Chapter 2: Awakening Ceremony

Axile Village.

The village chief was seen walking along the village road towards the interior of the village where the homes of the Tang and Xin families were located. It didn't take long for him to arrive in front of Xin's house and he immediately announced his arrival.

"Knock!..."

"Knock!..."

"Knock!..."

The sound of knocking on the door from the village head caught Xin's attention who was currently in the dining room having just finished arranging the breakfast that he was going to eat this morning. Xin then immediately left the dining room.

"Could it be that Xiao Xin hasn't come back yet?" The Village Chief muttered under his breath as he had not received a response after a long wait.

"Open!..."

Just as the Village Head was thinking about leaving and returning for a while, the door to the house opened to reveal Xin walking out.

"Village head?" Xin was slightly surprised to see the appearance of the village head.

"You were there. Previously I thought you were still in the forest hunting" The village chief replied smiling kindly at Xin.

"I had just finished cooking breakfast and before that, I was still going back to wash my hands. Have you had breakfast, Village Head? How about we have breakfast together? Incidentally, I cooked quite a lot today"

"Oh?" This offer from Xin instantly excited the Village Head, "Well, it's a bit impolite to refuse someone's invitation."

"Please come in"

Xin immediately allowed the village chief to enter his house.

"Still clean and tidy as usual"

It was not the first or second time that the Village Head had visited Xin's house. You can also see the expression shown by him earlier which shows that he has often come to this place to visit or have breakfast together.

The two of them immediately entered the dining room where Xin wasted no time in preparing the cutlery that the Village Chief would use along with white rice. Xin then immediately gave the Village Chief's share to the Village Chief.

"Thank you very much, Xiao Xin"

Xin smiled and went straight to his seat.

"Let's eat now, Village Chief. Food doesn't taste good as long as it's cold"

"Hahaha, that's right, moreover this is your food. We can't let such delicious food go cold."

Without waiting for a long time, the two of them ate quietly. You can see the village chief's expression showing a look full of pleasure every time he eats the dish made by Xin.

"Thank you for the food," The Village Head said softly and politely then glanced at Xin, "Xiao Xin, your cooking skills have improved compared to before. With your cooking skills, as long as you don't become a zen master, I'm sure you can become a successful person in the future"

"Don't say things like that, Village Chief" Xin said in a sullen tone, "That's as if praying for me not to become a zen master. I still want to be a Zen master and have an adventure to see the world."

"Hahaha, sorry, sorry, I just wanted to tease you" The Village Chief laughed kindly.

"By the way, Village Head, is there something for looking for me?"

"Oh, yes, it's related to the awakening ceremony." The Village Head immediately said about the subject he wanted to talk about, "In one week, the village will be holding the awakening ceremony at the village hall. All children who are six years old will come, you must come, don't forget about this"

"Of course" Xin nodded seriously "I will follow it, how could I not do it, it is as if I am not serious about my wish"

"Good, good." The Village Head nodded and continued, "You and Xiao Yu are the hope of this village. Both of you should be able to become zen masters in the future."

"Don't say such things, Village Head" Xin shook his head back, "The other children also have the same chance. Maybe, it could be that they did and we didn't, and vice versa. Everyone has the same opportunity and should not be differentiated from one another"

The Village Head's eyes lit up upon hearing this, the relatively mature personality and character of Xin had become a natural for him—No, for the entire population of Axile Village, this was also what usually made many children his age not like Xin as much. Adults don't mind that. That being said, Xin was closer to the adults than the children in this village.

"About Tang Yu...Will Uncle Tang allow him to become a zen master?" Xin asked with great interest, "Although it doesn't appear that Uncle Tang directly forbids Tang Yu from becoming a zen master, his personality and personality suggest that there is a possibility that he will prevent Tang Yu from becoming a zen master."

"Hmph! That Rotten Bastard Tang Mu!" An angry voice rang out from the Village Chief, "If it weren't for the current lack of blacksmiths in this village and the price he was given was relatively low, I would have banished him from this village already. Damn it! How could someone like him give birth to such a great and filial son like Xiao Yu? He is the worst"

Xin sighed hearing this and said, "It's not good to talk about other people, Village Chief. It's better if you go straight to him than having to talk about it from behind. You will get nothing but pain alone"

"That was my intention." Village Head nodded, "Xiao Xin, thank you for the food." Village Chief immediately got up from his seat, "I'll go to that rotten bastard's house to teach him a lesson! No matter what, I have to get him to agree to Xiao Yu becoming a zen master!"

