Spirit Awakening

Under the harsh rays of sunlight, a small village that was located in the very corner of the continent was home to just over forty villagers. The village had existed for thousands of years in this area, surrounded by an invisible force that prevented powerful man-eating beasts called Spirit Beasts from attacking the village.

Currently, a young boy of only 6 years old was sitting on a pile of hay that was sitting on top of a wheelbarrow. The young boy had deep brown eyes that seemed as vast as the seas, and sharp eyebrows that would look handsome on any man.

His nose was small and sharp, giving him a cute and gentle look. The little boy had some baby fat in his cheeks, but one would be able to tell that he would be quite the looker once he grew up.

After a while, the little boy opened his eyes and hopped off the pile of hay, once a woman who was in her 30's arrived nearby. The woman was the little boy's mother, she was still young, and her looks hadn't deteriorated, just by looking at her, one could tell that the mother and son were related.

The little boy's mother came dressed in old clothes that were riddled with patches from sewing together old clothes. The same was for the little boy, whose smile was as bright as the stars.

"Guiying, just because you don't need to work today, doesn't mean you should bother your father." his mother scolded, her voice was gentle like the wind, extremely soothing. The little boy smiled when his mother scolded him, "Mother, the Spiritual Awakening Ceremony is tomorrow right? Why can't I help father plow the fields?" the little boy asked.

"You should rest up. After tomorrow, you will no longer need to work. Your father and I have already prepared for you to head off into the City and enter the Academy." his mother answered him gently.

Even though this wasn't the first time the little boy asked this same question, his mother replied gently with the same lines. No matter how many times he heard this, the little boy was still sad that he wouldn't be able to see his parents, as well as the villagers for a long time.

"Then, can I help out just for one hour? It'll be the last time I help out." the little boy pleaded. Seeing his sad expression, his mother yielded, "Fine, but just for an hour."

The little boy nodded, he quickly went to pick up a small hoe that was perfect for his size, before running back to plow the land with his father. By the time he came back, his mother had returned home already, while his father and the other farmers were busy plowing the land.

Looking for an area that hadn't been worked on yet, the little boy ran over and started plowing the land just as he had been doing for the past two years. After an hour of hard work, the little boy stopped working as he had promised his mother. Putting the hoe gently onto the ground by the tip, the little boy placed his chin on his hands that were still gripping the hoe.

"It's been two years. I've worked here for two years, soon, I will have to say goodbye to these familiar fields, as well as my parents and the villagers. If I work hard, I can come home earlier." the little boy thought.

After spending two years on the field, the little boy was a little masculine and had much more stamina than even the average adult man. He could do many things, from plowing to growing vegetables and herding the livestock.

As the sun came down, the little boy carried his hoe on his shoulder and returned home, where his parents were waiting for him. Inside his small little house that was entirely made from wood, hay, and mud, the little boy had a bath before joining his parents for dinner.

Sitting down by the table, there were many dishes on the table. Obviously, the little boy's mother had cooked a feast, since it would be the last meal he shared with them. Across from the little boy, was his father Ye Futian, who was an average farmer and born with a Sword Spirit.

Amongst the battle type Tool Spirits, the Sword Spirit was quite powerful. His father had chosen to live as a farmer after leaving the battlefield at a young age. The little boy's father was a Spirit Rank 24 Spirit Grandmaster, who owned two Spirit Rings.

Upon reaching age 6, everyone would undergo the Spirit Awakening Ceremony, in which Spirit Essence would awaken within the person undergoing the ceremony, allowing them to awaken and manifest their Spirits, otherwise known as the Martial Soul. Spirit Essence cultivation comes in Ranks, from 1-99, with a name for every 10th Rank that was reached. Upon awakening, one would begin their journey to become a top tier Spirit Master!

Amongst the Spirits, there were Tool Spirits, Beast Spirits, and Body Spirits. Tool Spirits have many different uses and forms, ranging from simple farm tools to gemstones and weaponry. Tool Spirits occupy the vast majority of people living on the Douluo Continent, but also have a lower chance of being able to cultivate to higher levels.

