awakening

At this time, Ji Wei and Ji Bao entered and smiled as the looked Ji Li, ignoring those behind him. Ji Bao stepped forward and grinned as he said "Look at you, just a few days ago you were in my arms, and I was saying that you would be someone great! Now here you are, not having disappointed at all!" Ji Wei also stepped forward and smiled "Yes, yes, he told me so many times that day, I can still vividly remember!" They continued to chat a bit before they put on a more serious face.

Ji Bao began to talk as Ji Wei took out a small wooden box from one of the tables in the garden "Ji Li, as you know, the situation is difficult currently. The Empire has been stable internally for a long time now after the Empire fixed the situation, shortly before you arrived in the imperial capital. But that did not mean there was no trouble at all, you should know that too. The borders are becoming increasingly chaotic, which is why some premature measures are now used for preparation."

Ji Wei continued as he gave Ji Li the box "This is Nature's Gift, normally you would only get it as an Intermediate Eunuch, but we were sure you would become one next year. We are currently lacking in experienced Intermediate Eunuchs, as most of them were either young or only learned how to operate in the capital! Even the Senior Eunuchs are only those who are truly elders. Anyone else with that rank usually also has tasks they can't leave at hand, leaving only few Eunuchs that could act flexibly, most of them either being new and not assigned or high ranked."

Ji Bao nodded and continued as he took out a scroll from his sleeves "Both of us vouched for your credibility, allowing you to get the fruit beforehand. We want you to awaken your Attribute and Talent before you leave for this mission. Here is the mission scroll, we arranged for you to be recognized as Intermediate Eunuch temporarily, but you still have to take the exam in a year! As you are higher ranked, you are allowed to have up to two lower ranked as assistants. Take Shixuan and Qianyu and leave immediately. We wanted to make it more official and celebrate your ceremony, but the situation is too urgent! We already had our small time, leave now and let us celebrate later! With this, both eunuchs left hurriedly, seemingly still busy with the ceremony, which only took a small break after the oath, obviously not finished, but the others just being formality.

Ji Li looked back and also left through another side door instead of the main exit, where the ceremony continued. 'What the hell, I thought I would relax at least for a year in some palace now! What is this? Do they mean that I should do tasks now… but this box…' he felt an urge to open the box, which he had to suppress 'If it's truly that, then with the promotion, I will just take it as them being over-optimistic. They probably are using this as a test to see if I could work well later on too! I really dislike tests, but for you guys and for this fruit… I will do it! Let's see how fast I can rank up. Didn't he just say that higher ranks are too high to do tasks! HAH! I will become like that too!' 

Ji Li continued to laugh in his mind as he left for the trainee yard's manager's room, Shixuan and Qianyu not knowing anything just followed, being a bit scared looking at Ji Li's delighted expression. But they weren't jealous or envious, they both knew that they just became peak body strengthening stage cultivators and would need some time. Additionally, they were used to be ordered around by Ji Li, regarded him as their big bro… and big bro always shared when he had good stuff! They were sure that they would get the fruit, and till then, they would just rely on their big bro a bit more!

…

Back in his room, Ji Li firstly looked at Shixuan and Qianyu. Both of them instantly understood and left the room, guarding outside and not letting anyone in. Ji Li then opened the box which contained a small green fruit, like a small green guava, it shined brightly and seemed to be made of jewels. Ji Li picked up the fruit which was very soft and light, yet also sturdy and unbreakable. He threw it up and down as if he played with it, before he threw it inside his mouth.

If anyone saw that, they would faint from anger. This was something so many commoners wanted, something everyone in the empire regarded as holy, and for him it was toy!

Ji Li's body shined brightly once again, this time more consistent and stronger than when he did the oath. His pupils weren't closed, and they make even brighter, becoming the form of real emeralds! If one didn't look deeply, then they would really seem like jewels and not pupils! His hair, which remained snow white and grew very long, shined in it's color, melting together with the emerald green of his eyes, yet not mixing but forming a vortex of energy that was absorbed by Ji Li.

Outside the both newly introduced Junior Eunuchs stared at the door before smiling and muttering to each other "Big Brother really is amazing! Next time when I do it, I will be just like him! I bet he can teach us better tricks hehehe!" they were proud to be Ji Li's younger brothers!

Inside the light slowly dimmed as Ji Li felt as if he was just reborn once again, for the third time now! Just this time his body didn't change much, but he felt like another 'sense' opened up. In hist past life it would be called the third eye, divine sense or the sorts. He read that the opening of this sixth sense which was called Essence Sense meant that you awakened! The sixth sense would contain your aura, connection your body, mind and soul with the world on a higher level.

He looked at himself, not with his eyes but with his Essence Sense! He could feel his body's structure and everything that he had on. It felt like he could look at himself on a molecular level. When he looked even deeper, he could feel something deep within him had just awakened.

Like a call, he followed his bloodstreams to the center of his body. This place had many names, like 'center of gravity' from science, 'dantian' from ancient martial arts or even 'Solar Plexus Chakra'. In this world it was called the 'Origin Field', the field from which all the power of one came. It rested and built up in the body before the Essence Awakening Stage, which Ji Li just entered.

Inside his Origin Field he saw a tree seed which sprouted, grew larger and large till it was a towering tree that encompassed his whole field, then the tree froze at its peak, not withering or even aging anymore, just froze in time at it's peak. The ice tree stood there for a long time without melting or breaking, before it slowly reversed itself. The ice just went back into the air, the tree went back before it was at it's peak, till it was a seed once again. The process repeated a few times till Ji Li left his Origin field and thought to himself 'Mentor… he should also be busy, since he didn't attend… he taught me that the different symbols signify my Attribute. It seems that my attribute is Wood, and I even have a sub-attribute, which people could awaken later on if they wanted… and its Ice! A very rare sub-attribute! He also told me that there are other attributes outside of the natural ones, and they could either show themselves as main attribute. A few of the rarest being time and space attribute… I think my tree has a small connection to it… maybe because I went through time and space to come here, and now the leftovers from my travel joined my awakening and gave me an even stronger Talent? It called to me, and it has already such an ability, and its name is…

[double update today for y'all, thanks for the stones<3<3]< p>