Unbeknownst to the lord governing the southwestern border of Hart Kingdom, there lay a small village hidden away from the eyes of the nobility. It was called Rattan Village, named so because every structure and piece of furniture was crafted entirely from woven rattan vines. Yet, what truly made them unique was not their tax-free status, but their peculiar method of choosing the root of spirit manifestation.
As of now, it is widely known that when one awakens their spirit, they do so either by automatically absorbing vast amounts of energy from spiritual stones, or through a serendipitous encounter with a hidden master. However, in Rattan Village, they utilized what others considered trash as the foundation for their cultivation before delving into spiritual absorption. They believed that discarded items held the forgotten spirits of nature, which were inherently more valuable than any ordinary essence birthed by nature. This was why they had gathered so much refuse over the years, solely to help them connect to the spirits.
And that day—the day to pick a piece of trash—had finally arrived.
"Today marks your adulthood, and it is also the day you learn how to venture into the real world," the Village Chief's words resonated in everyone's minds. "What lies before you are discarded items, chosen specifically by a cultivator of this land."
With a wave of his robed hand, 14 items quickly appeared atop a woven table. Among them, three accessories stood out: a ring, a necklace, and an earring, all salvaged from the belongings of noblewomen. There was also a bowl, a fork, a tattered black robe, and a fruit knife, all coming from different lands. The rest were just black stones of varying sizes from the mines of the neighboring Diamond Kingdom.
"Listen well," everyone's gaze locked onto the Chief. "Once you make your choice, that item is yours. No second thoughts are needed, because if you show the slightest hesitation, your path will ultimately crumble."
Silence fell over the crowd. No one dared question his words; his experience far surpassed that of any sixteen-year-old, not to mention the underage twins who were actually only fifteen and had been quiet all this time.
Everyone else was tense, solely because this was the moment they had been waiting for. And when they heard the Chief speak the words, "Now, unveil the color of your soul!" everybody rushed forward to claim their discarded core.
However, my body, which had been reaching for the ring, instinctively diverted toward the pile of black stones. Only when my fingers closed around the smallest rock did I feel truly alive.
Huff.... huff.... I breathed heavily, my face showing the joy of eternity. Because instead of gaining control over fire and space, what I held was an entirely new world.
"Now, now," hearing this remark, I quickly shifted my gaze towards the one standing at the front. "I never knew my fellow villagers could be so excited." He spoke casually, though his eyes held a sheen of delight.
Some of the youngsters who were still scrambling paused briefly before continuing to grab their pieces of trash. After all, we were within the land of spirits, where resources mattered most to achieve immortality.
Once everybody held their item, the leftover five stones flowed silently back into the Village Chief's robe. After retrieving them, he ordered, "Follow me!" as we began striding towards the mountain path.
After reaching a certain place hidden among the foliage, others couldn't help but marvel at its beauty. Many luminous plants grew near the pond, and the spiritual air felt far thicker than in ordinary lands.
This wasn't just felt by those like me who had long adapted to mana and qi; it flowed through the other youngsters as well, as they were undergoing the same ceremony.
Seeing the looks on their faces, the Village Chief nodded approvingly and began to explain, "What you see is a newly discovered spiritual pond. And the plant glowing with light is a spiritual plant known to us all." Others nodded at his words. "Now, what you shall do is take a bath...." But before the Chief could even finish, someone jumped in, drawing everyone's attention.
The one who jumped even chimed, "Whoa, it's freezing!" hugging himself as he came out of the water. This foolish action only made the Chief facepalm and shake his head, telling him to, "Toughen up." With some action in demand.
"Like I said, take a bath in pairs, without clothes." As soon as those words were uttered, eyes widened in disbelief. One commented, "But Chief, there are only two girls in this batch while there are seven of us boys. How do we divide up?"
Some nodded in agreement while others complained, "Right, Chief, how do we split the groups now?" "Yeah." "Yeah." Hearing this, the Chief simply said, "That's not my problem. You guys divide it up yourselves. I only said in pairs; I didn't say you couldn't form larger groups. Whether you go in twos or fours, it's up to you. It all works fine."
Hearing his evasive answer, some boys wore smug grins as they approached the prettiest girl in the batch, leaving the heavier girl on her own. Watching the drama unfold, I stood in a corner, contemplating whether to join a group or not, since manifesting spirits alone doesn't actually cost a drop of blood. But of course, men are foolish enough to believe that manifesting an avatar with the opposite gender brings good luck. After all, this is a world where men revolve around women, and polyandry is widely practiced—not just among adults, but even among children.
What they didn't realize was that to truly increase the chance of manifesting a powerful spirit, one would need to engage in actual dual cultivation techniques. That art, after all, was created solely for the women of this land.
Yet, something unexpected caught my eye. The twin brothers, who should have been vying for the most beautiful girl, Lily, were instead walking straight toward me.
"Why don't you team up with us, brother?" the elder one asked with a mysterious grin, as if thinking, Since no one else wants you, we'll take you.
I studied the boy who dared speak to me. He had slender black eyebrows with a gentle arch, long thick eyelashes framing turquoise blue eyes, a well-proportioned nose, and shapely lips of a subtle pink hue. His fair skin held a faint blush, topped with long black hair styled in a topknot that swayed gently in the wind.
This look always attracted trouble from everywhere, yet he seemed completely unaware of his own beauty, to the point that he even tilted his head due to my silence—an action that made him look almost cute.
Beside him was his younger twin, possessing the same beauty and eye color. However, the younger brother had white hair and grey eyebrows, making him stand out even more in the crowd. Both wore robes matching their hair, mirroring each other's appearance, yet one look was enough to tell them apart: the elder felt warm, while the younger felt colder.
These two, who look so young now, will become the massacre of monsters, I exclaimed internally, before hearing the buzzing sound of familiarity.
|| Detecting Heavenly Choices || Please choose (To Be) or (Not to Be) with the Twins of Calamity in 10 seconds ||
Before the countdown even began, I had already made up my mind. I grabbed both their hands and pulled them closer, while I whispered sharply, "Take your damn clothes off, now!" sending shivers down their spines as their robes ultimately fell down.