After Dai Yuhao's fusion with Xiao Yin, the issue of the Spirit Soul's lack of cooperation had troubled him for several days.
He tried various communication methods suggested by Han Tianyi, but that giant eyeball remained completely unresponsive.
Unexpectedly, with this Transmigration back to ten thousand years, this thorny problem was actually solved easily.
The next day, as dawn broke, the Annual Spirit Awakening day at the White Tiger Dukes Mansion began.
All children who reached the age of six, regardless of their background, would gather today for Spirit Awakening.
Dai Yuhao was brought to a remote small courtyard. The courtyard wasn't large, the ground was packed earth, and the surroundings were mottled old walls, which seemed somewhat out of place with the grandeur and refinement of the rest of the Duke's Mansion.
When Dai Yuhao arrived, several children were already standing in the courtyard.
He silently scanned the area; including himself, there were only eleven in total.
Most of these children wore simple clothes, and their eyes held timidity and unease.
Clearly, they were all children of low-ranking guards, handymen, or bottom-tier servants in the mansion.
The true direct descendants of the Duke or noble children had better Awakening venues and resources; they would never appear here.
In the center of the courtyard stood a middle-aged man with a steady aura. He was a Spirit Elder guard of the Duke's Mansion, specifically sent to be in charge of this Awakening ceremony.
Dai Yuhao stood quietly among the children, trying his best to lower his presence.
Keeping his head down, he used his peripheral vision to calmly observe everything around him.
Soon, his gaze keenly captured a familiar figure.
Not far away, in the shadow of an inconspicuous pillar, a woman dressed as a maid stood leaning against the wall seemingly at random, yet her gaze swept over the small courtyard from time to time.
It was her!
Dai Yuhao's heart tightened. Although three years had passed, he would never mistake her!
This person was the very maid belonging to the Duchess Zhu Yunqing who, three years ago during the ceremony to welcome the White Tiger Duke Dai Hao, had suddenly appeared, covered his mother's mouth, and forcibly taken them away!
Without a doubt, he was the only one here worth her attention!
Most likely, as soon as his Awakening results came out, whether good or bad, they would be immediately sent to Zhu Yunqing!
"Next, Dai Yuhao!"
The Spirit Elder guard's resonant voice rang out, interrupting Dai Yuhao's thoughts.
The other ten children in the courtyard had already finished their Awakening. Only one of them had spirit power, but it was only at rank three.
Dai Yuhao stepped forward slowly and stopped in front of the Spirit Elder guard.
The man glanced at him with a flat expression. Six awakening stones flew from his hand, forming a pale gold light shield that enveloped Dai Yuhao!
A not-so-powerful external spirit power slowly flowed into Dai Yuhao's body, attempting to awaken the sleeping spirit power within his Bloodline.
Dai Yuhao could clearly feel that his Spirit Eyes Martial Soul was almost manifesting spontaneously, and the spirit power within his body was also restless.
His fists quietly clenched at his sides, his eyes lowered, and his gaze suddenly became incredibly steady.
His powerful mental force acted like an invisible dam, instantly blocking the "impulse" of the Spirit possession while also firmly locking down the pure rank eleven spirit power in his body.
If it came down to mental force, this Spirit Elder presiding over the Awakening ceremony was not even equal to a six-year-old child like Dai Yuhao.
The light of the awakening formation continued to flicker as the Spirit Elder guard continuously injected spirit power.
However, the expected Spirit did not manifest on Dai Yuhao's body, nor did any sign of spirit power fluctuations emanate from him.
"Huh?"
The middle-aged guard couldn't help but let out a confused murmur. He had presided over Awakening ceremonies for many years and had seen those with poor talent or weak Spirits, but he had never seen... someone with absolutely no reaction!
The common knowledge on the Douluo Continent was that everyone had a Spirit; the only difference lay in its strength and whether one possessed spirit power.
How could the Spirit of the youth before him not even be drawn out?
Refusing to believe it, he frowned and increased the output of spirit power.
Yet, no matter how he pushed, there was still no change in Dai Yuhao.
Ultimately, this Spirit Elder guard had no choice but to give up.
He slowly withdrew his spirit power, and the light of the formation faded.
He shook his head, his voice returning to a business-like calm as he announced, "Dai Yuhao: no Spirit, no spirit power."
In the shadow of the pillar, upon hearing this result, the originally tense gaze of Zhu Yunqing's maid seemed to instantly relax. Her lips even curled slightly in an almost imperceptible way, revealing a trace of undisguised contempt.
