Clamouring voices resounded throughout the Grand spirit hall as a large crowd gathered, witnessing the long awaited Spirit Awakening Festival. The Spirit Pond in the middle of the hall was glowing the brightest it had in decades as the blue light reflecting off the marble rimming indicated.
Everyone's expectations was piqued and their interests drawn to the astral projections appearing every now and then ((Astral projections are phenomena that occur to indicate presence and nature of a martial spirit, the core of a true cultivator)).
Youths of different ages from 15 all the way to 19 years of age were lined up before the spirit pond awaiting their turn to showcase their natural talent and prowess.
"Oh look! Zhao Mei is going up, I wonder which martial spirit she has!" A man suddenly asked, drawing most attention to a short brunette, slowly ascending the steps to the pond. "She's the daughter of the second elder, it's only natural she will get a high ranking martial spirit" the woman next to him added proudly and reverently.
She bowed to the seventh elder, elder Zhao Luo, who was the one overseeing the spirit pond before stepping in the thigh high pond and lied horizontally within. She slowly closed her eyes. The luminescent pond slowly shifted it's rays from blue to an eerie purple. A similar purple mist preceded as an astral projection began materialising.
A tree with a width grander than five normal trees appeared. Its thick ancient bark had crudely carved eye sockets which though hollow, still maintained purple flames resembling pupils and a similarly crudely carved maw with sharp wooden teeth. Blood could be seen at the sides of its mouth and staining it's teeth as if it had just finished devouring a beast. It's bare extensive branches spread out almost covering the roof of the ancient Grand Spirit Hall structure.
It let out a low growl which released all its baleful aura on everyone present. At the end of it's growl, it's body disappeared back into her body releasing everyone from it's terrifying aura. Cold sweat ran down everyone's back and some weaker members even fainted, unable to withstand such innate pressure.
Elder Zhao Luo, who was standing beside the pond opened his profound eyes to slits as he looked at the girl as she stood from the pond and went to embrace her father, the second elder Zhao Ping. He was a middle aged man full of health and vitality, unlike the oldest person in the clan, Zhao Luo who looked like he had one foot in the grave.
"Good job Mei Mei! I knew you wouldn't let me down" he congratulated his daughter zealously. "Thank you, father" she smiled. "So, elder Zhao Luo, which martial spirit was it?" Zhao Ping asked the question reverberating on everyone's mind.
"That was a very rare Demonic Tree Martial Spirit. Only one in a thousand martial artists are able to obtain a rare martial spirit. Our Zhao clan's future seems brighter now that such a talent has been born into it" Zhao Luo explained calmly but the uproar that followed was astonishing. Everyone felt a sense of pride and accomplishment well up within them for merely being part of the clan
Zhao Luo was the most knowledgeable when it came to martial spirits. So much so that even neighbouring clans sometimes sought his wise council on encountering unusual spirits. He had, after all dedicated his one hundred and forty years of life to the knowledge of martial spirits.
"A rare martial spirit in or mere Zhao Clan? The heavens surely smile on us this year!" A random man rejoiced. "And the daughter of the first elder and the clan head have yet to go up, just imagine having three rare martial spirits or even something above rare?! Our clan shall be the overlord of the LingHu zone!" Another exclaimed in excitement.
The excitement calmed after 30 minutes, but some few characters had wishful and passionate eyes burning holes through them, namely the daughter of the first elder, Zhao Ling, and the son of the clan head, Zhao Weng ((the protagonist)). Zhao Weng heard all this and the anxiety he had forcefully quelled flared up again with newfound fervour.
Zhao Ling was at the third position in the line and Zhao Weng, the eighth. She looked at him, her face displaying even more nervousness than his, as if seeking comfort from him. He returned a reassuring thumbs up with a hyped smile but though well hidden, anxiety was still evident. The youths before her all got standard and substandard martial spirits with one boy even getting a rock as a martial spirit! He was disdained by all and ran from the ceremony in tears.
Zhao Ling stepped up and gave Zhao Weng one more anxious look before submerging in the pond. The blue rays of the pond changed to a fiery orange and orange mist billowed out fiercely. A fox cry was heard by all even those outside the structure. An astral projection of a white fox with a long flaming tail behind ot flowing gently yet fiercely appeared. Its gait was proud and with another fox cry, heat waves swept across the room with reckless abandon. The seventh elder's eyes widened to large slits as he looked at the majestic fox spirit. At first he had thought it to be the Flaming Fox Martial Spirit, but judging by the posture and fur colour, it seemed not. Then he outright eliminated most other fox spirits because of the might displayed by it. Then he came to the Blazing Wolf Martial Spirit but the race was wrong. He was genuinely flabbergasted.
Zhao Ling exited the pond and went to his father, the first elder's side. He was a tall gaunt man with a long face. "So, Zhao Luo, what martial spirit was that?" He asked in a ghastly voice. After a long pause, " I'm....not sure.", Gasps and exclamations followed in utter shock.