Led by Old Jack, Huo Feng and Tang San arrived at the Spirit Hall in the center of Holy Soul Village. It was a simple wooden house, but it was well-maintained. The other children who were participating in the awakening ceremony were already there, waiting nervously.
A young man in a white uniform stood in the middle of the room. Huo Feng knew this must be Su Yuntao, the deacon from Spirit Hall. If he remembered correctly, Su Yuntao was a level 26 Spirit Grandmaster.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Su Yuntao exchanged a few brief words with Old Jack before turning his attention to the children. After a quick introduction, he took out the items needed for the awakening: six dark, smooth stones. He placed them on the ground in a hexagonal pattern.
The children watched with wide-eyed curiosity. Even though he already knew what was going to happen, Huo Feng made sure to look just as curious as the others, blending in perfectly.
"Spirit, Lone Wolf!" Su Yuntao called out. His body transformed slightly as his Spirit possessed him, his eyes turning green and his hands growing sharp claws. He then pointed to the first child. "You, stand in the middle."
The process began.
"Weapon Spirit, Scythe. No spirit power. Next!" "Weapon Spirit, Hoe. No spirit power. Next!" "Useless Beast Spirit, Morning Glory. No spirit power. Next!"
The ceremony moved quickly. One by one, the children were tested and sent away in disappointment. Soon, only Tang San and Huo Feng remained.
Su Yuntao gently pressed his forehead, feeling a bit tired from the continuous use of his spirit power. He glanced at the two skinny boys left in the room and shook his head slightly. It seemed that, just like in previous years, Holy Soul Village would fail to produce a single new Spirit Master.
"Which of you wants to go first?" he asked, his voice flat.
Huo Feng looked at Tang San, who still seemed a bit out of it from the aftereffects of the sacrifice. "Tang San, you go first," Huo Feng said quietly.
Tang San seemed to snap out of his daze, nodding slowly before walking into the center of the hexagon. Su Yuntao glanced at Old Jack in the corner and couldn't help but smile bitterly. This child didn't even look healthy.
Raising his hands, Su Yuntao channeled his spirit power into the six stones, and a shield of pale golden light instantly enveloped Tang San. The warm energy washed over him, and the fatigue and weakness he had been feeling vanished completely. Inside the light shield, countless specks of golden light danced around him.
"This is..." Su Yuntao, who had been expecting nothing, suddenly widened his eyes. His expression shifted to one of excitement. He realized this child might be different. Could a powerful Spirit be about to appear?
His hopes were dashed, however, when a blade of familiar blue grass materialized in Tang San's right hand.
"Blue Silver Grass... it's just a useless Spirit," Su Yuntao muttered, his excitement fading into disappointment.
But before he could dismiss him, he noticed the blue crystal ball he had given Tang San. It was suddenly glowing with a dazzling blue light.
"Innate full spirit power!" Su Yuntao gasped. "It's actually innate full spirit power!"
After his initial shock wore off, he sighed heavily. "What a shame. A useless Spirit is still a useless Spirit. Even with innate full spirit power, what's the point? What a waste."
"Next!" he called out, his tone once again weary.
Tang San walked back, a look of disappointment on his face. Huo Feng then stepped forward into the hexagonal formation. Su Yuntao repeated the process mechanically, injecting his spirit power into the stones. The warm, golden energy wrapped around Huo Feng's body.
This time, the specks of golden light inside the shield were so dense and bright that Su Yuntao's tired eyes shot wide open again. He stared intently at Huo Feng's outstretched right hand. In all his years as a deacon for Spirit Hall, he had never seen such a spectacular phenomenon during an awakening.
What kind of powerful Spirit could cause this?
The golden light swirled and converged, rushing toward Huo Feng's palm. In a flash, a slender iron sword appeared in his hand. It was a plain, unadorned sword, simple and ordinary.
Su Yuntao's eyebrows furrowed. After such a dramatic display, the awakened Spirit was just... a plain iron sword? The stark contrast was hard to process. He stared at the sword, trying to find anything special about it, but after a few moments, he gave up. It was just a normal iron sword.
Still, while it was ordinary, it was far better than the farming tools and useless grass from earlier. If this boy had spirit power, he could definitely cultivate it and become a Spirit Master. His potential just wouldn't be very high.
Su Yuntao wasn't the only one who was disappointed.
This can't be it, Huo Feng thought, his own disappointment mirroring Su Yuntao's. The system promised me the Dugu Nine Swords. Is this plain iron sword really it? This wasn't the grand entrance he had envisioned.
"Weapon Spirit, Iron Sword," Su Yuntao announced. "Let's test your spirit power."
He handed the blue crystal ball to Huo Feng, who placed his right hand on its smooth surface. The moment he touched it, a single speck of light appeared, followed by a second, and then a third. The points of light quickly connected into lines, which then spread across the entire surface.
In an instant, the crystal ball erupted with a blue light so brilliant it filled the entire wooden house, completely overshadowing the glow Tang San's test had produced just moments earlier.
"Innate full spirit power!" Su Yuntao shouted, his voice filled with disbelief. "Another one!"
He was utterly stunned. How could a tiny, remote place like Holy Soul Village produce two children with innate full spirit power in the same year? It was a pity both of them had such mediocre Spirits. One was the useless Blue Silver Grass, which was nearly impossible to cultivate, and the other was an ordinary Iron Sword. Even so, the Iron Sword was clearly the better of the two. If he could bring this child back to Spirit Hall, he could still be nurtured into a decent talent.
"Huo Feng has innate full spirit power, too," Tang San whispered, his eyes wide with shock despite having lived two lives.
At that moment, Su Yuntao retracted his Spirit and led Huo Feng and Tang San out of the wooden house.
Old Jack immediately hurried over, leaning on his crutch. He bowed respectfully. "Lord Spirit Master, did any of our children show the potential to become Spirit Masters this year?" he asked, his voice trembling with hope and nervousness.
"Yes, two of them," Su Yuntao sighed with a hint of regret. "But it's a pity." He motioned for Huo Feng and Tang San to step forward. "These two children both have spirit power, and it's innate full spirit power, no less. Unfortunately... their Spirits are not very good."
He looked at Tang San and shook his head. "This child's Spirit is Blue Silver Grass. With such a useless Spirit, there's nothing I can do for him."
Then, Su Yuntao's gaze shifted to Huo Feng, and his expression softened with a hint of appreciation. "This child's Spirit is the Iron Sword. Since he also has innate full spirit power, if he's willing, I can take him back to Spirit Hall to be trained."
Hearing this, Old Jack's face lit up with excitement. The eyes of all the adults and children gathered around immediately focused on Huo Feng.
Go to Spirit Hall?
Huo Feng hesitated. In his current situation, he was free to go anywhere. As he pondered the offer, a familiar notification sounded in his mind.
[Ding!] [Mission "Sacrifice Tang San" has been completed!] [Main Quest issued: Sacrifice the Shrek Seven Devils!] [Current Progress: 1/7.] [Task Completion Reward: Host may choose one piece of light equipment from a selection of five!]