“Clang, clang.”
Swinging the hammer in his hand, Tie Li continuously struck the farm tool that was about to take shape, his worn-out clothes soaked with sweat.
Do not look at him as just a child; he possessed immense strength.
Though seemingly focused on forging, most of his thoughts were on the Spirit awakening ceremony.
Tie Li had a clear understanding of himself; he had no noble bloodline within him, only the blood of an ordinary blacksmith flowed through his veins.
He did not ask to awaken a powerful Spirit; he only hoped to be born with innate spirit power.
Only by possessing innate spirit power could he cultivate, become a noble Spirit Master, and change his family's circumstances.
He was born in this World six years ago, and it was not until he was three that he realized he had reincarnated into the Douluo Continent.
At that time, he was full of curiosity about the Spirit awakening ceremony; every now and then, he would go to the entrance of the Martial Soul Branch Hall, watching hopeful children enter the hall to awaken their Spirits, but when they emerged from the Martial Soul Branch Hall, their eyes had lost their luster.
There was even one month when not a single child born with innate spirit power emerged from the Martial Soul Branch Hall.
At this moment, he was also very grateful for the existence of the Spirit Hall; without it, commoners would not see any hope at all, and perhaps the Spirit awakening ceremony would only be exclusive to nobles and Sects.
Tie Li was harshly slapped by the cruelty of the Douluo Continent, and his yearning for the future was disappearing little by little.
If he did not possess innate spirit power when his Spirit awakened, would he only be able to be a blacksmith for the rest of his life? And then leave hope to the next generation?
He never prayed to be an exception, awakening a powerful mutated Spirit; he only hoped to be born with innate spirit power, so that he would be qualified to become a noble Spirit Master.
Even if it was only innate level one spirit power, for him, it would be a good result.
“Dali, are you ready? We are about to leave.”
“Okay.”
With the final strike, the quality of the farm tool became even more refined.
Tie Niu looked at his son, who had been sensible since childhood, and felt immense love for him.
He placed the red-hot farm tool into the water, producing a “hissing” sound and a puff of white smoke; most of this farm tool was complete, with only the finishing touches remaining.
Taking the towel handed to him by his father, he carefully wiped himself clean and changed into fresh clothes; a hint of hesitation flashed in Tie Li's eyes.
This would be the dividing line of his future destiny.
“Do not put too much pressure on yourself, at worst, just be a blacksmith like your dad and me.” Tie Niu patted his son's shoulder.
Tie Li merely smiled at this. Be an ordinary person in the Douluo Continent?
Today, Tie Niu closed the blacksmith shop early and took his son to the entrance of the Martial Soul Branch Hall.
Upon arriving, Tie Li saw several pale-faced children leaving with their parents.
“Are you here to awaken your Spirit? If so, follow me.” The staff member of the Martial Soul Branch Hall guessed their purpose upon seeing Tie Li.
The father and son followed him. Tie Niu waited in the resting area of the main hall, while Tie Li entered the exclusive room for Spirit awakening.
“Another one? I hope this time I will not be disappointed.”
“Relax, come stand in front of me.”
Tie Li looked up and saw a middle-aged man standing in the center of the room, wearing the distinctive attire of a Spirit Hall Soul Master. In front of him were six black stones arranged in a hexagon.
Tie Li followed his instructions and stood in the middle of the hexagon.
“Do not be afraid, close your eyes and feel it carefully.”
The middle-aged Soul Master's body suddenly expanded, becoming exceptionally robust, and a thick layer of brown fur appeared on his body.
One white and one yellow, two spirit rings emerged beneath him.
Tie Li was also startled by the scene before him. Is this what a Soul Master is like?
The longing in his heart suppressed his fear, and the leg he had raised in fright was drawn back.
The middle-aged Soul Master nodded, a hint of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
“This is the power from a Spirit. If you can become a Soul Master, you will possess this power.”
The middle-aged Soul Master swiftly clapped his hands, and six golden rays of light flew out from the six black stones, forming a light golden cover.
“Click.”
It was as if something shattered within his body; a strange sensation emerged from the depths of his heart, accompanied by streams of warm current.
A rare look of excitement appeared in Tie Li's eyes.
Is this spirit power?
“Extend your right hand.”
Hearing the middle-aged Soul Master's voice, Tie Li subconsciously extended his right hand.
In an instant, a Forging Hammer appeared in his right palm.
It was very similar to the Forging Hammer he used, almost identical; the only difference was its weight. His hammer Spirit was exceptionally heavy.
It seems he inherited his father's Spirit.
“It is a Tool Spirit, possessing offensive power. Now, let us see if innate spirit power has been born.”
A Soul Master's innate spirit power often depends on the quality of their Spirit; the more powerful the Spirit, the higher the innate spirit power. The two are symbiotic!
“Use your will to control your Spirit; you can release and retract it at will.”
He tried it himself and easily retracted the Spirit into his body.
At this moment, the middle-aged Soul Master took out a blue crystal ball.
“Place your hand on the crystal.”
Tie Li complied, his calloused small hand gently touching the blue crystal ball.
Immediately, a faint glow emanated from it.
“Oh? Not bad, it is actually innate level two spirit power.” There was a hint of surprise in the middle-aged man's voice.
A hammer Spirit actually having innate level two spirit power was quite a rare occurrence.
Often, farm tool-type Spirits mostly do not give birth to spirit power; if one is lucky, having innate half-level spirit power is already an extremely good result.
Tie Li's heart was even more joyful, confirming that he had been born with innate spirit power, which meant he had the qualification to cultivate and could become a noble Spirit Master.
“Go outside and register your information, then you can receive a basic Reiki Meditation to cultivate.” The middle-aged Soul Master kindly reminded him.
“Okay, thank you, Spirit Master adult.”
Tie Li hurriedly left the room to tell his father the good news.
Hearing that his son could become a Soul Master, Tie Niu was overjoyed.
“That is great, that is great! I will buy some good meat and vegetables later, and we will celebrate properly at home tonight.”
After registering his information and obtaining the Reiki Meditation distributed by the Spirit Hall, Tie Li followed his father out of the Martial Soul Branch Hall.
A tiled house in the civilian area, with two adjacent thatched huts, was where Tie Li's family lived.
As soon as they returned home, Tie Niu, as the father, announced the good news, and his mother and two younger brothers were all very happy.
A Spirit Master emerging from a commoner family was a great honor for their ancestors.
Tie Li had calmed down from his excitement and began to ponder his future path.
His family was just an ordinary commoner family in Manno City, without the qualifications for a work-study student. If they were to support him in entering a junior Soul Master Academy, it would be a huge expense.
But if he gave up entering a Soul Master Academy, relying on his understanding from previous life's anime and novels to form a Soul Master family, would not that be too naive?
Yes, Tie Li's goal was to establish a Soul Master family.
Commoner Soul Masters had no choice for their first spirit ring; those with slightly better family backgrounds would choose to enter a Soul Master Academy, because the Academy would help them obtain their first spirit ring, though it would only be a ten-year spirit ring.