Tool Spirit Masters can summon their tool at will and be able to form and comprehend the soul of the tool. The better connection between the Spirit Master and their Tool Spirit, the stronger and higher the cultivation level he/she could reach. Tool Spirit Masters place emphasis on strengthening their tool's abilities when searching for Spirit Rings.

Beast Spirits are based on Spirit Beasts and are usually more suited for combat purposes. They also appear in a wide variety; flying animals, aquatic animals, and land animals are all described as Beast Spirits. When activating their Spirit, Beast Spirit Masters tend to take on the appearance of their Spirit in conjunction with their bodies (e.g., Wolf Spirit Master will grow excess hair, claws, and teeth when activating their spirit).

The degree of physical change seems to vary from person to person. When hunting for Spirit Rings, Beast Spirit Masters aim to increase their physical capabilities. However, these rings must have good synergy with their Spirit, or it will be rejected.

The third and final type of Spirits are Body Spirits, they are a rare type of Spirit that dwells within some part of the Spirit Master's body. When activated, the associated body part is innately enhanced in a way or ways appropriate to the body part, and this enhancement grows as the Spirit Master cultivates. They can also undergo a Second Awakening. This means that a Body Spirit can evolve one level higher than others. They could be iron, bronze, silver, or gold depending on the importance of the part of the body.

A Spirit Ring is the soul core released by Spirit Beasts following their death, sacrifice, or contract with humans. The Spirit Ring can only be absorbed by the person who delivers the final blow and kills it and can be absorbed at a Rank (Rank 10, 20, 30, etc.)

Spirit Rings are usually divided into categories based on their age. White was known as a 10 Year Spirit Ring, Yellow was known as a 100 Year Spirit Ring, Purple is 1000 Year, Black is 1000 Year, Red is 100,000 years, and Gold represents a 1,000,000 Year Spirit Ring.

The first six Spirit Rings not only provides techniques to the Spirit Master after they absorb it, but they also nourish the Spirit Bones in the Spirit Master's body. The six Spirit Rings are responsible for the head, body, limbs, and growth of the six spirit bones. The 7th Spirit Ring is considered the most important Spirit Ring because it can decide whether or not a Spirit Master becomes a Titled Douluo. Because of this, it is also called the Titled Spirit Ring. The higher the quality, the better chances a spirit master can become a Titled Douluo.

A Titled Duoluo was those who had attained the peak of Spirit Cultivation, and have reached Rank 90. Upon reaching this state, they would be given a 'Title' by the entire world, making them known throughout the Duoluo Continent.

There is an optimal age of Spirit Rings for every bottleneck that identifies the oldest possible Spirit Ring that can be absorbed without significant risks. A Spirit Master can naturally absorb a younger Spirit Ring, but the absorption of an older Spirit Ring can result in heavy injuries or even death upon rejection.

1st Spirit Ring less than 423 years old, 2nd Spirit Ring less than 764 years old, 3rd Spirit Ring less than 1300 - 1800 years old, 4th Spirit Ring less than 3000-500 years old, etc. If one tried to surpass this, they would suffer Soul Shock and either explode and die, or become mentally incapable for the rest of their lives. Though, this theory had been proven false, as many powerhouses had a Purple Spirit Ring as their first.

As for the little boy's mother Lin Hua, she was born with a Flower Spirit. It is amongst the weaker kinds of Spirits, almost incapable of combat. Her Spirit Rank was only Rank 15, which was quite decent.

The little boy Ye Guiying, would awaken his Spirit tomorrow morning during the Spirit Awakening Ceremony. There were eight other children who would take this test along with him. In the village, only Ye Guiying's family, as well as two other children could afford to allow their child to attend the Academy.

Once the other children awakened their Spirits, they would stay within the village and live out their lives in the village that was located in the very corner of the Douluo Continent. For this last meal, Ye Guiying didn't talk, as he silently ate this meal and enjoyed his mother's cooking for the last time.

After eating dinner, Ye Guiying went to exercise a little bit outside before heading to bed. Heading outside through the back of his home, Ye Guiying ventured out deep into the forest that surrounded his village.

Passing through the thick bushes, he eventually walked up to a cave and went in without hesitation. Inside the cave, the sound of water dripping from the ceiling and forming stalactites could be heard every few seconds. A few minutes later, Ye Guiying arrived at the deepest part of the cave, where a large lake filled with glowing lakewater could be seen.

