Master of Nine Stars

The man in the military uniform continued, "You know why I’m here, and you’ve been looking forward to this day! Before the Awakening ceremony begins, I have a few points to make. Please listen carefully!"

"First!" The man in uniform held up one finger. "For about fifty percent of the students on this field, the awakening process will cause some physical discomfort.

For those who can awaken, I have nothing more to say than to follow the instructions.

As for those who cannot awaken, when we guide Soul Power into your bodies to stimulate your bloodlines, it will have some effect on you."

The turf field remained silent. The man in uniform, his expression extremely solemn, said, "Please, trust us. Our unit is composed of professional Soul Guide Warriors who have undergone rigorous training, multiple assessments, and a stringent selection process.

We guarantee your safety. For those who cannot awaken and experience physical discomfort from the Soul Power stimulating your bloodlines, your bodies will return to normal after one or two days of rest. There will be no lasting side effects."

As the man in uniform spoke on the stage, teams of soldiers emerged from behind the grandstand. A faint stir rippled through the previously silent turf field.

"Quiet!" The man’s voice rose, maintaining order. "If our Soul Guide Warriors determine that you cannot awaken any Soul Slots, or that the number of awakened Soul Slots has reached your body’s limit, they will forcibly stop the process and escort you from the field. Please cooperate and do not take any drastic actions."

"I will emphasize this one last time! Disrupting the order of the Awakening ceremony is a serious crime! Whether you are a parent or a student, you are all to remain composed."

The moment he finished speaking, a tall soldier was already standing before Rong Taotao.

Rong Taotao looked up at the soldier’s face. The man’s solemn expression was surprisingly reassuring.

The vast turf field was utterly silent because... a soldier stood before every single graduating student.

Due to the sheer number of people, the soldiers had to maintain a certain distance from one another, forcing some students off the plastic track and nearly into the small grove of trees at the edge...

’No wonder all the city’s middle schools have to hold their graduation ceremonies on different days. If they all happened on the same day, just how many Warriors would they need?’

And not just ordinary Soul Martial Warriors, either. These soldiers were all professionally trained Soul Guides.

"All students! Attention!"

Rong Taotao quickly snapped to attention, but the soldier in front of him sat down cross-legged.

Rong Taotao glanced down at the soldier, but all he could see was the brim of his field cap. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Everyone! Begin!"

Rong Taotao pursed his lips. Before this graduation ceremony, the school had shown the students videos of the Awakening ceremony several times, so he was mentally prepared.

The soldier before him placed both hands on the green turf and released faint wisps of Soul Power.

The Soul Power emitted by the soldier, a Soul Guide, was completely invisible to the naked eye.

But at that moment, the turf field transformed into a swaying ocean of green!

The blades of grass on the field rippled outward in concentric circles. Eventually, a beautiful scene unfolded as waves rolled from one half of the field to the other, like wind sweeping through a field of wheat.

The parents waiting anxiously outside the school gates all raised their phones, recording the beautiful scene and focusing their cameras on their own children.

At this very moment, Rong Taotao... felt something flowing in from his hand.

Yes, not from the grass beneath his feet, but surging in through the fingertips of his left hand, which was hanging naturally at his side.

It was a warm current, a sliver of...

"HISS..." Rong Taotao suddenly sucked in a sharp breath. He had been enjoying the faint, warm sensation, but as the current passed his left wrist, it suddenly, inexplicably, turned violent!

Rong Taotao’s eyes flew wide open. It felt as if his left wrist was about to explode, accompanied by an intense sensation of swelling and pain.

Expanding... expanding... and expanding again!

The once-docile Soul Power had transformed into a raging barbarian, rampaging wantonly within Rong Taotao’s left wrist, constantly expanding its territory, until... until...

A small, ethereal Vortex emerged from Rong Taotao’s wrist.

In less than twenty seconds, a sheen of cold sweat had already appeared on Rong Taotao’s forehead. The extreme, swelling pain finally subsided, and the warm current became docile once more, flowing through his body on its own.

"Hm?" As this wisp of Soul Power surged, the soldier in front of Rong Taotao’s eyes lit up!

The profession of a Soul Guide was a delicate one. The finesse of their "work" was in no way inferior to that of a master artisan.

As pioneers, the soldiers would guide Soul Power into the students’ bodies, attempting to lead them to their awakening, but they would never "force" an awakening!

He was only responsible for guiding, for protecting the student’s body, and for continuously providing the impetus for this wisp of Soul Power to advance. But the soldier must never dictate the direction this wisp of Soul Power travels!

Countless experiments had shown that every Soul Martial Artist has specific locations where their Soul Slots will open. Human intervention, attempting to forcibly open a Soul Slot somewhere, would only be counterproductive. The Awakened might even pay a terrible price.

Currently, there were 14 possible locations on the human body where Soul Slots could be opened: the forehead, both eyes, the chest, both shoulders, both elbows, both wrists, both knees, and both ankles.

And the Soul Slots in each location could only be embedded with specific types of Soul Skills!

For example, the Soul Slot on the chest. Most full-body defensive Soul Skills could only be embedded there. This was the exclusive Soul Slot location for this type of Soul Skill; they simply couldn’t be embedded anywhere else!

You had to understand, after most people awakened, their Soul Slots usually opened on their wrists, ankles, shoulders, or knees.

After all, the vast majority of people could only awaken one to four Soul Slots.

Among the 14 possible Soul Slot locations on the body, the most difficult to open was the one on the forehead, followed by the eyes, and then the chest.

And at this moment, the soldier’s eyes lit up precisely because of what had just happened!

Originally, the soldier had followed standard procedure, covering Rong Taotao’s entire body with a thin layer of Soul Power. After waiting a moment, he had only felt the Soul Power drill into Rong Taotao’s fingertips.

At the time, the soldier hadn’t thought it was anything special. After all, when most people awakened, the Soul Power would first enter the body through the hands or feet.

But now, after the first Soul Slot on Rong Taotao’s left wrist had been opened, this wisp of Soul Power began to flow upward on its own.

The wisp of Soul Power traveled past his elbow, past his shoulder, and crept past his temple, not pausing for an instant as it headed straight for his forehead!

The soldier immediately gave it his full attention, determined to ensure the boy before him could open the Soul Slot on his forehead!

Not only was the forehead Soul Slot the most difficult to open, but its exclusive Soul Skills were also especially terrifying!

The forehead Soul Slot...

...could be embedded with Spiritual Type and mental-type Soul Skills!