1,000 years ago, Blue Star entered the Interstellar Era, and Mars became humanity’s second home.
In the time that followed, human technology developed at an incredible pace, and the footprints of human activity spread across every planet in the Solar System.
Just as humans, with the Solar System as their foundation, were preparing to take their first step into the infinite universe, the Exotic Battlefield appeared.
A new, semi-illusory substance emerged within the bodies of all humans—the Star Core.
From then on, human civilization embarked on the path of exploring self-enhancement through the Star Core.
Lu Lin woke up, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and put on his school uniform, just like any other day.
The household Electromagnetic Robot had already prepared his nutritional breakfast.
The nutritional breakfast, essentially a "nutritional meal," was specially developed and formulated in response to the Blue Star Federal Education Department’s initiative to "Enable More Blue Star Youth to Awaken Their Talents." Every family with children on Blue Star could receive these nutritional meals free of charge on a monthly basis.
Lu Lin squeezed the milky, paste-like nutritional meal from its high-energy phospholipid packaging into his mouth, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.
The nutritional meal was effective; it met all the nutritional, energy, and trace element requirements for a young person’s four to eight hours of activity. The problem was... it tasted awful.
Eating it felt like chewing on sugarcane dregs—the fibrous remains after someone else had already sucked out all the juice.
He’d been eating it since elementary school, and even after twelve years, he still couldn’t stomach the taste.
I really hope I can get to the Exotic Battlefield soon and taste all the delicious food there. Only on the Exotic Battlefield can you get authentic food!
"You have a new communication request. Accept?"
A gentle, mechanical female voice sounded in Lu Lin’s mind. It wasn’t some kind of system.
It was the Biological Chip.
Powered by the Star Energy produced by the human Star Core, every person on Blue Star was injected with it at birth, along with a vaccine that could resist 415 diseases.
Full sensory connection, linked throughout the entire star system.
It was an essential item for countless families separated by distance, just like Lu Lin’s.
Watching his parents gradually materialize before him, Lu Lin swallowed a mouthful of the nutritional meal, wiped his mouth, and said, "You must be about to go to work, right? I already told you, I’ll definitely awaken successfully today, so there’s no need to be so nervous. Yet you still insisted on calling me now."
"How could we not?" Lu Lin’s mother, Meng Yu, said.
Lu Lin’s parents both worked on Saturn. Through the communication screen, they could be seen sitting on a shuttle bus, ready for work.
"This is a major event in your life. How could we not care? Right, Lu Ping?" Meng Yu added, nudging the silent Lu Ping beside her with her elbow.
"Yes, your mom is right. We should care," Lu Ping nodded hurriedly.
Meng Yu rolled her eyes at her husband, speechless, and began to lecture Lu Lin on the precautions for today’s Talent Awakening.
Keep your breathing steady.
Drink plenty of warm water.
Don’t look in the mirror before leaving the house.
When leaving the Residential Area, don’t feed the stray cats...
The advice she gave at first was somewhat normal, but then Meng Yu started divulging "folk remedies" she’d heard from who-knows-where. The crucial part was, she had already repeated this advice no less than eight hundred times.
She had been saying this from 300 days before the College Entrance Exam right up to the day of the exam itself.
The Talent Awakening was the College Entrance Exam that all high school students in this era had to face.
If the Talent Awakening was successful, one would enter a university for further studies and could become a respected Star Core Warrior in the future. They could drive luxury cars, live in mansions, go to fight on the Exotic Battlefield, and fully experience the beauty of life.
On the other hand, if the Awakening failed, they would enter society. Like their parents, they would work on planets other than Earth, meet unawakened mates, get married, and have children, continuing this endless cycle until someone in their family finally awakened their Talent.
"Mom, I know. Don’t worry, I’ve remembered everything."
"Just cheer me on. I’m sure I’ll succeed in Awakening."
"And it will definitely be the Gold System I want," Lu Lin said, solemnly taking the sword-shaped pendant hanging from his neck and showing it to his parents.
"Yes, son, you can do it."
"You can definitely succeed in Awakening."
Meng Yu’s words were somewhat guarded.
From the very beginning, her only expectation for Lu Lin was a successful Awakening. As for what attribute he would awaken, that would depend on whether fate smiled upon him.
"Thanks, Mom. Okay, I have to hang up now. The school is rushing me."
"Alright, go for it!" Meng Yu said, nudging her husband, Lu Ping, with her elbow again. Lu Ping finally spoke: "Son, you can do it! If the Awakening fail—"
Before he could finish, Meng Yu quickly ended the call.
"If you can’t say something helpful, then don’t say anything! My son will definitely..."
The images of his parents gradually faded. Lu Lin smiled, a warmth spreading through his heart.
He had lived in this world for eighteen years. Although his parents weren’t often around, Lu Lin could feel their overflowing love for him.
Both his parents were ordinary people who had failed their Awakening. Although their physical fitness and mental states were good due to their internal Star Cores, Lu Lin wanted to make them proud through his own Awakening. He wanted them to be able to boast to their colleagues that "my son" had successfully awakened and become a Star Core Warrior. He also wanted them to no longer have to cultivate various crops in the unsafe and harsh environment of Saturn.
"’Senior Three Class 3, please arrive by 8:10.’"
The voice of his Class Teacher Li suddenly echoed in his mind—it was a group voice message.
Lu Lin checked the time, squeezed the last bit of nutritional breakfast into his mouth, and swallowed it expressionlessly.
He put on the red sneakers his mom had bought him from the QingShan Network six months ago. Reaching the door, he habitually glanced at the full-length mirror, which was covered by something, gave a helpless laugh, and quickly ran downstairs.
As Lu Lin sprinted through the Residential Area, he saw stray cats trying to approach him several times.
Even if his mom hadn’t specifically warned him, it wasn’t like he had time to feed cats anyway.
Seriously, where did Mom even hear all these pre-exam superstitions?
When he arrived at the school gate, Lu Lin had to expend considerable effort just to board the Electromagnetic Levitation Bus for his class.
"I’m so nervous, so nervous! What if the Talent I awaken isn’t the one I want?"
"’Nervous? What’s there to be nervous about? Just Awakening is good enough. Does it really matter if it’s the one you want or not?’"
"’Oh, spirits of Heaven and Earth, Supreme Lord Laozi, please work your wonders and grant me a successful Awakening!’"
"’Jesus above, Allah above, Buddha above, Ancestor of Daoism above, I kowtow to you all! Please, you must bless me...’"
Lu Lin watched his classmates’ varied prayers and found an empty seat.
In his opinion, rather than praying now, it would have been better to spend that time training their bodies and mastering combat skills.
That was what Lu Lin thought, and that was what he had done.
Aiming to become a Gold System Swordsman, he had consciously started training his physique since Junior High School. During his three years of High School, he had learned three sword techniques, one leg technique, and the footwork needed to maneuver in battle.
All preparations were complete; only the Awakening remained.
Blocking out the external sounds, Lu Lin closed his eyes and began to clear his mind.
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