A Day to Decide the Future

"Here again huh, atleast I have my body like last time too. " Looking around a soft feminine voice echoed in the ink blotted canvas of surrounding darkness, raising a slender glowing right hand to her eye for scrutinization.

"I figured I was moving after the first few trips here but I can actually feel the movement this time " Looking around intrigued for any new discovery yet there really wasn't anything else in this void, after quite some time as the only apparent living thing in this enviroment of weightlessness she swerved around and flipped in boredom unable to distinguish anything new.

"Welp I should be waking up around now, I wonder if Grandpa Jack managed to mess up breakfast alrea..."

Laying in the starfish position in a messy bed a young girl with dark brown hair opened her hazel eyes wearily, sitting up and dusting the few strands of hair to the side she noticed the light filtering into the room through the worn down curtains. Jumping out of bed wearing shorts and a large shirt hanging just above her knees she flitted out of the bedroom and surrounding hut towards an adjacent cabin.

While crossing the distance she used her arm to obscure the light from her eyes, with how bright it was she just chalked it up to still being the first few hours after day break. Eyes draped by her sleeve she skipped towards her first meal of the day.

Knocking on the slightly ajar door in a practiced manner before darting inside, she saw an old man working over a small stove.

Blowing into the flames occasionally and tossing in some pre cut wood to keep the fire alive, he spun the ladel in his hand a few times before noticing her presence.

"Xīng'er! Finally up at the proper time I see " His expression was one of mock surprise while his hands never stopped fiddling with the food.

Rolling her eyes Xīng sat at the table built for the two on the opposite side of the room. "I'm only up this early since you said today was important" She exentuated with physical fingered air quotes. "And to make sure you didn't ruin breakfast but I guess it's too late... " She had a regretful expression while reaching towards the stove a few meters away with a trembling hand.

Feeling her annoyed gaze piercing his back he jumped at the first topic "But of course! Today you and the other children will be awakening your Martial Spirits, it's very important that you all attend" He retorted with utmost seriousness

" The prestige of our Holy Spirit village will extend to this generation, I can feel it in my old bones" Smiling ear to ear he started scooping his concoction into two separate bowls.

Waddling over to the table Xīng frowned at his slowness 'I guess he is getting on in age, even if he acts more like some twenty something ' her eyes focused on his crooked movements.

Placing the food on the table he sat down smiling ear to ear "Eat up, you'll need the energy! " He proceeded to gobble up everything after the last sentiment.

More so curious about this so called ' awakening' Xīng played with her lumpy porridge while nibbling on hard bread until he started giving her The Stare and she quickly stuffed down the food with a few coughs and gags here and there.

"What time do we have to be there? " Wanting to get it over with sooner rather than later she asked with a little more up beat energy than she usually does.

"Oho is someone excited to become a Spirit Master??" He said with a little nostalgia on his face while standing up.

"Not at all, the way you talk about them has a weird devotion to it, yet I haven't seen a single one helping you or the village to this day " She hurrumphed. Though internally she was a little excited, it was this worlds starting point for cultivation after all.

"Aye aye, don't talk about esteemed Spirit Masters in such a way, we simply haven't managed to produce someone with spirit power in the last few generations " He seemed to have deflated a bit but continued answering her patiently while washing the utensils.

"If it weren't for the Spirit Masters putting their lives on the line across the continent our village and peaceful lives wouldn't be able to last a day under the seige of the Spirit Beasts" He praised with awe

This seemed to perk Zhī Xīng right up. "Spirit Beasts?... Grandpa I've heard that term before but no ones ever spoken in detail of them, what are they?" With stars in her eyes and her inquisitive nature oozing out as she swung herself back and forth on the small stool Jack could only loosen his collar a little under the pressure of disappointing her.

"I... don't exactly know that much. Their creatures with unfathomable strength that only Spirit Masters can face, most folk know that much, their also what help those Spirit Masters advance in their cultivation" He nodded to himself for being able to remember what little he could from the passing spirit master's conducting the ceremonies over the years.

This information only seemed to interest Xīng more as she started bombarding him with all sorts of questions, like the diffrent types of spirit beasts, what made them so strong, how big they were or how they could help a human cultivate etc...

"Xīng'er I honestly don't know much, this old man hasn't ventured that far from the village, only to the nearby city and neighboring towns on business" He conceded hastily.

"If you wish to know more you'll have to ask Grandmaster Su Yutao from the Spirit Hall about these things, who knows you might end up leaving with him if you have enough talent to be recruited directly" Naturally he encouraged her to direct her rapid fire inquiries towards someone else.

"So when are we going Grandpa Jack?" She bawked eagerly.

"Right now of course, but first we have to stop by Tang Hao's Smithy, that boy of his should be waiting for me. " He quipped after setting aside the scrub and utensils and drying his hands.

