Chapter 17: The Guardian's Favor

At dawn, the sun peeked through the clouds with a faint glimmer. As the workers’ shift began, the Great Cylinder Building gradually bustled with life.

Most residents of the Great Cylinder Building stumbled out of bed in a daze each morning, half-eyed as they made their way to the communal pool to brush their teeth and wash their faces. Amid this sleepy procession, Song Qi’s father stood out—humming a tune, his steps light and lively.

“Song Sheng, you skipped work yesterday. Looks like you had a good time,” joked a colleague nearby.

Song Sheng, Song Qi’s father, was about to wash up after filling his basin when he heard the greeting. He replied with a broad grin, “Ah, yes, you’re absolutely right—my son awakened a Super S-class talent.”

His colleague blinked. “Excuse me?”

Had he said anything like that?

But realization soon dawned. A group of burly men, fetching water nearby, froze as if someone had pressed “pause”—their eyes wide, their movements stilled. Then, a thunderous commotion erupted, voices overlapping with questions.

“Old Song, your son awakened a Super S-class talent?!”

“I heard they give you a house for just an S-class. Does that mean your family’s getting a place in the Inner District?!”

“Not just the Inner District—the First District, right next to the City Lord’s Manor,” Song Sheng boasted gleefully.

At this, any trace of sleepiness vanished from the crowd. They gazed at him with undisguised envy.

“Goodness, Old Song, you’ve finally made it!”

“Jealous, truly. My son and daughter—one has no talent, the other’s stuck at F-class.”

“Come on, Old Song, tell us how you raised your kids. Your eldest daughter’s B-class is impressive enough, but your son’s Super S-class? Share your parenting secrets.”

“He’s right! Old Song, spill it!”

“You’re not leaving until you tell us everything.”

“That’s right!” The crowd closed in, hemming Song Sheng in the center. He waved his hands in feigned exasperation.

“Oh, really, there’s nothing remarkable,” he insisted. “If I had to say, it’s just about caring for their physical and mental health. But let me tell you, especially their mental well-being…”

Upstairs, Song Lan looked on helplessly at her father—surrounded, pretending reluctance, but unable to suppress the smile tugging at his lips.

“Dad’s at it again,” Song Lan muttered.

Her mother chuckled as she tidied up their clothes, eyes drifting to the window, filled with relief and hope for the future.

Thanks to Song Qi, after today, their family would finally leave the Great Cylinder Building behind.

“Your little brother’s still sleeping. Shouldn’t we wake him to help pack?” Song Lan asked, puzzled.

“Let him sleep a bit longer,” her mother replied kindly. “He just awakened yesterday—it’s fine for him to rest a few more days. I’m just a bit concerned about the environment in the First District.”

“The environment?” Song Lan was confused.

“I don’t mean the surroundings—the First District’s greenery is surely excellent. I’m talking about the neighbors. Will we get along with them? Maybe we should buy some new clothes before moving, so we don’t look downscale.”

“There’s no need, Mom,” Song Lan shook her head. “Buy clothes? What can we afford now? Even clothes costing a few thousand credit points would be seen through in an instant by those who know. Living in the First District already proves your worth—there’s no need to fret over these things. Honestly, whether people respect us or not depends entirely on my brother. As long as he steadily raises his level and shows his strength, no one will look down on us. On the other hand, if he doesn’t perform, even if we drove in wearing legendary battle armor, we’d still be looked down on.”

Her mother thought for a moment, then nodded. “You’re right, my girl. That makes sense.”

Suddenly, she slapped her thigh. “Oh no, we can’t let your brother keep sleeping! With such a rare talent, wasting it would be a crime! Quick, go wake him—he needs to start leveling up immediately!”

...

A dozen minutes later...

Song Qi, still half-asleep, was driven out of bed and, under his mother’s urging, went downstairs.

“Didn’t you tell me last night to rest for a few days?” he grumbled. “Why change your mind this morning?”

He sighed. “Fine. I’ll head to the Professional Hall first.”

After pondering a moment, he decided not to go to the Instance Plaza just yet, but to the Professional Hall to learn some skills first.

Every professional could learn one professional skill every five levels. Before reaching level twenty, the Professional Hall would offer many skills for free, though most were of ordinary or rare quality—a small benefit for commoners.

Still groggy, Song Qi arrived at the Professional Hall, grabbed a quick breakfast, and headed toward the Summoner’s floor.

The building’s floors were assigned according to the number of professionals in each field. The lower floors were reserved for the popular professions—warriors, mages, priests, assassins, and so on. Summoners, being a niche choice, were placed on the twenty-first floor.

But having fewer people had its perks—at least Song Qi didn’t have to queue for ages like the warriors and mages downstairs.

Soon, Song Qi reached the twenty-first floor, just as he had when he first summoned Lu Bu. The same disheveled-looking middle-aged man was stationed at the door. At present, he was propping his chin with his hand, eyes half-closed, dozing at the desk—clearly not yet awake.

Song Qi stepped forward and handed over his identification. “Hello, I’d like to learn some skills. Could you tell me where the skill learning room is? Here’s my identification.”

Sensing someone approach, the attendant roused himself with effort. “Profession: Summoner, correct… Status: VVIP? Song Qi?”

“It’s you!” The attendant’s eyes lit up as he recognized him. “If I’m not mistaken, you summoned your first spirit just yesterday, didn’t you? You need to be level five to start learning skills.”

“I’m already level five,” Song Qi replied.

“You leveled up that fast? Excellent, excellent!” The attendant grinned, visibly pleased.

Song Qi was bewildered. He was only here to learn a skill—why was the old man so excited?

But the attendant meant no harm, so Song Qi didn’t mind chatting a bit.

“So, which skill do you want to learn this time?”

“Hmm… either ‘Sanctuary’ or ‘Recall’.”

“‘Sanctuary’ and ‘Recall’? Both are survival-oriented skills—you must have a strong first summoned spirit.”

The attendant regarded Song Qi with growing admiration.

‘Sanctuary’ was a rare-quality skill, creating a shield for the summoner. The shield’s strength depended on the spirit’s overall attributes—the stronger the spirit, the stronger the shield.

‘Recall’ was only an ordinary-quality skill. Its effect was simple—after a three-second chant, the specified spirit would return directly to the summoner’s side. It was mainly used when the summoner was threatened, or the spirit was in danger.

Both were defensive, survival-based skills. Early on, summoners chose skills based on their spirit’s traits. If the spirit was strong offensively but weak defensively, the summoner would learn healing skills. If the spirit was strong defensively but weak offensively, offensive skills would be chosen. Only when the spirit’s attributes were well-balanced and sufficient for the current challenges would summoners opt for survival skills.