Chapter 1: The Martial Spirit Awakening Ceremony
Chapter 1: The Martial Spirit Awakening Ceremony
In the Great Martial World—a realm forged by blood, ambition, and the endless pursuit of power—four vast continents stretched across the heavens.
The Vast East Continent, the Boundless North, the Scarlet West, and the Primal South—each a land of legends, eternal struggles, and untold mysteries.
Among them, the Vast East Continent stood as an ancient land teeming with martial legends. For countless generations, warriors had clawed their way through blood and sweat, yearning to shatter their mortal shackles and ascend toward immortality.
Within this continent, the Vast Sea Region was renowned—a realm of flowing rivers, spiritual lakes, and cities where trade and cultivation intertwined.
Among its many kingdoms, Lingshui Country stood proud, known for its deep heritage and powerful martial families.
And within Lingshui, no city shone brighter than Clear Water City—a beacon of commerce, cultivation, and hidden ambitions.
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Nestled along the banks of the Serene River, Clear Water City thrived.
Merchants hawked rare treasures. Warriors sought powerful techniques. Alchemists refined mystical elixirs.
This vibrant city owed its prosperity to the presence of three mighty powers:
The Xiao Family, a lineage of ancient merchants and cultivators, once the undisputed rulers of the city’s economy.
The Luo Family, a clan of elite martial warriors, whose strength in combat grew alongside their influence.
The Alchemy Association, a branch of the capital’s prestigious guild, which monopolized the city's pill and medicinal supply.
For centuries, the Xiao Family stood at the pinnacle. Their wealth and vast connections dictated the flow of commerce. Their name carried both respect and fear.
But ten years ago, the tides shifted.
Everything changed when Luo Ning’er, the Luo Family’s peerless genius, became the concubine of the 2nd Prince of Lingshui Country.
That union opened the floodgates of royal favor, lifting the Luo Family to new heights.
Their rise cast a long shadow over the Xiao Family, whose influence waned year after year.
A silent war now raged beneath the city’s surface. While merchants traded and alchemists brewed, the true struggle was one of power and legacy.
In the martial world, strength is everything.
The strong grow stronger.
The weak... disappear.
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The path of cultivation was divided into twelve mortal realms:
> Martial Disciple → Martial Apprentice → Martial Adept → Martial Core → Martial Soul → Martial Master → Martial Grandmaster → Martial Lord → Martial King → Martial Monarch → Martial Emperor → Martial Saint
Each realm had four stages: early, middle, late, and peak.
This ladder of ascension forged the fates of millions across the continent.
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High above Clear Water City, nestled deep within Serene Spirit Mountain, stood the ancestral home of the Xiao Family.
The mountain, veiled in eternal mist, shimmered with ancient spiritual arrays and heavenly formations—defenses that had stood for centuries.
Once a Grade Four influence, the Xiao Family had since fallen to Peak Grade Two, its decline steady and painful.
In the martial world, power defined status:
A realm ruled by a Martial Grandmaster was Grade One.
A realm ruled by a Martial Lord was Grade Two.
A realm with a Martial King rose to Grade Three, and so on.
900 years ago, the Xiao Family’s founder, a Martial Monarch, carved their name into legend.
But 500 years ago, that founder vanished.
Since then, no other had reached even the Martial King Realm.
Without a supreme powerhouse, their enemies encroached... and the Lao Family pressed closer.
But today was not a day of mourning.
Today was a day of hope.
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The Martial Spirit Awakening Ceremony—the most important day in a young cultivator’s life.
In this world, every martial artist possessed a martial spirit. It determined their talent, their potential, their destiny.
Martial spirits were ranked from lowest to highest:
> Mortal Rank → Spirit Rank → Earth Rank → Heaven Rank
Each rank was divided into Low, Mid, High, and Peak Grade.
A powerful spirit could lead one to glory.
A weak one… to obscurity.
At the heart of the Xiao estate stood a massive stone altar, glowing faintly with spiritual light.
Thousands had gathered—elders, disciples, servants. Their eyes were fixed on the stage.
Nine young prodigies stood atop the altar steps, cloaked in robes bearing the Xiao Family insignia:
> A golden dragon coiled around a flowing river, symbolizing both strength and adaptability.
Each of the nine had reached the peak of the Martial Core Realm, poised on the edge of transformation.
In front of them, standing at the altar’s highest point, were the three distinguished elders of the Xiao Family.
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Elder Xiao Jian stood at the center.
A towering figure with silver hair, sharp eyes, and a commanding presence.
He was the Great Elder and a Martial Lord at the early stage.
Clad in a midnight blue robe embroidered with golden waves and the Xiao insignia, he looked like an ancient sage.
Beside him stood Elder Xiao Feng.
Middle-aged, streaks of black and white in his hair, his gaze sharp like a falcon.
As the Guardian Elder, he oversaw the spiritual formations protecting the family. A peak stage Martial Grandmaster, his presence radiated quiet authority.
To his left was Elder Xiao Mei.
The youngest of the three, but no less respected.
A late stage Martial Grandmaster, she had aspirations of reaching the Martial Lord Realm.
Despite being over a hundred years old, she looked no older than her late twenties. Her long dark blue hair danced in the wind, her jade-green robes fluttering around her.
Her piercing blue eyes scanned the nine youths with cold calculation.
As the chief appraiser of martial spirits, her word could define the future of any cultivator.
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The crowd fell silent as Elder Xiao Jian stepped forward.
His voice boomed across the courtyard, laced with spiritual energy.
> “Today, we witness the awakening of a new generation.”
> “The martial spirit is the foundation of one’s path. It determines potential. It defines destiny.”
His gaze swept the crowd.
> “Those who awaken high-grade spirits shall rise to glory.”
> “Those with low-grade spirits… may walk the path of mediocrity—or worse.”
There was no mercy in his voice.
Only truth.
The nine prodigies stood tall, unmoving.
Their years of cultivation had led to this moment.
Elder Xiao Mei stepped forward next.
Her emerald eyes locked onto the nine youths.
> “The awakening ceremony will now begin.”
> “Step forward one by one.”
> “Place your palm on the Soulstone Altar.”