At this moment, the school's athletic field was filled with thousands of ninth-grade students standing neatly in rows.
Their youthful faces were full of tension.
Everyone maintained absolute silence, their attention fully focused on the principal's speech from the podium.
"Ten Thousand years ago, the Heavenly Gate opened, spiritual energy surged, and fierce beasts descended upon the world!"
"The beasts were savage, slaughtering humans wantonly."
"Fortunately, the heavens favored our people. With the power of vocations and talents, we embarked on the path of martial prowess and entered the Tianwu Era."
"After three years of study, I trust you all have grasped the basic theories of vocations."
"Today is the day you will awaken your vocation and talent, the day that will decide your fate."
"I hope all of you awaken the vocation you desire."
"May the students of Huaxia rise like dragons!"
"I hereby announce the Awakening Ceremony has officially begun!"
As the principal finished speaking, the students below began forming lines in an orderly fashion.
At that moment, a group of proud and confident youths stepped out of the student ranks.
They formed a new line, standing at the very front of the queue.
Students in the back began whispering to one another.
"That's the younger generation of the Wang Clan this year."
"I wonder what kind of talents the Wang family members will awaken this year?"
"No idea, but it definitely won't be anything weak."
"Last year, the worst talent in the Wang Clan was still rated at B-level."
"I'm so envious of them. No matter how hard we work, we'll never reach the starting point they were born into."
"The Wang Clan is an imperial family. If your ancestors were emperors too, you'd also enjoy the blessings of their bloodline."
"Some people are born in Rome, while others are born as beasts of burden."
"..."
Just as the students' discussions intensified, a massive pillar of light erupted from the awakening array in front of them, shaking the heavens!
In an instant, the pillar of light transformed into tens of thousands of flying swords that floated in the sky.
Everyone on the scene was stunned by the awe-inspiring spectacle, frozen in place.
After a brief silence, a chorus of exclamations burst forth.
"Holy crap, a celestial phenomenon!"
"Only talents rated SS or higher can trigger a phenomenon like that!"
"This is way too strong!"
"Whose subordinate is this? They're ridiculously powerful!"
"That's Wang Beichen from the new generation of the Wang family."
"The same Wang Beichen who awakened the conditions for his vocation at just 13 years old?"
"I heard that half a month ago, he opened his twelfth spiritual vein, breaking through the first stage and reaching the second stage, the Blood Refining Realm!"
"Thirteen years old and already in the Blood Refining Realm. The Wang family's geniuses are terrifying!"
"Everyone starts opening their spiritual veins at ten. Why is he so exceptional? It only took him three years to open all of his."
"Damn, I've been training for five years and only opened seven veins. This comparison is infuriating."
The staff near the awakening platform suppressed their shock and loudly announced,
"Wang Beichen has awakened the vocation [Supreme Sword Master], with the X-level talent [Mastery of Ten Thousand Swords]."
The crowd was astonished by these words.
In Class 8's queue, Zhao Hu's eyes widened, and he gulped.
"An X-level talent, a once-in-a-century rarity on a global scale..."
A classmate suddenly remembered something and turned his head sharply.
"Wait, isn't Wang Beichen the younger brother of our class rep?"
Upon hearing this, all the students in Class 8 turned to look at the back.
Wang Xianxian, however, paid no attention to his classmates' curious gazes. He simply watched the awakening platform in silence.
Seeing his younger brother basking in glory on stage, Wang Xianxian was unsurprised.
More than anyone, he knew just how terrifyingly gifted his half-brother was.
Compared to him, Wang Xianxian felt like a mere firefly beneath a bright moon, insignificant and small.
Clutching a pendant in his hand, Wang Xianxian muttered softly, "I will succeed..."
On the podium, many of the school leaders couldn't hide their astonishment.
"An X-level talent? The Wang Clan hasn't produced anyone at this level in over two thousand years."
"The rise of the Wang family is unstoppable now. Their fortune in recent years has been off the charts."
"Perhaps this is the so-called turning point after hitting rock bottom."
"After all, the Sword Emperor's disappearance led to three thousand years of suppression, and now their resurgence is only natural."
"This likely has something to do with the Sword Emperor's advancement in cultivation."
"Although the Sword Emperor is still missing, the sudden surge in the imperial bloodline among the Wang Clan's members proves that his cultivation has reached an unimaginable level."
"Isn't there speculation that the Sword Emperor has one foot in the Emperor Realm?"
"Otherwise, how could the other imperial clans have changed their stance and come begging for reconciliation?"
"This year, 52 Wang Clan members participated in the awakening: 26 awakened B-level talents, 16 A-level, 6 S-level, 2 SS-level, 1 SSS-level, and 1 X-level."
"Such a level of talent is unheard of!"
After the Wang Clan members finished their awakening, the other students began taking their turns.
After a long wait, the line finally started to shorten.
"Li Huo, combat vocation: Fireburner, talent: B-level [Blazing Fire]."
"Zhao Gang, lifestyle vocation: Blacksmith, talent: C-level [Heavy Hammer Strike]."
"Zhang San, combat vocation: Berserker, talent: A-level [Outlaw]."
"Cai Xukun, combat vocation: Beast Trainer in Training, talent: F-level [Little Black Chicken]."
...
The students who successfully awakened their vocations excitedly walked down from the awakening platform.
Time passed by slowly...
Finally, it was Class 8's turn.
The first to go was the class monitor, Li Yue.
"Li Yue, awakened vocation: [Battlefield Medic], talent: S-level [Near-Death Sanctuary]."
Li Yue jumped up in excitement.
The students below gasped in surprise.
"Wow, an S-level talent, and it's an immunity-type talent!"
"She doesn't even need to take the high school entrance exam. Martial arts high schools will fight over her."
"Forget martial arts high schools; talents like this are more valuable to the military than SS-level combat talents."
Li Yue proudly raised her head, like a graceful swan, her gaze lingering on a certain crew-cut boy.
Out of everyone, the most excited was Zhao Hu, standing next to Wang Xianxian.
He grabbed Wang Xianxian in a bear hug.
"Xian-ge, this fool's dream actually came true!"
Wang Xianxian was genuinely happy for his friend.
An S-level talent was rare, even on a provincial level.
Of course, it would be better if Zhao Hu used a little less strength in his hug.
"Let go of me. If you want to hug someone, hug Li Yue. I can't breathe."
"Sorry, sorry." Zhao Hu scratched his head.
"Next, Zhao Hu."
"Whoa, Xian-ge, it's my turn! I'm going up!" Zhao Hu dashed to the awakening platform.
Another flash of light, and the staff member appeared dumbstruck by what he saw.
Half a minute later, he finally recovered and announced,
"Zhao Hu, awakened vocation: [Violent Chef], talent: S-level [Even the Highest Rank Fears the Cleaver]."
The principal on the podium suddenly stood up, and after confirming he wasn't seeing things, he burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, a double jackpot!"
The Wang Clan members didn't participate in the school's evaluation.
Now, with two S-level talents, one of which was a top-tier military asset, the principal couldn't help but feel thrilled.
Zhao Hu was stunned, his mouth hanging open.
In the next second, he let out an earth-shaking roar.
"Dad! I've made it! I've brought honor to the family!"
"I'm starting a new family tree!!!"
The crew-cut boy's goofy celebration made everyone laugh.
Li Yue, who had just stepped down from the platform, was flushed with excitement.
Seeing his two best friends awaken powerful talents, Wang Xianxian suddenly felt a little nervous.
He took out a gourd pendant from his pocket and held it tightly.
"Mom, please bless me..."