Agois and Crone had returned to the Inn. Crone told Mina everything that had happened. Although Mina was initially very frightened, she ultimately felt immense relief and joy. This was because the General had given them a token, which served as a representative symbol of the General. This meant that they could live safely and well as long as this kingdom existed.
Agois was also relieved. For now, he did not need to worry about his family's safety or his own. He could now focus calmly on his meditation and better understand what had happened to him during that fight. What was it that granted him such abilities, enabling him to reach the Iron Body Realm so early?
When Agois delved into meditation again, he once more entered that space, but he still could not touch the starlight there. The last time he felt he had touched it, he had reached the Iron Body Realm, but the starlight was very bright then; though bright now, it was still dimmer compared to that time.
Nevertheless, being here allowed him to recover his energy much faster.
After about 10 minutes, he exited that space. He now understood that the starlight was what enabled him to reach the Iron Body. But what about what happened during the fight? He hadn't figured that out yet.
And he now called this space the "Star Void." This space was his greatest secret, opportunity, and fortune. Advancing on the path to power, he was now much more confident thanks to the Star Void.
Yes, he now believed that starlight was a form of enlightenment, a power to break limits. But when would that starlight intensify again? He would understand when the time came. As Agois continued his meditation, the days passed, and the time for the Awakening Baptism arrived.
Early that morning, Crone and Agois woke up. Agois couldn't sit still from excitement. The day when everything would be determined, the day when his destiny would be decided, had finally arrived.
Mina prepared some snacks for them, which they quickly ate. This time, the whole family went together. Today was crucial for Agois's future. Normally, they wouldn't be this excited, but Agois's talent, maturity, and intelligence shown so far had given them hope. Therefore, the entire family would be there together.
A while later, they set off. They quickly traversed the brown-tiled paths of Aron and arrived at the Academy. A crowd had already gathered. Pushing through the people, they went to the officer at the registration desk and handed over their paper. The officer immediately signaled to someone else, and they were escorted to the area where the Awakening Baptism would take place.
Agois was amazed by the interior of the Academy; it was the first time he had seen such a place. Inside, there were rows of columns adorned with intricate motifs, which made the Academy environment look esoteric.
They quickly arrived at an area that had a large platform with rows of seating arranged in a wide area below it. Many people were already waiting there. Nobler and more powerful individuals had taken their seats in the front rows. Agois and his family sat in an empty spot in the back rows and began to wait. During this time, Agois started to examine his peers who would participate in the awakening, just like him. No sense of threat or pressure came from any of these children; apparently, none of them were in the Iron Body Realm or above; they were ordinary children. But if you saw their appearance and expressions, they looked down on everyone with conceited, contemptuous looks, as if the whole world was beneath their feet.
Agois stopped examining these people and calmly began to meditate. His family was a bit more nervous compared to him. Mina, especially, was tightly holding Crone's and Fel's hands out of tension.
Crone was somewhat calmer, but he was also nervous in such an environment. Fel, however, didn't care; she was watching this interesting place and the people with curiosity.
As time passed, the hall filled with people, but there wasn't much noise. Only the noble individuals in the front rows occasionally chatted with their acquaintances. The ordinary people in the back rows waited silently out of nervousness.
After a while, a person appeared on the high platform. No one saw where he came from or emerged; it was as if he had teleported there. While everyone looked at the platform with shock and fear, all the noble and powerful people who were talking in the front rows suddenly fell silent, straightened their backs, and looked at the person on the platform with great respect.
Agois also stared intently at this scene. He also could not see where this person had come from; it was as if he had instantly materialized out of nothing. This struck him as strange. He was in the Iron Body Realm; even if the person on the platform was in the Copper Body Realm, he could still perceive their movements, but he saw nothing. This meant: Agois suddenly became excited. This person had to be a Cultivator, a legendary Cultivator. Crone had also realized this; he was also excited and respectful.
This was the first Cultivator Agois had seen alive, and he couldn't perceive anything from that person; neither threat nor pressure. This was even more frightening. The yearning and desire inside him surged even more.
The person on the platform had sharp facial features, arched eyebrows, deep eyes, and long, golden hair and beard, giving him an aged yet impressively charismatic presence. An aura of prestige and power emanated from this old man, even though he exerted no apparent pressure.
And he began to speak: "Welcome to this year's Awakening Baptism," he said with a calm yet resonant voice. Although he didn't shout, his voice could be heard comfortably by everyone. He continued: "Without further ado, the rules are the same. Whoever's name is called will come to this platform." After he said this, four guards carried a table-like object with a hollow center onto the platform. They placed it right at the edge of the platform. The Cultivator then placed a sphere onto the table-like device and put a few shiny stones into one of its compartments.
Turning to the hall, he instructed: "Now, let the person whose name I call come forward."
"Roya Grend," he called. A well-dressed young noble immediately stepped onto the stage. He approached the table, entered the setup, and placed his hand on the sphere. Since he was a noble, he had prior knowledge of this procedure and immediately performed it. A minute passed with excitement and eagerness, but there was no reaction from the sphere. The Awakening Sphere would react if there was talent.
The Cultivator said in an emotionless voice, "Talentless." The young man on the stage still stood in place, unable to believe he was talentless. But then the Cultivator's emotionless voice echoed in his mind, bringing him back to reality. Defeated and with a heavy expression, he descended from the stage.
Names began to be called in order. "Grey Sagan."
