The Zhou clan's pavilion stood tall and proud in the town. Its tiles were a dark green color, and the structure was supported by many strong red pillars. It rested on a large white stone platform, with wide steps leading up to it. Several guards were stationed there, managing the candidates.
Jingxuan walked among the crowd and entered the clan pavilion. The interior was lit by many lamps, though it was only lightly decorated compared to the festival atmosphere outside in the town.
On a high platform stood the clan leader and the elders, overseeing the event. The candidates were arranged in strict lines. Jingxuan observed for a moment before choosing to stand in a random line.The candidates were all nervous about the awakening ceremony. Some whispered to each other while conversing, some were quiet, some wore confident expressions, and others were pale with fright. Jingxuan, however, knew what his awakening results would be, so he was not nervous.
His cousins, male and female twins, were standing quite far from him. Among them, Wenbin, the male, had a strong physique—a sharp contrast to his father's appearance. He had short hair, with a hint of a youthful beard, and his face was filled with nervousness.
Wenjing, the female, wore a beautiful light yellow dress, her hair silky black. She was more beautiful than their mother and didn't seem extremely nervous; instead, a faint confidence graced her face. Jingxuan only glanced at them for a moment before looking away.
The clan head, a man in his forties with a scholarly appearance, wore a tired expression from the morning's competition. His mood worsened as he spoke loudly, "Silence." The whole crowd immediately fell quiet. Though he looked weary, he seized control of the situation instantly.
He then continued, "You youths are the future of our Zhou Clan. I won't speak much, as you are already aware of the details of the awakening ceremony. Now, follow the instructions of your respective instructors quietly."
As he finished, another man stepped forward and began guiding the crowd into the underground cave beneath the pavilion. Faint blue lamps hung above, their glow barely illuminating the otherwise pitch-dark cavern.
An instructor in his twenties came forward and began explaining "Now, as you all know, the awakening ceremony is held for Zhou clan members once a boy or girl reaches the age of sixteen. Then, they will study at the academy for a year before being assigned to their positions. Mingji cultivation is not something that can be taught through mere instruction—they must experience it themselves to progress. This will be your first step on the path of cultivation. I wish you luck."
He continued, "Although you all know the details, for the sake of formality, let me explain this once."
He pointed in a certain direction as he spoke "Once you step into the dark area over there, you will awaken your ring aperture."
"A ring aperture consists of a total of twelve talent rings, and the number of rings you awaken is up to your fate. There are four ranks in talent: if you have 1–3 rings is 'worst grade'; 4–6 rings is 'third grade'; 7–9 rings is 'second grade'; and 10–11 rings is 'first grade.' As for all twelve rings, it is impossible to awaken them."
"Before proceeding, I must remind you that more than fifty percent of you will fail. So be prepared."
Zhou Jingxuan was someone who had lived for three hundred years—of course he knew all this information.
The instructor in charge began calling the candidates one by one.
"Zhou Bowen!"
A thin, meek, short boy stepped forward. He entered the dark area of the cave where the instructor had pointed. He was extremely nervous, each of his steps felt heavier in the suffocating darkness. The crowd could barely make out his figure.
When he had walked a certain distance and taken another step, a rainbow-colored light suddenly appeared. It swirled around him before sinking into his body. As the radiance faded, four flowers glowed faintly with blue-green light.
There were twelve flowers arranged around the candidate, invisible at first in the dark, but now revealed by the glow. They represented the rank of awakening.
The instructor called out loudly, "Four rings—third grade!"
"Next, Zhou Anran!"
This candidate repeated Bowen's steps, but no lights appeared.The instructor announced curtly, "No talent."
Names continued to be called—around twenty in total—and more than half failed their awakening.
"Zhou Chaoyang." This young boy had a solid build,his eyes were grey in color, his long hair tied back in a ponytail. He was one of the sons of the newly appointed elder. Nine flowers glowed with green-blue light as the instructor announced, "Nine rings—second grade."
A commotion arose even among the instructors; it was the first candidate to awaken nine rings—just one step away from first grade.
Next came his cousins. Wenbin awakened six rings—third grade—while his sister awoke an impressive eight rings—second grade, which was rare. Up to this point, they had already called out more than 130 candidates, of whom only three had reached second grade. In fact, she was the first female to awaken to second grade.
