"Yes, Grandpa Tai."Feeling steadier now, Yang Yunhai stood carefully and strode forward.
Having witnessed a couple of his friends' spirit awakenings, he confidently stepped into the hexagonal stone formation at the center of the clearing.
Without hesitation, the middle-aged man—Chief Longbow's son—pressed both hands down, infusing the six black stones on the ground with spirit energy. Immediately, they glowed softly in golden light, linking together to form a gentle dome that enveloped Yang Yunhai.
Warmth washed over him. That was Yunhai's first, comforting sensation.
Then, a sudden crack from within—something had shattered inside him. Waves of warmth surged through his arm to his right palm.
He instinctively raised his hand.
All eyes—Grandpa Tai, the middle-aged man, and the other children—fell on him.
In the next moment, a tiny blue sprout emerged in his palm, glowing with a soft blue light and streaks of white.
Blue Silver Grass, the common plant found growing by the roadside in the village. Everyone recognized it—except this one looked different. Its veins were pale white instead of the usual powder-blue. Still, there was no mistaking it: it was Blue Silver Grass.
"Blue Silver Grass!?" the children gasped in unison, even Yang Yunhai himself.
"How... how is this possible?" Grandpa Tai and the middle-aged man stared in disbelief.
They had high hopes for Yunhai—after all, he was struck by lightning all the time. Surely he'd awaken something extraordinary. But this?
A Blue Silver Grass spirit was widely known across the continent as universally useless.
The disappointment was palpable.
"Uncle Di, I feel... my spirit is different. Feel it yourself!" Yang Yunhai looked to the middle-aged man, hoping someone would confirm his intuition.
The man was Longbow Di—Chief Tai's eldest son, a 29th-rank spirit master and current steward of the Spirit Hall. He murmured, "Different?" and reached out to touch the grass's leaves.
His pupils contracted, his fingers instinctively recoiled.
"Is it... electrified?!" he nearly exclaimed, eyes lighting up with renewed hope. Electricity? Now that made sense. It matched Yunhai's lightning-struck history—perhaps this wasn't an ordinary grass spirit after all.
He hurriedly fetched a blue crystal and said urgently, "Alright, Xiaohai—let's test your spirit power."
"Okay." Yunhai nodded, centered his mind, retracted his spirit orb, and placed his right hand on the crystal.
An intense suction force pulled at the crystal. It glowed faintly blue.
Longbow Di's face fell instantly. Even Grandpa Tai's earlier glow faded.
A priori Spirit Power of 0.5 rank.
Di and Tai had years of experience—they recognized it immediately.
Half-rank spirit power? With a lightning attribute spirit?
Yang Yunhai's heart sank.
From what he'd studied in his past world, a soul master couldn't cultivate spirit power before awakening a spirit. The innate spirit power you began with determined your growth potential as a cultivator.
A 0.5 rank was terribly low—barely above the starting threshold.
The lone exception was Tang San, who gained full innate spirit power through his Xingtian cultivation method. But Yunhai hadn't practiced any spiritual path before age six—only physical exercise under the sun.
His hopes... were smashed.
Sensing Yunhai's distress, Longbow Di stifled his own sadness and offered encouragement, "Don't be discouraged—having any spirit power means you can become a spirit master. That already puts you ahead of most."
Indeed, spirit masters made up less than 1% of the population.
"Yes, Boss!" one of the kids piped up. "We haven't awakened any spirit power!"
Another moaned, "If the Boss goes to the academy, who'll tell us stories?"
Yunhai forced a smile and promised, "I'll come back and tell you all stories."
"Yay!" the children cheered.
At that moment, Grandpa Tai said softly, "Alright, kids—we'll head out now." He then turned to his son, "Adi, when you're back, help awaken spirits in other villages."
"Understood," Longbow Di nodded and started gathering things.
Soon, the non-orphaned children were picked up by their parents, while the orphans returned to the orphanage under Grandpa Tai's care.
Once inside, Tai led Yunhai to the director's office.
"Xiaohai," Grandpa Tai began gently, "do you want to join the Spirit Hall like me, Uncle Di, Uncle Ao, and the others?"
He continued:"Your innate spirit power is low, but you can be a spirit master. Joining the Hall means work—like me and your uncle in Notting City—and a steady income. When you're older, you can come back to the village, be the chief, or run the orphanage. People here have watched you grow—they'll support you."
Yunhai, born clever, felt capable. "About schooling," Tai added, "you're the only child here with spirit power this year, so the junior academy in Notting City will give you a work-study spot. And as a trainee in the Spirit Hall, you'll get monthly assistance. Combine that with your academy stipend, and you'll be well cared for—just stay low-profile around wealthy spirit masters."
He warned him based on personal experience—being bullied and extorted as a trainee.
"No hesitation," Yunhai replied immediately. "Thank you, Grandpa Tai."
Tai beamed. "There are two weeks before academy starts. I'll arrange a single dormitory. For now, focus on training. I've got everything else covered."
Yunhai saluted politely before leaving. As he stepped outside, warm sunlight greeted him in the courtyard.
He sighed inwardly: Light spirit but only 0.5 rank. Doesn't add up.
He looked skyward. Clouds drifted in silence—a perfect moment to reflect.
Blue Silver Grass was a plant-type spirit beast—known for vitality and life attributes. Lightning was death. How could they merge?
Maybe my spirit is a negative mutation. It didn't naturally produce spirit power—it's been building up from decades of lightning strikes.
He considered the famed Thunder Roaring Vines, which get stronger with each strike—100 lightning hits equal a year of natural training. But Yunhai wasn't a spirit beast; he was human. His body's spirit absorption was inherently weaker.
Even under passive lightning strikes, he'd have to endure hundreds or thousands to gain spirit power.
That 0.5 rank? Maybe it was the residue from decades of lightning energy stored inside him.
He blinked, mind spinning.So, if I intentionally get struck during thunderstorms—would that help me cultivate spirit power?
Was that my only chance?
If not... I might need to get ahead by leeching off Third Brother's cultivation buffs.
With that thought, he headed off to his new dorm.