A young man with short red hair, handsome and elegant features, and an expression filled with arrogance stepped onto the stage. He was so sure he had talent that he wasn't nervous at all. He slowly came to the sphere. He placed his hand on it. A minute later, the sphere began to glow, shining brighter and forming one star. Everyone below looked at this scene with shock and astonishment. Grey's face held a self-satisfied expression, as if this was only to be expected. The light did not fade; it shone even brighter, forming another star. And then it slowly began to dim.
The Cultivator on the stage was surprised. He hadn't expected someone with 2-star talent to emerge from this kingdom this year.
Excitement and anticipation began to bubble in the hall. A middle-aged man with the same hair color as Grey was smiling smugly at the nobles around him. Everyone looked at the man with envy. The Awakening Baptism was held every year, but talented people did not emerge every year. When they did, the number never exceeded four. This year, someone with 2-star talent had emerged, and he was the son of Duke Sagan. How could they not be envious?
The Cultivator on the stage smiled. Everyone was seeing this yellow-haired old man smile for the first time. The Cultivator looked at Grey and said, "Not bad, son, you have talent. You move to this side for now," he said, pointing to a corner behind him. Grey nodded arrogantly and immediately took his place.
The Cultivator was excited. There was good talent this year; they could receive a good reward. He immediately continued the Baptism. Names began to be called in order. Slowly, names were read, and they descended from the stage with disappointment. More than half of the youths who participated in the awakening had already gone through the baptism; only Grey was talented among them.
The Cultivator continued, and when he saw the name he was about to read, he said with a smile: "Samantha Pergron." Slowly, a young woman with long, yellow, braided hair, tall for her age, delicate, and of unique beauty, with born noble demeanor, stepped onto the platform and gracefully placed her hand on the sphere, smiling at the Cultivator. Yes, the person on the stage was the kingdom's Princess. The Cultivator, being from the royal family, also loved this niece of his.
After a while, the sphere glowed again, slowly forming 1 star, and shining a little brighter, it became 2 stars.
The smiling Cultivator on the stage, looking at his niece, was Agent Pergron, the King's brother and the Princess's uncle. Samantha was the only talented person among his nieces and nephews. He was very happy. With this talent, she could join an average sect, providing extra protection and prestige for the kingdom.
He seemed lucky this year. Two youths with 2-star talent had emerged from the kingdom, and one of them was even his niece. But after a brief pause, he immediately continued the Baptism. The number of people entering the awakening was gradually decreasing toward the end.
It was Agois's turn. "Agois Rendelf," the Cultivator called.
He no longer expected anyone else talented this year. He read the name with an indifferent and unconcerned voice.
Agois stood up from his seat with great nervousness. His father patted his back, and his mother squeezed his hand. Agois gathered his courage completely and walked toward the stage, stepping onto the platform. The moment of fate, with excitement and nervousness, had almost arrived. He slowly placed his hand on the sphere. And immediately, he calmed down, fully gathering his determination and courage.
After a while, the sphere began to glow again. The Cultivator was surprised; he hadn't expected such talent from this commoner. Agois's family couldn't sit still from excitement. Fel was constantly jumping and clapping her hands. Mina had a surreal expression on her face. Crone was calmer, but he was also very happy.
On the stage, the light formed one star. Just as it was about to dim, everything around him suddenly disappeared, and Agois found himself in that void again.
Before he could understand what had happened, with a large burst of light, when he opened his eyes again, the sphere was shining before him with 4 brilliant stars. Everyone's jaws dropped in shock. Even the Cultivator was speechless; the expression on his face had frozen. 4 stars! No one with this talent had ever existed in the history of the Royal Kingdom. The most talented was 3 stars. Anything after 3 stars was like a bottleneck, entering the high-level talent class, and someone at this level had emerged from this kingdom.
He was very excited, but he also felt a bit strange. The person with this great talent was an ordinary commoner with no background. But no matter what, they could receive a good reward for this. That's why he was very excited.
Agois was also very surprised and felt surreal. He vaguely remembered reaching one star, but then he had entered the Star Void again, and when he came to, 4 stars were shining before him.
He believed he could achieve things in this life even if he only had 1-star talent, thanks to the Star Void. Now, with 4-star talent, he had much more confidence. Mina and Crone were frozen solid from shock. They didn't know what to think; this was unbelievable for them. Fel, however, was cheering for her brother, clapping her hands excitedly.
And from the closed box high up in the hall, a conversation began in a tone of astonishment: "Interesting, such talent in this kingdom."
In another voice: "Indeed, the emergence of talent at this level in these barren lands is unexpected."
In yet another voice: "This journey to these barren lands was worth it."
The other voices confirmed them.
On the stage, Agois, guided personally by the Cultivator, excitedly moved to stand next to the Princess and Grey.
The Cultivator's cold demeanor seemed to have vanished. He acted toward him entirely like a warm family elder. He explained to young Agois: "Wait here. When the Baptism is over, the sects will choose disciples."
Grey was gritting his teeth with envy. He thought about how much of a waste it was for this commoner to have such talent.
The Princess was surprised. She had fixed her gaze on Agois. Agois had a very handsome face, a well-developed physique, and a sense of pressure in his young body.
Agent, looking at Agois, thought, "Geniuses are geniuses in every way, aren't they?" He had noticed that Agois had reached the Iron Body at this age.
And the Awakening Baptism quickly continued. When the last person also went through the baptism, only three people had talent this year. Compared to other years, it was an average number, but this year, in terms of quality, the best talent in the history of Pergron had emerged: Agois Rendelf.