Chapter 11: The Awakening Ceremony
The air hung heavy with expectation as Lin Tian stepped out of his family's courtyard, the morning sun stretching across the horizon, casting hues of gold and pale blue. His parents flanked him on either side, their expressions calm but tinged with an underlying tension. Today was the day. This was the day they had all been waiting for—Lin Tian's martial soul awakening.
For the past eighteen months, Lin Tian had devoted himself to rigorous training, pushing his limits despite being unawakened. He had encountered a bottleneck, one that often crushed others, yet he persisted with quiet determination. Every exhausting session, every moment without visible progress, only solidified his resolve. He knew that the soul power accumulating within him would not be wasted. Once he awakened his martial soul and claimed his first soul ring, the barriers that had held him back would crumble. Then, the energy locked inside him would surge, unlocking new heights of strength.
His spiritual power had also grown steadily. Although there was no official measurement system in this era yet, Lin Tian sensed that his spiritual energy had reached levels comparable to what would later be recognized as the Spirit Sea realm. His nights of meditation had sharpened his focus, preparing his mind alongside his body. This was not just a formality—he was ready for this day, ready for whatever path fate laid before him.
The family made their way to Lanshan Intermediate Soul Master Academy, where Lin Tian's journey would truly begin. As they walked, his thoughts wandered toward the world beyond the academy walls. The once-peaceful lands were growing unstable. In the wake of Tang San's ascension to the God Realm, the empires had taken control of martial soul awakenings, initially providing equal opportunities for commoners and nobles alike. But over time, the old hierarchies reasserted themselves. The nobles, no longer under the watchful influence of Tang San's legacy, began charging exorbitant fees for awakenings, turning what had been a public service into a privilege of the wealthy. Greed was human nature and there was no one who could stop them.
Compounding the situation was the unintended fallout from Tang San's destruction of the Killing City. With that dark stronghold eliminated, evil soul masters scattered across the land, sowing chaos. While Shrek Academy would later establish a system to hunt down these rogue practitioners, that solution had not yet been established. For now, rural towns lived in constant fear, defenseless against these predatory forces.
In the midst of this turbulent era, Lin Tian's family was fortunate. The academy where his parents worked continued to offer free awakenings, a rare lifeline for the less privileged. His heart burned with frustration at the growing inequality, but for now, he kept his focus on the present.
They arrived at the academy gates, bypassing the long line of nervous children waiting for their turn. Lin Tian's mother presented her teacher's identification to the guards, who waved them through without hesitation. He caught a glimpse of the waiting children, their faces a mixture of excitement and fear. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation, a reflection of the significance this day held for all of them.
Lin Tian and his parents arrived at the academy gates, skipping past the growing line of excited children. His mother flashed her teacher's ID to the guards, and they nodded, allowing them through without question. It was good to have connections. Lin Tian glanced at the crowd as they walked. The children waiting for their turn were fidgeting nervously, their excitement and anxiety blending into an almost palpable tension.
In a small waiting room, Lin Tian found his friends, Ye Jian and Wang Jia, both children of the academy's faculty. Ye Jian's chatter filled the room as they waited for their turn, her excitement barely masking the nerves beneath.
"I wonder what I'll awaken," she mused, trying to sound cheerful but failing to hide her anxiety. Lin Tian smiled slightly. Even the most confident among them weren't immune to the weight of the day's significance.
Wang Jia, ever the calm one, leaned against the wall with a quiet grin. "It won't matter what we get," he said, brushing off the tension with quiet confidence. "With all the body training we've done, we'll be stronger than the kids who've been slacking off."
Ye Jian brightened at the reminder, her earlier worries slipping away. "You're right! We'll crush them in the sparring classes later!"
Lin Tian offered a rare smile but remained silent. His confidence wasn't born from arrogance but from preparation. The three of them had trained relentlessly, knowing that raw talent alone wouldn't guarantee success. Martial souls mattered, but dedication, perseverance, and control would determine how far they could go.
Soon, their turn came, and they followed the teacher down a quiet hallway into a separate room where Elder Xin awaited. A man of quiet dignity and power, Elder Xin was a level 70 soul master, his aura as steady and immovable as a mountain. Lin Tian couldn't help but marvel at the contrast—Tang San's martial soul had been awakened by a mere level 20 soul master, yet here he was, standing before a man whose power was close to the upper limit in Lanshan.
