On the Awakening Platform, the teacher in charge of the ceremony approached Mu Wanqiu with a satisfied expression, his weathered face creasing into a wide smile.
"I never expected Mu Wanqiu to awaken a Saint-Grade Spirit Contract," he praised warmly, his voice carrying clearly across the quiet playground. "This is a rare occurrence in the history of Suzhou-Hangzhou No. 1 High School—we haven't seen one in nearly thirty years. Congratulations, young lady!"
The principal, who had just ordered teachers to escort the still-spiraling Shen Rong away, moved with surprising agility for a man in his fifties. He leaped high from the main podium, and in a flash of shimmering energy, wings of swirling wind sprouted from his shoulder blades—each feather made of condensed air that caught the sunlight like crystal. He landed on the Awakening Platform with a gentle gust sweeping across the field, rustling the uniforms of the students below.
He stepped toward Mu Wanqiu, his face beaming with excitement he could barely contain. "Mu, you've truly given us a wonderful surprise—not just to me, but to our entire school! With your Saint-rank Spirit Contract talent, you'll surely earn a direct recommendation to Qingbei Sacred Academy. Work hard, and never let this incredible gift go to waste! The nation needs people like you."
Mu Wanqiu nodded obediently, her dark hair swaying with the movement, and her amber eyes shone with equal excitement and determination.
Qingbei Sacred Academy was a hallowed institution nestled in the mountains north of the capital, coveted by countless Spirit Masters and Spirit Messengers alike. Its walls had trained leaders of the spiritual community for over five hundred years, and many of Xia Kingdom's most renowned practitioners—including the current Head of the National Spiritual Council—had graduated from its halls. Admission all but guaranteed a brilliant future, with opportunities to study under the best masters and access to resources unavailable anywhere else. For an eighteen-year-old girl from a modest background, such an opportunity was impossible to refuse.
"Thank you, Principal. Thank you, teachers," she said earnestly, bowing her head slightly. "I will work hard, I promise. I want to make my family—and this school—proud."
The principal nodded in approval, his gaze full of admiration as he studied the young girl before him. "Go home and rest well—you won't need to prepare for the written exams anymore. The academy will send your acceptance letter within the week, I'm certain of it. Just focus on keeping your spirit stable in the meantime."
After a brief pause, he stepped closer and lowered his voice, adding meaningfully, "If you ever face difficulties or problems you can't solve on your own—whether they're about cultivation or anything else—don't hesitate to come to me. Suzhou-Hangzhou No. 1 High School will always stand behind you as your strongest support. We won't let anyone take advantage of your talent or circumstances."
Mu Wanqiu bowed deeply, her hands clasped in front of her, before turning to leave the platform. As she made her way down the stone steps and back toward her class formation, envious glances followed her from every direction—some admiring, some bitter, but all full of recognition for her achievement.
She passed Bai Hao slowly, walking with a quiet grace that seemed to set her apart even more now that her talent had been revealed. A soft breeze carried a faint, clean scent—like jasmine and fresh rain—past him, and he couldn't help but watch her go.
Mu Wanqiu's family lived modestly in a small apartment in the older part of the city—some might even say poorly. Her father worked as a mechanic at a local garage, and her mother took in sewing to make extra money. Without the school's annual scholarships for top students and subsidies for low-income families, she might not have been able to afford textbooks, let alone complete her high school education. Yet despite her circumstances, she harbored great ambition and never let hardship dim her spirit. She never accepted gifts or money from others, even when well-meaning classmates offered help, handled all interactions with grace and kindness, and remained approachable and optimistic—making her impossible not to admire.
Whether in the past life he remembered or now in this reborn world, Bai Hao had always held the girl in high regard. She was the kind of person who made the world a little better just by being in it.
"Amazing! A Saint-rank Spirit Contract—guaranteed entry to Qingbei," Bai Hao muttered under his breath, whistling softly in awe. He leaned against the brick wall at the edge of the formation, his hands tucked in his pockets, and couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy at her good fortune.
Good character, top grades, a wonderful personality, and incredible luck—who could ask for more? Blessed with destiny itself, she was like a protagonist from a novel come to life, everything falling into place perfectly for her.
