Baptism Ceremony

The annual ceremony of awakening the supernatural abilities had finally begun.

Gao City Baptismal Ground, this was the place where the ceremony took place, and also the most sacred place for the Gao Clan.

For the Gao Clan, this day was a grand and festive occasion. It meant that a new batch of individuals with awakened abilities was about to be born, becoming the fresh blood for the defensive power of the Gao Clan. One could say that the baptism ceremony was fundamental to the survival and propagation of the Gao Clan.

The baptism ceremony for awakening supernatural abilities was, in fact, an artificial induction of abilities. It was aimed at all the children and teenagers between the ages of two and ten within the Gao Clan, whether they were commoners or nobles, all had the qualification to participate.

The sky was clear, not a cloud in sight. The entire baptismal ground was bathed in radiant sunlight. Countless Gao Clan families, carrying their hopes, had come to the baptismal ground. Even before the ceremony began, the area outside was already bustling with people.

Seated in circles in the center of the grounds were thousands of children. They were all awaiting the awakening of their supernatural abilities, each of them nervous because today would decide their future. Though these children were not very old, in this unique world, age was no longer the defining factor; the special living conditions had already granted them a more mature mindset.

Compared to the children, the parents outside were undoubtedly more anxious. Waiting, for them, was a profound form of torment.

In a inconspicuous corner, Li Qing looked at the small and frail figure in the center of the field with a worried expression, praying in her heart. She hoped so much that her son could awaken his abilities and break free from their current humble status.

Even if it was just the awakening of the weakest ability, it would be enough.

The children formed circles to sit, and the closer they were to the center, the more noble the background of the legitimate children. The outer circles were for commoner children. As for where Gao Ming sat, it was in the middle. Despite being the son of a servant, his background still belonged to the noble class, with a slightly higher status than commoner children.

This seating arrangement not only distinguished strict levels of status but also had another crucial factor: the central position of the circle was reserved for the awakening instructor. The closer to the instructor, the more intense the spiritual baptism one would receive, increasing the chances of awakening.

Speaking of the baptism ceremony for awakening abilities, one couldn't ignore the awakening instructors. These instructors were, in fact, spiritual-type supernatural beings with the specialized ability to induce the awakening of abilities.

However, awakening instructors were rare. Although the Gao Clan had one or two awakening instructors internally, their levels were not high, lacking the ability to preside over such large-scale awakening ceremonies. Therefore, the Gao Clan had to specially invite awakening instructors from external clans.

The awakening instructor presiding over this ceremony was a master-level instructor invited from the medium-sized clan, Lu Clan. However, the cost was enormous. For every baptism ceremony, the Gao Clan had to pay a substantial price to the Lu Clan. But there was no other way. If the Gao Clan wanted stable development, it had to add new blood, and that meant holding baptism ceremonies.

For small clans like the Gao Clan, without high-level awakening instructors, the lifeline of development was practically controlled by powerful clans, always being restrained. They could only become the fate of dependent small clans.

In fact, the high-level members of the Gao Clan knew that each baptism ceremony was not perfect. The awakening instructors invited would inevitably hide some secrets, somewhat reducing the probability of supernatural awakening. This was also the reason why small clans like the Gao Clan had a much lower proportion of individuals with abilities compared to powerful clans.

This illustrated the importance of awakening instructors. Each new awakening instructor was the lifeblood of the clan.

Gao Ming lowered his eyelids slightly, his expression calm. Compared to the other children, he had a certain psychological advantage. However, it was impossible to say he wasn't nervous. He tried to calm his mind, as an unstable mental state during the ceremony could significantly affect the results.

At this stage, it was already the crossroads of destiny.

Placed on his knees, his two small hands became slightly pale due to the tight grip, and the nails pressed into the flesh of his palms. Gao Ming's ears suddenly twitched, and the atmosphere in the baptismal ground seemed to quiet down for a moment. Even the suppressed breath subsided. He squinted his eyes and looked towards the center of the circle. Somehow, an old man with white hair and wearing a white robe had appeared, of medium build, with a gentle face and a scholarly aura in every gesture.

Awakening Instructor...

Gao Ming understood in his heart. This should be the awakening instructor from his memories. His eyes suddenly became intense; how wonderful it would be if he could become an awakening instructor!

The presence of the awakening instructor attracted the attention of all the children, teenagers, and even the spectators outside. The thrilling moment was about to arrive.

"Everyone, pay attention. Concentrate your spiritual consciousness on the point between your eyebrows. Whether you can awaken abilities or not depends on your destiny."

This old awakening instructor did not speak, and his lips did not move at all. However, a voice echoed throughout the entire baptismal ground. The voice was plain and ethereal, as if it came from the distant sky. Everyone, both inside and outside the grounds, could hear it clearly.

This was a very ordinary Level 1 ability—Sound Resonance.

It was a common ability used by all elemental users. It was a universal ability that created a sound field through the vibration of spatial energy.

The higher the level of the user, the more powerful and extensive the impact of Sound Resonance, to the point where it could directly harm people.

Gao Ming did not dare to neglect and quickly lowered his head, concentrating his spiritual consciousness. At this moment, he felt an unprecedented clarity and calmness. All negative emotions were thrown aside. Perhaps, the more critical the situation, the more he could truly demonstrate his mental qualities.

He knew that this was a very positive sign. During the ceremony for awakening abilities, one must maintain a stable mental state.

With focused concentration on the point between his eyebrows, Gao Ming's mind reached its optimal state, and the external world completely disconnected from him.

At this point, the entire baptismal ground and even the surrounding area fell into absolute silence. Even breathing became faint.

After an unknown period, Gao Ming, who had rid himself of all distractions, suddenly felt a cold breath enveloping his entire body. It entered through every pore, mouth, nose, eyes, ears, and every other part of his body, freezing everything in an instant.

Gao Ming dared not move his mind and continued to guard his consciousness. According to his memories, this should be the beginning of the spiritual cleansing ceremony.

In the end, Gao Ming even lost the sensation of his body. He only felt his consciousness drifting in boundless darkness. After a while, he couldn't feel any part of his body. He only felt that his consciousness was in a state of floating, enveloped by a cold breath. He even had the thought of wanting to sleep deeply, as if the icy breath not only couldn't make his consciousness wake up but instead had a hypnotic effect.

Gao Ming was puzzled. It seemed that there was no such situation in the first two spiritual cleansing ceremonies. Was his ability about to awaken?

Could one awaken abilities while sleeping? It seemed unheard of. However, he didn't have time to continue pondering. His consciousness had completely plunged into boundless darkness.