"...Good luck, Village Head"

Xin saw the Village Chief leave but didn't pay much attention. Xin didn't care about Tang Mu's decision. Agree or disagree, that's none of his business. As long as it has nothing to do with him, Xin will have nothing to do with it.

Xin immediately cleaned up all the equipment used by him and the Village Chief ate then went to get his practice equipment and immediately rushed towards the forest to restart his practice.

*******

Some time passed.

The day of the awakening ceremony had finally arrived. All of the children who had the qualifications to awaken Zen had gathered in the front yard of a building that was called the Zen Hall by the residents of Axile Village. A Zen hall is a building built by villagers so that the village has facilities to support awakening ceremonies. The building is usually only used once a year and is put into use in June.

At the time it will soon enter the month of June. The Village Chief will take his time to come to Lacross City. The purpose of the Village Head coming to the city is to inform those who manage the city about there being children who meet the requirements to awaken their zen.

The city will later respond by sending a zen master to help the children living in Axile Village awaken their zen.

"It's quite surprising to know that Uncle Tang permitted for you to participate in this awakening ceremony." Xin said casually as he was currently gathered together with everyone in the courtyard of the hall waiting for the arrival of a zen master who would help awaken their current zen, "It seems the efforts made by the Village Head every day get good results"

"I only obtained permission to awaken my zen" Tang Yu shook his head, "Regarding becoming a zen master, Father still stands his ground"

"Oh?" Xin only replied flatly to the reply given by Tang Yu.

Right now at the gathering place, not only were all the children who had the qualifications to awaken Zen present there. The parents of the child were also there. As long as their child has the qualifications to become a zen master, their life can change for the better compared to now. A job as a zen master is one of the easiest jobs to make money. Therefore, most of the wealthy people in this world are zen masters unless they person is a born entrepreneurs or something that can help them earn large amounts of money.

Every child there seemed to be nervous and impatient to wait for the results they would get later.

"Xin, what kind of zen do you think you will awaken in the future?"

"Zen refers to an inheritance passed down by their parents to their children or maybe a unique phenomenon such as mutation can occur"

"Mutation..." Tang Yu muttered under his breath and was not too surprised by Xin's answer.

Everyone living in the village knows Xin very well and knows of his desire to become a Zen master. Therefore, it's not unusual to hear that he has quite a wide range of knowledge since he always takes the time to collect information from zen masters who often come to visit the village either intentionally or unintentionally.

"It is certain that a child inherits one of the zens of his parents or maybe there is a mutation where the child's zen is a combination of the child's parents' zen" Xin paused and continued, "I don't know which zen will be awakened. by me because I don't know who my parents are. Also, I don't care about the zen awakened by me, as long as I qualify for becoming a zen master, that's enough for me. However, a zen master is determined by himself, even as long as the zen master only awakens weak zen like a bamboo sword, as long as he works hard and successfully absorbs spirit crystals from a spirit beast compatible with his zen followed by the spirit beast's strength, the potential owned by him will increase and only need to increase the courage in making decisions. As long as these three things are present within him, even as long as the person only awakens the zen that many people might think is weak, that person will achieve something that would never occur to anyone else."

"...Does that mean...Most likely my zen is a hammer?" Tang Yu muttered under his breath as he thought about his father.

"Has Uncle Tang ever shown you his zen?"

"No, never once." Tang Yu shook his head.

"...Looking at the work Uncle Tang does and the work of other adults, usually the work they do is related to their zen. Uncle Tang may have a hammer zen where you can inherit that zen. But..." Xin paused and continued, "There is also your mother, who may have inherited your mother's zen or perhaps a mutation between the two zen. I don't know, we can only find out at the time of awakening later."

"Mother..." Tang Yu muttered softly and there was a sad look in his eyes.

"Burglar!..."

Coinciding with that, suddenly heard the sound of footsteps coming from the top of the building. The sound of the footsteps sounded strong because every time the footsteps touched the top of the building it made a fairly loud sound. Everyone immediately glanced at the sound of footsteps and not long after a man with a neat appearance and well-dressed came down from the top of the building in a perfect position.