"Welcome," Elder Xin greeted them, his deep voice carrying both warmth and gravity. He gave Lin Tian a brief, approving smile and Lin Tian bowed respectfully in return. "Step into the circle."
The child first in line nervously shuffled his way into the center of the stones and stood stiffly. As he was bathed in the light, he instinctively opened his hand and a book appeared. Elder Xin handed the boy a clear crystal ball. A soul power tester. As the boy channeled his soul power, half of the crystal ball filled with light.
"Book martial soul, innate soul power level five," Elder Xin declared as a scribe recorded the result.
Soon it was his turn, Lin Tian moved to the circle of ancient awakening stones embedded in the floor. The stones, worn smooth by centuries of use, glimmered faintly under the soft light. This was it—the moment that would determine the course of his life. He closed his eyes, centering his mind as Elder Xin raised his hands and began to channel his soul power.
A low hum filled the room as the stones flared to life, their light intensifying with each passing second. Lin Tian felt a shift deep within him, as if something long dormant was stirring awake. The energy from the awakening stones flowed through him, probing, unlocking.
And then it happened.
A torrent of soul power erupted from within him, rushing through his body like a river breaking through a dam. His senses sharpened, his awareness expanded, and for a brief moment, he felt everything—the warmth of the stones, the pulse of the earth, the rhythm of his own heartbeat.
"Open your hand," Elder Xin urged, his voice calm but tinged with curiosity.
Instinctively, Lin Tian raised his left hand and opened it. Lightning crackled to life, dancing across his fingers, bright and wild. The energy coalesced, forming into a solid shape that pulsed with raw power. As Lin Tian grasped the object in his hand, a shockwave rippled outward, causing the very air around him to hum with energy.
When the light receded, a weapon lay in his palm—sleek and deadly, wrapped in arcs of blue lightning. It was a spear, but not just any spear. The head of the weapon gleamed with silver, and along its shaft, runes flickered faintly. The weapon radiated power, both destructive and precise.
Elder Xin's composed expression slipped for a moment, replaced by confusion. "A... Lightning Flame Spear?" he murmured, only to correct himself. "No, there's no flame—a mutated lightning spear."
The elder's brows furrowed in thought. Mutations could go either way: they could enhance a martial soul's potential or degrade it. Yet something told him to reserve judgment.
"Here, measure your soul power," he urged. Innate soul power was often an indicator of a martial soul's quality. Possessors of high quality martial souls typically started from innate soul level 7 up to level 10. Therefore, he was curious to see if Lin Tian's martial soul had regressed or evolved.
Lin Tian wrapped his hand around the crystal sphere, and in an instant, it blazed with light. Everyone in the room gasped.
"Innate Full Soul Power!" Elder Xin exclaimed, his voice filled with wonder. This confirmed it—Lin Tian's martial soul was not a failure. Instead, it had evolved into a top-tier martial soul, transcending its original form.
Lin Tian nodded to himself. Although he had expected the Innate Full Soul Power, he had no way of determining his martial soul. However, he knew that it would not be a malignant mutation. In the case of a malignant mutation, he would not be able to reach Level 10 soul power while still being unawakened as is the case with Yu Xiaogang who only had half a level of soul power. A positive mutation is similar to Feng Xiaotian who faced Tang San in the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament. His Stormwind Double Headed Wolf had mutated from a regular Stormwind Wolf and granted him Innate Full Soul power.
The absence of fire wasn't a defect—it was an enhancement. Lin Tian found that after awakening, he could sense electricity particles in the air. As he flared his soul power, lightning surged around him. The fact that his martial soul granted such power and control after just awakening…it seemed his spear held secrets that he was not yet privy to.
"What are you going to name your martial soul Xiao Tian?" Elder Xin asked him gently, breaking him out of his reverie.
For a moment, Lin Tian considered calling it the Storm God's Spear but thought better of it. Naming a martial soul after the gods was dangerous in a world where divine beings held sway. Instead, he gave a slight smile.
"Let's call it the Storm Tyrant Spear."
As he dismissed the weapon, lightning flickered, and thunder rumbled in its wake—a fitting omen for the journey that lay ahead.
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