Chapter One: Useless? Awakening the Martial Spirit!
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The Nine Skies Continent was vast and boundless, where strength reigned supreme and the martial path flourished.
In the Lu family’s martial arena of Azurecloud City—
“Next, Lu Qingyun!”
At the booming command of the elder steward, a thin young man slowly stepped onto the martial stage, his every movement watched with scorn and derision by the crowd.
This youth’s name was Lu Qingyun, son of the Lu family’s patriarch in Azurecloud City. By all rights, such a status should have made him the center of attention. Yet at this moment, the gazes fixed upon him brimmed only with contempt and ridicule.
“Look, isn’t that our Azurecloud City’s number one good-for-nothing? What, he wants to test his martial talent too?”
“With that frail physique, I doubt he can even awaken a martial spirit, ha ha…”
“How utterly shameful. If I were him, I would have found a hole to crawl into long ago!”
Despite the harsh mockery all around him, Lu Qingyun’s expression remained calm, as if none of the words were directed at him at all.
He had once been an ordinary young man on Earth, fond of web novels, who had unexpectedly crossed into this world and become the young master of the Lu family in Azurecloud City.
But to his dismay, his predecessor turned out to be someone completely unable to cultivate—a useless waste!
In a world where martial strength was everything, being unable to cultivate meant being trampled on by others, devoid of any dignity!
“Qingyun, pay no mind to their words. Just do your best.”
In the audience, a beautiful woman watched his thin figure atop the stage, her eyes full of pain and worry.
She was Lu Qingyun’s mother, Liu Ruyan.
Lu Qingyun offered his mother a faint smile to show he was all right, then took a deep breath and placed his right hand on the Soul Testing Stone.
The Soul Testing Stone was a mystical treasure used throughout the Nine Skies Continent to assess martial talent. By placing one’s palm upon it, the stone would stimulate the martial spirit within; the resulting light and its intensity would reveal a person’s martial aptitude.
However, as Lu Qingyun’s hand made contact with the stone, the expected radiance failed to appear.
The Soul Testing Stone remained as dull and gray as ever, showing not the slightest response!
“Ha ha, just as expected—an utter waste, can’t even awaken a martial spirit!”
“I told you, if he could cultivate, sows would be climbing trees!”
“What a waste of time. Let’s just watch the next one!”
The laughter grew even harsher, some faces openly gloating at his misfortune.
Lu Zhantian, the patriarch of the Lu family, looked at his son’s unresponsive hand atop the stone, a fleeting trace of disappointment in his eyes.
“Alas, it seems Qingyun really does lack any martial talent…”
At his side, a middle-aged man in brocade robes shook his head with a sigh that carried a hint of regret, though a shadow of cold calculation flashed in his eyes.
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This was Lu Qingyun’s second uncle, Lu Zhanxiong.
“Brother, don’t let it get you down. Qingyun may not be able to cultivate, but he’s still of our Lu family’s blood. In the future, we can always arrange a comfortable post for him, so he’ll never want for anything.”
Though Lu Zhanxiong’s words were meant to comfort, inwardly he was secretly delighted.
Lu Qingyun’s inability to cultivate was truly wonderful news for him!
For years, he had coveted the position of family head, and Lu Qingyun, as the sole son of Lu Zhantian, was his greatest rival. Now that Qingyun could not cultivate, he had effectively lost any claim to succession—a fact that brought Lu Zhanxiong no small amount of joy.
On the martial stage, Lu Qingyun withdrew his hand, his face showing no trace of disappointment. Instead, a peculiar smile tugged at his lips.
“System, you’ve finally decided to show up!”
He murmured inwardly.
Indeed, he was not a native of this world, but a transmigrator from Earth. During his crossing, he had even bound himself to a so-called “Nine Skies Dragon Soul System”—his golden finger!
The only issue was, the system had remained dormant until today, when he finally felt it activate.
“Ding! Congratulations, Host, ‘Nine Skies Dragon Soul System’ successfully activated!”
“Host is currently undergoing martial talent assessment. System grants a Newcomer Gift Pack. Open now?”
A cold mechanical voice sounded in Lu Qingyun’s mind.
“Open it!” Lu Qingyun responded without hesitation.
“Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have received the following rewards:”
“1. Nine Skies Dragon Soul Awakening Card x1”
“2. ‘Azurecloud Manual’ Cultivation Experience Pill x1”
“3. High Yellow-Grade Martial Skill ‘Azurecloud Sword Art’ x1”
“4. Ten Random Attribute Points x10”
One after another, the system notifications chimed in his mind, filling Lu Qingyun with wild elation.
The newcomer’s gift pack was indeed generous!
“Haha, Heaven truly favors me!”
Suppressing his excitement, Lu Qingyun kept up a front of utter dejection as he walked down from the martial stage.
With his head bowed, he hurried through the crowd, unable to fully hide his “loss” and “despair.”
“Poor child, he must be crushed…”
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“Alas, he can’t cultivate—in this life, that’s all he’ll ever be. Let’s just hope he can come to terms with it.”
“A waste is a waste. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t change his fate!”
The surrounding chatter was thick with a mixture of pity and contempt for Lu Qingyun.
But Lu Qingyun paid them no heed. All he wanted was to leave this troublesome place quickly and find somewhere quiet to properly examine his system rewards.
Soon, he returned to his own quarters—a secluded little courtyard, rarely disturbed by others.
After closing the gate behind him, Lu Qingyun eagerly opened the system panel.
“System, use the Nine Skies Dragon Soul Awakening Card!”
He intoned silently.
“Ding! Host is using the Nine Skies Dragon Soul Awakening Card. Awakening in progress… 10%… 30%… 50%…”
As the system’s voice echoed in his mind, Lu Qingyun felt a strange energy surge through his body, making all his meridians throb with a dull ache.
“Ah…”
A muffled groan escaped him, sweat beading on his forehead.
He clenched his teeth, enduring the agony. He knew this was the necessary process for awakening a martial spirit.
“70%… 90%… 100%! Congratulations, Host, you have successfully awakened the Nine Skies Dragon Soul: Martial Spirit—Azure Dragon!”
With the final system prompt, a blinding light flashed before Lu Qingyun’s eyes as a powerful force erupted from within him, making the entire room hum with energy.
“Roar!”
A deafening dragon’s cry echoed in his mind, as if it would shatter his very soul.
At the same time, behind him, a mass of azure light slowly emerged and coalesced into the vivid image of an azure dragon!
The dragon’s body was immense, its scales sharply defined, its eyes like twin azure lanterns burning with piercing cold, and an overwhelming, majestic pressure radiated from its form, inspiring awe and terror.
“So this is… my martial spirit?”
Lu Qingyun stared at the awe-inspiring azure dragon behind him, his eyes brimming with shock and ecstasy.
The Azure Dragon—the legendary divine beast of the Nine Skies Continent, said to possess power enough to shake the heavens and earth!
Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined awakening such a mighty martial spirit!