This was a chaotic, dusky land, where all life lay slumbering.
Above, the sky was filled with endless layers of clouds and mist. Su Ya strained to see through them, only to find more swirling vapor beyond.
This vapor hovered high in the air, looking down upon all the life deep in slumber on the land below.
After staring for a good while, Su Ya had seen nothing but clouds and mist.
'Could it be that the Lifebound Guardian Beast or Beastmaster Talent this young man is awakening is related to the Elemental Element?'
'But for his Soul Base to finally show activity after so long... it shouldn't just be the awakening of a Lifebound Guardian Beast or Beastmaster Talent.'
Filled with curiosity and anticipation, Su Ya continued to patiently explore Zhong Yi's Soul Base.
After an unknown amount of time, Su Ya's gaze finally pierced through the mist.
Above the mist stood a palace of breathtaking majesty, built entirely from beautiful green jade of varying shades and textures.
The palace emanated an almost transcendent sanctity!
Su Ya suddenly felt that it was less a palace and more a church.
From the heavens surrounding this church-like palace, eighteen waterfalls of gushing turquoise waves cascaded down.
These waterfalls crashed around the palace-like church, washing over its long, encircling steps.
Everything, from the bricks and tiles of the church to the green waves cascading from the heavens, filled Su Ya's vision with a sense of vibrant life.
Yet just as Su Ya tried to look closer, her gaze seemed to meet a pair of gold-and-green eyes from within the church.
Immediately after, she was pushed out of this world by an unstoppable yet gentle and majestic force, one that pulsed with boundless life.
She could no longer peer into the world within this Soul Base.
Ejected from that world, Su Ya's body trembled, and she couldn't calm down for a long time. Her face was a mask of indescribable excitement and shock.
Lu Dong's reaction was far more exaggerated than Su Ya's.
Su Ya clenched her fists, forcing herself to calm down, and spoke to Lu Dong.
"Xiaodong, take everyone outside the Awakening Room to register their Talents. Do not disturb this esteemed individual's Soul Base awakening."
Lu Dong, as if he hadn't heard, remained immersed in his own shock.
Only after Su Ya prompted him again did Lu Dong snap back to reality and call out.
"Everyone, follow me to the activity room next door to register your potential."
"Many of you didn't awaken a Lifebound Guardian Beast or a Beastmaster Talent, but don't be discouraged."
"It's not like you gained nothing from the Soul Awakening Ceremony. You've all learned what type of Guardian Beast you are most compatible with."
"In the future, you can still use your Soul Power to form a Contract with a Guardian Beast and make something of yourselves."
The expressions on the children's faces were a mix of delight and dejection, but their reactions weren't particularly strong.
Even though their parents had told them countless times, many of these twelve- and thirteen-year-olds still couldn't fully grasp the impact that failing to awaken a Lifebound Guardian Beast or a Beastmaster Talent would have on the rest of their lives.
Normally, potential registration was supposed to happen inside the Awakening Room after everyone had completed their Soul Base awakening.
The parents in attendance had all been through this process before; the current unexpected situation was clearly related to the one person who had yet to awaken their Soul Base.
"You're kidding me. Showing up for the Soul Awakening Ceremony at sixteen or seventeen is already absurd enough. Don't tell me he's going to awaken a Bizarre, is he?"
Someone among the parents waiting in the rear seating area suddenly voiced this thought, immediately causing a commotion.
"Then I'd better get my little treasure out of here quickly."
"What rotten luck. For a perfectly normal Soul Awakening Ceremony to run into a snag like this."
Hearing the commotion from the waiting area, Lu Dong's expression darkened, and he thrust a hand forward.
The Evil Soul Owl flying inside the Awakening Room immediately unleashed a torrent of Soul Power toward the waiting area, forming a protective shield.
'These people are completely clueless!'
'What if all this noise interferes with the esteemed Celestial Destiny Seeker's first meeting with their Order Beast inside the Soul Base?'
'Judging from the vision I glimpsed in the esteemed one's Soul Base, their Order Beast is most likely of the Healing Element.'
As an Awakening Master from the Beastmaster Association, Lu Dong wasn't qualified to interact with Celestial Destiny Seekers, but he had heard rumors about such important figures.
Forget Starlight City—it seemed like the entire Xin Xia Federation didn't have a single Celestial Destiny Seeker who had awakened a Healing Element Order Beast.
Lu Dong felt that his own mind could barely begin to comprehend the implications of a Celestial Destiny Seeker with a Healing Element Order Beast.
Of course, Lu Dong couldn't be certain if it was truly a Healing Element Order Beast; after all, this was just speculation based on the scene within Zhong Yi's Soul Base.
But regardless of whether the young man had awakened a Healing Element Order Beast, he was destined to become one of the few individuals at the very pinnacle of Starlight City.
As the Awakening Master who had helped a Celestial Destiny Seeker awaken their Order Beast, Lu Dong felt his life was now complete.
This sense of vicarious glory made Lu Dong walk with his chest puffed out so far he could have touched the sky.
While leading the others out to register, Lu Dong made a point of asking about Zhong Ling's relationship with Zhong Yi.
Upon learning that Zhong Ling was Zhong Yi's Servant, Lu Dong consulted Su Ya and ultimately decided to let Zhong Ling remain in the Awakening Room to accompany Zhong Yi as he completed his Soul Awakening.
Su Ya took Zhong Ling's hand, having her stand by her side. Any thought Su Ya had of recruiting Zhong Ling for the Beastmaster Association had vanished.
Zhong Ling was Zhong Yi's Servant, and Zhong Yi, as a Celestial Destiny Seeker, was an existence that transcended the Beastmaster Association.
From its very inception, the Beastmaster Association's official organization had operated under the leadership of the Celestial Destiny Seekers.
What right did Su Ya have to recruit Zhong Ling now? Still, it was essential to remain on good terms with her.
It wasn't just about Zhong Ling; if possible, Su Ya wanted to build a good relationship with Zhong Yi himself, the Celestial Destiny Seeker who had just awakened his Order Beast.
This was undoubtedly the best opportunity to curry favor with a Celestial Destiny Seeker.
To be favored by a Celestial Destiny Seeker was tantamount to obtaining a life-altering opportunity.
Meanwhile, Zhong Yi, his eyes closed, was not at ease in the slightest. His tension wasn't because awakening a Soul Base was difficult.
Rather, it was because he was constantly suppressing the Soul-Controlling Flower. If he hadn't, the moment Su Ya and Lu Dong peered into his Soul Base, their very souls would have been devoured by the Soul-Controlling Flower rooted within it.
The Soul-Controlling Flower, while submissive, dependent, and affectionate toward Zhong Yi, also displayed a paranoid possessiveness over him.
Anything that intruded upon Zhong Yi's Soul Base was immediately met with hostility from the Soul-Controlling Flower.
Zhong Yi's unawakened Order Beast had previously been imprisoned by the Soul-Controlling Flower's roots, all because the Flower was jealous of this "native resident" of the Soul Base.
Zhong Yi had now met his Lifebound Guardian Beast and knew its name: Resurrection Celestial Lord!