Soul Land 0: A Progress For A Better World (Patreon)

Chapter 12: Zhang Lei Awakens

"Okay."

The voice was as cold and firm as ever, but to everyone’s relief, the Spirit Master named Lu Yi did not seem intent on pursuing the matter.

Calmly, he withdrew his large hand from the bag at his waist, revealing six round, jet-black stones.

With a casual toss, the stones landed on the floor, perfectly forming a hexagonal pattern. Lu Yi tilted his beard-covered chin and gestured toward Zhang Lei, the sturdiest of the three children.

"Step inside."

Zhang Lei met Lu Yi’s gaze for a fleeting moment before instinctively turning his head toward Zhang Dahe, Ling Xiaoshan, and… Ling Yi.

Encouraged by their supportive expressions, Zhang Lei took a deep breath, gathered his resolve, and stepped decisively into the center of the hexagonal pattern, standing tall.

"Not bad."

Seeing how quickly Zhang Lei overcame his nervousness and fear, Lu Yi uttered these two short words of approval before his expression turned serious. Extending his broad right hand with the palm facing up, he gave a low shout.

A jet-black light emerged from his palm, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a heavy hammer.

The hammer's head was nearly spherical with defined edges and corners, and the handle was about a meter long, giving it an impression of immense weight. Lu Yi held it steadily in his hand.

Boom!

The hammer’s head struck the stone floor with a resounding thud, and two luminous rings of light appeared beneath Lu Yi's feet—one faint yellow and the other bright yellow.

Martial Spirit: Eight-Edged Black Heavy Hammer!

With his martial spirit summoned, Lu Yi planted the hammer by his side and clapped his hands together. Six gray beams of light shot out, merging into the six black stones on the floor. Immediately, a golden glow radiated from the stones, forming a faint golden barrier that enveloped Zhang Lei.

At first, Zhang Lei instinctively shuddered within the golden light, his nervous body trembling slightly. But as golden specks of light floated up from the stones and entered his body, his tightly shut eyes relaxed, and his small face eased into a peaceful expression. Gradually, his entire body calmed.

At a certain moment, Zhang Lei's body began to tremble again. Seeing this, Lu Yi's tiger-like eyes sharpened, and he spoke in a deep voice:

"Extend your right hand."

Without thinking, Zhang Lei stretched out his right hand. In an instant, all the golden light surged toward him, and in the blink of an eye, a small hoe appeared in his palm.

The tool had a brownish-yellow wooden handle resembling a knife and a dark, gleaming metallic blade. It was a common farming implement, though somewhat smaller than usual.

Thankfully, since it was a martial spirit, it would adjust to fit Zhang Lei’s size and grip perfectly.

With Zhang Lei’s martial spirit manifested, Lu Yi maintained a calm expression and said indifferently, "A tool spirit: 'Hoe.' Now, place your hand here, and let's check for spirit power."

Turning to grab the blue crystal ball from the table behind him, Lu Yi held it out to Zhang Lei.

Following Lu Yi’s instructions, Zhang Lei retracted his "Hoe" martial spirit and placed his small, chubby hand on the blue crystal ball.

Moments later, seeing no reaction from the crystal ball, Lu Yi motioned for Zhang Lei to withdraw his hand. He then returned the ball to the table and announced plainly:

"No spirit power. Step down."

Ling Yi watched the entire process, noting the shift in Zhang Lei’s emotions—from nervousness to calmness, then excitement and joy, before finally settling into disappointment and despair.

What particularly caught Ling Yi’s attention was a subtle contraction in Zhang Lei's pupils in the moments just before Lu Yi declared his lack of spirit power. It was a fleeting change, almost imperceptible.

However, once the verdict was made, all of Zhang Lei’s emotions collapsed into dejection. That brief anomaly seemed to have gone unnoticed, even by Zhang Lei himself.

