Chapter 1: Stunning Overlord Flower!
Blue Star, Jincheng No. 9 Middle School, Class 1, Senior Three.
Today marks the long-awaited Awakening Day for third-year students.
Compared to the usual routine, the atmosphere both inside and outside the classroom buzzed with restless excitement and tension.
Snap!
A textbook landed heavily on a desk.
"Quiet!"
The voice didn't come from a teacher but from a girl stern, commanding.
At once, the classroom fell into silence. Everyone knew the Overlord Flower of the school had arrived.
Even the back door of the classroom remained untouched, reserved only for her.
A few daring students couldn't resist stealing a glance at her stunning features.
"Turn around."
The boy who had just peeked quickly snapped his head forward again, lowering it so far that his nose nearly brushed the desktop.
Any delay, and that same textbook might've flown straight at his skull.
In this classroom, only one person remained calm before the wrath and radiance of the Overlord Flower Bai Ze.
The earlier outburst seemed not to faze him in the slightest as he remained engrossed in a tattered book, its fraying corners testament to frequent use.
Having transmigrated into this world a year ago, Bai Ze constantly felt that time was slipping away too quickly.
This world's curriculum differed drastically from the shinobi academies he'd known in the Hidden Leaf.
Awakening Ceremony?
Lord's Mark?
It was difficult to wrap his head around, yet he found it utterly fascinating.
"Brother Bai Ze, why aren't you nervous at all?"
A soft elbow nudged him gently. A girl beside him spoke up.
Bai Ze glanced at her and closed his book, titled Self-Cultivation of the Awakened.
Shi Feixuan, his desk mate, had all the elements of a clan heiress—beauty, power, and a formidable aura.
Her confidence and strength reminded Bai Ze of Tsunade: elegant, explosive, and deeply loyal.
She was the type to carry a full water tank in one arm and bash in a door with the other.
Unapproachable to most, yet oddly tender when around Bai Ze, the transfer student from another realm.
Bai Ze often wondered if it was his chakra-like aura or the residual energy from his transmigration that drew her attention.
At that moment, Shi Feixuan rested her chin in her palm, eyes gleaming like starlight as she looked at Bai Ze.
"Brother Bai Ze, do you think I can awaken the Lord's Mark?"
Her voice was curious, but it carried deep unease.
The Lord's Mark was like unlocking a Kekkei Genkai—a rare bloodline trait that granted its possessor unmatched power.
In all of Jincheng's prestigious Ninth Middle School, barely two or three students awakened it each year.
Everyone who went through the Awakening Ceremony had a chance to discover their latent Talent.
If the Lord's Mark appeared, it meant power, prestige, and access to the legendary Endless Continent—a realm echoing with chakra beasts, forgotten jutsus, and powerful relics.
Over there, strength ruled. Dreams became real.
Shi Feixuan's eyes wavered slightly, then softened. "If I awaken the Lord's Mark, I'll protect you forever."
Bai Ze returned her gaze with a smile. "Oh? So should I start currying favor with you now?"
Her words stirred something in him. Deep down, Bai Ze yearned for that power too.
A traveler from another time and place, he had no roots here.
But perhaps, through this Awakening, he could finally stand tall in this world—flamboyant and unafraid.
Shi Feixuan, noticing his pensive expression, gave his chest a hearty pat and grinned.
"Don't worry, if your Talent ends up weak, I'll just support you."
Bai Ze flipped a coin into the air. "What if... I'm the one who awakens the Lord's Mark?"
There was no arrogance in his voice—just absolute confidence.
Shi Feixuan's eyes lit up with a seriousness that reminded him of Sakura confronting Sasuke.
"Then I'll be your Contract Warrior. I'll follow you anywhere. You can't shake me off."
Somehow, she always believed in the outcomes of Bai Ze's coin tosses.
Perhaps it was because his coin never landed unpredictably—always showing the side he willed it to.
The Lord's Mark allowed the bearer to form contracts with two Awakened allies, granting them the ability to channel special Talents—akin to how a jinchūriki channels a tailed beast's power.
The strength of these bonded warriors depended both on their own innate ability and the strength of the Lord's Mark.
Only the marked lords could travel to the Endless Continent.
Without a contract, even the most gifted remained stuck in the mundane world, their potential sealed.
"I'm poor though… will a six-yuan Mala Tang do?" Bai Ze joked.
There was no Mala Tang in this realm—but it had become an inside joke between them.
Shi Feixuan chuckled. "You promised! If you go back on your word, I'm moving in."
Just then, their homeroom teacher—a bespectacled man with faint chakra-like pulses around him—entered and checked his watch.
"It's time. No. 7 Middle School has just finished. No. 9 is up next."
His voice turned solemn.
"Remember this: after awakening, your Talent and level must remain confidential—for your own protection."
"If you're lucky enough to receive the Lord's Mark, the school can help match you with Awakened allies."
"Those with strong backing may also go public and recruit on their own."
The teacher paused grimly.
Many previous Lords had become untouchable giants. But greed lurked everywhere.
Talented Awakened were hunted—by clans, mercenary groups, and even rogue factions.
Refusing to be contracted had gotten some Awakened kidnapped. Or worse.
And so, the Lord's Mark had become a dangerous blessing—one that changed lives forever.
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