Chenxing Duchy, Golden Shark Starfield, White Tower Floating Land.
Jiangyuan City, outskirts, ultra-long-range Starry Sea deployment platform.
Atop the platform, where hundreds of Torch Warships were neatly parked just a moment ago, they now vanished without a trace, launched into the unknown depths of space by a kilometer-high beam of light.
At the same time, thousands of miles away, in Jiangyuan City, one of the five major cities belonging to the White Tower Floating Land like Jiangyuan City.
First Torch Academy in Jiangyuan City, Male Dormitory 3, Song Chi removed his virtual helmet and logged off the White Tower network.
A tense expression appeared on his face as what he'd just viewed was a live broadcast of the current graduates of the Torch Academy in Jiangyuan City deploying into the Starry Sea.
The next one up was his own city, Jiangyuan, and being a graduate of the First Torch Academy there meant that his turn was fast approaching.
The thought of soon experiencing ultra-long-range Starry Sea deployment and exploring the unknown Starry Sea himself made his heart race with unease.
Yet amid his nervousness, a hint of anticipation also gleamed in his eyes, for it was a rare opportunity—if seized properly, skyrocketing to tremendous heights wasn't out of the question.
This was the era of the Starry Sea. Millions of years ago, the Multiverse shattered, leaving behind Cosmic Fragments scattered throughout the void of the Starry Sea.
Since then, once the Multiverse Era had ended, a new era was born, which the remaining civilizations referred to as the Starry Sea Era.
Over time, these remnants of Cosmic Fragments also came to be known as Starry Sea Floating Lands.
Soon, various civilizations discovered that most of these Starry Sea Floating Lands, being the ultimate essence resulting from the shattered universes of the Multiverse Era, contained endless amounts of rare resources.
In pursuit of these resources, battles raged unyieldingly among the surviving civilizations throughout the fractured Starry Sea.
For millions of years, countless civilizations perished every moment, erased by the sands of time across the vast Starry Sea, but likewise, numerous new civilizations sprung up like bamboo after rain.
Torch Humanity was one of them.
In the realm of Torch Civilization, every citizen was enabled by their 30th birthday to embark on star explorations via Torch Warships through ultra-long-range interstellar deployment.
Of course, thanks to advancements in genetic technology, the average lifespan of a Torch citizen had reached 140 years, making the age of 30 the new threshold of adulthood.
Ever since the Source Seed of Torch was ignited over three hundred thousand years ago, it had become a rule observed by all members of Torch Humanity; every legitimate citizen above the age of 30 could attempt to awaken the Seed of Torch, bind themselves to a Warship, and commence their exploration of the Starfield.
Scouring alien Star Seas for resources, enhancing Torch Warships, and elevating life hierarchies to combat increasingly powerful Alien Civilizations neighboring the Torch Human territories.
One could say that awakening the Seed of Torch and commanding a Torch Warship was the most pivotal opportunity in the life of any citizen of Torch Civilization. Upon successful awakening and acquiring their own Warship, one immediately elevated above others.
And should one manage to enhance their Torch Warship to a higher rank, it wasn't difficult to then carve out territories in the vast Star Field, rise to the nobility of Torch Humanity, and attain a prolonged life.
Suppressing the strange feelings in his heart, Song Chi stood up, assumed a horse stance with his legs apart, and raised his hands, palms facing upward, slowly spreading them out.
This was the standard posture for practicing the Guidance Technique.
According to official data from Torch Humanity, this Guidance Technique, developed over tens of thousands of years, not only strengthened the body and promoted the elevation of one's life hierarchy, but also effectively increased the chances of successfully awakening the Seed of Torch; the higher the rank of Guidance Technique cultivation before the age of 30, the greater the chance of successful awakening.
As for setting the age of awakening the Seed of Torch at 30,
the reasoning was simple. With an average lifespan of 140 years, awakening at 30 allowed one ample time to master the Guidance Technique, significantly boosting the chances of awakening while also ensuring a solid foundation in basic Star Sea knowledge, effectively reducing the mortality rate in subsequent explorations of Alien Territories.
And the remaining hundred years were more than sufficient to strengthen one's Torch Warship and further elevate one's life hierarchy, achieving multiple benefits in one stroke.
...
Three hours later, Song Chi ended his cultivation practice.
After over twenty years of continuous cultivation, his level of Guidance Technique had already reached Lv4, and advancing further wasn't something he could achieve in a short period.
Now that the outside had turned pitch dark, he had no intention of continuing his cultivation and went straight to bed after washing up.
Tomorrow would be the day of Torch Awakening, and nothing was more important than being fully rested.
...
The next day, at the sports field of the First Torch Academy in Jiangyuan.
The awakening ceremony had already begun early.
"Zhang Lili, Torch Awakening successful, Quality 'Colorless', next, Zhou Pengfei."
As the resounding voice of an official from the White Tower Torch Bureau echoed, the hundreds of students below the Awakening Platform reacted each in their own way.
Some whispered in awe, but more showed envy in their eyes.
Although all legal citizens of Torch Civilization could attempt to awaken the Seed of Torch at the age of 30, the rate of successful awakenings was actually not high; based on past average rates at the First Torch Academy in Jiangyuan City, having four out of ten students succeed was considered quite good.
This was still the elite gathering at the First Torch Academy in Jiangyuan; other academies in the city would have even lower success rates.
