The Awakening Platform was still bustling with activity.
After Ryan’s successful Awakening, it seemed as though the students had suddenly unblocked their meridians, and one successful Awakening after another began to occur.
"Ethan, Awakening successful. Awakened an F-Rank Beast Martial Soul: Swift Rabbit."
"Marcus, Awakening successful. Awakened a C-Rank Beast Martial Soul: Mighty Boar."
"Wow! A C-Rank talent has appeared!"
"Daniel Sun, Awakening successful. Awakened a D-Rank Weapon Martial Soul: Meteor Hammer."
...
"The students this year are of excellent quality. Fourteen have already successfully Awakened, which has already matched last year’s total."
"Principal, that’s all thanks to your excellent leadership. You manage the school so well and keep everything running in an orderly manner, which is why we’ve produced so many Awakened students."
"There are still more than four hundred students left. I wonder if any of them will awaken a B-Grade Talent or higher. If one does, the resources our school can obtain will increase significantly!"
"B-Grade Talents are extremely rare. We’ve only had a handful of them at this school over the past ten years. Let’s see if the remaining students can give us a pleasant surprise!"
...
Below the stage, Erin was already eager to try, as she was next in line.
At this moment, He was full of confidence. With all the resources his Family had provided him, he was confident that he could Awaken at least a D-Rank or higher Talent Martial Soul.
"Student Erin, Student Erin, please come to the stage!"
Hearing the call from the stage, Erin calmly took an Awakening Pill from his pocket, swallowed it, and then stepped onto the stage.
Lucian noticed Erin’s small action and immediately understood that he had most likely taken an Awakening Pill. It seemed that his Family was quite powerful!
As Erin placed his hands on the Awakening Stone, a yellow light suddenly emerged from his body under everyone’s astonished gazes. The light slowly condensed into the shape of a majestic Fire Lion.
"Erin, Awakening successful! Awakened a B-Rank Beast Martial Soul: Fire Lion!"
The teacher’s surprised voice rang out across the stage.
An uproar erupted among the students below. Even the Principal, who had been sitting on the stage, stood up in excitement.
Clearly, the appearance of a B-Rank Talent had thrilled everyone.
"Hahahaha! Excellent, excellent! Our Silverwood Elite School truly has produced many geniuses this year!"
"As expected of Erin! A B-Rank Fire Lion Martial Soul is truly incredible!"
Lucian was also a little surprised. He found it hard to believe that Erin could Awaken a B-Rank Martial Soul.
For someone as arrogant and domineering as this rich heir to Awaken such a powerful Talent, it was a reminder that the strength and resources possessed by aristocratic Families were far beyond what ordinary people could imagine.
Erin stood on the stage, brimming with confidence. Feeling the immense power surging through his body, he couldn’t help but feel as though he could look down on everything around him.
His eyes soon fell on Lucian, that nobody from the slums.
What could someone like you possibly have that could ever compete with me?
His gaze was filled with provocation.
Lucian noticed Erin’s provocative stare and immediately realized that this kid was showing off to him again.
In response, Lucian simply acted as though he hadn’t seen him. Instead, he turned to Evelyn and continued chatting and laughing with her.
Erin saw this scene as well.
Lucian had completely ignored his provocation and was even flirting with Evelyn right in front of her.
His expression instantly became as ugly as if he had swallowed something disgusting.
"Little brat, you’re still too green to compete with me," Lucian thought, glancing at Erin’s flushed face with amusement.
Evelyn paid no attention to Erin. At this moment, she was happily chatting with Lucian, while also reminding him,
"Lucian, remember to take the Awakening Pill before you go on stage later!"
"A B-Rank Talent is nothing. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself."
Evelyn noticed Lucian’s expression and knew that he and Erin didn’t get along, so she tried to comfort him.
Lucian was a little speechless. Was that really supposed to be comforting? He wasn’t even sure whether he could Awaken successfully.
Although he had an Awakening Pill , the medicinal pill Evelyn had given him; Lucian still felt uncertain.
Awakening was simply too difficult!
"Next, Student Evelyn."
"It’s your turn, Evelyn! Go for it!"
Hearing the calls from the stage, Lucian smiled and reminded Evelyn,
"Good luck!"
Evelyn smiled back, took the Awakening Pill, and then walked onto the stage step by step, her long legs carrying her gracefully toward the Awakening Stone.
When everyone heard that Evelyn was going on stage, the boys stretched their necks like giraffes, desperately trying to get a better look.
