Village of the Holy Spirit
In a house a bit more isolated than the others in the village, there was a six-year-old girl. She had long golden hair cascading down to her waist, blood-red eyes that resembled two jewels, and a beauty and cuteness capable of enchanting anyone.
The house she lived in wasn't big, but it was tidy and cozy. Even the exterior facade was impeccable, unlike most of the other homes in the village.
Another striking difference was inside: though modest in size, the interior was filled with refined and expensive items—the kind most villagers wouldn't even dream of owning.
Knock Knock Knock
"Long'er! Come on, it's time," called a tired, elderly voice from outside the house after a few knocks on the door.
"Coming, Grandpa Jack!" the girl replied as she ran to the door and opened it quickly. Outside stood an old, worn-out looking man—Grandpa Jack, the leader of Holy Spirit Village.
"Looks like someone's excited for their awakening, hahaha!" the old man joked, seeing the joy and anticipation sparkling in the girl's eyes.
"Can you blame me, Grandpa? Just thinking about getting a good martial spirit and becoming a Spirit Master already makes me super excited!" she said, puffing her cheeks adorably.
"I know, I know. I'm rooting for you to become a great Spirit Master too," Jack replied with a warm smile.
But deep down, worry gnawed at him: "It's been so many years since any child in our village awakened as a Spirit Master... I truly hope one of them succeeds. Otherwise..."
"Stay here with the other children. I'm going to greet the master from the Spirit Hall at the village entrance," he said before leaving in a hurry.
At the village center, the girl observed the other children her age. They were all chatting excitedly about how they would become great Spirit Masters and awaken powerful martial spirits.
Some tried to start a conversation with her, but Long'er only responded that she was looking forward to the awakening—nothing more. Since they had all grown up together, the children already knew about her more reserved personality.
She was left alone, not out of exclusion, but out of respect. After all, she was beloved by everyone in the village. Always helping however she could, she had spent years using her wealth to buy gifts for the villagers.
Unlike her, another girl in the group was deliberately ignored by the others: Tang Wutong, daughter of the village blacksmith, Tang Hao. Both were outsiders who had arrived in the village six years ago.
Normally, being from outside wouldn't cause such strong isolation, but Wutong's frequent refusals to play and her consistently cold attitude helped solidify her exclusion. Of course, there were exceptions.
"Tong'er, why the grumpy face? Today we finally get to awaken our spirits!" said the blonde girl, approaching with an easy smile and poking the other girl's cheek.
Tang Wutong had dark blue hair, cut short for a girl, which might have made her look like a boy—if not for her clearly feminine features. Her eyes were a light blue, like two sapphires.
Lost in deep thought, Wutong was startled by the interruption. When she looked up, she saw a small, cute blonde girl staring at her with a bright smile.
"It had to be Yang Xiaolong..." she sighed inwardly.
It wasn't that she hated Xiaolong. In fact, this girl had helped her family so many times that it felt wrong to treat her coldly. Besides, Xiaolong was the only child who tolerated her natural aloofness and still managed to drag her into playing or chatting occasionally.
"First of all, I've told you to stop calling me Tong'er. We're literally the same age. Second, I think I'm just nervous... or maybe anxious. Not sure, but I'm definitely looking forward to the awakening," Wutong said, taking the hands of the girl who had been poking her.
"Tsk, tsk. You still don't get it, Tong'er. Just because we're the same age doesn't mean I can't treat you like my little sister! I'm always looking out for you and defending you from the other kids. Obviously, I'm your big sister!" Xiaolong replied proudly, puffing out her chest.
Even though Wutong had heard this reasoning many times before, she couldn't help but chuckle at how ridiculous it was.
"By the way, what kind of martial spirit do you think you'll awaken?" Xiaolong asked, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"What do you mean, 'what kind'? Isn't it random?" Wutong asked, genuinely confused.
"Huh? You don't know? Most people inherit their martial spirits from their parents," Xiaolong said, tilting her head cutely.
"No... Can you explain it better?"
Xiaolong nodded and began to explain:
Normally, children have about a 90% chance of inheriting their parents' martial spirits. The remaining 10% might awaken variants of their parents' spirits, or in extremely rare cases, a completely different spirit.
What usually varies the most is innate spiritual power. This can't be inherited and depends entirely on the individual. Additionally, the martial soul can also reflect a person's innate spiritual power: the higher the soul's quality, the greater the spiritual power tends to be.
"I see... Thanks a lot, Long'er. But I have no idea what spirit I'll awaken. I don't even know my parents' spirits," Wutong said, smiling gratefully yet showing uncertainty.
"And what about you, Long'er? What do you think you'll awaken?"
"Hmm... Probably a spear. According to my family's records, both my parents had tool-type martial spirits, and both were spears. I just hope my innate power is good enough to cultivate properly."
"Yeah... I hope I awaken with a good soul power too."
Their conversation was cut short by the return of Old Jack, now accompanied by the Spirit Hall master. As the man appeared, both Xiaolong and Wutong immediately noticed his disinterested expression and air of superiority.
"Children, this is the Grandmaster from the Spirit Hall. He will assist with your spirit awakening. Please welcome Master Su Yuntao," said Old Jack, introducing a man who looked to be in his twenties.
"Let's get this over with. I don't have all day," Su Yuntao said flatly, leading the children to the ritual site.
"Martial Spirit Possession!" he announced, activating his own martial spirit. Many of the children were startled, except for Xiaolong and Tang Wutong.
"This is my martial spirit, the Lone Wolf. Don't be afraid. This is just a demonstration so you understand what a spirit awakening looks like." Seeing Xiaolong and Wutong remain calm, the deacon was slightly impressed and explained the process to the rest.
Then, one by one, the children were called to awaken their martial spirits. As the ritual went on, Su Yuntao grew increasingly disappointed—every child awakened a useless martial spirit, and none had any innate spiritual power.
With only two children left, he had already given up hope. Then came Tang Wutong's turn.
She extended her right hand and closed her eyes, focusing on her spiritual sea. After a few moments, she sensed something forming: a blue-silver grass emerged, its roots stretching toward her.
Suddenly, another fluctuation appeared—a uniquely shaped hammer manifested. But before she could process what was happening, the grass's root wrapped tightly around her wrist and pulled her out of her spiritual sea.
Opening her eyes within the ritual formation, she looked at her right hand and saw her spirit. Clenching her left hand, she could feel the presence of a second martial spirit, but decided to keep it hidden for now.
"Another useless martial spirit..." Su Yuntao muttered as he handed her the evaluation orb.
But when Wutong touched it, the deacon's expression turned to pure shock. What he saw made no sense: a child with a worthless martial spirit and yet... innate full soul power? Was this some kind of cosmic joke?
"She has the highest possible cultivation potential... but with a completely inadequate martial spirit. What cruel irony," he thought bitterly.
"Congratulations, child. You were born with the maximum potential for cultivation... unfortunately, your martial spirit is utterly unsuitable for it," Su Yuntao said, face torn between amazement and pity, before sending her out and calling the last child.