There were twenty different classes that would conduct the awakening.
Zhang Ye was number 48; he would be the last person to receive the awakening.
The Homeroom Teacher, who was also their Magic Advisor, Xue Musheng, was already standing at the very front. The awakening would be conducted in front of numerous people. The student's name was called out, and then they would go up front to place their hands on the Awakening Stone in front of the Magic Advisor.
"Hey, the-one-who-entered-through-the-backdoor, you're not gonna fail the awakening are you? I heard that there are certain incapable people who fail the awakening. A dreg like you should just stop wasting the energy of the expensive Awakening Stone," on a different line up, an old classmate of Zhang Ye, Zhao Kunsan said.
Zhao Kunsan was Mu Bai's henchman. Mu Bai personally didn't bully Zhang Ye because of his background, so instead, he primarily used Zhao Kunsan to do it.
It was actually possible for the awakening to fail, so Zhang Ye was genuinely worried about this part. Strictly speaking he was… yeah, a person who had crossed from a different plane. If his physical body was different from the people from here, then that'd be one of hell of a joke.
"Brother Zhang Ye, just ignore this jerk. Wait until you awaken a Fire element and show him. Then he'll know the meaning behind the phrase, 'Look down on people from a dog's eyes.[1]'" Zhang Hou, who was placed in the same class as Zhang Ye said.
Zhang Ye didn't say anything. If it was a different day, he would've thrown all sorts of insults at Henchman Zhao Kunsan, however, he wasn't in the mood today. On one hand, it was because he was truly very nervous. While on the other hand, he didn't know why the black pendant he wore around his neck was incessantly shaking.
The black colored pendant was the remnant of the backdoor gatekeeper of his old middle school, Old Man Ying. Zhang Ye suspected that this ring was the reason behind the great changes in the world. That day, Zhang Ye was wearing this pendant when he fell asleep on the mountain behind his school.
Ever since this morning the broken pendant had been acting like it was possessed, constantly trembling. It shook so much that it made his own hand shake without stopping.
_Screw your mother! Why do you keep shaking?? You're just a stupid pendant, so why aren't you acting like the pendant you are?!_
"Mu Bai!" the homeroom teacher, Xue Musheng, called out.
"Oh, so that's Mu Bai. He is indeed very handsome, and his grades are the top as well."
"Yeah, I saw him this morning, I like it. I wonder what kind of element he'll awaken? I reckon it won't be crap elements like Water or Light, will it?"
Mu Bai stood up and immediately heard a few girls in his class chattering incessantly about him. At same time, he also attracted starry-eyed infatuations from other classes.
Mu Bai wore an indifferent expression. His eyes, however, revealed that he was enjoying others discussing him. He walked to the front and stood before the homeroom teacher, a humble and confident smile on his face.
"Mu Bai, you're from the Mu Family who is renowned for their Ice element right?" Xue Musheng asked with a slight smile.
"Precisely."
"Good, if you awaken the ice element, then you will be superior compared to others. However, don't forget to put in effort too. After all, talent isn't the decisive aspect to everything."
Mu Bai nodded, but he thought to himself, "Yes, talent can't decide everything, but without talent and family resources, then one would have to live forever at the bottom of the society."
With permission from the homeroom teacher, Mu Bai slowly placed his hands on the floating Awakening Stone.
A thick, star shaped compass emerged, along with a clear palm print on the Awakening Stone. Mu Bai seemed tranquil, but his heart was nervous as he placed his hands on the Awakening Stone…
Thanks to his bloodline, the possibility of him awakening Ice Element was very high. However, there could also be exceptional circumstances. If he awakened the Water or Light Element then the Mu Family was unlikely to continue attaching any importance to him. After all, there was no way they would waste their finances just so they could find resources suitable to a different attribute.
He placed his left hand on the stone…
The Awakening Stone suddenly emanated a starry radiance. This radiance turned into strips of star marks that appeared to be an extraordinary vein as it landed on Mu Bai's left hand.
This was everyone's first time seeing the awakening with their own eyes; the students were all tiptoeing as they watched Mu Bai.
Mu Bai was standing there unmoving, as though he was suddenly enlightened. He then raised his head slowly…
"Creak, creak, creak~~~~"
A sudden frosty air curled itself around the Awakening Stone.
The air became more and more dense. It actually slowly froze the surface of the Awakening Stone, forming a layer of frost!
"Ice Element! It really is the Ice Element!!!"
Suddenly, a person behind him began yelling. Following this yell, a few girls screeched.
As Mu Bai heard the noises, he opened his eyes in joy!
It's actually the Ice Element! With the Ice Element, it would be easier for him to be taken in by the Mu Family. The day where he would soar through the skies was not far. To deal with someone like Zhang Ye, the dreg of the society, would be like pinching an ant to death… Ah, that's not right. 'After awakening the Ice Element, I will become an official disciple of the Mu Family. There is no reason for me to lower myself to the level of a beggar.'
