Chapter 3

The next morning.

Rong Taotao, dressed in a blue and white school uniform, stood at the entrance of Xindanxi No. 1 Middle School.

Today was the junior high school graduation ceremony. The school gate was bustling with people, mostly parents accompanying their children.

It wasn't that the students needed to be escorted by their parents, but today was a particularly special day. The graduation ceremony was one aspect, but more importantly, it was the Awakening Ceremony.

Whether a child could awaken their soul slots and become a Soul Warrior would determine their future path.

After extensive exploration and experimentation, countries around the world discovered that humans between the ages of 15 and 16 were the most likely to awaken and become Soul Warriors.

Historical data from Huaxia showed that around 16 years old, children had a 50% chance of awakening their soul slots when influenced by external forces. This meant that out of the 1,000 students graduating from the third year of junior high at Xindanxi No. 1 Middle School, about 500 would successfully awaken.

If the process of guiding a child to become a Soul Warrior was done too early or too late, not only would the awakening rate drop significantly, but it could also cause irreparable damage to the child's body.

The number of soul slots a student could awaken was not fixed. The number of soul slots was almost equivalent to a person's talent.

Generally, children could awaken 1 to 4 soul slots.

If you could awaken 5 soul slots, congratulations, your talent surpasses the norm, and you would definitely be a key focus of the school.

If you could awaken 6 soul slots, your family's ancestors might be smiling in their graves...

In Huaxia, with about 15 million junior high school graduates each year, only about 300 could awaken 6 soul slots. What were the odds?

If you could awaken 7 soul slots... well, let's not even go there.

Worldwide, those who could awaken 7 soul slots were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, probably countable on one hand.

Of course, the initial number of awakened soul slots only represented your talent and did not determine your entire life.

In most cases, Soul Warriors could, through rigorous training, increase and open 1 to 3 additional soul slots beyond their initial number.

As for how many more they could open, that was a matter of fate.

"Remember, once you feel the soul power, don't give up!" A stern female voice came from beside him.

Rong Taotao was startled and turned to see a middle-aged woman lecturing a girl: "As long as the Awakening Ceremony continues, you mustn't stop. Try to absorb as much soul power as possible, letting it repeatedly impact your body..."

Rong Taotao, seeing the girl's distracted expression, buried his envy deep in his heart and walked toward the school gate.

On the way, he heard various parents giving their children all sorts of instructions, occasionally accompanied by the children's retorts:

"You, pay attention! This is the moment that will decide your fate! Your mother and I are both Soul Warriors. If you can't awaken, where will I have the face to go?"

"Okay, okay, I know..."

"Son! Don't be nervous! It doesn't matter whether you succeed or not! You will always be Mom's good boy!!!"

Rong Taotao, with his naturally curly hair, hands in his pockets, slowly walked into the school gate.

Ha, hands in pockets, I don't care about anyone.

Well, no one cares about me either...

On the vast green field, Rong Taotao easily found his class's formation position. The school had rehearsed countless times for this graduation ceremony.

Rong Taotao plopped down on the grass, certain that this was his spot. Around him, students were whispering:

"Hey, did you hear? Someone from Songjiang Soul Warrior University's admissions office is here."

"University? Why would a university come to a junior high school? Shouldn't it be the Soul Warrior High School's admissions office?"

"Who knows, I just heard it."

"Songjiang Soul Warrior University doesn't have an affiliated middle school... Could they be here for that guy?"

"Oh, right, now I get it. They must be here for Rong... um..."

Rong Taotao, sitting cross-legged on the ground, elbows on his knees, and hands supporting his cheeks, stared blankly at the green grass, ignoring the whispers around him.

He was used to being the subject of gossip. Of course, he wasn't particularly outstanding or had any notable achievements. Everything boiled down to that prominent name—Xu Fenghua's son.

To be honest, Rong Taotao was already used to tuning out others' words. If he had listened carefully just now, he might have been curious enough to ask.

At 8:30 AM, the graduation ceremony finally began.

After a series of tedious procedures, the students finally made it to the end. On the stage, the principal, holding a speech manuscript and pushing up his thick glasses, began the final segment of the ceremony.

Like most students, Rong Taotao let the words go in one ear and out the other. The students, originally full of anticipation and energy, were almost put to sleep by the principal's monologue.

After some time, Rong Taotao, who had been lost in thought, was awakened by a loud and enthusiastic applause. Not knowing what had happened, he quickly joined in the clapping.

Looking up, Rong Taotao saw that the principal had finished speaking and was waving to the audience. He clapped even louder...

After the principal took his seat, a man in military uniform was guided to the microphone by the host.

The vast green field quickly fell silent.

"Attention, all students!"

The man's voice was powerful, and the students became even more alert.

The man in 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, so please listen carefully!"

"First!" The man raised a finger. "For 50% of the students on the field, the upcoming awakening process will cause some discomfort.

For those who can awaken, I have nothing to add; just follow the guidance.

For those who cannot awaken, the process of guiding soul power into your bodies and impacting your bloodlines will have some effects on your bodies."

