Early the next morning, Yang Lin and Sun Yu escorted Yang Xiong from their home, preparing for the ceremony that would define his future: the Awakening of his Spirit.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School claimed a staggering expanse of land, with its direct sovereign territory stretching for hundreds of kilometers. Beyond the fortified heart of the inner Sect, they had established the independent Seven Treasure City, and every town within a vast radius fell under their iron-clad jurisdiction.
Yang Xiong's home sat within the borders of Seven Treasure City. While his family lived in the western districts rather than the opulent city center, their location offered a strategic advantage; it was less than a hundred kilometers from the bustling capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City.
The three arrived quickly at the designated site for the Spirit Awakening. A crowd had already gathered, with many children already undergoing the rite. This was merely one of many small outposts scattered throughout the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's domain.
It was a staggering display of scale. While the Sect's core combat strength numbered only five thousand Spirit Masters, they governed over a million civilians—people who were essentially treated as the private property of the School.
Even so, this minor outpost was built with breathtaking luxury. The architecture featured intricately carved beams and rafters painted in vibrant hues, presenting an image of magnificent wealth to all who entered.
Over fifty children were slated for Awakening at this location. Beyond the nervous youths and their hovering parents, several deacons moved through the hall, their presence maintaining a strict, hushed order.
At that moment, two figures entered from the outside. They wore distinctive silver robes—the hallmark of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's inner Sect.
As the middle-aged man leading them stepped into the center of the hall, the ambient noise died away instantly.
"Greetings, everyone. I am Ning Yuan, a deacon of the inner Sect," he announced. His voice was calm but carried an innate authority. "My Spirit is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, and I am a Rank 57 Spirit King. I have been tasked with Awakening your Spirits today. All children due for the ceremony, please form a line."
His companion set up a small desk nearby and began sharpening a quill, ready to log every child's Spirit type and their Rank of Innate Soul Power.
Yang Xiong took his place in the queue, his heart beating with a steady, disciplined rhythm as he prepared for his turn.
Ning Yuan produced six black stones from a pouch, arranging them into a precise hexagon on the floor. He gestured for the first child to step forward.
As the boy entered the center of the stones, Ning Yuan offered a reassuring smile. "Child, close your eyes. There is nothing to fear."
Ning Yuan's hand began to glow with a brilliant, shifting radiance. Suddenly, a massive, crystalline pagoda materialized before him. The structure shimmered with a noble, extravagant light—the legendary Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Rays of light shot forth from Ning Yuan's pagoda, striking the six black stones. The dull rocks ignited with a faint golden shimmer, forming a translucent veil that enveloped the child.
As the golden light permeated the boy's skin, a dormant power seemed to claw its way to the surface of his body, straining to break free.
"Child, extend your right hand."
The boy obeyed instinctively. The energy within him surged toward his palm like a cluster of falling stars, eventually coalescing into the translucent form of a black bear.
Ning Yuan nodded in approval. "Good. The Black Bear Spirit. A sturdy Beast Spirit."
The child's eyes widened with excitement as he stared at the phantom flickering over his hand.
Ning Yuan then produced a crystal orb. "Place your hand upon this stone. I will test the depth of your Innate Soul Power."
The boy pressed his palm against the crystal. A faint light flickered within the depths of the stone, manifesting as a soft pulse of energy.
"Well done," Ning Yuan noted. "Innate Soul Power: Rank Four. You have a genuine chance of becoming a fine Spirit Master."
...
The ceremony continued, child after child stepping into the golden light.
Yang Xiong watched with keen interest. Nearly thirty to forty percent of those ahead of him successfully manifested Innate Soul Power, with most Ranks falling between two and five. It was clear that the bloodlines gathered within a Great Sect's territory were vastly superior to those found in isolated mountain villages.
Finally, it was Yang Xiong's turn. He stepped into the hexagon. But when he extended his right hand as instructed, his palm remained empty. There was no flicker of light, no phantom image—nothing.
A flicker of confusion crossed Ning Yuan's face. He attempted the process three times in succession, but Yang Xiong's right hand remained stubbornly void of any Spirit manifestation. The deacon began to look at his own hands, wondering if his power had somehow faltered.
Seeing the impasse, Sun Yu stepped forward from the sidelines. "Deacon Ning Yuan, my son's Awakening might be like my own—a part of his body rather than an external tool."
Ning Yuan recognized her immediately. "Deacon Sun, that seems highly improbable. While your Spirit resides in your eyes, the statistical probability of such a mutation is vanishingly low in the Spirit Master world."
Sun Yu stood her ground. "Deacon Ning Yuan, allow me to check. He may have inherited my ocular Spirit."
Ning Yuan conceded with a nod.
Sun Yu leaned in, her voice low and focused. "Little Xiong, focus. Do you feel any shifts within you? Any fluctuation of power localized in your body, perhaps behind your eyes?"
Yang Xiong closed his eyes, sinking into the sensation. "Mom... I feel it. But it isn't just in my eyes. I feel power fluctuating through my entire body."
A ripple of surprise went through the room. Ning Yuan turned to the man at the desk. "Deacon Li, I'm going to attempt the Awakening one more time. You and Deacon Sun, please watch him closely."
Deacon Li abandoned his ledgers and walked over. Sun Yu didn't hesitate; she summoned her own Spirit immediately. Her eyes flared with an unnatural brightness as four spirit rings—two yellow, two purple—spiraled around her. She was pushing her visual perception to its absolute limit to see what was happening inside her son.
Given her mediocre Innate Soul Power, Yang Xiong knew that if his mother hadn't been a member of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, she likely never would have secured such high-quality spirit rings.
As Ning Yuan channeled the energy again, Deacon Li watched with narrowed eyes. "Incredible," he whispered. "The child's Spirit is indeed his own body. I can feel soul power fluctuations radiating from every limb."
Sun Yu nodded slowly, her expression a mix of relief and concern as she confirmed the diagnosis.
Ning Yuan, falling back into his routine, held out the testing crystal. "Child, come. Let us see your Innate Soul Power."
When Yang Xiong's hand touched the stone, the light that erupted was significantly more intense than any that had come before it, though it did not reach a blinding level.
Ning Yuan's voice held a tinge of genuine emotion. "Remarkable. Innate Soul Power: Rank Six. You are the most talented child we've seen today. It is truly a pity about your Spirit... if you had only awakened an Iron Sword like your father, your potential would be limitless."
Deacon Li, Sun Yu, and even Yang Lin in the distance all nodded in somber agreement. In this era of history, the concept of a "Body Martial Soul" was viewed as a dead-end mutation—a Spirit with no clear path to power.
But beneath his calm exterior, Yang Xiong's heart was thundering with wild, unbridled joy.
Rank Six Innate Soul Power and a Full-Body Martial Soul. If this combination were discovered ten thousand years in the future, he would be hailed as a supreme genius of the age.
He remembered the records: the legendary Huo Yuhao had started with a mere Rank One Innate Soul Power and a Spirit limited only to his eyes, yet the Body Sect had still waged a diplomatic war with Shrek Academy just to claim him.
Yang Xiong looked at his hands. He wasn't a failure. He was a gold mine that no one else knew how to dig.