Announcementspan>
A/N: I believe the st chapter was slightly disjointed and introduced a lot of information. This chapter should be very light, I'll be officially showing off the martial souls of Jian and Ling'er, as well as a couple of commoners who will grow into solid support for them in the early years. There are fifty people. I'm not going to show off all of them, but a couple of people have high potential.
To crify from the gods' conversation, the world's will is casually supporting the growth of a new faction of Sage Ascendants to both mediate between the soul masters and soul beasts, as well as to move soul masters away from the demonic methods used to cultivate at present.
The self-created soul skills that Tang San brings SHOULD have brought a new era of testing and learning about meridians and techniques, but since he hoarded his knowledge about meridians and how techniques are made, the revolution never came. Jian is this AU's solution to developing humanity away from the self-destructive path the world was on originally. The idea of spirit souls, while neat, always felt wrong to me. A partnership should be based on mutual benefits, not the sacrifice and use of one party. I've got PLANS for this, but I'll leave it for the spoiler and for future reading
Spoilerspan>So the pns I have, which is still rooted in cannon mind you, is that eventually the Morrigan is going to read further in the fate-that-was and see that people were justifying sughter with the whole 'well we're actually partners but without this method they wouldn't respect us', and blows up again. She'll then leave hints around Old Jian for Jian to find while he's observing through the dream tunnel.
First off, Jian's idea outlined in the st chapter is going to work. With drawbacks. His first ring is going to be white at the start, because it's untouched by will. My general idea is as follows:
White rings are totally untouched by the psy or aura of a soul beast, as it's complete instinct. There's little difference between a soul master's breakthrough talent and a white ring.
Yellow is where soul beasts start gaining awareness and ideas to start ciming territory, however small. This remnant will, or aura, Increases the potency of the ring.
Purple is where soul beasts start developing a cn, and the remnant will is unwilling to part from their cn. The extra aura increases the potency.
Bck is where true sentience starts, and the increases psy stimutes an increase in aura, which adds potency to a harvested soul ring.
Red is where sapience begins, and harvesting a sapient soul causes the soul beast to be fully aware after death. Their will can help or hinder the soul master, as they know how to use it.
Orange is where demonic ascension begins, and the fact that soul beasts are suppressed while soul masters using demonic methods aren't shows how out of whack the ws of judgement are in this world.
Gold is post-ascension, and represents the infusion of Laws into abilities.
Crystal occurs when a being has reached a point where they have outcssed their world in terms of w development, and they are now the highest arbiter of local w, and can affect it to the point where mortals will follow the ws set down subconsciously.
Back to evolving the white rings. Jian will need to temper his awakened talent with sources of simir attributes, and the best way to do this is to seek aid from soul beasts. He could hunt them and infuse their ring into his to age it, as all soul masters do, he could refine more materials as he will do to break the first bottleneck, with each talent representing a quality or material that is part of the martial soul. This soul refinement also works to help evolve martial souls. Lastly, he could work with soul beasts, and both help them grow, and they could help him develop his talents once he could spar with them in a mental pne.
The general idea is, all soul masters can grow their rings by exercising them. However, if you use a beast's aura (will) instead of your own, you could certainly control its will with your psy, provided you could overcome it (soul shock), but it won't work with you until refine away the foreign will and suppnt it with your own. It becomes little more than a sword in your hands: useful, but static. This will be expined ter once Jian gets to that point, but for now it gets to sit in theory nd. The growth by training with soul beasts will become relevant ter in the story, the quality refinement method will become relevant in the next few chapters as we dive in to him testing his cultivation theories.
[colpse]
Hao began his speech as he had every year, just more refined than when he had been seven and a stuttering wreck.
"Welcome, citizens of West Lu, and recent immigrants to our city. You're all here because you either know how this works, or you were recommended to come here for the yearly awakening by a neighbor. In the rest of the empire, the Spirit Hall is in charge of awakening citizens, but here we do things a bit different. Every child in the city will either go on to become a soul master, however they decide to live their lives, but most people don't have the luxury of being born with soul power. It's unfortunate, but a fact nonetheless. In West Lu, we focus more on professions than many other cities due to the high trade through the port. As a result, many craftsmen live here to try to build a good life for their families. All seven of the ruling families in this city started this way. My own Lu family began as humble innkeepers, with our staves used to knock some sense into people when they got too rowdy." He began, pausing to allow for some chuckles at his well-known joke, "If you have soul power, you will be given admission to the academy of your choice within the city, where older citizens can and will impart their knowledge in not just growing as a soul master, but also in one of the trades avaible in the city. In return for the education, we require that you spend five years working for the trade guild associated with the academy you learn at. It's very simir to the work-study programs throughout the empire, but we've found that working and learning together adds many distractions, so we allow you to work it off after. The guild will subsidize your living expenses during your primary academy days, so have no fear on that account.
