CHAPTER 8 : AWAKENING CEREMONY

In the exam hall, every candidate eagerly poised their hands over the sealed envelopes, ready to dive into the contents. However, Zhen remained an exception, sitting with folded arms, lost in profound contemplation. The examiner, catching this, a smile appeared on his face.

"Everyone," the examiner declared, taking a deliberate pause, "begin."

With that, a flurry of activity erupted as examinees eagerly tore open their envelopes. "The exam will last until the afternoon. You have ample time; fill in your details properly and begin."

While the majority of the room delved into the questions, Zhen and a select few still sat in contemplation. As the others busily solved problems, the examiner somberly announced some names, "These students have failed the test. Please exit if your name has been called." The weight of failure hung in the air, a stark reminder of the challenges ahead.

A sudden break brought a halt to the intense concentration of those fervently writing. "What do you mean?" a perplexed boy questioned.

"You have failed, boy. Please don't waste everyone's time here and quickly leave," the examiner sternly declared. Whispers erupted among the failed students, seeking an explanation.

The examiner addressed them, "Read the slip of the envelope. On it, it was written, 'Question 1: Patience is the basis of cultivation. Wait till the second announcement.' Every kid who failed read it, and their faces turned pale.

"But how can we make out such a thing? The paper should be in the envelope," protested a chubby boy.

"If you are blind enough to overlook a question on a palm-sized slip and careless enough to ignore your surroundings as well as the envelope, you are not meant for cultivation," the examiner responded with an uncompromising tone that reverberated through the hall.

"This question tests the ability of the would-be practitioner to be aware of their surroundings. Additionally, it evaluates the patience of the candidate, emphasizing that in cultivation, patience is a virtue. Unfortunately, none of you have demonstrated these skills, resulting in a failure," declared the examiner.

Zhen observed the situation, silently reflecting, "Accepting this from a thirteen-year-old, isn't it too much? If I hadn't carefully seen that slip, these imitators would have been thrown out as well." he said while looking at the few remaining.

"Begin now," commanded the examiner, his gaze unwavering as he observed the departing failed examinees.

Zhen calmly opened the envelope and began writing. According to Earth's time, it took him only an hour and a half to complete the paper. Once finished, Zhen stood up, instantly capturing the attention of the puzzled aspirants.

He walked toward the examiner stationed in the middle of the hall, flashing the answer sheet in front of him. "Done," Zhen stated plainly and left the hall without uttering another word.

A puzzled and slightly angered expression appeared on the examiner's face due to Zhen's plain and indifferent behavior. He cross-checked Zhen's answers right there.

"What? Impossible, a perfect score. I couldn't even find a spelling mistake, and he writes answers like a seasoned examinee. Is he really thirteen years old? This perfect score... could he be a born genius? It's been a decade since I've seen such a score," the examiner's face transformed from puzzlement to excitement and happiness. His demeanor shifted from a stoic examiner to a laughing Buddha, catching everyone's attention.

Zhen stood patiently outside, awaiting the end of the exam and the release of results. As the bell rang, signaling the conclusion, a horde of examinees poured out from the wooden doors, their eyes inevitably drawn to Zhen. Some regarded him with admiration, while others harbored jealousy and resentment.

After a brief interval, the doors reopened, and the examiners emerged with sheets listing the names of successful candidates. The examiner announced, "I will call out the names. Come and collect your sheets."

"Ai, 47, pass," he began, followed by "Mai, 51, passed," and "Yung, 68, passed." Finally after some results, with a crescendo, he declared, "Zhen, 100, passed." The mention of a perfect score caught everyone's attention. Zhen calmly walked out of the crowd, without sparing a glance at others, collected his sheet, and left the corridor, leaving behind a mix of awe and curiosity among his fellow examinees.

"Who was that guy?" one examinee inquired.

"Idiot, he's the same kid who received praise from the examiner when he left," another replied.

"That Zhen guy, the so-called born genius," remarked another kid, folding his arms and narrowing his eyes.

"I thought he would have scored high, but I didn't think he would make a perfect score."

"Yeah, me too. I was so engrossed in writing that I didn't pay much attention to what the examiner was talking about."

Unknowingly, Zhen had become the center of attention for the crowd as he left. Almost all the kids turned their gaze in his direction, standing there in awe and surprise, their eyebrows shooting up in amazement. Zhen's remarkable achievement had set him apart, making him the subject of both admiration and intrigue among his fellow examinees.

