Ch.15: First Spirit Ring (1)
Qinglong City had its own traditions, many of them deeply tied to cultivation.
Among them, just like the monthly martial soul awakening another one stood out, the once in 3 month Spirit Beast Hunting program.
It was an event organized together by Intermediate and Advanced Spirit Master Academy Qinglong in collaboration.
Every time, students who had reached the requirement of a spirit ring would venture out under the supervision of academy instructors and city guards to hunt their spirit rings.
For students having their first martial spirit.
It wasn't just a test of strength but a rite of passage.
Just as the awakening ceremony marked the birth of a martial soul, the first hunt marked the beginning of a soul master's true journey.
Today's hunt was no different, except this time, Lu Sheng was among the participants.
Of course, with the influence and connections of the Zhou family, he could have easily gone hunting under the personal protection of Zhou Yueling or Grandpa Zhou.
But that wasn't the point.
"This is as much about people as it is about spirit rings," the City Lord had said. "If we keep you home-schooled forever, how will you ever learn to deal with the world?"
Lu Sheng understanding those words had agreed to him.
Which results in the current situation, where Lu Sheng was ready with his belongings set in the space pouch with city lord giving him an approved nod.
Standing before him now was a broad-shouldered, middle-aged man in a city guard's uniform. Five glowing spirit rings like mark being under the Azure dragon logo on his uniform, giving out his strength being a Spirit King.
Being one of the strongest for the small place like Qinglong.
"I'll make sure the young master stays safe and finds his spirit beast without trouble," the man said with an easy grin.
His name was Yun Mo, captain of the city guard and today's hunting leader.
The City Lord gave a small nod before turning to Lu Sheng.
"Alright, Sheng'er. You'll find the spirit beast you're looking for. More importantly, talk to the others, make some friends. They're your age, some a bit older. You'll be seeing them often in the future."
Lu Sheng smiled faintly and bowed.
"I understand, Grandpa. Don't worry—I'll be fine."
"Good," came the simple reply.
The old man watched as Lu Sheng followed Yun Mo toward the gathering point, the faint morning mist curling around them as they vanished from the sight.
...
As Lu Sheng walked beside Captain Yun Mo, the gathered students couldn't help but stare.
A few whispered. Some frowned.
Others simply gawked in confusion.
After all, it wasn't every day that the Captain of the City Guards himself accompanied a bunch of academy students on a routine spirit beast hunt.
Normally, such trips were supervised by two or three Spirit Ancestor–level guards and a dozen Spirit Elders, along with academy instructors from Qinglong's intermediate and advanced divisions.
That was already excessive protection.
But considering Qinglong City's position, isolated, surrounded by wilderness, and constantly threatened by spirit beast incursions, no one could call it unnecessary.
Still, this was the first time Yun Mo had personally shown up.
Naturally, people started wondering who the small boy walking beside him was.
Whispers broke out almost immediately.
"Why's the Guard Captain here?"
"Isn't this just the academy hunt?"
"Wait… could that kid be his son?"
The idea didn't last long—Lu Sheng looked nothing like the Bearlike man.
Heads tilted. Curious eyes followed him. And then, someone recognized him.
"Wait—that's Lu Sheng!"
The murmur spread through the group like a spark catching dry grass.
Lu Sheng caught it in the corner of his hearing, his name tossed around like something fragile.
He blinked once.
'Lu Sheng, huh…' The sound felt strange, unfamiliar, as if it belonged to someone else.
Usually, people didn't use his name much.
They preferred whispers:
-"Lucky brat."
-"Cheap disciple."
-"Leech living off the City Lord's goodwill."
-"Needless extra."
No one said it to his face, of course.
They smiled, nodded, called him young master, but behind he he still heard the same words, far too loud to be whispers.
Even the academy, filled with children his age, was no different. Envy had a way of aging people before their time.
Those words used to sting sharply, cutting deeper than he ever admitted. Now the pain was duller, almost familiar, like an old scar that itched whenever someone mentioned his name.
