'I am back to square one, all of the spirits that I refined are gone but it doesn't matter. As long as I am living I can rise to the top again.' Xi Yun thought after listening to the clan head's bullshits.
'Too bad that the Celestial Demonic Moth is gone, I didn't even use its full power yet and there are no chances that it will exist again. It is already destroyed and those kinds of spirit are unique, there can't be two of them.' He thought while leaning at a wall in one of the buildings outside the clan hall.
He didn't regret it because the Celestial Demonic Moth is just a tool that will help him achieve his goal and that goal is immortality and great power.
He no longer has any attachment to anything in order to achieve his goal, everything that can help him, he must use it no matter what its price is. Its true value only lies in its use for him.
"I have already told you what you all need to know for now, the academy will teach you the rest if you become a spirit cultivator. Now let's start the awakening ceremony." The clan head said after gathering everyone's attention.
"Behave properly and don't cause any ruckus" The clan head added and he soon called another elder to take charge of the ceremony.
"Everyone follow me. " The elder said to the group of youths. He is in high spirit because today is a very special day for the Zhang Clan.
The elder led them into the clan hall and after walking for a long time, they were led downstairs and they soon arrive in an underground cave.
The cave is very pretty, it is full of life and it gives those who entered it a sense of tranquility. Stalactites are sparkling with various colors making the youths astonished by the beautiful scenery. These stalactites are also the ones responsible for illuminating the whole cave.
"Wow, this place is so wonderful!"
"It looks like the place that the clan head mentioned in the Legend of Yu Zheng!"
The underground cave is very huge and it can fit all of them.
After walking for a while they soon heard water flowing and they soon spotted it, in particular, it is spring that is very clear and clean.
No one dared to touch it since those who did will be punished, the spring must never be polluted nor should anyone go near it if not given authority. That is what the clan told the youths who will undergo an awakening ceremony.
After a while, they soon arrived in a place full of flowers with flickering white balls of light illuminating the whole place.
"You see those white balls of lights? In the Legend of Yu Zheng, it is called the Spirit of Faith, as long as you have a strong faith like Yu Zheng who continued remembering the name of his spirit despite being in the darkness then it will also grant you powers." The elder said as he stopped and he waved for all the youths to also stop moving.
They stopped at this place and Xi Yun who still has a calm look on his face leaned his back on the wall of the cave after watching the whole charade in front of him with no care.
"Now let's start with the first one who will undergo the whole ceremony. Feng Song come in front of here!" The elder shouted in his loud voice.
"Look at that Xi Yun, he still dared to lean on the walls of the cave. Does he not know the importance of this cave and he dares to mess this place? What if it became dirty?" A youth clearly jealous of Xi Yun said.
"What do you mean to mess with the cave walls? Look at his elegant robes, does it look dirty to you? How about you look at your face first before you talk about cleanliness to someone!" The girl said rebutting the guy who tried to defame Xi Yun.
"How can he even mess with the cave just by leaning his back on it? If you are looking for trouble then better use your head properly!" She added.
"Xi Yun's face is as cold as ice and he looks like he has no regard for others. He is so arrogant, just like the rumors say." Another one said while frowning.
"He is arrogant because he is talented! You can also be like him if you can compose wonderful poems at a young age!" Someone defended Xi Yun again.
"If you also have his looks then you can be decent but with your looks, you truly have no chance to act arrogant at all" To add more wounds to the youth's jealous hearts, the girl who defended him earlier added.
Hearing all these praise and envy, Xi Yun didn't show any changes of emotions to his face as he was already used to all this while just looking at the wimpy dude who is shaking while trying to get to the front.
He doesn't have any intention to get involved in them since it was just pointless squabbles that will not benefit him in any way. They continued arguing for a very long amount of time until the first guy arrived at the front.
"You have to try to cross this spring, every step you take will be counted and the higher steps you have the better your talent will so try to cross the spring as far as possible." The elder explained to the youths.
All of them already knew it, their parents have already taught them all things that they all need to remember since their parents also participated in the awakening ceremony when they are in their youths.
"Now go!" The elder ordered the youth named Feng Song in front of him and everybody became quiet. The youth gathered courage, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in front of him and he needs to become a spirit cultivator to change his mortal fate.
The elder watched the youth's first footstep in the spring, he recorded it but the youth didn't last long. "Feng Song, 5 steps, no talent to become a spirit cultivator".
The elder sighed and look disappointed at the youth in front of him, the youth cried knowing that he won't be able to change his fate.
Feng Song was deathly pale as he walked away from the spring to go back to the group of youths, tears are falling from his eyes. Without the endowed talent, he could only live as a mortal and have the fate of one. Their fate is just to be the lowest cannon fodder of the world, always at the disposal of those who have powers.
Feng Song's stature was shaky as he is crying, he lost all hope from today's awakening ceremony. Seeing him, some of the youths quickly patted him and comforted him.
The chance of being a spirit cultivator is very low hence they knew that it is a very huge blow to them if they didn't become one because their lives will always be at someone's disposal.
They comforted him because they can also have the fate of a mortal, at least if they comforted someone they will do the same to them.
Xi Yun looks at what the youths are doing and can't think of something. "So that's what they call to go with the flow? These people have already accepted that they will just be mortals."
There is a reason why this spirit is called Spirit of Faith, it is because as long as your faith is firm then it will make miracles by endowing you a talent.
Accepting to be a mortal is just akin to completely surrendering to fate and risk your lives to those people who are in the upper parts of the system.
'They are already brainwashed at this stage of time huh?' He thought again since although the clan wishes for more talents, it is nothing but a facade.
How many youths are there participating in the awakening ceremony? There are at least a thousand coming from the youths of the clan every year. The clan has a huge population so the youths are also plenty in number.
Having a higher population also means higher chances of youths having the talent to become a spirit cultivator.
It is a very good scenario for the clan if that were to happen, the overall power of the clan will be stronger but what will happen to the resources?
The resources will be very limited and the one who will be the most affected to that is of course those who are behind the system and who are those peoples? They are the clan head and the clan elders, basically, everyone who has authority.
All of them don't want what is theirs to go to others after all.
'It is because of this system that I want to rob all of these guys' Xi Yun thought remembering how he lived in difficulty because of this existing system that eats those who are weak.
'I hate the system of the clan but at the same time I think I will love it this time.' He thought after thinking of things he can do to take advantage of the clan.