Chapter Twenty-Six: Song Ting

In his bedroom, Song Chi skillfully locked the door and entered the Heavens Market. More precisely, he entered the "All-Attribute Cultivation Room" within the market.

He had long wanted to test the 580% cultivation speed bonus for the Psionic Guidance Technique. He decided to spend the next month immersed in this room. With a 5.8x multiplier, one month here would be equivalent to half a year of cultivation in the outside world. He hoped to use this opportunity to push his Psionic Guidance Technique to Level 5. It had been stuck at Level 4 for two years, and since he was already close to the next level, perhaps he would succeed.

…

The next afternoon.

Driving his father’s "Pentium Type-III" kinetic flying car, Song Chi headed straight for Jiangyuan Tenglong Middle School. As one of the best junior Fire Seed academies in Jiangyuan, Tenglong Middle School was quite prestigious.

It was the school’s break time, and the roads near the entrance were exceptionally congested. Fortunately, since Song Chi was driving a flying car, he didn't have to contribute to the gridlock like the ordinary vehicles on the road below. He parked in a familiar empty spot not far from the gate and waited patiently. Song Ting knew he always parked there, so he didn't need to crowd the school entrance to find her.

While waiting, Song Chi focused his mind inward, actively visualizing the projection of the Mythical Mech he had imprinted deep within his soul. Although the projection could autonomously enhance the imprint-holder's mental strength, active visualization yielded even better results.

Yesterday, he had asked his father more questions about the "Dragon-Spine Tyrant Whale" Mythical Mech projection. The reason one had to wait until age thirty to attempt visualization was that only after successfully awakening a Fire Seed—and having one's mind fortified by it—could one withstand the raw, direct impact of the projection’s power on the soul. Otherwise, at best, one would suffer mental damage; at worst, their mind would collapse, turning them into a mindless lunatic.

Through generations of the Song family’s testing, it had been determined that the success rate was highest when visualization was practiced after the Fire Seed awakening. Because of this, Song Chi, who already felt his start was late, took the visualization chart even more seriously. With the Heavens Market in his hands, he was very confident in his future, and he dared not slack off when it came to the so-called Mythical Mech form.

"Song Chi? Why are you here? Where’s Dad?"

He didn't know how much time had passed before a familiar voice rang in his ears. Before he could respond, she spoke again.

"Wait, I remember now. The annual awakening ceremony was just two days ago. Song Chi, don't tell me you failed the awakening and got sent here by Dad as a consolation prize!"

Song Chi opened his eyes and glared at the young girl standing not far to the right of the flying car.

"I am your brother, stop cursing me."

The girl was Song Ting, his younger sister, who had just turned eighteen—twelve years his junior. Song Chi looked at her, his expression impassive.

Two soft voices then came from behind Song Ting.

"Hello, Brother Song."
"Brother Song!"

Two beautiful figures stepped out from behind Song Ting and stood beside her. Looking at the three vibrant, youthful girls, Song Chi felt a brief moment of daze. Only a few years ago, they were just little girls, but now, they had shed their adolescent awkwardness and were blossoming into young women. It made him feel a bit sentimental.

Lu Xue and Wang Mengjing were Song Ting’s classmates and best friends. The three had grown up together, and Song Chi knew them very well.

"Xiaoxue, Mengjing, hello to you both as well."

"Alright, get in the car."

Hearing this, the three girls beamed. Lu Xue and Wang Mengjing didn't act shy and climbed into the car naturally. Over the past eighteen years, Song Chi had picked them up many times; he was used to taking detours to drop them home.

As the engine of the Pentium Type-III roared to life and the car slowly hovered into the air, Song Ting, sitting in the passenger seat, could no longer contain herself.

"Brother, did you successfully awaken?"

Hearing her earnest tone, Song Chi knew that while his sister was usually flighty, she cared deeply about her family. She acted like she didn't care about his awakening, but she was likely more worried than anyone. Seeing him nod, a smile returned to her eyes, though it only lasted for a second before her true colors emerged. Her bright eyes darted around, clearly plotting something.

Song Chi, having dealt with this before, decided to strike first.

"Don't ask about anything else. If you do, the answer is 'the lowest level'."

Song Ting naturally refused to accept that. Having finally gotten a break, she wasn't about to go home just like that. After staying quiet for a moment, she turned to Song Chi with puppy-dog eyes.

"Brother, I'm hungry. Let's go have hotpot! I remember the place on Minyuan Road is super delicious."

Song Chi rolled his eyes and pulled out a small briefcase from the side.

"Hungry, are you? Drink one of these, and I guarantee you won't be hungry for half a day."

Song Ting curiously opened the briefcase, a glimmer of expectation in her eyes. But when she saw the ten familiar blue vials inside, she was left speechless.

"Song Chi, you can't just brush me off like that!"

Before Song Chi could speak, Lu Xue in the back seat noticed something, her eyes lighting up as she whispered, "Tingting, those are intermediate body-tempering agents."

Hearing the word "intermediate," Song Ting finally realized what they were. She looked down again, joy surfacing in her eyes. She usually only used primary body-tempering agents; since Song Chi had been on the verge of awakening, most of their parents' resources had been poured into him, so she rarely got to use intermediate ones.

"Brother, you just awakened; you don't need to buy these for me. Mom and Dad will provide for me..."

Clutching the briefcase—which was worth a million credits—her voice softened. Song Chi had just awakened, a time when he needed resources most. While happy, she was more concerned about his situation.

Song Chi waved his hand dismissively.

"The recent welfare expedition had a good harvest, so you don't need to worry about me. As for you, the upgrade exam for the advanced Fire Seed academy is in two years, and your Guidance Technique is still only at Level 1..."

As he spoke, his gaze shifted to Lu Xue and Wang Mengjing in the back.

"And you two as well. You don't follow each other's lead in good ways, but you're so synchronized in slacking off on your Guidance Technique. Level 1 is far too low. It will not only affect your school advancement but also your success rate for awakening a Fire Seed. Set aside other distractions and put more effort into your practice."

With that, he pulled two more wooden boxes from his side and handed one to each of them.