The sun rose in the sky, and its golden rays illuminated the side of Mountain Kiran. The fog, not too thick, allowed the sharp light to pass through easily.
This mountain was occupied by the Blossom Clan, who brought a touch of vitality and a rich matrix of human civilization.
The Blossom Clan was divided into three cities: Lower City, Middle City, and Upper City, each located at a different point on Mountain Kiran.
Lucien was currently in Lower Town, where most of the families named Blossom lived, although his status was not very important within the family. In addition, most of the mortals also lived there.
"Son, how do you feel in those clothes?" Lydia said from the door of the small room, smiling.
"Fine," Lucien replied briefly, adjusting his gray linen shirt with lotus prints, matching pants, and black shoes.
Lydia nervously let out a smile: "Good luck with your Spiritual Awakening Ceremony."
Lucien nodded slightly, finished getting ready, and left the place.
...
The cobbled streets of the lower city were bustling with activity; the flow of people was constant. Several mortals walked around carrying boars with straw hats, dressed in simple clothes, and chatted among themselves.
But whenever they saw a member of the Blossom Clan, they bowed their heads respectfully, no matter the status of the member they were passing.
Lucien walked through the streets with an indifferent expression, ignoring all the stares he received.
"So... that's the famous bastard son," someone commented.
"If it weren't for his mother's beauty, the head of the family would never have looked in his direction," added another.
"But that woman is so lucky; despite being a mortal, she managed to have the head of the Clan's son," a third commented enviously.
The whispers of the mortals reached Lucien's ears, but he ignored them completely. In his opinion, they were nothing more than empty and unimportant comments.
A few minutes later, he arrived at his destination: the Blossom Clan sanctuary, in the lower city.
In front of the sanctuary door, more than two hundred fifteen-year-olds were gathered.
The sanctuary, located in the heart of the city, stood on a raised platform, with its cypress bark roofs curved upwards like bird wings. The whole place was heavily guarded.
In front of the sanctuary was a square, and in its center stood the Academy of the Lower City, where the newly awakened young people were instructed.
"Well, you've all arrived on time. Today is the Awakened Ceremony; a day that will mark a before and after in your lives. You all have the Blossom Clan blood running through your veins, so be proud, no matter what your talent," announced the head of the Academy.
He was a man with black hair and a perfectly groomed beard, wearing a gray and black linen suit. The Blossom House emblem was precisely embroidered on his shirt.
With his words, the eyes of the young people shone with emotion; they all longed to become Spiritual Masters and uphold the name of the Blossom Clan.
The director, noticing their intense gazes, laughed to himself. He was in a very good mood. "Come with me."
He began to guide them into the sanctuary. Once inside, they descended a wooden staircase to a cave illuminated by Luxgem stones, whose natural light dispelled much of the darkness.
The group of young people murmured in amazement. The underground cave was beautiful and spacious: there were ten torii gates, and in the center, a crystalline river of a light jade green color flowed slowly. Numerous white lotus flowers floated on its surface, gently swaying with the vibrations of the water.
"Oh, how beautiful!"
"It's really beautiful!"
Lucien mingled with the crowd, who were observing everything with amazement and excitement, while he silently contemplated what was happening. He knew that this was no ordinary river. He murmured to himself: This is a river of origin. It allows a person to awaken their spiritual core and gain access to spiritual essence to use Singularities.
"All right, listen carefully," announced the academy's director. "I will call each of you by name, and you will enter the river and walk through the gates. If the lotus flowers in the water are shining, it means you have become a Spiritual Master. After that, go as far upriver as you can. The more lotus flowers that shine, the greater your talent. Understood?"
One of the young people raised his hand, and the director gestured for him to speak.
"Director, you already said that, once the lotuses shine, we will become Spiritual Masters. But... how will we know what our specific talent is?"
"To determine your talent, the method is quite simple: it all depends on how many lotuses you manage to make shine. Those with an E-rank talent light up between 1 and 19; D-rank, between 20 and 39; C-rank, between 40 and 59; B-rank, between 60 and 79; and A-rank, between 80 and 98," the director calmly explained.
