In the cultivation world, no events carry more weight than the Awakening Ceremony.
For clans both great and small, it is the turning of the wheel—the moment where future hopes are revealed, where legacies are either secured or lost to the wind. A clan may possess vast lands, profound scriptures, or ancient history, but without new blood—without fresh talent—they are nothing more than embers in the ash of history.
A child's elemental affinity is more than just potential. It determines their path in cultivation, their place in the clan, and the strength of the generation to come. One high-affinity child can elevate a branch. A group of them can change a region's destiny.
In the scattered regions of the outer lands, even a 5-star awakening is hailed as a peerless genius, enough to alter the fortune of an entire clan. Sects compete for such talents; elders bow, and offers rain down like spring petals.
But in the Central Region, where true power gathers and Heaven-grade arts are born, the standards rise like mountains.
There, 5-star affinity is the baseline—a foundation, not a miracle. The three ruling clans of the Central Region, with their deep roots and ancient resources, cultivate such children as their common stock.
6-star talents are treasured, raised as the true core of their families—the young masters and mistresses to whom resources flow endlessly.
And then there are the 7-stars, rare prodigies who appear once every few years in even the strongest clans. Each arrival is cause for celebration, and the beginning of fierce competition between sects and powers.
As for an 8-star awakening… such a thing is not merely rare—it is historic. Entire regions may go decades without seeing one. When they do appear, these children are hailed as the future Pillars of Heaven. Their names are remembered before they have ever taken a breath of battle.
And yet—none of them, not even the vaunted 8-star elites, have awakened other than the known Elements.
Let alone what was about to come.
To cultivate was to walk the path against heaven—and the first step on that path began with the Awakening of Elemental Affinity.
Every child born into a cultivation clan carried the potential for elemental resonance. That resonance, hidden deep within their soul, determined which of the Eight Great Elements—Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Wood, Lightning, Light, or Darkness—they could harness. Rarely, some awakened unique or variant elements, but such cases were the stuff of legend.
The Awakening Array, passed down from ancient times, was the key.
Etched with runes of formation and embedded with conduits for elemental energy, the array acted as both guide and judge. When a child stepped into the array's center, an elder would insert a refined Elemental Spirit Stone into its socket. The stone served as the catalyst, channeling elemental essence into the child's body.
If the child possessed affinity, the essence would resonate with the element sleeping within them. The array would respond—amplifying the reaction and revealing the awakened element through visual elemental anomalies: flames for Fire, waves for Water, arcs of lightning for Lightning, and so on.
The resonance would then be evaluated by the Stone Monument, which measured the strength of the child's elemental affinity. This was known as Talent Grading, and it was shown as glowing stars—from one to nine.
--
At the heart of the Xu Clan's ancestral plaza stood the Awakening Array—an ancient formation etched into white jade and silverstone, pulsing faintly with spiritual light. Surrounding it were tiers of carved stone seats, filled today with hundreds of clan members gathered to witness the turning of a generation.
In the very center rose the Stone Monument, tall and solemn, with nine faintly glowing stars carved from top to bottom. Each star marked a level of affinity—Heaven's judgment rendered in light. And today, that judgment would shape futures.
One by one, the children of the current generation were called forward.
They stepped nervously into the center of the array, standing before the monument. Beside them, in ceremonial robes lined with dark blue silk, stood Elder Xu Jian, the man entrusted with conducting the ceremony. His long beard twitched slightly as he placed a elemental stone into the socket of the array .
Watching beside him in silence was Elder Xu Minghai, a silver-haired member of the Council of Elders, known for his sharp eyes and sharper memory. He held a jade recording tablet in hand, etching each result without emotion.
The first child stepped forward.
"Xu Min." the elder called.
A ripple of energy passed through the formation as it activated. Red motes of fire element condensed in the air, gathering around the boy's body. Tiny flames flickered at his feet.
The monument glowed faintly, and a single star lit up after another until five shone steadily.
"Five-star Fire affinity!" Elder Xu Jian called out, his voice steady but pleased.
Polite applause followed.
"Xu Renjie, step forward."
The next child awakened five-star Earth. A low rumble echoed as grains of dust and soil gathered from the air, forming a thin crust of shifting stone beneath his feet.