Outside the academy, Bi anxiously awaited Zhen's return. Panic was evident in Bi's eyes and fidgety behavior, his nervous energy causing him to pace back and forth while absentmindedly playing with his fingers.

When Zhen finally emerged from the academy, Bi's demeanor transformed. "Hey, how was the exam?" he inquired, now exuding confidence like a radiant pillar of light.

Zhen, maintaining his usual cold demeanor, handed over the test sheets. "It was good," he responded.

Bi, hands trembling slightly, took the sheets. "This will decide my son's future," he murmured, glancing at the score. "Hmm, only a hundred. No problem, we will try again next year," Bi consoled Zhen as if preparing him for a less-than-perfect outcome.

"Why next year?" Zhen questioned. "Kid, because you have just scored a hundred," Bi explained, taking a long pause to reevaluate his words. "A hundred points," he repeated, his voice lowering in confusion.

Bi then turned to Zhen, a burst of happiness lighting up his face. "You cheeky little bastard! You scored a perfect score!" In a moment of unbridled joy, Bi stowed the sheets in his pocket, lifted Zhen into the air with both arms, and began shouting, "My son has a perfect score!" Onlookers stopped and witnessed the scene, some confused, while others laughed, claiming that the man had lost it.

"Now this is embarrassing for me too," Zhen sighed. Despite his cold demeanor, a subtle smile broke through on his poker face. The unexpected celebration left an indelible mark on the otherwise stoic Zhen, revealing a glimpse of warmth beneath his composed exterior.

Back at Bi's house, news of Zhen's perfect score quickly spread after Miko learned about it, leaving no one around her unaware of this remarkable achievement.

As evening descended, a gentle rain graced the surroundings, adding a refreshing touch to the weather. Inside the house, Miko, beaming with pride, addressed Zhen near the dining table.

"Zhen, my baby, I've prepared all your favorite dishes," Miko joyfully announced. The dining table groaned under the weight of a lavish spread, leaving not even an ant's length of free space.

"Thank you, I guess," Zhen replied, his usually stoic face replaced by a bewildered expression at the sight of the abundance of food.

"Brother, I helped Mother in making the food," Yin chimed in with her usual childlike charm.

In the company of Yin, Zhen momentarily reverted to a carefree kid, and the two siblings enthusiastically indulged in the feast before them.

"If it weren't for Yin, we would have never known that this child is, well, a kid," Bi humorously remarked.

"Indeed, Yin brought a lot of change in Zhen. After Yin's birth, he took care of her like a father, rather than a brother," Miko added.

"I remember Zhen's earlier days; he wouldn't even speak a word. He started talking and walking as if he had been doing it from birth," Bi nostalgically recounted.

"He would sit alone sometimes and disappear at other times. I feared that he might not like us as parents," Miko admitted, pausing. "But when Yin was born, I saw him smile for the first time. Only I know how happy I was. Since then, only Yin is the person who has made him smile," she continued, placing her hands over her chest.

Bi took Miko's hand and reassured her, "He is our son," he declared in a confident tone. A few tears welled up in Miko's eyes, signifying her overwhelming happiness. The family dinner became a moment of warmth and celebration, strengthening the bonds that had evolved over the years.

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In a dimly lit room, a figure of about thirteen to fourteen years stood by the window. His long black hair danced with the wind, and his face seemed as if the moon itself had transformed into a man—radiant and captivating. This figure was none other than Bi Zhen.

"Nights are always beautiful, and when you add the charm of the clear moon to it, it becomes phenomenal," Zhen mused, his gaze fixed on the moon veiled by wisps of clouds.

The night enveloped the surroundings in ghostly silence, with the distant roars and howls of wild beasts easily audible. The street outside the window lay almost deserted, and cold winds gently caressed Zhen's face, playing with his hair.

"I have spent thirteen years here, and I still have no ambition. Why am I here? What should I do? These questions always weigh on my mind. The only thing keeping me moving is this little family I have. And other than this, there's only cultivation that interests me. If anyone else were in my place, I guess they too would feel excited about the superpowers this world offers."

"I have no other ambitions, but I have a goal—that is to make my family happy and elevate their status so that no one can call Miko a lowlife again," he affirmed with determination.

"And the only way possible to do so is to cultivate, at least until I am alive."