The green field remained silent. The man's expression was extremely serious as he said, "Please trust us. Our team is composed of professional soul-guiding warriors who have undergone strict training and multiple evaluations.

We guarantee that we will ensure your safety. Those who cannot awaken and experience discomfort from the soul power impacting their bloodlines will recover within 1 to 2 days, with no lasting side effects."

As the man spoke, soldiers began to emerge from behind the stage, and the once-quiet green field became subtly agitated.

"Quiet!" The man's voice rose, maintaining order. "If our soul-guiding warriors determine that you cannot awaken soul slots or that you have reached your body's limit, they will forcibly stop the awakening process and lead you away from the field. Please cooperate and do not make any extreme actions."

"Let me emphasize one last time! Disrupting the Awakening Ceremony is a serious offense! Whether you are a parent or a student, please remain calm."

As he finished speaking, a tall soldier stood in front of Rong Taotao.

Rong Taotao looked up at the soldier's face, which was solemn and reassuring.

The vast green field was extremely quiet because... a soldier stood in front of each graduating student.

Due to the large number of people, the soldiers had to maintain a certain distance, so some students had to stand outside the plastic track, almost reaching the small forest...

No wonder the city's junior high schools had to hold their graduation ceremonies on different dates. If they all happened on the same day, how many warriors would be needed?

Ordinary Soul Warriors wouldn't do; these soldiers were specially trained soul-guiders.

"All students! Attention!"

Rong Taotao quickly stood at attention, but the soldier in front of him sat cross-legged.

Rong Taotao looked down at the soldier, only seeing the brim of his training cap.

"All students! Begin!"

Rong Taotao pursed his lips. Before the ceremony, the school had shown the students several videos of the Awakening Ceremony, so he was well-prepared.

The soldier in front of him placed his hands on the grass, and a thin stream of soul power was released.

As a soul-guider, the soldier's soul power was completely invisible to the naked eye.

But at that moment, the green field turned into a swaying sea of green!

The grass on the ground, not too long or too short, rippled in waves, eventually creating a "wheat field in the wind" effect from one side of the field to the other, a beautiful sight.

The parents waiting outside the school gate, eagerly watching, took out their phones to capture the beautiful moment, focusing their cameras on their own children.

At that moment, Rong Taotao felt something flowing into his hand.

Yes, it wasn't from the grass under his feet, but from the tip of his left hand, which was hanging naturally.

It was a warm current, a warm...

"Ah..." Rong Taotao suddenly drew in a sharp breath. Initially, he had been enjoying the warm sensation, but as the warm current passed his left wrist, it suddenly became agitated!

Rong Taotao's eyes widened as he felt his left wrist as if it were about to explode, accompanied by extreme swelling and pain.

Expanding... expanding... expanding even more!

The originally gentle soul power suddenly turned into a wild and unruly force, rampaging in Rong Taotao's left wrist, expanding its territory until...

A faint, small vortex appeared on Rong Taotao's wrist.

In less than 20 seconds, a layer of cold sweat appeared on Rong Taotao's forehead. The extreme swelling and pain finally subsided, and the warm current became gentle again, flowing through his body.

"Hmm?" The soldier in front of Rong Taotao's eyes lit up with the movement of the soul power!

Being a soul-guider was a delicate profession, with a level of precision that rivaled that of a master craftsman.

As a pioneer, the soldier would guide the soul power into the students' bodies, attempting to lead them to awaken, but not to "force" them to awaken!

He was responsible for guiding, protecting the students' bodies, and continuously providing the soul power with the energy to move forward, but he could not direct the soul power's path!

Numerous experiments had shown that each Soul Warrior had a specific location for their soul slots. Human intervention to forcibly open a soul slot would be counterproductive and could even result in severe consequences for the awakener.

Currently, there were 14 locations in 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.

Each soul slot could embed a specific type of soul skill!

For example, the soul slot in the chest could only embed defensive soul skills. This was the exclusive slot for such skills, and they could not be embedded in other locations!

Most people, after awakening, had their soul slots open in the wrists, ankles, shoulders, and knees.

After all, most people could only awaken 1 to 4 soul slots.

Among the 14 possible locations for soul slots, the most difficult to open was the forehead, followed by the eyes, and then the chest.

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

Originally, the soldier had followed the standard procedure, covering Rong Taotao's body with a thin layer of soul power. After a moment, he felt the soul power entering through Rong Taotao's fingertips.

At that time, the soldier didn't find anything unusual, as most people's soul power entered their bodies through their hands or feet during the awakening process.

But now, after Rong Taotao's left wrist opened its first soul slot, the soul power continued to flow upward.

The soul power passed the elbow, the shoulder, the temple, and without stopping, headed straight for the forehead!

The soldier immediately became fully alert, determined to ensure that the young man in front of him opened the soul slot on his forehead!

The soul slot on the forehead was not only the most difficult to open, but the soul skills it could embed were particularly formidable!

The forehead soul slot...

Embedded soul skills related to the mind and spirit!