Chapter 5 - The Vibrant Sapling

The trio walked towards the outskirts of the town. Daniel didn't stop pestering Evan about how having a Martial Spirit felt like, but the young man successfully responded to all of these questions with non-answers, so much that Daniel got frustrated and start to throw a fit, which was ended by a gentle headbutt by Eifion in his arms, visibly annoyed by the commotion.

As they reached a big building, an old man with hair as white as snow was waiting for them with children, each more excited than the other. Some were going to participate in the Martial Spirit Manifestation Ceremony. Others were excited to see what kind of spirits the bigger children had.

This place was the orphanage. Several times every year, Daniel would see his father off for a trip. Evan would come back a week or so later with ten or so orphans, leaving them in the care of Grandpa Pete. Even though Grandpa Pete looked old and harmless, he was a strong cultivator approaching 3000 years of age.

After reaching 10 years of age, the orphans would undergo the Manifestation Ceremony like everyone else and someone in the town had to take the child as an apprentice if his skillet was most suited to the child’s Martial Spirit. Evan and the Elders would convene a meeting every year to choose which child would go where. The village was the first known place in this world where this system had been implemented. It was an idea brought by the reincarnator outfitted to this world.

From the older children brought back, Daniel had learned that Evan would pick them up from alleyways most often half-starving. In this world, parents disappearing suddenly was relatively common, as many of those of higher cultivation lived their life as they liked and some often let their desires and emotions go unchecked.

The children surviving such an encounter alone were often left to fend for themselves. Most of these young children died unable to take care of their needs. Some were kidnapped and raised for the nefarious hobbies of others, living life worse than death. Many babies were left unattended after the death of their parents and died of starvation, only to be found long afterwards, a cry never heard by anyone.

A red-haired boy, who had yet to lose all his baby fat came running up to Daniel.

“What is this creature? Is it a dragon? Aren't they legends? Why do you have one? Why is it so small? …” The barrage of questions from Mark did not end until Dellons, another friend of Daniel’s, performed a knife hand strike towards the head, effectively making him shut up. Mark rolled on the ground clutching his head, swearing at Dellons. The latter just ignored him and stared at Eifion. He was clearly tempted to hold the little dragon was in his arms.

Sensing what his friend wanted, Daniel asked Eifion if his friend could hold him. Since the dragon did not express an explicit refusal, he handed over the cute newborn. This usually relatively mature friend of his donned a childish smile as he held and patted the little dragon. Eifion purred, expressing his visible contentment. Dellons seemed to melt at this adorable sound.

Mark got up and was about to speak up but shut up and hid behind Daniel as Dellons glared at him. With the new addition, the group headed towards the training grounds. As they entered the grounds, the children were greeted by a loud crowd.

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The time for the ceremony came.

As the nine most powerful beings of the township, the nine Elders, Evan’s sworn siblings, released their Martial Spirits. They had all formed nine Heavenly Palaces and were at the peak of the second major state of cultivation, the Xiantian lifeform. These were the people that the residents of Ván relied on to keep their independence in the wilderness.

Pillars of color shot up to the sky and the nine cultivators soared to the sky. The surroundings suddenly became quiet, as they all admired the magnificent show of strength. The targets of this year’s ceremony all converged towards the middle of nonagon formed by the Elders. Everyone then ceremonially pointed their index finger towards the sky, then to the ground, and finally towards the children, as if pointing at the union of heaven, earth, and man. The onlookers' gazes shifted to the children, as the released Qi transformed itself into a soft golden light that cascaded on the children.

Daniel felt the warm Qi permeate the entirety of his body. Vitality filled his body and the light reached a certain corner of his brain. There, something seemed to click into place.

One by one, projections appeared over the children’s heads. Some were tools, others creatures, and some even pure elements. The brightness of each Martial Spirit was different. Among the early projections, one particularly drew attention: it was Mark’s. A swordsman donned in black armor stood, wings floating separately behind its back. This was a rarely seen Double Spirit. Furthermore, one was even humanoid.

However, what happened next completely eclipsed the previous sight. Floating above Daniel’s head was a young sapling. Facing it was a mediating human. A dragon was curled up on the other side. Underneath the sapling was a emerald green sea of vitality. A pitch-black snake could be seen swimming in the sea. Over the sapling was a flying phoenix.

All of them gravitated around the small sapling, as if paying respect to a little emperor.