7: Awakening Ceremony

Ye He and Ye Xuan, the brother and sister, made a stunning entrance, instantly drawing all eyes in the venue. Even the school officials on stage were captivated by them. Principal Lu Shijie was the first to stand and applaud, and others followed suit. For a moment, thunderous applause filled the entire school grounds!

Cai Xiang, the homeroom teacher of Elementary Class 1, who was standing beside them, grinned, his face full of wrinkles, and his back straightened as if the applause was for him…

Such a scene, if it were on Earth, would probably be reversed, but here, people's reactions seemed quite normal. There was no objection to Principal Lu's action. The reason was the immense power of the Ye Family behind these two siblings. The industries they controlled almost held the economic lifeline of Fengyang County, affecting everyone.

Because the Ye Family controlled various sectors such as exotic beast acquisition, Profound Weapon crafting, auction houses, and supermarkets, these industries were all significant in the Profound Qi era. Every Xuan Practitioner could not do without them, and countless Mortals worked in the industrial chains related to these sectors. Not only did their livelihoods depend on them, but also their ability to Cultivate and grow stronger. Therefore, the Ye Family's power was beyond doubt.

It is said that the Ye Family has a strong background. Not only do they have industries in third-tier base cities like Fengyang County, but they also have corresponding industries in higher-tier base cities, and even have industrial layouts in the Northern Capital Shuntian Prefecture and the South Capital Yingtian Prefecture. In other words, this branch of the Ye Family in Fengyang County is likely just a branch, while the Ye Family in the two Imperial Dynasties, North and South, are the main branches. This is quite shocking. No one knows how deep their background truly is, so no one wants to cross such a powerful force; they are too busy trying to curry favor!

Therefore, Principal Lu Shijie's actions were perfectly fine. Ye He and Ye Xuan, the brother and sister, also felt nothing amiss. Facing the enthusiastic welcome from all the teachers and students, they accepted it as a matter of course, smiling and nodding in applause. Finally, Cai Xiang led them to seats on the stage!

The students of Class 4 were speechless at this sight. They had just been praising how amazing Qin Gui and Luo Ying were, but in the blink of an eye, they were overshadowed by Ye He and Ye Xuan. Even Qin Gui and Luo Ying themselves felt quite awkward and speechless.

Qin Gui had initially been smug, listening to his classmates' praises. Now, his handsome face was flushed red, and he couldn't help but snort, “What's so great about that? If they don't Awaken a good talent later, where will they put their faces then?”

“Exactly, it's not like big favorites haven't fallen before!”

“If they really Awaken a low-level talent, then they're finished…”

“Hahaha, don't worry yourselves. Even if they Awaken a low-level talent, the Ye Family can still Cultivate them…”

“That's true…”

As soon as Qin Gui spoke, several of his followers immediately joined in, while others quickly refuted. Luo Ying glanced at them with her beautiful eyes, then looked up at the Ye Family siblings, a thoughtful expression on her face…

Indeed, Awakening talent is ultimately an unknown variable. Although it has some relation to Family background and financial resources, that is merely an experience people have formed over a long time. In other words, if a person can lay a solid martial Dao foundation in childhood, improving their Physique, Qi and blood, strength, agility, and spirit, then the probability of Awakening a better talent is much higher than that of an ordinary person.

However, experience does not equal certainty. In past Awakening ceremonies, there have occasionally been instances where a highly anticipated individual, expected to Awaken an Advanced talent, instead manifested a low-level talent, leaving people dumbfounded.

Conversely, there have also been individuals who usually performed like utter failures, but suddenly Awakened an Advanced talent, thus rising to prominence and achieving great success overnight!

These situations are filled with both tears and laughter. For the well-informed school officials, their mindset was much calmer. Their initial enthusiasm for the Ye Family siblings was more out of awe for the Ye Family. Of course, the siblings' usual performance was also excellent, and the possibility of Awakening a good talent was high, so it also included some expectation for them. At the same time, this was also to warm up the atmosphere, giving the students a boost of encouragement before the Awakening ceremony began.

If the school's students could Awaken high talents, it would be a guarantee of good performance for the school. Not to mention, if an S-level high-talent student were to emerge, the school would immediately be transformed, receiving more rewards and resource allocations from higher authorities, which would greatly help the school's reputation and future development.

However, S-level talent students are by no means easily produced. Fengyang No. 1 High School has not produced any in so many years, but it has seen three A-level talents emerge successively. These three were subsequently recruited early by Advanced academies in higher-level base cities. Of course, Fengyang No. 1 High School also received a considerable share of benefits and solidified its position as the top middle school in Fengyang County.