If you show enough talent, you'll be recommended to the West Lu Advanced Academy to further your skills, and have a chance to shine in the Continental Tournament. The cutoff is to reach level 20 by the time you graduate in six years, so that we have time to prepare you. Level 25 is preferred to attend the conference, as most competitors will be Soul Elders or Soul Ancestors. Your subsidies will be deferred until you graduate from the advanced academy, but you'll be expected to ply your trade if you're not competing.
Finally, for those who don't show any soul power, you'll be allowed to apply to any of the guilds to start learning the profession more seriously than your soul master counterparts. A ck of soul power is not the end of the world. You will be weaker, yes, but you can still strive to leave your mark on history by developing your talents within your profession. Better skills means more money, and with more money means you can have better quality food for your descendants to improve their chances of awakening.
To start us off, my son and adopted daughter will go first, and then they'll help you awaken your martial souls. Have no fear, your Innate soul power comes from within you, and this will not affect your chances. My Lu family has followed this tradition for thousands of years to help build bonds between the members of the new generation."
Hao finished his speech, and waved for Jian and Ling'er to approach the altar. They did so, with growing apprehension. While his father had just said that having no soul power wasn't the end, it would severely impact his future, and his goal to try to reduce the need for hunting to grow stronger. Ling'er was also nervous, but mainly that she would be able to break the curse on her family. She knew something had changed that day she woke up with the Lu family, but she didn't know what.
Jian took a deep breath, steeling himself for the awakening. His father gave him a soft smile, and summoned his staff. The five rings, two yellow, two purple, and one bck flowed out of his core and along the weapon, growing upwards like a tree might. At the sight of a formidable Soul King, everyone slightly straightened their posture, realizing that if he was serious, no one in the room would be his enemy. They had heard whispers that the Lu family patriarch was a Soul Sage, nearly a Soul Duoluo, but to see that his successor was nearly there himself so young, everyone marveled at the depths of this family.
Jian stepped forwards within the awakening formation on the altar, and his father pced his staff in front of him, and began channeling soul power into it. Jian's first experience with soul power was warmth, combined with something within himself blooming like a Moonflower under the lunar radiance. He felt the energy from his feet, coursing into his core, and then finally traveling down his arm. When he opened his right hand, he opened his eyes and saw that instead of the staff he was expecting, a campfire was floating above his open palm. He was surprised at this development, but thinking on it further, it made sense. His family had created a branch family a few hundred years ago by marrying a daughter of the Xiao family, with their Cauldron Martial Soul being passed down instead of the Elder Staff. His mother was from that branch family, and so he was expecting either a staff or a cauldron. It seemed that his own martial soul seemed to be some bizarre fusion of the two, with a small campfire surrounded by metallic stones being the result.
Hao was surprised, and a little disappointed to see that his son hadn't awakened the elder staff, but didn't make a scene out of it. He was sure that it would be fine, as his mother was no slouch with her Boiling Cauldron, and he took after his mother more anyway. Maybe little Chunri would awaken the staff instead in a few years. He had been working with his son, training him in the fundamentals of staff arts since he returned from his hunt, and while it initially seemed that the lessons would go to waste, he realized that adding a Mortal weapon wasn't a big problem. The campfire was likely a support/attack hybrid, and having a backup to deal non-lethal blows would only be a plus.
Jian saw that his father was concerned and rambling in his head, and coughed lightly to shake him out of it. Hao startled slightly, and then nodded in thanks. "Well done, son, now it's time to test your soul power. Step off the altar and pce your hand on the orb."
Jian followed his father's instructions, stepping off the altar and towards the orb held on the top of a pilr to the side. The orb was made of different colored gss yered on top of each other, and so the color would determine the soul power level. After pcing his hand on it, the blossoming energy lit up brightly, before settling into a calm, light purple glow. He looked to his father for an expnation, and wasn't disappointed. "Level 7 soul power! Looks like you'll have an easy time going forwards! Step to the side, and let's get Ling'er done. Pay close attention, as you'll be leading this afterwards, and I'll be here for support."
