Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
That morning, Wu Ling and Kiritsugu were eating deep-fried dough sticks and savory tofu pudding made by Wu Ling himself. Kiritsugu could not help praising him.
"I really don't know where you learned these methods, brat. I have to say, these things you call youtiao and tofu pudding are delicious. I have eaten them for almost a year and still haven't gotten tired of them.
"And those spicy rabbit heads, three-treasure stir-fry, mapo tofu, and the rest. Even your Uncle Kirei cannot stop praising them after eating them. Especially that mapo tofu. After one taste, your Uncle Kirei acted like he was possessed. He looked like he wanted to eat it five meals a day."
Wu Ling smiled. How could he not know the level of his own cooking? He had practiced for nearly eight years.
In fitness circles on Blue Star, there was a saying: training is thirty percent exercise and seventy percent diet.
Of course, "diet" did not mean eating endless meat and fish. Its true meaning was eating in a way that built a good body.
The martial arts world had a similar saying. Simply put, the body was the foundation of martial arts. Unless one's technique reached the point where physical quality no longer mattered, a healthy and powerful body was indispensable.
Because Wu Ling loved good food, he had naturally learned how to cook. As the saying went, a food lover who could not cook was not a good martial artist.
Just as Wu Ling was feeling pleased by Kiritsugu's praise, he suddenly saw Kiritsugu add a spoonful of white granules into the tofu pudding.
His expression changed. He grabbed Kiritsugu's wrist and asked, "Uncle Kiri, what are you adding?"
"What is it? Sugar."
"Heretic!"
In truth, although Wu Ling preferred savory tofu pudding, he could still accept the sweet version. Or rather, as long as the food made sense, he could accept it. But things like cold tangerine salad, mooncakes fried with chili, dumplings dipped in yogurt or ketchup, those he truly could not tolerate.
After breakfast, the time had come. Kiritsugu straightened Wu Ling's clothes and spoke with a rare seriousness.
"Ling'er, I have seen how hard you have worked during this time. A Martial Soul awakening really is a chance to change your fate. It is one of the most important moments in a person's life. But you need to understand that most ordinary people cannot even get close to such a chance.
"So what I want to say is this: no matter what Martial Soul you awaken, do not be disappointed. Do not give up on yourself. Do not think all your effort was wasted.
"Besides, you still have me. You still have this home. So go with courage and peace of mind."
Listening to Kiritsugu's words, Wu Ling felt some of the tension in his heart loosen, but he still could not fully calm down.
After all, he was a transmigrator. Even now, he still had no system or anything of the sort. That made him deeply uneasy. If this Martial Soul awakening gave him an ordinary Martial Soul on top of that, he really would become a disgrace to transmigrators everywhere.
Kiritsugu also noticed Wu Ling's unease. In the end, however, he said nothing. He checked the time, then led Wu Ling out of the house and toward the village entrance.
At the village entrance, eleven children had already gathered with their parents. They were all six years old this year, old enough to awaken their Martial Souls.
As village chief, Kiritsugu looked around and nodded.
"Good. Everyone is here. Let's go."
Under Kiritsugu's lead, the group arrived at Spirit Hall's station in their village. A man in his twenties was already waiting there.
"Greetings, Lord Spirit Master. These are the children awakening this time. May I ask how we should address you?"
"You can call me Su Yuntao."
"Very well, Lord Su Yuntao.
"Adults wait outside. Children, follow Lord Su Yuntao inside to awaken your Martial Souls. Be obedient and listen carefully."
Standing at the back, Wu Ling shivered with excitement when he heard that Su Yuntao would be awakening his Martial Soul. The saying "protagonists come and go, but Su Yuntao is forever" was not empty talk.
If Su Yuntao was the one awakening him, then half of his stability was already secured.
Still, doubt rose in Wu Ling's heart. A few days ago, he had asked Kiritsugu indirectly about recent Martial Soul awakenings. In the last few years, none of the Spirit Masters who came here had been named Su Yuntao. So why had he suddenly arrived this time?
Before Wu Ling could think too much, Kiritsugu walked over and tugged him lightly.
"What are you thinking about, Ling'er? Don't be nervous. Go on."
Wu Ling focused and realized the other children had already gone inside. He was the only one still outside.
He smiled awkwardly, gave Kiritsugu a reassuring look, and trotted into the room.
Once inside, Wu Ling consciously stood at the very end of the line.
"Good. Last one. That makes it seventy-five percent stable."
After Wu Ling joined the group, Su Yuntao took a crystal ball and six black round stones from his bundle.
He placed the stones on the ground in a hexagon, then had the first little boy step inside.
The Martial Soul awakening began. With Su Yuntao's call of "Lone Wolf, possess me," one white and one yellow Spirit Ring appeared in front of him, and his body changed dramatically.
His ears lengthened. His black hair turned gray and grew thick. His dark green eyes gleamed with a cold light. The nails on both hands stretched out and became extraordinarily sharp.
Many of the children, including the boy standing in the hexagon, trembled in fear. A few timid ones burst into tears. Wu Ling, who showed no reaction, naturally caught Su Yuntao's attention.
"This child is rather interesting."
Thinking this, Su Yuntao began to soothe the children.
"All right, do not be afraid. This is my Martial Soul, Lone Wolf. If you are fortunate enough to awaken a Martial Soul that possesses spirit power, then in the future you can also become Spirit Masters like me and command similar abilities."
After speaking, Su Yuntao stretched his hand toward the little boy in front of him.
As the six stones on the ground flashed, a pair of chopsticks appeared in the boy's hand.
"Chopsticks. A tool-type Martial Soul, I suppose. Come, let's test whether you have spirit power."
Su Yuntao placed the crystal ball in front of the boy for the test, but the crystal ball showed no reaction at all.
"You have no spirit power. You cannot become a Spirit Master. Go back. Next..."
Some time later, it was Wu Ling's turn. Of the eleven people ahead of him, ten had no spirit power. The only one who had level one spirit power had awakened a spoon as his Martial Soul.
"Come. Clear your thoughts and feel your own heart."
Standing inside the hexagon, Wu Ling calmed himself and closed his eyes.
For some reason, a scene appeared in his mind. Above a shield shaped like a cross, a multicolored summoning circle turned slowly. Then it spun faster and faster, until finally, along with a burst of dazzling white light, Wu Ling opened his eyes.
"That was Heroic Spirit summoning. What is going on?"
At the same time, a disc-shaped object appeared in his hand.
Looking at that "plate," so familiar he could not mistake it, its name instantly appeared in Wu Ling's mind.
"Unregistered Spirit Origin!"