Ch.9: Feeling Alive
"From today, your training begins in earnest. No more leniency. If you're to be my disciple, you'll meet my standards," Zhou Yueling declared, her voice firm but not unkind.
Lu Sheng met her gaze, a spark of determination flickering in his amber eyes. "I'll keep up, Master."
"Good. I expect nothing less." Her lips curved into a faint, genuine smile, a rare crack in her usual composed demeanor.
Stepping forward, she ruffled his hair with an almost playful gesture.
"Alright, brat, off you go. It's time for school. Your cultivation journey starts tomorrow."
"Yes." Lu Sheng nodded, his own smile less awkward this time, carrying a natural warmth that surprised even him.
...
Qinglong City was unlike any other city on the Douluo Continent.
Its uniqueness didn't come just from strength or size, but from how it operated — a self-governed city-state standing apart from kingdoms and empires.
No royal banners flew here.
Nor imperial edicts reached this far.
Qinglong ran by its own rules, and that independence shaped everything within it.
The city thrived on its crafts and commerce.
Its spirit master academies, merchant guilds, and workshops were all tightly linked, forming a system unlike anything found elsewhere.
Even the education of spirit masters followed a different philosophy.
Where other academies focused on combat, Qinglong's main Soul Master Academy trained students in disciplines useful beyond battle, medicine, soul guide crafting, alchemy, and general research.
Students learned to heal, invent, and build, not just to fight.
After all, Qinglong's economy revolved around its two great institutions: the Qinglong Soul Guide Hall and the Qinglong Medicine Hall.
Their early inventions had been modest, soul-powered lamps, alarm charms, even practical oddities like water heaters and cooling fans.
But as knowledge advanced, the city began producing more sophisticated tools: small storage tools, soul power strengthened weapons, light mobility boots, and utility storage belts.
Everyday conveniences that were slowly changing the way people lived.
Naturally, the city's soul masters grew into four main professions, City Guards, Merchants, Healers, and Artificers.
Combat specialists were rare, but that didn't make Qinglong weak.
Its people simply valued creation and contribution more than destruction.
Most of Qinglong's residents descended from the thirty or so independent villages that originally joined together to form the city decades ago.
They remained close-knit, their communities deeply intertwined.
Despite the city's growing prosperity, its population stayed small and tightly bound by shared heritage.
There was something else about Qinglong that outsiders found difficult to explain, its fortune.
Ever since the city was founded thirty years ago, an unusual phenomenon had persisted: children here were more likely to awaken with innate soul power.
The average child awakened with levels two or three, far above the continental norm.
Every year a few even reached the threshold of level six or seven, and every few years, a true prodigy with innate level eight soul power would appear.
Perhaps it was luck.
Or perhaps something in this land had changed long ago.
Whatever the reason, it was enough for Lady Li Xueya, the city's second strongest individual, to personally oversee every monthly awakening ceremony. Few dared to question why.
Or rather than questioning, they saw it as a blessing of their children.
Education in Qinglong was considered sacred.
Every child, whether born to a soul master or an ordinary person, was required to attend Primary Learning School Qinglong between the ages of four and six.
There, they learned to read, write, and understand the basics of geography, history, and the wider world.
The goal wasn't early cultivation, but foundation, ensuring that every citizen could think and contribute.
Afterward, the paths diverged.
Children who awakened martial spirits moved on to Qinglong Primary Soul Master Academy, while those without spirit power attended Qinglong Intermediate Education Academy, which trained them in crafts, trade, agriculture techniques and other essential professions.
It was a system designed by City Lord Zhou Ming himself, a rule he'd established after considering his years as a wandering soul master in mind, when he learned that ignorance, not weakness, was the true enemy of progress.
And today, Lu Sheng was one of those students.
For now, he was still just another boy finishing his final term, fifteen days away from graduation, standing at the quiet crossroads between childhood and a future that would soon outgrow the boundaries of any ordinary city.
"Okay, go quickly or you'll be late for class!" the City Lord urged with a faint chuckle.
