8 Sequential Awakening

Superb aptitude, and the spectral sustenance provided by the village varies accordingly.

Ye Lu nodded and whispered, "I understand."

Ye Lu stepped aside, remaining silent, clearing the way for Ghost Scholar and Fate Player, as both of them still needed to undergo their awakening.

The sky grew darker. The night deepened.

The Green Millet in the center, bathed in moonlight, radiated a richer, verdant glow. Its jade-like branches and leaves seemed ethereal. Watching from the back, Ye Lu squinted, his gaze drifting as he suddenly felt a sense of vertigo, failing even to notice the movements of his Uncle He Qi nearby.

The way the tree shadows danced under the moonlight—he felt as if he had seen this scene somewhere before.

In a trance, Ye Lu felt as though he saw a faint lunar veil, and behind it, three shadows. The foremost shadow was the most familiar; it was unmistakably the silhouette of a tree.

"..." A sudden illusion struck Ye Lu, as if he knew what talent he would awaken next. Could it be related to those treasures? At this thought, the smile on Ye Lu's face stiffened.

What were those treasures on the offering table again?

The Stone Master looked at the young man in scholar’s robes who had just stepped forward. He was a newcomer to the village, brought in by young Lu. At the time, He Qi had only mentioned that Great-Uncle agreed to it, without specifying a name, so the Stone Master did not know who he was.

Now, the Stone Master was naturally at a loss for words.

However, Ghost Scholar seemed to peer into the hearts of men. Understanding what the Stone Master wanted to ask, the curve of his lips remained unchanged as he smiled and said, "A-Gui. You can just call me A-Gui; that is how Ye Lu addresses me." His expression was calm, yet he showed no intention of revealing his background.

The Stone Master, however, was misled by Ghost Scholar’s slightly lowered head and calm expression. *This looks like a man with hidden hardships,* he thought. *Indeed, if his parents were still alive or treated him well, he wouldn't have been picked up by young Lu.*

The Stone Master successfully convinced himself.

"A-Gui, look down into the bronze mirror!" the Stone Master signaled.

The mirror's surface remained dark. Ghost Scholar stared into it for a long while without moving. Ye Lu, who had been deep in thought, and Fate Player, who was idling nearby, were the first to notice something amiss—Ghost Scholar’s emotions were off.

*Don't tell me he's thinking about the past again?*

The thought crossed Ye Lu's mind instantly. His fingers twitched subconsciously as he stared fixedly at the calm-faced Ghost Scholar, terrified that he might have another breakdown.

Fortunately, Ghost Scholar still possessed his reason. He showed no signs of losing control; on the contrary, he appeared quite composed. Only Fate Player and Ye Lu, who knew him well, could tell that something was wrong. Even the Stone Master, standing closest to him, detected nothing.

The Stone Master glanced at the mirror and nodded. "Medium grade, Combat type!"

He paused, looking at Ghost Scholar’s physique with some surprise. *This lad is actually Combat type.* The Stone Master gestured again. "Stay still, let me examine your specific talent!"

Pale yellow spectral power manifested once more. Ghost Scholar, now aware of its function, offered no resistance and relaxed his body. The pale yellow power circled him several times, and then, a strand of pale green spectral power emerged begrudgingly. With a sharp "snap," it knocked the pale yellow power blocking its way aside before receding.

"This is... Wind type?" The Stone Master’s expression turned surprised; such a talent was rare. He hesitated, as calling the Wind type a "Combat type" was a bit of a stretch. Its lethality was weaker than other elements, offering only the advantages of heightened hearing and faster information gathering.

It was precisely because of those two points that it was classified under the Combat category.

"Wind type is rare in our parts, though it’s more common in the Ten Thousand Beast Court. If we get the chance to trade with caravans, we can try to exchange for more Wind-type spectral food," the Stone Master suggested.

"Although the Wind type is less lethal, its ability to gather information is excellent. If you can coordinate with others, it’s quite useful," the Stone Master added, fearing the lad might take it the wrong way.

Ghost Scholar accepted this well. His talent was mediocre to begin with. If he were still in his former body, his talent wouldn't have compared to the Daoist or Fate Player. The Wind type and its focus on gathering information were quite similar to his old skills.

"Understood," Ghost Scholar nodded and said.

Afterward, Ghost Scholar dragged the bored and distracted Fate Player forward, signaling for him to proceed.

A look of confusion flickered across Fate Player’s handsome, deep-featured face, but he obeyed obediently.

The Stone Master knew that this lad, whose beauty rivaled even young Lu’s, was different from ordinary folk. His expression softened considerably. He felt that the village owed this boy for the flight from disaster—what if it truly was a lethal calamity? Thinking of this, the Stone Master’s gaze grew even gentler.

"Xi...?" Fate Player tilted his head.

"You're called A-Xi, right? Come, listen to Grandpa, look into the bronze mirror. Don't be afraid; everything inside is fake. Just look carefully—the Bronze Mirror Goddess is watching you!" the Stone Master coaxed.

Fate Player understood. He dutifully lowered his head to look at the mirror. He saw the various spectral creatures, humans, beasts, and ghosts he had killed in his mind—a sea of blood and mountains of corpses, a scene of carnage and soaring resentment. An ordinary person would have been terrified to the point of collapse, but Fate Player’s expression remained unchanged, still as lazy as ever.

