35: Chapter 35 Old Jack's Back Can't Bend Anymore (Third Update)
It turned out that the speculations that had haunted him day and night were all true.
He really was the son of that traitor reviled by the entire World, truly the "bastard born from a human and a Spirit Beast" that people spoke of!
A massive panic instantly enveloped him. He subconsciously clenched his left hand, forcefully suppressing the other Spirit—which was on the verge of manifesting with an incomparably tyrannical pressure—back into his body, not daring to leak even a shred of its aura.
He dared not let anyone know that he also possessed a second Spirit.
Once this secret was exposed, everyone would recognize his identity. By then, not only would he be hunted by everyone, but even Grandpa Jack, who had always protected him, would be implicated.
His past life's experience told him that in his situation, he would definitely implicate the village. A charge of harboring a fugitive was inevitable, and harboring a heretic like him would surely leave nothing alive within a hundred miles.
Even eggs would be shaken until the yolks broke, earthworms would be dug up and sliced vertically, and anthills would be flooded with buckets of boiling water.
Steward Wang looked at his pale little face, assuming he was just too excited, and patted his shoulder with a smile, saying gently, "Child, don't be nervous. You don't need to think of Blue Silver Grass as a trash Spirit. Since a hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor Spirit Beast has appeared, it is no strange matter for Blue Silver Grass to produce Innate Full Spirit Power. It means your Blue Silver Grass has mutated. Even if it doesn't reach the standard of that Blue Silver Emperor, it is not far off. Your future achievements will be limitless. Go wait on the side for now."
Tang San managed a strained smile, nodded, put away the Blue Silver Grass in his palm, and walked to the side.
The six children, who had originally been dejected, were instantly stunned when they saw him enter. They stared at him with wide eyes, unable to help but whisper in surprise, "Innate Full Spirit Power? Tang San, you actually have Innate Full Spirit Power? You are so awesome!"
Tang San did not say much. After forcing a smile, he just silently found a corner to sit down, his heart still feeling heavy.
"The last one, Lin Yue." Steward Wang's voice sounded again.
Lin Yue took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement in her heart, and strode into the center of the magic circle in the inner room.
"Once you stand still, you can close your eyes. Don't be nervous. Follow my guidance and feel the power within your body." Steward Wang said to her with a smile. Having just seen one Innate Full Spirit Power, he now had a few more expectations for this last little girl to enter.
Lin Yue stood still as instructed. The golden light of the magic circle lit up again. She closed her eyes and extended her right hand.
【System Prompt: Spirit Awakening in progress... One Leaf Autumn Battle Mage template officially activated. Exclusive Spirit que xie battle spear is manifesting!】
The moment the cold System prompt finished, an extreme black light erupted from her palm, and a phantom of a battle spear, entirely jet-black with dark red markings, slowly emerged.
The shaft was long and sharp, and the tip glimmered with a piercing cold light. As soon as it appeared, it carried an indomitable, fiercely unparalleled battle aura, causing the golden light throughout the magic circle to sway slightly under the impact of this tyrannical battle energy.
"A Tool Spirit! A battle spear!" Steward Wang's eyes instantly widened, and he exclaimed involuntarily, "Such a strong aura! This must be a top-tier attack system Tool Spirit!"
Before his voice had even faded, the System prompts were already flooding Lin Yue's mind.
【System Prompt: Spirit Que Xie successfully awakened! One Leaf Autumn Battle Mage template officially activated!】
【System Prompt: Unlocked Battle Mage exclusive passive—Battle Spirit Will!】
【System Prompt: Unlocked Battle Mage basic skills—Sky Strike, Dragon Tooth, Double Stab!】
【System Prompt: Detected Host's Innate Soul Power Rank—Rank 10! Innate Full Spirit Power! Template compatibility 100%!】
Lin Yue opened her eyes abruptly. Looking at the que xie battle spear in her palm, which was exactly as she had imagined, her heart raced, and her face was filled with uncontrollable joy.
"Quick, child, test your Soul Power!" Steward Wang's voice was already trembling with excitement, and he hurriedly handed over the Soul Power crystal ball.
For one village to produce one Innate Full Spirit Power was already a rare occurrence in a century or millennium. Could it be that another one would appear today?
Lin Yue extended her small hand and placed it steadily on the crystal ball.
The exact same scene as before appeared again. Dazzling blue light instantly filled the entire crystal ball, and the light at the tenth mark shone shockingly bright—it was another genuine Innate Full Spirit Power!
"Another one! Another Innate Full Spirit Power!" Steward Wang jumped up, his face full of wild joy. "My god! A remote little village has actually produced two geniuses with Innate Full Spirit Power in a row! And it's a top-tier attack system battle spear Spirit! Unprecedented! This is absolutely unprecedented!"
"Hahahaha!" Lin Yue laughed, put away the que xie battle spear, and turned to walk to the outer waiting area. Tang San and the other six children looked at her, their eyes wide open, their faces full of disbelief.
Thus, all seven children had completed their Spirit Awakening.
Steward Wang organized the Awakening records and the Soul Power crystal ball, pushed open the door of the Awakening room, and said loudly to Old Jack and the villagers waiting outside, "The children's Spirit Awakening has been completely finished!"
The area outside the door instantly went quiet. Everyone's gaze converged on him. Old Jack hurriedly stepped forward, nervously gripping his cane, his voice trembling. "Steward, how is it? The children... are any of the children able to become Spirit Masters?"
Steward Wang smiled and first looked at the six dejected children beside him, saying gently, "These six Young Masters awakened Spirits such as sickles, hoes, and ordinary Blue Silver Grass, respectively. No Soul Power was detected, so they cannot become Spirit Masters."
