Global Era of Star trekking Chapter 1: Torch Awakening
Chapter 1: Torch Awakening
Chenxing Principality, Golden Shark Starfield, White Tower Floating Land.
Jiangyuan City outskirts, the site of the ultra-long-distance Starry Sea deployment platform.
Following a kilometer-high column of radiance that pierced the heavens, the hundred Torch Warships that had been meticulously arrayed on the platform just moments ago vanished, transported to a mysterious and faraway corner of the galaxy.
Meanwhile, a thousand miles away in Jiangyuan City—one of the five primary cities of the White Tower Floating Land—the atmosphere was equally charged.
In the third men’s dormitory of the First Torch Academy of Jiangyuan City, Song Chi removed his virtual reality headgear and disconnected from the White Tower network.
A look of nervous intensity crossed his features; he had just finished viewing the live stream of this year's graduates from the First Torch Academy of Jiangyuan City being launched into the starry sea.
Since Jiangyuan City was next in the sequence, and as a senior student at the First Torch Academy in Jiangyuan, Song Chi knew it would soon be his turn to experience the scene he had just witnessed.
The prospect of ultra-long-distance deployment into the Starry Sea and the exploration of uncharted cosmic territories filled him with inevitable tension.
Yet, beneath that anxiety, a glimmer of fervent hope shone in his eyes. This was a rare, life-altering chance. If he could grasp it, ascending to the heavens was no longer a mere fantasy.
This was the Starry Sea era. Millions of years in the past, the multiverse collapsed, leaving behind countless fragments of broken universes that drifted throughout the void of the Starry Sea.
The end of the multiverse era gave birth to a new age, labeled by the surviving civilizations as the Shattered Starry Sea Era.
Over the eons, these cosmic remnants became known as Starry Sea Floating Lands.
Civilizations eventually realized that as the concentrated essence of the former multiverse, the majority of these Starry Sea Floating Lands were treasure troves of rare resources.
To claim these riches, the various remnant civilizations clashed relentlessly, transforming the Shattered Starry Sea into a massive, war-torn battlefield.
For millions of years, across every stretch of the infinite Shattered Starry Sea, civilizations were extinguished and forgotten by time. Yet, simultaneously, new civilizations rose like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, constantly emerging into the light.
The Torch Human Civilization was among these rising powers.
Within the Torch Civilization’s territory, every citizen reaching the age of 30 is eligible to begin exploring the cosmos through ultra-long-distance interstellar deployment aboard Torch Warships.
Thanks to the refinement of genetic technology, the average lifespan of a Torch citizen has reached 140 years, meaning a 30-year-old is essentially just beginning their adulthood.
Since the Source Seed of Torch was first lit over three hundred thousand years ago, it has become a fundamental law for all Torchlight Humanity: any legal citizen over 30 can attempt to awaken their Seed of Torch, bind a Torch Warship, and start their journey through the Star Domains.
The goal is to gather resources from Alien Star Domains, upgrade their Torch Warships, and evolve their life levels. This is necessary to hold back the increasingly aggressive Alien Races bordering their territory and to safeguard the Torch Human Civilization.
Awakening the Seed of Torch and commanding a Torch Warship is undoubtedly the most critical turning point in a citizen's life. A successful awakening and the acquisition of a Torch Warship immediately elevates one's social standing.
If a person can evolve their Torch Warship to higher ranks, they might eventually rule over a Star Domain, enjoy an incredibly long life, and enter the ranks of the Torch Human Civilization’s nobility.
Pushing down the turbulent feelings in his heart, Song Chi rose, settled into a horse stance with legs spread, and slowly raised his palms toward the ceiling, spreading them wide.
He was performing the standard movements for practicing the Guidance Technique.
Data from the Torch Bureau confirms that this Guidance Technique, refined over tens of thousands of years, does more than just toughen the body and raise life levels; it significantly boosts the success rate of the Seed of Torch awakening. The higher one's Guidance Technique level before age 30, the better their chances of success.
As for why 30 is the designated age for awakening:
With a 140-year lifespan, 30 years provides ample time to master the Guidance Technique and study essential Starry Sea lore. This maximizes awakening odds while ensuring the explorer has the knowledge to survive Alien Territories, thereby reducing the mortality rate.
The remaining century is more than enough to upgrade the Torch Warship and further evolve one’s life level, creating a triple benefit.
...
Three hours later, Song Chi finished his training session.
After twenty years of diligent practice, his Guidance Technique had reached lv4. Further progress would not happen overnight.
The world outside was now bathed in darkness, so he decided to stop for the day. After a quick wash, he went to sleep.
The Torch Awakening was scheduled for tomorrow; being well-rested was his top priority.
...
The following day, at the sports field of the First Torch Academy in Jiangyuan City.
The Awakening ceremony had already commenced.
“Zhang Lili, Torch Awakening successful, Quality ‘Colorless.’ Next, Zhou Pengfei.”
As the Torch Bureau official’s voice boomed across the field, the hundreds of students gathered below the platform reacted with a mix of emotions.