The two thus set out, crossing the small distance to the aforementioned Smithy. Jack waved periodically at the families making their way to the Spirit Hall branch to drop their children of age off. Though imperceptible to the folk passing by and waving at them from afar, Zhī Xīng was unnoticeable as she hid from view behind Jack. Not at all interested in catching the attention of the other young girls being escorted, she noticed that with each passing family, Grandpa Jack's face would tense and frown as his grip grew ever slightly tighter around her hand especially after seeing some of these parents holding the hands of their children. Only after they were out of view and his body shook a few times in assumed anger he regained his usual pleasing smile.

'Maybe he's mad on my behalf because they all have caring parents?' She pondered to herself quietly. Leveling her gaze with his hunched shoulders her usually still lips arched up in a smile for a bit before regaining their ridgity.

Eventually reaching their destination, Grandpa Jack didn't seem keen on entering the Smithy at all " Little San! Grandpa has come to get you!" He harped loudly.

After only a minute or so, a youth exited the Smithy's flap entrance. He was rather short in comparison to Zhī Xīng, black hair and matching colored eyes. He was rather gaunt, a sign of malnutrition, though it seemed to be fading away with some muscle starting to develop. Even with the state of the home being rather shabby it didn't seem to dirty his outfit in the slightest.

Nodding at Grandpa Jack and making brief eye contact with Xīng he remained silent during their walk towards the center of the village where the Spirit Hall stood.

Although it was called Spirit Hall it was nothing more than a large log cabin, a subsidiary branch building refurbished and used every year for the annual Spirit Awakening. Naturally buildings such as this could be found just about anywhere on the continent.

Xīng's impression of Tang San was nothing like that of the the other village children, she was smart enough in this life to understand that, in any society, those with even a hint of superiority would look down on those less fortunate to stroke and soothe their own ego's, things wouldn't be any different in another world. And while playful in nature around Grandpa Jack and aquantinces, Zhī Xīng's own way of dealing with it wasn't too diffrent from Tang San's. Bullied quite often, having no relatives in the village, the other children, mostly the girls would make fun of her for not even knowing who her parents were and how they cast her away, children could be quite cruel when their morals were left to develop on their own.

Avoiding the kids her age she spent most of her time with Grandpa Jack helping around the village, playing in the river or napping so she could remain in that eerily dark yet comfortable place of those strange dreams by herself.

Surrounding the entrance to the Spirit Hall were several children from various families that had just turned six as well as another taller youth who looked to be in his twenties. He possessed well kept eyebrows resting above bright starry eyes, his facial features were charming and handsome. He was dressed in pristine white robes with a black cloak covering his collar bone and mid-back, in the center of his chest just above the heart was the palm sized plate with the 'spirit' character, all rather common attire for Spirit Hall staff.

On the left side of his chest was a carved badge with an image of three crossed long swords; this quantity of blades denoted his status as a Spirit Master of the third degree while the blades themselves pointed to him being a battle oriented Spirit Master, Grandpa Jack had taught her of the titles ranging from Rank 10 Spirit Scholar to Rank 80 Spirit Sage after which the village name was coined as well as the varying roles among the occupation.

"Greetings great Spirit Grandmaster!" Grandpa Jack bowed with a strictness only those at the lower end of the social ladder could achieve with practice in solitude. " We'll have to inconvenience you with many youths again this year" He beamed with his teeth exposed.

The young Spirit Hall attendant's face betrayed a hint of indifferent arrogance. Before lightly bowing back to return the greeting. "My time is limited, we'll begin now " He stated impatiently

" Well alright. Kids this is an esteemed Spirit Grandmaster, he'll be guiding you all to your spirits, so conduct yourselves appropriately and don't cause any trouble, Grandpa is looking forward to those of you who have the talent to become Spirit Masters" He said gathering them around to soothe their anxiety

The Spirit Hall attendant somewhat frustrated, barked out:

" Alright already! You said the same thing last year, it's not so easy to step on the path of Spirit Master, I've passed through several villages on the way here and not a single youth showed even a slight sign of spirit power. Their Spirit Essence's were also nothing but trash"

Grandpa Jack's expression became gloomy at realities reminder. "Yes yes, among us ordinary folk, the aptitude for spirit master cultivation is indeed exceedingly rare" Shaking his head slightly he bid the children farewell and retreated home, likely to prepare some treats for the kids if Xīng knew him at all.

Soon the Spirit Master's gaze fell on the remaining nine children. As an inspecting attendant, helping ordinary people undergo spirit awakening was his yearly assignment in this province, he was long used to the task at hand.

"Alright children line up" He ordered in all but seriousness as he entered the building

The children quickly followed after him and  stood next to one another infront of the young Spirit Grandmaster, out of all the children Tang San stood out most on the left for his thin frame and short stature. While Zhi Xing right next to him looked all the more healthy like the other kids, though if you asked any of the boys they'd say she was the prettiest among the girls present.

"Good morning children, I am Su Yuntao, I will be your guide today. I am a 26th Ranked Spirit Grandmaster, I will very shortly have you all undergo individual Spirit Awakening, but I'd like you all to remember not to be afraid" He said smiling, he was rather polite and warm towards them.