His gaze was indifferent, not taking any of it to heart.

Ghost Scholar saw the Stone Master’s expression and glanced at Fate Player. He guessed that the Stone Master had misunderstood, thinking Fate Player was mentally slow, hence the gentle attitude. He never imagined that Fate Player simply didn't care about the lives of the villagers, viewing them as no different from stones by the roadside, which was why he acted so strangely.

Fate Player was a scoundrel without any reverence for life. He wasn't stupid; his mental circuitry was simply different.

*Forget it, this is for the best,* Ghost Scholar thought. *At least Fate Player won't sense malice, and he’ll be obedient. Normal people would indeed think he’s a bit slow.*

"Super grade, Combat type!" Even after the many surprises today, the Stone Master felt a surge of joy upon seeing Fate Player’s talent.

Another Super grade. Though perhaps not as valuable as the Support type, a Combat type could protect the peace of a region. Moreover, this was Super grade—Super grade was different!

The Stone Master’s demeanor toward Fate Player became even warmer. He was now fully convinced of what Ye Lu had said during the village meeting: this boy had extraordinary instincts and perceived danger beyond the average person. *Of course,* he thought, *with a Super grade Combat talent, a top-tier fighting aptitude, isn't it only natural that he would sense danger even before awakening?*

"Don't move, don't move, let me check the talent again," the Stone Master said gently, nodding in satisfaction.

The pale yellow spectral power appeared. Having manifested so many times, it circled Fate Player as usual. Fate Player glanced down at it, sensed no danger, and calmly looked away. The next second, a flash of deep purple lightning struck, shattering the pale yellow power and making it look pathetic and weak.

"Lightning type!" The Stone Master exclaimed in surprise. It was the most powerful Lightning-type talent—a natural nemesis to spectral creatures.

He Lan, who had been watching, raised an eyebrow upon hearing it was the Lightning type. "Don't misidentify it, old man Stone. Can such a talent really appear in our neck of the woods? Isn't that something only found in those large villages with special bloodlines?"

The Stone Master turned his head, unconvinced. "I don't know how many children I’ve awakened talents for. I may have never seen the Lightning type, but do you think I haven't studied it? Have you forgotten where I come from?"

Upon hearing this, He Lan’s expression turned serious.

She stepped forward, studied the Stone Master for a moment, and upon receiving another affirmative answer, turned to Fate Player and asked with great sincerity, "Little A-Xi, does your family have some special bloodline?"

"For example, are your parents from some large village? Did they elope to Little Leaf Village? Do your ancestors possess some strange bloodline?"

Even though Fate Player cared little for others, he was left speechless by these preposterous questions.

"Just a joke!" He Lan dropped the smile and said seriously, "Good lad, your talent is excellent. I will discuss it with Qian Bazun and the others; the village will help supplement your meat rations. You're a martial artist—how can you not eat meat? Your family of three is still awakening talents; it's hard enough to feed yourselves."

"Don't worry, the guard team will cover this meat; it won't be a burden on the village." Seeing the look of disapproval on Qian Bazun’s face, He Lan didn't even look up as she continued, "I can't bear to let such a talented child go hungry. Besides, for all the other children awakening today, our guard team will send meat to every household as a gesture of goodwill."

Qian Bazun frowned. "Won't that be too much of a strain? The guard team still has to patrol the village."

He Lan shook her head, a mysterious smile playing on her lips. "Once we escape this famine, you'll see. There will be plenty of hunting opportunities."

Hearing this, Qian Bazun could no longer refuse. He Lan’s talent was as strong and overbearing as her personality, and she usually only made such claims when she was absolutely certain of success.

"If that's the case, then send it!" He Qi, who had been silent until now, chimed in, cutting off their conversation.

He Qi looked up at the sky. People were already trickling back from the ceremony. They would be leaving tomorrow, so everyone needed to rest or pack their belongings. He Qi scanned the surroundings before turning to Ye Lu. "During the day, I went to your great-uncle’s house and brought back the blue ox you were keeping, and I used a large cart to haul all your belongings. You should go home and check if you've left anything behind."

Ye Lu was stunned, only then remembering. His late father, the master, had left behind many good things. Some were useless to him, so his maternal relatives had traded them for other goods. One year when the price of cattle was low, they had bought this blue ox.

It was called a blue ox, but in reality, it didn't even come close to being a spectral beast. It wasn't even at the White Wanderer level; at best, it was an animal that understood human nature and a bit of spectral energy. Even so, the price of the ox wasn't cheap; ordinary villagers couldn't afford it.

Ye Lu had only just recalled it.

Fortunately, his Uncle He Qi hadn't forgotten. Ye Lu felt a sense of relief; if it had been left to the three of them, he didn't know how chaotic it would have been.

Ghost Scholar realized this as well and nodded at Ye Lu. It was indeed time to return—first to check on the blue ox, then to pack.

Ye Lu and Ghost Scholar left first, with Fate Player following behind. Uncle He Qi remained where he was, watching the three of them walk away, and called out, "Remember to study your talents once you're back! The sooner you awaken, the better!"