Volume One, Chapter 1: The Artifact Spirit That Could Not Awaken
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Night, Cloudglow City, Year 300 of the Restoration Era.
Dim incandescent lights reflected off the waterlogged concrete road, while the occasional rat darted across the street.
Inside an urban village, on the third floor of a dilapidated residential building, eighteen-year-old Jiang Huan held three sticks of incense in his hands and followed his mother, Su Liuxiang, in paying respects before his father’s memorial tablet.
Before the tablet lay an exquisitely crafted longsword. Though it remained sheathed, one could still sense a faint murderous aura emanating from it.
“Old man, you’ve been missing for ten years now. Who knows whether you’re dead or alive.”
“Tomorrow, your son is going to take part in the citywide Artifact Spirit Awakening Ceremony.”
“Tell your Peerless Sword to resonate with your son. You’re both members of the Jiang family, after all. Whoever contracts with it, what difference does it make?”
“You know better than anyone that awakening as a Spiritmaster is the most important thing in your son’s life. I’m really worried about what kind of artifact spirit he’ll awaken…”
Three hundred years ago, when a farmer brought down his hoe, a thick mist erupted from the earth.
Soon afterward, similar incidents began occurring across the globe. Before long, the entire world was shrouded in fog.
Countless demon beasts never before seen by humankind emerged from the mist and attacked humanity.
In just two years, the global population fell by sixty percent.
Fortunately, humanity found a way to survive amid the crisis. Some people with exceptionally keen senses began awakening artifact spirits.
With the immense power granted by these artifact spirits, humans launched continuous counterattacks against the demon beasts and rebuilt one sanctuary city after another among the ruins.
As the number of Spiritmasters steadily increased, humanity and the demon beasts eventually reached a delicate balance.
Su Liuxiang turned to look at Jiang Huan beside her. Her face was pale, but it could not conceal the beauty of her youth.
“Huan’er, offer incense to your father, then try once more to establish contact with the Peerless Sword.”
Jiang Huan nodded. “Dad, once I awaken my artifact spirit tomorrow, may your spirit in heaven bless—”
Before he could finish, something struck him heavily on the head.
“Say that again! Who told you your father was dead? How many times have I told you? This is a Longevity Tablet, not a Memorial Tablet for the Departed!”
Jiang Huan’s father had disappeared ten years ago. Aside from finding his artifact spirit, the City Patrol Division had uncovered no other clues.
Many people speculated that he had died.
Su Liuxiang, however, had always held firmly to one belief: if he was alive, she would see him; if he was dead, she would see his corpse.
Seeing his mother glaring furiously beside him, Jiang Huan quickly changed his words.
“Dad, I’m taking part in the Artifact Spirit Awakening Ceremony tomorrow. Have a word with the Peerless Sword and ask it to contract with me, would you?”
The incense smoke rose slowly. Under his mother’s expectant gaze, Jiang Huan gradually reached toward the Peerless Sword before the memorial tablet.
A faint blue radiance blossomed from his hand.
After a long while—
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The longsword still showed no reaction whatsoever.
Su Liuxiang let out a sigh. “Still no luck…”
Jiang Huan withdrew his spiritual power helplessly. A trace of shame appeared in his eyes as he looked at his mother.
Su Liuxiang smiled gently. “It’s all right, Huan’er. If you can’t awaken an artifact spirit, then you can’t awaken one. At worst, we’ll work a little harder in the future. As long as we can stay alive, that’s enough.”
After the demon beast invasion, the human world underwent massive changes.
Many occupations could only be filled by Spiritmasters.
Ordinary people who failed to awaken artifact spirits could only take exhausting jobs that paid almost nothing.
Their lives were unbearably bleak.
Suddenly, Su Liuxiang’s legs went limp, and she nearly collapsed.
Fortunately, Jiang Huan caught her in time. “Mom, are you all right?”
Su Liuxiang gave a bitter smile. “It’s the same old problem. You know that. Just help me back to my room so I can rest for a while.”
Five years ago, Jiang Huan’s mother had inexplicably contracted a strange illness. Since then, she had grown extremely frail and often fell asleep without realizing it.
The hospitals could find no cause. The only solution was to take unusually expensive medicine to suppress the condition.
After settling his mother in bed, Jiang Huan was about to return to his room.
Su Liuxiang suddenly grabbed his hand. “Huan’er, I’m not asking you to rise above everyone else. I only hope you won’t put too much pressure on yourself.”
Jiang Huan nodded. He waited until Su Liuxiang had fallen into a deep sleep before quietly tiptoeing back to his room.
Lying on his bed with both hands behind his head and his legs crossed, Jiang Huan stared blankly at the moths fluttering endlessly around the incandescent light.
After a moment, he suddenly reached toward the bulb. A pale blue glow gradually emerged in his palm.
A broken blade covered in rust and blood appeared in his hand.
The broken blade was less than a foot long. Its surface was covered in cracked patterns, as though the slightest additional force would shatter it across the floor like glass.
He secretly circulated the spiritual power within his body, continuously pouring it into the broken blade.
Yet after only a small amount had entered it, the blade could no longer absorb even a trace more.
He could not help sighing. “This artifact spirit still won’t resonate with me. After tomorrow’s awakening ceremony, it looks like I’ll lose my student status…”
For a time, Jiang Huan fell silent.
In this era, every resource was allocated to Spiritmasters first.
Among every ten ordinary people, perhaps three children would possess a companion artifact spirit.
Of those who possessed companion artifact spirits, however, at most half would successfully awaken them.
After the age of eighteen, those who possessed and awakened artifact spirits would become members of the elite.
Those who possessed artifact spirits but failed to awaken them would have to return to an ordinary life.
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Jiang Huan was not distressed because he could not accept the change in status. He was merely troubled.
If he truly became an ordinary person, how would he ever gather enough money for his mother’s expensive medicine?
“If the Peerless Sword were my artifact spirit, at least Mom’s medical expenses wouldn’t be a problem…”
Artifact spirits ranged from F-class to SSS-class, corresponding to Spiritmaster ranks one through nine.
The higher the artifact spirit’s grade, the higher the Spiritmaster’s rank, and the greater the allowances they could receive.
Legend had it that artifact spirits beyond the SSS class existed, but in three hundred years, no one had ever seen one.
The Peerless Sword left behind by Jiang Huan’s father was an A-class artifact spirit.
Even an ordinary person, if they happened to contract with it by some stroke of fortune, could soar to great heights and embark upon the pinnacle of life.
Clearly, however, Jiang Huan was not the person destined to claim that opportunity.
Jiang Huan’s thoughts grew increasingly agitated.
He racked his brain, unable to imagine how he would afford medicine for his mother after becoming an ordinary person.
“Why, why am I not the owner of a high-grade artifact spirit?!”
“Why can I possess an artifact spirit but still be unable to awaken it?!”
“Dad, tell me! What am I supposed to do?!”
[Eligible host detected. The Artifact Spirit Development System is now binding. Please wait…]
A cold mechanical voice suddenly rang beside Jiang Huan’s ear.
Jiang Huan shot upright, his face wary. “Oh my God, did my dad really come back?”
[System binding complete.]
Jiang Huan sprang to his feet and swept his gaze around his cramped room.
“Dad, stop joking around. You’re my real father!”
[Artifact spirit detected within host. Please wait…]
The familiar voice rang out again.
This time, Jiang Huan finally realized that it seemed to be coming from inside his mind.
[Host’s artifact spirit identified as Thousand Blades.]
[Mission triggered. Host is required to participate in the Artifact Spirit Awakening Ceremony. Upon completion, the host will receive a random reward.]
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