Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Care for a trade?"

"I'll help you grow stronger. In return, I'll reside in your spiritual consciousness for a while."

FM795 Low-Level Star Domain, Blizzard Forest.

A colossal dragon, its body sheathed in icy scales, slowly circled overhead. Sunlight glinted off its frozen armor, refracting a cold, shimmering light.

It held its dragon head high, its profound gaze seemingly piercing through all. As it spoke in human tongue, plumes of frigid air escaped its maw, radiating an inviolable majesty.

Xu Jintang's eyes widened in shock, fixated on the immense creature that had materialized before her.

……

Six hours earlier.

The second-year students of Dawnbreak Primary Academy gathered for their Superpower Awakening Ceremony.

In the bustling school auditorium, students stood in orderly rows, awaiting the ceremony's commencement.

"A final reminder: students under the age of fifteen are ineligible for Superpower Awakening. Any individual found to have falsified their age will bear full responsibility for any resulting consequences," the attendant sternly warned.

In the interstellar era, a citizen's organs fully developed by the age of fifteen, enabling them to withstand the immense energy unleashed during Superpower Awakening.

"Xu Jintang." An attendant from a higher-level star domain called out a name.

A young girl in an academy uniform stepped forward, making her way toward the temporarily erected Superpower Awakening platform.

All eyes turned, casting curious glances her way.

Xu Jintang was quite the celebrity in their academy.

Dawnbreak Primary Academy served as a foundational institution for students who had yet to fully awaken or master their Superpowers. Its curriculum primarily focused on combat techniques, Monster identification, and Superpower fundamentals.

A year prior, the previously unremarkable Xu Jintang had unexpectedly caused a stir during the theoretical knowledge exam.

The reason? She had submitted a blank paper, earning an unprecedented zero—a first in the academy's history.

When the results were announced that day, even the usually amiable Jiang Lu's face darkened. He summoned Xu Jintang to his office for a stern reprimand.

Xu Jintang herself was utterly bewildered at the time.

Hadn't she just completed her postgraduate entrance exams? How had she ended up here?

It was then that she realized she had transmigrated into the body of a fifteen-year-old interstellar girl who had succumbed to a sudden illness caused by malnutrition.

This world knew no mechas, no magic, no cyberpunk. Instead, it was a realm of Monsters and Superpowers.

Humans and Monsters were locked in perpetual conflict, frequently erupting into wars. Everyone aspired to join the military academy, dedicating themselves to safeguarding peace in the human world.

The prerequisite for military academy admission was to become a combat-capable Superhuman.

In this era, every individual possessed the opportunity to awaken a Superpower.

The forms and varieties of Superpowers were incredibly diverse—some manifested as common flora or fauna, others as ancient Artifacts, cold weapons, or mechanical constructs, while still others were intangible elemental attributes.

Among these, only a select few could awaken combat-oriented Superpowers, thereby earning the right to engage Monsters in battle.

Those who awakened top-tier Superpowers could, upon reaching advanced stages, wield world-shattering abilities, even tearing through the void in an instant to confront high-level Monsters.

As a transmigrator, Xu Jintang had no choice but to embrace her destiny of survival in this world.

Driven by fierce determination, she channeled the same intense study ethic from her postgraduate exam preparations into mastering interstellar knowledge. She rigorously trained her body daily to enhance her physical prowess.

In a mere semester, her theoretical grades skyrocketed from zero to the top of her class.

Her performance in practical combat classes was even more remarkable, earning her the roles of class representative and monitor.

These dramatic shifts in fortune had also propelled Xu Jintang to widespread recognition within the academy.

"Place your hand on the energy stone."

Following the attendant's instructions, Xu Jintang placed her hand on the energy stone.

"The energy within the stone will stimulate the awakening of your latent Superpower and spiritual power. Close your eyes and focus your mind."

Xu Jintang closed her eyes and soon felt a warm energy emanating from her palm. The warmth flowed into her body through her hand, gradually spreading throughout her entire being.

A few seconds later, the energy stone emitted a faint purple glow.

"It lit up!" exclaimed a student, witnessing a Superpower Awakening for the first time.

Curious and astonished gazes turned toward her.

The attendant showed no particular reaction, calmly explaining, "The depth of the color displayed by the energy stone indicates the strength of the awakened Superpower. The deeper the color, the stronger the Superpower. This strength refers to the effectiveness of the Superpower, including healing. If the healing effect is powerful, it is also considered high strength."

After a few more seconds, the energy stone's color stabilized at light purple and did not change further.

A line of text appeared above it: 「Domain Superpower」

The attendant stared at the text in surprise, muttering in confusion, "A Domain Superpower? How can it only have light purple strength?"

Xu Jintang noticed that the energy flow into her body had ceased and opened her eyes in puzzlement.

"Is it over?"

The attendant snapped back to reality and nodded. "You've awakened a Domain Superpower, which is a relatively rare type. However, your Domain Superpower doesn't seem very strong."

"What do you mean?" Xu Jintang didn't understand.

The attendant pursed his lips in thought.

Domain Superpowers were generally very potent. Even the simplest domain control, amplification, or healing abilities could yield significant effects. The energy stone's strength reading shouldn't be only light purple.

He was also curious about the nature of Xu Jintang's Superpower.

Class advisor Jiang Lu walked over and looked inquiringly at the attendant. "Hello, is there a problem?"

The attendant nodded. "This student's awakened Superpower is a bit unusual."

Then he turned to Xu Jintang. "Alright, try using your Superpower. Let me test the actual effect of your Domain Superpower."

