C15 – Awakening Hall
The “Awakening Hall” was staggeringly spacious, with enough room to accommodate over a thousand people.
The hall was packed with students who had come to take part in Sacred Heart Academy’s Martial Exam—over a thousand of them.
These students hailed from the various counties and middle schools of Deepfell City, each with the Battle Spirit Bloodline. Nearly every face was a mix of excitement and nerves. The Awakening Ceremony was imminent, and the quality of their awakened battle spirit would be crucial in determining whether they could become a distinguished Battle Spirit Fighter.
“Please settle down, students,” came a voice. “First off, congratulations on being among the select few with such talent. Today, we embark on the Martial Exam’s first phase—the Battle Spirit Awakening Ceremony. I’ll be overseeing the ceremony. My name is Ji Yin, and I’m the grade director at Sacred Heart Academy. You can also call me Director Li.”
A middle-aged man in a black suit made his way to the podium with a grave demeanor. The previously bustling Awakening Hall fell silent in an instant. Every student was rapt, eyes glued to the speaker, not wanting to miss any crucial information.
Once Director Li saw that everyone was attentive, he cleared his throat and projected his voice: “The Martial Exam is split into two parts. The first is the Battle Spirit Awakening Ceremony. Those who successfully awaken their battle spirit will advance to the second part of the exam. However, students who awaken a senior class battle spirit will be directly placed into Class A, bypassing the second part of the exam.”
The hall erupted into a buzz of conversation as students began to excitedly speculate and discuss.
Optimists were confident they’d awaken a senior class battle spirit, while the majority were anxious, fearing a low-level awakening—or worse, no awakening at all.
“Jiao, do you know what a senior class battle spirit is? Aren’t all newly awakened battle spirits just infants? And there’s a distinction between senior and junior classes?” Qin Hongyu asked, his confusion evident as he turned to Bo Miaojiao beside him.
“The Battle Spirit Alliance categorizes all infant spirits based on their potential for growth,” Bo Miaojiao explained after a moment’s thought. “A battle spirit with strong potential and innate strength is naturally considered senior class. But from what I understand, they’re ranked across three levels: senior class, middle class, and junior class.”
“So, what exactly is this ‘Class A’?” Qin Hongyu was still somewhat perplexed.
“Well… I’m not entirely clear on that either…” Bo Miaojiao admitted, equally baffled.
She wasn’t originally from Deepfell City and wasn’t very familiar with the class division system at Sacred Heart Academy. Her basic understanding of battle spirits came from skimming through books on the subject, but her knowledge was superficial at best.
Just then, a tall man standing next to Qin Hongyu chimed in, “Sacred Heart Academy sorts students into four tiers—Class A through D—based on their battle spirits’ potential. Class A is, of course, the cream of the crop. The school prioritizes them when distributing resources, with each subsequent class receiving progressively less.”
“Ah, I see,” Qin Hongyu said, nodding earnestly. Only then did he realize that it wasn’t Bo Miaojiao who had answered him. He turned to the tall man in surprise, then offered a friendly smile and extended his right hand. “Thanks for clarifying that. I’m Qin Hongyu, from Cirencester.”
The tall man paused, taken aback for a moment, before shaking Qin Hongyu’s hand with a warm smile. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Fu Tian, from Beijing.”