While some whispered in disappointment, most eyes were filled with deep envy.
Even though every citizen can try to awaken the Seed of Torch at 30, success is far from guaranteed. At the First Torch Academy, the average success rate is usually only about four out of ten students.
Keep in mind, these were the elites of the First Torch Academy; other schools in Jiangyuan City faced even lower odds.
In the midst of the crowd, Song Chi gripped his fists in anxious anticipation, mirroring the behavior of those around him.
“Everything I’ve done for thirty years leads to this moment.”
As he thought this, the announcements continued.
“Zhou Pengfei, Torch Awakening failed. Next...”
“Zhao Yunfeng, Torch Awakening successful, Quality ‘Colorless’.”
...
One by one, students met their fate. Soon, it was time for Song Chi’s group, Class 5 of the tenth year.
“Next, Sun Hao.”
The man beside Song Chi, a towering figure nearly two meters tall who looked like a black bear, started to shake.
Song Chi tapped his friend’s shoulder to calm him down.
“Haozi, give it your best.”
Sun Hao was one of Song Chi’s few true friends at the academy.
Sun Hao nodded and walked toward the Awakening Platform with heavy steps.
A few moments later.
“Sun Hao, Torch Awakening successful, Quality ‘White’.”
The crowd of students immediately erupted in shocked gasps.
Everyone knew that while many could awaken a Seed of Torch, the Quality varied. Colorless was the lowest tier, followed by White, then Blue, Purple, and so on.
White Quality might be the second-lowest, but it appeared only once in dozens of successful awakenings. The odds for Blue or Purple were astronomically low.
Song Chi smiled, genuinely thrilled for his friend.
Predictably, the moment Sun Hao stepped down, he was swarmed by classmates eager to talk to him. Even those who had ignored him for a decade now crowded around, trying to build a rapport.
It wasn't just pettiness; Sun Hao was now a valuable asset.
Small consortia, families, and trade chambers would scramble to invest in a White Quality Seed of Torch. Once Sun Hao signed an investment deal, he would receive massive resource support to upgrade his Torch Warship at a speed far beyond his peers.
Everyone starts with a Level 0 Torch Warship, and upgrading Components is expensive. Without financial backing, progress is agonizingly slow.
“Next, Song Chi!”
Following four straight failures by others, Song Chi was finally called.
Sun Hao gave him an encouraging look from the side.
Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Song Chi climbed the steps to the Awakening Platform.
Under the supervision of the official, Song Chi reached out toward the dark flame floating before him.
This dark flame, the “Source Seed of Torch,” was a derivative of the original Fire Seed from the civilization's core. It was designed to help the human body awaken its own Seed of Torch.
Song Chi felt a wave of warmth wash over his hand. Time seemed to stretch and compress all at once. When a sharp sting hit his palm, he opened his eyes.
Before he could process the sensation, the announcement was made.
“Song Chi, Torch Awakening successful, Quality ‘Colorless’.”
Walking down from the platform, Song Chi felt a swirl of conflicting emotions.
He was relieved that he had succeeded, ensuring his thirty years of discipline hadn't been wasted and that he could now pursue the path of the extraordinary.
However, the Quality was a concern. A Colorless Seed of Torch had a low potential ceiling. It wouldn't hinder him early on, but without a way to upgrade its Quality, his Torch Warship’s growth would eventually hit a wall, stopping his evolution.
“Hiss!”
Suddenly, a burning heat flared up against his chest. Song Chi’s eyes narrowed as a thought occurred to him.
“The Star Sea Ruin Market Rank is getting hot? Why now? It’s been thirty years and this is the first time it’s reacted.”
He returned to his class with a look of confusion, which the other students misinterpreted as despair.
“Chi, don’t let it get to you. Seed Quality can be raised. Colorless is still a success...”
Sun Hao, thinking his friend was depressed, tried to offer comfort.
Song Chi shook his head, offering a small smile to show he was alright. He truly wasn't that bothered.
While the initial "Colorless" result was a bit of a letdown, he recovered quickly.
As Sun Hao noted, the grade of a Seed of Torch can be improved, even if it requires rare resources. As a transmigrator, he believed he could eventually find a way to enhance his Quality.
Indeed, he was a transmigrator who had been reborn into this world as an infant.
Right now, his focus was on the Star Sea Ruin Market Rank hanging around his neck.
Since this Rank was the reason he was brought from his previous life on Blue Star to this one, he was certain it was his "golden finger."
The fact that it was finally changing after thirty years was far more important than his initial awakening result.
Despite his curiosity, he couldn't examine it in public. Fortunately, the heat began to fade after a few minutes.
Half an hour later, the ceremony for the First Academy graduates concluded.
Out of over six hundred students, fewer than two hundred had managed to awaken their Seeds of Torch.
The plaza was a mess of noise—cheers, sobs, and shouts. It was a day of triumph for some and tragedy for others.
From this day forward, the lives of these two groups would move in completely different directions.