"I wonder how strong my talent will be this time?" he murmured to himself, his gaze drifting back to the Awakening Platform where the next student was already stepping up. "I hope it's better than before. Last time… well, last time was nothing to write home about."
In this world, talent determined nearly everything. Academic achievements and hard work only mattered for those with lower-rank abilities—people who would end up in regular jobs, supporting the infrastructure of society. For those with high-rank talents, cultivation was the only path that mattered. If he failed to awaken to a decent rank this time around, he feared his only option would be to find work in one of the electronics factories on the outskirts of the city—maybe even in the informal sector, where wages were low and conditions harsh. The thought brought a touch of melancholy to his heart, and he kicked at a loose piece of gravel on the ground.
He didn't hold high hopes for himself. As long as he awakened to at least an Earthly rank—something that could support a stable life working at a spiritual resource depot or as a low-level assistant—he would be content enough to live without worrying about his next meal or whether he could afford to fix the leaky roof in his family's old house.
...
The ceremony continued smoothly for another twenty minutes, with most students awakening to Yellow or Profound ranks—respectable, but unremarkable. Then the teacher on the platform cleared his throat and called out the next name:
"Next up: Bai Hao from Class 12, Grade 3!"
Silence fell over the section where Class 12 stood, but no one moved. After a long pause with no response, the teacher—a stern man named Mr. Chen who had been teaching at the school for twenty years—frowned and called out again, louder this time: "Bai Hao—Class 12, Grade 3?! Are you present?"
Bai Hao snapped out of his thoughts, where he'd been replaying memories of his past life's struggles. His eyes cleared instantly, the faraway look vanishing as he straightened up from the wall.
"Here!" His steady voice rang out across the playground, and he began to stride toward the stage with deliberate steps. Though his expression was calm and even casual, his heart was pounding fiercely against his ribs, sending a rush of adrenaline through his veins.
Please let me awaken to something decent—anything but the lowest rank. I can't go through that again.
As he climbed the steps to the platform, he felt hundreds of eyes on him—some curious, some indifferent, some already writing him off as just another average student. He ignored them all, focusing on the polished black stone that sat in the center of the platform, glowing with a faint silver light from the runes etched into its surface.
"Bai Hao, place your palm on the Awakening Stone," the Awakening Teacher—Ms. Liu, a powerful Spirit Master with a Heavenly-rank contract—instructed as always, her voice steady and reassuring. "Don't be alarmed by any sensations you feel—heat, cold, tingling, even pain are all normal parts of the process. You should be familiar with the procedures from our practice sessions. Let's begin when you're ready."
Bai Hao nodded firmly, gave a quiet "Mm" in acknowledgment, then stepped forward and pressed his palm against the stone's surface, following the example set by every student before him. The stone was cool to the touch, smooth as glass beneath his fingertips, and he felt a slight tremor run through his hand—whether from nerves or the stone's energy, he couldn't tell. He took a deep breath to steady himself, his fingers spreading flat against the runes.
The moment Ms. Liu placed her own hand on the stone's base and channeled her spiritual energy into it, the cool touch turned blazingly hot—so hot it felt as if his palm was being pressed against molten metal!
As waves of intense pain surged up his arm and through his body, Bai Hao's muscles tensed sharply, and his jaw clenched tight. His throat tightened with the urge to cry out, but he bit down hard on his tongue and held back any sound of discomfort, his knuckles white where he gripped the edge of the stone.
"Clear your mind and focus on the experience!" Ms. Liu's voice cut through the haze of pain like cold water, sharp and clear. "Don't fight it—let the energy flow through you!"
Bai Hao did as he was told, closing his eyes and taking slow, deep breaths to steady himself. His years of experience in his past life had taught him the value of mental discipline, and he drew on that now, pushing down the pain signals in his body until they faded to a dull throb in the background. He concentrated all his attention on his senses, reaching out with his spirit to touch the energy swirling within the stone.
His consciousness drifted away from his physical body, floating into a space of pure emptiness—white and quiet, with no sound or light except for the gentle hum of power that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. A peculiar connection formed between him and the Awakening Stone beneath his palm, like a thread of silver light linking his spirit to the ancient artifact.