"Okay, Grandpa Zhou!" Lu Sheng called back as he dashed off.
The three adults watched him run, smiles tugging at their lips.
"What a silly child," Li Xueya said softly, her expression gentle as her gaze followed him until he disappeared down the path.
...
As soon as Lu Sheng was out of sight, the warmth faded from their faces.
The air shifted.
Li Xueya's smile disappeared, replaced by quiet composure.
She glanced toward Zhou Yueling, who met her gaze.
They both exchanged a look, Zhou Yueling gave a brief nod before vanishing without a word, her figure dissolving like mist into the morning air.
Zhou Ming exhaled slowly and waved his hand.
Several armored city guards dressed in red appeared instantly, kneeling in unison.
Quietly waiting for orders.
"Make a list of everyone who was present today," the City Lord ordered, his voice calm but firm.
"Children, parents, officials, guards, everyone. I want a complete record before sundown."
"Understood, City Lord!" the captain of the guards saluted before quickly departing with his men.
Beside him, Li Xueya lifted her hand. A group of attendants in the silver-and-green robes of the Qinglong Medicine Hall appeared and bowed deeply.
"Distribute one batch of Body Cleansing Pills and three sets of Medicinal Bath Powder to every participant and their families," she instructed.
"Match the grade to their cultivation level. No mistakes."
"At once, Lady Li!"
The attendants dispersed efficiently, their robes fluttering like petals in the wind.
Then—
THUD!
Just as both of them were done with their talk.
Two bodies hit the marble courtyard hard, rolling to a stop at Zhou Ming's feet. Both men were bruised, bleeding, and half-conscious.
A faint crimson trail marked the path of the one who had thrown them.
Zhou Yueling appeared a heartbeat later, her expression unreadable.
A few drops of blood slid off her left hand; she flicked them away before they touched the ground.
Li Xueya's brows furrowed.
"Don't tell me you accidentally killed another spy because he was too weak?" she said, her tone a mix of disapproval and weary amusement.
But facing her stern voice Zhou Yueling was completely at ease.
"No. These two are alive."
"There were others of their group. But they didn't didn't know much, so I disposed of them." She said.
But when seeing the look in her grandmothers eye, she quickly added.
"... without killing them."
"The weaker one fainted before I could question him, but since he was the tail at sight, I kept him as evidence."
"These two are the ones worth keeping. One's a Spirit Ancestor — the superior of the group. And other is the one who escaped after witnessing the ceremony, his direct subordinate."
Zhou Ming's expression hardened slightly. "From which faction?"
"Star Luo Empire," Zhou Yueling replied, her voice flat. "Unlike the last one we caught, that one was just a small fry from a minor kingdom."
Li Xueya crossed her arms, a faint chill flickering behind her eyes. "So they've finally decided to move again," she murmured.
"Seems so," Said Zhou Yueling, folding her hands looking utterly displeased.
"On the surface they want to increase trade with us, talking about building bonds and flatteries but still sending spies in broad daylight."
"All of them are like that, Major empires, minor kingdoms, top 4 sects, and other organizations." Zhou Ming pondered. "But at least they move more carefully but this neighbor of ours really takes us for an idiot."
"No matter as long as they do not know he has two martial spirits that too both being of divine level. Even if they know he is talented they won't try anything more than just trying to gather a bit of goodwill." Li Xueya said casually.
Suddenly the serious atmosphere returning to being a casual felt unsettling to Zhou Yueling.
"So the situation's still under control?" She asked.
The elders exchanged a glance. "Yes / I suppose so."
Yueling's brow lifted. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? I wouldn't have hit them so hard."
Both pretended not to hear her, finding the ceiling suddenly fascinating.
"..."
...
Back to Lu Sheng.
He could be seen running along the hillside path outside Qinglong City, a light breeze chasing the dust at his heels.
The morning sun painted the sky gold, and the scent of wet grass filled the air.
As for why he was here?
Of course, to explore his new powers.
School could wait.
There was no way he could sit through basic reading lessons after awakening twin Divine-grade martial spirits.