In the ranking of martial Dao talents, there are ten levels, from SSS-level, SS-level, S-level, A-level, all the way down to G-level. Ordinary Mortals who don't even have G-level talent can only give up on martial Dao and participate in Mortal work after graduation, relying on the protection of the state and Xuan Practitioners for their safety. Talents below E-level are considered low-level talents and cannot go far in martial Dao. If nothing unexpected happens, these people will likely take on various positions in Mortal areas, contributing to the logistical affairs of the Empire. Only those with D-level talent and above are true martial Dao reserve talents. The school will intensify their cultivation, usually placing them in Elite Classes, followed by various resource allocations to enable them to strive for better academies.

The discussions from Class 4 were overheard by the students of Class 1, and the two sides began to argue. Even Ye He and Ye Xuan on stage heard it. The two of them dismissed it with disdain, and their contempt for Qin Gui was extreme!

The Ye Family already looked down on the Qin Family. With the Aptitude of the Ye Family siblings, they understood Qin Gui's sour grapes mentality very well. In their eyes, it was nothing more than a weakling's mindset.

The two of them were full of confidence because they already had a good idea. In fact, in a prominent Family like theirs, the elders had already tested them and evaluated their Physique. Awakening a higher talent was not an issue, and even the Awakening direction had been basically determined. If it weren't for the unified Awakening at school, the Ye Family would have helped them Awaken their talents within the Family long ago.

The main reason for the unified Awakening at school was a management and control measure by the Great Ming Imperial Dynasty over Xuan Practitioners. They wanted to register every person with martial Dao talent from a young age, ascertain their development potential and direction, and select those with excellent talent for elite cultivation, eventually bringing them into official forces. This way, they could maintain suppression over civilian martial Dao forces and ensure the stability of the Zhu Family's Imperial Dynasty.

For those who received elite cultivation but did not join official forces after graduation, the Great Ming Imperial Dynasty, although not forcing them, maintained knowledge and control over them through registration and continuous tracking. This would maximize the prevention of dangerous elements, as Xuan Practitioners have far greater destructive power than Mortals. If they were to attack Mortals, Mortals would have almost no power to resist. Therefore, this approach is, in a sense, necessary, as it can provide a certain warning and suppression to Xuan Practitioners, preventing them from acting recklessly and harming Mortals at will.

It should be known that the Great Ming Imperial Dynasty was the top among all Imperial Dynasties in terms of espionage operations. In times without Profound Qi, almost all officials were monitored by the Imperial Guards. Now, it has simply been replaced by Xuan Practitioners, and the supervisory body has become the Jianxuan Envoy Department. This Jianxuan Envoy Department is further divided into the Southern Division and the North Division, specifically responsible for managing and supervising Xuan Practitioners nationwide.

Of course, such matters are not openly discussed. Even if the school knows, they won't say it. The reason they give to the public is that these Awakening devices are incredibly expensive, and ordinary people cannot afford them. Therefore, to accommodate the vast majority of people, the state organizes unified Awakening ceremonies to alleviate their burden. Such a statement sounds good and wins public support, and ordinary people are deeply convinced by it…

The previous Zhu Deyuan knew this. Even though he was young, he came from royalty, so he had naturally heard about such matters that upheld royal interests. This also reminded Long Yuan that the Great Ming Imperial Dynasty was by no means as harmonious and unified as it appeared on the surface. Conflicts between official and civilian sectors were intensifying, and if one were to dig deeper, there would likely be countless even darker things!

When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the pond suffer. I must be extra careful and not easily expose my secrets before I have the strength to protect myself, otherwise, I will face destruction.

“Long Yuan, do you think Ye He and his sister can Awaken an Advanced talent? Will they be a big favorite that falls?” Duan Hu quietly asked from the side.

“What does that have to do with us? We'll just wait and watch the show!” Long Yuan laughed.

“Heh, you make a good point! It's quite interesting to watch these children of prominent Families squabbling among themselves. Oh, and there have been instances of failures making comebacks in the past, maybe we'll have a chance too! Haha!” Duan Hu chuckled.

“Failures making comebacks? You're thinking too much, aren't you? You'd be better off playing a few more games with that mindset…”

“Hey… can't I just think about it? What if I really Awaken an Advanced talent? I'd be able to make something of myself in this life, and my mom wouldn't nag me anymore. You don't know, my ears are almost calloused from all the nagging!”

“Alright, then you hurry up and Awaken an Advanced talent, and I'll cling to your big leg then!” Long Yuan laughed.

“No problem! If I have an Advanced talent, I'll definitely look after you from now on…” Duan Hu immediately perked up, patting his chest and saying loudly.

“Tch!!! Duan Hu is dreaming again…” A chorus of boos immediately erupted around them. The classmates all scoffed at Duan Hu, truly speechless that he was still dreaming of success despite his current state…

At this moment, the female Vice Principal Yun Feiyan on stage stood up and announced loudly, “All students have arrived. This Awakening ceremony officially begins!”

“Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!”…

Nine consecutive cannon shots set a lively atmosphere for the Awakening ceremony. The large red curtain behind the stage slowly opened, and the enormous Awakening space revealed its captivating brilliance amidst the cheers of the crowd, shimmering with dazzling light under the morning sun.

………