「The next morning.」
Rong Taotao, wearing a blue and white school uniform, stood at the entrance of New Danxi First Middle School.
Today was the middle school graduation ceremony. The school gate was bustling with people, mostly parents who had come with their children.
It wasn't that the students absolutely needed their parents to escort them. Rather, today was a very special occasion. The graduation ceremony was one thing, but more importantly, it was the day of the Awakening Ceremony.
Whether or not one could awaken a Soul Slot and become a Soul Martial Artist would, of course, determine a child's future path.
After endless exploration and experimentation, countries around the world discovered that the easiest age for humans to awaken and become Soul Martial Artists was between 15 and 16.
Past data from Huaxia showed that with the help of external forces, children around the age of 16 had a 50% chance of awakening a Soul Slot. This meant that out of the 1,000 graduating third-year middle school students at New Danxi First Middle School, about 500 would successfully awaken.
If one tried to guide a child to become a Soul Martial Artist too early or too late, not only would the chance of awakening be greatly reduced, but it could also cause irreparable harm to the child's body.
The number of Soul Slots a student awakened was not fixed. The quantity of Soul Slots was almost synonymous with a person's Talent.
Generally speaking, most children could awaken one to four Soul Slots.
If you could awaken five Soul Slots, then congratulations. Your Talent was beyond ordinary, and you would definitely be given special attention and training by the school.
If you could awaken six Soul Slots, then your ancestors must have been smiling down on you...
In Huaxia, about 15 million middle school students graduated each year, and only about 300 of them could awaken six Soul Slots. What were the odds of that?
If you could awaken seven Soul Slots... Hmm, forget it. You can't.
Across the entire world, those who could awaken seven Soul Slots were as rare as a phoenix's feather. You could probably count them on two hands.
Of course, the number of Soul Slots you initially awakened only represented your Talent; it didn't determine your entire life.
Under normal circumstances, through diligent training, a Soul Martial Artist could add and unlock one to three more Soul Slots on top of the ones they originally awakened.
As for how many more they could unlock, that was up to fate.
"Remember, once you feel the Soul Power, you absolutely can't lose your focus!" A serious woman's voice came from beside him.
Rong Taotao jumped in surprise. He turned to see a middle-aged woman nagging a young girl, "As long as the Awakening Ceremony isn't over, you can't stop either. You have to absorb as much Soul Power as you can and let it surge through your body again and again..."
Rong Taotao looked at the girl's absentminded expression, buried his envy deep in his heart, and started walking toward the school entrance.
Along the way, he heard all sorts of parents giving all sorts of instructions, occasionally mixed with the sound of their children talking back:
"You child, you must concentrate! Today decides your destiny! Your mother and I are both Soul Martial Artists. If you can't awaken, where am I supposed to hide my old face?"
"Alright, alright, I get it..."
"Son! Don't be nervous! It's okay! It doesn't matter whether you awaken successfully or not! You'll always be mommy's big boy!!!"
Rong Taotao, with his naturally curly hair, walked leisurely through the school gate, his hands stuffed in his pockets.
'Heh, hands in my pockets, I don't love nobody.'
'Then again, nobody loves me, either...'
On the vast green field, Rong Taotao easily found his class's designated spot. The school had held countless rehearsals for this graduation ceremony.
Rong Taotao plopped down on the grass. He was sure this was his spot, but he could hear the hushed whispers of other students nearby:
"Hey, did you hear? Someone from the admissions office of Songjiang Soul Martial University is here."
"A university? Why would a university come to a middle school to recruit? Shouldn't it be admissions officers from a Soul Martial High School?"
"Who knows? That's just what I heard."
"Songjiang Soul Martial doesn't have an affiliated middle school... They must be here for that one guy, right?"
"Oh, right. Now that you mention it, it makes sense. They're obviously here for Rong... um..."
Rong Taotao sat cross-legged on the ground, elbows on his knees and chin in his hands. He stared blankly at the green grass, completely ignoring the voices around him.
He was already used to being talked about. Of course, it wasn't because he was exceptional or had any impressive achievements. When it came down to it, everything was because of that famous name: the son of Xu Fenghua.
Honestly, Rong Taotao was used to letting what others said go in one ear and out the other. If he had been listening carefully just now, he might have even inquired about it out of curiosity.
At 8:30 in the morning, the graduation ceremony finally began.
After a series of tedious proceedings, the children finally made it to the end. On the main stage, the principal held his speech in one hand, pushed up his thick glasses with the other, and began the final part of the event.
Like most of the students, Rong Taotao let it all go in one ear and out the other. The students, who had been full of anticipation and energy, were nearly lulled to sleep by the principal's scripture-like drone.
After what felt like an eternity, Rong Taotao, who had been completely zoned out, was startled awake by a huge and enthusiastic round of applause. Not knowing what was happening, he hurriedly started clapping along.
He looked up and saw that the principal had finished his speech and was waving to the crowd. Rong Taotao clapped even louder...
On the stage, after the principal sat down, a man in a military uniform was guided to the microphone by the host.
In an instant, the vast green field fell silent.
"Attention, students!"
The voice was full of power, and the students instantly perked up.