'I need to set my standards higher. Who knows? I might even have an opportunity to cultivate together with Mu Ningxue!'
"Very good. It is a very pure Ice Element. I believe an Ice Element Star Dust should be appearing within your Spiritual World. Cultivate harder, and make it grow even stronger!" the homeroom teacher said, with eyes full of praise.
The ability to freeze the Awakening Stone during the awakening meant that the power of his Ice Element surpassed the average person. He was likely to be a very talented Ice Element apprentice, and his future was very promising!
"Next, Qiu Yueying!"
After the homeroom teacher said this, a girl with a somewhat confident look on her face came over.
"Alright, Earth Element. The power of your stardust isn't bad at all. It seems like the effort you've put in is showing!"
"Next, Xu Qinglin!"
"Also Ice Element."
At this moment, Zhang Ye tiptoed to watch. He discovered that the person who also awakened the Ice Element, Xu Qinglin, caused a layer of faint frosty mist to emerge. It did not freeze the Awakening Stone though.
From this, one could tell that even if this was the Ice Element, Xu Qinglin's talent and cultivation was much lower than Mu Bai.
"Next, Lu Xiaobing."
"Hm, Water Element!"
"Ahhh, oh my god, how could I be Water Element? I should be a Fire Element!" suddenly, the classmate called 'Lu Xiaobing' called out in bewilderment. The people within the circumference of a hundred Mi heard this.
"Don't be discouraged. No matter what Element you cultivate, as long as you can become an Intermediate-level Mage, you will obtain even more recognition."
Lu Xiaobing had no other choice. He could only return to his own seat in low spirits.
In fact, the awakening in the beginning was very important. If it was a Fire Element, then one could possess a certain level of combat prowess as a Primary-level Magician. That allowed future cultivation to happen much more easily.
The Primary-level Water Element skill was 'Water Shield,' and its defensive power was not as strong as the Earth Element. If one was not proficient in it, then the effects were not very clear. At the very least, that's how it worked among the Primary-rank Mages.
"Next…"
"Next…."
"Next….."
"Zhang Hou!"
Standing not too far from Zhang Ye, the monkey-looking Zhang Hou turned his head around and gave Zhang Ye a glance, "Brother Zhang Ye, I'm going now."
"Alright, good luck."
"Hmph, I hope you will also get Water Element," Zhao Kunsan immediately said in sarcasm.
Zhang Hou was just a skinny, monkey stick. As he put his hands on it, an odd wind vortex appeared on the Awakening Stone, causing the teacher's clothes to move slightly.
"Very good. Wind Element. Your talent isn't bad at all. Practice hard, and don't be lazy!" Xue Musheng's face also revealed a look of satisfaction.
The homeroom teacher, Xue Musheng, was feeling very happy. This was because he had only reached ten or so of them, and there were already two talented students who had appeared. If they were to cultivate well, then they would definitely be admitted into a good University.
Naturally, what made his face light up like a gem was student number 1, Mu Bai. An outstanding Ice Element talent coupled with the Ice Element Family behind him, his future capabilities would be of a great asset!
It seemed like the class 8 had an opportunity to become one of the top classes this year.
"Next…"
"Next…."
"Next….."
"Pu~~~~~"
An orange colored fire suddenly lit up on top of the Awakening Stone.
This scene caused the entire class to widen their eyes.
"Fire… Fire Element!!!"
"Shit! It turned out to be a girl. What's her name?"
For a moment, the girl who awakened the Fire Element became the focus of the class. This Element was the most amazing one among the Chemical Elements. This was also the Apprentice-level Mage's first choice in awakening. If they were able to choose which Elements to get, then….
Unfortunately, the Fire Element was quite arrogant yet tender, and the probability of awakening it was quite low. In a class, there'd be at most three of them; that's not even one every tenth students.
"Her name is Zhou Min. It seems like she's the daughter of some teacher," someone said in a whisper.
"She looks really good. We should get to know her better."
"We should be cautious. This Zhou Min looks like she's very quiet and obedient, but in reality, she's very short-tempered and violent. How else could a girl awaken the Fire Element?"
"That makes sense."
"Daughter is just like mother. If Mrs. Wenhua knows about this, then I'm sure she'll be excited," the homeroom teacher, Xue Musheng, said.
"Thank you teacher."
"Next….. Wind Element."
"Next….. Light Element."
"Heavens, I'm going to the roof. Don't stop me," the Light Element student said.
"Next….Water Element."
"Classmate with the Light Element, wait for me! I'm coming with you to the roof."
"Next….."
...
Finally when it seemed like the entire class had their Elements awakened, Zhang Ye's hand held the student number 48, as his heart madly skipped incessantly. Perhaps no one else was as nervous as Zhang Ye. On one hand, his first interaction with magic was only three months ago, while on the other hand, he was really worried that he'd fail his Awakening!
"Number 48, Zhang Ye!"
"It's your turn!" Zhang Hou turned his head around and encouraged him.