In this world, the talent ranks of the Spiritual Masters were divided into five levels: E, D, C, B, and A. The better the talent, the faster the growth.
Rank A was considered exceptional, reserved only for geniuses capable of reaching the top with ease, while E indicated a mediocre talent, requiring constant effort to progress.
With the mention of lotuses, Lucien remembered something about them. In my past life, while traveling, I came across some ancient texts that said that the lotuses in the rivers of origin were, in fact, Singularities! Called "Singularity Lotus Flower of Origin". However, these formed a whole with the river of origin; if a river did not have a Lotus Flower of Origin, it would only be a normal river, albeit a more attractive one.
The young people's expressions became nervous, and the director noticed. It was understandable that they felt this way, as their future was about to be decided.
Clap, clap, clap.
Clapping three times, the director got the young people's attention.
"We will begin. As I mentioned before, I will call you by your name, and you will enter the river. Understood?"
"Yes!" the young people replied, their voices emotional but trying to hide their nervousness.
"Aldo Blossom," the director had a list in his hand and called on the first person.
Aldo Blossom's face was serious, but everyone could see that he was nervous. With determined steps, he entered the river, whose shallow waters rippled slightly under his feet.
The small waves caused by his advance expanded in concentric circles as he began to walk upstream. At first, his strides were firm; then, they faltered.
Five steps... seven... eight... nine... ten... After twenty steps, the river was still unchanged. Not a single lotus shone as the director had mentioned. Despair curled in his chest.
Aldo held his breath, hoping that at least one would react... but nothing. The silence around him became deafening.
Had he failed? The director's gaze fixed him, and Aldo felt the ground give way beneath his feet.
The director, disappointed, announced coldly: "No talent."
Those words hit Aldo like a hammer. He came out of the river with a pale face, as if his soul had left his body. His eyes were fixed on the ground; shame, humiliation, and failure made him unable to raise his head.
Without the gift to be a Spiritual Master, he would be condemned to live as an ordinary person, like so many others in the Blossom territory. All his hopes and dreams died with that verdict.
As they watched this scene, the initial excitement of the young people faded, as their future could be the same as Aldo's. With trembling hands and a lost look, he left the cave.
Ignoring the defeated young man, the director called on the next one: "Alina Blossom."
The girl shivered when she heard her name. She looked at the river with terror, as if it were an unfathomable abyss; she didn't want to suffer the same fate. However, she took a deep breath, plucked up her courage and, with hesitant steps, began to walk upriver.
One... two... three steps...
His heart sank as he saw that not a single lotus emitted the slightest glimmer of light. But, on taking the fourth step, one of them, carried away by the current, shone with pure white light, illuminating part of the cave.
Alina's eyes sparkled with happiness. She had talent! She could become a Spiritual Master and rise above mortals!
With renewed determination, she advanced towards the torii gates. The crystalline river, a pale jade green, formed small waves as she passed, as if celebrating her success.
One after another, the lotuses began to shine.
One... then two... three... five... twenty... forty...
When forty-four lotuses were already shining, the light stopped. The young woman continued to advance, but no more lotuses lit up.
The director, seeing that there was no reaction, sighed and announced: "Forty-four lotuses. C-rank talent."
Although it wasn't exceptional, at least it was decent. Alina was far superior to Aldo, who hadn't illuminated a single one.
The young woman emerged from the river with a shy smile. She wasn't satisfied, but at least she could enter the world of the Spiritual Masters.
After that, came a series of failures: ten young people failed to light even a single lotus. The director's disappointment was palpable.
With a tired voice, he called the next one: "Gleg Blossom."
The young man entered the river and, as he took his first step, a lotus blossomed with intensity. He continued advancing until fifty-nine flowers shone: C-rank talent.
This slightly lifted the director's spirits. But the following candidates barely reached the E and D ranks.
Until, finally, an exception appeared: Malenia Blossom, with B-rank talent.
After another round of disappointments, the director looked at the next name on the list... and his eyes lit up. With a voice charged with a mixture of contempt and resignation, he announced:
"Lucien Blossom!"