The Martial Spirit Awakening Ceremony was only a few days away, and the entire Holy Soul Village was alive with anticipation.
Children ran about in the dirt roads, boasting to each other about the powerful spirits they hoped to awaken.
"I want a wolf spirit, so I can become a hunter!" one boy shouted.
"Hah, I'll get a hammer spirit, then I'll be as strong as a blacksmith!" another bragged.
Parents whispered prayers, while the older villagers gathered in groups, discussing which family's children might bring honor this year.
"Last time, only one child had innate soul power. Let's hope the heavens bless us this year."
"If just one of them becomes a Spirit Master, our village could get a new spirit tool or even a stipend."
"The Spirit Hall deacon only comes once a year. This may be the only chance in their lives."
But if there was one man nobody expected anything from, it was Tang Hao.Most villagers only knew him as a drunkard. He spent his days sleeping, drinking, and lazing around in his broken-down hut. At best, he sometimes helped repair farming tools with his hammer, but even then he reeked of alcohol.
"Useless fellow," they often muttered. "If not for his poor son, the two of them would've starved long ago." Everyone pitied Tang San, who quietly did all the housework, cooked meals, and carried water while his father drank himself into a stupor.
So when people mentioned Tang San's participation in the Awakening, no one linked it to greatness. To them, he was simply the son of a useless man.
But Xiao Tian thought differently.He had read enough of the Soul Land story in his past life to know Tang San's future was extraordinary. And if Tang San was already secretly cultivating… then Xiao Tian couldn't let himself fall behind.
That night, unable to sleep, he crept through the village until he reached Tang San's home.From the courtyard came faint sounds—steady breathing, rhythmic, controlled. He pressed himself against a wall and peered through a crack.
Tang San sat cross-legged, eyes closed, palms pressed together. His small body radiated a faint ripple of energy, barely perceptible but undeniably real.Xiao Tian's breath caught. He's cultivating!
So began his nightly ritual.He crouched in the shadows, memorizing Tang San's breathing and posture. At first, when Xiao Tian tried alone, nothing happened. The energy refused to move. His chest burned, his head ached, his body resisted.
But he did not give up.Night after night, he repeated the process. Failure after failure, until finally—
Warmth.
A faint trickle flowed from his chest into his limbs, like a hidden spring breaking free. His skin prickled, his blood surged, his senses sharpened.Xiao Tian gasped, trembling with exhilaration.
"It worked… it really worked!"
He clenched his fists, sweat dripping down his forehead. After countless failures, he had finally succeeded in copying Tang San's method.For the first time since he came to this world, true hope burned inside him.
The night before the Awakening, Holy Soul Village looked unusually lively. The villagers noticed how the fields had grown greener, the livestock healthier, and even the children sturdier than before. Many attributed it to luck, but a few whispered that the orphan Xiao Tian had brought strange blessings with his "odd little methods."
When Su Yuntao, the Spirit Hall deacon, arrived the next morning, he paused in surprise as he entered the square.
He had visited countless villages over the years, most of them poor and ragged. But this one… the fields were neatly irrigated, livestock looked healthier, and the villagers had more meat on their bones than most common folk.
Su Yuntao frowned slightly. Strange. For such a remote place, they're far more prosperous than the records suggest.Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought. "Probably just a good harvest year."
Still, a trace of curiosity lingered in his eyes as he strode forward.
Meanwhile, Xiao Tian stood among the other children, his heart racing.For days he had cultivated in secret. For days he had pushed his small body with training few could understand. Now, everything came down to this moment.
"Tomorrow," he whispered to himself that night, "my fate will be revealed."And this time, he did not fear it. He welcomed it.