In the center of the lake, was a single lotus. The lotus was slightly bigger than the average lotus, but what made it different was that the entire thing was gold. Ye Guiying leaped into the lake with a splash, but neither his clothes nor himself were wet.

He went right up the golden lotus and checked on its condition. As soon as he approached it, the golden lotus bloomed and opened up, as if anticipating his arrival. Two years ago, Ye Guiying had accidentally ventured into this cave and discovered a dying lotus. He did the best he could to save it, allowing it to live to this day.

He also discovered that the glowing lakewater around him didn't make him wet. It was a mysterious liquid, but he felt quite comfortable within the lakewater. "This might be the last time we meet, once I awaken my Spirit tomorrow, I'll have to move to the City and attend the Academy." he muttered.

Ye Guiying spoke to the lotus as if it were his best friend. As he prepared to leave, he heard a strange sound but ignored it. "Don't leave." a voice said. The voice was gentle, similar to his mother's voice, but especially different in a way that he couldn't describe.

Turning around, the entire cave was covered in a blinding golden light that came out of the golden lotus. The golden lotus looked alive, as it moved closer to the edge of the lake. Ye Guiying was shocked, as he slowly approached. "You… can talk?" he asked.

"Child, come back here tomorrow at the same time. You must come." the voice said, as the golden light dimmed immediately. The golden lotus slowly returned to the center of the lake, as if nothing had happened.

Ye Guiying was still struck, as if lightning had struck him, paralyzing him on the spot. After a while, did he recover and looked at the golden lotus, before heading home, keeping the words it told him in his mind.

Inside his room, Ye Guiying continued to think of the words the golden lotus had told him, as he slowly fell into a deep sleep.

******

The next morning, a voice sounded in the little boy's ears, "Guiying, it's time to get up.". Lin Hua had called him up, as he awakened slowly and rubbed his eyes. Getting off his bed, Ye Guiying changed his clothes and sat by the table for breakfast. After breakfast, he would be undergoing the Spirit Awakening Ceremony along with eight other children in the village.

A member of the Spirit Hall would arrive, with a device that allowed children to awaken their Spirits. Eating his last breakfast, Ye Guiying left his house to join the other children in awakening their Spirit. As for the adults, they would be working, rather than watching the ceremony.

Arriving at the center of the village, by the large well, Ye Guiying was the last of the nine children to arrive. There, a handsome young man who was roughly 26 was waiting for him. The young man was obviously the representative of the Spirit Hall.

Since he arrived last, Ye Guiying would be the last of the children to awaken their Spirits. All nine children of the village were familiar with each other, they could even be considered as friends since they were the only children in the village.

Every child worked in the village, which was voluntary since there was nothing else to do in this village that was far isolated from the rest of the world. Getting to the village would've taken the Spirit Hall representative quite a long time.

The first children went up and closed his eyes. Soon, a number appeared that represented Rank 1. A Tool Spirit, which was a hoe that floated above his hand. This Spirit was a weak one, able to be used in combat, but not strong at all.

Of course, it was still much better than the Blue Silver Grass, the universally known Spirit that was completely ineffective in battle. While it could be used to restrain others, it was incredibly weak and couldn't hold out for long. This was why it was rated so low.

Next, two other children awakened at Rank 1 and also had a Hoe Spirit just like the first child. Now, almost half of the village's children were done. Then, the fifth child was a little girl. When she awakened, her Spirit Rank was 5, which was much higher than the others, she could be said to be quite talented.

Not only that, but her Spirit also wasn't a Hoe Spirit. Instead, it was a small Warhammer which would be considered as a powerful Tool Spirit. Even the Spirit Hall representative was quite surprised, for someone in such a remote village to have a powerful Spirit.

After her turn, the next three children all had Spirit Ranks below 3 and all awakened other kinds of Tool Spirits that weren't strong in battle. Finally, it was Ye Guiying's turn to awaken his Spirit. This was both the moment he was looking forward to, as well as a moment he wished, didn't happen.

Standing across from the Spirit Hall representative, Ye Guiying closed his eyes, as he felt isolated from the entire world, and disappeared into his own consciousness.