"Dear Zen Masters"

Along with his arrival, everyone, especially the adults, immediately saluted with a serious tone. Only the children did not and only looked at him with eyes full of passion and longing.

"Hmph!"

Arrogance immediately rose within the man seeing everyone paying respect to him except the children. Only, it didn't make him angry or anything since children were someone who didn't know anything about it.

"I don't have much time, have all the qualified children gathered?" A voice full of arrogance escaped the man's mouth as he looked down at the others.

This gaze was well noticed by Xin and he didn't care about it. Almost all zen masters will always have this look whenever dealing with ordinary citizens or citizens who do not have the qualifications to become a zen master. Even though they were the same person before.

"Everyone is assembled, venerable zen master. Please help them to awaken their zen" The Village Chief said respectfully.

The zen master simply turned around and walked towards the entrance of the hall which was currently well closed, "The six children who will be participating in the awakening ceremony should come with me while the others stay behind."

"Children, you hear that, go follow that respected zen master. You should listen to everything he says and don't do anything that would offend him. Do you understand?"

"We understand, Village Head"

The status of the village head in the hearts of the population is very high. He is kind to everyone and always does his job well. Therefore, everyone listened to him.

"Fine, then hurry up and catch up with the respected zen master, and don't keep him waiting long"

All the children immediately walked into the hall building. The inside of the hall is quite spacious but there are only various kinds of decorations without any seats or similar furniture.

"Gather and form a neat line!"

The zen master immediately said in a loud tone engulfed in arrogance calling out to all the children who had already gone inside. Hearing the order, all the children immediately gathered together and started forming lines where the rightmost row was occupied by Xin while the farthest row was occupied by Tang Yu.

Right in front of them right now was a hexagonal array of stones which were awakening stones that would help the children to awaken their zen. Beside the stone array, there was a small table on which a crystal ball had been placed.

"My name is Mu Cheng, I am currently at the level of zen master level 32"

The zen master named Mu Cheng then began to mobilize his zen energy abilities.

"White Sword!"

"Agh!..."

The zen energy released by Mu Cheng instantly made the children feel intense pressure and it was as if they were currently in front of all extremely sharp swords. Only Tang Yu and Xin seemed unaffected by the release of the energy. Their eyes revealed gazes filled with interest as a sword with a white blade appeared right in front of them at this moment.

"Hmph!"

Mu Cheng who saw that the children in front of him were pressured by his zen energy quickly withdrew the energy waves and slowly the sharp feeling that the children felt before disappeared but it was clear that their eyes showed fear towards them. Mu Cheng at this time. The white sword that appeared before this time was not held by Mu Cheng but only flew to his side.

Mu Cheng then started controlling his zen energy toward the awakening stone. The awakening stone immediately gave off a golden light and then immediately covered the surrounding area like a transparent wall forming a hexagonal formation.

"Farth right of the line, Come forward! You first then continue with the next child on your left"

Xin who happened to be in that position nodded and didn't care about the zen master's firm tone. He immediately stepped into the array of the resurrection stones.

Mu Cheng immediately began the process of awakening Xin's zen. The light given off by the awakening stone began to shine brightly as Mu Cheng sent out a large amount of his zen energy to start Xin's zen awakening process.

"Warm..."

Xin who was in the array felt a pleasant warmth well up inside him at the same time, he felt something was about to burst out from within him.

"This..."

Gradually an extremely beautiful object suddenly appeared in front of Xin.

"What's this?"

Mu Cheng who was assisting Xin's zen awakening process frowned at the object that appeared. The object that appeared was similar to a stone but not just one stone but nine stones where each had a different color.

Xin's zen awakening process caught the attention of all the children who were there.

"This..."

By the time Xin's zen was fully formed. An enormous wave of information rushed straight into Xin's mind. The incoming information wave is a wave of information about his zen along with the zen characteristics he has.

"The Nine Heavens Elemental Laws?...This zen...As long as I can manage it well...This zen power is terrifying..."

"Little brat, you should have received information regarding your zen right?" Mu Cheng, who saw Xin who had woken up from the previous shock immediately asked with great interest, "What is this zen name of yours? I just saw it for the first time"

"Nine-colored Crystal Stone"

"Nine-colored Crystal Stone?" Mu Cheng frowned hearing his name.

