Awakening Martial Spirit
A new morning started. I woke up at 4 in the morning, well before the sun rose, and slipped out of my small hut into the chilly pre-dawn air. The village was silent except for the occasional rustle of wind through the silk farm's spirit mulberry trees. Perfect for my daily training routine.
For the past two years, I'd established a rigorous schedule. Every morning began with running—not the carefree sprinting of a child, but methodical, measured jogging designed to build endurance. I'd mapped out a five-kilometre route that took me through the forest surrounding the village, following barely visible trails that I'd gradually widened with my daily passage.
Along this path, I had set numerous small traps for catching animals—mostly simple snares made from twine. The villagers thought I was strange, this orphan girl who worked harder than adults and hoarded scraps of material, but they left me alone as long as I completed my chores.
This morning, I checked my traps with practiced efficiency. Two of them had caught a total of four rabbits—a good haul. The other six were either broken by humans (probably other villagers who have stolen the caught animals) or malfunctioning. I'm sure something had been caught in at least one of them; the disturbed earth and few tufts of fur told the story clearly enough.
I collected the rabbits, tying their feet together with a length of twine and slinging them over my shoulder. Their weight provided resistance as I completed the remainder of my run, turning it into an imperfect strength training exercise. The additional burden made my small legs burn, but I welcomed the pain. In this world, strength was survival.
After my run, I hid the rabbits in a small underground storage space I'd dug beneath my hut's floorboards. The cool earth kept meat fresh longer, and I'd lined it with special herbs that repelled insects—a trick I'd learned from watching the village hunters.
Without pausing to rest, I grabbed two wooden buckets and headed to the river. Fetching water was expected of me as one of my village duties, but I'd turned it into another training opportunity. I took the longest route to the river, one that required climbing up and down steep embankments and navigating through dense forest.
While making my way to the river, I detoured to harvest berries, wild fruits, and edible plants that I'd mapped out over the past two years. My flexibility had become top-notch from all the climbing, reaching, and balancing required to access the best foraging spots. I could now leap from branch to branch with surprising agility, my body moving with a fluid grace that sometimes shocked even me.
"How am I doing this?" I wondered the first time I found myself instinctively calculating trajectories and perfectly landing jumps between trees that would make my previous adult self break into a cold sweat. The answer seemed to be a combination of a child's naturally lower center of gravity, fearlessness, and something else—something I couldn't quite explain.
My mind had become surprisingly strong too. I could remember anything I learned with perfect clarity, from the locations of the best wild herbs to the exact patterns of patrols by village guards keeping watch for spirit beasts. Developing reflexive skills through repeated action came naturally, my body adapting with unnatural speed. Was this a perk of being a child with a brain still in its prime developmental stage? Or was it due to unknown changes in my soul—perhaps the fabled "double soul" advantage that reincarnated protagonists often had in the novels and fanfictions I'd read in my previous life?
Whatever the reason, I maximized this advantage. By day, I performed my chores for the village, carrying water, helping in the silk workshops, and running errands. By night, I practiced various martial forms I remembered from my previous life—boxing stances, kicks, basic grappling techniques—repeating them thousands of times until they became muscle memory. Without a proper teacher, I knew my technique was flawed, but building the foundation was better than nothing.
Now, two years had passed since my reincarnation. I was six years old, and today was the day I would awaken my martial spirit. In preparation, I'd planned a celebration meal using one of the rabbits I'd caught. My nutrition over these two years had been carefully balanced—protein from trapped animals and insects, carbohydrates from stolen or bartered rice and bread, vitamins and minerals from wild plants and fruits. Combined with relentless physical conditioning, I'd developed stamina that seemed impossible for a child my age.
I'd also completely adapted to my identity as a girl. The initial discomfort and dysphoria had faded with time, replaced by a pragmatic acceptance. This body was my tool for survival now. Although, I mused with amusement, my male essence remained intact in one way—I still appreciated the beauty of women, particularly the graceful older girls who worked in the silk dyeing workshops.
