Dual Innate Sparks (Please Vote)

The underground core space was enormous; even with nearly a thousand youths and an even greater number of guards, it did not feel crowded.

All the youths raised their heads in unspoken unison and looked into the air.

Within the floating fireball, dozens of meters in diameter, the faint outline of a Seed Destroyer could be seen.

This was Frostfire City's stabilizing pillar, the Frostfire Seed Destroyer.

Nearly all the resources Frostfire City obtained were used to nurture this single Frostfire Seed Destroyer.

"Seedships... I'll have one too soon enough."

Li Mu murmured excitedly to himself.

Once the last youth had arrived at the underground core, a figure emerged from the Frostfire Seedship and hovered in midair.

Throughout Frostfire City, no one failed to recognize him.

He was Bo Yi, the City Lord of Frostfire City and the Captain of the Frostfire Seed Destroyer.

Standing high above them, Bo Yi looked at Frostfire City's future with anticipation.

How many talents qualified to become Frostfire's crew members would emerge this year?

"Today is the annual Awakening Ceremony..."

Bo Yi declared in a booming voice, "Every year at this time, I am delighted to witness Frostfire City's future being born here. I can already see all of you embarking upon the path of spark transcendence and bringing endless glory to Frostfire City..."

His impassioned speech lasted from morning until noon. I surrender.

After checking the time, Bo Yi finally stopped his lengthy speech, though he still seemed reluctant to do so.

With a thought, he connected to Frostfire's Shipboard Spark.

Then, through the Shipboard Spark, he connected to the Life Flame, the source of all sparks throughout the Spark World.

The instant the connection succeeded, the power of the Life Flame descended from the void and enveloped every youth.

Li Mu watched the flames surrounding him. They were warm, yet without the slightest temperature. The Life Flame continuously poured into his body. He focused and used the Spark Meditation Technique to absorb this purest Spark Energy, which automatically gathered in his soul and accumulated without end.

Only those who had given birth knew the pain of childbirth, but giving birth to an Origin HuoZhong was safe, painless, and even rather pleasant. (^_^;)

Just as his Origin HuoZhong was about to be born, the Seedship deep within Li Mu's soul suddenly underwent a drastic change.

The speed at which he absorbed the Life Flame suddenly increased countless times!

All the additional Life Flame was completely absorbed by the Seedship.

When the Origin HuoZhong in his soul was born, a second Origin HuoZhong bound to his soul unexpectedly emerged within the Seedship. The Seedship that had lain dormant in his soul for years, as though lifeless, also began to revive at that moment.

However, Li Mu had no time to carefully examine the changes in the Seedship.

All his attention was focused on the newborn Origin HuoZhong.

The Origin HuoZhong was a type of spark unique to humanity.

There were countless types of sparks in the Spark World. Sparks could grant life to all things. Most intelligent races were already fortunate to master several kinds of sparks, but humans alone could wield nearly every spark currently known. What humanity relied on was the Origin HuoZhong's dominion over other sparks.

The strength of an Origin HuoZhong determined both the number and strength of the sparks it could command.

Origin HuoZhong were divided into four grades—Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow—and the difference in strength between each grade doubled.

A Heaven Grade Origin HuoZhong began at eight times the strength of a Yellow Grade spark after awakening.

Origin HuoZhong could also grow. After each growth, the gap between Heaven Grade and Yellow Grade would increase from eightfold to sixteenfold. The farther one progressed, the greater the disparity became, so Yellow Grade Origin HuoZhong possessed almost no significant growth potential. ┓(-`)┏

At the very least, one needed a Profound Grade Origin HuoZhong to become a combat professional. An Earth Grade Innate Spark was already considered a noteworthy talent.

As for Heaven Grade Innate Sparks, Frostfire City had only one—the City Lord, Bo Yi.

Based on the brightness of his Origin HuoZhong, Li Mu determined that his was Earth Grade.

That was already quite good. Frostfire City only produced a few Earth Grade ones each year.

It was just a pity it was not Heaven Grade.

As Li Mu was thinking this, his Innate Spark suddenly shone much more brightly, just like the Heaven Grade sparks described in the books.

Yet its strength had not increased, leaving him filled with doubt. [_?]

On second thought, forget a Heaven Grade Origin HuoZhong—even an Earth Grade Origin HuoZhong would certainly be recruited by the City Lord's Mansion. If he did not possess the Seedship, it would be one thing, but if he used it under Bo Yi's nose, who knew how dangerous that might be.

At that moment, the light of his Innate Spark suddenly dimmed.

It was no longer Earth Grade. At most, this luster was that of a Profound Grade Innate Spark.

Li Mu finally realized that his Innate Spark could Camouflage its grade according to his thoughts. Its true grade was Earth Grade, but it could easily disguise itself as another grade. If he was not mistaken, this was a Seed Talent possessed only by a rare few Innate Sparks.

With a thought, the dormant Innate Spark activated.

[Li Mu: Human]

[Mental: 3.1]

[Physique: 3.5]

[Transcendence Level: LV1 (0/100)]

[Notice: Normal humans have Mental and Physique attributes of around one point. Normal HuoZhong Awakeners have both attributes at around two points. Each increase in Transcendence Level grants one Free Attribute Point. Self-training and External Enhancement can provide additional attribute increases.]

[First Origin HuoZhong: Earth Grade]

[Seed Talent: Camouflage—can freely disguise one's own spark fluctuations]

[Second Origin HuoZhong: Heaven Grade]

[Seed Talent: Not Awakened]

[Acquired HuoZhong: None]

"Sure enough, it's a Seed Talent..."

Li Mu was both shocked and delighted.

He was delighted because, with this Seed Talent, he would no longer need to worry about standing out too much.

He was shocked because the Seedship had given him a second Origin HuoZhong.

Dual Origin HuoZhong... he had never even heard of such a thing.

One after another, the youths around him awakened their Innate Sparks.

Some were dejected, while others were ecstatic. In that brief moment, their futures diverged onto different paths.

Once the Life Flame around the final youth disappeared, the City Lord's Mansion guards, who had been waiting nearby for a long time, immediately brought out an oil lamp covered in grime and bloodstains. They began registering the youths who had completed the Awakening Ceremony, having each of them hold the lamp.

"Is that used to test the grade of an Innate Spark?"

Li Mu thoughtfully observed the City Lord's Mansion guards and the mysterious oil lamp.

The instant each youth held the lamp, its flame would change. When the dejected youths held it, the flame became smaller. When those beaming with joy and confidence held it, the flame burned brightly.

Based on the varying intensity of the flames, there appeared to be three grades.

Clearly, not a single Heaven Grade Innate Spark had appeared among everyone tested so far.

Before long, a City Lord's Mansion guard arrived in front of Li Mu.

"Hold it carefully!"

the guard instructed.

The moment Li Mu took hold of the oil lamp, he immediately sensed a suffocating killing intent emanating from within it. Almost instinctively, the Innate Spark within him struck back on its own. Yet before the two could clash, the suffocating killing intent vanished in an instant, turning into a heartwarming warmth.

The flame was not large, only equivalent to that of a Profound Grade Innate Spark.

He had no intention of joining the City Lord's Mansion, so concealing himself at this level was perfect.

The City Lord's Mansion guard quickly finished recording his information, took back the oil lamp, and walked toward the next youth awaiting the test.

According to Li Mu's observations, among the nearly thousand youths of this generation, more than sixty percent possessed Yellow Grade Innate Sparks. Of the remaining nearly forty percent, most were Profound Grade. Only six had truly reached Earth Grade, while not a single one was Heaven Grade.