Free Web NovelChapter 2: 2. a fixed future?
Lin Zhaowen stood atop the altar, basking in the admiration of the crowd.
His chest swelled with pride as he slowly turned his gaze toward the patriarch’s seat.
Lin Xuan sat there calmly, his expression unchanged despite the commotion.
A flicker of dissatisfaction flashed through Zhaowen’s eyes.
’Look at me, I’m better than your daughter. Tsk... Let’s see who the true genius of the Lin Family is now.’
With those thoughts in mind, he stepped down from the altar.
As he walked through the crowd, the surrounding youths instinctively moved aside.
They were all roughly the same age, yet the gap between them now felt immeasurable.
A Sixth-Grade Mortal Rank Martial Spirit.
Such talent was enough to leave most of them feeling inferior.
Some looked at him with admiration.
Others with envy.
Among the younger generation, only one person remained completely unaffected.
Lin Zhaoyue stood quietly near the front of the crowd, her hands folded neatly before her.
Though she had only recently turned ten years old, few people truly regarded her as a child.
Whether it was her intelligence, her composure, or the way she carried herself, she seemed far more mature than her years suggested.
Even many elders unconsciously treated her as an equal.
The younger generation feared her even more.
Including Zhaowen.
At least, that had been the case until today.
Feeling the power of his newly awakened Martial Spirit coursing through his body, Zhaowen found his confidence growing.
For the first time in years, he looked directly into Lin Zhaoyue’s eyes without hesitation.
Their gazes met.
To his surprise, she merely smiled.
It was a gentle and graceful smile, devoid of jealousy or hostility.
"Congratulations, Nephew Wen."
Her clear voice reached his ears.
"You’ve awakened an excellent Martial Spirit."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"Your future is undoubtedly bright."
Lin Zhaowen froze and the confident words he had prepared beforehand suddenly became stuck in his throat.
Facing the admiring gazes of the crowd was one thing.
Facing Lin Zhaoyue was another entirely.
"Uh..."
He awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
"T-Thank you."
The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them.
’Why did I stutter?’
He had imagined this moment countless times.
After awakening a superior Martial Spirit, he would stand proudly before Lin Zhaoyue and prove that he wasn’t inferior to her.
Yet now that the moment had arrived, he felt strangely nervous.
Lin Zhaoyue seemed oblivious to his internal struggle.
Her smile remained gentle.
"You don’t need to be so modest. The awakening ceremony is one of the most important days in a cultivator’s life.
Being able to awaken a Sixth-Grade Mortal Rank Martial Spirit is an achievement worthy of pride."
Her voice was calm and sincere.
There was truly not a trace of jealousy.
If anything, she sounded genuinely happy for him.
The surrounding kids looked at the two with complicated expressions.
Today was the Martial Spirit Awakening Ceremony of the Lin Family.
Every child who had reached the age of ten was required to participate.
For many of them, this day would determine the direction of their entire future.
Some would awaken powerful Martial Spirits and soar into the heavens.
Others would awaken mediocre ones and spend their lives struggling to catch up.
A Sixth-Grade Mortal Rank Martial Spirit was already far beyond what most of them had dared to hope for.
Yet Lin Zhaoyue spoke of it with such composure that it almost felt ordinary.
Zhaowen looked at her suspiciously.
"You’re not surprised at all?"
"Hm?"
Lin Zhaoyue tilted her head slightly.
"You awakened a Sixth-Grade Mortal Rank Martial Spirit. Naturally, I was surprised."
"Then why are you so calm?"
The question slipped out before he could stop himself.
A few nearby youths widened their eyes.
No one usually spoke to Lin Zhaoyue so directly.
To their surprise, she simply thought for a moment before answering.
"Because your achievement is yours. I don’t see any reason to be upset about it. If a member of our clan becomes stronger, shouldn’t that be something worth celebrating?"
Her tone was matter-of-fact.
As though she were stating an obvious truth.
The surrounding elders nodded approvingly.
At ten years old, most children were concerned only with competing against one another.
Yet Lin Zhaoyue was already thinking about the prosperity of the clan as a whole.
Zhaowen opened his mouth.
Then closed it again.
He suddenly realized he had no idea how to respond.
In the end, all he managed to say was,
"...Right." freewebnσvel.cѳm
Lin Zhaoyue smiled.
"Then I wish you success on your cultivation path, Nephew Wen."
With that, she turned and walked toward the altar.
The moment she moved, the crowd instinctively parted.
All eyes followed her figure.
Everyone knew who was next.
The true genius of the Lin Family.
The child who had been praised by countless elders.
The young girl whom many believed would one day carry the Lin Family to unprecedented heights.
Even the noise in the courtyard gradually faded.
The spectators unconsciously held their breaths.
Lin Zhaoyue calmly stepped onto the altar and placed her hand upon the ancient white stone.
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then a faint golden ray emerged from the altar.
Only one.
The ray was so dim that many people thought they had imagined it.
The entire courtyard fell silent.
The grey-robed elder stared blankly at the altar.
His mouth opened slightly.
"A... First-Grade Mortal Rank Martial Spirit..."
His voice was filled with disbelief.
"A First-Grade Mortal Rank Martial Spirit."
The result was so unexpected that nobody knew how to react.
The younger generation looked back and forth between Lin Zhaoyue and the altar.
Their expressions seemed to say the same thing.
The altar must have made a mistake, there was simply no other explanation.
How could Lin Zhaoyue awaken a First-Grade Mortal Rank Martial Spirit?
She was the greatest genius of the Lin Family’s younger generation.
No.
She was the greatest genius in all of Azure Willow City.
Yet only one golden ray?
The lowest possible grade, the weakest possible Martial Spirit.
Eventually, whispers began spreading through the crowd.
"A First Grade?"
"That can’t be right..."
"Maybe the altar malfunctioned?" frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
"I’ve never heard of something like this happening."
Unlike the children, however, the elders gradually accepted reality.
They looked at Lin Zhaoyue and then they looked away.
The admiration in their eyes slowly transformed into pity.
"What a shame..."
"Such intelligence wasted."
"The heavens truly play tricks on people."
"Her future cultivation path will be difficult."
Quiet sighs echoed among the adults.