As he spoke he was unfolding a small bundled bag, retrieving some strange pitch-black round stones and a bright blue crystal orb from the pouch. Su Yuntao proceeded to place the stones on the ground in the shape of a hexagon and the orb on an prearranged dias before beckoning the first child.

Upon entering the hexagon, Sun Yuntao wispily uttered while his eyes flashed in a grey color.

"Don't be afraid, close your eyes and feel for it carefully"

And under the horrified gazes of the children and astonished looks from both Tang San and Zhi Xing he shouted:

"Lone Wolf Body Enhancment!" A wisp of Blue-Green energy soon extended from between his brows and flew along his skin down the center of his scalp.

Originally black, as the supernatural colored energy reached the first few follicles, his hair changed to grey in a flash. Not only that, his tidy hair quickly began growing wildly while fur of the same color began to sprout across his exposed skin as his body also began to expand greatly within his tight robes one would notice his muscles swelling at an incredible rate.

Although ordinary in appearance, the Spirit Hall garb miraculously possessed incredible elasticity, avoiding bursting at the seams as they were quickly filled out from his body's growth. Razor sharp claws popped out from all his fingers glittering with a deadly shine, while his eyes now glowed a subdued green. Two dazzling halos shone and rose from his feet one white while the other was a bright yellow both rhythmically circling his figure.

As for the boy he had called earlier standing in the hexagon, he squealed like a wounded pig. " Ahhhhhhh~~~ " he shouted while backing away in fear "Huff~ huff~' His breathing along with a few others were hitched and rapid as they stared wide eyed at the monster before them.

The green glow in Sun Yutao's eyes followed his squint as he reached out and grabbed the boy, pulling him back into the hexagon.

"I told you not to be afraid, now don't move an inch. This is my spirit, Lone Wolf, if any of you are capable of becoming beast spirit master's you will later employ such abilities yourselves." He said confidently with a hand on the boy's shoulder to keep him still.

Scanning the remaining kids Sun Yutao was surprised at the intrigued expression one of the boys had, instead of the horror the other children around him couldn't hide so well, he was shocked at first but his expression was soon replaced by one of intense internal thought over something. While the young girl next to him was producing a nasty feeling in the Spirit master's heart from the excited face and smile she wore while looking at him, he felt like some type of dog who did a cool trick, while she was expectantly waiting to see more.

'Huh, a Beast Spirit, he mentioned Lone Wolf. Normally the hounds of most species hunt in packs, this Spirit of his must be quite strong to possess such a name that goes against an instinct so prevalent in nature' Zhi Xing like Tang San was also analyzing the Spirit Grandmaster before them. While Zhi Xing had heard of the two types of Spirit Essences, she had never witnessed a beast spirit nor a spirit that transformed the physique of its user to such an exagerated extent.

She was much more interested in how things would continue now that she got to see something so unique.

While the two remained lost in thought, Su Yuntao clapped his hands together, releasing tiny filaments of green energy that flew out and converged into the appropriate stones. No sooner was the energy absorbed that the stones released a golden misty light which floated upwards.

As the light converged on the once crying youth, he seemed to not only relax immediately and stop shaking but his eyes shifted into a strange dullness as he just stood straight for awhile fists clenched to his side. The resplendent light screen released from the stones was soon completely masking the boys body as he began shaking while his eyes regained an anxious focus, like one would have when containing a scream.

"Extend your right hand " Su Yutao spoke slowly

Under the Spirit Grandmaster's expectant eery green eyes the boy made the motion to stretch his fingers out releasing the firm grip he was holding. Suddenly the remaining specks of light around his body converged towards his open palm and formed a realistic sickle.

"Hmmph a Tool Spirit, can a sickle even be considered a weapon? I guess it could with the right training." He muttered to himself yet a few of the children caught his words.

As the rest of the golden light dispersed, the boy stood there astonished at the medium sized sickle in his hands at a loss for words.

"You possess a Tool Spirit, come now let me test whether you posses spirit power, if you do even a tool spirit can undergo Battle Spirit Cultivation, there's always a possibility for attack with even the smallest blade" He informed while retrieving the blue crystalline ball from the desk.

"Gre- Great teacher, what is it that I'm supposed to do?" He stuttered nervously.

"Simply remember the sensation you felt when releasing your Spirit Essence to recall or release it again in the future" Su Yutao spoke cooly

The child took quite a few seconds to recall his spirit but when he did Su Yutao gestured with the Spirit Measuring Orb for him to place his now empty hand.

As they made contact the boy had no reaction other than a shiver at the orbs cold exterior. Seeing no reaction the young Spirit Hall Master shook his head. "You do not possess spirit power, spirit master cultivation is impossible for you, please stand to the side while I work with the other children." With a blank expression he waived the boy to a corner of the room. In a practiced manner he began conducting the same ritual on the remaining kids.