The lower Realm of Noren, the land of Spirit and Spirit users, where the strong rule the sky itself. High Heaven Empire is one of the biggest and powerful empire in the whole lower Noren. Along its borders are small farming villages, one of such is the Sun village. Surrounded by mystic forest on three sides, the sun village is home to one of very few orphanages in the entire empire.The orphanage takes up kids who are abandoned in the nearby woods, towns, villages etc. In most cases the kids are illegitimate children of rich and powerful people. Therefore the children of the foster home ends up way stronger than the other children of the village because of their powerful lineage.Among the children of the foster Ito is very peculiar.Even the people at the foster engage in constant debate over his parentage. He is too lazy to be a progeny of a cultivator. Kids at his age are already started training to gather spirit essence. But little Ito wanders around the village all day and sometimes even sneaks out at night. Running along rooftops, striking up conversation with strangers. Kid is restless but he showed no interest in cultivation. But Ito's view on the whole matter was different, he found no reason to spend time training. He gets free food, shelter and education without doing all the meditating stuff the other kids were doing. He only do things that he feels like doing and ordinary things won't peak his interest. But unexpectedly the old man under the Divine Banyan Tree did. The old vagabond is said to be as old as the village itself, everyone respects the old one because of that, but nobody cared enough to offer him a shelter or new clothes. And the orphanage only takes up kids below 15 years old. So he spends his days under the banyan tree, leaning against his huge bag made up some kind of old rag. He spends his days reading books which apparently his bag has an endless supply of, he is also seen scribblings down notes on to them. Ito is the only one who actually cares about the old man. He doesnt care how much the old man stinks or how his temper fluctuates.The old man knew Ito was different from his other counterparts, his lack of interest in meditation and training rooted in something else the old man believed, so one day he asked Ito himself.

Old man: Young one, what are your ambitions?

Ito: What's up with grandpa? Asking these kinda weird questions.

Old man: Just answer it will ya?

Ito: Uhhhh ...I just wanna have fun, travel to new places, meet new people and live a good life....I guess.

Old man: Oh! then explain how you are going to do all that, don't you know that the foster care won't support you after u reach 15 years of age, how do you plan to reach your living expenses then?

Ito:uhh.. I don't know, maybe... umm.. .I will start farming in my free time and travel with that money.

(Old man laughs)

Old man: My child, so you want to live as a slave huh? Don't you know that only nobility can sell their lands for farming. 

Ito: So what?  I will take the land for lease and pay them back when I make profit.

Old man: hahaha innocent child, you are quite clever but this society doesn't work that way, if you take their land for lease you will have to become servent of their respective sect, and you may even die in the sect and no one will even care.

Ito: But you can't do that!! That is unfair!!!

Old man: This world is unfair. Only the strong survives in this world.

(Ito becomes disappointed.)

Ito: I don't own any land or money because I'm an orphan. How am someone like me supposed to survive.

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Old man: Simple. Become stronger. What if I tell you there is way for you to do all you want and hell! even change the unfairness of this society

Ito: Really? How?

Old man: I will tell you how but first you need to learn a lot. Come to me every morning today onwards. I'm going to teach and train you. I am not a saint or anything but I'm as knowledgeable as a demi god. I have enough credentials to teach a brat like you.

(Ito is confused but he agrees anyway because he was interested)

From that day onwards Ito started to train under the old man. The old man gave his books to Ito, most of them written by the old man himself. Ito learned the books at night and trained all day. And finally he reached 10 years the day of Spirit Awakening approached.

After that day's classes old man called Ito closer. 

Old man: Ito, I taught you everything under the sky that I know of, now let me tell you how to change the world. Can you take a guess?

Ito: Haha old man!  The solution is to become a Spirit Saint right? To reach level 90 of spirit power? It is pretty obvious.

Old man: You are indeed smart my boy, that is the straight forward way, maybe even the most easiest, but it will take you atleast a hundred years to become a Spirit Saint. What if I told you the solution is another one?

(Ito is suprised)

Ito : how?

Old man: Enter the upper realm of Noren.

Ito: Old man!! I don't understand, upper realm of Noren? What is that?

Old man: Patience my child, comeback to me after your Spirit Awakening and I will explain. Now go and get ready for the ceremony.

Spirit Awakening Ceremony is considered as a festive day for the village. People won't go to work that day instead they gather around the Central hall where the spirit masters from the kingdom set up the Summoning platform.

Ito along with his 2 brothers and one sister from the foster reached the hall early and found their token number. Ito was obviously the last one because orphans will always be at the last. Even then he was overwhelmed when some kind villagers came to him personally to wish him the best.

Awakening ceremony is the ritual which summons a battle spirit onto oneself. The battle spirit will help one in training, spirit gathering and ofcourse fighting. Battle spirits are classified into different tires based on their power(from D tier to S tier). Higher ones spirit power higher are the chances to get powerful battle spirit.

Then the ceremony commenced. Ito's first brother made pact with B tier a beast spirit. Beast spirits are extremely powerful battle spirits. They have strong physical attributes. Beast spirits will only make contract with people with high physical strength.

His second brother summoned a C grade weapon spirit, a bow. Even though it's a C grade spirit, weapon spirits are rarer and relatively powerful. Weapon spirit make contract with people having medium physical strength and strong mental power.

Ito's young sister summoned a powerful A tier staff. Everyone clapped in excitement, cheering her for her fortune.

It was Ito's turn, even though he knew his spirit power level was high he because of the old man's training, he still doubted himself. He stepped on the platform and closed his eyes. When he opened them back it was pitch black everywhere. He was floating with no sense of direction, no sound, not even his breath. He can feel himself but he realised he didn't have a body. Then sensations begun, voices started talking to him.

Various spirits started talking to him, promising him greatness if he let them in him. He felt the heat of desert, cold of icy mountains, smell of sea, gentle breeze and various other sensations as though he was travelling the world at light speed. He gathered his mind to decide which spirit to choose, just as a silence fell, followed by a deathly chill. No, not the cold chill, the other chill, one that freezes your spine. All the voices disappeared and before him opened one big eye. Blood red around and pitch black at the centre.

" Hmm, this one is interesting" said the voice.

The very sound felt like pouring molten metal down his head. He felt suppressed and started losing conscious. Moments before he lost conscious he saw the giant eye closing, bright light started spreading and a cheerful, and charming little angel floated infront of him and talked to him in a sweet voice. " You look terrible, but I don't mind, thank me later."

When he opened his eyes he was halfway collapsing into the floor on the summoning platform. He managed to get a hold of himself and settled himself down in an impressive "superhero-landing-pose". He looked up and saw the crowd staring at him awestruck.

For floating above him was a cute, shiny, A rank Mystic battlespirit. The Spirit of forest.