Xu Jintang quickly followed the attendant's instructions, channeling her spiritual power. Energy erupted from within her body.

This must be the energy of her newly awakened Superpower.

Xu Jintang controlled the energy, directing it to surge outward.

At that moment, the environment within a five-meter radius centered around her immediately formed vividly in her mind.

She didn't need her eyes at all to clearly perceive every detail and change in the surroundings.

She could even see through the large stone pillars in the auditorium and observe the classmates standing behind them.

The attendant waved his hand dismissively and interrupted her.

"That’s enough. The effect of your superpower should be Slow. I sensed that as long as someone enters your domain's range, their movements are forcibly slowed. However, it only works on targets at your strength level; those stronger than you won’t be restricted."

"Additionally, since you possess a Domain Superpower, there should also be an area detection ability. This means that within your domain, you can disregard all obstacles that block your line of sight."

Xu Jintang deactivated her superpower and asked hesitantly, "Is this ability any good?"

"Well..." The attendant was at a loss for words. After a moment’s thought, he decided to be honest. "Domain Superpowers are quite rare, but the Slow effect is a bit lackluster. This superpower is middling overall. In the future, you could primarily focus on support capabilities."

"Alright, next." The attendant called the next person.

Xu Jintang, who had harbored some hope, now found her mood complicated.

She had thought it would be a very powerful superpower.

Jiang Lu understood the situation.

Seeing Xu Jintang standing with her head down and silent, he led her to a corner and offered comfort:

"This superpower is already quite good. Many people awaken non-combat abilities at all. The attendant also said that you can develop this superpower in a supportive role. There might be more opportunities, and gaining admission to a military academy in the future shouldn’t be a problem. Don’t overthink it."

Xu Jintang sighed softly, "Yeah."

Having experienced something as bizarre as transmigrating to another world, she thought, being a support isn't the worst thing.

"It’s actually the Vermilion Bird Token! A superpower ranked in the top 100 on the Interstellar Superpower Rankings!" The attendant exclaimed in astonishment.

Xu Jintang and Jiang Lu were both taken aback and turned to look.

They saw Song Tianqi, who had perpetually ranked last in exams, with a miniature bronze token floating in front of him, surrounded by a mysterious blue glow. The exquisite token was engraved with a mysterious Vermilion Bird pattern, exuding an aura of ancient times.

Song Tianqi, somewhat overweight with a round face, looked puzzled and scratched his head. "What's this thing?"

"The Vermilion Bird Token is an ancient artifact-type superpower with Divine Beast Bloodline. It has immense potential for development," the attendant said, unable to hide his excitement.

Although he hailed from an advanced star sector, he rarely encountered students with such talent, so he couldn’t help but feel pleasantly surprised.

Xu Jintang withdrew her gaze and exchanged a silent look with Jiang Lu.

Both were somewhat surprised.

The other teachers and students in the academy were also taken aback.

A student who had consistently been at the bottom of the rankings had actually awakened such a high-level superpower.

The news spread quickly, and soon many teachers and students excitedly gathered around Song Tianqi, showering him with praise and admiration.

"Tianqi, you’ll have to work hard from now on. You can’t waste such a strong talent."

"As expected of a student I taught. Your awakened superpower is even better than mine."

"Our academy has finally produced a talent. With this, your qualification for guaranteed admission to a military academy is practically assured."

Xu Jintang stood to the side, watching Song Tianqi surrounded by the crowd, with mixed feelings.

The student who had always been last had suddenly made a complete reversal.

Truly, you never know how things will turn out.

After the superpower awakening ceremony concluded, Song Tianqi, who had awakened the Vermilion Bird Token, was taken away by the attendant. It was said that he would directly go to an advanced star sector for further development, with a bright future ahead.

Xu Jintang took a deep breath and walked out of the academy auditorium, deciding not to dwell on the matter any further.

She remembered that after becoming a First-Rank Superhuman, she could receive subsidies from the federation.

Superhuman ranks were divided into nine levels. With each rank increase, one’s strength improved significantly, and the subsidy amount also increased.

Her family in this world had died unexpectedly years ago due to the war.

Since transmigrating, she had been living on monthly poverty assistance.

Now that she had awakened a superpower and advanced to First-Rank, the subsidy she could receive would definitely be much higher than before.

Half an hour later, Xu Jintang entered the Central City Affairs Bureau.

"As a First-Rank Superhuman, you can receive a monthly subsidy of 1,000 star coins. Additionally, with your status as a person in poverty, you can receive 500 star coins per month, totaling 1,500 star coins. The amount has been transferred to your account. From now on, the subsidy will be automatically deposited into your account at the beginning of each month. There’s no need to come to the counter to collect it."

"Also, this Space Bracelet is an extra reward for becoming a superhuman."

Xu Jintang quickly nodded and put the Space Bracelet on her wrist. "Okay."

After receiving the subsidy, Xu Jintang felt much better.

Moreover, she had gotten a Space Bracelet for free, which could be used for storage.

Just then, the interstellar communicator hanging on her chest vibrated.

The communicator was silver, shaped like a badge, about the size of a button, and pinned to her chest. It featured an exquisite half-silver star pattern.

Such communicators were directly connected to the brain’s nerves.

After issuing a command in her mind, a light screen immediately appeared before Xu Jintang’s eyes, displaying a part-time job notification from "QuickCash":

"Collection Task: Time-sensitive request. Collect ten fresh Snow Spirit Herbs within three hours. Reward: 1,000 star coins."

"Accept task?"