He grinned, leaping over a fallen log.
"Sorry, Grandpa Zhou. Priorities."
This wasn't the first time he'd skipped class, and the guards who patrolled the outskirts knew better than to bother chasing him.
A few minutes later, he reached a secluded plateau near the top of the hill, a flat patch of grass surrounded by dense forest on all sides.
From here, the city below looked like a model carved into the valley.
This was his secret place.
It was his sanctuary.
He took a deep breath and dropped backward onto the soft grass, the wind rustling through the leaves above.
For a few seconds, he simply lay there, staring at the drifting clouds.
Then he raised his hand.
"Alright," he muttered.
"Let's see what you two can really do."
He closed his eyes and summoned his first martial spirit.
A low hum filled the air.
Energy rippled outward, bending the grass around him as a tall, armored figure emerged from thin air, a being clad in radiant gold and trimmed with metallic silver.
The armor pulsed with shifting patterns, each movement radiating a calm yet terrifying authority. Its aura carried a faint, oppressive pressure that made the air vibrate.
Lu Sheng's eyes widened. "So cool…"
He instinctively used Appraisal, and a glowing text panel appeared before his eyes.
[Martial Spirit: Deoxys]
[Type: Hybrid (Beast-Body Type)]
[Grade: Divine Grade]
[Abilities: Pressure, ??? (Unawakened)]
[Talents: Adaption, Ultimate Spiritual Control, Regenerative Core, Morphic Resonance]
[Trait: Form Shifting, Max Stats]
[Growth Potential: ✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶]
[Description:A lifeform born from the distortion of cosmic essence. Singular in existence, Deoxys can alter its form to adapt to any condition, embodying survival itself. Once a being of raw cosmic energy, it has evolved into a regal, ancient, and mysterious variant of its original self. Its body and soul have been refined beyond known limits, granting it the potential to transcend what is believed possible within the realm of possibilities.]
Lu Sheng blinked, reading the glowing lines again just to be sure.
"Hybrid-type, divine-grade… and that Growth Potential." He exhaled slowly. "Ten stars. That's basically… limitless."
He tapped the "Form Shifting" line and grinned. "Okay, now that's something I need to play with later."
Just thinking of changing form mid battle reminded him of power rangers back home.
Satisfied, he dismissed the projection and summoned the second.
The wind changed instantly.
A deep roar echoed through the clearing, the sound rolling like thunder across the hills.
A serpentine dragon of enormous size coiled above him, emerald scales gleaming with veins of gold, each movement trailing streaks of storm-light.
The creature exuded a primal, overwhelming dominance — the kind that made even the sky hesitate.
[Martial Spirit: Rayquaza]
[Type: Beast Type]
[Grade: Divine Grade]
[Abilities: Delta Stream, ??? (Unawakened)]
[Talents: Destruction, Ultimate Strength, Elemental Devour, Draconic Dominion]
[Trait: Unbreakable]
[Growth Potential: ✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶]
[Description:An ancient sky sovereign said to command the balance between storm and serenity. It has ruled the upper heavens since time immemorial, maintaining equilibrium between the elements of land and sea. Now reborn and enhanced through divine convergence, Rayquaza continuously absorbs elemental energy from its surroundings, fortifying its body and essence. As its power evolves, it edges closer to embodying the true majesty of a Cosmic Dragon.]
Lu Sheng let out a low whistle. "So, one's the ultimate lifeform, and the other's the king of the skies. No pressure."
He chuckled at his own pun before sitting up, the two spirits fading into particles of light around him.
His mind was racing, but not just with excitement, there was calculation in his eyes.
"If these two are really divine-grade, then I need to stay under the radar. At least until I know what their unawakened abilities are."
He took a deep breath, lying back again, watching the sky swirl with slow-moving clouds.
"I'm supposed to be at school right now," he muttered, smiling faintly.
"Yeah, definitely making the right choice."
The wind carried his laughter across the hillside, light, youthful, and a little reckless.
For the first time since reincarnating, he felt truly alive.