. It was also the largest in all of Xilin.

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nXilin’s strongest fleet, the White Hawks, were docked there.

nAnd some guessed that the explosion had something to do with Fort Whitehawk.

nBut the general public did not believe that. It was the strongest naval base in Xilin after all, and something like that would not happen so easily.

nAfter getting into school, Lin Sheng quickly went into his classroom.

nHis classmates too were discussing the matter in hushed whispers.

nSome of them had computers at home and could go online so their information was more up to date. And they were discussing the various articles they had seen online.

nThere were many guesses up and about, but all of the postings were quickly removed and censored.

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nLin Sheng sat at his place as he quietly flipped through his study material. He did not know why, but there was an improvement with the speed of his study.

nHe had managed to complete all of the study materials in about two-thirds of the normal time required.

n“Eh, did you hear the explosion last night?” Shen Yan who was seated in front turned back to ask.

nCompared to the rest, she was not asking out of excitement, rather it was a serious question.

nAnd she seemed different from usual.

nLin Sheng looked at her.

n“I heard it.”

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n“What you think of it?” Shen Yan asked after a pause. “You think it’s a fireworks warehouse explosion?”

n“Whether it’s true or not, what does it has to do with us?” Lin Sheng retorted. “Studying should be your priority now.”

n“But don’t you think the government is being too soft?” Shen Yan said, her tone miffed.

n“I’m not interested in that.” Lin Sheng flatly replied.

nIt was not news that the upper echelon of Xilin being a corrupted, rotten lot.

nThis was common knowledge, it was just not spoken openly.

n“But…” Shen Yan still had something to say, but seeing Lin Sheng’s expression, she stopped.

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nShe could tell that he was clearly disinterested, rather than being wary.

nAnd soon, the foreign language teacher came into the class, and with the bell, the class started.

nLin Sheng’s study had already overshot the teacher’s teaching plan, and he simply did module questions instead.

nAnd after he got bored of it, he sat on his place and meditated the Ashen Seal.

nThe seal seemed to be stuck in a bottleneck, and after a twofold growth of his defensive capabilities last time, it had stopped.

nNo matter what he did, the seal’s defensive capabilities had not changed.

nSo he reckoned that the Ashen Seal had probably hit its limit.

nIt was just one Ashen Seal after all, and the Ashen Seals that is mastered by the Sanctum, was not only just one.

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nIf one Ashen Seal would exponentially increase one’s ability, the Sanctum would have already taken over Blackfeather City long ago.

nAnd the day went by uneventfully.

nAfter class, Lin Sheng walked out of the school alone.

nAt a distance, over at the alley on the opposite street was Shen Yan and two other girls huddled together talking about something.

nFrom afar, it looked like a normal conversation.

nAnd just as Lin Sheng was about to leave, he saw a black car stopping before Shen Yan and the rest and they quickly got on the car.

nThe car then drove away into the distance.

nLin Sheng looked over, and only after a moment did he turned away to hail a taxi to head to the club.

nShen Yan was hiding something.

nAs her best friend, plus his honed mind and intelligence, he could quickly deduce some clues left by her.

nSometimes, there were something that he could not be bothered with, nor was he in a position to do anything.

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nIronfist Club shooting range.

nRussell was holding the latest black Llangwent 13 pistol with eight rounds loaded, his expression serious as he stood before Lin Sheng.

n“Master, do you really want me to shoot you with this? The Llangwent’s penetrative ability is much more powerful than the Blackshark, being hit by it is no laughing matter.”

n“What a load of nonsense. It’s just paintball. You make it sound like as if it was live rounds.” Shayeen sneered.

nLin Sheng simply smiled.

n“Let’s begin. It’s just a practice.”

nHe had just killed three of Sir Kaarman’s adopted children that are at least level two, all of them were of the same caliber as Annie.

nAs he obtained the memory fragments, he had also gotten hold of a large amount of experience and ability to use weapons.

nAnd what Lin Sheng paid the most attention to, was the memory on the training on avoiding crossbow bolts.

nAll three of Sir Kaarman’s children had received comprehensive training. They not only knew how to ride or how to use a bow, they too knew how to dodge long range projectiles.

nAnd while Lin Sheng had only gotten memory fragments, it had brought along some basic capabilities in this area.

n“Then I’ll start?” Russell yelled.

n“Do it.” Lin Sheng nodded.

n*Bang!*

nBefore his voice even trailed off, Russell had fired the first shot.

nAs if by instinct, Lin Sheng dodged to the side. The two were about ten meters away, and just before Russell had pulled the trigger, he had already started moving sideways.

nAnd the metal wall behind him had a splatter of red.

nThat was proof that the shot missed.

n“He dodged it!” Shayeen could not help but clap.

nAnd a few other students who were watching by the door started clapping as well, as if they were the one dodging it.

nSarroux, the strongest among them, was rendered useless by Russell’s skill with firearms.

nAnd now with Lin Sheng dodging the shot, everyone got excited.

n“It’s not over yet!” Russell slightly moved his wrist as he continued firing.

n*Bang bang bang bang bang!!*

nLin Sheng tried to dodge left and right, but he was not able to avoid them all as his body was painted with four splatter of paint.

nThe bullets themselves did not hurt much, they were practice rounds after all.

nAs soon as someone got shot, the area they got hit would be painted with a special color; and that mean they were hit once.

nLin Sheng stopped, and looked at the red marks on his body.

n“Let’s do it again once I’ve cleaned up!”

nHe was serious now, and was ready to get into the projectile dodging training proper.

nAs the Ashen Seal had already hit its limit, then he needed to find other ways to counteract against firearms.

nNow that the Ironfist Club was on track, and Wang Yue’s incident had allowed the members to better understand their ability to influence something.

nBut this knowledge, had created a somewhat unpleasant aura in the club.

nAfter training for about half an hour, Lin Sheng felt that he was at his limits.

nThe biggest drain in the training was his focus. He had to pay total attention to Russell’s every movement.

nAnd that means that the time he had to fully concentrate would be continuous. It was fine if it was a short while, but if it drags on, his already lackluster stamina and strength would run out sooner than later.

nAfter all, he was just a normal high school student who had started training not long ago, and aside from unlocking the Sacred Blood and Ashen Seals, he was not much different than the club members.

nAfter thanking Russell, Lin Sheng changed and got home before dinner time.

nIt was night time again. The time he anticipates the most.

nThe box that he had taken back then was still with him. And whether the box contains the information and knowledge he sought, he would only know after opening it.

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