Suddenly, the stone burst into brilliant light—so bright that students in the front rows had to shield their eyes!
Beams of golden light shot forth from the stone, forming a towering pillar that reached high into the sky. It moved upward with incredible speed, tearing through one threshold after another as the runes on the stone blazed to life in sequence:
Yellow! – The light glowed warm and steady, like candle flame.
Profound! – It deepened to a rich blue, crackling with energy.
Earthly! – The color shifted to earthy green, and the ground beneath the platform trembled slightly.
Heavenly?! – The light turned brilliant white, and a low hum echoed across the playground.
When the pillar of light reached the Heavenly rank, even Ms. Liu—who had overseen dozens of awakening ceremonies—was stunned, her eyes wide with disbelief. Gasps and exclamations rippled through the platform and audience alike, and the principal, who had been returning to his seat, froze mid-step, his eyes sparkling with more excitement than he'd shown for Mu Wanqiu's Saint-rank awakening.
Exceptionally talented students were rare—at most one or two per grade across the entire city, a ratio of roughly one in a hundred. While Mu Wanqiu's Saint-rank talent was impressive, it was not entirely unprecedented for a school with Suzhou-Hangzhou No. 1's reputation. But two gifted students from the same year—one Saint-rank, one already Heavenly-rank and climbing—would elevate the school's status across not just Suzhou-Hangzhou, but the entire Jiangnan Province. Universities and spiritual organizations would be lining up to offer scholarships and opportunities.
Yet the light didn't stop there. After hovering at Heavenly rank for only a few seconds, it surged upward once more, growing even brighter as it transformed into a deep purple hue:
Saint! – The crowd erupted into cheers, students jumping to their feet and calling out Bai Hao's name. Even the teachers were smiling broadly, exchanging excited glances.
But still, the light climbed higher, shifting to a majestic gold that seemed to make the sun itself pale in comparison:
Imperial! – The entire audience stirred in shock, a wave of murmurs rolling across the playground like thunder. An Imperial-rank talent appeared only once or twice a year across the entire Xia Kingdom—sometimes not even that. It had been over a decade since the last one was recorded, and that student had gone on to become the youngest ever member of the National Spiritual Council. Was this finally Suzhou-Hangzhou's turn to shine on the national stage?
The principal had already begun moving back toward the platform, his wind wings beginning to form again as he prepared to congratulate Bai Hao personally. Ms. Liu had stepped back, her hands raised to shield her eyes, her face filled with awe.
Still, the light continued its relentless climb, pushing toward heights that defied all expectations. The golden hue deepened to something impossible to describe—like liquid starlight, shimmering with colors that didn't seem to belong in the natural world. It reached the threshold of the legendary Divine rank, a level that existed only in ancient texts and oral traditions, and then crossed it without slowing down.
The moment it did, the Awakening Stone suddenly flickered violently, the runes on its surface glowing so bright they seemed to burn into the air. Then, with a sharp, explosive crack that echoed like thunder, it shattered into thousands of tiny pieces, scattering across the platform in a shower of black dust and silver light!
??? !!!
"Did the Awakening Stone just shatter?" someone whispered in the front row, and the question spread through the crowd like wildfire.
In common knowledge, any rank above Imperial was considered purely fictional—something that existed only in myths and legends, told to children to inspire them to work hard. For hundreds of years in modern history, no one in any nation had been known to awaken to a rank beyond Imperial. As such, the Awakening Stones used in ceremonies across the country were calibrated only to measure up to the Imperial rank; anything higher would overload their systems, as this one had just done.
A stunned silence fell over the playground, broken only by the sound of the stone's fragments clattering against the platform. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Bai Hao, who still stood with his palm raised where the stone had been, his eyes closed and his face calm despite the chaos around him.
Could this student's talent be so extraordinary that it broke through all known limits? Was he capable of things no one in modern history had achieved?
Would he make history by surpassing even the Imperial and Divine ranks of myth and legend?
As Bai Hao slowly opened his eyes, revealing irises that seemed to glow with the same impossible starlight as the pillar of light that still rose above the platform, the question hung in the air for everyone to see.