"I couldn't resist but gather information about what happened on the day of blessings. I know I possess the supreme Orbis and will eventually be sacrificed, but as long as I am alive, I will improve their conditions," Zhen declared with a resolute tone, showcasing his perseverance.

"I guess Bi and Miko don't know that I know what happened that day. It's better for them not to know," Zhen mused, still gazing at the moon.

"Tomorrow is the Moon Festival, i.e., the awakening ceremony for the youths will begin soon," he added, moving his eyes around the moon's luminous edges and savoring the cold wind.

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On the night following the Moon Festival:

The clan leader formally declared the end of the Moon Festival, prompting everyone to leave the square except for the youths awaiting their awakening.

An elder, draped in a regal purple gown, stepped forward. "Children, align yourselves in straight lines around the square."

Quickly, the excited youths formed neat lines. Despite the visible enthusiasm in their eyes, Zhen noted, "Other than the visible excitement, these kids carry the burden of their families too. For many families, these kids could be their last hope of avoiding a low-life status." Zhen stood in the fifth line from the left at the rear.

"These kids are too innocent. Some don't even know what harsh politics is going on behind them," he remarked.

"Cough, cough," an elder cleared their throat, signaling the candidates to cease their conversations.

"If anyone has questions, please proceed with them," stated another elder, opening the floor for inquiries.

A girl in an orange dress raised her hand, "Elder, I have heard about cultivation, its rankings from parents and family members, but even the books that we are provided don't mention the rankings properly. What is the core and petal formation stage?"

"As you all know, rankings are classified from rank zero mortal to rank seven at the pinnacle of cultivation rankings."

"Other than the mortal rankings, there are immortal and god rankings, but to most, they are nearly fiction."

"Why is that so, Elder?" spoke a kid in the front row.

"Have you ever met an immortal or god? The gods are ever-present, and no mortal can become an immortal or god. At least in my sixty years of experience, I haven't seen anything like this," the elder replied.

"Skipping that, every mortal ranking has stages in it. To truly become a rank one, the practitioner has to clear the flow of spirit energy in his basic chakra point. For rank one, it is the Muladhara chakra. When a practitioner clears all impurities in his Muladhara chakra and can store spirit energy in it, he is termed to have reached the core formation stage."

"Remember, kids, all these chakra points are already present within you; you just have to unlock them. But unlocking them depends on the person's aptitude."

"Coming back, the process to truly master rank one is still incomplete. Every chakra point in your body is similar to a flower, and every flower has petals. Similarly, the chakra point too has petals, but the practitioner has to form these petals on his own; they are not present already. For example, rank one has the Muladhara chakra, it has a core and four petals. When the practitioner completely forms these four petals one by one, he/she can be termed to have truly mastered rank one."

"Can't we form all petals at once?" asked a kid from the middle row.

"No, and never ever try to. If you do so, your entire cultivation will be a waste. Petals of the chakra are the foundation of the person's cultivation. If petals get damaged or are not formed correctly, the cultivation can backfire, and there are cases where the practitioner loses their lives."

Listening to this, all the chatterboxes of the kids became silent.

"Are there any other questions?" asked the elder again.

Zhen raised his hand and asked, "Elder, what is essence, and are there any types of it?"

The elder clapped and said, "A very good question, as thought by the kid blessed by the moon deity."

Every kid's face became somber, envy and jealousy completely visible in their eyes because of elder's praising.

"Essence is the building material of the universe; the universe itself is built by essence. It can be regarded as a building block."

"And moving to the next part of your question, yes, there are types of essence."

"In total, there are five types of essence: natural, beast, demonic, human, and divine."

"Every organism is made up of a mix of these essences, with humans having higher human essence, and beasts and demons having respective similarities."

"Now, I guess everyone's doubts are clear, and if so, then let's proceed towards the crystal cave," announced the elder.

"Some secrets are always meant to be kept," she very swiftly changed the topic, "so that no one would ask questions about single essence based bodies," Zhen thought. "What she said was true, except she left a loophole that I have already filled up with my investigations."

"I already knew about all the stuff, but asking questions was the best way to know how much information should I reveal when talking about these things," Zhen murmured. "Many people don't understand, but when you ask a question, the one answering provides you with a limiter to how much info should be told to you and should be known by you."

The elders and the clan leader commenced their journey outside the village, and the children in line followed them obediently. As they stepped into the unknown, a sense of anticipation filled the air, marking the beginning of a new chapter in their lives.