"Yeah, that's his name." Xin nodded and didn't explain much about his zen. Xin didn't want to explain his zen to Mu Cheng—No, maybe not only to Mu Cheng but to everyone around. His Zen was something terrifying and Xin knew, as long as there was someone who knew about his Zen, especially the power that had the desire to master something, he would become an easy target. Therefore, Xin chose to hide his true zen.

"What about the characteristics of this zen?" Mu Cheng asked again with great interest.

"..."

Xin just stared at him and didn't answer the question allocated by Mu Cheng.

"Don't want to answer? Hmmm! Forget it! After all, this should be just some trash zen that doesn't even have the strength to deal an attack." Mu Cheng greatly underestimated Xin because he saw Xin's zen for the first time and also because it was very rare for people living in remote villages to become zen masters. Even if they could awaken a zen who might have strong characteristics, it would be useless as long as they didn't have the qualifications to become a zen master.

"You can bring back your zen by using your mind"

Xin nodded and immediately withdrew his zen. The nine stones of different colors immediately reentered Xin's body as if they had never appeared at all. Along with the disappearance of the stone, Xin can feel the presence of her zen within her body followed by her zen energy that is already flowing within her body at this time.

Mu Cheng saw that Xin had withdrawn his zen and immediately said, "Let's test your qualifications. You can go to that side and then put your hand on that crystal ball. As long as the crystal ball is lit, you have the qualifications to become a zen master, as long as it is not lit, you do not have the qualifications to be a zen master."

Xin nodded and immediately walked toward the front of the crystal ball. Everyone present was watching with intent gazes.

"Xin...Does he have the qualifications?" Tang Yu stared with a look full of interest.

Xin, who was standing in front of the crystal ball, slowly raised his hand. Xin didn't know what was happening to him at this time. No nervousness, fear, or excitement welled up within him at this moment. There is only a feeling of calm.

Xin's hand slowly approached the crystal ball and immediately touched it.

"Buzz!..."

The crystal ball immediately gave off a bright light the moment Xin's hand touched the crystal ball. The children immediately closed their eyes because of the light from the crystal ball.

"He has the qualifications?"

Mu Cheng was slightly surprised to learn about this.

The crystal ball's light slowly faded away and Xin immediately withdrew his hand and looked at Mu Cheng, "I have the qualifications?"

"Don't you show some joy at being able to become a zen master?" Mu Cheng asked with great interest.

Usually, the children who awakened later had the qualifications to express their emotions so passionately that they even cried. It was only this time that he met someone who awakened his zen and even had the qualifications of being a zen master but showed no signs of anything on his face.

"I'm happy but it doesn't show" Xin replied, "It's enough for me to know that I have the qualifications to be a zen master. No need for anything else"

"Hmph!"

Mu Cheng was not happy with the answer given by Xin. Mu Cheng immediately took out a piece of paper.

"What's your name?"

"Xin"

Mu Cheng nodded and immediately wrote down something on the paper. After he finished writing, Mu Cheng immediately handed the paper over to Xin, "Here is your certificate. This certificate is only given specifically to people who have the qualifications to become a zen master. You can use this certificate to apply for admission to a school or to show that you are a Zen master. You can also use this to apply for a job. This certificate is valid in all locations even in other kingdoms. This certificate can still be used"

"Thank you" Xin nodded then glanced at the certificate and closed it again, "Can I come back? Or, do I need to wait for this whole process to finish?"

"You can come back"

Xin nodded and without waiting for a long time, he immediately turned around to walk out of the building.

******

The current situation in front of the Zen Hall's courtyard was both heavy and nervous. All the parents of the children who participated in their zen awakening were nervous and scared. This is a matter of their future life. As long as their child could become a zen master even just a low-level zen master, that would be enough to change their current life into a more prosperous one. On the other hand, as long as their child cannot become a zen master, they must return to their current life.

The Village Head was also currently in a state of nervousness and fear. Even though there wasn't a single person related to him by blood who attended the awakening ceremony. He's still nervous. All the children who participated have been considered by him his own family. The village head hopes that one child will become a Zen master. The Village Head has two hopes at this time. Hope to Xin and Tang Yu. Both are his hopes that his village will give birth to a Zen master.

"Open!..."

