Spirit Awakening

Jia Youcai only felt a burst of white light explode before his eyes, so dazzling that he instinctively shut them.

When he opened his eyes again, he was already sitting on a patch of grass as soft as a blanket.

He took a light sniff, and the sweet fragrance of green grass and wildflowers intertwined beneath his nose, soothing his heart. Looking up, he saw rolling hills in the distance.

"Wow—!" A childish voice slipped from his mouth, startling Jia Youcai so badly that he quickly covered it.

He lowered his head in a panic, only to see a pair of plump, lotus-root-like little arms. His round little palms bore several shallow dimples, and his fingers were as short as tiny sausages. His once loose, sagging beer belly had somehow become a round little tummy.

"Th-this is me?" Jia Youcai staggered as he tried to stand, but his legs were too short and he was not used to them yet. He flailed twice on the grass before falling back onto his butt with a thud.

"Oh, not bad." Jia Youcai stared at his new body and muttered.

Just then, countless floating windows suddenly burst into view before his eyes.

On the left was a three-dimensional anatomical diagram of a human body, labeled with terms such as "Nano-Skeleton Growth Layer," "Intelligent Metabolic System," and "Child Brain Development Module."

On the right, dense streams of data scrolled past. Parameters such as height, weight, and bone density refreshed frantically ten times per second.

In the prompt box at the very center, a line stood out clearly: Six-year-old prototype generated.

"Hey, kid, come here, hurry!"

Jia Youcai turned toward the voice and saw an elderly man with a full head of white hair but a vigorous bearing standing beneath a lush tree not far away. The old man held a wooden staff and beckoned to him with a smile.

"Do you need something?" Jia Youcai shouted instinctively.

"This year's awakening ceremony has begun. Hurry over!" the old man called urgently.

"Spirit Awakening? Are we drawing cards already?" Jia Youcai muttered to himself, but he still hurried after him.

After all, this was the game's main storyline. Along the way, he looked at the scenery around him. Though he knew it was a Virtual World, it felt exceptionally real.

There were ten children in Novice Village undergoing Spirit Awakening. By the time Jia Youcai arrived, quite a few family members had already gathered nearby, some whispering among themselves while others waited eagerly.

The person in charge of the Spirit Awakening had been specially dispatched by the Heaven Dou Empire.

"Hello, esteemed Lord Soul Master. We'll have to trouble you this time." The village chief respectfully bowed to the young man.

The young man nodded politely and said with a smile, "Let's begin quickly."

The village chief cleared his throat and announced loudly, "All right. Children, this is a Lord Soul Master from Novice City. Next, he will guide you in awakening your own Spirits. You must cooperate with the master during your Spirit Awakening. I hope some of you will be able to become Soul Masters."

The young man added gently, "Whether or not you possess Soul Power, you are all part of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Empire's future."

Jia Youcai stood in the middle of the line, listening to the children chattering around him. Some were so excited that their faces had turned red, while others nervously clutched the corners of their clothes.

Soon, it was the child in front of him. The child walked tremblingly up to the young Soul Master, who smiled and gestured for him to stand in the center of the formation.

"Close your eyes and carefully feel the flow of Soul Power within your body," the young man said gently to the child.

The next moment, a soft glow lit up within the formation and enveloped the child.

Strange patterns flickered faintly within the light. The children all widened their eyes and stared fixedly at the changes in the formation, afraid of missing even the smallest detail.

Before long, the glow faded, and a tiny Medicinal Herb Spirit appeared in the child's hand. The young Soul Master frowned slightly and placed a hand on the child's wrist. After a moment, he shook his head and said regretfully, "No Soul Power. What a pity."

A trace of disappointment flashed through the child's eyes as he lowered his head and returned to his family.

Among the next few children, some awakened Artifact Spirits while others awakened Beast Spirits, but most of them possessed no Soul Power.

Among those children, Jia Youcai saw a little girl with golden hair step forward with light footsteps.

"Come, close your eyes and feel the flow of Soul Power within your body," the young Soul Master's voice sounded beside her.

The little girl obediently closed her eyes, but not long after, a sharp pain struck her head, as though something were about to burst out from within. The pain made her little face scrunch up tightly.

She could not help letting out an "Ah!", and her body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Everyone around them was startled by the sudden change, their faces filling with fear.

The young Soul Master furrowed his brow and hurried forward to inspect her. The light in the formation flickered between bright and dim, accompanied by a strange buzzing sound.

Suddenly, the light flared brilliantly, so dazzling that no one could keep their eyes open. When it weakened slightly, everyone finally saw that the little girl's hands were enveloped in a layer of white radiance, like holy wings.

"Th-this... what kind of Spirit is that?" The young Soul Master looked utterly stunned. It was the first time he had ever seen such a peculiar Spirit. He reached for the little girl's wrist again, but the instant he touched her, a powerful force sent him flying back, nearly knocking him to the ground.

"What a powerful Soul Power fluctuation!" Once the young Soul Master steadied himself, his eyes were filled with shock, as if he had witnessed the most unbelievable thing in the world. "This child's Innate Soul Power is probably higher than level ten!"

The entire crowd was stunned. The children stared wide-eyed in disbelief, as though they had heard an absurd fantasy, while the family members cast looks of envy and jealousy her way.

"Little girl, your Spirit is far from ordinary." The young man smiled. "It is an extremely rare Light Spirit. But although this Spirit is powerful, completely mastering it will not be easy."

Jia Youcai stood on tiptoe and looked at the little girl before him. She should be Qian Renxue. But what surprised him was that she could conceal her Spirit at such a young age. Pretty impressive.

Afterward, the young man spoke with the little girl for a few more moments before she turned and left.

At last, it was Jia Youcai's turn. He waddled into the center of the formation on his short little legs.

For others, this was Spirit Awakening. For Jia Youcai, it was drawing cards.

As a player, he could switch between any Spirits he wanted. However, he could only use one Spirit at a time, and there was a certain cooldown period. All of this was based on the game's current settings. In addition, newcomers received one free draw.

In Jia Youcai's mental world, the card-drawing process began. Spirits currently came in three grades: R, SR, and SSR.

For the first draw, there was no need to expect much. It was guaranteed to be an R.

Sure enough, Jia Youcai drew the Kitchen Knife Spirit, with level-one Innate Soul Power.

Jia Youcai was somewhat baffled. "A Kitchen Knife? Shouldn't it have been Blue Silver Grass?"