In the Spirit Awakening Base of Shixi City on Blue Star, the staff had been swamped with work over the past few days.


    Since the third day of the Spirit Awakening event, students had been trickling back from the Spirit Realm at irregular intervals.


    Some students were fortunate enough to return in the same state as when they left.


    However, others were less lucky, coming back battered and bruised.


    In such cases, the staff had to quickly don the hats of medical personnel and rush to treat these students.


    Inside the command room of the Spirit Awakening Center, a spacious hall was occupied by dozens of individuals.


    Among them were the base''s own staff, officers from the Daxia Army garrisoned there, as well as university teachers and teaching assistants.


    At the front of the command room, a large - scale screen was installed, displaying the detailed topographic map of the entire Spirit Awakening Center.


    This setup enabled real - time surveillance of all the Spirit Awakening Chambers.


    The moment a student in any chamber opened a spatial rift and made their return, the unique aura generated by the spatial rift could be promptly detected.


    "It seems that Shixi City won''t manage to establish a fixed spatial channel this time either," remarked a burly officer seated in a high - backed chair, his eyes fixed on the monitoring screen.


    "Commander Zhao, if a fixed spatial channel could be created so effortlessly, it might not necessarily be a boon," chuckled a middle - aged man clad in elegant attire.


    He was the county magistrate of Shixi City and had been actively involved in the base''s operations in recent days.


    "That''s a fair point," Commander Zhao replied with a wry smile and a shake of his head.


    Currently, this Spirit Awakening Base was under the garrison of Commander Zhao and his troops.


    A battalion of the Daxia Army boasted considerable combat prowess.


    Comprising over three hundred members, all the enlisted soldiers were apprentice - rank warriors.


    The non - commissioned officers and officers above the squad - leader level were filled by professionals of the Black Iron rank.


    As for the battalion commander, Commander Zhao had reached the Silver rank, making him a formidable warrior.


    On Blue Star, every fixed spatial channel leading to the Spirit Realm was a double - edged sword, both a potential goldmine of vast profits and a lurking source of great danger.


    Each time students were teleported to the Spirit Realm, they landed at different locations.


    The teleportation site could be a safe haven or an extremely perilous area.


    The danger wasn''t restricted to the terrain.


    Some students were teleported into the midst of alien tribes.


    Even if they were fortunate enough to survive and managed to leave behind a fixed spatial channel, the garrison might hesitate to preserve it upon their return to Blue Star.


    Occasionally, the indigenous races in the Spirit Realm could even reverse - invade Blue Star through these channels.


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    Killing and blood sacrifices were common practices among many Spirit Realm creatures.


    They offered such sacrifices to their gods, seeking divine favor and a boost in power.


    In the over three - hundred - year span since the Spirit Realm laid claim to Blue Star, such incidents had occurred innumerable times.


    Especially in the initial decades, Spirit Realm creatures launched frequent invasions.


    Their extraordinary martial might rendered Blue Star''s technological weaponry largely ineffective.


    In the end, extreme measures like nuclear bombs often had to be deployed, completely obliterating the area around the spatial channel.


    However, this was a pyrrhic victory for both Blue Star and Daxia.


    But the ingenuity of Blue Star''s populace should not be underestimated.


    Some wise sages had developed a magic - power potion, which significantly improved the situation.


    There was a specific reason why all the ordinary soldiers in the Daxia Army were apprentice - rank professionals.


    They were fated to remain at the apprentice rank throughout their military careers, with no prospects of promotion.


    Most of them either lacked the courage to participate in the Spirit Awakening ceremony or had failed in the attempt.


    After enlisting, they were administered a special potion and then dispatched to the Spirit Realm base.


    Under the influence of this potion, they acquired an extraordinary constitution.


    Nevertheless, this shortcut came with a drawback, capping their potential and confining them to the apprentice rank for life.


    This was precisely why, despite having an established base in the Spirit Realm, students were still compelled to risk their lives by participating in the Spirit Awakening ceremony and being randomly teleported to the Spirit Realm.


    The fixed channels in the Spirit Realm originated from the students who had participated in the ceremony and left them as a legacy.


    Those who entered the Spirit Realm through these channels would not awaken an extraordinary constitution.


    Yet, through the use of the potion, many individuals who otherwise couldn''t awaken an extraordinary constitution were able to attain an apprentice - level constitution.


    This substantially augmented the strength of the people of Blue Star and Daxia.


    Even apprentice - rank professionals were far more powerful than ordinary folks.


    With an increasing number of Blue Star inhabitants mastering extraordinary inheritances, along with apprentice - rank professionals serving as the backbone of the military and a growing number of Black Iron and Silver - rank officers, the people of Blue Star finally began to gain some ground against the Spirit Realm''s indigenous races.


    The tide started to turn, and the people of Blue Star began to expand beyond their home planet, establishing and growing their bases in the Spirit Realm.


    The Spirit Realm bases brought a plethora of advantages.


    Firstly, the spiritual energy density on Blue Star was extremely low, making cultivation on Blue Star a much more arduous task compared to in the Spirit Realm.


    As a result, many chose to enter the Spirit Realm and cultivate within the bases.


    Simultaneously, these bases functioned as crucial outposts.


    Many individuals ventured deep into the Spirit Realm to hunt for valuable magical materials and resources.


    Some even established plantations adjacent to the bases, cultivating a variety of magical substances.


    Consequently, for these Spirit - Awakening students who were fortunate enough to leave behind a fixed spatial channel, it was a mixed blessing.


    If the other side of the channel was a safe zone, it was all well and good.


    But if it led to a dangerous alien - occupied area, then this battalion of the Daxia Army would be called upon to defend.


    They would have to withstand the initial onslaught of the enemy.


    If the enemy''s strength and the level of danger were too overwhelming, the painful decision to destroy the spatial channel would have to be made.


    ...


    As the dazzling light of the spatial rift dissipated, a teenager materialized in the previously empty Spirit Awakening Chamber.


    Kael had returned. He surveyed the Spirit Awakening Chamber, a place that felt both strange and somewhat familiar, and his elation welled up, becoming impossible to suppress.


    Before long, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from outside the thick iron door.


    Kael looked up.


    Through the small aperture in the iron door, he caught sight of two pairs of eyes peering in at him.


    "Spirit Awakening Chamber No. 1078 is in normal condition. The student is in good health, with no visible injuries and no fixed spatial channel detected," a soldier outside the door reported into his walkie - talkie.


    "Received. Escort him to the testing room," came the new directive from the walkie - talkie.


    "Yes, sir!"


    Kael, inside the room, listened to the exchange.


    This was a standard procedure.


    After all, students returning from the Spirit Realm might have had a wide range of experiences.


    They could potentially carry hidden dangers from the Spirit Realm, and it wouldn''t be unheard of for the returned individual not to be the original student at all.


    "Click~"


    The thick iron door swung open from the outside, and the warm sunlight of Blue Star streamed into the dimly lit Spirit Awakening Chamber once again.