Ark Core had no concerns about awakening magic elements. After all, he was a man with a cheat—cough, cough, still a boy for now.
No matter what magic he awakened, he would accept it. Of course, who wouldn't prefer something flashier?
The Awakening Stone was shaped like a thick astrolabe with a distinct palm print. Looking calm on the outside but feeling just as nervous and uneasy on the inside, Ark placed his hand upon the Awakening Stone, using his right hand to grab his left before finally settling it in place...
Suddenly, stellar radiance erupted from the Awakening Stone. This brilliance connected into streaks of star marks that crept up Ark's left hand like unique blood vessels and veins.
It was also Ding Yumian's first time witnessing a magic awakening firsthand, and she stood on her tiptoes slightly to look at Ark.
"Close your eyes and feel your own spiritual world!" Dean Xiao said in a deep voice.
A smile carried on his face, he too wanted to know what magic element this child would awaken.
White magic was the most likely possibility, and the Mind Element had a tremendous chance. If they could manage to get a Blessing Element Awakening Stone from the Parthenon Temple, he had no doubt this child could awaken the Blessing Element.
Ark stood there motionlessly, as if receiving a sudden enlightenment, his head lifting slightly...
A wave of power traveled from the Awakening Stone throughout his entire body, and immediately after, as if possessed by some miraculous magic, a purple arc suddenly swept across his spiritual world—breathtakingly gorgeous and soul-shaking!!
Streaks of flickering purple lightning arcs flashed dazzlingly, illuminating the entire hall in the glow of thunder. Ding Yumian was standing very close and was suddenly startled, her fearful spiritual power instinctively spilling outward.
"It's fine, it's fine, I just awakened the Lightning Element."
Seeing this, Ark hurriedly pulled his hand away from the Awakening Stone, grabbed Ding Yumian's small hand, and soothed her sensitive heart. An invisible wave of Power of Purification swept past, effortlessly neutralizing the mental impact on Ding Yumian.
Dean Xiao stood quietly to the side. No matter how strong Ding Yumian's mental manipulation was, right now she could not shake a Forbidden Curse master in the slightest; one could only say her future held boundless promise.
Watching this scene unfold, a trace of a smile flashed across the depths of Dean Xiao's eyes.
Calamity Bearers were never able to control themselves, struggling to suppress their overwhelming abilities that surpassed the natural laws. They frequently caused harm to their surroundings with massive repercussions, and Ding Yumian was no exception. But with Ark around, things were completely different.
There was no doubt that Ding Yumian was a Calamity Bearer, but Ark certainly wasn't. Which Calamity Bearer in the world needed an Awakening Stone to assist in awakening their first magic element?
After comforting his childhood sweetheart, Ark scratched his head, only turning back around to realize that something seemed to have gone wrong with the process.
Look at Mu Ningxue—she merely possessed a born natural physique, and the ice attribute inside her body began to awaken when she was around eleven or twelve, waking up to the Ice Element on her own by thirteen or fourteen.
Of course, people were different. Mu Ningxue awakened on her own at thirteen or fourteen, and Qin Yuer was even more outrageous, her ice-attribute physique beginning to awaken around the age of ten, and she probably awakened it herself not long after.
Ark muttered to himself inwardly. After thinking about so much, the truth was simply that he felt it shouldn't be right for him to lack any innate talent upon awakening.
Where was the Ark Core? Come out and save the day!
"What's wrong, Ark?" Ding Yumian asked softly.
With a blank look in his eyes, Ark sighed mournfully, "This isn't right. How come I don't have an innate talent?"
Ding Yumian blinked. An innate talent? Wasn't that sort of thing extremely rare, not something every mage possessed?
"Haha, innate talents are one in ten thousand, and they rely heavily on luck. Don't be too disappointed even if you don't have one." Dean Xiao laughed heartily, patted Ark's shoulder, and continued, "Just now when I watched you awaken, the lightning arcs were overflowing, which shows that your lightning power naturally surpasses ordinary people. It's not necessarily that you don't have an innate talent; you just haven't discovered it yet."
"Really?" Ark looked at Dean Xiao full of anticipation.
He had probed his spiritual universe, and the newly born purple stardust didn't have anything special about it—at most, it just looked quite bright.
"If you don't believe me, I can take a look for you," Dean Xiao said with a smile.
"Let's give it a try then! If I really do have an innate talent, you'll be my actual grandpa from now on!" Ark was calculating his chances fiercely in his head.
Dean Xiao remained noncommittal. A ray of light refracted off the lenses on the bridge of his nose as he reached out a hand to press against Ark's forehead. His warm, broad palm seemed to possess infinite magic as a gentle power awakened the seven newly born lightning star-seeds, slowly placing them one by one into their positions along the star path.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. When all the star-seeds were arranged, a streak of purple flowing light swept across each star-seed, transforming into a ball of light at the position of the last star-seed.
Ark closed his eyes tightly, his spiritual will highly concentrated as he diligently observed all of this.
This was also the most meticulous lesson, so detailed and considerate that it covered the placement of every single star-seed. Naturally, Ark wouldn't let go of this extremely rare opportunity. If he could master even a fraction of it, his speed in practicing magic would become several times faster!
In an instant, amidst the gorgeous and aesthetic stardust, a stunning trail of stars emerged, displaying the purple color of thunder.
The star path forms, magic appears!
At the same time, Ark snapped his eyes open, and dazzling purple electric arcs flashed instantly in the depths of his eyes!
"Zzzt, zzzt, zzzt!!!!!!"
On Ark's hands, the power of the Lightning Element's Thunder Seal simultaneously emerged, resembling two entwined lightning serpents. With just a wave of his hand, he could unleash this frantic thunder seal.
Before he even struck, the surrounding sofa began to bristle with static. Dean Xiao's gaze narrowed slightly, and using some unknown magic, he caused the stray electrical energy to dissipate so it wouldn't damage the house, especially the indoor appliances.
"You might as well try unleashing it outside." Dean Xiao led Ark out the door and said to him with a smile.
"I can cast magic right here?!" Ark asked in pleasant surprise.
"No major problem, just aim at the sky. Besides, would you proactively let the magic disperse on your own?" Dean Xiao asked in return.
"Uh... probably not." Clenching his hands tightly, Ark excitedly cast the Thunder Seal.
Warped arcs of electricity smashed down in midair, their momentum completely unlike a primary level one magic, being several tiers stronger.
"Remember, the primary level one magic of the Lightning Element is called Thunder Seal," Dean Xiao said. "And if I guessed correctly, you do have an innate talent. You can tell from the fact that you held the Thunder Seal with both hands from the very beginning, all the way to the might of the magic you unleashed—the power clearly exceeds that of ordinary people."
"So my innate talent is a bonus to the magic's might?" Ark scratched his head. That was quite a plain and unpretentious ability.
Dean Xiao looked at him and said, "To be precise, it should be an innate base power amplification for Lightning Element magic. This kind of talent is very rare, and in the future, once you obtain a Spirit Seed and a Soul Seed, your might will pull away from ordinary mages by a massive gap."
"So just how big of a gap would that be?" Ding Yumian finally chimed in, asking expectantly.
Ark touched her shoulder-length hair, which was slightly bristling from the static electricity of the thunder, and a smile appeared on his face.
Asking on his behalf meant she had him in her heart!