Spiritual Awakening

The boys ahead of Xie Man seemed to know each other, chatting animatedly.

“Lord Su Nan is the brother of the lord. If one could become his apprentice, the future would be boundless!”

“My cousin works as a guard in the castle. He said all the knights highly respect Lord Su Nan, and even the lord frequently consults him.”

“You guys don’t know, Lord Su Nan is actually a sorcerer!”

“Sorcerer of legend? Is that true?”

“Of course it’s true. My father heard it from a nobleman at a banquet.”

“That’s incredible!”

A sorcerer?

Xie Man’s eyes darted.

He had been puzzled since the kind guard mentioned sorcerers.

What exactly is a sorcerer?
From their tone, it seemed like something very impressive!

Unable to suppress his curiosity, Xie Man finally interrupted and asked, “Excuse me, what is a sorcerer?”

The chatting boys turned to glance at Xie Man. Seeing his old clothes, a trace of disdain flashed in their eyes.

The lead boy sneered, “You don’t even know that? Sorcerers are figures mightier than knights, who can control lightning and flame, wielding all kinds of wondrous magic!”

Able to control lightning and flame?

Xie Man was dumbfounded.

Could there really be people who can do such things in this world?

That’s just too amazing!

So, Lord Su Nan is such a formidable figure!

Seeing Xie Man standing foolishly, the talking boy smirked with contempt, ignored him, and turned back to continue chatting with his companions.

As time passed, the line gradually moved forward.

After about an hour, Xie Man finally reached the front and could clearly see the situation inside the wooden shed.

Inside was a long wooden table, with a kindly old man sitting behind it.

Whenever a boy or girl stepped forward, the old man would open a book for them to look at.

Most people showed discomfort after just over ten seconds, clutching their heads in pain.

At this moment, the old man would close the book and offer some comforting words before letting the tester leave.

Clearly, these were the failures.

By now, qualified individuals seemed scarce, with only one boy and one girl passing.

They were about twelve or thirteen years old, standing side by side behind the old man.

The boy wore expensive silk clothes, seemingly a noble offspring, with a faint smile that couldn’t hide a sense of superiority over his peers.

The girl’s attire was less luxurious but clean and elegant, exuding a strong scholarly aura.

Xie Man had sensed a similar atmosphere from a scholarly lord before and guessed that the girl must come from a well-educated family.

While Xie Man observed, the boys in front completed the test, all failing.

The three left the line dejectedly, staying to watch, seemingly not quite resigned, wanting to see how others performed.

When it was Xie Man’s turn, he hurriedly stepped forward to the table.

“Name,” the old man asked gently.

“Xie Man.”

The old man glanced at Xie Man’s clothes, slightly surprised, “You know how to read?”

“I learned a bit,” Xie Man nervously rubbed his hands.

The old man smiled, reassuring him, “No need to be nervous, relax.”

He handed him a paper, “Read out the words on it.”

Xie Man nodded, glanced at the paper, finding common characters, and felt slightly relieved, then clearly recited the contents.

“That’s enough,”

The old man nodded with satisfaction, retrieved the paper, and opened the book for Xie Man.

It was a book with a cold, hard black cover, with bizarre characters inside that appeared as incomprehensible scribbles.

“Read this book; you might experience some reactions like headaches or chest discomfort. It’s normal, don’t worry. If it becomes unbearable, stop reading and look away.”

Xie Man could no longer hear the old man’s reminder. As soon as he laid eyes on the book, he fell into a peculiar trance.

The entire world seemed to fall silent.

Everything around him, whether inanimate or living, from birds in the sky to leaves halfway fallen, seemed frozen in mid-air.

Xie Man looked around and was astonished to see colorful tendrils emerging from the long table before him and the wooden poles supporting the shed.

These tendrils, covered with countless eyes, swayed like jellyfish in the air.

Looking down at the ground, the cobblestones’ cracks formed long fissures, moving like mouths repeating a word.

“Truth!”

“Truth!”

“Truth!”

What on earth was this?

Xie Man’s face paled, his body trembling slightly.

He had never seen such a bizarre spectacle before.

What had happened?

While he was flustered, the strange tendrils and mouths suddenly disappeared.

Xie Man quickly came back to his senses, amazed to find the world normal again.

Everyone around was staring at him, eyes full of envy and jealousy.

Xie Man looked down at the book on the table, astounded to find he could understand the characters in it.

“Congratulations, you’ve passed the test.”

The old man said with a beaming smile, a newfound warmth in his demeanor.

“Wait in the back for a while; once the tests are over, I’ll take you to meet Lord Su Nan.”

“No way, how did he get so lucky to pass the test!”

“What luck!”

“No way I’m worse than a commoner!”

A commotion erupted among the crowd, with many talking.

Especially the boys who had been in front of Xie Man, looked at him with evident jealousy.

At the soldiers’ call, the crowd gradually quieted down.

Xie Man still absorbed in the bizarre scene from before, nodded woodenly at the old man’s words and instinctively moved to the back.

“Are you okay?”

A pleasant voice spoke beside him.

Xie Man looked up and met a pair of clear eyes.

It was the scholarly girl he’d noticed earlier.

She said softly, “You saw those phenomena too, right?”

“You all saw it?”

Knowing that he wasn’t the only one to have experienced this, Xie Man inexplicably relaxed.

Coming back to his senses, he finally felt a sense of joy.

He had passed the test!

Wouldn’t that mean he’d receive a gold coin stipend every month from now on?

Fantastic!