Then:
"Xu Lian—five-star Wind affinity."
Whirls of breeze curled around her robes, her hair fluttering as translucent arcs of wind danced through the array.
"Xu Hao—five-star Water."
Azure mist pooled around his feet, gathering into shallow waves that lapped outward and shimmered like ripples on a pond.
Each name and result were announced solemnly, each family watching with restrained joy. Though these talents were only average in the Central Region, they were a solid foundation—proof of the Xu Clan's enduring strength.
Then came a flicker of something brighter.
"Xu Qing. Step forward."
Soft green light bloomed from beneath her feet. Sprouts of light shaped like vines spiraled upward around her, vanishing into mist as the monument lit.
"Six-star Wood affinity!" Elder Xu Jian announced, his eyes narrowing slightly with interest.
Cheers broke out from Xu Qing's family branch. A six-star meant cultivation resources, personal tutelage, and a true chance at rising beyond the crowd.
Two more children followed:
"Xu Wei—six-star Lightning."
Crackles of blue electricity leapt from the formation, snapping and sizzling through the air as if seeking something to strike.
"Xu Ya—six-star Earth."
Stone motes clustered tightly around her, forming the vague outline of a shell of earthen armor.
Excitement stirred in the crowd. Elder Xu Minghai nodded faintly, murmuring to himself, "Better than last decade's batch already."
Then came a pause.
The next boy stepped forward, calm and composed—his bearing more mature than his age. He bowed, then stood in the heart of the array without hesitation.
"Xu Liang." Elder Xu Jian read the name.
When the spirit stone was placed, the array didn't just glow—it pulsed, elemental essence condensing visibly.
Scarlet flames exploded outward from the center, swirling like a vortex of fire around the boy's feet. A faint heat rolled across the plaza as the flames spiraled into the sky.
The monument responded instantly.
One by one, the stars lit up… until the seventh burst into light.
"Seven-star Fire affinity!" Elder Xu Jian's voice cracked at the end, unable to hide his shock.
An uproar tore through the plaza.
Even the stoic elders leaned forward. Seven-star talent—the stuff of clan legends. The last to awaken such a level were the patriarch's elder sons—Xu Tianli and Xu Tianhe—both of whom had long since stepped into the Soul Flame Realm, their names etched into the clan's history.
But towering even above them—
The patriarch's youngest son, Xu Tiancheng, had shattered all precedent. A peerless eight-star talent, his rise had changed the trajectory of the entire clan. When he married Ji Ruyan, herself an eight-star prodigy, the Central Region had watched with awe and apprehension.
Together, they broke through to the Heavenheart Realm in their early forties—breaking a record that had stood for hundreds of years.
And now, here stood another child with seven-star talent.
Hope kindled in the hearts of many. Eyes turned to the elders. Whispers of legacy and destiny stirred.
Could this boy be the next pillar of the Xu Clan?
But as the clamor died down and Elder Xu Minghai finished noting the result on his jade tablet, Elder Xu Jian looked at the final name on the roster.
The last child of this generation.
He cleared his throat.
"Xu Zhou. Step forward."
---
Whispers surged like a tide the moment Xu Zhou stepped forward.
"The son of two 8-star talents… he'll definitely awaken at least seven stars."
"Maybe even eight! Like his parents!"
"Another legend in the making…"
Even the elders leaned in with anticipation, their expressions carefully measured but hopeful. After all, bloodline didn't lie—and Xu Zhou carried within him the legacy of two titans.
He walked to the center of the Awakening Array with calm, unhurried steps. Xu Zhou's eyes remained still, unreadable—not because he didn't care, but because he'd trained himself not to flinch when expectations broke. Life had taught him: hope was a fragile thing, and it cut deeper when you clung to it. Yet everyone knew: no moment could mean more.
Elder Xu Jian placed the elemental stone into the array's socket.
A faint hum began to echo from the formation—then… silence.
The light died.
The air stilled.
Gasps rippled outward. Confused murmurs gave way to disbelief.
"Impossible…"
"Nothing happened?"
"Did the array… malfunction?"
But the elders knew better.
It hadn't malfunctioned.