Jian nodded and stepped aside, looking at the short girl who had quickly become his best friend.
Lingling was excited for Jian, as the campfire seemed to be a signal that maybe she might be able to escape her family's fate after all. The warmth she felt from the fire it let off was just as soothing to her as Jian's little half-smiles that he sent her way when he indulged her in her more willful behavior. She gathered her courage, cmped down on her turbulent emotions, and approached the awakening ptform. She was facing away from the audience, which was crucial if she awakened her family's eye-catching martial soul. Jian sent her a soft half-smile, signaling that everything would be alright.
After she entered the formation, Hao sent his soul power into it, and warmth flowed into her. She felt everything get sucked into her core, and then a cool energy flowed into every part of her body. When she felt the energy glow into her body, and not her hand, she was surprised, and then ecstatic. She had escaped the family curse!
Hao was surprised when he saw the little girl who had quickly become like another daughter to him get possessed by a beast soul. Her hair turned from oaken brown to a deep leaf green, and her skin darkened to the color of her hair, gaining a bark-like texture. On the top of her head, a ring of apple flowers blossomed, making her look like a queen from the forest come down to grace the commoners with her presence. It seemed that his wife was right again, and it was a martial soul mutation. Whether it was brought on by the trauma, the medicine, or the deaths of her family, he'd never know. The Nine-Heart Flowering Apple was a strange soul to begin with. He ushered her over to the orb, and let her test her soul power. Seeing it settle down to a vibrant red-orange glow, he nodded to himself.
"Level 6 soul power, just a little behind Jian. Looks like the two of you will keep matching going forwards." Hao said with a chuckle.
Ling'er was excited, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears of happiness at escaping her fate. She kept her face composed, but still accepted the hug of congratutions from Jian as she made her way over to him. Hao followed them, waiting until they calmed down to say "Alright, now that you're Soul Schors, you can operate the formation. The key is the circle that I stand in. You should be able to feel and move the soul power that you now can access, just prod it to move to the soles of your feet, and the formation will do the rest. If you get tired, just slow down the process to give yourself some time to rest. I'll supervise the first two in order to prevent accidents"
Jian and Ling'er, now both calmed down a bit, nodded to Hao, and Jian went to stand where his father had. He motioned for the first child in line, a slightly chubby boy with sandy blonde hair and Grey eyes, to approach, and let him into the formation as his father had done for him. Once the boy was settled, he reached into his core with his mind, and felt the blossoming energy he had sensed earlier. He directed it down his legs and towards the soles of his feet. It took a few tries to get it right, but after feeling it earlier, it was retively simple to do. He saw the golden light begin to surround the boy, and when he opened his right hand, a small berry appeared, which looked like a juniper berry at first gnce. He made a note of the child's name, Bao Cheng, and ushered him over to the testing orb. It lit up with light orange, indicating level 4 soul power. That didn't deter Jian one bit, as this kid could definitely become a key member of his team with some guidance. He told Cheng to stay behind, and motioned to his father to recruit him into the academy he was going to.
Hao was surprised, but suppressed his curiosity for now. His son must have seen something more in this juniper berry boy, and he wasn't going to spoil his son's games for now.
The awakenings continued without much to note. About 1 in 10 became soul masters, but they were all guided with their families towards the guilds and the representatives from the associated academies. Bao Cheng went to the Hospitality Guild, and got a much better deal than most as an investment, with a note that his son wanted to talk to him after the ceremony to discuss something.
Finally, the st child arrived. It was a small girl with bck hair and blue eyes, who looked like she would blow over from a stiff breeze, but she held herself with a stubbornness that was rare. Jian noted that she seemed to be an orphan, and was surprised that she wasn't picked up by the thieves guild yet. Something deep inside told him that she was important, and Jian decided to trust that feeling. It had been a while since he recieved guidance, but st time it brought Ling'er to him, and now it seemed this girl needed his help to grow into someone he could depend on in the future. As she awakened her martial soul, he was shocked to see Blue-Silver grass, but looking closer he noticed that there were silvery star patterns on the leaves, that looked like the star vine soul beast. He instantly made the connection, she must be a hybrid like himself.
While the base pnt would be written off by most, the guidance and the slight kinship he felt at seeing another 'fusion' martial soul made him make the same hand motion as before to his father.