The hall door finally opened. Everyone present there immediately turned their attention to the figure that had just come out of the building.

"Xiao Xin"

The village chief who saw that Xin was the first to come out excitedly rushed over to him, "How did it go?"

"Nice result, Village Chief" Xin said with a smile, "I have the qualifications to become a zen master"

"Is it true?!" The village chief immediately asked excitedly.

His eyes currently showed a glint filled with delight. Everyone who was there hearing this was shocked to hear the information that Xin had just conveyed.

"Sure" Xin nodded then opened the certificate he just got earlier, "Here is the proof"

The Village Head who saw the certificate immediately shook his body with excitement. He knew, as long as a certificate was obtained, it meant that person had the qualifications to become a Zen master.

"Hahahah~ Finally! Finally! Finally, in our village, there is also someone who can become a zen master" The village head laughed happily. He screamed pouring out all the happiness he had right now.

"Open!..."

Simultaneously, the hall door opened again. The person who came out was the kid who was standing beside Xin earlier. By the time the boy came out, Xin was calm while carrying a piece of paper which was a certificate. By the time the boy came out, his expression showed despair followed by tears already coming out of his eyes.

The parents of these children who saw the expressions shown by their children immediately knew the results their children got. Their son did not have the qualifications to become a Zen master.

"It seems it's still difficult for people in our place like this to become a zen master." The Village Head sighed at the situation.

The parent and child slowly started to leave the location. The remaining parents at this time their nervousness and fear had increased compared to before. By the time Xin first showed them the results, their nervousness and fear had slowly subsided. However, after the second person came out, the fear and nervousness immediately peaked again.

"There is still a chance," Xin said calmly, "There are still four people and it should be that maybe one of them or maybe all four of them have the qualifications to become a zen master. We just have to wait for the results."

Xin's voice was not very strong but it could be heard by everyone there. Everyone glanced at Xin with friendly eyes. The brands also hope that their child will become a zen master. Perhaps, only Tang Mu alone had different expectations compared to the elders present at this time.

"Yes, yes, yes, hopefully, one of them or even all of them can become a zen master" The Village Head nodded in agreement regarding Xin's words, "By the way, Xiao Xin. What is the zen awakened by you?"

"Nine-colored Crystal Stone"

"Nine-colored Crystal Stone?"

Xin, who saw the village head's interest, immediately summoned his zen. It didn't take long for his zen to appear in front of the Village Chief.

"Is this your zen, Xiao Xin? It's so beautiful..." The Village Chief muttered in amazement at the zen that Xin possessed, "What about the characteristics of this zen?"

"My zen is the zen that can assist"

Xin gave a little information about his zen. One of the abilities that Xin will get through her zen is the ability to help, namely the ability to heal. Therefore, Xin couldn't be said to be lying even if he only said a bit of information to the Village Chief.

"Aid-type Zen? I see, it's appropriate to look like this" The village head nodded.

"Open!..."

The hall door opened again and one of the children who took part in the resurrection ceremony was seen walking out. By the time the boy walked out, only one look of despair was shown by the boy. The child's parents who saw the expression shown to him immediately knew the result that the child received.

They immediately brought the child back to the house to calm him down.

"It seems hard to expect many zen masters to be born from this village." The village chief sighed sadly at the sight.

Xin was silent and then quickly changed the subject between them, "Village Chief, when will the Junior Zen Master Academy located in Lacross City open for registration? I intend to register and study there"

"Registration will be open six months from now." The Village Head's smile bloomed again as he started talking to Xin again.

"Oh? Six months? It was quite a long time"

"That was indeed a long time" The Village Head agreed with Xin's statement and continued with a gentle smile, "You still have plenty of time to prepare, Xiao Xin. Use this time for you to improve your strength and also get used to your zen."

"Sure, I do have—"

"Open!..."

Before Xin could finish his sentence, the door of the Zen hall building suddenly opened. The fourth child can be seen coming out with a desperate expression like the previous two children. Both of the child's parents immediately knew of their son's results and immediately brought the boy back while also calming his emotions.

"Oh ~ This isn't good." The Village Head shook his head with a sad sigh. Among the six people, four had dropped out but only one had the qualifications to become a Zen master.