Despite my intensive self-training, I harbored no illusions about my fighting capabilities. My body had memorized reflexes and movements, but I lacked actual combat experience. I could react instantly to stimuli, but real battle sense? I was still a novice.
By afternoon, the village was abuzz with excitement. Parents fussed over their children, making sure they looked presentable for the ceremony. I had no one to fuss over me, so I simply washed in the river and put on my least patched dress—a hand-me-down from a villager's daughter who had outgrown it.
"Little Qingxue, come here," Auntie Li called, beckoning me over to where she stood with several other women. When I approached, she clicked her tongue disapprovingly and produced a comb from her pocket. "At least let me fix your hair. Can't have you looking like a wild child for your awakening."
I submitted to her ministrations, secretly pleased. These small gestures were the closest thing to parental affection I experienced in this world.
The murmuring crowd suddenly quieted as a man in formal robes approached the village square. This must be the Spirit Hall representative sent to conduct the awakening ceremony.
"He's here," whispered a woman next to Auntie Li. "That's Li Xuyao, a three-ringed Spirit Master from the regional Spirit Hall branch."
The man stood tall and imposing, his face stern as he surveyed the gathered villagers and their children. Without preamble, he possessed his martial spirit—a massive spectral gorilla that materialized around his body, emanating power that made the air feel heavy. Three spirit rings circled him: one white, two yellow. The sight sent a wave of terror through the assembled children, several of whom burst into tears.
Even I felt a jolt of fear run through me. This was my first real encounter with spirit power, and the visceral reality of it was far more intimidating than my friend's excited descriptions had prepared me for. This wasn't a story anymore—this was real power that could crush me like an insect if the man wished it.
"I am Li Xuyao, Spirit Hall representative," the man announced, his voice carrying across the square without effort. "Today, I will conduct the Spirit Awakening Ceremony for this village's six-year-olds. Line up in order of birth date."
The villagers scrambled to organize their children. As the only orphan with no certain birth date, I was placed at the end of the line. I watched carefully as the ceremony proceeded, observing the ritual to prepare myself.
One by one, children stepped into a star-shaped array formed by six black stones. Li Xuyao would place his hands on the child's shoulders, channeling his spirit power to catalyze the awakening process. The results were... underwhelming, as expected from a small rural village.
Most children awakened spirits related to the village's silk industry: silk threads, dyeing tools, various insects. One boy proudly displayed a miniature elephant spirit with innate soul power of 7, which earned an approving nod from Li Xuyao—probably the best spirit of the bunch and almost average for a genius. A few unfortunate children manifested blue-green grass spirits or similarly common plants, resulting in tears or resigned acceptance.
Some children seemed completely bewildered by the whole process, not understanding the significance of what had just happened—how their entire future had just been determined in a single moment.
Finally, my turn came. I stepped into the center of the array, my heart pounding despite my outward calm. This was it—the moment that would determine my path forward in this world. I'd done everything possible to prepare my body, but ultimately, martial spirits were largely determined by genetics and luck.
Li Xuyao placed his hands on my shoulders, and I felt a surge of warm energy flow into my body. It coursed through my veins like liquid fire, probing, searching for something to resonate with. I closed my eyes, focusing inward, willing my spirit to be something useful, something powerful...
A strange itching sensation bloomed behind my eyelids. The feeling intensified until my eyes burned, not painfully but with a strange pressure that built and built. F*ck, I know where this is going, I thought with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. I'm awakening some kind of eye martial spirit.
Just as this realization hit me, something extraordinary happened. A voice—or not exactly a voice, more like information downloading directly into my consciousness—filled my mind:
[Receiving energy, initiating Achievement system]
What the hell? This was definitely not part of the standard Soul Land awakening process that my friend had described.
[Achievement rank consists of: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond, Platinum and Miraculous]
[For achieving each rank, you get reward of the corresponding level. Greater the risk, greater the reward.]