Among the crowd, Song Chi, like most people, clenched his fists tightly in nervous admiration.
"I've waited thirty years; today is the day."
Mind filled with thoughts, another announcement rang out.
"Zhou Pengfei, Torch Awakening failed, next…"
"Zhao Yunfeng, Torch Awakening successful, Quality 'Colorless'."
...
As one student after another either succeeded or failed, it was soon the turn of Class 10-5, where Song Chi was a student.
"Next up, Sun Hao."
At the sound, a figure beside Song Chi, nearly two meters tall and resembling a black bear, trembled slightly.
Seeing this, Song Chi gently patted his shoulder, signaling him to relax.
"Go for it, Hao."
The burly man named Sun Hao was one of Song Chi's few close buddies at the academy.
Sun Hao nodded slightly and strode toward the Awakening Platform.
Before long,
"Sun Hao, Torch Awakening successful, Quality 'White'."
Instantly, a wave of gasps spread through the group of students.
As everyone knew, though all were awakening the Seed of Torch, the quality of the Seed of Torch varied greatly, with Colorless being the lowest, followed by White, then Blue, Purple, etc.
Though White was only the second lowest in quality, such a result might only appear among dozens of Awakeners, and the chances for Blue or Purple qualities were exceedingly low.
A smile flashed across Song Chi's face, genuinely happy for his close friend.
As expected, when Sun Hao stepped off the platform, many classmates quickly approached him with friendly greetings, even those who had barely spoken to him in the past ten years now gathered around, hoping to deepen their connection.
It wasn't that people were being opportunistic; at that moment, Sun Hao was truly a hot commodity.
The Seed of Torch of White Quality was something small consortia, business coalitions, and families in the outside world would love to invest in. If Sun Hao nodded in agreement and signed a legal investment agreement, he would soon receive substantial investment resources for enhancing his Torch Warship, thus greatly speeding up its future enhancements.
After all, the initial level of a Torch Warship was 0, and upgrading and enhancing each component required a considerable amount of resources. Without sufficient financial backing, the speed of upgrades was extremely slow.
"Next, Song Chi!"
After four consecutive failures by others, it was finally Song Chi's turn.
Beside him, Sun Hao also sent him an encouraging look.
Song Chi took a deep breath, suppressed the anxiety in his heart, and stepped toward the Awakening Platform.
On the platform, under the guidance of an officer from the Torch Bureau, Song Chi extended his right hand toward the dark black flames presented in front of him.
The dark black flame, called the "Source Seed of Torch," was not the initial Fire Seed of the Torch Humanity core Star Domain, but it was derived from it and could assist the human body in awakening the Seed of Torch, thereby increasing the success rate of awakening.
Song Chi felt warmth enveloping his palm, as if in a mere instant, yet also as if millennia had passed, until a needle-like pain in his palm caused him to reopen his tight-shut eyes.
Before he could react, the announcement was heard already.
"Song Chi, Torch Awakening successful, Quality 'Colorless'."
Stepping down from the Awakening Platform, Song Chi felt a mix of emotions, both joy and concern.
He was joyful because he had succeeded in awakening the Seed of Torch, which meant a smoother path to transcendence in the future, and his thirty years of effort had not been in vain.
His concern was about the quality of the Torch. As a Seed of Torch of Colorless quality, representing the lowest level of Fire Seed, its limitations were significant. While it was manageable in the initial stages, if he couldn't upgrade its quality, the enhancement of his Torch Warship would eventually stall, blocking his path to transcendence.
"Hiss!"
As he was tangled in his thoughts, a sudden intense burning sensation in his chest jolted him, and an idea struck Song Chi, his eyes sharpening as he silently muttered to himself.
"It's the Star Sea Ruin Market Rank heating up, what's going on? It's the first time this has happened in thirty years."
With a puzzled expression, he returned to where his class stood, but to outsiders, he appeared despondent.
"Chi, don't overthink it, the quality of a Seed of Torch can be improved, being Colorless isn't the end..."
Sun Hao, thinking that Song Chi was disheartened, quickly spoke up to comfort him.
Song Chi shook his head gently, signaling he was alright, not just putting on a brave face; he genuinely wasn't too concerned.
When the result of Colorless Seed of Torch appeared, he indeed felt a twinge of disappointment, but he soon recovered.
Just as Sun Hao had mentioned, the quality of a Seed of Torch could be improved. Although it was extremely challenging and required rare special resources, as a transmigrator, he was confident in gradually upgrading the quality of his Seed of Torch.
Yes, he was a transmigrator, and moreover, one who had transmigrated in the womb.
At that moment, what intrigued him was the Star Sea Ruin Market Rank hanging at his chest.
As the instigator of his transmigration, which brought him from the Blue Star of his previous world to this one, he had grown absolutely certain over these thirty years that this Star Sea Ruin Market Rank was his personal trump card.
Considering the unknown changes happening to his trump card, how could he possibly be indifferent?
Curious as he was, in such a public setting, Song Chi couldn't just take it out to check what exactly was happening, but fortunately, the burning feeling soon gradually faded.
Half an hour later, the awakening ceremony for all the current students of the First Academy at Jiangyuan City was completed.
Of over six hundred students, less than two hundred successfully awakened the Seed of Torch.
Cries, laughter, gasps, and wails filled the square instantaneously, as some rejoiced and others grieved.
After all, from then on, the life paths of two groups of people would diverge dramatically.