Village Chief's gaze then glanced at Xin and said, "You should start focusing your time on training now, Xiao Xin. Reduce time for you to work. Regarding food and stuff, just leave it to me. I can deliver food every day"

"Thank you for the offer, Village Chief. But, that's okay. I already plan to reduce the amount of time I work and start focusing on the exercises that will be done by me. The money that was collected by me before has also been collected quite a lot and is enough to meet my needs for the next few years."

"That's good. Someone will rarely do the same to you. Usually, when they get money, they will immediately use it. Hmmm! Speaking of which, I will always remember that sleazy bastard Tang Mu, whenever he earns money, he always spends it drinking. Had that bastard never once considered Xiao Yu's future? Damn it! How— Cough!...Cough!..."

Xin sighed looking at the village chief's health and immediately approached and started to help him relieve his cough, "I've said it many times, haven't I? It's not nice to talk about someone behind your back."

"Hmph! Unlike that bastard! I always wanted to curse him!" The Village Chief again said angrily.

"Well, Village Head, I'll be back first. I want to keep this certificate and also want to prepare myself. I want to start training right away."

Xin then paid his respects to the village head and also gave a little greeting to the last parent who was currently awaiting the results his son had. They returned the greeting from Xin with a nervous smile and doubt. Xin then rushed back to his house.

*******

Arriving at his house, Xin quickly saved the certificate he owned and immediately changed the clothes he was currently wearing into the clothes he usually used for hunting. Xin then quickly walked straight out of the house to the river in the forest near Axile Village to start training there.

"Village head? Tang Yu?"

Right when Xin was just about to leave for the location where he was going to practice. Xin unexpectedly ran into Village Chief and Tang Yu who was probably going to Tang Yu's house at this time.

"Xiao Xin" Village Head smiled excitedly looking at Xin, "You seem ready to start your training"

Xin approached them while smiling at the Village Chief's words and then his gaze glanced at Tang Yu who was currently holding a piece of paper similar to the one Xin had before.

"As predicted by me. Tang Yu has the qualifications to become a zen master." Xin thought then said, "You should have the qualifications to become a zen master, congrats."

"Thank you very much" Tang Yu nodded and was pleased with the greeting received by him.

"Can you show me your zen? Of course, you can refuse this, it's up to you to show it or not."

"No, you can see it"

Tang Yu quickly mobilized his abilities and immediately summoned his zen. Xin saw a picture of a tall and wide tree. This tree has very wide leaves that are blue whereas the bones of the leaves are white.

"Is this his zen? Blue Leafed Banyan Tree. This should be the zen her mother had"

The blue-leaf banyan tree is a tree that is very easy to find in this world. This kind of tree grows almost everywhere, especially in the forest near Axile Village. Because she always sees its shape every day, Xin is very familiar with the shape of the tree.

"You can take back your zen. I've had enough to see it"

Tang Yu nodded and immediately withdrew his zen. "By the way, Xin. How about you?" Tang Yu immediately withdrew his zen, "Village Chief told me that your zen is a relief-type zen"

"Well" Xin nodded "My Zen has healing abilities"

"Healing abilities? That is a very good skill." The Village Head nodded hearing this, "You have a chance to open a hospital or medical center in the future, Xiao Xin" The Village Chief smiled.

"I will probably do it after my dream is accomplished" Xin replied and said, "Well, I guess I'll go now. You guys must still have a business to do and I also want to go start my training right away."

"Of course!" Village Head nodded "I will make that bastard Tang Mu agree to make Xiao Yu a zen master no matter what"

Tang Yu would usually be angry or annoyed as long as someone dared to ridicule or belittle his father. However, it was a different story with the Village Head. So far the Village Head has been very kind to their family and even in some situations where their family has difficulty eating, the Village Head will always provide them with food. Therefore, Tang Yu would neither be angry nor resentful as long as Village Chief scolded his father. Tang Yu would only be silent.

"...I think Village Chief, you should work hard for this" Xin said, "It won't be easy to beat Uncle Tang"

"Hmph!" Village Head just snorted, "Xiao Yu, let's go see that father of yours. We have to get him to agree so you can become a zen master."

"Spirit. In that case, I'll go too. See you later"

"See you later, Xiao Xin/Xin"

Xin then immediately rushed towards the river where he would practice while Tang Yu and the Village Head rushed back towards Tang Yu's house where Tang Mu was already waiting for them.