Chapter 1: The Ritual that Decides Fate

Douluo Continent, Heaven Dou Empire.

In a certain noble estate, a young boy with black hair and dark eyes, whose features were exceptionally delicate and attractive, gazed absentmindedly at the sky. He murmured to himself, "I'm about to awaken my spirit soon. I wonder what kind of talent I have. Hopefully, I'll awaken a good spirit."

His name was Li Chang'an. His parents gave him this name in the hope that he would live a long, peaceful life. However, he had another identity: a reincarnated soul from his previous life, which had been spent on Earth.

In this life, he was reborn on Douluo Continent into a declining noble family with a dwindling bloodline. In his generation, he was the only child.

Yet, fate did not seem to favor this family.

His mother had weakened from giving birth to him and became chronically ill. She passed away when he was three years old.

As for his father, he died in battle last year when Li Chang'an was five, fighting in a campaign against the Star Luo Empire. Now, Li Chang'an was left entirely alone.

He was six years old this year and was about to undergo his spirit awakening.

If he was fortunate enough to awaken a good spirit, he could retain his noble title and family estate. But if he was unlucky, he would likely become prey for the wolves and tigers eyeing his family's wealth, and it wouldn't be surprising if he mysteriously perished in his own home one day.

Those greedy people would stop at nothing to seize wealth.

He was nothing more than a declining noble with no powerful backers. If he lacked talent, what could he possibly use to safeguard his family's legacy?

As for hoping that the empire would uphold justice for him?

Don't be a fool. A corrupt feudal empire—do you really think it stands for justice?

Even though his father died serving the empire in battle, so what? He wasn't the only noble who had fallen in combat; many nobles of greater rank had also died.

Who would care about the life and death of a minor noble? At most, his death would be seen as unpleasant gossip, but in the absence of profit or a powerful benefactor, there were not many kind-hearted people who would risk trouble to support him.

"Everything depends on today!"

Li Chang'an clenched his fists. If he was lucky today and could awaken his father's sword spirit and possess a spirit power level of about four, or at the very least three, then he might still have a chance to hold on to his family's legacy.

But if he inherited his mother's weak Green Snake spirit and, worse yet, lacked innate spirit power like her, the best outcome would be losing his family estate to various excuses and being driven out with nothing. The worst case? Being quietly murdered by those coveting his wealth.

Don't underestimate the darkness of this world. The ugliness of human nature in reality often surpasses what's portrayed in TV dramas!

"Young master, the carriage is ready." An elderly man approached. He was the family's butler, who had served the household for decades and was absolutely loyal.

"Alright, let's go."

Without hesitation, Li Chang'an followed the old butler to the carriage, preparing to head to the spirit awakening ceremony.

As a member of the nobility, his awakening ceremony would not take place at the Spirit Hall like it would for commoners. The empire had special venues for nobles to awaken their spirits.

Upon arriving at the venue, several other children of noble families were already present, accompanied by their parents or guardians. Only Li Chang'an stood alone, accompanied by the elderly butler.

The other nobles glanced at him with varied expressions, but none of them sneered or approached him to strike up a conversation. Nobles generally maintained decorum in their interactions unless there was enmity or specific motives behind their behavior. Random insults without reason were rare.

After waiting for a while, more people gradually arrived.

When everyone was present, an elderly man responsible for presiding over the awakening ceremony summoned the children to the inner hall, while the adults waited outside.

Inside the hall, the atmosphere was solemn, with a large awakening array at its center. Compared to the portable arrays used by the Spirit Hall, this one appeared far more elaborate.

"You are all noble children. Your parents have probably explained the awakening process to you before coming here, right?" the elderly man asked.

Li Chang'an and the other children nodded in response.

"Good. Since that's the case, I won't waste time with explanations." The elder nodded and randomly pointed to a child, signaling him to stand at the center of the array and begin the awakening process.

As brilliant light emanated from the array, the child's hand manifested a knight's spear. The elder nodded in approval, evidently satisfied with the weapon's appearance. Even without testing the child's spirit power, it was evident that his innate spirit power wouldn't be too low.

When the boy placed his hand on the crystal ball, it immediately lit up.

The elder took note and said, "Not bad. Innate spirit power level three, spirit: Knight Spear."

In this world, as spirit masters were a minority, an innate spirit power level of three was considered decent for noble children. With diligent cultivation, he might reach the rank of Spirit King in his lifetime.

The elder recorded the boy's information and pointed to the next child.

One by one, the awakening array lit up as the children awakened their spirits. Most of them manifested weapons like spears, swords, and sabers, in stark contrast to the rural children, who often awakened farm tools such as hoes, sickles, and hammers. These farm tools were considered low-tier spirits, typically devoid of innate spirit power. Even in rare cases where spirit power was present, it usually did not exceed level one or two.

Moreover, even if they did possess spirit power and acquired spirit rings, the combat potential and utility of their spirit abilities were inferior. This was why such tools were deemed low-tier spirits.

The difference was evident: the same spirit power level and spirit ring could yield vastly different results. A sword could easily cut through steel, whereas a sickle might only be useful for cutting wood. This disparity highlighted the importance of spirit quality.

Of course, this comparison only applied to ordinary spirits. Exceptional spirits such as the Seven Kill Sword or the Clear Sky Hammer were in a league of their own.

Finally, it was Li Chang'an's turn.

Though nervous inside, he maintained a composed expression as he stepped into the center of the array, ready to awaken his spirit.

As the array activated, Li Chang'an felt a warm sensation enveloping him, and he instinctively closed his eyes. Suddenly, he felt as though his consciousness had traversed vast distances, arriving at a primitive and wild spirit beast forest.

In a hidden cave, there lay a giant egg covered in intricate patterns. Suddenly, cracks appeared on its surface, and with a loud "crack," a snake with a triangular head emerged, peering around with human-like curiosity in its eyes.

"I... did I transmigrate again?"

"Where is this place?"

"No, I was in the middle of awakening my spirit. What's going on?"

Back in the hall, Li Chang'an abruptly opened his eyes to find himself still within the awakening array. In his hand, he now held a sword, indicating that his awakening had been successful. It seemed his luck wasn't too bad after all.

(End of chapter)