Spirit power... level 0.5? Kong Mingan felt a bit confused. His eyes were blurry at first, but then everything became clear. Still, things felt strange, like something was not quite right. He looked down at his small hands and squeezed them into a fist.
Feeling the solid touch of his own skin made his eyes shake with surprise. Am I reborn? He wondered. No, it did not feel like being born again. It felt more like he was finally remembering a life he had lived before.
Kong Mingan stood there in a daze. He started to think back, trying to make sense of where he was. Suddenly, many memories rushed into his mind. He remembered the Sun Moon Empire and its great Capital City. He remembered the Hall of Worship and a powerful man named Kong Deming. He realized he was the only heir of the Kong family. He was the grandson of Kong Deming, the master of the Hall of Worship. But he was also known as a failure. He had just awakened his spirit power in his grandfather's lab, and it was only level 0.5.
The memories of his past life were much bigger than the six years he had lived in this world. Because so much information was hitting him at once, his head started to hurt very badly. Just then, he felt a big, warm hand rest on his shoulder.
Mingan, a strong voice said. The voice was deep and powerful. It helped Kong Mingan stop feeling so dizzy. His messy thoughts started to clear up, and he looked up at the person in front of him. He saw an old man with white hair and a white beard. The man had a serious face and looked very important. But right now, his eyes were full of worry. This was his grandfather, Kong Deming.
All the pieces of his life finally fit together. He knew who he was and who his family was. The panic he felt as a young boy started to go away, and he became very calm. He could feel the tiny bit of spirit power moving slowly through his body. It was very weak, but he did not let that bother him. He did not look at the other people in the room. There were several high level Soul Engineers there, and they all looked like they felt sorry for him. Instead, he looked straight into his grandfather's eyes.
Grandpa, I want to try to summon my spirit again, he said. His voice was steady and clear. Kong Deming looked surprised. He did not expect his grandson to be so calm after finding out he had almost no spirit power. He looked at the boy with curiosity and gave him a small nod of support. He did not try to stop him. He just gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze before letting go.
The man in the black robe who was in charge of the awakening ceremony stepped forward. Kong Mingan placed his hand back on the crystal ball. He tried to push his spirit power into it. There was no bright light. There was no big explosion of energy. Even the feeling of a spirit appearing was so weak that most people wouldn't even notice it. But right above his right hand, the air started to twist in a very strange way.
It looked like someone had dropped a rock into a quiet pond. Small ripples moved through the air. The air around his hand felt thick and warm. When light passed through that spot, it bent in a weird way. It made the edges of Kong Mingan's hand look blurry, as if he was standing behind moving water.
What is this? the man in the black robe asked. His voice sounded dry because he was so shocked. He was a scholar who had studied spirits for many years. He had helped thousands of people awaken their spirits, from poor farmers to rich nobles.
He thought he had seen everything, but he had never seen anything like this. He leaned in closer, trying to see if there was a hidden animal or a tool appearing. He looked for any sign of a plant or a weapon, but there was nothing there at all. He began to wonder if he even knew anything about spirits anymore.
Kong Deming also looked very confused. Mingan, what exactly is your spirit? he asked. His voice was very serious now. Kong Mingan stayed calm and slowly closed his hand. The ripples in the air disappeared instantly.
It is energy itself, Grandpa, he replied. The laboratory was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. His words echoed off the walls.
Energy itself? Kong Deming whispered the words to himself. Then, his eyes suddenly lit up with excitement. He felt a spark of wonder, as if he was looking at a brand new world. In the world of Spirit Masters, energy is the most important thing. It is even more basic than spirit power. It is the foundation of everything. Yet, no one had ever heard of a person having energy as their spirit.
Invisible and intangible energy, Kong Deming muttered. He stared at Kong Mingan like he was seeing him for the first time in his life. Kong Mingan did not seem to notice how shocked everyone was. He turned his head and looked at the side of the lab. There were rows of metal tables used for making spirit tools. The metal looked cold and hard under the lights.
He knew that having only 0.5 spirit power was a huge problem. In this world, power is everything. If he wanted to get the things he needed to grow strong, he had to prove that he was useful. He had a plan, and he knew exactly what to do. He walked over to the nearest work station. His grandfather followed him with his eyes, waiting to see what would happen.
Kong Mingan stood at the table and picked up a basic metal plate. It was a simple part used for making a first level spirit tool. The metal was pale green and very smooth. When he touched the cold surface, all the things he had learned about spirit tools came back to him. He picked up a sharp carving knife. Then, he began to move his weak spirit power. It was very hard to do. It felt like he was trying to walk through deep mud.
But just as the spirit power reached the tip of the knife, something changed in his eyes. For a tiny second, they looked different. When the knife touched the metal, there was no glow of light. Usually, when a Soul Engineer works, the metal glows. Instead, the hard metal became soft. It looked like the knife was carving into butter or water instead of steel. There was no loud scratching noise. There were no metal scraps falling on the floor.
Kong Mingan's hand was perfectly still. The knife moved across the metal like a pen on paper. Even though his spirit power was weak, it seemed to have a special quality. It was like he had a key that could unlock the energy inside the metal. He wasn't just cutting the plate; he was changing it from the inside. The work looked so easy and smooth that it was almost scary to watch. It was as if his spirit was talking to the energy in the metal.
The room stayed completely silent. The only sound was the soft noise of the knife and the sound of Kong Mingan breathing. Finally, he finished the last line of the design. He put the knife down, and his fingers were shaking. He had used almost every bit of energy he had. He was sweating, and his face was pale, but his eyes were bright. He took the last tiny bit of his spirit power and pushed it into the tool he had made.
A soft buzzing sound filled the air. It wasn't a bright flash, but a steady blue light. The light pulsed slowly, like it was breathing. It lit up every single line he had carved. He had done it. A six-year-old boy with almost no spirit power had just created and activated a real spirit tool.
The high level Soul Engineers in the room could not believe it. They were all silent. They didn't know what to say. How was this possible? Having 0.5 spirit power shouldn't even be enough to turn a tool on, let alone carve one so perfectly. These men had seen many amazing things in their lives, but this was different.
Kong Deming walked over quickly. He didn't even look at the blue light. He looked at the lines Kong Mingan had carved. He looked at them like a scientist using a microscope. The lines were so smooth they looked like they had grown there naturally. He saw how the energy flowed perfectly through the metal.
Energy, Kong Deming said softly. He sounded very surprised. He reached out his hand, and his fingers shook as he touched the tool. So it can be done this way? He took a deep breath and looked at his grandson. He didn't look like a worried grandfather anymore. He looked like a man who had just found a treasure.
Mingan, tell me, what do you need? he asked. Kong Mingan did not answer right away. He ignored the shocked faces of the people around him. He just watched the blue light of the tool he had made. He felt very tired, but he was happy. He looked at the light and let out a small smile. This was not a bad start at all.