She was the cause of Jingxuan's suffering in his previous life, because Jingxuan was a mere six-ring, third-grade talent like Wenbin.
Next was Zhou Haoyu. He had a scholarly handsome face and long hair. He walked forward confidently to awaken and achieved ten rings—first-grade talent. He was the grandson of one of the most important elders in the Zhou clan. Seeing a first-grade candidate, the whole place erupted in commotion. The instructors were very pleased.
After some more candidates, Zhou Zhiwei stepped forward. He looked like a fat boy, with short hair, a chubby face, and round eyes. Soon, ten flowers glowed around him—he was also first grade. The instructors were happy, but among them, the main instructor's face turned slightly pale despite the celebration. He hid it perfectly, but Jingxuan still noticed. How could this instructor escape the eyes of this old demon?
Why was that? Although first-grade talents were important for the clan, this was bad news for him. Zhou Zhiwei was the grandson of another elder from the faction opposing Haoyu's grandfather.
The main instructor, Zhou Long, was one of the famous Mingji wielders of his time, but due to injury, he could no longer fight on the front lines and had taken a position at the Zhou Mingji Academy. He had always preferred to maintain a neutral stance.
Now, with two first-grade talents from opposing factions, his life would become difficult. Which organization didn't have internal conflicts? But living beside the other three clans, they were usually forced to coexist and thus experienced fewer disputes.
But this time, the situation was different. The previous alliance leader had died, and the four clan heads were of similar strength. It was a chaotic time, but the Zhou clan head, Zhou Minhui, was a talented individual and the youngest among them. The clan had full confidence in him taking the position of alliance leader. This conflict for leadership was one of the reasons his mood was so foul and tired, to the point he couldn't stay at the awakening ceremony.
After he took the position of alliance leader, although he would not step down as clan head, the burden of work meant that the true authority within the Zhou clan would fall into the hands of the elders. And among them, the two huge rival factions were already sharpening their claws, eager to wrest control when the time came. Haoyu and Zhiwei stood as direct heirs of the two great rival factions, each the favored grandson of a clan elder whose influence shook the Zhou family from within.
The instructor announcing called, "Zhou Jingxuan."
Jingxuan stepped forward, his expression calm and tranquil as he walked into the darkness. Rings of multiple colors formed around him and entered his body. As the rings entered, Jingxuan jolted slightly. After a moment, six flowers shone.
As the instructor declared the result, Jingxuan closed his eyes, focusing intently on his lower abdomen. There, an ethereal, fist-sized bubble materialized, mysterious in nature—it neither disturbed his organs nor occupied the surrounding space. Six rings rotated gracefully around the bubble, arranged in a perfect star pattern, each equidistant and encircling the luminous core.
He ignored the announcement as a cold, exciting light flashed in his eyes in the darkness. He muttered inwardly, "How can a cloud stop the sun's rays forever? Hahaha."
After a few more candidates, the awakening ceremony ended, and he walked back to the crowd.
The candidates who had awakened were required to attend the academy. Before dismissing them, the instructor gave some instructions.
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In the classroom of Zhou Mingji Academy, the interior was furnished with tables and chairs, and the walls were plain white.
The main instructor, Zhou Long, stood at the front. He was in his fifties, with a short beard and long hair, streaks of white mixed among the black. A strong aura emanated from him, making the students both fear and respect him. His expression carried a trace of excitement as he began to speak about the grand Mingji world.
"As members of the Zhou clan, you must already have some idea about the Mingji. But I will explain it once again, in greater detail, so you must listen carefully."
"Mingji were among the creatures that formed when the Great Miracle of Life—one of the Four Miracles—came into being."
"To truly understand the Great Miracle would take an entire lifetime, and even then it could not be taught from one person to another. So, we will set that aside."
"Mingji are beings composed of two major components: Laws, which were born from the Third Miracle, and Life, which came from the last Miracle. They are ethereal creatures that appear in countless forms and shapes."
"We humans, hailed as the most intelligent beings, wield beings called Mingji to cultivate. Thus, we are known as Mingji wielders."
He explained the basics of Mingji to the students for nearly four hours. Jingxuan sat at the last bench in a corner, listening attentively. He already possessed this knowledge beforehand—so why was he listening with such interest?