It simply… hadn't responded.
Even the weakest affinity triggered some reaction. One star. A flicker. A whisper of an element. But Xu Zhou… nothing.
Just as despair began to take root in the eyes of his relatives—
Light.
Blinding, dazzling light exploded from the array. A low hum deepened into a thunderous pulse. The space around Xu Zhou tore.
Cracks split the air like jagged glass. A soundless scream echoed in the void between dimensions. The sky itself seemed to hold its breath.
Screams erupted from the crowd.
Faces turned pale. Xu Tiancheng's fists clenched at his sides. Ji Ruyan stepped forward, eyes wide with worry. Xu Tianli,Xu Tianhe,Ji Wenhao and Ji Qingxue moved as if to intervene, but were stopped by two calm voices.
"Wait," said Xu Weiran.
"Do not interfere," added Ji Haoran. "Look closely. The space… it trembles, but it does not harm him."
Everyone froze, turning toward the boy.
Indeed—it bent around Xu Zhou but never touched him. The void cracks curled like ribbons before vanishing into thin air.
Tiny fissures split open the space itself, like glass fracturing beneath invisible pressure. And yet, in the center of the chaos, Xu Zhou stood untouched—eyes closed, but far from serene. Inside, his soul trembled. He could feel something vast and ancient stirring through him. This wasn't power. It was pressure—like standing on the edge of the universe and realizing it was looking back.
The elders' shock deepened.
Only a few among the gathered crowd—those who had reached the Soul Flame Realm or higher—recognized what was happening.
"It can't be…"
"A space anomaly…"
"But there are no techniques—no cultivators—"
"The records… they spoke of it, but no one has awakened it…"
The whispers grew frantic, then hushed as realization took hold.
Someone finally spoke aloud what none dared believe:
Elder Xu Minghai's voice trembled. "Xu Zhou… has awakened the Space Element."
A silence even deeper than before descended.
The Space Element. A force beyond the Eight Great Elements. Something sensed only by cultivators who had reached Soul Flame Realm or higher—used by force to rip space for travel. But to awaken it? To resonate with it naturally?
Unheard of.
Unprecedented.
Terrifying.
And yet…
Useless.
"There are no techniques to cultivate it," one elder murmured. "He will never rise beyond the Elemental Root Realm unless he finds a second affinity… or creates an entirely new cultivation technique."
"It's a miracle," another added. "And a tragedy."
The crowd stared at Xu Zhou with a mix of awe and pity. A genius beyond compare… trapped by the very thing that made him extraordinary.
Even his family, though proud, looked on with sorrowful eyes.
Until—
Gurgle…
A low, melodic sound rippled through the air.
Water?
No—a river.
The sound echoed through the plaza. Every head turned, searching for its source.
And then they saw it.
A river—vast, ancient, and illusory—emerged in the air behind Xu Zhou. It shimmered with shifting light, colors bending in ways the eye couldn't follow. Its surface flowed in silence, but every soul present felt it resonate within them.
They gasped.
"Water affinity?"
"No… that's not…"
"It's not… water."
Even the Soul Flame elders squinted, unable to fully comprehend what they were seeing. The river was not of the Eight Elements. It wasn't even fully real. It was something else.
Just as confusion reached its peak, it happened.
In the center of the array, Xu Zhou's black hair began to shimmer.
From root to tip, color drained away—not fading, but transmuting, as if dipped in flowing mercury and drawn through moonlight. Each strand caught the air like spun starlight, gleaming silver with an ethereal glow that defied logic. The transformation spread slowly, reverently, as though the heavens themselves dared not rush what was unfolding.
His eyes remained closed.
The river pulsed behind him—ancient, unknowable, a current outside of time. Its waters bent color and sound, and in its glow, the newly silver threads of his hair danced with a quiet, regal weight.
Around the plaza, silence fell once more—heavy with the weight of something far beyond understanding.
Something ancient.
Something that should not be.
And yet—it had come.
Xu Zhou had awakened. Not just to the Space Element. But to something deeper, older. This wasn't the path he had imagined—it wasn't even a path. It was a plunge into the unknown. And something inside him whispered… it had only just begun.
The world had vanished.