Preview

In the blink of an eye, this semester was already coming to an end. After several months of training and study, Huo Ling's body seemed to have inflated, and even his height had shot up considerably.

Now standing over six feet tall, Huo Ling was covered in solid muscle, powerful without looking bulky.

Classes were over, and next came a full week of rest. This time was meant for students to recover properly and adjust their condition.

With his backpack on, Huo Ling jogged toward home.

"...The time is 6:11 p.m. on June 7. Great Xia's eleventh large permanent Spirit Realm military base has officially been completed. The list of the first troops assigned to garrison it has been finalized. It is understood that the list includes..."

"Roujiamo! Roujiamo! Three yuan each!"

"..."

He ran through the bustling streets, listening to the various loudspeakers outside the roadside shops.

None of it slowed Huo Ling down. It was June, and even though it was already six in the evening, the ground had been baked by the sun all day, and the heat was still astonishing.

He crossed the road and quickly ducked into the shadow of the buildings, running all the way alongside the street.

Before long, an old residential compound came into view. On a curved metal frame hung several large, rust-stained words: "Bright Community."

Taking the stairs two at a time, Huo Ling rushed into the stairwell and opened the door to his home on the fourth floor.

His parents had not yet gotten off work. One of his younger brothers was boarding at middle school, while the other was in elementary school and had probably just been dismissed, still on his way home.

Huo Ling opened an old refrigerator that had been with the family for at least ten years.

He found some ingredients and began cooking.

His parents' factory did not provide dinner, so whenever Huo Ling came home, he had to prepare the meal and wait for them.

Children from poor families grew up early.

It was hard to call that a compliment.

Children from poor families started working early—that was the truth. If they had a choice, who would want to start working at such a young age?

After seven, his parents and third brother had all returned home. The family of four sat quietly around the table, eating dinner.

There were three simple dishes and a soup on the table.

Homestyle tofu, stir-fried pork belly with peppers, bitter melon scrambled eggs, and seaweed egg soup.

Huo Ling's cooking was fairly good. He had been helping with household chores since childhood, and when he had worked part-time at a restaurant before, he had also picked up some skills from the chefs in the kitchen.

At the table, Huo Liren finished eating first. He set down his bowl and chopsticks, then looked at Huo Ling and his younger brother.

"Ling, I bought you something. It's in your room. Take a look later and see if it fits."

"Okay."

Huo Ling quickly shoveled down two more mouthfuls, ending today's dinner battle, then returned to his room.

Huo Ling's room was extremely cramped. Aside from a bed, there was barely any space left. After putting in a desk, the remaining areas were piled with books.

There was a cardboard box on the floor. When he opened it, he found a stab-resistant vest inside.

Huo Ling opened the packaging and checked the brand. It was a well-known brand, and this stab-resistant vest cost at least ten thousand yuan.

His parents' combined monthly income was only a little over four thousand yuan. Supporting the entire family, along with his grandparents back in their hometown, was already extremely difficult.

It would probably take years to save up those ten thousand yuan.

Thinking of that, Huo Ling could not help tightening his grip on the vest.

This was a gesture of care from his parents, but according to what Huo Ling had learned about the Spirit Realm, its usefulness was extremely limited.

There were very few attacks in the Spirit Realm that could be stopped by an ordinary stab-resistant vest like this.

When Huo Ling truly needed to fight, what he should really do was find the right moment to kill himself cleanly, preventing himself from suffering unpredictable torment.

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The week passed quickly. After saying goodbye to his family, Huo Ling headed to school.

Today was the day of Awakening. The school was buzzing with voices. The regular-class students had not come to class today; everyone on campus was here to undergo Awakening.

Traffic was heavy outside the school gates as well, with many parents driving their children to school.

"Huo Ling!"

A voice called out from far away.

Huo Ling turned his head. It was his deskmate, Ren Zhengyang, and the guy was running toward him too.

Unlike Huo Ling, who carried little on him, Ren Zhengyang was fully equipped, with all sorts of miscellaneous gear hanging from his body.

"You're wearing a stab-resistant vest too!" Ren Zhengyang had sharp eyes and immediately spotted the vest under Huo Ling's coat.

"Yeah."

"Check me out. I'm even wearing stab-resistant pants!" With the enthusiasm of a teenager, Ren Zhengyang rolled up his pant leg, revealing the stab-resistant pants underneath.

Huo Ling had long grown used to this guy and did not find it strange. Ren Zhengyang's family was reasonably well-off, considered lower middle class. They owned a shop, and their daily lives were fairly comfortable.

"Here, I brought this for you."

As he spoke, Ren Zhengyang pulled out a small bag and tossed it over.

"What's this?"

Huo Ling caught the black pouch, asking as he unzipped it.

"A survival kit! Aren't I a great big brother?"

Ren Zhengyang threw an arm around Huo Ling's shoulders, and all the gear on him clinked and clattered.

Huo Ling opened the survival kit. It contained quite a few things: several sharp knives, a first-aid kit, rope, fire-starting tools, and some other miscellaneous equipment.

It was a very good survival kit!

"Not bad... You really are a great big brother!"

Huo Ling chuckled. This time, he said it sincerely.

This small survival kit did not look like much, but it would cost at least a thousand yuan to buy.

Ren Zhengyang could be a little unreliable, but he really was a good brother.

Soon afterward, the homeroom teacher gathered the students from their class and had them board a bus.

Awakening was an extremely dangerous matter. It could not simply be carried out at school; they had to go to a specialized location.

The students sat on the bus, excitedly discussing Awakening and looking forward to the wonderful lives they would have after gaining extraordinary abilities.

The homeroom teacher on the bus smiled as he watched the students. But when he thought of how at least half of the students on this bus would not return alive, his smile slowly faded.

After more than two hours of travel, the convoy of buses finally arrived at a base far from the city.

This was the Spirit Awakening Base. A battalion of the Great Xia Army was stationed here, responsible for protecting the base and the students who were about to undergo Awakening.

Stone Creek City was merely a small county town. There were five high schools in the city, and more than three thousand people had come to participate in this Awakening.

As more and more buses converged here, the place grew increasingly noisy.

The students were led into a classroom. The homeroom teacher entered carrying a crystal ball about the size of a pomegranate.

The students all stared curiously at the sphere in the teacher's hand.

"Students, this is the simulator for the Awakening Orb you'll be using next. I'll demonstrate how to use it."

At the front of the classroom, the homeroom teacher operated the Awakening Orb simulator. It was specifically for demonstrations and had no real effect.

The students watched the teacher's movements without blinking. This concerned the crucial key to their upcoming Awakening.