"Sacrificing everything to get in here. Just don't hold any kind of hope. If your luck is good, you could get Water Element. If you can't reach the Intermediate-level Mage, then you'll have wasted it. If your luck is bad, then your awakening will fail. Tsk tsk tsk… and by then you'll be expelled," Zhao Kunsan said with sarcasm.
"Would you shut your dog mouth?" Zhang Hou said with slight anger.
Zhang Hou saw Zhang Ye as a big brother. Although his grades in Magic were bad, and he entered Magic High through the backdoor, Zhang Hou absolutely did not wish to see Zhang Ye's awakening be worse than others.
The nine year compulsory magic education actually served to build a foundation for the Awakening, as well as the theories for cultivation afterward. If they didn't study well, then on one hand, the Awakening might fail, while on the other, the cultivation might not advance.
Zhang Ye took large strides and passed through the crowds of people.
"It's him. It seems like he entered through the backdoor."
"Who is this? He looks pretty handsome," a girl asked dreamily.
"A dreg of a student. I was originally from the class next to his," another girl with a mushroom head and large mouth said.
"Is that so? Then his awakening might be bad."
"Whether he will succeed his awakening is the real question."
"Those of you who awakened Light or Water Element, don't worry. Wait till you see this Zhang Ye awaken… then you'll feel much better. This guy's exam score was at one digit, and his foundation is completely shit. His awakening is likely to fail," at that moment Zhao Kunsan spat at Zhang Hou with a straightforward, loud voice that carried a sense of mocking.
As he said this, the Light and Water Element students eyes turned bright. If there really was a person that failed their awakening, then that would really make them feel… relieved.
"Stop making a racket!" Xue Musheng glared at Zhao Kunsan.
The corner of Mu Bai's mouth slowly curled up. He wanted Zhang Ye to be humiliated in front of everyone. _What qualifications did he have to approach Lady Mu Ningxue? He's just a loser. Someone as handsome as me, with a good talent in magic and who makes great efforts, who is Mu Ningxue's relation, should be very intimate with her._
"Dreg… I heard that your family sold the house so you could do the Awakening. If you really happen to fail the awakening, then you should just find a river and jump into it. That way your problems will be solved. Then you can also save your family from being humiliated," Mu Bai said with a delicate whisper as Zhang Ye passed by.
Zhang Ye glanced at Mu Bai; he endured the impulse to curse at the idiot as he walked to the front of Xue Musheng.
"Zhang Ye, put your hands here," Xue Musheng said with a gentle tone.
As the homeroom teacher, Xue Musheng was very clear on the circumstances of the student in front of him.
His middle school exams were essentially at the bottom. He was only able to enter Tian Lan Magic High because of the higher ups pulling strings. From how Xue Musheng saw it, Zhang Ye was from a normal family: no background, no talent, his grades were so bad that he didn't even want to look at them. This kind of student being sent to his class was simply a headache; it was very easy for him to pull down the average of the class.
_Ah, there's nothing I can do about it. I'll have to count myself unlucky. Hopefully this kid won't actually fail his awakening, or else he'll become the laughingstock for the entire year._
Zhang Ye's hands was constantly shaking. At the end of the day, he was still a little nervous.
"Smooth and steady, don't shake," Xue Musheng said as a reminder.
Zhang Ye used his left hand to grab onto his right hand. In this way, he successfully put his right hand onto the Awakening Stone.
It's cold. He didn't know if it was because the last person had awakened the Ice Element, causing the entire Awakening Stone to be ice cold.
Eh? Something's not right. Why is it beginning to feel numb and hot?
"Close your eyes and feel your Spiritual World!" Xue Musheng said.
What a troublesome student; he doesn't even know the basics.
Zhang Ye hastily closed his eyes as instructed.
This so-called Spiritual World could be seen when one closed their eyes, and within their head, a piece of void would emerge. A normal person would continually imagine in this void, and just like movie fragments, there would be those indistinct scenes. When one emptied their mind and stopped thinking, the mind became a void… just like a sky without a star.
Within the Spiritual World, there was nothing at all. However, when Zhang Ye placed his hand on the Awakening Stone, he could feel the power of lightning…
This power was transmitted from his hand to his body. Following this, there was suddenly a miraculous power within his empty Spiritual World, which caused a purple colored arc to streak across the world; it was gorgeous, magnificent, and an experience that shocked his soul!
Zhang Ye Spiritual World, suddenly there are colorful progress bar in his mind suddenly reached
100%.
The silent current blasted from Zhang Ye's head, and Zhang Ye only felt like an electric shock. The whole body trembled and shook.
"System binding is complete, you are welcome to use Devil Fruit System.
The sweet female electromechanical sound rang in his mind and shocked Zhang Ye.
"What!"
"Who is talking?"
Zhang Ye was busy looking around in horror, then his pupil slammed and saw his mind its a huge furnace" Devil Fruit Brass Dragon Pattern Furnace"