"Now that the Clan Master has concluded her speech, the ceremony will commence. I will call out the names accordingly, and you will step towards the altar and kneel. From then on, follow my every instruction! During the ceremony, I expect the absolute silence from the rest of you!"
After the Clan Master gave her inspiring speech, the Shrine Maiden briefed the children present on the steps to take for the ceremony.
"Would Aaron Frie please come forward."
The Shrine Maiden called out the first name on the list. A young male stepped forward from the crowd and walked briskly to the altar. Once there, he knelt on the cold hard floor. Shaking like a leaf in the autumn breeze, the boy named Aaron was visibly nervous.
"Rest assured child, nothing wrong will happen to you. I guarantee it."
The Shrine Maiden attempted to calm the boy.
"Now close your eyes and relax. You will feel my hand touching your forehead so do not be alarmed."
She gently instructed Aaron.
"..."
Aaron closed his eyes while kneeling and entrusted his body to the Shrine Maiden. Relieved that the boy was now calm, the Shrine Maiden began the awakening process. She first placed her left hand on the boy's forehead and raised her right towards the heavens. Similar to Aaron, the Shrine Maiden closed her eyes. However, unlike Aaron, a significant amount of spiritual energy was being gathered by her body.
"Wow..."
Every other child gasped in amazement. It was the first time they felt that much spiritual energy congregated in one spot. Even Ariel and Shin who had felt the full brunt of the First Elder's spiritual power were flabbergasted by the petite white-robed woman in front of them.
"She can gather much more spiritual energy when compared to grandpa!"
Shin nodded to Ariel's claim.
"And it is much less domineering..."
Once, Ariel and Shin went too far in pulling a prank and infuriated the First Elder. In a fit of rage, the old man released his Spirit and pressured the young duo. Shin remembers the scene in extreme detail. With the Fire Whip Spirit in hand, the First Elder managed to cause the Heavens to shake and the Earth to rumble. The amount of spiritual energy being gathered by the old man was something that the two of them would never forget. It caused their skin to crawl every time they recalled it.
But the Shrine Maiden was different. The amount of spiritual energy being gathered was evidently much more than the time the First Elder summoned his Spirit, but it was much more gentle. It was as if an ocean of warm water filled the room and it gave those present a sense of comfort.
"Look inside..."
The Shrine Maiden started whispering to the young boy kneeling in front of her.
The onlookers were curious about what was happening, but all they could see was a torrent of spiritual energy surrounding the two individuals in front of the altar. All of a sudden, a bright amber light could be seen coming forth from Aaron's body.
Noticing the change, the Shrine Maiden gave a rare smile and further guided the young boy.
"Aaron, can you see it? That is your Spirit. Call out to it, reach for it and grasp it!"
"..."
Aaron's entire body started sweating. Everyone could see that he was in a focused state and should not be interrupted and thus stopped all movement altogether.
The next instant, the amber light began to condense, and a blurry form could be seen.
"AHHHHHH!!!"
With a loud bellow, Aaron reached out to the light, and a bright flash blinded everyone in the room. Recovering from the shock meted out by the flash of light, Shin and the others could see clearly the Spirit that was in Aaron's hands.
"Congratulations. You have awakened a Sword Spirit."
In Aaron's hands was an amber coloured Sword Spirit. One of the most common Spirits in the world was the Sword Spirit. Junius had it, and numerous other ancestors of the humans had it. However, just because it was a familiar Spirit did not mean that it was weak. In fact, it was just the opposite. With so many cultivators of the Sword, there was an abundance of cultivation manuals and martial arts techniques that a Sword Spirit wielder could train in. Hence, there were a large number Sword cultivators that had reached the Spirit Saint realm.
"Hahahaha!"
Aaron started to laugh to himself. He was glad about this result. His most apt weapon was precisely the sword. Even though he never met his father, his mother often told him stories of how with his Sword Spirit in hand, he stormed the battlefields to rid the Frie Clan of their enemies. Unfortunately, Aaron's father perished in the battle ten years ago.
Now that Aaron had awakened a Sword Spirit, he could feel a kindred connection to the father he never met.
"Well done, Aaron!"
"Congrats!"
Aaron's friends started shouting and cheered the boy as he left the altar to return to his group.
"Thanks!"
Aaron could not hide his happiness as he replied to his supportive friends.
"Okay, the next one to come is Annelise Frie..."
The Shrine Maiden called out the next participant. This time, it went much longer. Aaron awakened his Spirit in under three minutes. Annelise, on the other hand, took about ten minutes.
"Okay next..."
After Annelise, Frie Clan members were called out one after another. Some of them managed to awaken their Spirit faster, while some had a much harder time.
"It seems that the awakening ceremony takes different times for different people."
"Yeah. I hope I won't take too long..."
"Knowing Shin, your Spirit should be as lazy as you are. It might take a while to awaken it."
"Hey! Actually, that might be true..."
Shin and the twins started to talk in between ceremonies to kill time to their turn.
"I'm getting really nervous."
Emma clung on to Ella and said.
"Don't worry, we have been preparing for this for the past few weeks. There is no way that you will have trouble awakening your Spirit."
"But Ella..."
"Come on Emma, knowing you, your Spirit will come out in under one minute!"
"Really?"
"Of course! Your talent is the highest among all of us."
"Hmph! You're flattering me again!"
"You could tell? Hehe. What's wrong with me praising my own sister."
"Ella..."
Cringing at the twins display of sisterly love, Shin opted to ignore the duo and focus on the altar.
"Next, would Ariel Frie please step forward?"
It was time for the main event.