Lan Xing, opening her eyes, saw blue silver grass in her palm and felt despair. She had been on her own for most of her life, only having some vague feelings of care and purple eyes looking at her with exhaustion and love giving her some idea as to how she was left alone in the world. The orphanage wasn't great to grow up in, as the boys picked on her and her stubborn streak for doing the right thing hadn't made her any friends among the girls. She had seen the theives guild take in some of them as they grew older, relying on stealing from traveling merchants to make some money, and had vehemently denied getting involved with them. She had so little, and even if the merchants had plenty, she had a keen sense of empathy that just wouldn't allow her to take without payment. She had hoped that by awakening a good martial soul she could become a soul master and rise above her past, but the blue-silver grass in her hand seemed to mock her silently, as if saying "you poor, naive girl".
She almost missed when the count's son lead her over to the measuring orb. She wanted to protest, as seeing the orb fail to glow might hit her with too much reality, but she complied anyway. No sense in getting herself in trouble by making a fuss at the end of the ceremony. Huffing, she pced her hand on the orb, turning back to him as if to say "Happy, now? I get it, I'm a waste", but when she saw him look at her with delight and amusement, she was surprised.
Jian motioned to the stubborn girl to look at the orb she was touching. A soft, white-yellow glow was coming from the orb. Level 2 soul power. It wasn't much, but Jian had long since decided to trust his findings. It was better to find people who could be loyal, and then cultivate power. All the strength in the world didn't make a white-eyed wolf see clearly. He nodded to himself, this girl was stubborn, and if she wasn't involved with the guild, then she was probably stubborn about justice too. He could work with that. He asked her to stay behind, as he had something to discuss with her. He would take her for enrollment personally.
As Jian left to go close the ceremony with a small speech, Lan Xing was still in shock over what had just happened. She had soul power. She could cultivate. She didn't know what this noble kid wanted with her, but he said he would take her to enroll personally, so that seemed like a step towards her goal. The system they had here sounded good. The kids get to learn, the guilds get reliable employees, everyone profits. She was still in shock when she saw the first kid that got awakened come over to join her.
"Hey, I'm Bao Cheng, are you here to see the little lord too?" Cheng asked the waif-like girl who was waiting to the side of the stage where he had been asked to go to earlier.
Xing'er snapped out of her shock at the sound of another voice, and then repyed the st few moments in her head when she saw the boy looking at her expectantly. "Yeah, he asked me to stay back and said he'd help me apply once he closed the ceremony." She replied, feeling slightly awkward.
Cheng nodded at that, it seemed the little lord was gathering people. For what, he had no idea, but with a couple of average talents like them, he didn't even get close to the true answer.
Jian brought Ling'er over to Cheng and Xing'er after he gave his closing speech, excited about making some friends and, hopefully, decent comrades for the future. He motioned for the two kids to follow him, and led them to a small office outside of the Awakening room. At the back of the room was a bookshelf, followed by a rge oaken desk, and finally, a table bordered by a couple of cozy deerskin couches. He motioned for the two of them to sit on one couch, while he led Ling'er to the other.
"Now," Jian began, looking at the confused and questioning looks of the two kids in front of him. "I've been fairly isoted most of my life, and while I'm excited to go to the academy with everyone, I'm a bit out of my depth. I was keeping an eye out for talents that other people might overlook, but gave me a solid feeling to start trying to recruit for a small team to try to get into the advanced academy, and maybe the continental competition. I know that's years away, but building teamwork starts early and I'd like to start at the beginning.
Cheng, I asked you to stay because food-type soul masters are rare, and your juniper berry martial soul leans in a good direction to become the foundation for a good family or business in the future. The purifying and defense properties of the berry are great for quite a few things, and I'd like such a solid soul master on my team. Xing'er, while your soul power is very low, your mutation implies that you could go far, and I'd like to invest in you to see what you can be capable of with a solid foundation.
I know this is a lot to ask, and you might be right to worry about cultivation speed, but I'd like to hear your thoughts first."
Cheng looked at the little lord thoughtfully, he didn't know much about his martial soul. Neither of his parents had soul power, but they were brewers and they had moved here to ply their trade with the local inns. When he heard that the nobles were awakening martial souls, both him and his parents were very skeptical, but decided to take a look and read everything before agreeing. They didn't have any foundation here, and if worst came to worst, they'd move down to Vast Sea City. From what he'd heard at the awakening ceremony, this city might be a great pce to put down roots. He got to train so he could support his family, and he also got guaranteed work at the guild to make some connections. While there wasn't a Brewer's guild yet, there was the Hospitality Guild that could help him build connections to customers. The little lord's investment just took away some of the overhead fees, and if he could go far as a soul master first, he could make an even more solid foundation for his family here.