She took one last look at Dai Yuhao, who seemed so crushed by the result that he couldn't lift his head, then turned and left silently.
Dai Yuhao remained standing where he was. Only when he felt that thorn-like gaze completely vanish did he slowly raise his head.
There was no despair or sadness on his face; instead, it was entirely calm. In the depths of his eyes, a cool light of a successful plan flickered.
Dai Yuhao had deliberately chosen not to show his Spirit precisely because of Leng Yaozhu's warning.
In her analysis, the Duchess Zhu Yunqing paid far too much attention to him and his mother.
If Dai Yuhao were a Genius with Innate Full Spirit Power, whether he could even see his father Dai Hao would be one thing, but it would more likely trigger Zhu Yunqing's wariness, causing her to take action against them!
Therefore, in the end, Dai Yuhao chose to hide his "talent" and disguise himself as a "trash" with no Spirit!
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That afternoon, Dai Yuhao was cultivating cross-legged on the hard board bed of his shabby little room.
Suddenly, his brow furrowed slightly as a violent sound of a door being kicked open came from outside the courtyard!
His mental force spread out silently like mercury spilling on the ground, and the identity of the intruder instantly entered his perception.
"Dai Huabin"
Dai Yuhao whispered in his heart, a trace of coldness flashing in his eyes.
He took a deep breath, tidied his simple cloth clothes, then pushed open the equally dilapidated door and walked out into the small courtyard.
Sure enough, the already rickety wooden door of the small courtyard had been kicked open from the outside, hanging askew on its frame and letting out a creaking groan.
Five figures stood before the door, led by Dai Huabin.
Three years had passed, and he was taller and stronger than before. He wore luxurious brocade clothes, and the arrogance in his features had grown even more pronounced.
At this moment, he stood with his arms crossed, chin tilted up, looking at Dai Yuhao as he stepped out of the room with a condescending posture.
Seeing Dai Yuhao come out, Dai Huabin's lips curled into an undisguised sneer, his voice full of superiority.
"I heard... you also went for Spirit Awakening today?"
He deliberately drawled, his gaze sweeping up and down Dai Yuhao. "What was the result? Did you fail to awaken anything? Not even a trash Spirit?"
Dai Yuhao didn't answer. He just stood there quietly, looking at him with a calm gaze, unsure of the other's intent.
Seeing Dai Yuhao remain silent, Dai Huabin thought he had hit a sore spot and that the boy didn't dare to talk back, making him even more smug.
He took a small step forward, tilting his chin even higher, his voice becoming louder with a boastful tone.
"Hmph! Just as expected, a piece of trash!"
"What I awakened last year was the White Tiger Martial Soul, the Top-Tier Spirit of the Dai family's Legacy, with Rank Eight Innate spirit power!"
"Now, my spirit power has already reached Rank Ten!"
"I'm about to go obtain my first spirit ring and become a true Spirit Master!"
"A trash like you who doesn't even have a Spirit can only huddle in this kind of dump for the rest of your life, just like your lowly mother—a servant forever!"
Hearing Dai Huabin's harsh words, especially that last insult toward his mother, Dai Yuhao's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.
His hands hanging at his sides quietly clenched into fists, his nails digging deep into his palms.
A cold fury, mixed with memories of past bullying, surged up from the bottom of his heart like a venomous snake!
White Tiger Martial Soul?
Rank Eight Innate power?
Rank Ten spirit power?
Dai Yuhao sneered inwardly. These assets that Dai Huabin deemed worthy of boasting about were completely insignificant before him—a one-ring Spirit Master with Innate Full Spirit Power who had successfully fused with a thousand-year Unyielding Soul Spirit!
If he wanted to, he could immediately release that purple thousand-year spirit ring right now!
With his high-level spirit communication realm mental force, a single "Soul Lash" would be enough to severely damage the minds of Dai Huabin and his lackeys, turning them into idiots!
This tempting thought of revenge rose and spread like wildfire in his mind!
Three years of endurance and the grievances his mother had suffered all transformed into this violent impulse!
Power surged at his fingertips, spirit power flowed through his Meridians, and mental force boiled in his mind!
However, Dai Yuhao's clenched fists suddenly relaxed.
He let out a long breath, as if to completely expel all the churning fury and killing intent from his chest.
The cold light that had nearly burst from his eyes quickly retracted and settled, turning back into a deep, pool-like calm.
Exposing his strength here would be satisfying, but the consequences would be unimaginable.
Lack of patience in small matters upsets great plans!