Volume One, Chapter Two: The Awakening of the Thousand Blades

Chapter Two

As the morning glow faded, the track and field stadium of Cloudscape City No. 3 High School was filled with students from fifteen senior classes arranged in three orderly columns, whispering among themselves about the events ahead.

At the front of each line stood a sophisticated device. When a student stepped forward, the spirit of their artifact would awaken in resonance with the machine, manifesting as a translucent figure—sometimes humanoid, sometimes a mythical beast. The higher the spirit’s level, the more brilliant its radiance.

Beside each apparatus, a teacher meticulously recorded the data as each student’s spirit awakened.

“Zhao Ming, spirit: Butcher’s Cleaver, awakening successful, Grade E.”

“Qian San, spirit: Repeating Crossbow, awakening successful, Grade E.”

“Xiang Wenrui, spirit: Yellow-eyed Red Flower Chicken, awakening failed.”

Meanwhile, Jiang Huan stood quietly in the middle of the line, eyes fixed on a pale blue screen visible only to him.

[Spirit: Thousand Blades (Not Awakened)]

[Quality: Unknown]

[Effect: Unknown]

[Experience: Unknown]

[Affinity: Unknown]

[Refinement Count: 0]

Jiang Huan rested his chin on one hand, murmuring softly, “If the spirit cultivation system is literal, it means raising the spirit as if it were a child.”

“If all this is true, then no matter how weak my awakened spirit is, it could still develop into something remarkable in the future.”

He shifted his thoughts, and the screen before him transformed to reveal another set of data.

[Host: Jiang Huan]

[Level: Zero Rank, Three Stars]

[Experience: 0%]

[Ability: None]

[Martial Skill: None]

[Physique: 5]

With another mental command, the data changed again, showing eighteen sword cases bound by a heavy, rusted iron chain, drifting up and down in endless darkness.

Jiang Huan’s gaze lingered on each sword case, sensing within them varying attitudes—some rebellious, some disdainful, others indifferent.

[Spirit No. 1 scorns you due to your low strength.]

[Spirit No. 2 rolled its eyes at you, lacking the will to dominate.]

...

[Spirit No. 13 is very pleased with your appearance; it attempts a deep dual cultivation with you until death.]

[Spirit No. 18 feels offended by your gaze and tries to break free to tear you limb from limb.]

Jiang Huan was speechless.

“I wonder if this lousy system is even reliable…”

He shifted his thoughts and exited the interface.

A pleasant fragrance wafted over, followed by a sweet voice in his ear.

“Jiang Huan, are you confident?”

He turned to see Liu Zhiyue, the school beauty. Her large eyes held a pure innocence unique to youth, and her flowing black hair, like a waterfall, carried a refreshing fragrance that made one glance twice.

Jiang Huan smiled gently. “Let’s leave it to fate.”

Liu Zhiyue blinked. “So unconfident?”

He shrugged, about to reply when a voice rang out from the front of the line.

“Zhiyue! Come stand in front of me!”

Jiang Huan looked toward the call. It was none other than Fang Jia, the wealthy and entitled son from the neighboring class.

Liu Zhiyue nodded at him, then gently patted Jiang Huan’s shoulder. “Don’t be like that. Trust me, you can do it.”

She hurried forward but suddenly glanced back after a few steps, sticking out her tongue at Jiang Huan. “Don’t tell the teacher I cut in line!”

Her playful gesture stirred something in Jiang Huan.

As she reached Fang Jia, Jiang Huan noticed a look of disdain flicker in Fang Jia’s eyes, as if to say: “Your blade is dull and your horse too thin—what chance do you have against me?”

The spirit awakening continued.

Soon it was Liu Zhiyue’s turn.

The crowd fell silent, all eager to see what kind of spirit the gifted girl of No. 3 High School would awaken.

She raised her hand gently, and a blood-red rose appeared, blooming in her palm.

Her spiritual energy continued to flow; her long hair swayed without wind, and a powerful aura emanated from her spirit.

In an instant, a translucent figure emerged from the crimson rose—a cold-eyed warrior clad in exquisite armor, holding a slender longsword.

“Liu Zhiyue, Grade A Spirit: Rose Sword Attendant! Awakening successful!”

The crowd erupted in astonishment.

Grade A spirits were one in a thousand; Cloudscape City might not even have ten such spirits in total.

Moreover, the Liu family was one of the city’s influential clans. With dedicated cultivation, this Grade A spirit was bound to break through to Grade S, perhaps even SS level one day.

A flicker of envy crossed Jiang Huan’s eyes.

But he quickly composed himself.

No need to envy others—one must forge their own path to the heavens.

The brief commotion died down, replaced by another shout.

“Fang Jia, Grade B Spirit: Serpent Man, awakening successful!”

Though Grade B spirits were less rare than Grade A, they were still prized and scarce within the city.

Spirit masters wielding Grade B spirits often became the backbone of powerful organizations.

Jiang Huan glanced at the testing platform. Fang Jia’s spirit was a large verdant blade, accompanied by a robust, translucent figure—a serpent-headed humanoid, arms crossed, a flickering tongue weaving in and out.

Fang Jia stood before the serpent figure, a smug grin plastered across his face.

“Unfair! That brat Fang Jia’s never studied properly. Why does he get a Grade B spirit?”

“Exactly, he skips martial arts class and naps through theory. It’s just not fair.”

“Stop complaining. He’s rich; maybe he hires private tutors at home. We rely on fate; he relies on money. Even if he didn’t have a spirit, his father could buy one for him…”

The line moved slowly forward until finally, it was Jiang Huan’s turn.

Following the teacher’s instructions, Jiang Huan materialized his broken sword and placed it into the device, steadily channeling his spiritual energy.

He could clearly feel a vast spiritual power within the device resonating with him, trying to awaken his broken blade.

“Who’s that guy? Does anyone know? Why is his awakening different from ours?”

“From past experience, spirits that can’t awaken don’t emit light. Only those that glow can awaken. What’s going on with him?”

“Maybe the device is malfunctioning?”

Jiang Huan’s broken sword flickered dimly, almost fading, only to flare up again with a faint glow.

The teacher beside him frowned, pondering whether to halt Jiang Huan and check the machine.

Jiang Huan’s own brow furrowed deeply—not from doubt but from the system voice echoing in his mind.

[Detected host awakening spirit. Task complete. “Thousand Blades” experience +10, affinity +1.]

[Reward to host ability: Mutual Progress. When the spirit completes tasks or defeats opponents, the host and spirit gain experience together.]

[Reward to host martial skill: Concealment. Holding breath and focusing, the host’s movements become unexpectedly elusive.]

[Reward: One guaranteed full awakening opportunity, automatically applied to the spirit “Thousand Blades.”]

[Spirit “Thousand Blades” is awakening. Please wait…]

In an instant, the device burst forth with light, drawing all eyes to Jiang Huan.