As soon as these words were spoken, the expectation on Old Jack's face faded by more than half, and he sighed heavily. The surrounding villagers also revealed expressions of disappointment.
Saint Spirit Village had not produced a Spirit Master for many years. Could it be that this year would also be in vain?
But at this moment, Steward Wang changed the subject, his voice rising sharply with unconcealable joy. "However, in this Spirit Awakening, Saint Spirit Village has produced two geniuses rarely seen in a century!"
He stepped aside to reveal Tang San and Lin Yue behind him and declared loudly, "Tang San, awakened a benignly mutated Blue Silver Grass Spirit, Innate Full Spirit Power, Rank 10! Lin Yue, awakened a top-tier attack system battle spear Spirit, Innate Full Spirit Power, Rank 10!"
"Innate Full Spirit Power?! And two of them?!" Old Jack's voice instantly rose. He was trembling all over with excitement, and the cane in his hand fell to the ground with a clang. Tears instantly welled up, and he kept muttering, "Great! Great! Our Saint Spirit Village has produced Spirit Masters! And two geniuses with Innate Full Spirit Power!"
"Hahahaha, our Saint Spirit Village has finally hit the jackpot!"
This almost caused Old Jack to go temporarily insane like Fan Jin after passing the imperial examination, unable to catch his breath.
The surrounding villagers also instantly exploded into an uproar. One by one, they crowded around, looking at Tang San and Lin Yue with eyes full of envy and admiration. The entire entrance to the village office instantly became as lively as a festival.
They had lived their whole lives, never mind seeing it; they had not even heard of a remote little village that could produce two geniuses with Innate Full Spirit Power at once! Just producing one ordinary Spirit Master would be enough to burn incense and thank the heavens.
Steward Wang smiled and waited for everyone to calm down a little before speaking again. His gaze fell on Tang San and Lin Yue, his tone filled with absolute sincerity. "Tang San, Lin Yue, you are both rare seedlings seen once in a century. I, on behalf of Spirit Hall, formally extend an invitation to you. Are you willing to join Spirit Hall and go to the core Spirit Master Academy in Spirit City to study? We will provide you with the top-tier cultivation resources in the entire World, the top Titled Douluo mentors, and the most perfect training System, ensuring you can grow without any obstacles."
He paused and added, "Of course, even if you are temporarily unwilling to join Spirit Hall, it does not matter. Spirit Hall will not force you. According to the new rules of Spirit Hall, anyone who tests for Innate Full Spirit Power, regardless of whether they join Spirit Hall, can receive a cultivation subsidy in gold coins—one gold coin per Rank—to be used for early cultivation expenses."
Ten gold coins! As soon as these words were spoken, the villagers present all gasped.
One gold coin was equal to one hundred silver coins and ten thousand bronze coins, enough for an ordinary family to live comfortably for a whole year. Ten gold coins was simply a huge sum of money that one would not even dare to imagine!
Old Jack immediately came back to his senses and hurriedly pulled Tang San's arm, signaling him to agree quickly.
Being able to go to the core academy in Spirit City to study was an opportunity that countless Spirit Masters across the entire World would break their heads trying to get!
But Tang San lowered his head, clenched his fists, and shook his head gently. "Steward, thank you for your invitation. I do not want to go to Spirit City for now. I want to go to the Elementary Spirit Master Academy in Nuoding City first to build a solid foundation."
He dared not go to Spirit Hall.
Once he stepped into Spirit City, the secret of his background could be exposed at any time. By then, he would not even be able to keep the little bit of stability he had now.
Steward Wang was stunned for a moment, but he did not force it. He just nodded. "It is okay, everyone has their own ambitions. If you change your mind in the future, you can take Spirit Hall's certificate at any time and apply to join at any branch of Spirit Hall. The doors of Spirit Hall will always be open for you."
After finishing, he looked at Lin Yue again. "Lin Yue, what about you? Are you willing to join Spirit Hall?"
Lin Yue weighed the re-manifested que xie battle spear in her hand, tilted her head to think, and also shook her head. "I am not going either. I just got my battle spear, and I want to practice and solidify my foundation myself first. I will talk about the future when I am stronger."
She had no concept of Spirit Hall, and she did not want to be bound by the rules of an academy. She only wanted to take her que xie battle spear, train her Battle Mage skills to the limit, travel freely across the entire World, and see just how big this World really was.
"Sigh~ Alright then." Although Steward Wang was a bit regretful, he did not say much more. He took out twenty gold coins on the spot, divided them into two portions, and handed them to Tang San and Lin Yue respectively. He also issued them the exclusive Spirit Hall Soul Power certificates and said with a smile, "That is fine, too. No matter which path you take in the future, I wish you a bright future and hope you become Spirit Masters who shake the entire World, shining and contributing to this World."
"Cultivate hard, future powerhouses."
The two children took the gold coins and thanked Steward Wang earnestly.
The onlookers crowded around the two children, chatting and laughing as they walked back to the village, telling everyone they met that Saint Spirit Village had produced two geniuses with Innate Full Spirit Power.
Old Jack walked at the very front, his back straight as an arrow, and the smile on his face never faded. It seemed as if he could see the village being renamed to Titled Douluo Village in the future.
It should be called Double Titled Douluo Village.
His life had no regrets.
After bending his back for a lifetime, he might never be able to bend it again.
Tang San clutched the heavy gold coins in his hand, but his heart remained heavy.
The truth of his background pressed on his heart like a huge boulder. He looked at the rolling green mountains in the distance, his eyes full of confusion, not knowing where his future should lead.
And Lin Yue, walking beside him, was excitedly waving the que xie battle spear in her hand, feeling the Soul Power flowing within her body and the clear Battle Mage skill tree in her mind, her eyes full of radiance.
Who should she find to practice with?
...