Still, it hurt.
There was something cruel about being hated for something you never chose. About being punished for being lucky.
He hadn't asked to lose his parents.
He hadn't asked to be taken in by the Zhou family. And yet, to those outside, his fortune was an injustice, an affront to their own struggles.
Sometimes he wondered if people preferred tragedy to gratitude, if they needed someone to resent just to feel balanced.
He used to run away from that noise, slipping into the forests, wandering for hours just to find somewhere quiet enough to think.
Out there, even the growl of a spirit beast felt more honest than human words.
As the group began to move, he followed in silence.
"Maybe I should be used to it by now," he muttered under his breath.
"Did you say something?" The City Guard named Yun Mo asked.
"Nothing," Lu Sheng said, smiling faintly.
He walked on, eyes on the road ahead where the city walls began to fade behind the trees.
'Sorry, Grandpa Zhou,' he thought quietly, 'I might not make any friends today either.'
He wasn't bitter, not anymore. Just tired.
Still, he couldn't help thinking that maybe, somewhere along the way, he'd grown a little petty.
Maybe that was what happened when a kid learned too early how sharp people's envy could be.
But that was fine too.
After all, he was still just a kid.
And being petty was always better than being unreasonable.
...
Looking at the forty or so students gathered for the spirit beast hunt, Lu Sheng couldn't help but think the city really had its management figured out.
About half of them were here to obtain their first spirit ring, while the others were preparing for their second.
What caught his attention, though, was their age.
Even the youngest among them looked at least two years older than him, and those going for their second rings were mostly around eleven or twelve.
Watching them chatter and form groups, he realized something simple but sharp-
'Normal people really do have it tough.'
And here he was...
Cheating through life, make a progress someone might not make in a week in a single day that too in multiple fields at the same time.
His gaze shifted slightly, and a faint shimmer filled his vision. Countless translucent screens hovered before his eyes.
{Congratulations, you have trained hard for another day.}
{Your consecutive practice bears the same results as the highest milestone stored in [Hardworking Genius].}
[Fighting Lv.6 (98%) → Lv.7 (33%)]
[Killing Intent Lv.8 (84%) → Lv.9 (29%)]
[Instincts Lv.8 (73%) → Lv.9 (18%)]
[Breathing Lv.7 (1%) → Lv.8 (1%)]
[Eating Lv.7 (1%) → Lv.8 (1%)]
[Reading Lv.7 (90%) → Lv.8 (40%)]
[Calligraphy Lv.4 (50%) → Lv.5 (50%)]
[Studying Lv.5 (40%) → Lv.6 (10%)]
[Memorizing Lv.5 (40%) → Lv.6 (10%)]
[Soul Power Control Lv.4 (11%) → Lv.4 (55%)]
[Soul Power Cultivation Lv.4 (11%) → Lv.4 (55%)]
[Spiritual Power Control Lv.3 (80%) → Lv.4 (20%)]
[Spiritual Power Cultivation Lv.3 (80%) → Lv.4 (20%)]
[Basics of Medicine Lv.3 (40%) → Lv.3 (80%)]
[Soul Guide Basics Lv.3 (40%) → Lv.3 (80%)]
[Martial Arts Lv.2 (32%) → Lv.2 (62%)]
{Sign-In Function Activated.}
{Daily Sign-In Reward: Trace of Pokémon Genome — Shiny Eevee.}
'Just sitting here, doing nothing, and still progressing steadily…' he thought, exhaling a slow sigh.
'I really am lucky enough to be envied.'
The thought made him chuckle quietly to himself.
Still, this hunt wouldn't be over anytime soon.
Spirit beast hunts usually took three weeks to a full month, depending on how smoothly things went.
He stretched lightly, glancing at the group now forming lines under the instructors' call.
"Guess I should start thinking about what to do as we go along," he muttered.
Then, with a small smile, he blended into the crowd just as the call to move echoed across the courtyard.
The gates opened.
And the first hunt of his life finally began.