Of course, it was an act. The main instructor enjoyed teaching and was very passionate about it, and Jingxuan did not want to draw attention to himself on the first day of class.
Basically, Mingji were ethereal creatures that came in all shapes and sizes. They were mostly fragile, with only a few exceptions. They also had the ability to turn into illusions, making them very difficult to catch without special methods. By refining and wielding them, we Mingji wielders cultivate.
The instructor's voice deepened as he went on, "Cultivation is divided into seven ranks. The first five are considered Mortal Ranks, while those above belong to the Earth Ranks. As for the Heaven Rank… little is known. In our clan, it exists only as a legend."
"Each rank is further broken down into four stages—initial, mid, high, and peak."
Jingxuan inwardly sneered. This clan he was born into didn't even know whether Heaven Ranks truly existed—how pitiful. He knew far more about it than this so-called instructor.
In truth, there were five Mortal Ranks, two Earth Ranks, and four Heaven Ranks. After reaching Rank Five, one could choose the Heaven Path or the Earth Path. But a Rank Six of the Heaven Path stood leagues above a Rank Six of the Earth Path—even Earth Rank Seven could not rival it. The difference was as great as heaven and earth itself.
Only those who tread the Heaven Path could rightfully be called Divine Wielders—or Immortals. In his past life, Jingxuan had stood at that very threshold, a Rank Six of the Heaven Path.
Then the instructor began speaking about talent rings and their importance, his tone solemn.
"The so-called four grades of talent—more precisely, the number of talent rings—determine the future rank you can achieve in your lifetime."
"Those of the worst grade, even after seven or eight years of cultivation, can only reach Rank One peak stage, and that is their limit."
"As for third grade, they can achieve Rank Two peak stage in about ten years. With six talent rings and with some good luck, their maximum potential is to reach Rank Three."
He cast a proud glance to both sides before continuing, "As for the first grade, they can achieve rank four in about thirty years of cultivation, and with extreme luck and dedication, they can reach rank five."
The class had two columns of benches, which had now become the territory of opposing factions. The students were more or less divided equally. Zhiwei sat on the right side of the first bench, while Haoyu sat on the left side of the first bench. First-grade talent was extremely rare. There were times when decades went by without a clan producing even one. So, although it was a political headache for the main instructor, he was still happy about having two First grade talents.
Jingxuan sat on the last bench of the right side, with the window by his side. He was thinking, The third-grade six-ring talent was not that bad. I could have lived peacefully in my past life. But suddenly, anger and hatred flashed in his cold eyes. It was extremely well hidden, so no one noticed it. He muttered, "That bitch," as he glanced at Wenjing, who was sitting next to Haoyu.
After recollecting his thoughts, he once again listened to the class, eagerly waiting for it to end. As the main instructor was about to dismiss the students, a student raised his hand. The instructor responded, "Do you have any doubts?"
Seeing this, Jingxuan's expression turned agitated. He was already bored to death, and now, because of some imbecile, he had to sit even longer. The student asked, "Sir, what is the highest rank you have seen in your life?"
The instructor spoke in a respectful tone as he recalled, "As you all know, this town lies on one of the main trading routes among the surounding small and medium clans, so it is quite well known. A few years ago, when beasts were on the verge of destroying this route, the Ma Family—a large clan that governs its own town—requested the aid of a Rank Six Earth Path cultivator. His power was beyond anything we could imagine. By contrast, the previous leader of our alliance was only at the peak of Rank Four, not even Rank Five."
After his explanation, the students began discussing with determined gazes. The instructor watched them for a while, pleased by their resolve, before finally dismissing the class.
Jingxuan let out a sigh of relief, glad that the long boring lecture had finally ended.
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[Power System Overview]
*Mortal Ranks: 5 stages
*Earth Ranks: 2 stages
*Heaven Ranks: 4 stages
[Path Selection]
>Upon reaching Mortal Rank Five, cultivators may advance along either:
*Earth Path → progressing through Earth Ranks.
*Heaven Path → progressing through Heaven Ranks.
[Stage Progression]
>Each major rank is subdivided into four phases:
*Initial Stage
*Mid Stage
*Upper Stage
*Peak Stage