Xing'er, on the other hand, was dumbstruck by the revetion. She had only seen the blue-silver grass, and she didn't notice anything strange about it. She impulsively summoned her martial soul, and everyone present saw the star patterns along the leaves, marking hers as something new and unique. She went back to being shocked, and looked over at the count's son with hope in her eyes. She wanted to rise above the orphanage, and carve out a life for her self that was more than just the scrawny kid with faith in justice.
Cheng and Xing'er both agreed to join his team, but they were concerned that they couldn't keep up with the two of them with their low talent. When they expressed that, Jian looked startled before he chuckled a little. The two of them looked outraged for a moment before Jian composed himself and waved them off to give him a moment to expin.
"I've had access to a library for most of my life, and I have these dreams every night of another world beyond the stars where the gods are a little more responsive than the Angel God is here. I've been researching cultivation since I could understand what books were, and I've got some ideas for that. To put it simply, talent as we know it is just how much energy you were able to passively accumute as you grew up. Nobility like myself has a leg up on this, as we can afford better food. If that kind of talent meant everything, then why are there so few titled duoluos?" Jian posed them a question instead of directly answering, as he wanted to see how far these two would go.
Cheng and Xing'er were both looking at him in disbelief of his cims, but soon ignored that in favor of thinking about his question. They both came to the same conclusion - either they died young or their growth was slow regardless of their starting point. They looked at each other, nodded, before reying that to him. Ling'er and Jian nodded as they heard their observations, happy that they had reached the same point they did.
Jian continued his expnation, "In that case, talent is likely something else, and from what I've put together I believe there are seven energy centers throughout the body, with three of them being rger than the others. Since that makes a set of ten, that means we have enough pces to concentrate on one of these nodes at every ten levels. Now imagine that your first node is totally clear, and it could gather ten levels of energy as you grew up. I believe that is what is called 'Innate full soul power'. The rest of us have to clear some gunk out of our first node to make room for the energy. What I believe everyone does instead is to use this partially blocked node and force ten levels of energy into it. It will surely work, but wouldn't it be easier to just clear out the rubble?"
Xing'er nodded slowly, but then asked, "Wait, but doesn't that mean everyone could cultivate if they cleared out this first node?"
Jian nodded at her, pleased that she made the leap. "Yes, I believe everyone could. But let me ask you this: Suppose you need to clear out a cave that's full of dirt with a spoon. If the cave is open, you can do it, but if the cave is blocked by stone, how would you open it with just that spoon?"
Cheng nodded at that, finally understanding. Awakening found those who had open caves to clear, so to speak, and gave them a spoon to dig with. Some people got shovels instead of spoons, but everyone could make progress. He then realized the implications of what they were talking about. "Doesn't that mean that while there may be some hurdles in the early stages, once we clear out our first energy nodes, we'll be cultivating as fast as the greatest geniuses?"
Jian smiled at the boy, happy he had found the problem. Owning too big a treasure was a sin, and this had the potential to be a huge treasure. "You're right, this could be a problem if this got out, but I believe that by approaching this differently, we'll have our own problems. That's not even the biggest secret. I'll wait until I have results to share it, but I believe that by clearing the nodes like this, we might be able to create our own Soul Rings. If beasts can do it, I don't believe that we can't. We're just beasts with tools at the end of the day, and I've got an idea to try once I reach level ten."
Cheng and Xing'er both looked at him, mouths agape. If this worked, it would shock the whole world. They were both very gd they had been allowed in at the early stages, and were hopeful that he could do what he said he could.
They continued chatting, with Jian giving them both the method of clearing the first energy center to practice with as they were leaving. Cheng met up with his parents and agreed to join their team, and Xing'er went back to the orphanage to pack up and move into the Hospitality Guild academy. She saw that most people who saw her martial soul from a distance didn't have high hopes for her, but after the discussion with the count's son, she held a quiet confidence in her heart that everything would work out now.
Back in the heavens of Terra, the four gods saw the end of the meeting and had a happy smile on their faces. Hestia was excited that her champion was gathering trustworthy allies. Loki was moping about the little snake girl, and trying his best to nudge that stubborn family north, away from that grave-water the man found in the fate-that-was. Brighid was happy that the sapling was finally blossoming, and ready to walk her path, and the Morrigan nodded her head when she saw the martial soul that she awakened. It was regal, befitting a future ruler. She was slightly unimpressed by Hestia's champion's soul, but she recognized that it could grow into a proper hearth, especially with the strong connection Hestia had to him. Faith flowed both ways, after all, and prayer led one to have their soul cleansed by minute traces of their patron God's power.
