After the integration phase, each class began to disperse and gather.
At the gathering point of Class 5, Yang Minghui stood in front of the 16 students who had been with him for years. His gaze was heavy, filled with unspoken words. Yet, after a long pause, all he could manage were two stern instructions.
"Gather at the Academy Square at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning, and prepare well for today."
"Even though it's a welfare exploration, casualties happen every year. Don't take it lightly."
"Got it!"
...
After parting with Sun Hao, Song Chi hopped into a kinetic car by the roadside. His home was in the city center, not far from the academy. In less than 20 minutes, the car arrived at Dongjiang Community, where his home was located.
"10 points of universal credit were deducted. Your balance is now 2,413,543 points."
The smart watch flashed a deduction notification as soon as he got out of the car. Although his expression remained calm, anyone else would have been taken aback by the large balance.
In the Morning Star Principality, credit points were the universal currency. The purchasing power of these points was substantial. For comparison, the average salary of a person was only about 3,000 credit points per month. After basic expenses, most people could save a mere 2,000 credit points a month. To amass 2.4 million credit points would take an ordinary person over 100 years, making Song Chi's balance extraordinary, especially since it wasn't given by his parents but earned by him over 30 years.
His income came from writing novels in his previous life, with popular works like "Ship Breaking the Sky" and "Douluo Floating Land." Although the online literature field had become oversaturated over the centuries, his works were moderately successful, allowing him to accumulate over 2 million credit points.
He arrived at Dongjiang Community, Building 5, Unit 403.
As soon as he entered, both his parents, Song Chao and Chen Lixia, looked at him simultaneously.
"Son, you're back! Come, your mom made your favorite braised deep-sea mackerel," said his mother.
Song Chi's eyes brightened, and he quickly set down his schoolbag, rushing to the dining table. A bowl of fish soup later, a warm satisfaction spread through him, starting from his stomach and radiating through his body.
Despite the deep-sea mackerel's unappetizing taste to most, Song Chi had long grown accustomed to it, and it held a special place for him. It wasn't the taste, but the rich blood energy in the fish meat, which helped boost his guiding technique practice.
Song Chi extended his hands, circulating the guiding technique he had perfected over the years. He absorbed the blood energy within the soup, hastening his cultivation.
Of course, it was now the Phantom Energy Guiding Technique. Upon completing his Phantom Energy transformation, his body had turned into a Phantom Energy vessel. This accelerated his practice compared to regular guiding techniques. Around him, wisps of black Phantom Energy swirled.
Seeing this, his parents' anxious expressions softened. They were familiar with Phantom Energy, as they too had awakened their Xinhuo Seed.
"Your colorless Xinhuo Seed and Phantom Energy Shuttle have merged. Your first exploration of the Yihe Domain will begin at 8 AM tomorrow."
Hearing this, both parents nodded approvingly. While they had no expectation that their son would awaken a white-quality Xinhuo Seed, they were content that he had successfully awakened.
...
"Xiao Chi, come here."
After lunch, Song Chao called him into the study.
In the study, Song Chao's expression was serious. After a lengthy instruction, he revealed two glowing orbs from his own Xinhuo ancestral orifice. They floated in front of Song Chi.
"This is your starting resource," Song Chao said. "1,000 strands of zero-level floating land origin and the white-quality component of the Xinhuo Flying Ship 'Fire Sunflower Soldier Tree.'"
Song Chi was thrilled. These resources weren't much, but they were enough for a preliminary upgrade of his Psionic Shuttle, improving its performance and combat capabilities, thus giving him a head start compared to most of his peers.
Though the 1,000 strands of zero-level floating land origin were valuable, Song Chi was more intrigued by the "Fire Sunflower Soldier Tree" component. All colored Xinhuo flying ship components were derived from Xinghai Wonders, and the Soldier Components were especially coveted. These soldier puppets could be summoned for defense, combat, or as cannon fodder, greatly improving survival chances. They were always in high demand.
"Thank you, Dad and Mom," Song Chi said as he absorbed the resources into his Xinhuo Zuqiao.
Back in his room, he didn't immediately check his Psionic Shuttle's details. Instead, he took out the bronze plate hanging around his neck—the one that had brought him here.
The bronze plate wasn't large, only half the size of a lighter, with the words "Xinghai Market" engraved on it. He had always called it the Xinghai Market Order.
As he examined it, he noticed a faint dark light emanating from the plate. It was so weak that only careful observation allowed him to spot it.
"Is this... psionic energy?" he thought, his eyes narrowing.
Soon, a panel appeared beside the plate, detailing its attributes.
[Name: Psionic Energy - Xinghai Market Order]
[Category: Growth-type Wonder]
[Quality: ???]
[Level: lv0]
[Features: Controls and connects to a specific Xinghai Market.]
[Feature 2: After meeting certain conditions, the Xinghai Market Order can be upgraded automatically.]
[Remarks: A top-notch wonder with unlimited potential.]
The discovery of this change left Song Chi both excited and puzzled. The implications of this mysterious object were vast, and he knew it would play an important role in the future.