[Bronze rank achievement: Awaken Martial Spirit|| Claim: 5+ Innate Soul Power]
[Bronze rank achievement: Awaken Body Martial Spirit|| Claim: +500 years spirit ring absorption limit]
[Bronze rank achievement: Awaken Spiritual Martial Spirit|| Claim: Random Spiritual cultivation method]
[Gold rank achievement: Awaken Innate Soul power level 5|| Claim: Random Gold and above rank Soul power cultivation method]
[Diamond rank achievement: Awaken Same martial spirit as one of the main protagonist|| Claim: Complete Conscious Spirit ring technique]
Holy sh*t, am I the main character of some f*cking fan-fiction? The absurdity of it almost made me laugh out loud in the middle of the ceremony. An achievement system? Random cultivation methods as rewards?
But I couldn't deny the reality of what was happening. Whatever this "Achievement system" was, it was offering me hope—concrete advantages that could help me survive and thrive in this brutal world.
Initially, I had planned to align myself with Spirit Hall once my spirit awakened. It seemed the most natural path for a commoner without backing. Spirit Hall was always recruiting talented individuals, and they provided resources that would be impossible to obtain otherwise. But with this mysterious system providing me with cultivation methods and bonuses... I could potentially form my own backing. I could be independent.
The ceremony ended, and I opened my eyes, curious to see if there was any visible manifestation of my eye spirit. Li Xuyao frowned, examining me closely, then moving on to check my pulse and spiritual pathways. His frown deepened.
"It seems, you have got an eye martial soul, it's most useless martial spirit, there's no use of checking soul power." he declared dismissively. "Eye martial spirit awakened."
I suppose body martial spirit was not that famous in soul land 1, as it is a part of human body and it should have human limitation, but in soul land 2 after body sect was introduced, then only body martial soul was popularised. I can't blame them for not finding it out as it also risk someone life, so overall body martial soul was not researched properly and became an useless martial soul in their mouth.
And I don't need to insist on checking my soul power like Tang San, as I know how much soul power I have through my system.
A ripple of whispers spread through the crowd. Children pointed and snickered. "The orphan girl has useless spirit!" one boy laughed, the same one who had awakened the elephant spirit.
Li Xuyao didn't even bother checking my innate soul power, simply moving on to make notes about the other children with awakened spirits. I was summarily dismissed as a failure, not worth the time or effort to investigate further.
Perfect.
I kept my face appropriately downcast as I stepped out of the array, playing the part of the devastated child while inwardly calculating my next moves. Whatever my eye spirit was, it wasn't visible to others—at least not yet. And Li Xuyao had completely missed it, meaning my advantages would remain secret.
Let them laugh. Let them think me worthless. I had just received confirmation that I was special in this world, with a system that would help me grow stronger. The plans I had been forming over the past two years suddenly expanded with new possibilities.
After the ceremony, the village head made a brief speech congratulating the children who had awakened decent spirits. Several would be sent to the nearest Spirit Hall branch for basic training if their parents could afford it. The elephant spirit boy was singled out for praise—apparently, his spirit showed enough potential that Spirit Hall might subsidize his training.
I slipped away during the resulting celebration, returning to my hut to claim my achievement rewards. I didn't care about my reputation in the village anymore. After tonight, I would be leaving anyway—heading toward a future that suddenly seemed much brighter.
As I walked away, I heard Auntie Li calling after me, concern in her voice. "Qingxue! Don't be sad, child! There are still many paths in life!"
I didn't turn back. The kindly woman would never understand that I wasn't walking away in shame—I was walking toward possibility, with secrets that would have shocked the entire village. Let them remember me as the unfortunate orphan girl who awakened no spirit. It was better that way.
Tonight, I would feast on rabbit, claim my rewards, and by dawn, I would be gone from Silk Spirit Village forever. The real journey was just beginning.
(A/n: Thanks #Magus_Of_Flower for reminding some mistakes, like I mentioned in previous edit, that she was announced with unable to awaken martial spirit. I have changed that part now. I hope other readers could improve my writing by suggesting like that.)