"Well, now things are really shaping up. I'm gd that the little star girl joined them. It was a close thing, mainly stemming from his initial reaction, and hers" Hestia said excitedly, "I hope she keeps that sense of justice, it would serve her well to develop in that direction."
Loki nodded at that. "Yes, Judgement is a very tricky concept, but very important to maintain stability of a pantheon. If she manages to develop her beliefs into a concept, she'll be a major boon to the group."
"Now if only that snake girl could find her way there. I seriously can't believe the audacity of that killer posing as a judgement god. If we all had the audacity to act as btantly as he does, the world would erupt into chaos." He continued, grumbling about having to untangle fate I a way that wouldn't be noticed. It wouldn't do to have these things discovered by those gods, which is why they couldn't touch the rabbit or the blue-silver dy who were doomed to die as the killing God's pawns. There might be a chance ter, especially with the little star in the picture.
Back on Douluo, Jian and Ling'er were preparing a room for Xing'er. With her moving out of the orphanage, she would need a pce to stay while not at school, and Ling'er had taken a liking to the girl. They made arrangements for her to work at the inn with them, so she would have a way to work as she grew up and didn't have to rely on their goodwill. It was their way of making her feel part of the team. Cheng's family had already made a deal with their mead, so they just made it easier for them to fit in, but Xing'er needed a stable foundation to work from, and having her work for it meant she would value it. While Ling'er set up the room, Jian watched from the side with his little sister asleep in his arms.
Chunri was a vivacious child, very different from the calm regal nature Jian had shown early on. She brightened up the room with her presence, but it was also very tiring making sure that her rowdy behavior didn't get her hurt. They were all looking forwards to when she could understand them and they could expin that she needed to control her energy so she didn't get into trouble she couldn't handle, but for now they were all happy to see how carefree she was.
As Lingling was working, she had her eyes narrowed in thought. Despite her outward acceptance of Xing'er, she felt a strange uneasy feeling in her stomach, like she should be careful of the girl. She didn't quite understand what that feeling was, and there was no logical reason to keep her and Jian separate, so she decided that ter she would have to ask her adoptive mother about what was going on. Hopefully it would be something silly like remembering the lower css in the capital where they could easily take advantage of kindness. She had seen first hand that things were different in the north, so maybe it was just old instincts fring up.
Hao and Xia were both celebrating. As spirit kings, they had long discovered that Jian was trying to make a better cultivation system from both the books he read and the notes he added from his dreams. They were convinced that he just did a lot more thinking in his sleep than most people, and was just working it out like they would work out a new recipe in their heads. They decided to let him be and see if it worked out. If it did, great. If it didn't, he'd be learning the normal way at the academy and there was no real loss. They had family methods for their martial souls, but with this new hybrid appearing, it would likely cause problems. They had expined as much to him when he asked, but they still gave them to him when he asked so he could work on his little project. It was how their family created new techniques, after all, by looking at the old and fiddling with it until they made one suitable for their soul.
There were six months left until the schools admitted a new css. They awakened the children of the city early both to make sure they were prepared for the academy, but also so that the talented citizens could work with the guilds to get settled. It was in everyone's best interest to work together to allocate more resources to a family while they had time, rather than trying to rush it all at once. This time would be spent by the guilds giving out basic cultivation techniques to the children, allowing them to build up some rapport before they left, so that when they came to the guild to learn their profession they knew who to talk to and where to go. No sense in letting them all scramble on their first day, that kind of chaos impacted business, and nobody wanted that.
The night passed quickly, and Jian woke up excited to begin trying his theories. His parents had confirmed that the method he passed out earlier could absorb soul power, but they had already compacted their foundation, and didn't see any additional benefits. He was privately sure it would help in the long run, but he would have to see if the cleansing of the root chakra would work as he designed it to. He had six months to practice, and he wanted to reach level ten by the time he got to the academy so he could work on repcing soul rings early on. He was certain that this was the path forwards, but that didn't mean there wouldn't be some pitfalls in the road that he couldn't see yet. He sent a quick prayer of thanks to his patron Goddess, and prepared for the hard work to come.