"Ge Xing'an, Awakening failed!"
"Yi Fengyu, Awakening failed!"
"Tong Lu, Awakening failed!"
"…"
Tiankui City, No. 1 Festival High School.
Bai Jue raised his head and looked toward the podium. One by one, students who had been brimming with excitement moments ago now wore expressions of despair and defeat as the teacher announced their results.
His heart jolted.
It would be his turn soon.
A week had passed since Bai Jue transmigrated into this world, and during that time, he had already come to fully understand it.
This world was not very different from Earth. However, a hundred years ago, a mysterious fluctuation surged out from the depths of the universe. From that moment on, countless spatial gates began appearing across the planet.
Beyond those gates lay one world after another—small realms, and even vast, complete worlds.
Grotesque monsters emerged before humanity's eyes, slaughtering humans without mercy.
Demons, specters, and even vicious beings that once existed only in myths and legends all became reality.
They possessed terrifying power—so overwhelming that even modern firearms were useless against them—pushing humanity to the brink of extinction.
Fortunately, that cosmic fluctuation did not bring disaster alone. It also brought opportunity.
Under its influence, festivals that had once been nothing more than traditional holidays could now be awakened, transforming into mighty powers that humans could wield.
Some awakened the Spring Festival, gaining the protection of the Nian Beast—impervious to all techniques.
Some awakened the Cold Food Festival, releasing frigid energy that froze everything in its path.
Others awakened the Mid-Autumn Festival, drawing upon lunar and stellar power to suppress and annihilate evil.
In short, this was a dangerous era—
and an era defined by festivals.
Ordinary people struggled to survive in this world, living in constant fear of monstrous invasions. But once someone successfully awakened and became a Festival Adept, they would command tremendous power, enjoy privileged待遇, and even pursue longevity.
Yet awakening successfully… was extremely difficult.
Take Bai Jue's class, for instance. There were sixty students in total.
If even five managed to awaken, it would already be considered astonishing.
Some classes went through the entire awakening process without a single success.
That alone was enough to show just how rare Festival Adepts truly were.
At that moment—
Another student walked toward the podium, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
She was a beautiful girl with a high ponytail, dressed in a blue-and-white school uniform, her expression sharp and heroic.
Her delicate features, set on an oval face and paired with a valiant, almost knightly aura, made her especially eye-catching.
Her name was Ji Yingying—the class beauty. Some even referred to her as the school belle. She was the dream girl of countless students. Rumor had it that her family background was mysterious, and her academic成绩 had always ranked first in the entire grade.
Naturally, many people were curious about the outcome of her awakening.
Even the homeroom teacher couldn't hide the trace of anticipation in his eyes.
On the podium, a diamond-shaped crystal floated in midair.
Ji Yingying walked up to the crystal and took a deep breath. Her nervousness was clearly visible.
Soon after, she raised her slender hand and gently placed it against the crystal.
Under the gaze of the entire class, a surge of blue energy suddenly erupted from her body, sweeping outward. Wherever it passed, frost spread rapidly, filling the air with bone-chilling cold.
Even Ji Yingying's waist-length black hair began to change at a visible speed, turning icy blue and lending her an even more striking charm.
"This is…?"
The homeroom teacher froze for a moment before his eyes widened in delight.
"Ji Yingying, Awakening successful!"
"Awakened ability—Winter Solstice!"
Seasonal nodes were also powers that could be awakened.
And Winter Solstice, if Bai Jue remembered correctly, was an ability centered on controlling ice and extreme cold.
There had once been a powerful Winter Solstice Festival Adept who, with a single thought, froze nearly one-third of an entire spatial realm—ice that did not melt for years.
A terrifying ability.
As the teacher's words fell, the classroom instantly erupted into noise.
"Winter Solstice… that's an incredibly powerful ability."
"As expected of Ji Yingying. Amazing."
"So jealous. She was already out of our reach—now that she's a Festival Adept, she probably belongs to a completely different world from us."
"You're wrong. It's a completely different dimension."
"If you manage to build a good relationship with her now, it'll definitely pay off in the future."
"Hah. Dream on. In three years of high school, have you ever seen anyone close to Ji Yingying?"
"Uh…"
Both male and female students stared at the graceful girl on the podium with envy and jealousy.
Even Bai Jue couldn't help feeling a little envious.
After all, he had no idea whether he himself would awaken successfully.
As a transmigrator, he still hadn't discovered any kind of cheat or advantage. Whether he could live a comfortable life in this world would depend entirely on this awakening.
"Huff…"
On the podium, Ji Yingying opened her eyes. She seemed to sense the changes within her body, and a hint of joy flashed through her gaze.
"Ji Yingying, you did very well. Congratulations on awakening successfully and becoming a Festival Adept. After class, don't rush off—come with me to the principal's office."
The homeroom teacher spoke with a warm smile.
"Yes, teacher."
Ji Yingying nodded and returned to her seat.
Even so, most of the class's attention remained fixed on her.
The homeroom teacher took a deep breath to calm himself before picking up the roster again.
"Next—Bai Jue."
He no longer had high expectations for the remaining awakenings. With one successful Festival Adept already, even if no one else awakened, his performance would still be considered excellent.
For a homeroom teacher, that was more than enough.
In fact, after calling Bai Jue's name, he had already taken out his phone, ready to open the teachers' group chat and brag about his student.
Bai Jue, of course, had no idea.
Hearing his name, he stood up and walked toward the podium.
Just like when Ji Yingying went up, he attracted the attention of the entire class.
It wasn't because he was famous—though he was handsome—but because many students were eager to see him fail.
That was simply human nature. If you couldn't obtain something yourself, you'd rather see others fail too—it made things feel a little better.
Standing before the awakening crystal, Bai Jue took a deep breath. When his tense emotions finally settled, he raised his hand, placed it against the crystal, and closed his eyes.
At that instant—
Buzz.
It felt as if his entire being entered a state of emptiness. His consciousness sank, as though falling into an endlessly dark space.
At the same time—
Inside the classroom, under everyone's gaze, an indescribable aura of dread and fear began to spread.
Pitch-black mist burst forth from Bai Jue's body like a spring, engulfing the classroom ceiling.
Within the black fog, roars echoed endlessly.
As if hidden within were countless—
malevolent specters and monsters.
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