The girls also stared at the stunning girl with complicated expressions. The moment Evelyn stepped onto the stage, her graceful and ethereal presence instantly captured everyone’s attention.
As the undisputed school beauty of Silverwood Elite School, Evelyn was naturally the object of affection for all the boys and the focus of envy among the girls.
And now, she was about to become an existence that everyone could only look up to.
"Evelyn, Awakening successful. Awakened... an S-Rank Divine Beast Martial Soul: Azure Phoenix."
"S-Rank Martial Soul? Teacher, are you sure?"
"S-Rank? My goodness! Is Evelyn trying to scare us to death?"
...
The teacher on the Awakening Platform was also stunned.
Having never witnessed an S-Rank Martial Soul Awakener before, he checked the information displayed on the Awakening Stone three times before finally announcing the result.
"Yes! Student Evelyn has Awakened an S-Rank Martial Soul. I am absolutely certain!"
The news caused a huge stir, and the entire school instantly erupted into an uproar.
"Holy cow! That’s incredible! Is she even human?!"
"Evelyn, my goddess! You’re a literal goddess!"
...
Evelyn’s clear, refined expression remained calm and composed. Above her head, the massive Azure Phoenix Martial Soul slowly circled, making her look like a Heavenly Immortal who had descended into the mortal world.
Everyone below the stage was completely captivated, and Lucian was no exception.
She really does look like a Heavenly Immortal.
So beautiful... This soft life is amazing.
No, how can this be called living off someone else?
This is called receiving divine grace!
Oh, my God, please bless me with even more love!
...
The entire school was boiling with excitement.
An S-Rank Martial Soul Awakener had never appeared in the entire Silverwood City before. This was undoubtedly the biggest trump card of this year’s Talent Awakening.
At this moment, the Principal’s expression became solemn.
An S-Rank Talent was among the top hundred Talents in the entire federation. As long as such a Talent survived and continued to grow, they could become one of humanity’s greatest hopes in the battle against the alien beasts.
However, there were also human heretics who specialized in assassinating powerful individuals immediately after their Awakening.
After all, even the most extraordinary Talent was still vulnerable before they had the chance to mature. Assassinating them before they reached their full potential was undoubtedly the best strategy. Once they grew stronger, killing them would become extremely difficult.
Throughout history, countless geniuses had fallen before they could fully mature.
After composing himself, Principal Wang made a decision.
He immediately took out his phone and dialed a number.
"Hello Mayor? This is Principal of Silverwood Elite School. There’s an urgent matter I need to report to you. It’s extremely important."
"What’s happened that has made Principal Warren so serious? Take your time and tell me," a majestic voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Our school has produced an S-Rank Talent. We’re applying for S-Rank protection. Please send a powerful Martial Artist to provide close protection for the S-Rank Talent."
"Principal Warren, are you certain this is an S-Rank Awakener and not an A-Rank Talent?" The voice on the other end clearly still found it difficult to believe.
"Absolutely certain. I’ve personally confirmed it. Please take this matter seriously, Mayor," Principal Warren said firmly.
...
"I’ll be there immediately."
The other end of the phone remained silent for a moment before the voice finally replied.
Principal Warren hung up the phone, slightly relieved. An S-Rank Talent was simply too important.
Five hundred years ago, after the resurgence of Spiritual Energy, powerful alien beasts invaded Blue Star. Humanity struggled to survive and fought back with modern weapons.
It wasn’t until Blue Star’s Martial Souls emerged and Martial Artists were born that humanity gradually turned the tide, gaining the strength to resist the alien beasts.
Talents were divided into nine Ranks, from lowest to highest:
F → E → D → C → B → A → S → SS → SSS.
Over the past five hundred years, SSS-Rank Talents had been exceedingly rare, while SS-Rank Talents appeared only around ten times a year across the entire Federation.
Through countless battles against the alien beasts, humanity had discovered that there was an enormous gap between S-Rank Talents and those below S-Rank. This disparity became even more pronounced in the later stages of cultivation.
Therefore, S-Rank and above Talents had become the primary force in humanity’s battle against the alien beasts.
This was especially true when facing King level Beasts and creatures above that level, where top-tier combat power was absolutely crucial.
The clash between the strongest individuals often determined the outcome of an entire war.
This was also one of the major reasons why the personal strength of Martial Artists had become so highly valued and respected throughout the world.