After completing breakfast, the group of six arrived at the massive training hall inside the Vantistart manor.
While it was unusual to delay the awakening in order to enjoy breakfast, it had been Dramon's idea. According to him, it would have helped calm Amden's nerves in such an intense situation.
The awakening was a simple process. The person had to absorb spiritual energy for the first time and circulate it through their body's pathways, ultimately accumulating it in their mind's consciousness, where the spiritual energy was stored.
The general measure of talent was determined by the amount of spiritual energy a person could absorb in one go during their awakening process, without taking a break during the circulation. The more spiritual energy absorbed, the greater the talent.
Ordinary people or commoners usually visited different organizations to undergo their awakening. These organizations charged a hefty fee for assistance, and in return, they often recruited talented individuals to join their ranks. Since commoners and the poor people were generally unaware of the process and intricacies involved in an awakening process, these organizations were on the profitable end from signing recruitment contracts.
The terms and condition of the agreements were in the favour of these large organisation.
Under Dramon's lead, the Vantistart family entered the hall. He gestured for Amden to sit cross-legged.
"Grandfather, I don't want any outsider to witness my awakening," Amden said.
Amden's words caused a frown and confusion to appear on everyone's faces. They assumed it was simply Amden's nervousness, thinking he was worried about embarrassment if his talent turned out to be mediocre.
Dramon did not question or object. He gave a single nod, and soon, everyone except the six of them, the guards and servants, left the hall. With Dramon himself present, it would be impossible for anyone to spy or sneak in.
Amden sat cross-legged on a square-shaped stone placed at the center of the hall. It was large enough to provide ample space for him to sit comfortably.
Rexon then took a glowing red crystal, about the size of a football. This was a spiritual crystal—and not just any ordinary one. It was an SSS rank spiritual crystal, a rare and precious commodity.
Such crystals were extremely hard to find, and mining them depended on pure luck. Even elite families rarely used them for example when a family member was advancing from SS Rank to SSS Rank.
Let alone an SSS Rank, even using an SS Rank crystal for awakening was considered extravagant for direct descendants of elite families.
The rank of the spiritual crystal used during the awakening was a crucial factor. Higher-grade crystals contained more pure form of spiritual energy and that too in a denser form, making it easier for the individual to absorb more energy.
Amden was surprised by the crystal. He was not shocked that his father was willing to give him such a valuable item, but rather that his family possessed something so precious.
Even before Rexon could place the crystal in Amden's hand, Amden shook his head in denial. "Father, you should keep this crystal for yourself or for grandmother. This will raise your strength greatly. Even if I use an SS Rank crystal, it won't make much of a difference."
Rexon paid no attention to Amden's words. He thought Amden was unwilling to use the SSS Rank crystal because of its value. But for Rexon, Amden's awakening was more important than anything else.
Seeing the reaction of his family, Amden understood that he couldn't convince them without revealing some truth.
"Father, for me, this crystal is useless. One crystal is not enough. I will need to absorb SS Rank crystals. Please keep it for yourself," he explained.
Everyone was stunned by Amden's words.
Clara was the first to react. "Amden, do you understand what you're saying?"
"One SSS crystal is not sufficient?" she repeated, almost incredulously. "Even for me…and I'm at peak SS Rank, absorbing a SSS Rank crystal would take some time, and you're saying it won't be enough for you?"
Amden sighed deeply. He knew explaining things would be difficult.
"Grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, Cilia, just trust me," he said, his eyes scanning his family in reassurance.
Everyone looked at each other. They understood that Amden wasn't the type to speak recklessly or do something impulsive.
Rexon finally nodded. "Fine, we trust you."
At that moment, everyone was filled with excitement. If what Amden said was true, they were about to witness the emergence of a never-before-seen prodigy. They also began to understand why Amden had wanted no one other than them to witness his awakening.
Amden had not informed them of his need for quite a few SS Rank crystals previously, as the precious crystals his family possessed were all stored in their spatial rings.
Rexon produced three SS Rank crystals from his storage ring. Dramon, during his own awakening, had absorbed two SS Rank crystals, and he had been hailed as a rare prodigy—a genius like none other. But was Amden truly going to surpass that?
Amden took one of the crystals in his hand, and Dramon stood behind him to guide him through his first circulation.
Amden began circulating the Universe Origin Scripture, and the spiritual energy rushed into his body. His body acted like a dry well, absorbing the energy like water. The first circulation was completed in mere moments.
Everyone's faces widened in shock as they witnessed how quickly Amden absorbed the spiritual energy. He consumed the first SS Rank crystal in just two hours. For Dramon, it had taken eight hours to do the same. Amden then picked up the second crystal, and within three hours, he had absorbed it completely. His speed was insane. He then picked up the third crystal.
After two more hours, he had absorbed half of the third crystal. By this point, blood had started to flow from his body, purging all the impurities. His element had not awakened yet, though. Elements generally awakened when a person reached their maximum capacity. Amden continued to absorb the spiritual energy.
After finishing the third crystal, Dramon placed four more SS Rank crystals near Amden. Amden continued for hours, absorbing five crystals in total. He was now working on his sixth crystal.
His body was covered in blood. The group of six stood by, fearful and nervous. Amden had already surpassed every previous record by a wide margin. Now, they were all waiting for his elements to awaken.