NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15: Awakening of the Martial Soul
"Place your hand on this."
Ling Yi, feeling a touch of apprehension, tried to mimic the unease and tension displayed by the other children around him. Taking a deep breath, he recalled the faint blue grass in the palm of his hand and placed it on the blue crystal orb handed to him.
He felt the cool stream within him, born from the "Blue Silver Grass" Martial Soul, being drawn out by the strong pull within the crystal orb. Ling Yi lowered his gaze, watching the slowly brightening crystal orb, and savored the sensation of the cool current coursing through him.
Seeing that the crystal orb only lit up a mere twentieth of its base, the young man in white frowned. Remembering Ling Yi’s Martial Soul, nothing but the common "Blue Silver Grass," he nodded knowingly, saying, "You’re lucky to have awakened spirit power even with a Martial Soul like 'Blue Silver Grass'. Throughout my years of conducting these awakening ceremonies, you’re the first."
"Though your talent is limited, you can still train and have the hope of becoming a Spirit Master."
"Thank you, Master Spirit." Ling Yi drew back his hand and bowed slightly to the young man before him, his demeanor simple and sincere, his voice carrying the innocent clarity of youth.
This year, seven children in Shanhai Village reached the age of six, and Ling Yi was the fifth to be tested.
In no time, the remaining two children finished their awakenings, unsurprisingly, both possessing no innate spirit power.
This meant that only Ling Yi, among this year’s age group, awakened with innate spirit power, making him a candidate to become a Spirit Master. Furthermore, he was the first in Shanhai Village in potentially centuries to hold such promise!
"Spirit Master, sir~"
As the young man packed away the blue crystal ball and six black stones, preparing to leave, Ling Yi called out softly.
The young Spirit Master turned his head towards Ling Yi, seeing that he was the only child among the three villages visited today who possessed innate spirit power. He tapped his forehead lightly with his index finger, chuckling gently, "Look at me, I almost forgot..."
Saying this, he reopened the bag at his waist and took out a small booklet along with a feather pen.
"To be honest, in the past two years, including your Shanhai Village, I've visited twenty-five villages and haven't encountered a single child with the aptitude to become a Spirit Master. This time, it became a habit—"
"What's your name?"
"Ling Yi."
"Ling~ Yi~, is it? Very well—"
As he spoke, the young man wrote something in the small booklet with the feather pen.
Soon, he stopped writing, carefully tearing out the filled page from the booklet and handing it to Ling Yi, "Here you go, kid. This is your Martial Soul certificate. Keep it safe."
"You can take it and head to either 'Muzhi City' or 'Cuiwei City'. Look for a beginner Spirit Master academy and enroll there. That is, if you can secure a place as a work-study student; otherwise, you'll have to save up for tuition and living expenses."
"Alright, thank you, Spirit Master sir~" Ling Yi received his Martial Soul certificate with both hands, maintaining an obedient expression and voice.
"Excuse me, Spirit Master, may I ask you a question?" Ling Yi ventured to ask.
Perhaps influenced by a sense of recompense, perhaps because he was in a good mood, or maybe because Ling Yi had already stepped halfway into the world of Spirit Masters, the young man nodded with a smile, "Of course, go ahead and ask~"
Ling Yi raised his little face, his gaze pure. "May I ask why Uncle Lu Yi hasn't come around in the past two years?"
"Oh?" The young man was a bit surprised by the question. "Do you know Elder Lu?"
"No, not really," Ling Yi waved his hand, feeling a bit awkward. "I just met him once three years ago when Uncle Lu came to our village to preside over the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony..."
"I see~" The eagerness that had almost shown on the young man's face paused, turning a bit more reserved, as he said unhurriedly, "Elder Lu broke through to become a Soul Elder two years ago and was transferred to the main hall of the Martial Soul in Wood Branch City."
"Is that so~" Ling Yi nodded, as if he didn’t notice the subtle change in the young man's demeanor, he murmured quietly, "I wonder if it’d be possible to visit him when I go to Wood Branch City..."