Thoughts raced through Ling Yi's mind as he, Zhang Dahe, and Ling Xiaoshan quickly gathered around Zhang Lei to console him. Some ruffled his hair, others patted his shoulders.

If not for the fact that the spirit awakening ceremony was still ongoing and the other two village children were next, Zhang Dahe and Ling Xiaoshan would likely have offered verbal reassurances by now.

<+>

As expected, the remaining two children from Shanhai Village also had subpar results.

One awakened a martial spirit: "Shamegrass" (similar to a mimosa).

The other, a martial spirit: "Short Wooden Stick."

Both were deemed to have no spirit power, disqualifying them from becoming Spirit Masters.

"That’s it."

Lu Yi tucked the blue crystal ball back into the bag at his waist. Raising a hand imbued with spirit power, he summoned the six black stones from the ground into his palm. Speaking with measured calm, he said, "That’s it for this year. The timing for next year’s Martial Spirit Awakening Ceremony will be announced in a month by the Beikouhe Town branch Spirit Hall."

"Let’s move."

"Understood, Spirit Master. Understood." Zhang Dahe, leading the villagers of Shanhai Village, nodded repeatedly, responding nervously.

"Spirit Master, the snowstorm outside is fierce. Would you like to rest a bit before leaving?"

"Yes, my lord. It’s almost lunchtime. Although our village is poor, we still have wild game and meat to offer—"

"No need." Lu Yi secured the bag tightly, striding toward the stone house’s door without a backward glance. "There are still other villages to visit."

As Lu Yi’s broad figure moved away, Ling Yi’s sharp eyes flickered. Gently patting Zhang Lei’s shoulder, he whispered reassuringly:
"Don’t be upset, Brother Lei. Even though the crystal ball showed no spirit power, that doesn’t mean you absolutely don’t have any."

"Maybe your spirit power is just very low—too low for the crystal ball to detect."

"But isn’t the lowest spirit power level one?"

"Maybe your spirit power is 0.1 or even 0.01. Who knows?"

Ling Yi’s voice was so soft that only he and Zhang Lei could hear. Not even Zhang Dahe and Ling Xiaoshan, standing right beside them, caught a word.

At the doorway, Lu Yi’s hand paused slightly on the handle before he casually tugged it, loosening the bottom part of the wooden door, which had frozen in place.

Whoosh!

A gust of cold wind swept into the house, howling loudly. Before the snowstorm could pour in further, Lu Yi’s sturdy frame stepped out, and with another motion of his hand, he gently shut the door, sealing the cold and snow outside.

Ling Yi continued to comfort Zhang Lei, but his gaze shifted toward the now-closed wooden door. His clear, black-and-white eyes seemed as still and profound as a deep, tranquil pool.

<+>

Night fell. The winds calmed, and the snowfall ceased. However, the thick clouds in the sky persisted, shrouding the land in darkness.

Ling Yi lay quietly on his bed. With every breath, the countless stalks of Blue Silver Grass in the room swayed gently in response.

In the corner, two wooden basins lined with dry grass and torn cotton served as makeshift beds. Ah Huang and Miaomiao lay curled within them, fast asleep, their bellies rising and falling rhythmically with soft snores.

The pitch-black room was utterly silent. Ling Yi’s eyes remained open, staring into the void as he replayed the day’s events in his mind.

Scene by scene, the images appeared, expanded, and flowed through his consciousness, each one analyzed and processed.

Eventually, his thoughts settled on the figure of Lu Yi—the broad-shouldered man disappearing behind the closing door, his steady gait unbroken amidst the swirling snow.

"What a pity," Ling Yi murmured softly, his tone devoid of joy or sorrow.

The room fell silent again, and a sense of tranquility gradually filled the space, spreading across the room like a warm tide.

Outside, even though the serene aura did not escape the confines of the house, the Blue Silver Grass in the courtyard—covered in snow, frozen, and withered—seemed to sense it. One by one, their remaining leaves and roots strained toward the plain, unassuming little house as if drawn by an invisible force.