"Hmm~" The young man was still pondering over Ling Yi's murmur, and after a brief pause, he thought over it and said, "It's not absolutely necessary to enroll in an academy, but if you wish to go further on the path of a Spirit Master, getting a systematic education is beneficial. Whether it's understanding the types and development paths of various Martial Souls, or the categories and attributes of spirit beasts, academies provide comprehensive teaching..."
"As for training~" the young man weighed his words carefully and addressed Ling Yi, "Come to the Spirit Hall at Beikou River Town in a few days, and I’ll give you a book on 'Basic Meditation Techniques'..."
"Really?!" Ling Yi's eyes widened in sheer surprise and delight.
Seeing Ling Yi's expression, the young man felt a sense of satisfaction, waving his hand as if it were no big deal. "Oh, it’s nothing really, just basic meditation techniques. You can get them at any academy you join or through the Duchy’s official channels..."
"You could even buy one from some older Spirit Masters or Spirit Warriors for a few silver soul coins. However, most of those purchasing them are non-spirit power individuals without the aptitude to become Spirit Masters, making such a purchase pointless."
Ling Yi: “No matter what, I am truly grateful to you, Master Spirit. Without your help, even if I wanted to buy it, I wouldn't know where to start.”
“Aha, you…” The young man chuckled upon hearing this, pointing at Ling Yi and saying, “No need to call me master. I’m only twenty-six. Since you call Elder Lu ‘Uncle,’ you might as well call me Uncle Yan~.”
Just before the Martial Spirit awakening, the young man had introduced himself as Yan Bin, whose Martial Spirit was an ‘Iron Spear,’ and he was a twenty-third level Spirit Master.
Ling Yi: “Alright, thank you, Uncle Yan!”
Yan Bin: “Alright then, now I’ve got to run to the next village—”
“Three days… Hmm, let’s make it five. Five days later, come to Beikouhe Town, and we will talk then…”
Ling Yi: “Okay!”
…
Outside Shanhai Village.
Ling Yi stood at the crossroads, waving goodbye to Yan Bin, quietly watching his swift retreating figure.
In the air lingered a tantalizing aroma of roasted meat.
“Two roasted chickens… At the Beikouhe Town market, they would fetch a basketful of vegetables and half a basket of black bread—”
Zhang Lei, who had somehow appeared beside Ling Yi, was catching his breath as he spoke.
"Brother Lei, that's not how the account is settled," Ling Yi said calmly as he glanced at Zhang Lei and then returned his gaze to the end of the road, now void of anything. "Although we can purchase the 'Basic Meditation Technique' from a few people in the town, receiving it as a gift from a Deacon of the Martial Soul Hall naturally holds more legitimacy."
Two years ago, when Zhang Lei first clearly sensed the presence of soul power within him, Ling Yi had already inquired about it through Ling Xiaoshan and Zhang Dahe. There were some retired veterans in Beikouhe Town, along with a few older, one-ring Spirit Masters or small noble Spirit Master families.
These so-called families could best be described as typical estate-owning families led by a single Spirit Master or Spirit Scholar. Multiple wives, dozens of children, yet only one or two with soul power.
Naturally, these individuals had meditation techniques related to Spirit Master cultivation in their possession. Over the years, many had sought to purchase these techniques from them. As Yan Bin mentioned earlier, even if you bought them, they would be useless without the aptitude for soul power.
Back then, the Ling and Zhang families, due to poultry and fish farming, had some extra funds at home. They could grit their teeth and afford one copy. However, Ling Yi stopped Zhang Lei from revealing his soul power to anyone, keeping this knowledge only between the two brothers, not informing the adults in their families.
After all, they were mere villagers, and caution was paramount; safety above all else.
Now, with Ling Yi's Martial Soul awakened and innate soul power at half a level, obtaining the meditation technique was just a matter of course. No one would think otherwise about it.
(End of Chapter)
